President Donald Trump is set to speak in Las Vegas on Saturday afternoon about his initiative to remove taxes on tips.
“Do you remember a little statement about tips?” said Trump following his inauguration on Monday. “I think we won Nevada because of that statement.”
Meanwhile, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has been confirmed as the next secretary of Homeland Security. She passed the final hurdle in the Senate around noon on Saturday by a vote of 59 to 34.
Noem will now be in charge of a sweeping agency that will be an important component in the new administration’s plan to crack down on immigration.
“Thank you, Mr. President @realDonaldTrump, for the confidence in me to serve as Secretary of Homeland Security. I will work to make America SAFE again!” Noem wrote on X following her confirmation.
This comes after Trump suggested “getting rid of” the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) while touring disaster damage in North Carolina and California on Friday.
Key Points
- Pete Hegseth confirmed as Defense Secretary
- Trump demands California voter ID law for wildfire relief; threatens future of FEMA
- State Department halts new funding on nearly all US aid programs worldwide
- Trump fires 17 government watchdogs in middle of the night - but a key one remains in his post
- Trump to speak in Vegas on removing taxes on tips and overtime
Senate breaks filibuster on Bessent’s nomination to lead treasury
18:01
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Gustaf Kilander
The Senate has voted to break a filibuster on Scott Bessent’s nomination to be Trump’s treasury secretary by a vote 67 to 23.
It’s an important step to confirmation for Bessent on his path to join Trump’s cabinet.
He’s expected to be confirmed in a Monday night vote.
Britain can learn from Trump’s positivity, says Rachel Reeves
18:00
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Millie Cooke, Helen Corbett
Britain needs to learn from Donald Trump by being more positive and showing off its strengths, Rachel Reeves has said, signalling a shift in approach to Britain’s faltering economy.
The chancellor said people should be “shouting from the rooftops” and banging the drum for the UK following her trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos this week, where she met global investors in her latest attempt to boost the economy after new figures showed only slight growth.
The remarks are a change in tune for the under-pressure chancellor, who has previously been accused of “talking Britain down”.
Read more:
Kristi Noem confirmed as Homeland Security secretary to oversee Trump’s deportation plan
17:55
,
Kelly Rissman
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security, was confirmed by the Senate.
The Senate confirmed her on Saturday morning in a vote of 59-34.
The 53-year-old will now lead the agency integral in Trump’s plan to crack down on immigration. She will oversee 22 agencies with duties that range from securing the border to responding to natural disasters.
“President Trump needs to achieve this mission because two-thirds of Americans support his immigration and border policies, including the majority of Hispanic Americans,” Noem said in her opening statement.
“I was the first governor to send National Guard troops to our southern border when Texas asked for help and when they were being overwhelmed by an unprecedented border crisis. If confirmed as secretary, I’ll ensure that our exceptional, extraordinary Border Patrol agents have all the tools and resources and support that they need to carry out their mission,” she continued.
Read more:
Trump’s vendetta agenda shows an undimmed lust for retribution
17:30
,
Jon Sopel
It was March 2023, and Donald Trump was in Waco, Texas – a town forever associated with the massacre and inferno that engulfed the Branch Davidian sect, resulting in 76 deaths after a lengthy stand-off with law enforcement officials. That took place exactly 30 years before Trump visited the city.
Donald Trump that night was also in an incendiary mood. He rained down fire on his political opponents. “I am your warrior. I am your justice,” he declared. “For those who have been wronged and betrayed…I am your retribution.”
Well, you can’t say he isn’t being true to his word, as five days into his presidency his lust for retribution is undimmed. Forget revenge being a dish best served cold, Trump is serving it up piping hot – and lashings of it.
It really is “promise made, promise delivered,” as politicians are wont to say.
Read more:
Noem thanks Trump after being confirmed as DHS secretary
17:28
,
Gustaf Kilander
Thank you, Mr. President @realDonaldTrump, for the confidence in me to serve as Secretary of Homeland Security.
— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) January 25, 2025
I will work to make America SAFE again!
Noem confirmed as DHS secretary
17:10
,
Gustaf Kilander
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has been confirmed as the next secretary of Homeland Security.
She passed the final hurdle in the Senate around noon on Saturday by a vote of 59 to 34.
VOICES: Freezing aid to Ukraine shows Trump is no ally to the West
17:00
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Sam Kiley
Donald Trump said he was going to do it. His foreign policy and his defence team gave due warning that they’d do it. And yet, as Marco Rubio smashed a fist into the solar plexus of an already battered Ukraine, there’s still stunned surprise.
In a memo sent to embassies and agencies who rely on US funding, to a tune of $72 billion at last count, the new US secretary of state ordered a stop order on American world wide aid funding for up to 90 days.
Excluded from this move are Israel and Egypt. They’re fine.
Ukraine is a democracy that’s been identified by the highest court on the planet, the Internmational Criminal Court, as being the victim of war crimes. But aid from the US, both civilian and military, appears to have been cut overnight with the sweep of a pen.
Read more:
VOICES: Trump’s first moves as president are catastrophic for LGBT+ rights
16:30
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Simon Blake
Although we have seen a slow de-prioritisation of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in recent years, the last few days have been exceptionally difficult for many.
LGBT+ people around the world have watched with alarm as the incoming US administration issued a series of executive orders curtailing the rights and freedoms of LGBT+ Americans, and many others. One of Donald Trump’s first actions upon taking office was to deny the existence of trans, non-binary and intersex people. To suggest that a marginalised group of people don’t have the right to exist has alarming historical parallels to some of humanity’s worst moments.
Shortly afterwards, the US administration announced the elimination of federal DEI programmes and placed all DEI-related staff on immediate leave. One of the orders went on to call initiatives designed to protect and empower staff “dangerous” and “immoral”.
Read more:
After endorsing Trump and going to the inauguration, Joe Rogan denies he’s a Republican
16:00
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Oliver O'Connell
Joe Rogan, the conspiracy-peddling podcaster who endorsed Donald Trump for president and attended this week’s inauguration, insisted this week that he’s not a Republican and that he’s not aligned with any party.
“I don’t consider myself a Republican. I don’t consider myself a Democrat either,” he declared on The Joe Rogan Experience. “I consider myself an American.”
Justin Baragona reports on what the podcaster had to say.
White House issues statement on release of hostages
15:56
,
Gustaf Kilander
Today the world celebrates as President Trump secured the release of four more Israeli hostages who were, for far too long, held against their will by Hamas in horrific conditions.
The United States will continue with its great partner Israel to push for the release of all remaining hostages and the pursuit of peace throughout the region.
White House
All the former officials Trump has taken security details away from
15:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
President Donald Trump has revoked security details for several former members of the last two presidential administrations.
Trump revoked security from three national security officials — including his former secretary of state — and Dr. Anthony Fauci this week. When asked about his decision, he told reporters: “You can’t have a security detail for the rest of your life because you work for government.”
But many of these former officials continue to face security threats even after leaving office.
Katie Hawkinson reports from Washington, D.C.
Trump to speak in Vegas on removing taxes on tips and overtime
15:12
,
Gustaf Kilander
Trump is set to speak in Las Vegas on Saturday afternoon about his initiative to remove taxes on tips and overtime.
“Do you remember a little statement about tips?” said Trump following his inauguration on Monday. “I think we won Nevada because of that statement.”
The president will speak at 12.30 p.m. local time, 3.30pm E.T., at Circa Resort and Casino.
Trump fires 17 government watchdogs in middle of the night - but a key one remains in his post
15:09
,
Gustaf Kilander
President Donald Trump fired 17 inspectors general on Friday in a late-night purge of the internal government watchdogs that monitor federal agencies.
The measure didn’t remove Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz, according to The New York Times.
One of the fired officials told The Post, “It’s a widespread massacre.”
“Whoever Trump puts in now will be viewed as loyalists, and that undermines the entire system,” the official added.
Read more:
ICYMI: Trump’s wildest claims in Sean Hannity interview
15:00
,
James Liddell
Just days after returning to the White House earlier this week, Donald Trump gave his first televised interview to his close confidant, Sean Hannity.
The commander-in-chief sat down with the Fox News host in his Oval Office on Wednesday, with the first part of the discussion – covering everything from pardoning of the Jan. 6 rioters to TikTok spying rumors – being broadcast later that evening.
Part two of his interview aired on Thursday, with Trump making a raft of brazen, often unsubstantiated claims surrounding the Russia-Ukraine war, Chinese tariffs, and tapping into US energy resources.
Here are the key takeaways from the second half of the president’s pre-recorded interview.
State Department halts new funding on nearly all US aid programs worldwide
14:32
,
Shahana Yasmin
The State Department has ordered a freeze on almost all funding for foreign assistance programs, days after President Donald Trump issued an executive order to pause aid for 90 days.
The Friday order from the State Department, accompanied by a memo from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, includes exceptions for emergency food programs and military aid to Israel and Egypt.
On Monday, Trump ordered a 90-day pause in foreign development assistance to review its efficiency and ensure it aligned with his foreign policy.
The memo from Rubio asked staffers to issue “stop-work orders” on nearly all “existing foreign assistance awards”, CNN reported.
Read more:
‘Do you believe that germs cause disease?’ — the questions health leaders want senators to ask RFK Jr.
14:30
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Oliver O'Connell
Health leaders want senators to grill Robert F Kennedy Jr. about whether or not he believes that germs cause disease and challenge him over some of the “harmful” conspiracy theories he has peddled.
Next week, Kennedy, President Donald Trump’s pick to head the Department of Health and Human Services, will face two Senate committee hearings in his bid to get confirmed.
On Wednesday, he will be questioned by the Senate Committee on Finance, which oversees HHS, and on Thursday, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions will get to probe the former Democrat.
Rhian Lubin reports.
Trump’s stance on FEMA comes from Project 2025
14:00
,
Oliver O'Connell
With President Donald Trump promising a serious overhaul of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) or completely “getting rid of it,” you might wonder where this idea came from...
Here’s what it says on page 135 of the infamous Project 2025, published by the Heritage Foundation:
The bloated DHS bureaucracy and budget, along with the wrong priorities, provide real opportunities for a conservative Administration to cut billions in spending and limit government’s role in Americans’ lives. These opportunities include privatizing TSA screening and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Flood Insurance Program, reforming FEMA emergency spending to shift the majority of preparedness and response costs to states and localities instead of the federal government, eliminating most of DHS’s grant programs, and removing all unions in the department for national security purposes.
Project 2025 also suggests that FEMA be moved from the Department of Homeland Security to the Department of the Interior, or if combined with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, in the Department of Transportation (p. 134).
Trump shrugged it off but key staff furious at Musk for bashing $500bn AI deal
13:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
Some of Donald Trump’s key allies are reportedly “furious” with Elon Musk following his public bashing of an artificial intelligence deal reportedly worth $500 billion, days after the president shrugged off the behavior of his so-called “First Buddy.”
Insiders told Politico that the SpaceX boss had “abused” his close relationship with Trump and accused him of giving “zero f****,” as he continues to attract controversy.
It comes following the online spat between Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman over the Stargate artificial intelligence infrastructure project touted by the president earlier this week, who described it as “a resounding declaration of confidence in America’s potential.”
Musk questioned the investment just hours later on his social media platform, X.
Mike Bedigan has the full story.
Trump’s FEMA executive order will create task force on future of agency, report says
13:00
,
Oliver O'Connell
According to details first shared with Semafor, President Donald Trump will sign an executive order on Friday that takes the first step toward potentially reshaping the Federal Emergency Management Agency by creating a task force to review it and recommend changes.
The order establishes a group called the Federal Emergency Management Agency Review Council, whose members will include the secretaries of homeland security and defense, along with private-sector subject matter experts. The task force will be directed to issue a report to Trump on how the federal disaster response agency currently operates and ultimately recommend changes—potentially reorganizing or eliminating FEMA.
Trump has expressed a desire for states to take more control of disaster responses within their borders. For instance, White House officials have highlighted Florida, which played a significant role in managing the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.
A White House official confirmed to Semafor that Trump is expected to sign the directive later today during his multi-state cross-country trip from North Carolina to California and on to Nevada.
Watch: Jeffries says diversity is an American value
12:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
Rep Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic House minority leader, defends diversity, equity and inclusion as American values.
He told reporters: “Diversity, equity and inclusion are American values. Perhaps I can explain. The motto of the United States of America is e pluribus unum. Out of many, one. That’s diversity. The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution—one of the most influential important amendments in our country—provides equal protection under the law. That’s equity. In this country, we pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. A flag that we just presented to the new President and Vice President. And in that pledge, we promise, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. A-L-L. That’s inclusion. Not complicated.”
Jeffries added: “Diversity, equity and inclusion are American values. It’s about economic opportunity. It’s about merit for everyone, based on what you know, not who you know.”
Jeffries: Diversity, equity and inclusion are American values. Perhaps I can explain. The motto of the United States of America is e pluribus unum. Out of many, one. That’s diversity. The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution—one of the most influential important… pic.twitter.com/p4HbqCH7Xn
— Acyn (@Acyn) January 24, 2025
Trump says OPEC+ can end the bloodshed in Ukraine by cutting oil prices
11:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
The president continued to make the case that reducing oil revenue is the key to finding an endgame in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.
In his first days in office, Trump has focused on the OPEC+ alliance of oil-exporting countries, arguing that it has kept the price of oil too high for much of the nearly three-year war. Oil revenue is the engine driving the Russian economy.
“One way to stop it quickly is for OPEC to stop making so much money. And they drop the price of oil because they have it nice and high,” Trump told reporters during a visit to Western North Carolina on Friday. “And if you have it high, then that war is not going to end so easily. So, OPEC ought to get on the ball and drop the price of oil. And that war will stop right away.”
Watch that moment here:
Trump: "We want to see OPEC cut the price of oil, and that will automatically stop the tragedy that's taking place in Ukraine." pic.twitter.com/ulcVINQ7Mp
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 24, 2025
With reporting by the Associated Press
‘A man of his word’: Silk Road founder pardoned by Trump lauds president
10:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
The founder of Silk Road, a site on the dark web for selling drugs and other contraband items, has called President Donald Trump “a man of his word” after he was pardoned this week.
Trump pardoned Ross Ulbricht on Tuesday, releasing him from a life sentence just 11 years in. A jury convicted the now-40-year-old in February 2015 of seven counts, including conspiracy and money laundering, related to his role in running the marketplace. Ulbricht was handed a double life sentence plus 40 years. He was imprisoned in Arizona.
Katie Hawkinson reports.
Watch: Trump says he would love to see Canada as a 51st state
09:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
Trump, worried about his ‘perfect hair’, wants to change how showers flow
08:30
,
AP
President Donald Trump once expressed worry over how low showerhead flow affected his “perfect” hair.
Now back in the White House, he’s again taking aim at some high-efficiency household items — and that may mean higher water and electric bills in your home.
One of Trump’s several dozen first-day executive orders promises to “unleash American energy,” including a pledge to ease efficiency standards for household appliances and fixtures.
Read on...
Watch: Trump talks about relationship with North Korean dictator
07:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
‘Egregious’ ICE raid that detained U.S. citizens and military veteran, condemned by New Jersey officials
06:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
Federal immigration authorities arrested at least one U.S. citizen and a military veteran during a raid inside a New Jersey fish market, according to city and state officials.
Roughly one dozen Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrived unannounced at Ocean Seafood Depot on Thursday, without a warrant, demanding to see documents for employees.
Agents made “no prior announcement” when they stormed into the market, “blocking entrances, scrambling up delivery ramps” and “banging on bathroom doors,” Amy Torres with New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice told reporters Friday.
Alex Woodward reports.
Chicago elementary school denies entry to ICE agents, officials say
05:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
Chicago school officials reported several Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents outside a majority-Latino elementary school in the south side of Chicago on Friday, days after Donald Trump’s administration rescinded long-standing policy that prohibits law enforcement actions in schools and churches.
A spokesperson for ICE told The Independent that “this was not an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement encounter.” A senior White House official did not deny the agency’s involvement during an appearance on Fox News.
Alex Woodward looks at what happened yesterday morning.
COMMENT: TikTok, trade and tariffs — What is Trump playing at with China?
04:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
Michael Sheridan writes:
How well do Donald Trump and Xi Jinping get on? The world’s most important relationship is between America and China. And it is in the hands of two powerful men in their seventies who are a study in contrasts.
Their deeds will shape events for the next four years, from TikTok to trade, tariffs, technology, war and peace.
Xi is a Marxist trained in party discipline, immune to charm, hyper-cautious, set on aims fixed in conclaves behind the vermilion walls of Beijing and not a man to negotiate on the fly. Trump is, well, Trump.
Continue reading...
In Photos: Trump visits California neighborhood struck by wildfires
04:00
,
Ariana Baio
‘Gulf of what?’: Mapmakers are lost as Donald Trump renames the world
03:30
,
AP
President Trump’s “America First” worldview has extended to renaming geographical landmarks.
Leaving many scratching their heads in confusion, none more so than mapmakers.
Trump’s decision has sparked controversy and ridicule. He declared the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America” and reverted Denali back to Mt. McKinley, undoing a previous Obama administration decision.
While these changes are largely symbolic, they’ve prompted mapmakers and educators to reconsider established labels.
Continue reading...
Trump celebrates Hegseth confirmation
03:03
,
Ariana Baio
President Donald Trump issued a brief congratulatory message to Pete Hegseth after Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote.
“Congratulations to Pete Hegseth. He will make a great Secretary of Defense!” Trump wrote on Truth Social
Pete Hegseth confirmed
02:54
,
Ariana Baio
Pete Hegsth has been confirmed as Defense Secretary after Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote on the Senate chamber floor on Friday evening.
JD Vance will issue tie-breaking vote
02:36
,
Ariana Baio
In a rarely seen instance, Vice President JD Vance will take to the chamber floor to issue the tiebreaking vote in the Senate after three Republicans – Senators Mitch McConnell, Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins – voted against Hegseth.
Mitch McConnell votes ‘no’ on Hegseth
02:19
,
Ariana Baio
McConnell votes NO on Pete Hegseth for secretary of defense.
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) January 25, 2025
