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Tag: US President Donald Trump

  • Trump calls Canada ‘tariff abuser’ after electricity surcharge

    Trump calls Canada ‘tariff abuser’ after electricity surcharge

    President Donald Trump called Canada a “tariff abuser” Monday and claimed the United States did not need Canadian energy, after the province of Ontario imposed an electricity surcharge on three US states.

    The leader of Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, said earlier Monday that it was adding a 25 percent surcharge on electricity exports to Michigan, Minnesota and New York — where it powers 1.5 million homes and businesses.

    “Ontario just announced a 25% surcharge on ‘electricity,’ of all things,” Trump said, claiming the province was “not even allowed to do that.”

    “Canada is a Tariff abuser, and always has been, but the United States is not going to be subsidizing Canada any longer,” he added on his Truth Social platform.

    “We don’t need your Cars, we don’t need your Lumber, we don’t your Energy, and very soon, you will find that out.”

    Seeking to correct alleged trade imbalances, Trump has pledged to launch “reciprocal” tariffs on all countries beginning on April 2.

    He seemed to confirm he would do so in the Truth Social post, writing: “Because our Tariffs are reciprocal, we’ll just get it all back on April 2.”

    Trump has repeatedly spoken about annexing Canada and thrown bilateral trade, the lifeblood of the Canadian economy, into chaos with tariff actions that have veered in various directions since he took office.

    He allowed 25 percent tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports to take effect last Tuesday before announcing some exemptions on Thursday.

    But around 62 percent of Canadian imports were still hit by the new levies, even though much of them are on energy resources facing a lower tariff of 10 percent.

    On Wednesday, Trump’s 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum imports are due to take effect — which will also affect Canada.

    Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Monday that “until the threat of tariffs is gone for good, Ontario will not relent.”

    “Pausing some tariffs, making last-minute exemptions — it won’t cut it. We need to end the chaos once and for all. We need to sit down, work together and land a fair deal,” he told a news conference.

    “Until then, Ontario will keep up the fight… That’s why today we’re moving forward with a 25 percent surcharge on electricity exports” to Minnesota, Michigan and New York, he said.

    On average, the surcharge would add around $100 per month to residents’ bills in the three states, Ford added.

    “Let me be clear: I will not hesitate to increase this charge. If necessary, if the United States escalates, I will not hesitate to shut the electricity off completely,” he said.

    Minnesota Governor Tim Walz — the running mate of Democrat Kamala Harris who lost the November election to Trump — said on X that “Minnesotans struggling to pay their skyrocketing electric bill” were the “first victims of Trump’s trade war.”

    “Minnesota cannot afford Trump’s billionaire-run economy. We have to put a stop to this madness,” Walz said.

  • Ukraine to present US with Russia partial truce after row

    Ukraine to present US with Russia partial truce after row

    Ukraine will present the United States on Tuesday with a plan for a partial ceasefire with Russia, hoping to restore support from its key benefactor, which under President Donald Trump has demanded concessions to end the three-year war.

    The talks in Saudi Arabia come as Russia has ramped up attacks and with Ukraine hitting back with a deadly overnight attack on Moscow and across the country involving more than 330 drones, according to Russian officials.

    The meeting due later Tuesday between Ukrainian and US officials in the Saudi port city of Jeddah will be the most senior since a disastrous White House visit last month when Trump berated Kyiv’s President Volodymyr Zelensky for purported ingratitude.

    Since Trump’s dressing down of Zelensky, Washington has suspended military aid to Ukraine as well as intelligence sharing and access to satellite imagery in a bid to force it to the negotiating table.

    Zelensky, who wrote a repentant letter to Trump, was in Jeddah on Monday to meet Saudi rulers but left the talks to three top aides.

    US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who will be joined in Jeddah by Trump’s national security advisor Mike Waltz, said the aid suspension was “something I hope we can resolve” in the talks.

    “Hopefully, we’ll have a good meeting and good news to report,” Rubio said.

    Rubio said that the United States had not cut off intelligence for defensive operations.

    Zelensky left the White House without signing an agreement demanded by Trump that would give the United States access to much of Ukraine’s mineral wealth as compensation for past weapons supplies.

    Zelensky has said he is still willing to sign, although Rubio said it would not be the focus of Tuesday’s meeting.

    Russia has since escalated its strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure and retaken villages in its Kursk region that Ukraine had captured in a bid for bargaining leverage.

    On the eve of the Saudi talks, Ukraine carried out what Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin described as a “massive” attack with 337 drones shot down across the country, including 91 around the Russian capital.

    At least one person was killed and three others injured, according to Andrei Vorobyov, governor of the Moscow region.

    – Forced into concession –

    In the White House meeting, Zelensky refused to bite his tongue in the face of criticism from Vice President JD Vance, with the Ukrainian leader questioning why his country should trust promises from Russia which launched a full-scale invasion in 2022 despite previous diplomacy.

    But faced with Washington’s pressure, Ukraine will lay out its support for a limited ceasefire.

    “We do have a proposal for a ceasefire in the sky and ceasefire at sea,” a Ukrainian official told AFP on Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

    “These are the ceasefire options that are easy to install and to monitor, and it’s possible to start with them.”

    Rubio signalled that the Trump administration would likely be pleased by such a proposal.

    “I’m not saying that alone is enough, but it’s the kind of concession you would need to see in order to end the conflict,” he told reporters.

    “You’re not going to get a ceasefire and an end to this war unless both sides make concessions.”

    “The Russians can’t conquer all of Ukraine and obviously it will be very difficult for Ukraine in any reasonable time period to force the Russians all the way back to where they were back in 2014,” Rubio said, referring to when Russia seized the Crimea peninsula and backed a separatist offensive in eastern Ukraine.

    In a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ahead of the US-Ukraine talks, Zelensky’s office said he discussed Ukraine’s conditions for any permanent peace deal, including the release of prisoners and the return of children Kyiv accuses Moscow of abducting.

    The two leaders “discussed the possible mediation of Saudi Arabia in the release of… prisoners and the return of deported children”, the Ukrainian statement said.

    They also “exchanged views on the formats of security guarantees and what they should be for Ukraine so that war does not return again”, it added.

    – Reporting back to Russia –

    Rubio said he did not expect to be “drawing lines on a map” towards a final deal in the Jeddah meeting, but said he would bring ideas back to Russia.

    Rubio and Waltz met last month, also in Saudi Arabia, with counterparts from Russia, ending a freeze in high-level contacts imposed by former president Joe Biden after Russia defied Western warnings and launched its invasion.

    Trump last week also threatened further sanctions against Russia to force it to the table as it carried out strikes on Ukraine.

    But Trump’s abrupt shift in US policy has stunned many allies. Rubio said the United States was objecting to “antagonistic” language on Russia at an upcoming gathering of Group of Seven foreign ministers.

  • Trump Trade War: China’s Retaliatory Tariffs Boost Brazil’s Agribusiness, Domestic Inflation Concerns Loom

    Trump Trade War: China’s Retaliatory Tariffs Boost Brazil’s Agribusiness, Domestic Inflation Concerns Loom

    The escalating trade tensions between the United States and China are reshaping global agricultural trade flows, presenting Brazil with a significant opportunity to expand its market share in China. However, this potential windfall carries the risk of exacerbating domestic food inflation, a pressing concern for the Brazilian economy and its citizens.

    China’s recent imposition of tariffs on U.S. agricultural goods, including meat and soybeans, marks a decisive response to President Trump’s renewed trade measures. As China seeks alternative suppliers, Brazil, a dominant force in global agricultural exports, is strategically positioned to fill the void. This situation echoes the previous trade war, where Brazil successfully captured a substantial portion of China’s soybean market, a share the U.S. has yet to fully recover.

    “Rising U.S.-China tensions are likely to prompt China to source more grains and proteins from Brazil, potentially lowering commodity demand and in turn prices in the U.S., while increasing demand and prices in Brazil,” analysts at Santander noted. This statement highlights the immediate impact on commodity markets, with Brazilian soybean prices already experiencing a surge. “Any additional demand from China could result in stronger exports from Brazil at healthier prices,” Itau BBA analysts confirmed in a note to clients.

    This surge in demand benefits Brazilian agricultural giants like SLC Agricola and BrasilAgro. However, the increased export volume inevitably reduces domestic supply, leading to higher feed costs for local meatpackers such as JBS and BRF. This dynamic creates a delicate balancing act between capitalizing on export opportunities and managing domestic price pressures.

    Read Also: China Warns US: “Ready to Fight Any War” as Trade Tensions with US Escalate

    The potential for heightened food inflation presents a significant challenge for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, whose approval ratings have been impacted by rising living costs. Food and beverage prices in Brazil have seen a consistent upward trend, with recent data indicating continued increases. “Brazil will end up benefiting, especially in terms of prices and profitability,” Ricardo Santin, head of meat lobby group ABPA, told Reuters, acknowledging the potential gains. Yet, the central bank has expressed concerns about the impact of rising meat prices on overall inflation, highlighting the adverse short-term scenario.

    Historically, Brazil has experienced inflationary pressures during periods of increased agricultural exports to China. The consumer price index rose significantly in 2018 and 2019, mirroring the current situation. “China will seek to obtain as much as possible from Brazil,” Carlos Cogo of agribusiness consultancy Cogo stated, reinforcing the expectation of increased export volumes.

    While the long-term outlook for Brazil’s agribusiness sector remains positive, with record-breaking production forecasts for soybeans, beef, poultry, and pork, the government must address the potential for domestic inflation. The meeting between Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and food industry leaders underscores the urgency of finding solutions to mitigate rising food costs.

    I understand the importance of presenting complex economic issues in a clear and accessible manner. When we look at the potential for Brazil to capitalize on the trade war, we must also examine the implications for the average Brazilian consumer. The increased demand from China, while beneficial to exporters, directly affects the prices of essential goods within Brazil. I have seen the way these price increases affect the average person, and it is a serious issue.

    In essence, Brazil finds itself at a pivotal juncture, poised to reap the rewards of global trade shifts while navigating the complexities of domestic economic stability. The delicate dance between export growth and inflation control will ultimately determine the long-term success of Brazil’s agricultural sector and the well-being of its citizens.

  • Hamas says Trump’s ‘DEAD’ threat to Gaza undermines ceasefire

    Hamas says Trump’s ‘DEAD’ threat to Gaza undermines ceasefire

    Hamas said Thursday that Donald Trump’s threats would encourage Israel to disregard the fragile ceasefire, after the US president said that unless hostages are freed, the people of Gaza would be “DEAD”.

    Trump’s warning came hours after his administration revealed it held unprecedented direct talks with Hamas, which it proscribes as a “terrorist” group, focused on American hostages in Gaza.

    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed Israel was consulted and said in a statement that it “expressed its opinion” on the direct talks.

    Trump said later he was “sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job” as his administration expedites billions of dollars in weapons.

    “Release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform after meeting freed hostages.

    “This is your last warning! For the leadership, now is the time to leave Gaza, while you still have a chance.”

    Trump also warned of repercussions for Gaza as a whole, where virtually the entire population has been displaced by Israel’s relentless military campaign in response to Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack.

    “To the People of Gaza: A beautiful Future awaits, but not if you hold Hostages. If you do, you are DEAD!”

    Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasim said Trump’s words pushed Israel to disregard the terms of a ceasefire in place since January 19.

    “These threats complicate matters regarding the ceasefire agreement and encourage the occupation to avoid implementing its terms,” Qasim said in a statement, urging the United States to pressure Israel to enter the ceasefire’s second phase.

    – ‘Catastrophic’ –

    The first phase of the truce ended at the weekend after six weeks of relative calm that included exchanges of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

    While Israel has said it wants to extend the first phase until mid-April, Hamas has insisted on a transition to the second phase, which should lead to a lasting ceasefire.

    Israel has ramped up its rhetoric and halted the flow of goods and supplies into Gaza.

    “Hamas has indeed suffered a severe blow, but it has not yet been defeated. The mission is not yet accomplished,” Israel’s new military chief Eyal Zamir warned Wednesday.

    Also on Wednesday, France, Britain and Germany jointly called the humanitarian situation in Gaza “catastrophic,” and urged Israel to ensure the “unhindered” delivery of aid.

    South Africa said Israel’s restriction of aid into Gaza amounted to using starvation as a weapon of war.

    “We lack drinking water. People are complaining of lack of water in general. We cannot get rid of the waste, which affects the groundwater,” Abu Hammam al-Hasanat, a 34-year-old who lives in the Gaza Strip, told AFP.

    – Talks with Hamas –

    Trump’s hawkish language came after the United States confirmed unprecedented direct talks with Hamas, with the US envoy on hostage affairs, Adam Boehler, discussing American hostages.

    “Look, dialogue and talking to people around the world to do what’s in the best interest of the American people is something that the president” believes is right, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

    The United States had refused direct contact with the Palestinian militants since banning them as a terrorist organisation in 1997. But Leavitt said the hostage envoy “has the authority to talk to anyone”.

    Five Americans are believed to remain among the hostages — four have been confirmed dead and one, Edan Alexander, is believed to be alive.

    The attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, most of them civilians, while Israel’s military retaliation in Gaza has killed at least 48,440 people, also mostly civilians, data from both sides shows.

    Of the 251 captives taken during Hamas’s attack, 58 remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military has confirmed are dead.

    US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Hamas to take seriously Trump’s threats of retaliation.

    “He doesn’t say these things and not mean it, as folks are finding out around the world. If he says he’s going to do something, he’ll do it,” he said.

    – Doubts on Arab plan –

    Trump triggered global outrage by suggesting the United States “take over” the Gaza Strip and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East”, while forcing its Palestinian inhabitants to relocate to Egypt or Jordan.

    Arab leaders have sought support for an alternative plan that would finance Gaza’s reconstruction through a trust fund, and would see the return of the Palestinian Authority to the territory.

    Hugh Lovatt at the European Council on Foreign Relations said the Arab leaders’ plan was “far more realistic than what the Trump administration is proposing”.

    But Ghassan Khatib, a Palestinian political analyst and former Palestinian Authority minister, was sceptical.

    “It doesn’t make sense to expect Israel to drop the plan of Trump and to adopt the plan of the Arabs. There’s no chance.

  • Trump to order dismantling of Education department

    Trump to order dismantling of Education department

    President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order as soon as Thursday instructing his newly confirmed Education Secretary Linda McMahon to dismantle the department she now leads, US media has reported.

    The Wall Street Journal cited a draft of the executive order circulating Wednesday which directs McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Education Department” based on “the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law.”

    Trump, 78, promised to decentralize education as he campaigned for a return to the White House, saying he would devolve the department’s powers to state governments.

    The US Department of Education, which was established in 1979 under former president Jimmy Carter, by law cannot be shuttered without Congress passing an act with 60 votes in favor in the Senate.

    However, as with other agencies in the federal bureaucracy under Trump’s second administration, the department could see widespread slashes to programs and employees, kneecapping its functionality.

    The Republican leader’s threat to shut down the education department has angered Democrats, teachers’ unions and many parents, who see it as an attack on the public education system.

    McMahon, a 76-year-old businesswoman who formerly served as CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, said at a Senate education committee hearing last month that “the excessive consolidation of power” in Washington was damaging education.

    “So what’s the remedy? Fund education freedom, not government,” she said.

    The Washington Post reported McMahon and other officials have suggested moving some of the agency’s functions to other parts of the government in their effort to dismantle it, though it could prompt legal challenges.

  • Trump warns Gaza ‘you are dead’ if hostages not freed

    Trump warns Gaza ‘you are dead’ if hostages not freed

    US President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened further destruction of Gaza if all remaining hostages are not released, and issued an ultimatum to Hamas leaders to flee.

    Strongly backing Israel as a ceasefire teeters, Trump said he was “sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job” as his administration expedites billions of dollars in weapons.

    “Release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform after meeting freed hostages.

    “This is your last warning! For the leadership, now is the time to leave Gaza, while you still have a chance.”

    Trump also made clear there would be repercussions for Gaza as a whole, where virtually the entire population has been displaced by Israel’s relentless military campaign in response to the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas.

    “To the People of Gaza: A beautiful Future awaits, but not if you hold Hostages. If you do, you are DEAD!”

    His comments follow Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s warning of “consequences that you cannot imagine” if Hamas does not hand over the remaining hostages seized in the October 7 attack.

    The first phase of a ceasefire ended over the weekend after six weeks of relative calm that included exchanges of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

    While Israel has said it wants to extend the first phase until mid-April, Hamas has insisted on a transition to the second phase, which should lead to a permanent end to the war.

    Israel has ramped up pressure not just with threats but also by halting the flow of goods and supplies into Gaza.

    “Hamas has indeed suffered a severe blow, but it has not yet been defeated. The mission is not yet accomplished,” Israel’s new military chief Eyal Zamir warned Wednesday.

    Also on Wednesday, France, Britain and Germany jointly called the humanitarian situation in Gaza “catastrophic,” and urged Israel to ensure the “unhindered” delivery of aid.

    South Africa said Israel’s restriction of aid into Gaza amounted to using starvation as a weapon of war.

    – Talks with Hamas –

    Trump’s hawkish language came after the United States confirmed unprecedented direct talks with Hamas, with the US envoy on hostage affairs, Adam Boehler, discussing American hostages.

    “Look, dialogue and talking to people around the world to do what’s in the best interest of the American people is something that the president” believes is right, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

    The United States had refused direct contact with the Palestinian militants since banning them as a terrorist organization in 1997. But Leavitt said that the hostage envoy “has the authority to talk to anyone”.

    Both the White House and Netanyahu’s office confirmed Israel was consulted in advance.

    Five Americans are believed to remain among the hostages — four have been confirmed dead and one, Edan Alexander, is believed to be alive.

    The Hamas assault resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, most of them civilians, while Israel’s military retaliation in Gaza has killed at least 48,440 people, also mostly civilians, data from both sides show.

    Of the 251 captives taken during Hamas’s attack, 58 remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military has confirmed are dead.

    In an interview on Wednesday night, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Hamas to take seriously Trump’s threats of retaliation.

    “He doesn’t say these things and not mean it, as folks are finding out around the world. If he says he’s going to do something, he’ll do it,” Rubio said.

    – Doubts on Arab plan –

    Trump has floated a proposal to take over the Gaza Strip and displace its people, an idea that has drawn wide condemnation around the world.

    Arab leaders have sought support for an alternative plan that would finance Gaza’s reconstruction through a trust fund.

    A draft seen by AFP outlined a five-year roadmap with a price tag of $53 billion — roughly the amount the United Nations estimated for Gaza’s reconstruction — but the figure was not included in the summit’s final statement.

    The summit also called for unified representation under the Palestine Liberation Organization to sideline Islamist Hamas.

    Hugh Lovatt at the European Council on Foreign Relations said the Arab leaders’ plan was “far more realistic than what the Trump administration is proposing.”

    But Ghassan Khatib, a Palestinian political analyst and former Palestinian Authority minister, was skeptical.

    “It doesn’t make sense to expect Israel to drop the plan of Trump and to adopt the plan of the Arabs. There’s no chance.”

    Speaking after a UN Security Council meeting on Gaza’s future, French diplomat Jay Dharmadhikari said the final plan should neither allow Hamas to continue governing nor eject Palestinians.

    “We are clear that any plan must have no role for Hamas, must ensure Israel’s security, must not displace Palestinians from Gaza,” he said.

  • Trump mocks Lesotho, calls it a country ‘nobody has ever heard of’

    Trump mocks Lesotho, calls it a country ‘nobody has ever heard of’

    US President Donald Trump on Tuesday mocked tiny Lesotho as a country “nobody has ever heard of” as he defended his sweeping cuts in aid.

    Trump highlighted the landlocked African constitutional monarchy during an address to Congress as he gave a long list of past US aid projects.

    “Eight million dollars to promote LGBTQI+ in the African nation of Lesotho,” Trump said, struggling with the pronunciation.

    “Which nobody has ever heard of,” Trump added, as Republican lawmakers laughed and Vice President JD Vance and Speaker Mike Johnson grinned behind him.

    Lesotho has one of the highest rates in the world of HIV/AIDS, which the United States has sought to address by providing medication and other social support, including raising awareness among sexual minorities who face stigma.

    The United States has committed more than $630 million since 2006 to anti-HIV/AIDS efforts in Lesotho, according to the US embassy there.

    The United States last year also signed a $300 million deal to promote health and crop production in Lesotho through the Millennium Challenge Corporation, which awards US funding to developing countries that meet standards on democracy and good governance.

    The Trump administration on returning to office has cancelled more than 90 percent of US foreign assistance, saying it is not in the US interest and that the money would better go to tax cuts.

    Under the guidance of South African-born billionaire Elon Musk, Trump has effectively shut down the US Agency for International Development.

    Trump in his first term showed little interest in Africa, notoriously being quoted as using an epithet to describe immigrants from the continent.

  • Trump pauses military aid to Ukraine after Oval Office clash

    Trump pauses military aid to Ukraine after Oval Office clash

    United States President, Donald Trump, has ordered a pause on shipments of US military aid to Ukraine after his heated Oval Office argument with Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, last week, a White House official told CNN, Monday.

    This came as Zelensky, yesterday, said he wanted to make things right with Trump and to work under the US president’s strong leadership to secure a lasting peace in Ukraine.

    In his first public comments since Trump halted US military aid to Ukraine, Zelensky called for a truce in the sea and sky as a first step to ending the three-year war and pledged to sign a key minerals deal with Washington.

    “My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts,” Zelensky wrote on X.

    “Our meeting in Washington, at the White House on Friday, did not go the way it was supposed to be. It is time to make things right,” he said.

    The halt in aid came after Trump held a series of meetings with top national security officials at the White House, and will remain in place until Trump determines Zelensky has made a commitment to seeking peace talks, one official said, essentially forcing Ukraine to a negotiating table by threatening further losses on the battlefield.

    “The president has been clear that he is focused on peace. We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well. We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution,” the White House official said.

    Trump’s stunning decision Monday to halt aid to Ukraine deepened fears in Kyiv and many European capitals that America was pivoting away from its allies and towards Moscow.

    Moscow hailed Trump’s decision, with Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, calling it a solution which could really push the Kyiv regime to a peace process.

    “If the United States stops military supplies, this would probably be the best contribution to peace,” Peskov said.

    The European Union, which, along with Ukraine, is excluded from US-Russian negotiations towards a potential truce in Ukraine, has been scrambling to bolster support for Kyiv.

    The urgency heightened last week, when Trump and Zelensky clashed in the White House, with Trump warning his Ukrainian counterpart won’t be around very long without a ceasefire deal with Moscow.

    European Commission  chief, Ursula von der Leyen, yesterday, presented an EU plan to mobilise some 800 billion euros ($840 billion) for Europe’s defence.

    The funding, she said, would massively step up support to Ukraine and provide it immediate military equipment.

  • US to remove transgender soldiers from military

    US to remove transgender soldiers from military

    The United States will remove transgender troops from the military unless they obtain a waiver on a case-by-case basis, the Pentagon said in a Wednesday memo.

    The memo became public as part of a court filing in a case challenging President Donald Trump’s late January executive order that was aimed at barring military service by transgender personnel.

    “Service members who have a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria will be processed for separation from military service,” the memo said.

    These troops may be “considered for a waiver on a case-by-case basis, provided there is a compelling government interest in retaining the service member that directly supports warfighting capabilities,” it said.

    To obtain such a waiver, troops must show that they have never attempted to transition, as well as demonstrate “36 consecutive months of stability in the service member’s sex without clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.”

    Another Pentagon memo issued earlier this month barred transgender people from joining the military and halted gender transition treatment for others who are already in uniform.

    The latest memo also states that “applicants for military service… who have a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibit symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria are disqualified for military service,” as are those with “a history of cross-sex hormone therapy or sex reassignment or genital reconstruction surgery as treatment for gender dysphoria.”

    – Shifting US policies –

    Disqualified applicants can also obtain a waiver if there is a “compelling government interest” in them joining the military and they are “willing and able to adhere to all applicable standards, including the standards associated with the applicant’s sex.”

    Transgender Americans have faced a roller coaster of changing policies on military service in recent years, with Democratic administrations seeking to permit them to serve openly, while Trump has repeatedly sought to keep them out of the ranks.

    The US military lifted a ban on transgender troops in 2016, during Democrat Barack Obama’s second term as president.

    Under that policy, trans troops already serving were permitted to do so openly, and transgender recruits were set to start being accepted by July 1, 2017.

    But the first Trump administration postponed that date to 2018 before deciding to reverse the policy entirely.

    Trump’s controversial restrictions on transgender military service — which underwent changes in response to various court challenges — eventually came into force in April 2019 following a protracted legal battle that went all the way to the nation’s top court.

    Trump’s Democratic successor Joe Biden moved to reverse the restrictions just days after he took office in 2021, saying all Americans qualified to serve should be able to do so.

    After returning to office in January, Trump issued an executive order executive order that again took aim at transgender troops, saying: “Expressing a false ‘gender identity’ divergent from an individual’s sex cannot satisfy the rigorous standards necessary for military service.”

    Transgender issues have roiled US politics in recent years, as states controlled by Democrats and Republicans have moved in opposite directions on policies ranging from medical treatment to what books on the topic are allowed in public or school libraries.

  • Canada’s Marsch ‘ashamed’ of Trump’s 51st state jibe

    Canada’s Marsch ‘ashamed’ of Trump’s 51st state jibe

    Canada’s American-born manager Jesse Marsch is “ashamed” of US President Donald Trump’s repeated comments about making Canada the 51st state.

    Tensions have been rising between the neighbouring countries over recent weeks following Trump’s 51st state remarks as well as proposed severe trade tariffs between the nations.

    The former Leeds United boss took charge of Canada in May 2024 and could face the US in the final of the CONCACAF Nations League next month.

    “If I have one message to our president, it’s lay off the ridiculous rhetoric about Canada being the 51st state,” said Marsch, who was born in Wisconsin and played twice for the US national team during a long MLS career.

    “As an American, I’m ashamed of the arrogance and disregard we’ve shown one of our historically oldest, strongest and most loyal allies.”

    Canada and the US recently met across two fixtures in the 4 Nations ice hockey competition, with the former winning the final.

    Their first game descended into chaos with three fights breaking out between players in the first nine seconds, while the US national anthem was loudly booed.

    American supporters also jeered the Canadian national anthem, which was sung with different lyrics in protest about Trump’s statements.

    After Canada won in overtime, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrote on X: “You can’t take our country – and you can’t take our game.”

    Marsch has won six of his 13 games in charge of Canada, who are seeking their first piece of silverware since 2000 in the Nations League.

    Canada meet Mexico in the semi-finals on 21 March and the winner will face either the US or Panama in the final two days later, with all the games being played at SoFi Stadium in California.

    “Canada is a strong, independent nation that is deep-rooted in decency and it’s a place that values high ethics and respect, unlike the polarised, disrespectful and often now hateful climate that is in the US,” Marsch added.

    “When I look forward to a month from now I know this will fuel our team, the mentality and will that we have to play for our country, the desire to go after this tournament in every way and to show on and off the pitch exactly what Canadian character is.”

    Mexico manager Javier Aguirre and Panama coach Thomas Christensen were at the same media event as Marsch in California while America were represented by USA Soccer vice-president Oguchi Onyewu, who refused to be drawn into any political comments.