United News of Bangladesh

A federal judge on Tuesday extended an order blocking the Trump administration from banning reporters for three news outlets from the White House, as the extraordinary case pitting the president against the media makes its way through the legal system. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly ruled that CNN, MS NOW and Politico are likely to succeed on their constitutional free speech and due process claims. "Still," he added, "no one should interpret the Court's decision to suggest that President Trump's concerns about accuracy and fairness in the media's reporting are unfounded, or that the government is powerless when its true aim is to protect national security when classified information is unlawfully disclosed." Kelly, who was nominated to the bench by Republican President Donald Trump, previously ordered the White House to restore the reporters' "hard pass" press credentials while he weighed their claims. With that temporary order due to expire on Tuesday, the judge issued a preliminary injunction that preserves the status quo while the case is pending.

US Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle has resigned from her post amid allegations of improper and potentially illegal conduct, vowing to vigorously defend herself against what she described as false accusations. The Trump administration had asked Guilfoyle to step down following mounting criticism over alleged misconduct before and during her tenure in Athens, the White House said on Tuesday. Guilfoyle addressed the allegations in a post on X, saying she intended to defend her name, reputation and integrity. “These allegations are false, and I intend to vigorously defend my name, my reputation, and my integrity,” she wrote. She said she had spent her professional life fighting for justice and defending American values, adding that she would not allow what she called false accusations to define her decades of public service. President Donald Trump told reporters that Guilfoyle had been doing a good job but that the administration was dissatisfied with reports about her conduct. “She was doing a good job, but we didn’t like what we were reading,” Trump said. Utah Senator John Curtis welcomed the decision to seek her resignation, describing it as an example of leadership and stressing that public service was a public trust and political connections should not shield anyone from accountability. Guilfoyle, who was previously engaged to Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr., has faced allegations reported by The Wall Street Journal, including threatening a host-country official, accepting improper gifts and services, and offering to use her influence within the administration in exchange for payment of a substantial credit card bill. Her lawyers have denied wrongdoing. In a statement issued late Sunday, they said money she sought from a Trump donor was payment for previously unpaid public appearances and speaking engagements that predated her nomination as ambassador. They also rejected allegations of impropriety involving her use of private aircraft, saying she had sought and obtained State Department guidance before each trip and complied with the department’s travel regulations. The State Department has declined to comment on a possible investigation by its inspector general.

The US Supreme Court agreed on Tuesday to hear a lawsuit seeking public records from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the government cost-cutting initiative associated with billionaire Elon Musk. The case, brought by the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), seeks access to records related to DOGE’s activities during the early days of President Donald Trump’s second term. The Trump administration had asked the Supreme Court to take up the case, marking the second time the high court has intervened in the legal dispute. CREW argues that DOGE is a federal agency and should therefore be subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which allows the public to request government records. The administration, however, maintains that DOGE is a presidential advisory body and is exempt from the law’s disclosure requirements. A federal district judge ruled in favour of CREW and ordered the government to expedite processing of the group’s records request. An appeals court panel also sided with the watchdog. The administration argued that the appeals court had failed to follow the Supreme Court’s earlier guidance on the separation of powers and had interfered with the confidentiality and independence of presidential advisers. “Subjecting advisory bodies to intrusive discovery triggers the very concerns that Congress sought to avoid by excluding presidential advisory bodies from FOIA’s reach,” Justice Department lawyers wrote in court filings. The administration also challenged the appeals court’s decision allowing CREW to seek a sworn deposition from DOGE acting administrator Amy Gleason. CREW maintains that the appeals court complied with the Supreme Court’s previous instructions and that the public has a right to know how DOGE helped the administration pursue a sweeping overhaul of federal government operations in 2025. The group’s lawyers argued that public records, including statements by Trump, showed that DOGE exercised substantial independent authority across the federal government. In a statement on Tuesday, CREW attorney Nikhel Sus said lower courts had consistently supported the group’s right to obtain records that could help establish whether DOGE exercised authority that would bring it under FOIA. “We will continue to pursue transparency for the American people, who deserve to know the details of the Trump Administration’s efforts to unilaterally remake the federal government,” Sus said.

Katie Zacharia, the new White House press secretary, faced reporters for the first time on Tuesday for a very brief turn at the lectern, taking a handful of questions before abruptly wrapping it up. Zacharia, a conservative commentator who most recently worked for President Donald Trump’s social media company, was named to the job on Friday, succeeding Karoline Leavitt, who left in August and is taking a job with Fox News Channel. Zacharia told reporters her goal is to “amplify” what Trump is doing and that the president is “his own best spokesperson.” She quickly proved that Tuesday, appearing for only 14 minutes and taking questions from just three outlets before telling reporters they could go ask the president their questions on the South Lawn of the White House as he prepared to leave for a campaign trip. “In fact, I am going to end it because President Trump is heading out to Marine One for our historic trip to Alaska, and we can ask him all of the questions out there," she said. Before taking the questions, Zacharia read slowly from an opening statement that began with a focus on Trump’s recent campaign rallies ahead of the midterm elections and his policies on energy, tariffs, immigration and more since he returned to office. In naming Zacharia, who has a law degree from Pepperdine University, Trump described her as “a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning.” She briefly worked as a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security earlier this year and has been a commentator for Fox News and Newsmax. She told reporters that she viewed her role as press secretary to be no different than the way she advocated for Trump while outside the government. “I get to do what I was doing on the outside already, which was hoping to amplify, multiply and expand upon President Trump’s incredible agenda for the American people,” she said. She also thanked Trump and said, “I have wanted to work for him for a very long time.” She took her first question from Breitbart News, the right-wing outlet which has become more influential in the Trump era, and committed to keeping the “new media” rotation created under her predecessor to bring additional media outlets into news briefings and the White House press pool. But Zacharia did make some big news: she said that Trump had asked for the resignation of Kimberly Guilfoyle, the U.S. ambassador to Greece, after a series of reports alleging she has engaged in improper and possibly illegal conduct before and during her tenure in Athens. “She has been a wonderful asset to the team and we wish her well,” Zacharia said.

US President Donald Trump’s reported deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to import Russian diesel has drawn criticism from both Republicans and Democrats, with lawmakers warning that the move could help finance Russia’s war against Ukraine and undermine US interests. Trump announced the deal last week, saying it would help ease soaring fuel prices for Americans ahead of the crucial midterm elections. Critics have questioned the agreement’s legality under existing US laws and warned that it could bring Washington closer to Moscow at the expense of Ukraine. The controversy has revived concerns over Trump’s approach to Putin and a series of instances in which critics say the US president has aligned himself with the Russian leader. “All roads lead to Putin,” former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared during Trump’s first term, pointing to what she viewed as his close ties with the Russian president. William Taylor, a former US ambassador to Ukraine and now a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, said the agreement could have serious consequences for both Ukraine and the United States. “The harm to the Ukrainians is real,” Taylor said in an interview on Monday. “And the cost to us, the United States, is high.” The criticism comes as Trump faces growing political pressure at home. A new AP-NORC poll found that most Americans believe he is using the presidency for personal financial gain in ways they consider unethical or illegal, and that he is more focused on accumulating wealth than helping ordinary people. Meanwhile, Trump is preparing to travel to Alaska on Tuesday to campaign for a Republican incumbent senator, underscoring growing concerns within the party about retaining control of Congress in the upcoming midterm elections.

A preliminary magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck southern Panama on Monday evening, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS), with no immediate reports of casualties or property damage. The earthquake hit at around 6:20pm local time at a depth of 10 kilometres (6 miles), about 18 kilometres (11 miles) west of Río Grande in the country’s southern region. The latest tremor came after two powerful earthquakes measuring 7.7 and 6.6 in magnitude, along with a series of aftershocks, shook southern Panama on Friday afternoon. The earlier earthquakes caused buildings near the epicentre to collapse and prompted evacuations across the country.

US President Donald Trump sought to rally support for Sen. Jon Husted’s reelection campaign on Monday by targeting Somali and Haitian immigrants during a rally in Ohio, where a Republican-linked organisation has begun promoting a socialist candidate over Democratic nominee Sherrod Brown. Trump also acknowledged Rep. Max Miller, a Republican congressman who continued his reelection campaign despite facing allegations of domestic abuse, by thanking him for attending the rally. “Thank you, Max, for coming,” Trump said. “Thank you. Very good.” Immigration remained a central theme of Trump’s speech. He has repeatedly targeted Minnesota’s large Somali immigrant community and on Monday linked it to Haitians in Springfield, Ohio. During a presidential debate in 2024, Trump falsely claimed that Haitian immigrants were eating pets in the Ohio city. Referring to the allegations on Monday, Trump insisted, “I was right,” while boasting that his administration’s policies were driving Haitians out of the country. “If you want to stop Ohio from being plundered, ransacked and destroyed like Minnesota is being destroyed, we’re going to stop it,” Trump said. “Just like we did with Springfield, we’re going to stop it, we’re not going to let it happen.” His remarks came on the same day that Department of Homeland Security agents searched the Washington home of Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Somali immigrant who represents a Minnesota district. Trump visited Youngstown less than a week after holding a rally in Dayton. His strong focus on Ohio, which he won by 11 percentage points, highlights the difficult political environment Republicans face ahead of the midterm elections amid the war with Iran and persistent inflation. Besides the Senate race, Republican Vivek Ramaswamy is locked in a close contest for governor against Democrat Amy Acton. The rally also underscored Trump’s willingness to use his presidential platform to support political allies. During the event, he announced that a new submarine component manufacturing centre would be established in nearby Cleveland, while continuing his attacks on Black immigrants. In 2018, Trump privately criticised immigrants from countries such as Haiti, using an expletive to describe them and questioning why the United States could not attract more migrants from countries such as Norway. The remarks were condemned as racist, although Trump initially denied making them. He acknowledged using the phrase last year. Since returning to office, his administration has pursued tighter immigration restrictions and barred refugees from entering the country except white South Africans. At Monday’s rally, Trump celebrated what he described as an exodus of Haitians from Springfield. His administration ended a programme that had allowed more than 350,000 Haitians to remain legally in the United States, including some of the roughly 15,000 Haitians who moved to Springfield, a city with a population of 60,000, in recent years. “They’re getting their town back,” Trump said, referring to Springfield’s original residents. He also repeated his debunked claim from the 2024 presidential debate that Haitian immigrants were eating local pets. The allegation originated from a secondhand Facebook post whose author later deleted it and apologised, saying she had no evidence to support the claim. Trump devoted even more time to disparaging Somali immigrants, claiming they had “low IQ” and “don’t have pants to wear.” His primary objective was to boost Husted, who was appointed to replace Vice President JD Vance in the Senate in 2024. Husted faces a difficult challenge from Brown, a longtime senator who lost his seat to Republican Bernie Moreno in 2024. The presidential visit came as campaign mailers sponsored by the Enough Promises Ohio PAC began arriving in voters’ mailboxes in recent days. The materials promote independent candidate Greg Levy over Brown, using slogans such as “Join the Revolution” and “Send a Worker to the Senate.” Levy describes himself on his X account as a “Socialist running for the U.S. Senate to represent Ohio in 2026.” He condemned the mailers, accusing their sponsors of falsely impersonating his campaign and using “dirty tricks” to mislead voters. Levy said he was considering legal action. “This is a highly undemocratic practice and does a disservice to voters in Ohio and throughout the country,” he wrote on X. Federal Election Commission filings show that Enough Promises Ohio was established on September 29. The organisation has not yet been required to disclose its contributors, but additional federal records indicate links to Republican political operatives. The group paid the firm Seven Farms more than $397,000 on two dates last week for printing, postage and mailing services intended either to support Levy or oppose Brown. Seven Farms, which is also a newly established entity, lists the same South Carolina business suite as Whistlestop Strategies LLC. Whistlestop is a direct-mail operation run by Big Dog Strategies LLC, a political strategy firm that advises Trump’s MAGA Inc. super PAC and managed Moreno’s successful 2024 campaign against Brown. Neither Enough Promises Ohio nor Big Dog Strategies responded to requests for comment.

US District Judge Ana Reyes on Monday ordered a 24-hour suspension of tree-cutting at the East Potomac Golf Course, a historic golf course in Washington, DC, that is part of President Donald Trump's plans to transform the city. Reyes issued the order after a tense three-hour hearing during which she sharply criticised the government for misleading her through its actions over the holiday weekend. The judge said the temporary order could be extended to 14 days if necessary. She limited it to 24 hours while the government seeks to locate a key Trump administration official who can explain why extensive tree-cutting at the park had to take place over the holiday weekend with little notice to the plaintiffs seeking to block the renovation plans or to the judge. The hearing began with a forceful 15-minute statement from Reyes, who has repeatedly rejected requests from the plaintiffs to suspend the administration's work, amid concerns that the government appeared determined to proceed with projects despite court proceedings. “I am thoroughly unamused right now,” Reyes said. “I do not know how I could have made it any plainer that I did not want what was to happen, to happen.” She added, “I have given the government every single benefit of the doubt that it would not do precisely what it has done.” The emergency hearing, held on a holiday, was expanded as Reyes ordered the government to bring various people involved in the decision-making process into the proceedings remotely.

The U.S. State Department on Sunday urged "extreme caution" at all major airports in Saudi Arabia, following attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh the day before. The U.S. Mission strongly recommends all U.S. citizens avoid the airport in the Saudi capital and surrounding areas, according to a security alert. "U.S. government employees working in Saudi Arabia require special authorization to use the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, as well as the airports in Jeddah and Dammam. Please take extreme caution when using all major airports in Saudi Arabia," it said. "U.S. citizens should be aware of potential flight cancellations, airspace closures, and travel disruptions," it continued. Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told U.S. airlines on Sunday to exercise caution when flying to or over Saudi Arabia, citing safety threats tied to ongoing military activity and interference with navigation systems, according to a report by Reuters. "Threats could pose a potential risk to aircraft at all altitudes, including overflight, the arrival, and departure phases of flight," the FAA was quoted as saying, warning of the "potentially hazardous situation." The latest warnings came after a Houthi attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday killed 12 people and injured 309 others.

A 45-year-old man killed eight people, including a pregnant woman and two young children, at a home in Erie, Pennsylvania, before taking his own life, police said Saturday. Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah said seven of the victims were related to the gunman, while the eighth was a friend of the pregnant woman. The shooting occurred on Friday. Investigators recovered video and audio evidence indicating muffled gunshots came from inside the house shortly before two distressed women arrived and knocked on the door shortly before 5pm. The gunman then came outside and shot the women as they ran towards him before returning inside, Lorah said. Police found the two women dead outside the house. After deploying a drone and a robot, officers entered the building and recovered the bodies of a 5-year-old boy and a 1-year-old girl on the first floor, two women and two young men in a stairwell, and the gunman on the second floor. Lorah declined to discuss the motive, saying investigators would interview relatives and examine the cellphones of the women killed outside the house. Police arrived within minutes of receiving an alert from ShotSpotter, a gunshot detection system that uses microphones and artificial intelligence to identify gunfire. No further shots were fired after officers arrived, he said. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro offered his administration’s support to Erie Mayor Daria Devlin and the victims’ families. District Attorney Elizabeth Hirz urged the public not to spread rumours or unverified information while the investigation continues. Shapiro later described the killings, along with the shooting of two Philadelphia police officers early Saturday, as a dark day for the state. Erie is located about 190 kilometres north of Pittsburgh.