Ulbricht, sentenced to life in prison in 2015, given full and unconditional' pardon by presidentDonald Trump announced on Tuesday that he had granted a full and unconditional" pardon to Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the illegal online drug marketplace the Silk Road.Ulbricht has been incarcerated since 2013 and was sentenced to life in prison in 2015. Trump said he had called Ulbricht's mother to tell her he would pardon her son in honor of her and the Libertarian Movement, which supported me so strongly". Continue reading...
President Donald Trump began his first full day in office attending a prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral. The Episcopal bishop of Washington, Mariann Edgar Budde, pleaded with Trump during the service, asking the newly elected president to protect immigrants and respect gay rights. There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican and independent families, some who fear for their lives,' she said as Trump and his family watched on. After the inauguration, Trump launched a sweeping immigration crackdown and promised mass deportations
Donald Trump has stated the Gulf of Mexico will be renamed the Gulf of America. Residents of Coatzacoalcos on the Gulf of Mexico labelled the idea 'wrong' and 'absurd'
New York representative Elise Stefanik endorsed Israeli claims of biblical rights to the entire West Bank during a Senate confirmation hearing. Trump nominated Stefanik to be his UN ambassador. The confirmation hearing highlighted very real rifts between the US and UN over Israel policy. Stefanik's view is at odds with international consensus regarding Israeli settlements in occupied territories, although it remains in line with the Trump administration posturing Continue reading...
Elise Stefanik's comments at Senate hearing align her with Israeli far right and highlight US-UN rifts over Israel policyDonald Trump's nominee for US ambassador to the United Nations has endorsed Israeli claims of biblical rights to the entire West Bank during a Senate confirmation hearing, aligning herself with positions that could complicate diplomatic efforts in the Middle East.The New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik, a Republican, was confronted on Tuesday over her backing of a position that aligns her with the Israeli far right, including Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich and former national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Continue reading...
The first arrest of a sitting president, over his declaration of martial law, shows the strength of the nation's safeguards - but also that more must be doneSouth Korean presidencies have often ended badly. Office holders have been assassinated, ousted and impeached. Former leaders have faced corruption investigations and sometimes lengthy prison terms.Yoon Suk Yeol has nonetheless set a precedent as the first president to be arrested in office. Accused of insurrection over his short-lived attempt to impose martial law, the former prosecutor has swapped his suits for the standard khaki uniform of a detainee. In apiquant detail, the man who led his country's first impeachment of a president, ParkGeunhye, has alsobeen impeached himself. His powers are currentlysuspended. Continue reading...
by Kalyeena Makortoff and Graeme Wearden in Davos on (#6TQGN)
US president is expected to slash financial controls and prompt wave of dealmakingWall Street bankers say they are at the beginning of go mode" as they expect Donald Trump's return to the White House to lead to a boom in the industry.Trump's second term is expected to result in a bonfire of regulations, including across financial services, with the president having promised during his election campaign to slash 10 existing regulations for every new one created in an attempt to spur economic growth. Continue reading...
Indian government said to be collaborating with US authorities to protect visas for workers and keep close ties with Trump administrationThe Indian government has identified 18,000 emigrants living in the US illegally that it intends to repatriate in a bid to ease pressures under Donald Trump, according to reports.Sources who spoke to Bloomberg said the Indian government was collaborating with the US authorities to identify undocumented Indian immigrants for deportation in order to demonstrate a willingness to work closely with the new Trump administration and protect legal immigration visas for Indian citizens. Continue reading...
A notable international contingent turned up for Trump's swearing-in as well as galas and parties surrounding the eventAside from the US tech billionaires and the Maga crowd, Trump's inauguration included a notable international contingent, from fringe far-right European politicians to an Irish cage fighter.Here are some key figures who flew overseas for Trump's swearing-in, as well as galas and parties surrounding the event. Continue reading...
Despite scandal after scandal, Koreans have shown their solidarity with one another, and the resilience of their institutionsCompared with other advanced industrialised countries, South Korea is still a young democracy, having only transitioned from authoritarian to democratic rule in 1987. However, the political freedoms and beliefs Koreans have come to take for granted were suddenly shattered on 3 December, when President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, citing anti-state activities and collaboration with North Korea by some political actors as his reason for doing so.His actions utterly shocked the country, and MPs promptly gathered at the national assembly in a clear act of defiance of the ban on political activities that accompanied the imposition of martial law. All 190 members of parliament who were present that night (out of a total of 300) had made it through the cordons of special forces around the parliament building and voted to nullify the law within hours of its imposition. President Yoon quickly repealed the law. Tens of thousands of ordinary citizens filled the streets around the national assembly calling for presidential impeachment. It took two attempts before enough MPs would vote to impeach the president. Watching Yoon appear at his impeachment hearing today, these may appear to be very dark days for democracy. But in reality, these events should give Koreans hope.Youngmi Kim is senior lecturer at the University of Edinburgh and director of the Scottish Centre for Korean Studies Continue reading...
The incoming president is ready to sign a slew of executive orders on day one of his second term. Here's what's plannedIn the grand theatre of American politics, presidential inaugurations typically follow a familiar script: the oath, the speech, a few carefully chosen executive orders to satisfy campaign promises. Franklin D Roosevelt used his first day to tackle the banking crisis. Barack Obama moved to close Guantanamo Bay (though it remains open). Donald Trump's first term began with a single executive order targeting Obamacare.But as Trump prepares to return to the White House for round two, he's promising to tear up the traditional presidential playbook entirely. With more than 100 executive orders reportedly prepared, his agenda represents a new attempt to reshape American governance through sheer executive will. It's a blueprint that, if enacted, would touch everything from international trade to immigration, from cryptocurrency to classroom curriculums. Continue reading...
Having done his best to shut down the social media platform, the new president is now being hailed as its saviour. And once again the Democrats have egg on their facesPolitics in the US has had its fair share of stupid moments, but the recent banning and (sort of) unbanning of TikTok may rank as one of the stupidest. At the same time, the episode neatly encapsulates the current moment: it's a perfect example of Donald Trump's showmanship, the Democrats' incompetence and the limits of bipartisanship. If I were a TikTok teen I'd come up with some sort of experimental dance to illustrate these themes but I'm old and completely devoid of rhythm, so words are going to have to suffice.Let's start with Trump, who, with his usual talent for self-promotion, has positioned himself as the guy who brought TikTok back from the dead, despite being responsible for signing its death warrant in the first place. To refresh everyone's memory, in 2020 Trump issued vaguely worded executive orders that described TikTok and WeChat as threats to national security. There doesn't seem to be much evidence, by the way, that TikTok is any more of a threat to national security than any of the other data-sucking apps we all have on our phones. The main argument from its critics seems to be that it has Chinese owners - and they're clearly not going to be responsible stewards of people's data in the way that Americans such as Mark Zuckerberg are. Continue reading...
The president can't fully eliminate the federal agency, but an overhaul could disrupt critical services for students who are of color, low-income or LGBTQ+For many students of color, access to an equitable education is dependent on the initiatives and programs provided by the Department of Education. Among its various functions, the department provides targeted funding for low-income students, collects data on educational outcomes and investigates potential bias - essential functions that help underserved students. But such services stand to be disrupted or ended entirely as Donald Trump plans to dismantle the department during his second tenure.In addition to nominating for education secretary the former WWE executive Linda McMahon, who served on Connecticut's state board of education for one year and has no other notable education experience, Trump has pledged to [close] up" the department and return" education rights to the states. Though Trump alone cannot eliminate the federal agency, as such an act requires congressional approval beyond a simple majority, experts have warned that any type of overhaul could disrupt the department's critical roles, especially for marginalized students. Continue reading...
President and first lady's business ventures show shameful conflicts of interest', says ex-government ethics officialDonald Trump was accused of corruption as he returned to the White House days after launching a multibillion-dollar cryptocurrency meme coin. Former government ethics officials and presidential experts said the venture amounted to a shameful" conflict of interest.The president and his wife, Melania, each announced their own respective coins ahead of his inauguration. Both were valued at billions of dollars as Trump took the oath of office on Monday. Continue reading...
The new US president incorrectly said Spain is a member of the Brics grouping of nations, and that this was the reason it was not maintaining defence spending levels. When asked by a reporter about Spain's defence spending, Trump dismissively asked if he knew what Brics was, adding: 'You'll figure it out'. Brics is a bloc of 10 emerging economies, of which no EU state is currently a member
Among dozens of other actions, Trump pardons about 1,500 of the January 6 defendants, including many convicted of violent offenses. Plus, Elon Musk gives fascist-style salutes at rally
A reporter at the German TV channel Phoenix went off-script while he was on air during Donald Trump's inauguration on Monday, asking colleagues: 'How long did you want to stay with this shit?'
Much remains uncertain about the path the next four years will take us down. But it's crystal clear who's going to come out ahead and who it's all forNeedless to say, a nation capable of sending a man like Donald Trump to the White House twice is not well. It was of course possible to understand his election in 2016 as a fluke, a win delivered by the Electoral College over the opposition of most voters. But the legitimacy of his election this time around has shifted the mood around his second inauguration significantly. The protests have been sparser, the liberal pundits are quieter, the resistance, all told, seems weaker. Ten years into the Trump era and due for at least another four, we've been humbled into near-impotence, a victory for the only ideology Trump has ever been committed to, which is humiliation.It must have been a real pleasure, given this, to have Biden, Harris, and much of the Democratic party's leadership sit and listen Monday afternoon to an inauguration speech that featured many of the lies and distortions about the Biden administration that he trotted out on the campaign trail. The invasion of criminal immigrants, economic decline, the abolition of free speech, the indoctrination of children - all of it's over and all will be well now that America's being carried forth not only into a new administration but, per Trump, a new era in American history.Osita Nwanevu is a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...
The Philadelphia Eagles boast a formidable defense. But the rookie quarterback's eerie calm could cause another upsetNow that the Washington Commanders have achieved the highly unlikely by upsetting the NFC's one-seed Detroit Lions with a decisive 45-31 win in the divisional round of the playoffs, it's time to ask if the team, who haven't been to a Super Bowl since the end of the 1991 season, can do so again.If that's to happen, the Commanders and their rookie quarterback, Jayden Daniels, will have to get past the Philadelphia Eagles, their NFC East neighbors and the conference's two-seed. Continue reading...
It loves freedom and equality, abhors tyranny, values minding your own business and hates, above all, to be told what to do. This will haunt Trump soon enoughAt noon ET on Monday, the US presidency changed hands, and one of the largest governments in the world rearranged itself in service to the petulance and vulgarity of the nation's new president.At the Pentagon, a portrait of a general who Donald Trump had found insufficiently deferential to him in his first term was removed from a wall; photographs of the empty spot circulated on social media. Trump was set to sign a bevvy of executive orders, pledging to withdraw the US from the Paris climate agreement, to revoke policies promoting wind energy and electric cars, and to exert executive powers to speed up the construction of oil pipelines.Moira Donegan is a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...
Events in Vienna are forcing Germany's bickering mainstream parties to rally together. But the AfD could yet outflank the centreCould Germany go the way of Austria? Could the party of the far right be invited to form a government? What was previously deemed impossible, then revised down to improbable, is now possible. There are two scenarios in which this could happen.Fast forward to Germany's general election day on 23 February and the following assumptions: Germany's Christian Democrats (CDU) win, reasonably comfortably, at around their present poll rating of 30%. The far-right Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) comes second, with an impressive vote share of between 20% and 25%. Nevertheless, it is excluded from coalition negotiations thanks to the firewall" established several years ago by the mainstream parties to keep extreme groupings at bay. Continue reading...
Planet-sparing Paris agreement goes out the window, along with punishment for January 6 insurrectionists, as Donald Trump glories in his return to power
Trump took a whistlestop world tour from his Oval Office desk, touching on topics including imposing tariffs, rebuilding Gaza and withdrawing (again) from the Paris climate agreement and the WHO
More than 1,600 people eligible to resettle in the United States are waiting to flee Afghanistan and Pakistan, say advocatesMore than 1,600 Afghans eligible to enter the US as refugees will see their entry blocked under an executive order signed by Donald Trump on Monday evening that suspends the resettlement of all refugees to the United States for an indefinite period of time.The decision has led to panic among prospective Afghan refugees, including family members of hundreds of active-duty service personnel and children waiting to be reunited with family members already in the US, according to a leading refugee resettlement activist and a US official who spoke with the Guardian on condition of anonymity. Continue reading...
Laken Riley Act, which passed 64-35, requires detention of undocumented migrants charged with theft-related crimesThe Senate has passed legislation requiring the detention of undocumented immigrants charged with theft-related crimes, with the chamber approving its first bill of the new Congress just hours after Donald Trump took the oath of office.The vote was 64 to 35, as a dozen Democrats joined every present Republican in supporting the Laken Riley Act, named after a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student who was murdered last year by a Venezuelan national. Continue reading...
Hordes of people wait outside the Capital One Arena to watch Trump's swearing-inAs protesters gathered against Donald Trump's inauguration, we sent photographer Matailong Du to photograph the atmosphere that settled as he began his presidency marking his entrance back to politics after four years later. Continue reading...
Donald Trump has been sworn in as the 47th US president, beginning what could be a vengeful second term. His swearing-in ceremony, which was initially scheduled to take place outside on the Capitol's west front, was moved inside. Trump vowed to sign a series of executive orders, with many focusing on immigration. The president was sworn in among global conservative politicians and tech billionaires
Donald Trump repeatedly made false and misleading claims during his inaugural address. Here are the facts on some of the false claims offered during his speech
Donald Trump vowed to 'plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars' and 'take back' the Panama Canal as he was sworn into office for the second time. He announced a number of measures he planned to take such as ending the Green New Deal and declaring a national emergency on the US-Mexico border
The president cast himself as a holy warrior in a speech that made 2017's American carnage' theme seem almost innocentHe is risen. After dodging an assassin's bullet and the prospect of jail, Donald Trump staged a political resurrection like no other. On Monday, as he returned to power, he embraced the role of a demagogue on a divine mission.Sworn in as the 47th US president at the US Capitol in Washington, Trump delivered an inaugural address that cast himself as a holy warrior and made his American carnage" speech from 2017 seem almost innocent. Continue reading...
Texas and other parts of south experience frigid weather before rare storm, while east coast contends with snowFrigid temperatures engulfed Texas and other parts of the south on Monday ahead of a rare winter storm expected to bring heavy snow and disruptive ice accumulations to the region into Wednesday, sending residents scurrying to insulate pipes, check heating systems and stock emergency kits.In Texas, William P Hobby airport and George Bush airport in Houston announced on Sunday night that flight operations would be suspended Tuesday in anticipation of hazardous conditions. Continue reading...
Donald Trump gave an air kiss to his wife, Melania, at his inauguration ceremony in Washington DC. Trump leaned in as Melania presented her cheek, but her hat appeared to keep him at a short distance, with the incoming president resorting to blowing a kiss in the air. Trump was sworn in as the 47th US president on Monday, ushering in another four-year term with promises to push the limits of executive power, deport millions of immigrants, secure retribution against his political enemies and transform the role of the US on the world stage
CEOs and conservative politicians from around the world have descended on Washington DC for Donald Trump's presidential inauguration. The Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, and the president of Argentina, Javier Milei, were seen inside the US Capitol.Other notable figures such as the UK politicians Nigel Farage, Liz Truss and Suella Braverman were also present. A variety of high-profile business owners also joined, including the Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, the Apple CEO, Tim Cook, and the Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos
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