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US President Donald Trump was joined by golfer Tiger Woods for an event marking Black History Month Thursday — even as his crackdown on diversity programs has barred similar celebrations in some government departments.”Welcome to the White House, and we proudly celebrate Black History Month,” Trump told a cheering crowd of mainly Black guests at the event, which has become an annual tradition.Trump thanked Black voters for their support in the 2024 presidential election, saying he had “more votes from black Americans than any Republican president ever.” When he talked about the possibility of running for a third term — which he is barred from doing under the US constitution — there were cheers of “four more years.”Woods, who was also at the White House for talks with Trump on repairing the golf world’s divide between the PGA and Saudi-backed LIV Golf, spoke only briefly to say it was an “honor to be with you.” The crowd, meanwhile, booed Pfizer chief executive Albert Bourla when Trump introduced him, with attendees saying it was because of opposition to the pharma giant’s Covid vaccine.The glitzy event came as Trump’s administration continues a crackdown launched since his inauguration a month ago on so-called diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.At the Pentagon, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has banned the use of resources to mark months celebrating people of various ethnic backgrounds, including Black History Month.Trump said in a joint interview with Elon Musk with Fox New’s Sean Hannity earlier this week that diversity programs were a “sick trap,” adding: “We’ve destroyed that, it’s gone.”White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said hours before the Black History Month event that the United States had been “plagued and crippled” by what he called “illegal discrimination” through DEI policies.Civil rights groups have sued Trump over his executive orders shutting down the schemes, which are meant to combat systemic inequalities faced by people of color, women and LGBTQ people.Conservatives say they discriminate against white people, and white men in particular.

The world’s richest man Elon Musk got into a heated row Thursday with a Danish astronaut who criticized the tech billionaire’s claim that former president Joe Biden intentionally abandoned two American astronauts aboard the International Space Station.Andreas “Andy” Mogensen had shared on X a Fox News clip featuring Musk and his boss, US President Donald Trump, where Musk claimed NASA’s Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were left stranded on the orbital outpost for “political reasons” by Biden, and that the new administration was now coming to the rescue.”What a lie. And from someone who complains about lack of honesty from the mainstream media,” wrote the 48-year-old European Space Agency astronaut, who has flown to the ISS twice, including aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule during a 2023 mission.Musk responded by calling Mogensen “fully retarded,” adding that “SpaceX could have brought them back several months ago” and that he had made such an offer to the Biden administration, without elaborating on what that offer entailed.Wilmore and Williams flew to the ISS in June aboard a Boeing Starliner for what was meant to be an eight-day test mission to certify the new spaceship. But thruster problems led NASA to decide that Starliner should return without its crew, and the agency tasked SpaceX with bringing the veteran astronauts home.NASA then announced the pair would return on the SpaceX Crew-9 mission’s spaceship, which launched in September with a crew of two instead of four in order to accommodate them. The voyage home was initially scheduled for February but later shifted to March due to delays by SpaceX in preparing the spacecraft for Crew-10, whose crew will replace Crew-9’s.If there was an alternate rescue plan that could have been executed sooner, Musk has not revealed it.”Elon, I have long admired you and what you have accomplished, especially at SpaceX and Tesla,” Mogensen replied to Musk’s missive.”You know as well as I do, that Butch and Suni are returning with Crew-9, as has been the plan since last September. Even now, you are not sending up a rescue ship to bring them home. They are returning on the Dragon capsule that has been on ISS since last September.”

The Republican-controlled US Senate on Thursday confirmed Kash Patel, a staunch loyalist who has threatened to go after President Donald Trump’s political enemies, as director of the FBI, the country’s top law enforcement agency.Patel, 44, whose nomination sparked fierce but ultimately futile opposition from Democrats, was approved by a 51-49 vote.The vote was split along party lines with the exception of two Republican senators, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, who voted not to confirm Patel to head the 38,000-strong Federal Bureau of Investigation.Patel drew fire from Democrats for his promotion of conspiracy theories, his defense of pro-Trump rioters who attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and his vow to root out members of a supposed “deep state” plotting to oppose the Republican president.Democratic Senator Dick Durbin, in a Senate speech opposing Patel’s nomination, said he is “dangerously, politically extreme” and has “repeatedly expressed his intention to use our nation’s most important law enforcement agency to retaliate against his political enemies.”The Senate has approved all of Trump’s cabinet picks so far, underscoring his iron grip on the Republican Party.Among them is Tulsi Gabbard, confirmed as the nation’s spy chief despite past support for adversarial nations including Russia and Syria, and vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be health secretary.Patel, in a statement on X, said he was honored to become the FBI director. “The American people deserve an FBI that is transparent, accountable, and committed to justice,” he said.”The politicalization of our justice system has eroded public trust — but that ends today,” he added. “My mission as Director is clear: let good cops be cops — and rebuild trust in the FBI.”And to those who seek to harm Americans — consider this your warning,” he said. “We will hunt you down in every corner of this planet.”- ‘Enemies list’ -Patel replaces Christopher Wray, who was named FBI chief by Trump during his first term.Relations between Wray and Trump became strained, however, and though he had three years left in his 10-year tenure, Wray resigned after Trump won November’s presidential election.A son of Indian immigrants and former federal prosecutor, the New York-born Patel served in several high-level posts during Trump’s first administration, including as senior director for counterterrorism on the National Security Council.There were fiery exchanges at Patel’s confirmation hearing last month as Democrats brought up a list of 60 supposed “deep state” actors — all critics of Trump — he included in a 2022 book, whom he said should be investigated or “otherwise reviled.”Patel has denied having an “enemies list” and told the Senate Judiciary Committee he was merely interested in bringing lawbreakers to book.”All FBI employees will be protected against political retribution,” he said.The FBI has been in turmoil since Trump took office and a number of agents have been fired or demoted including some involved in the prosecutions of Trump for seeking to overturn the 2020 election results and mishandling classified documents.Nine FBI employees have sued the Justice Department seeking to block efforts to collect information on agents who were involved in investigating Trump and the Capitol riot.In their complaint, the FBI agents said the efforts were part of a “purge” orchestrated by Trump as “politically motivated retribution.”Trump, on his first day in the White House, pardoned more than 1,500 of his supporters who stormed Congress in a bid to block certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s election victory.

In a move that looks set to shake — and maybe even stir — one of Hollywood’s most bankable franchises, Amazon MGM Studio is to take creative control of James Bond, as the fictional British spy’s long-time producers step back.An agreement announced Thursday sees ownership of the rights to 007 shared between the movie behemoth and producers Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, who are heading into retirement.The news comes four years after the last Bond film, in which Daniel Craig bowed out as the secret agent, with fans left to fill the intervening time with speculation about who will replace him.Now with Amazon at the helm, the audience may not have to wait too long for the next installment — or for spin offs.Amazon founder Jeff Bezos wasted no time in soliciting opinions.”Who’d you pick as the next Bond?” Bezos asked followers on X.The agreement confirms that Wilson and Broccoli will not be involved in the Bond franchise after they signed off in 2021 with “No Time to Die” — the 25th James Bond movie, which earned $775 million.Wilson, whose career with 007 spans nearly 60 years, said he would focus on “art and charitable projects,” while Broccoli has announced plans to pursue other ventures.- Treasured heritage -“We are honoured to continue this treasured heritage,” said Mike Hopkins, head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, noting the franchise’s six-decade impact on film culture.The deal builds on Amazon’s 2022 acquisition of MGM, which included distribution rights to Bond’s extensive back catalog.The new arrangement gives Amazon MGM Studios creative authority over future productions of the franchise, which has been closely guarded by the Broccoli family since Albert “Cubby” Broccoli and Harry Saltzman first brought author Ian Fleming’s character to theaters.Barbara Broccoli, who has worked with four different actors in the role of 007 — Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Craig — described her tenure as “dedicated to maintaining and building upon the extraordinary legacy” inherited from Cubby, her father.Wilson and Broccoli were steadfast in defending the James Bond character and brand, and resisted spin-offs and licensing that they felt might have tarnished the franchise.The financial terms of the joint venture were not disclosed.Reaction to the news on social media was largely downbeat, with fans lamenting what they saw as the inevitable over-exploitation of the brand by the Amazon juggernaut.Several users tweeted variations on “RIP James Bond,” posting memes of headstones and franchise characters dying.”DON’T cinematic universe James Bond,” wrote @joerussotweets, referring to the vast expansion of Marvel characters under Disney ownership.”It is one of our last, great theatrical events. Don’t dilute that with a plethora of streaming spin-offs.”While the occasionally lengthy waits between installments could frustrate fans, some bemoaned the likely speeding up of the process.”We used to get a (generally) very good James Bond movie every few years, but that’s all out the window now. Get ready for Young Q and 00 Origins: Trevelyan and other unwatchable Amazon Prime slop,” wrote @MikeBeauvais.

The top law officer in the US state of New York said Thursday she would seek hundreds of millions of dollars in penalties from 13 top e-cigarette makers, distributors and sellers for “fueling the youth vaping epidemic.”Attorney General Letitia James said a lawsuit had been launched against firms she accused of “illegally distributing, marketing, and selling flavored disposable vapes.”Her office said she was seeking “hundreds of millions of dollars” in financial compensation for what was described as “the havoc these companies’ products and marketing have wreaked on New York’s kids.”E-cigarettes have exploded in popularity around the world over the last decade. They do not contain tobacco but instead a liquid normally filled with nicotine that is inhaled as vapor.Because there is no tar, carbon monoxide or other toxic elements linked to smoking, the health risks of vaping are considered to be lower. But the World Health Organization and anti-smoking groups have refused to assert that vaping is less harmful than smoking, saying more evidence is needed.James’s office said there had been breaches of New York state and US federal laws and the penalties would include “damages and restitution for the public health impact of the companies’ illegal actions.”The state was also seeking “the recovery of all revenue made from unlawful activity; and the establishment of an abatement fund to address the youth vaping crisis in New York.”A New York state investigation had found companies were marketing “highly addictive, candy- and fruit-flavored nicotine products to underage consumers,” and that they were misleading consumers about the safety of their products.”The vaping industry is taking a page out of Big Tobacco’s playbook: they’re making nicotine seem cool, getting kids hooked, and creating a massive public health crisis in the process,” said  James.Product names and flavors such as “Blue Razz Slushy”, “Rainbow Rapper” and “Strawberry Cereal Donut Milk” were deliberately developed “to entice kids,” the statement said.It said companies were also directly targeting youth with social media and influencer campaigns, and with claims that their products were “safe” alternatives to cigarettes.In 2020, New York banned the sale of flavored vape products, restricted the distribution of nicotine products, and raised the legal purchase age for all vapes to 21.The state banned discounts on vapes, and began requiring certain companies to disclose  dangerous ingredients in vapes. “The vape companies named in this lawsuit have repeatedly and knowingly violated these laws,” the statement said.

Mitch McConnell, the powerful Republican lawmaker who was instrumental in steering the current US shift to the political right but had a tempestuous relationship with Donald Trump, announced Thursday he would not seek reelection to the Senate.At 83 and in increasingly unsteady health, McConnell’s announcement on the Senate floor that he would not seek to return to the chamber at the end of his term next year was not a big surprise.But after serving seven terms and earning a reputation as Congress’s ruthless master tactician, the Kentucky senator’s retirement will draw the curtain on a US political era — and underline the Republican Party’s growing radicalization.McConnell called his four decades in the chamber “the honor of a lifetime” and said “I will not seek this honor an eighth time. My current term in the Senate will be my last.”The Kentuckian was first elected in 1984, and reached the Senate Republican leadership in 2007. The ultimate Washington powerbroker, he remained as party leader for a record-long tenure until 2025, just as Trump came back for a second term.Concerns have been growing about McConnell’s health after repeated episodes in which he appeared to freeze during public events. He also suffered several falls.In addition to his physical frailty, he has seen himself increasingly sidelined by a resurgent Trump, who swept back to power in the November presidential election, demanding total loyalty from a Republican Party where dissenters have largely quit or been cowed.South Dakota Senator John Thune, an ally, was chosen to replace him as leader of the party’s new Senate majority.- Reagan Republican -Back in 2016, it was McConnell who helped Trump win his shock first election.Throughout Trump’s often chaotic and scandal-prone first term, the Senate mastermind was instrumental in advancing a right-wing agenda including the confirmation of three conservative justices to the powerful Supreme Court.The court’s ruling in 2022 to end the federal guarantee of abortion rights was a lasting monument to McConnell’s influence.The senator was equally effective in using his hardball tactics to wreck Democratic-led legislation, earning his nickname the “Grim Reaper.”But McConnell fell out with Trump after the former president led attempts to overturn the 2020 election that he lost to the Democratic Party’s Joe Biden, culminating with the January 6, 2021, assault on the US Capitol.Like nearly all other Republican leaders, McConnell soon swallowed his pride and made up with Trump.But as the second Trump presidency dawned, it became clear the veteran political general was out of step with the radical populism and isolationism gripping the party.He was one of the rare Republicans to oppose a handful of Trump’s most controversial cabinet nominees — an ultimately futile gesture.At the Trump-friendly Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) near Washington Thursday, news of McConnell’s resignation was met with cheers. With a worldview rooted in the Ronald Reagan era of US global leadership, McConnell was a fierce backer for Washington supporting Ukraine’s desperate fight against Russia.Trump is currently pushing to restore relations with Russia while harshly criticizing Ukraine and its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, whom he has blamed for the three-year invasion of his country.In his floor speech Thursday, McConnell warned that the United States was allowing the “hard power” it built up under Reagan to “atrophy.””Today, a dangerous world threatens to outpace the work of rebuilding it,” McConnell said. “So, lest any of our colleagues still doubt my intentions for the remainder of my term: I have some unfinished business to attend to.”

Donald Trump’s first month back in the White House has been “a hell of a lot of fun,” US Vice President JD Vance told a fired-up crowd of American conservatives Thursday as they celebrated the billionaire’s return to power.”The president keeps us on a pretty breakneck pace,” Vance told the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on the outskirts of the capital Washington.Trump “is acutely aware that the American people gave us a window to save the country and that’s exactly what we’re going to do. And thank God for that, because it’s been a hell of a lot of fun the past month,” Vance, 40, said.The Republican president has issued a blizzard of executive orders in the short weeks since his inauguration.They have targeted a slew of right-wing priorities such as cutting government spending, tightening immigration restrictions and ending programs meant to combat racism and inequality in the workplace.His partisan base has applauded the moves, and CPAC attendees reveled in his bombastic return.  “Everybody’s happier,” Gabriel Garcia, who was attending CPAC after previously being placed under house arrest over his involvement in the January 6, 2021 assault on the US Capitol by Trump supporters seeking to overturn his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden.”We got Trump back in office,” the 44-year-old told AFP jubilantly.- All about Trump -The annual conservative conference has become ever-more focused on celebrating Trump himself.Among his allies expected to attend are White House National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and House Speaker Mike Johnson.Trump himself is set to address the conference on Saturday.He gave a somber speech at the event in 2024, when he was running for president, describing the United States as a “nightmare” under Joe Biden.Several right-wing and far-right leaders from around the world will also speak at the convention, including Argentina’s President Javier Milei, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.Conservative party leaders present at the convention range from France’s Jordan Bardella, Britain’s Nigel Farage to former Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki.Many are seeking inspiration back home following Trump’s successful comeback. Former British prime minister Liz Truss gave a speech on the main stage on Thursday in which she said “patriotic Brits… look across the Atlantic with envy.””We want a Trump revolution in Britain,” she said, lauding his ally Elon Musk. “We want Elon and his nerd-army of Musk-rats examining the British deep state.”We want to be part of the second American revolution.” 

Donald Trump’s national security advisor told Kyiv Thursday to stop hurling “insults” at the US president, while refusing to say that Russia was responsible for the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. “Some of the rhetoric coming out of Kyiv, frankly, and insults to President Trump were unacceptable,” Mike Waltz told a briefing at the White House to mark Trump’s first month in office.”President Trump is obviously very frustrated right now with President Zelensky, the fact that he hasn’t come to the table, that he hasn’t been willing to take this opportunity that we have offered.”Trump and Zelensky have been in a war of words since Washington opened talks in Saudi Arabia with Moscow on a potential deal to end the nearly three-year conflict.Zelensky has also rejected a deal that would give the US access to vast amounts of Ukrainian natural resources as the new president insists on getting a return on American aid.Trump branded Zelensky a “dictator without elections” on Tuesday after the Ukrainian complained about being excluded from the talks.Zelensky, who met Trump’s special envoy Keith Kellogg in Kyiv on Thursday, has warned the US president is living in a Russian “disinformation” bubble.Waltz pushed Ukraine to accept the minerals deal, saying it was a “historic opportunity… for America to co-invest with Ukraine in their minerals.” – ‘Step up’ -But the national security advisor skirted the question when asked who he thought was responsible for the war, and whether he viewed Russian President Vladimir Putin as a dictator too.US allies have reacted with shock after Trump said on Tuesday that Ukraine “started it” and then doubled down with his comments about Zelensky. “He’s focused on the fighting and moving forward, and we could argue all day long about what’s happened in the past,” Waltz said of Trump.Earlier Waltz had told Fox News that the Ukrainians “need to tone it down and take a hard look and sign that deal.”He also denied that Ukraine has been cut out of Trump’s talks with Russia over ending the war, insisting that there was “plenty of engagement and dialogue” with Kyiv as well as European allies. “This is a common sense plan. They may not like it but we’re going to drive it forward and everybody will stop squawking when the fighting ends,” Waltz said.French President Emmanuel Macron will visit the White House on Monday followed by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told the briefing.Both leaders have suggested sending troops to Ukraine as peacekeepers in the event of a deal.”We welcome that,” Waltz told the briefing, before adding that Washington had “made it clear for years, decades even” that it could not bear the financial burden for defending Europe.”It’s time for our European allies to step up,” he added.

EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic said Thursday that reciprocity in tariffs should be made to work for both the bloc and Washington, after talks with his counterparts in US President Donald Trump’s administration.While the United States is planning “reciprocal tariffs,” the European Union is open to working with Trump officials towards lowering duties for industrial goods and stepping up purchases of US products, Sefcovic told reporters.”We will be ready to look (at) how we can lower the import duties for all industrial products,” he said, a day after meeting Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative nominee Jamieson Greer.Trump has taken aim at the EU and others over trade, announcing plans for sweeping duties tailored to each US trading partner, and taking into consideration non-tariff factors.But Sefcovic stressed after his four-hour meeting with trade counterparts that if Washington were seeking reciprocity, “it must work for both” sides.During Sefcovic’s three-day Washington visit, he pushed back against Trump’s claim of unfairness in US-EU trade ties.He said Thursday that one of his requests was to hold off US tariffs — avoiding tit-for-tat escalation — as both sides discussed their concerns.He said his impression was that the United States too would be “ready to consider” a reduction in its tariffs, adding that auto duties were a priority.Although the EU has higher tariffs for personal vehicles, the United States protects other areas like pick-up trucks, said Sefcovic, who is European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security.”While we protect European interests, we seek constructive dialogue to avoid unnecessary pain of measures and countermeasures,” he said.- Balancing trade -Brussels and Washington understand that they share common challenges such as “global overcapacities driven by non-market practices” — a concern involving China — he said.He said it would be beneficial if the transatlantic partners could tackle global overcapacity together.He also expressed optimism that the EU could allay US concerns about the trade deficit between both sides.The EU needs more LNG as it phases out Russian gas, he noted, adding that this is an area of potential collaboration.While Washington focuses on its goods deficit with the EU, he said this is somewhat offset by American firms’ surplus in services.Balancing both ends, if the EU had to resolve a 50 billion euro trade gap with the United States, he said, “we can really do it, if we put our mind to it,” adding that this could be accomplished “relatively quickly.”Sefcovic said Wednesday at the American Enterprise Institute that the EU saw “no justification for sudden, unilateral tariff increases” by the United States.”If we are hit by unfair import duties, then we will react firmly and proportionately. We’ll be prepared for it,” he added Thursday.Besides reciprocal tariffs, Trump has slapped an added tariff on Chinese goods and unveiled sweeping duties on imports of steel and aluminum to take effect in March.He has also threatened levies affecting specific sectors like imports of automobiles, semiconductors and pharmaceuticals.