President Financial News

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. WASHINGTON—In the days after Donald Trump approved a risky operation to oust Venezuela’s autocratic leader, some administration officials privately came up with a new moniker for the emboldened commander in chief: “President of the World." The nickname reflected Trump’s expanding ambitions and increasingly aggressive posture as he enters the second year of his second term. The president is pushing boundaries at home and abroad as he looks to demonstrate power, cement his legacy and beat the clock ahead of midterm elections that could end unified Republican control in Washington.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the longest serving leader in the Middle East, faces an existential choice if he wants to preserve his rule and the theocracy that has governed Iran for nearly 50 years. Khamenei has ridden out decades of immense foreign pressure on Iran’s economy and numerous public uprisings, while insisting on Iran’s right to enrich uranium and build advanced missiles.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Alarm bells began to ring when US President Donald Trump hinted at direct intervention in what are the deadliest Iranian protests so far, posting “HELP IS ON ITS WAY" on his social media platform, Truth Social, on 13 January. The all-caps threat—Trump’s signature leadership style—urged Iranians to “KEEP PROTESTING", “TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!", and even “MIGA" (Make Iran Great Again).

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. DUBAI—With a decision on military action on pause, the U.S. turned to economic pressure on Iran, rolling out a host of new sanctions on officials it said were responsible for the bloody crackdown on nationwide protests.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The removal of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro portends greater U.S. involvement in the Western Hemisphere, both politically and economically.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. When Thalia Toha wasn’t sure how to answer her teenage daughter’s question about what just happened in Venezuela, she stumbled on the perfect explainer: a scene from a 2019 episode of “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan." The clip features John Krasinski as CIA analyst Jack Ryan asking a packed lecture hall: ‘What would you assume is the most major threat on the world stage?’ Audience members answered China, Russia and North Korea until Ryan explained it’s Venezuela, thanks to its oil and mineral-rich land and corrupt strongman leader who tanked the economy. That scene has gone viral and prompted many to ask whether its creators predicted the future six years before American troops captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and brought him to the U.S.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. WASHINGTON—The cryptocurrency and banking industries are locked in a lobbying battle over digital tokens that yield annual payouts, a fight that threatens to derail legislation intended to bring crypto into mainstream finance. The two sides are clashing about what crypto firms call rewards, or annual payments to investors based on a percentage of their total holdings.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. WASHINGTON—The State Department will indefinitely pause immigrant visa processing for 75 countries as part of the Trump administration’s ongoing effort to block low-income foreigners from immigrating to the U.S. The pause takes effect starting Jan.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. President Trump ordered a military buildup in the Caribbean in the fall as part of the pressure campaign against the now-ousted Venezuelan leader, Nicolás Maduro. That move now limits his options if conflict breaks out between Washington and Tehran over a popular uprising in Iran, according to current and former defense officials.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. THE IDEA that central banks should enjoy some independence is as old as central banking. “I want [it] to be sufficiently in the hands of the government, but not too much," mused Napoleon Bonaparte in 1806 of the recently created Bank of France.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. NUUK, Greenland—If President Trump acquired Greenland, he would find himself in charge of a slow-growing economy heavily reliant on more than $1 billion of annual government subsidies and powered largely by sales of shrimp. The world’s largest island is prized by the U.S.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. President Trump has insisted that the U.S. needs to annex Greenland for U.S.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Iran signaled Wednesday it was preparing to conduct swift trials and the execution of antigovernment protesters, defying a warning from President Trump as it intensifies a crackdown on nationwide demonstrations. Iran’s judiciary chief, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, said that the courts should act quickly against protesters.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Most years, presidents don’t have much impact on the economy; it is just too big and complicated. This year won’t be like most years.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. President Donald Trump’s control of Venezuela’s oil supply increases U.S. influence in the world oil market, but China is the major power that has been keeping prices steady.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The White House is having its “break-the-glass" moment on affordability ahead of the November midterm elections. It has Wall Street in its sights.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. WASHINGTON—A Justice Department memo asserted that the support of the Venezuelan opposition led by Maria Corina Machado for U.S. action to oust Nicolás Maduro helped President Trump’s legal case to overthrow him, people familiar with the matter said.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The U.S. ouster of the Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro is forcing Beijing into a high-stakes recalculation of its ambitions in a region that looks like America’s backyard again, said people close to internal discussions in the Chinese leadership.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. US President Donald Trump has announced fresh tariff threats, this time targeting any country doing business with Iran with a 25% tariff. For India, the immediate trade risk is limited, given its minimal imports from Iran.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. WASHINGTON—The Trump administration will announce Wednesday the U.S. is moving to the next step of its Gaza plan and name a committee of Palestinians to temporarily run the bombed-out enclave, U.S.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The latest spat between US Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell and US President Donald Trump strikes at the very heart of what central banks hold dear as the key to not just long-term financial stability, but also economic growth: central bank independence. Calling the Department of Justice probe into the testimony he gave last year to a Senate panel on renovations of Fed buildings “unprecedented," Powell said he believed the action was a direct consequence of the president’s anger over the Fed’s refusal to reduce interest rates despite White House pressure.