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The Unstoppable Donald

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10 years ago

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The Unstoppable Donald

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The stay on his executive order banning entry of foreign nationals from seven predominantly Muslim countries to the United States may have been upheld in court, but mere technicalities will not dishearten the American president who has now learnt his lesson and will plan his course carefully 

By Sujit Bhar

US President Donald Trump’s exhortations about “so-called” judges and about how he will have the several bans on his executive order on immigration from seven Muslim states “overturned” hit a huge hurdle on February 9. A three-judge bench of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit was unanimous in upholding the decision of a Federal District Court judge which had stayed the implementation of Trump’s executive order.

The district judge’s order had provided a temporary stay, and the decision of the bench is also a temporary one. If one knows Trump—and of late people have come to know his arrogance a little too well—he will not stop till the Supreme Court.

The order itself, which runs into 28 pages (plus one), has considered the circumstances under which an emergency order was sought from the Justice Department to have the district court ban lifted. And the bench was not satisfied. The court has been able to look into the immediate reality, an area Trump didn’t really care about while placing the blanket ban.

The bench said it considered “several factors, including… the degree of hardship caused by a stay or its denial, and the public interest in granting or denying a stay”. It was a technical judgement, which relied on the wording of the appeal of the Justice Department. The bench said: “We hold that the government has not shown a likelihood of success on the merits of its appeal, nor has it shown that failure to enter a stay would cause irreparable injury, and we therefore deny its emergency motion for a stay.”

The court order, therefore, does not look into the merits or demerits of the broader Trump executive order. Neither does it need to, at this point. What it needed to satisfy itself with was whether the Justice Department’s appeal to lift the ban itself has merit. The bench found that it does not.

The Justice Department’s appeal was possibly hastily prepared, without paying heed to specifics that seasoned judges would pounce on quickly. When an argument comes in front of judges, asking for the repeal of an order, the issue would be read from the last, backwards. This one got stuck within the periphery of the appeal itself. It had asked for a blanket withdrawal, as was wont, but the argument hinged on a total rejection, without scrutiny, because the two states seemingly cannot sue. The critical reason for rejecting the appeal wasn’t a broad sociopolitical one. It was because, among others, it would not allow eligible and meritorious foreign students to come in and attend universities.

This is a technical glitch for Trump and his band of men. They aren’t going to back out and walk into the sunset. The administration has said clearly that it will use “every legal means” to reinstate Trump’s executive order. So the legal battle continues, while experts look at what is extent of the US president’s power in enforcing an executive order.

Frankly, as it seems today, the powers are calibrated against the president being able to coerce the citizenry into doing things that would be harmful for society.

Interestingly, though “social harm” and national security happen to be the crux of Trump’s order. If national security is taken out of the order, “social harm” would assume immense proportions, with as many interpretations as there are races and sects. That would be hard to negotiate and create a legal minefield. Trump is not averse to walking that minefield, however.

As a beginning, Trump has declared that the district judge who blocked his travel ban remains responsible in the event of an attack on America. He castigated Judge James Robart for placing American lives in “peril”, because the blockade of the travel ban would supposedly result in terrorists from those seven Muslim countries “pouring in” to the country, endangering all.

However strange this contention, it was his primary peg for hanging his travel ban on the wall. That was what gave him the courage to declare, at a gala at the Mar a Lago resort in Florida (where he was holidaying): “We’ll win. For the safety of the country, we’ll win.”

It wasn’t surprising that Trump was quiet (till the time of writing this he has not spoken against the court order), while leaving a hapless Vice-President Mike Pence to cover for him, that too on the administration’s favourite Fox News. Pence has been quoted as saying: “We’re going to continue to use all legal means at our disposal to stay that order and move forward to take the steps necessary to protect our country.”

But The Donald has not been able to take the Mickey out of Pence, it seems. He still possesses a mind that can think. About the district judge’s order Pence has not called it “ridiculous”, like Trump has, but has been quoted as saying: “He (the judge) certainly does (have the authority to block the ban), and that’s why the administration is complying with that order as we speak.”

The fight will continue, and this time the Justice Department and the administration will surely be more careful.

One part of the order of the appellate bench says: “…The necessary connection can be drawn in at most two logical steps: (1) the executive order prevents nationals of seven countries from entering Washington and Minnesota; (2) as a result, some of these people will not enter state universities, some will not join those universities as faculty, some will be prevented from performing research, and some will not be permitted to return if they leave.”

If you read this carefully, probably the fight will not be just about the travel ban. It could well evolve into an avatar against the new anti-H1B acts that are progressing through the law-making processes even as we speak.

That will be another story.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang resigns amid affair scandal, Colette Kress takes over

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has resigned amid an affair-related controversy. The company’s CFO, Colette Kress, will serve as interim CEO while the board looks for a permanent successor.

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12 hours ago

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November 12, 2026

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colette kress

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has resigned from his position, marking a major leadership change at the world’s leading artificial intelligence chipmaker. The company’s board has appointed Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress as interim CEO while it begins the process of finding a permanent successor.

The development comes amid controversy surrounding reports of Huang’s alleged extramarital relationships, including one involving a Chinese businesswoman suspected by US authorities of having links to espionage activities.

Huang’s departure comes after more than three decades at the helm of Nvidia, the company he co-founded in 1993. His leadership helped transform the business from a graphics chip manufacturer into a dominant supplier of processors powering the global artificial intelligence industry.

Colette Kress appointed interim Nvidia CEO

Following Huang’s resignation, Nvidia’s board appointed Colette Kress as interim chief executive officer.

Kress, who has served as Nvidia’s executive vice president and CFO since September 2013, will continue to hold the finance portfolio alongside her interim leadership responsibilities until a permanent successor is appointed.

Before joining Nvidia, she spent nearly 25 years working in finance roles at major technology companies, including Cisco and Microsoft.

The board has said it will consider both internal and external candidates as part of its search for a permanent CEO.

Nvidia has also appointed Harvey C. Jones as the company’s first-ever chairman of the board.

Affair controversy surrounding Jensen Huang

Huang’s resignation follows a series of reports about alleged extramarital relationships that have raised questions about his position at the company.

One of the controversies involves Alice Huang, a Chinese businesswoman whom US intelligence agencies reportedly suspect of involvement in facilitating shipments of Nvidia chips to Chinese companies.

Another report alleged that Huang had a relationship with Kimberly Powell, Nvidia’s vice president of healthcare, who reportedly worked under him.

Huang had earlier acknowledged being unfaithful to his wife in a message to Nvidia employees, taking responsibility for his actions and apologising to his family and colleagues.

The company’s board had also initiated an independent investigation into whether Huang had been targeted as part of a foreign intelligence operation.

Jensen Huang’s departure marks a major change for Nvidia

Huang co-founded Nvidia in 1993 alongside Curtis Priem and Chris Malachowsky. Under his leadership, the company evolved from a graphics processing unit manufacturer primarily associated with gaming into a central player in the global AI industry.

Nvidia’s processors have become critical to companies developing and operating artificial intelligence systems, making the company one of the most influential businesses in the technology sector.

His departure also comes at a crucial time for Nvidia, with investors closely watching the company’s leadership transition and its ability to maintain its position in the rapidly expanding AI market.

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India, Canada discuss trade pact to boost bilateral commerce

India and Canada discussed advancing negotiations on a proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement aimed at expanding trade, investment and market access between the two countries.

Published

22 hours ago

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November 12, 2026

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India canada trade pacts

India and Canada discussed advancing negotiations on a proposed trade agreement as the two countries seek to strengthen their economic and commercial ties.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal met Canada’s Minister of International Trade Maninder Sidhu, who is leading a Canadian delegation to India. The discussions focused on advancing negotiations for the proposed India-Canada Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

The proposed pact is aimed at creating greater market access and opening up new opportunities for trade and investment between the two countries.

India-Canada CEPA talks

Both sides discussed the importance of a balanced and mutually beneficial agreement that can make use of the complementary strengths of the two economies.

The discussions also focused on deepening commercial engagement and creating new opportunities for businesses in both countries.

Goyal said the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to taking the India-Canada economic partnership to a higher level, with CEPA serving as a catalyst for deeper commercial engagement.

India and Canada are working towards concluding the CEPA negotiations by the end of 2026.

India-Canada trade

The proposed CEPA is aimed at improving market access and creating opportunities across sectors while strengthening the broader economic relationship between India and Canada.

The agreement is expected to provide greater opportunities for businesses in both countries and support deeper trade and investment ties.

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White House put on temporary lockdown after car crashes into signpost

The White House was temporarily placed under lockdown after a car crashed into a signpost near Lafayette Square in Washington, DC. The driver was detained after a confrontation with security personnel.

Published

3 days ago

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November 9, 2026

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The White House was placed under a temporary lockdown on Monday after a car crashed into a signpost at Lafayette Square near the presidential residence in Washington, DC.

The incident triggered a security response in the area, with the US Secret Service directing members of the White House press corps to move indoors and remain there temporarily.

Driver detained after confrontation with security personnel

The driver was detained following a confrontation with Secret Service officers and National Guard personnel, according to reports.

Video footage showed a silver sedan on the paved area at the northern end of Lafayette Square after striking a signpost. Smoke was also seen coming from the vehicle.

Authorities had not immediately disclosed the driver’s identity or established what led to the crash.

White House security restrictions imposed

The security response prompted temporary restrictions around the White House. The incident occurred at Lafayette Square, which is directly across Pennsylvania Avenue from the presidential complex.

At around 10 am local time, Secret Service personnel instructed White House journalists to move indoors while security personnel dealt with the incident.

The White House was under the security restriction while President Donald Trump was at the premises, according to reports.

Motive behind crash remains unclear

It was not immediately known whether the crash was accidental or deliberate. Authorities had also not immediately confirmed whether anyone was injured.

The circumstances surrounding the incident, including the driver’s identity and possible motive, remained under investigation.

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