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Trump pulls Musk ally’s NASA nomination, will announce replacement

Trump pulls Musk ally’s NASA nomination, will announce replacement
This photo taken on February 2, 2021 in Hawthorne, California, shows Inspiration4 mission commander Jared Isaacman, founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments, standing for a portrait in front of the recovered first stage of a Falcon 9 rocket at SpaceX. (AFP)
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Updated 01 June 2025

Trump pulls Musk ally’s NASA nomination, will announce replacement

Trump pulls Musk ally’s NASA nomination, will announce replacement
  • Jared Isaacman’s removal ‘bad news for the agency,’ astronomer says
  • Retired US Air Force general floated as possible replacement

WASHINGTON: The White House on Saturday withdrew its nominee for NASA administrator, Jared Isaacman, abruptly yanking a close ally of Elon Musk from consideration to lead the space agency.
President Donald Trump said he would announce a new candidate soon.
“After a thorough review of prior associations, I am hereby withdrawing the nomination of Jared Isaacman to head NASA,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social site. “I will soon announce a new Nominee who will be Mission aligned, and put America First in Space.”

Isaacman, a billionaire private astronaut who had been Musk’s pick to lead NASA, was due next week for a much-delayed confirmation vote before the US Senate. His removal from consideration caught many in the space industry by surprise.
Trump and the White House did not explain what led to the decision. Isaacman, whose removal was earlier reported by Semafor, did not respond to a request for comment.
Isaacman’s removal comes just days after Musk’s official departure from the White House, where the SpaceX CEO’s role as a “special government employee” leading the Department of Government Efficiency created turbulence for the administration and frustrated some of Trump’s aides.
Musk, according to a person familiar with his reaction, was disappointed by Isaacman’s removal.
“It is rare to find someone so competent and good-hearted,” Musk wrote of Isaacman on X, responding to the news of the White House’s decision.
Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Despite Trump’s decision, Isaacman thanked the president for considering him for the job.
“The past six months have been enlightening and, honestly, a bit thrilling. I have gained a much deeper appreciation for the complexities of government and the weight our political leaders carry," he wrote on X.

"It may not always be obvious through the discourse and turbulence, but there are many competent, dedicated people who love this country and care deeply about the mission. That was on full display during my hearing, where leaders on both sides of the aisle made clear they’re willing to fight for the world’s most accomplished space agency," he said.

It was unclear whom the administration might tap to replace Isaacman.
One name being floated is retired US Air Force Lt. Gen. Steven Kwast, an early advocate for the creation of the US Space Force and Trump supporter, according to three people familiar with the discussions.
Isaacman, the former CEO of payment processor company Shift4, had broad space industry support but drew concerns from lawmakers over his ties to Musk and SpaceX, where he spent hundreds of millions of dollars as an early private spaceflight customer.
The former nominee had donated to Democrats in prior elections. In his confirmation hearing in April, he sought to balance NASA’s existing moon-aligned space exploration strategy with pressure to shift the agency’s focus on Mars, saying the US can plan for travel to both destinations.
As a potential leader of NASA’s some 18,000 employees, Isaacman faced a daunting task of implementing that decision to prioritize Mars, given that NASA has spent years and billions of dollars trying to return its astronauts to the moon.
On Friday, the space agency released new details of the Trump administration’s 2026 budget plan that proposed killing dozens of space science programs and laying off thousands of employees, a controversial overhaul that space advocates and lawmakers described as devastating for the agency.
Montana Republican Tim Sheehy, a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation committee, wrote on X that Isaacman “was a strong choice by President Trump to lead NASA” in response to reports of his departure.
“I was proud to introduce Jared at his hearing and strongly oppose efforts to derail his nomination,” Sheehy said.
Some scientists saw the nominee change as further destabilizing to NASA as it faces dramatic budget cuts without a confirmed leader in place to navigate political turbulence between Congress, the White House and the space agency’s workforce.
“So not having (Isaacman) as boss of NASA is bad news for the agency,” Harvard-Smithsonian astronomer Jonathan McDowell said on X.

“Maybe a good thing for Jared himself though, since being NASA head right now is a bit of a Kobayashi Maru scenario,” McDowell added, referring to an exercise in the science fiction franchise Star Trek where cadets are placed in a no-win scenario.


Brazil police raid home of Bolsonaro, accused of plotting coup

Brazil police raid home of Bolsonaro, accused of plotting coup
Updated 1 min 20 sec ago

Brazil police raid home of Bolsonaro, accused of plotting coup

Brazil police raid home of Bolsonaro, accused of plotting coup
  • The case against Bolsonaro carries echoes of Trump’s failed prosecution over the January 6, 2021 attacks by his supporters on the US Capitol to try and reverse his election loss to Joe Biden

BRASILIA: Brazilian police raided Jair Bolsonaro’s home Friday, as a judge imposed further restrictions on the far-right former leader while he stands trial on coup charges that have vexed US president and ally Donald Trump.
His son Eduardo Bolsonaro, a congressman who recently moved to the United States to lobby for his father, wrote on X that federal police carried out a “raid on my father’s home this morning.”
He lashed out at Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes, a Bolsonaro adversary who on Friday ordered the ex-president to wear an electronic ankle bracelet, not leave his home at night, or use social media.
Moraes, one of the judges in Bolsonaro’s trial for allegedly seeking to nullify leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s 2022 election victory, said the measures were necessary given the “hostile acts” against Brazil by the accused and his son.
This came after Trump announced a 50 percent tariff on the South American powerhouse for what he said was a “witch hunt” against his ally Bolsonaro.
Moraes, said Eduardo Bolsonaro, “has long abandoned any semblance of impartiality and now operates as a political gangster in robes, using the Supreme Court as his personal weapon.”
The judge was “trying to criminalize President Trump and the US government. Powerless against them, he chose to take my father hostage,” he added in a letter he signed as a “Brazilian congressman in exile.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Friday Washington was revoking a US visa for Moraes for his “political witch hunt against Jair Bolsonaro.”

Accusing him of creating a “persecution and censorship complex,” Rubio also announced visa restrictions on other judges who side with Moraes, as well as their immediate family members.
Bolsonaro, 70, described the Moraes order Friday as a “supreme humiliation” and said the prohibitions were “suffocating.”
It also prohibited him from approaching foreign embassies, and confined him to his home on weekdays between 7:00 p.m. and 6:00 am, and all day on weekends or public holidays.
“I never thought about leaving Brazil, I never thought about going to an embassy,” Bolsonaro insisted on emerging from the justice secretariat offices in Brasilia. He had been taken there after the raid, during which police seized cash.
His defense team in a statement expressed “surprise and indignation” at the new measures.
The former army captain denies he was involved in an attempt to wrest power back from Lula as part of an alleged coup plot that prosecutors say failed only for a lack of military backing.
After the plot fizzled, rioting supporters known as “Bolsonaristas” raided government buildings in early 2023 as they urged the military to oust Lula. Bolsonaro was abroad at the time.
The case against Bolsonaro carries echoes of Trump’s failed prosecution over the January 6, 2021 attacks by his supporters on the US Capitol to try and reverse his election loss to Joe Biden.
Both men have claimed to be victims of political persecution, and Trump has stepped in in defense of his ally, to the anger of Lula who has labeled the tariff threat “unacceptable blackmail.”
Washington also announced an investigation into “unfair trading practices” by Brazil, a move that could provide a legal basis for imposing tariffs on South America’s largest economy.
On Tuesday, prosecutors asked the trial judges of the Supreme Court to find Bolsonaro guilty of “armed criminal association” and planning to “violently overthrow the democratic order.”
The defense must still present its closing arguments, after which a five-member panel of judges including Moraes will decide the ex-president’s fate.
Bolsonaro and seven co-accused risk up to 40 years in prison.
He has repeatedly stated his desire to be a candidate in presidential elections next year, but has been ruled ineligible to hold office by a court that found him guilty of spreading misinformation about Brazil’s electoral system.
Lula, for his part, said Friday he intends to seek another term.
“You can be sure that I will be a candidate again... I will not hand this country over to that bunch of lunatics who almost destroyed it,” the 79-year-old said at a public event in the state of Ceara.
Moraes has repeatedly clashed with Bolsonaro and other rightwing figures he has accused of spreading fake news.
Last year, the judge suspended tech titan Elon Musk’s X network in Brazil for 40 days for failing to tackle the spread of disinformation shared mainly by Bolsonaro backers
 

 


Trump signs stablecoin law as crypto industry aims for mainstream adoption

Trump signs stablecoin law as crypto industry aims for mainstream adoption
Updated 13 min 17 sec ago

Trump signs stablecoin law as crypto industry aims for mainstream adoption

Trump signs stablecoin law as crypto industry aims for mainstream adoption
  • Law requires tokens to be backed by liquid assets
  • Measure is first major crypto law enacted in US
  • Critics say loopholes in law risk making US haven for criminals

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Friday signed a law to create a regulatory regime for dollar-pegged cryptocurrencies known as stablecoins, a milestone that could pave the way for the digital assets to become an everyday way to make payments and move money.
The bill, dubbed the GENIUS Act, passed in the House of Representatives by a vote of 308 to 122, with support from nearly half the Democratic members and most Republicans. It had earlier been approved by the Senate.
The law is a huge win for crypto supporters, who have long lobbied for such a regulatory framework in a bid to gain greater legitimacy for an industry that began in 2009 as a digital Wild West famed for its innovation and speculative chaos.
“This signing is a massive validation of your hard work and pioneering spirit,” said Trump at a signing event that included dozens of government officials, crypto executives and lawmakers. “It’s good for the dollar and it’s good for the country.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in a statement, said the new technology would buttress the dollar’s status as the global reserve currency, expand access to the dollar economy and boost demand for US Treasuries, which back stablecoins.
Stablecoins are designed to maintain a constant value, usually a 1:1 US dollar peg, and their use has exploded, notably by crypto traders moving funds between tokens. The industry hopes they will enter mainstream use for sending and receiving payments instantly.
The new law requires stablecoins to be backed by liquid assets — such as US dollars and short-term Treasury bills — and for issuers to disclose publicly the composition of their reserves monthly.

 

Crypto companies and executives argue such legislation will enhance stablecoins’ credibility and make banks, retailers and consumers more willing to use them to transfer funds instantly.
The stablecoin market, which crypto data provider CoinGecko said is valued at more than $260 billion, could grow to $2 trillion by 2028 under the new law, Standard Chartered bank estimated earlier this year.
The law’s passage culminates a long lobbying effort by the industry, which donated more than $245 million in last year’s elections to aid pro-crypto candidates including Trump, according to Federal Election Commission data.
The Republican president, who has launched his own coin, thanked executives for their support during the 2024 presidential campaign, saying, “I pledged that we would bring back American liberty and leadership and make the United States the crypto capital of the world, and that’s what we’ve done.”
Democrats and critics have said the law should have blocked big tech companies from issuing their own stablecoins, which could increase the clout of an already powerful sector, contained stronger anti-money laundering protections and prohibited foreign stablecoin issuers.
“By failing to close known loopholes and protect America’s digital dollar infrastructure, Congress has risked making the US financial system a global haven for criminals and adversarial regimes to exploit,” said Scott Greytak, deputy executive director of Transparency International US

Could boost demand for T-bills
Big US banks are internally debating an expansion into cryptocurrencies as regulators give stronger backing to digital assets, but banks’ initial steps will focus on pilot programs, partnerships or limited crypto trading, Reuters reported in May.
Several crypto firms including Circle and Ripple are seeking banking licenses, which would cut costs by bypassing intermediary banks.
Backers of the bill have said it could potentially give rise to a new source of demand for short-term US government debt, because stablecoin issuers will have to purchase more of the debt to back their assets.
Trump has sought to broadly overhaul US cryptocurrency policies, signing an executive order in March establishing a strategic bitcoin reserve.
The president launched a meme coin called $TRUMP in January and partly owns crypto company World Liberty Financial. 


Trump says more hostages to be released from Gaza shortly

Trump says more hostages to be released from Gaza shortly
Updated 31 min 29 sec ago

Trump says more hostages to be released from Gaza shortly

Trump says more hostages to be released from Gaza shortly
  • Trump has been predicting for weeks that a ceasefire and hostage-release deal was imminent, but agreement has proven elusive
  • Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed more than 58,600 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities

WASHINGTON: Another 10 hostages will be released from Gaza shortly, US President Donald Trump said on Friday, without providing additional details.
Trump made the comment during a dinner with lawmakers at the White House, lauding the efforts of his special envoy Steve Witkoff. Israeli and Hamas negotiators have been taking part in the latest round of ceasefire talks in Doha since July 6, discussing a US-backed proposal for a 60-day ceasefire.
“We got most of the hostages back. We’re going to have another 10 coming very shortly, and we hope to have that finished quickly,” Trump said.
Trump has been predicting for weeks that a ceasefire and hostage-release deal was imminent, but agreement has proven elusive.
A spokesperson for the armed wing of Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that controls Gaza, on Friday said the group favors reaching an interim truce in the Gaza war, but could revert to insisting on a full package deal if such an agreement is not reached in current negotiations.
The truce proposal calls for 10 hostages held in Gaza to be returned along with the bodies of 18 others, spread out over 60 days. In exchange, Israel would release a number of detained Palestinians.
Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed more than 58,600 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.
Almost 1,650 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed as a result of the conflict, including 1,200 killed in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on southern Israel, according to Israeli tallies. 

 

 


Israel agree ceasefire with Syria, allows Syrian troops limited access to Sweida

Israel agree ceasefire with Syria, allows Syrian troops limited access to Sweida
Updated 1 min 48 sec ago

Israel agree ceasefire with Syria, allows Syrian troops limited access to Sweida

Israel agree ceasefire with Syria, allows Syrian troops limited access to Sweida
  • Ceasefire supported by Turkey, Jordan and neighbors
  • Syria's Sweida province rocked by days of violence

BEIRUT/JERUSALEM:  Israel and Syria have agreed to a ceasefire, the US envoy to Turkey said on Friday, after days of bloodshed in the predominantly Druze area that has killed over 300 people.
On Wednesday, Israel launched airstrikes in Damascus and hit government forces in the south, demanding they withdraw and saying that Israel aimed to protect Syrian Druze — part of a small but influential minority that also has members in Lebanon and Israel.
"We call upon Druze, Bedouins, and Sunnis to put down their weapons and together with other minorities build a new and united Syrian identity," Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey, said in a post on X.
Barrack said that Israel and Syria agreed to the ceasefire supported by Turkey, Jordan and neighbors.
The Israeli embassy in Washington and Syrian consulate in Canada did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Syria's Sweida province has been engulfed by nearly a week of violence triggered by clashes between Bedouin fighters and Druze factions.

Earlier on Friday, an Israeli official said Israel agreed to allow Syrian forces limited access to the Sweida area of southern Syria for the next two days.
The Syrian presidency said late on Friday that authorities would deploy a force in the south dedicated to ending the clashes, in coordination with political and security measures to restore stability and prevent the return of violence.
Damascus earlier this week dispatched government troops to quell the fighting, but they were accused of carrying out widespread violations against the Druze and were hit by Israeli strikes before withdrawing under a truce agreed on Wednesday.
Israel had repeatedly said it would not allow Syrian troops to deploy to the country's south, but on Friday it said it would grant them a brief window to end renewed clashes there.
"In light of the ongoing instability in southwest Syria, Israel has agreed to allow limited entry of the (Syrian) internal security forces into Sweida district for the next 48 hours," the official, who declined to be named, told reporters.
Describing Syria's new rulers as barely disguised jihadists, Israel has vowed to shield the area's Druze community from attack, encouraged by calls from Israel's own Druze minority.
It carried out more strikes on Sweida in the early hours of Friday.
The US intervened to help secure the earlier truce between government forces and Druze fighters, and the White House said on Thursday that it appeared to be holding.
Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, who has worked to establish warmer ties with the US accused Israel of trying to fracture Syria and promised to protect its Druze minority.
Reuters reporters saw a convoy of units from Syria's interior ministry stopped on a road in Daraa province, which lies directly east of Sweida. A security source told Reuters that forces were awaiting a final green light to enter Sweida.
But thousands of Bedouin fighters were still streaming into Sweida on Friday, the Reuters reporters said, prompting fears among residents that violence would continue unabated.

Tribal and Bedouin fighters cross the al-Dur village in Syria's southern Sweida governorate as they mobilize amid clashes with Druze gunmen on July 18, 2025. (AFP)

The Syrian Network for Human Rights said it had documented 321 deaths in fighting since Sunday, among them medical personnel, women and children. It said they included field executions by all sides.
Syria's minister for emergencies said more than 500 wounded had been treated and hundreds of families had been evacuated out of the city.

'Nothing at all'
Clashes continued in the north and west of Sweida province, according to residents and Ryan Marouf, the head of local news outlet Sweida24.
Residents said they had little food and water, and that electricity had been cut to the city for several days.
"For four days, there has been no electricity, no fuel, no food, no drink, nothing at all," said Mudar, a 28-year-old resident of Sweida who asked to be identified only by his first name out of fear of reprisals.
"The clashes haven't stopped," he said, adding that "we can't get news easily because there's barely internet or phone coverage."
The head of the UN human rights office urged Syria's interim authorities to ensure accountability for what it said are credible reports of widespread rights violations during the fighting, including summary executions and kidnappings, the office said in a statement.
At least 13 people were unlawfully killed in one recorded incident on Tuesday when affiliates of the interim authorities opened fire at a family gathering, the OHCHR said. Six men were summarily executed near their homes the same day. The UN refugee agency on Friday urged all sides to allow humanitarian access, which it said had been curtailed by the violence. Israel's deep distrust of Syria's new Islamist-led leadership appears to be at odds with the United States, which said it did not support the recent Israeli strikes on Syria. 

 

 

 


Human Rights Commission, King Khalid Foundation sign cooperation agreement

Human Rights Commission, King Khalid Foundation sign cooperation agreement
Updated 18 July 2025

Human Rights Commission, King Khalid Foundation sign cooperation agreement

Human Rights Commission, King Khalid Foundation sign cooperation agreement

RIYADH: ֱ’s Human Rights Commission and the King Khalid Foundation struck a strategic partnership through a cooperation agreement signed in Riyadh on Thursday, marking a significant step toward advancing human rights protection in the Kingdom.

The agreement was signed by Hala Al-Tuwaijri, president of the Saudi Human Rights Commission, and Princess Nouf bint Mohammed bin Abdullah, CEO of the King Khalid Foundation, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The partnership is designed to strengthen coordination between the two organizations while making the most of their combined expertise to promote human rights initiatives throughout ֱ.

Under the terms of the agreement, the organizations will collaborate on joint research projects focusing on human rights issues, launch public awareness campaigns to foster a culture of human rights understanding, and develop community-based initiatives that align with their shared mission.

The partnership also aims to highlight ֱ’s growing commitment to human rights and sustainable development on both the domestic and international stages.

The partnership comes as ֱ continues to prioritize human rights advancement through legislative reforms, public education programs, and enhanced community engagement.

The Kingdom has been actively working to elevate the profile of its civil society organizations and their contributions to human rights progress through joint community initiatives and collaborative projects.