Trump's USA Budget crisis in the USA

Senator: "The problem is that everyone wants to win"

The shutdown of the public sector in the USA is on track to be the longest in the country's history, reports CNN.

It is still unclear how long it will last.

Lawmakers from both parties have said in recent days that they must find a way out of the shutdown within the next week or two, sources told the channel.

- Right now the problem is that everyone wants to win, said Republican Senator Jim Justice from West Virginia.

He has advocated that Trump should be more directly involved in the negotiations to reopen the government.

The budget crisis in the USA - it's about the matter

• The US government was shut down on October 1 after Congress failed to reach a budget agreement.
• About 750,000 federal employees were laid off and several agencies, including the Census Bureau, suspended operations.
• The shutdown is expected to cost the US economy between $7 billion and $15 billion per week, according to various estimates.
• The Trump administration initiated mass layoffs, but a federal judge paused the process after union lawsuits.
• An anonymous donation of just over $1.2 billion was used to pay military salaries during the shutdown, raising questions about its legality. 

Trump's USA

The President's Team
Vance in a storm – wants his wife to convert

US Vice President JD Vance has been criticized by Indians and Americans with Indian roots this week. The reason is comments about his wife Usha Vance's Hindu faith, writes the New York Times.

During a meeting with Charlie Kirk's Turning Point Foundation this week, the vice president was asked if he hopes his wife, like himself, converts to Catholicism.

– To be honest, yes. Because I believe in the Christian message and I hope my wife will see it the same way.

The answer led to criticism on social media that became so strong that Vance felt compelled to respond to it. In a post on X, he calls Usha Vance "the greatest blessing of my life".

"I intend to continue to love, support and discuss religious issues and life, because she is my wife." 

LGBT rights in the US
Pentagon restricts transgender people in the military

The Pentagon has introduced a new policy that severely limits the ability of transgender people to request to continue working in the US military, reports the AP news agency.

The Trump administration has banned transgender people from working in the armed forces and now they will not have the same opportunity to argue their right to remain before review boards. Transgender people will also have to appear before the boards in uniforms that match their sex at birth, according to the new policy. If they do not do this, their absence can be used against them.

Commanders can also overturn decisions made by review boards that the people can continue to serve, according to a memo that the AP has seen. 

The War on the Media
Journalists are restricted – want to protect materials in the White House

Journalists will no longer have free access to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and other high-ranking officials in the White House, reports Reuters.

The White House issued the rule on Friday and it means that journalists must now book an appointment in advance to gain access to the press room. The justification is to protect potentially sensitive material.

The president of the White House Correspondents' Association, Weijia Jiang, is critical of the decision and says that the association opposes any attempt to restrict journalists from areas within the White House communications operations.

– It hinders the press corps' ability to question officials, ensure transparency and hold the government accountable, to the detriment of the American public, she says in a statement according to Politico.
 

Tanzanian election

Hassan gets almost all the votes as rivals sit out

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan won over 97 percent of the vote, official election results show, according to the AP. Perhaps not so surprising considering that her main competitor risks the death penalty in prison and the only other opponent was stopped due to technicalities.

Hassan is to be sworn in later on Saturday, writes AFP. She has not yet commented on the reports of hundreds of deaths in the violent protests after Wednesday's heavily criticized election.

The information situation is very scarce. The country's news sites have not been updated since Wednesday morning and journalists cannot work freely in the country. The internet is down and a curfew is in effect.

"The result is a slap in the face of the Tanzanian people"

President Samia Suluhu Hassan's "landfall victory" in Tanzania's election is a mockery of democracy. This is what John Kitoka, a spokesman for the opposition Chadema party, told AFP.

“It’s a slap in the face to the people and many are very angry,” he says.

Hassan received 98 percent of the vote in an election that all credible observers have called rigged. Her main opponents have either been jailed or banned from running, and hundreds of people were killed in anti-government protests on election day. 

Tensions in the Caribbean

Residents more worried about economy than attack plan: “All I can think about is food”

For two months, US forces have been attacking alleged drug boats off the coast of Venezuela, and the South American country is now surrounded by the largest military presence in decades.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s government has urged civilians to prepare for the worst, the Washington Post reports. But many say they have other concerns they consider more pressing.

A woman in the state of Sucre says she is worried about a US attack but that right now she can’t think about anything other than being able to buy food. Another woman in the area says the economy is so bad that she will soon “not be able to live like this anymore.”

Venezuela has faced major economic challenges for a decade, and by 2024, seven out of ten Venezuelan households will live in poverty, according to researchers at the Catholic University of Venezuela. 

Satellite images: US military approaching Venezuela

A US military ship is less than 200 kilometers off the coast of Venezuela, according to satellite images verified by Sky News.

It is the USS Iwo Jima, an amphibious assault ship. The channel writes that it is used as a core component of US expeditionary forces. Two other US ships are also nearby.

On Friday, there were reports that the Trump administration had identified potential targets for land attacks in Venezuela, the Miami Herald reported, citing sources. The reports of an attack plan have been denied by Donald Trump. 

US Senate receives list of potential targets in Venezuela

Republican politicians in the US Senate received a list of potential targets for a US attack on Venezuela this week, sources told ABC News.

According to experts, it is likely that ports and airports are on such a list.

In recent weeks, the Trump administration has ordered large military resources to the Caribbean, including the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford. At the same time, rumors are growing that the United States is preparing for a military attack.

Military sources that ABC News has spoken to do not believe that an attack is imminent. The information was also denied by Donald Trump on Friday.

- No, that's not true, he replied when asked if an attack is imminent.

Tensions in the Caribbean - it's about the matter

• Since September, the United States has carried out at least fourteen deadly attacks on boats that are alleged to have been smuggling drugs.
• In total, at least 61 people have been killed in the attacks, which mainly took place in international waters in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, according to US authorities.
• The United States has greatly increased its military presence in the region, including by sending the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford and several warships to South America.
• The Venezuelan government has condemned the attacks, calling them a threat to the country's sovereignty and asking Russia, China and Iran for military assistance.
• Critics and several experts question the legal basis for the US attacks, saying they may violate international law, while the Trump administration claims they are defending the country against drug trafficking. 

The future of the Republicans

Anti-Semitism row divides the American right

A bitter row over views on Israel is shaking the Republicans and the broader Maga movement, several media outlets report. At the center is former Fox News star Tucker Carlson, who is accused of anti-Semitism.

The background is that Carlson invited Nick Fuentes to his podcast earlier this week. Fuentes is a profile on the American extreme right and has expressed admiration for Hitler.

In the podcast, Carlson and Fuentes took turns expressing contempt and criticism of Republicans who support Israel, such as Senator Ted Cruz.

“We are tired of the Jewish oligarchy and we are tired of the subservience to Israel,” Fuentes said in a video post this week.

Carlson’s invitation of Fuentes led to harsh criticism from large parts of the Republican establishment. But he was also defended by Kevin Roberts, head of the heavily conservative think tank Heritage.

Now Cruz is sounding the alarm about growing anti-Semitism on the right in American politics.

– In the last six months, I have seen more anti-Semitism on the right than I have in my entire life. This is poison, and I believe our party and our country are facing an existential crisis.

Analysis: The firewall against anti-Semitism is about to crack

The far right is in the heat. This is how The Atlantic's Ali Breland describes this week's uproar over Nick Fuentes' participation in Tucker Carlson's program.

Carlson did point out that Fuentes' anti-Semitic and hateful attacks against Jews go against "his Christian values," but otherwise the program was friendly and consensus-seeking.

Fuentes' mix of extremism with jokes and online trolling can be seen in many places on the American right, writes Breland. Earlier this fall, Politico revealed how anti-Semitic and racist jokes flowed in a group chat with young Republican leaders. This prompted Fuentes to boast about how there are “Groypers” (the nickname for his fans, editor’s note) in every American government agency.

“The gap between Fuentes and the rest of the right has never been shorter,” Breland writes.

Allowing this type of current into the Republican Party threatens the entire conservative movement, writes Dominic Green in an analysis in the Wall Street Journal. His hope is that JD Vance, who has been silent or wavering when the issue has come up, “puts his foot down.”

“Call me an optimist, but I don’t think Americans will vote for white power in 2026 or 2028.”

 

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