Foul-mouthed spin doctor Anthony Scaramucci was axed as White House communications director Monday, just 10 days after being named to the post and hours after Donald Trump installed a new chief of staff.　The 53-year-old New Yorker -- whose profanity-laden rant against colleagues gained him global notoriety -- was fired as four-star Gen. John Kelly began his quest to impose order on an administration careening out of control.　During its first six months in office, Trump’s White House has been bes

President Vladimir Putin on Sunday said the United States would have to cut 755 diplomatic staff in Russia and warned of a prolonged gridlock in its ties after the US Congress backed new sanctions against the Kremlin.　Putin added bluntly that Russia was able to raise the stakes with America even further, although he hoped this would be unnecessary.　A US State Department official denounced the move as a “regrettable and uncalled for act,” adding that Washington was now weighing a potential respon

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that transgender people may not serve “in any capacity” in the US military, upending a key policy from Barack Obama’s administration and drawing swift condemnation.　Announcing the major policy change via Twitter, Trump said the military should be focused on “overwhelming victory,” and not burdened with the “tremendous” medical costs and disruptions that transgender personnel would entail.　“After consultation with my generals and military experts, please

The maverick stood with his party Tuesday, casting a crucial vote in the Republican drive to repeal “Obamacare.” But then, like an angry prophet, Sen. John McCain condemned the tribal politics besetting the nation.Confronting an aggressive brain cancer, the 80-year-old Arizonan served notice he would not vote for the GOP legislation as it stands now. McCain’s impassioned speech held the rapt attention of his colleagues in the Senate chamber.　”Stop listening to the bombastic loudmouths on the rad

A muscular handshake that turned their knuckles white seems to be giving way to a budding friendship between Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron.　The unexpected bromance between the leaders of America and France was on full display for the world Friday at the annual Bastille Day military parade and celebration in Paris. This year the event coincided with the 100th anniversary of the US entry into World War I.　Trump spent a large portion of his day and a half in the French capital in the embrace of

Brazil’s former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison for graft Wednesday -- a stark fall from grace for the iconic leftist leader, and the latest twist in a sprawling political corruption probe engulfing Latin America’s largest economy.　Lula, who ruled Brazil from 2003-2010, was convicted and handed a 9.5-year prison term for accepting a bribe of a luxury seaside apartment and $1.1 million.　But anti-corruption judge Sergio Moro, who handed down the sente

Donald Trump’s eldest son on Monday admitted meeting a Russian lawyer to get dirt on his father’s 2016 rival Hillary Clinton, thrusting the White House deep into another Russia-related scandal.　Trump junior confirmed reports that he was on the trail of damaging information on the Democrat vying to become America’s first female president, when he met Natalia Veselnitskaya in June 2016.　“Obviously, I’m the first person on a campaign to ever take a meeting to hear info about an opponent,” Trump’s s

European leaders joined former US President Bill Clinton on Saturday to pay a unique tribute to former German chancellor Helmut Kohl, who oversaw the German reunification and the end of the Cold War, but a family row marred his funeral.　Kohl was a founder of modern-day Europe and served as chancellor from 1982 to 1998. He died on June 16 aged 87.　“A giant of the post-war period has left us,” European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said in an oration in the French city of Strasbourg, where

A new and highly virulent outbreak of data-scrambling software -- apparently sown in Ukraine -- caused disruption across the world Tuesday. Following a similar attack in May, the fresh cyber assault paralyzed some hospitals, government offices and major multinational corporations in a dramatic demonstration of how easily malicious programs can bring daily life to a halt.　Ukraine and Russia appeared hardest hit by the new strain of ransomware -- malicious software that locks up computer files wit

Japanese air bag maker Takata Corp. filed for bankruptcy protection in Tokyo and the US on Monday, saying it was the only way to ensure it could carry on supplying replacements for faulty air bag inflators linked to the deaths of at least 16 people. 　Most of Takata's assets will be bought by rival Key Safety Systems, a Chinese-owned company based in suburban Detroit, for about $1.6 billion.　The company’s executives sought to reassure their customers, suppliers and shareholders in a news conferen

Amazon’s deal to buy Whole Foods Market injects even greater pressure into the food and grocery sectors at a time when e-commerce is already roiling retailers.The tech giant’s $13.7 billion acquisition of the upscale, niche grocery chain was described as a seismic event by industry analysts, despite Whole Foods’ relatively small size.The deal prompted jokes and semi-serious posts on Twitter about a space-age shopping era with Amazon’s artificial intelligence program Alexa replacing cashiers and

Steve Scalise, the senior Republican lawmaker seriously wounded in Wednesday’s shooting at a baseball practice near Washington, is a hard-line conservative who opposes abortion, immigration and gun control, and who cleared numerous hurdles to become the No. 3 House Republican.　The 51-year-old congressman from Louisiana was in critical condition after surgery at a Washington hospital for a gunshot wound to the hip. Three other people were shot and two more suffered minor injuries.　The attacker la

General Electric announced a leadership shakeup Monday as it faces scrutiny after a corporate makeover executed by outgoing chief Jeff Immelt in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis failed to ignite strong growth.　Immelt, 61, will step down as chief executive on Aug. 1, handing the reins to GE Healthcare President John Flannery, a 30-year veteran of the company whose previous roles included country chief in India.　During a conference call with analysts, Immelt said the transition was first disc

Fired FBI Director James Comey said Wednesday that Donald Trump urged him to drop a probe into former national security adviser Michael Flynn, prompting fresh allegations that the US president tried to obstruct justice.　In a bombshell revelation on the eve of his hotly anticipated appearance on Capitol Hill, Comey said Trump had raised the sensitive FBI probe into Russia‘s alleged meddling in the US election in multiple discussions, leaving him deeply uneasy over whether the president was attemp

In a series of morning tweets, President Donald Trump threw Washington’s relations with Doha into deep crisis on Tuesday and raised doubts about the future of the largest US air base in the Middle East.　Trump publicly accused key regional ally Qatar of funding extremism, while tacitly backing a blockade of the emirate, home to the Al-Udeid Air Base near Doha where around 10,000 US military personnel are stationed.　The base is also the regional headquarters of US special forces and Air Force comm