Wednesday, May 20Wednesday, May 20Donald Trump has publicly floated the idea of Venezuela becoming the 51st U.S. state, sharing an image on Truth Social depicting Venezuela as part of the United States. During an official state visit to China, Trump told Fox News he was "seriously considering" the move, which Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, swiftly rejected, asserting the country’s sovereignty and independence . The proposal has drawn criticism, including from *The Wall Street Journal*, which noted that U.S. states hold elections—a process Venezuela’s government does not follow .
In response to rising fuel costs, Trump has proposed suspending the federal gas tax, a move facing opposition from Democratic lawmakers. Democrats have countered with alternative proposals, including a windfall tax on oil companies profiting from prices above $75 per barrel, with revenues redistributed to consumers. Other Democratic suggestions include banning U.S. oil exports to increase domestic supply or ending the war in Iran to stabilize prices. However, the Trump administration has rejected these ideas, showing no willingness to compromise on its approach .
Trump’s trade policies remain contentious, with a U.S. court temporarily pausing a decision that had blocked his 10% global tariff. A coalition of 24 states argued the tariffs violated the 1974 Trade Act, while the Supreme Court has already ruled that some of Trump’s tariffs were unlawfully imposed, leading to refunds for affected companies despite persistently high prices .
On immigration, Trump’s administration appointed David Venturella, a former executive of private prison firm GEO Group, as acting director of ICE. The agency has lacked a Senate-confirmed leader since Todd Lyons’ departure at the end of May . Meanwhile, the administration is suing a Catholic diocese in New Mexico to seize land for border wall construction, using eminent domain to acquire 14 acres near a religious shrine. The diocese is resisting, citing First Amendment and religious freedom protections .
Liveblog USA unter Trump: „51. Bundesstaat – Trump provoziert mit Post zu Venezuela Liveticker zur US-Politik unter Donald Trump aktuell: Aktuelle News & Nachrichten von heute ► Jetzt lesen im Liveticker der FAZ
faz · 8 days ago
Trump shares image of Venezuela as 51st US state U.S. President Donald Trump shared an image on Truth Social depicting Venezuela as the 51st U.S. state. Trump told Fox News he is seriously considering the move, a statement made while traveling for an official state visit to China. Venezuelas acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, rejected the idea, asserting the country is a free nation and […]
cphpost · 8 days ago
Immigration agency ICE gets new acting director President Donald Trumps administration has appointed David Venturella as the new acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Venturella, who previously worked for the private prison firm GEO Group, will succeed Todd Lyons following his departure on May 31. ICE has lacked a Senate-confirmed director […]
cphpost · 8 days ago
Trump Tower on Gold Coast scrapped because brand toxic to Australians The Surfers Paradise development has been abandoned with Altus Property Group and the Trump Organization blaming each other The little-known property developer and the US presidents son were all smiles when they shook hands on Valentines Day within the gilded walls of Mar-a-Lago on a deal they claimed would bring a Trump Tower to Australias Gold Coast.But that dalliance has been dashed in less than three months, with the developer now claiming the Trump brand is now too toxic to work with – and the Trump Organization responding that their local partner had provided only empty promise, after empty promise. Continue reading...
theguardian · 8 days ago
Trump faces barrage of Democratic counter-proposals on gas tax With President Trumps proposal to suspend the gas tax facing headwinds on Capitol Hill, some Democratic lawmakers are offering alternative approaches to get fuel costs under control.Why it matters: This goes beyond a simple debate about gas prices and taps into fundamental disagreements between the two parties about which parts of society should shoulder the costs of war and inflation.Trump wants to relieve consumers tax burden by cutting revenue to the federal government. Democrats want to redistribute any corporate profits made off the conflict in Iran.A bill set to be introduced by Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), for instance, would tax oil companies for any profits derived from selling oil at a cost of greater than $75 per barrel.Shermans bill would impose a 100 windfall tax on those profits, according to text of the measure first obtained by Axios.That tax revenue would then be redistributed back to consumers in the form of a tax rebate.The tax would stay in effect for the duration of the war in Iran — or until oil drops below $75 per gallon.Zoom in: This is just one of several Democratic proposals to combat both inflation and what they say is wartime price gouging.Several congressional Democrats, including Sherman and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), have called for a ban on U.S. companies exporting oil in order to increase domestic supply.Nearly every Democrat in Congress has coalesced around another alternative they believe would end the supply strain keeping gas prices high: Forcing an end to the war in Iran.Reality check: The Trump administration has ruled out an oil export moratorium and ignored lawmakers demands to end the war. There is little indication they will be any more agreeable to Shermans windfall tax.
axios · 8 days ago
JUST IN: 🇺🇸🇻🇪 President Trump posts image showing Venezuela as the 51st state of the United States. @BRICSNews
telegram bot · 8 days ago
🇺🇸❌🇻🇪- Donald Trump once again shows that he wants to make Venezuela the United States 51st state. @GeoPWatch
telegram bot · 8 days ago
Trump officials sue Catholic diocese in bid to seize land for border wall A holy site home to a 29-foot-tall limestone statue of Jesus Christ is in the crosshairs of President Trumps border wall construction plans. Why it matters: The Trump administration is now suing a Catholic diocese to seize church land at the base of the holy site at Mount Cristo Rey, New Mexico, making it the latest hot spot of local resistance to border wall construction.Driving the news: Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin initiated the lawsuit against the Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces, according to a complaint filed last week and first reported by Bloomberg.The Trump administration is seeking to use eminent domain to take about 14 acres of land from the Catholic Church in Dona Ana County, New Mexico.Officials suggest that just compensation for the land is $183,071, according to the legal complaint.The other side: The mountaintop shrine is the site of annual pilgrimages. On the feast day of Christ the King each fall, as many as 40,000 faithful climb Mount Cristo Rey to marvel at the beauty of the monument and the view offered from the summit and to participate in a mass, attorneys for the Diocese wrote in a response. The Diocese is trying to keep the land by using a First Amendment defense, for the right to religious expression, as well as a Religious Freedom Restoration Act defense.The big picture: Pushback from local landowners has delayed some border wall construction and even removed some sections of physical wall in national and state parks in West Texas.But the Trump administration has suggested the landowners have almost no choice to ultimately avoid construction.Letters to private landowners asking for access to private property say that if construction isnt voluntarily allowed that the land could be taken through eminent domain.What theyre saying: DHS and Diocese did not respond immediately to Axios Tuesday afternoon requests for comment.
axios · 8 days ago
Opinion | The 51st State of Venezuela Trump wants Caracas in the union, but U.S. states hold elections.
wsj · 8 days ago
US court pauses decision blocking Trumps 10 percent global tariff A coalition of 24 states have argued that Trumps latest tariffs do not meet the standards of 1974 Trade Act.
aljazeera · 8 days ago
Companies are starting to get refunds from Trumps tariffs even with prices remaining high The Supreme Court knocked down some of Trumps sweeping tariffs, ruling that they were unlawfully imposed
independent · 8 days ago
Liveblog USA unter Trump: Grönlands Regierungschef: Noch keine Einigung mit den USA erzielt Liveticker zur US-Politik unter Donald Trump aktuell: Aktuelle News & Nachrichten von heute ► Jetzt lesen im Liveticker der FAZ
faz · 8 days ago