Author: Press Room

The warning comes as markets have spiked on several occasions before big announcements by President Trump  The White House has issued a warning to staff against using insider information on the Iran war to trade on financial markets, several media outlets reported on Thursday, citing unnamed administration officials. Federal employees are barred from gambling while on government property, while federal ethics regulations prohibiting the use of non-public information for personal gain. Some major policy decisions made by US President Donald Trump have, however, been preceded by well-timed bets, prompting some experts and politicians to question whether information may have leaked in…

Relying on the US for protection has been a debacle, the economist has told RT India The Gulf states have emerged much weaker than Iran from the Middle East conflict, leading US academic Jeffrey Sachs has said.Countries in the region made a huge mistake by seeking protection from the US and Israel, Sachs told RT India in an exclusive interview on Thursday.“This has been a disaster for them,” he said, adding that the “clever idea” of the United Arab Emirates as a financial haven and tourism hub “all… fell under bombing right now.”“[The US] did nothing to help it. I…

Ship tracking services reported on Thursday that traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains at less than ten percent of its normal level, despite Iran ostensibly promising to halt terror attacks on civilian vessels as part of its ceasefire agreement with the U.S. and Israel. Iran closed the long and narrow strait soon after Operation Epic Fury began on February 28, leaving hundreds of oil tankers and cargo ships trapped in the Persian Gulf. The world’s oil supply was cut by about 20 percent, with the most severely affected consumers in China and Southeast Asian nations. A view from Oman…

Higher gasoline prices pushed up the consumer price index in March as the U.S. and Israeli war with Iran constrained energy exports from the Persian Gulf but price pressures were muted outside of energy. The consumer price index rose 0.9 percent in March, the Department of Labor said Friday. Compared with a year ago, prices were up 3.3 percent. Economists had forecast the 0.9 percent monthly gain. The year-over-year increase was just below the 3.4 percent consensus forecast. Energy prices jumped 10.9 percent in March, led by a 21.2-percent increase in gasoline prices. The government said this accounted for nearly…

First lady Melania Trump took to social media Tuesday to give a thumbs-up to the first criminal conviction under legislation she championed that outlaws AI-generated images of child sexual abuse and revenge porn. James Strahler, 37, pleaded guilty in a United States District Court in Ohio on Tuesday to cybercrimes that included both real and “AI-generated sexually explicit images and threats of violence to numerous victims,” the U.S Attorney’s Office for Southern Ohio announced. The first lady commented shortly afterward. “Thank you U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace for protecting Americans from cybercrimes in this new digital age,” the first lady…

The US president called the Hungarian leader a “true friend, fighter, and winner” ahead of a tight parliamentary election US President Donald Trump has thrown his weight behind Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, urging voters to “get out and vote” for his reelection ahead of Sunday’s parliamentary election.In a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump described Orban – his “true friend, fighter, and winner” – as a “strong and powerful leader” with a “proven track record of delivering phenomenal results.”“[Orban] fights tirelessly for, and loves, his great country and people, just like I do for the United States of…

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel will begin direct negotiations with Lebanon “as soon as possible,” aimed at disarming Hezbollah and advancing what he described as a “historic, sustainable peace agreement,” as tensions persist over the scope of the fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire. The directive, issued following a cabinet decision, came after what Netanyahu described as repeated requests from the Lebanese government to open direct talks, with the negotiations set to focus on dismantling Hezbollah’s military capabilities and establishing peaceful relations between the neighboring states. “The negotiations will focus on disarming Hezbollah and establishing peaceful relations between Israel and…

Sen. Cory Booker’s (D-NJ) wife claims she was worried that her spouse would suffer an injury, or at worst, die, during his marathon Senate speech last year. Booker broke the record for the longest floor speech ever delivered in March 2025 – a speech which began at Monday, March 31, 2025, at 7 p.m. ET and ended the following night, on April 1. He spoke for a 25 hours and 5 minutes, beating former Sen. Strom Thurmond’s record by less than an hour. Booker’s wife, Alexis Booker, whom he wed last year, posted a video to TikTok this week, walking through…

The US president used the talks to vent his frustration over Europe’s refusal to join the war on Iran, EU officials have told the outlet US President Donald Trump unleashed a “tirade of insults” at NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte during their meeting at the White House on Wednesday, Politico has reported, citing European officials.Rutte’s trip to Washington followed weeks of Trump’s criticism of NATO over its reluctance to join the US-Israeli war against Iran and warnings about possible American withdrawal from the bloc.The US president used the talks, which happened behind closed doors, to vent his frustration with European NATO…

U.S. Central Command Commander Adm. Brad Cooper said Thursday the United States has achieved its core military objectives under Operation Epic Fury, declaring Iran “has suffered a generational military defeat” after its more than four-decade military buildup was systematically destroyed in under 40 days. Providing an update as a fragile ceasefire takes hold, Cooper said U.S. forces dismantled the Iranian regime’s ability to project power beyond its borders, adding, “We set out to dismantle” that capability “and we clearly accomplished this task.” He said Iran’s conventional military — “built over 40 years at the cost of billions of dollars” —…