Donald Trump has signed an executive order banning transgender people from serving in the military.
Aboard Air Force One as he flew back to Washington from Florida on Monday, the president signed the order which baselessly states that trans people are both medically and morally unfit to serve.
Military personnel whose gender identity differs from their biological sex “conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life,” Trump wrote in the order, adding that they fail to meet the “rigorous standards necessary for military service”.
Speaking to House Republicans at his Doral, Florida, property earlier on Monday, the president said he will get the “transgender ideology the hell out of our military” which he says will ensure the U.S. has the world’s most lethal fighting force.
At the retreat, Trump also mulled whether he could run for office again for a third term and how he might spend money he has raised for the next election cycle. “I’ve raised a lot of money for the next race that I assume I can’t use for myself, but I’m not 100 percent sure,” he said.
Key Points
- Trump signs executive order to ban ‘transgender ideology’ from military
- Trump freezes federal grants and loans
- DOJ fires officials who helped Jack Smith prosecute president
- Trump calls Chinese AI company DeepSeek a ‘wake up call'
- Americans who are ‘repeat offenders’ may be exiled, president says
Watch: Republican clashes with CNN host over transgender ban on military service
14:08
,
James Liddell
Trump calls Chinese AI company DeepSeek a ‘wake up call'
13:47
,
James Liddell
Donald Trump branded China’s AI tool DeepSeek a “wake up call” as global markets were rocked by the emergence of the new low-cost technology.
“The release of DeepSeek, AI from a Chinese company should be a wakeup call for our industries that we need to be laser-focused on competing to win,” he said at a House GOP retreat at his Doral, Florida, property on Monday.
The artificial intelligence app rocketed to the top of the Apple Store’s download charts over the weekend after its release last week by a Chinese start-up of the same name founded in 2023.
It offers similar functionality to OpenAI’s popular ChatGPT chatbot, answering questions and generating text in responseto a user’s queries.
Several tech companies that have banked on a surge of AI interest sold off Monday, with US chipmaker Nvidia down almost 17 percent, losing $589 billion in market capitalisation.
Watch: Trump’s border czar issues blunt response to Selena Gomez’s tearful video over deportations
13:26
,
James Liddell
Tucker Carlson wildly accuses Biden admin of Putin assassination plot
13:05
,
James Liddell
Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson accused the Biden Administration of attempting to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The Biden administration did, they tried to kill Putin,” the conservative firebrand said in the latest episode of his podcast, The Tucker Carlson Show. “Which is insane,” Carlson added.
He continued: “That’s demented, that you would even think of something like that. So why were they? Because chaos is a screen that protects them.”
Carlson provided no further details to evidence his allegations. The Independent has contacted Carlson represntatives.
Watch: Trump compares migrant flights to Con Air
12:44
,
James Liddell
Trump: "300 people sitting in a plane. Every one of them either a murderer, a drug lord, a kingpin of some kind, the head of the mob, or a gang member. And you're flying that plane. It's not gonna end well. You ever see the movie Con Air? Except here's the difference -- the… pic.twitter.com/pSh3onlbpm
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 27, 2025
‘Gulf of America’ set to appear on Google Maps
12:22
,
James Liddell
The Gulf of Mexico is set to be renamed “Gulf of America” by Google after US president Donald Trump ordered the name change just hours after taking office.
The change will be visible in the US, with both names appearing to Google Maps users outside of the country. In Mexico, it will remain the Gulf of Mexico.
The US officially changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, and the Alaskan peak Denali, the tallest mountain in North America, to Mount McKinley, Trump’s team said last week.
Alexander Butler has the story.
Trump signs order reinstating military personnel who refused Covid vaccine
12:01
,
James Liddell
Donald Trump signed an executive order reinstating U.S. military service members who were discharged for their refusal to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.
The order, which was signed on Monday evening, reverses former President Joe Biden’s dismissals – potentially restoring thousands of military personnel to their former ranks.
“The vaccine mandate was an unfair, overbroad, and completely unnecessary burden on our service members,” the order states.
“Further, the military unjustly discharged those who refused the vaccine, regardless of the years of service given to our Nation, after failing to grant many of them an exemption that they should have received. Federal Government redress of any wrongful dismissals is overdue.”
Trump pauses federal grants and loans
11:42
,
James Liddell
Donald Trump has paused grants, loans and other federal financial assistance, according to a leaked government memo.
In the memo, the White House budget office calls on government agencies to ensure spending is aligned with the president’s priorities.
"The use of Federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve,” read the memo, authored by acting director for the Office of Management and Budget, Matthew Vaeth.
“This temporary pause will provide the Administration time to review agency programs and determine the best uses of the funding for those programs consistent with the law and the President's priorities.”
It is not clear which programs would be affected, although Medicare and Social Security benefits were exempt, per the memo.
The decision comes just days after the U.S. halted nearly all foreign aid.
‘He’s aged like milk’: Democrat teases that Trump should run for a third term
11:21
,
James Liddell
Let Trump run for a 3rd term! He is aging like milk now. 4 years from now he’ll be older than anyone you know, eating all his meals from a straw. Bring it! https://t.co/L0XrnCB0MH
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) January 28, 2025
Trump boasts U.S. military 'turned the water on' in California. They didn't
11:00
,
James Liddell
Donald Trump boasted that the U.S. military “turned on the water” in fire-ravaged California, which state officials claimed wasn’t quite true.
“The United States Military just entered the Great State of California and, under Emergency Powers, TURNED ON THE WATER flowing abundantly from the Pacific Northwest, and beyond,” the president wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday morning.
“The days of putting a Fake Environmental argument, over the PEOPLE, are OVER. Enjoy the water, California!!!”
An hour after Trump’s post, California’s Department of Water Resources took to X and said that it was federal officials that turned on a water-pumping station in the north of the state, not the military.
“The military did not enter California. The federal government restarted federal water pumps after they were offline for maintenance for three days,” the post read. “State water supplies in Southern California remain plentiful.”
Watch: ‘Elon Musk didn’t fire me from DOGE,’ Ramaswamy says
10:39
,
James Liddell
Watters: So Elon didn’t fire you?
— Acyn (@Acyn) January 28, 2025
Ramaswamy: No, we had a mutual discussion. I wish him well pic.twitter.com/dXRUUmzhQj
Microsoft mulls TikTok acquisition, Trump says
10:19
,
James Liddell
Microsoft is apparently in contention to buy TikTok, Donald Trump says.
Aboard Air Force One on Monday, reporters asked if the $3 trillion tech giant was involved in acquisition talks surrounding the purchase of the Chinese-owned app.
“I would say yes. A lot of interest in TikTok,” he said.
Trump later added: “I like bidding wars because you make the best deal. So if we have a bidding war, that’s a good thing. But we have a lot of interest in it.”
On Saturday, the president said he expects a decision to be made in he next 30 days.
Trump threatens tariffs on Taiwan’s computer chips
09:58
,
James Liddell
Donald Trump threatened placing up to 100 percent tariffs on computer chips, semiconductors and pharmaceuticals made in Taiwan in an attempt to return production to the U.S.
“They left us and went to Taiwan,” he told House Republicans during a retreat at his Doral, Florida, property on Monday. “We want them to come back.”
U.S. tech companies – including Apple and Nvidia – have been sourcing their processors from Taiwan’s multinational semiconductor manufacturer, TSMC.
Responding to Trump’s tariff threats on Tuesday, Taiwan’s economy ministry said that the semiconductor business between Taiwan and the United States is a “win-win” model, Reuters reports.
Trump announces he will be putting tariffs on semiconductors pic.twitter.com/miymN8aPMh
— Acyn (@Acyn) January 27, 2025
Watch: Ex-GOP strategist takes aim at Elon Musk ‘salute trutherism’ – but won’t copy gesture
09:37
,
James Liddell
Jennings: This salute trutherism is outrageous.
— Acyn (@Acyn) January 28, 2025
Rampell: Do it right now on TV! If you think it’s a normal way to greet people, do it right now on TV. Why won’t you?! pic.twitter.com/WykukNqaBd
In pictures: Both of Melania Trump’s official First Lady portraits
09:16
,
James Liddell
Trump wants U.S. to have Israeli-style ‘Iron Dome’ missile defense shield
08:56
,
James Liddell
President Donald Trump is reportedly slated to sign an executive order that would call for the construction of a missile defense shield that could protect the United States against long-range attacks – similar to Israel’s Iron Dome.
The “next generation” missile defense shield would protect the U.S. from ballistic, hypersonic, advanced cruise missiles and other advanced aerial attacks, according to a fact sheet seen by CNN.
Ariana Baio reports.
Trump seeks to ban transgender service members from military
08:35
,
James Liddell
Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order banning transgender people from serving in the military.
In a shockingly savage order Trump claimed that “the Armed Forces have been afflicted with radical gender ideology,” and baselessly claimed that trans people are both medically and morally unfit to serve.
It is estimated that there are around 15,000 transgender persons in the military. A 2016 study found that there were nearly 10,000. There are close to two million people serving in the US military across all branches.
Josh Marcus and Paul Farrell have the story.
Trump mocked for hitting the golf course — just a week after being sworn in again
08:15
,
Oliver O'Connell
President Donald Trump has been called out for hitting the golf course just one week after being sworn in for his second term.
The president was pictured playing golf at the Trump National Doral in Miami on Monday morning following a week of issuing executive orders on a raft of MAGA pledges, including a crackdown on immigration.
According to CNN’s Betsy Klein, Trump was asked onboard Air Force One on Saturday whether he’d have time to play golf while visiting the resort. “No. I don’t think so. I’m busy,” he reportedly replied.
Rhian Lubin reports.
Trump fires Justice Department officials who prosecuted him
07:45
,
Oliver O'Connell
More than a dozen Justice Department officials who worked on the federal criminal investigations into President Donald Trump were fired by the acting attorney general on Monday.
Keeping good on his promise to seek retribution on those who investigated and prosecuted him, several officials who worked with former special counsel Jack Smith were terminated because they can no longer be “trusted.”
Ariana Baio reports.
Judge allows convicted Oath Keepers to travel to Washington after Trump’s clemency
07:15
,
Oliver O'Connell
Stewart Rhodes and members of the Oath Keepers who were convicted on seditious conspiracy charges will be allowed to return to Washington, D.C., after Donald Trump’s hand-picked U.S. attorney pushed a judge to drop restrictions on their travel following the president’s clemencies.
The federal judge who tried members of the far-right militia group issued an order last week that prevented Rhodes and seven other defendants from entering Washington, without the court’s permission, after Trump commuted their sentences to time served.
Alex Woodward reports.
Springfield’s Haitian immigrants are terrified Trump will make them an ‘example’
06:15
,
Oliver O'Connell
Four months ago, then-presidential nominee Donald Trump repeatedly told his supporters a baseless lie that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio were eating residents’ pets.
Now he’s President, and members of Springfield’s Haitian immigrant community are afraid he will make an “example” out of them as he promises to carry out mass deportations across the country, Politico reports.
Katie Hawkinson has the story.
JD Vance admits it’s ‘going to take time’ to lower grocery prices
05:15
,
Oliver O'Connell
Vice President JD Vance conceded that lowering consumer prices will likely “take a little bit of time” while boasting about President Donald Trump’s accomplishments in his first week in office during a tense interview with Face the Nation host Margaret Brennen over the weekend.
Trump and Vance have only been in office seven days and yet the president has signed approximately 33 executive orders re-shaping the federal workforce, ending diversity programs, restricting immigration, reversing Biden administration initiatives and more.
But among those executive orders, none directly tackle consumer prices – an issue among the top concerns for Americans and a promise Trump made on the campaign trail.
Ariana Baio reports.
Bill Gates calls Elon Musk’s political activities ‘insane s***’
04:15
,
Oliver O'Connell
Bill Gates has hit out at fellow billionaire Elon Musk and denounced his political activities as “insane s***.”
The Microsoft CEO and philanthropist, who went to Mar-a-Lago last month for a three-hour dinner with President Donald Trump, accused Musk of “populist stirring.”
Rhian Lubin reports.
Tulsi Gabbard faces a tough confirmation fight
03:27
,
Josh Marcus
It’s not going to be an easy road for Tulsi Gabbard to be confirmed as Donald Trump’s director of national intelligence.
For one, she will almost surely be asked about whey she visited now-deposed Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and about her parroting Russian talking points.
But that’s not the only area where she might face significant questioning.
Senator Angus King, an Independent from Maine who caucuses with the Democrats, told The Independent that she faces significant questions about her previous support for Edward Snowden, a former National Security Agency intelligence contractor and whistleblower who leaked classified documents revealing the existence of U.S. global surveillance programs.
Gabbard went so far as to ask Trump to pardon Snowden back in 2020. She’ll also have to deal with other areas where she’ll likely encounter opposition.
“There are still issues about her position of the 702 for example,” Collins told The Independent.
Some Republicans object to her stance on Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows the gathering of foreign intelligence on non-Americans outside of the United States without a warrant. Gabbard has tried to walk back her earlier criticism of the program, but Collins said she had issues with Gabbard’s responses.
Read Eric Garcia’s full story for in-depth analysis on Gabbard’s future.
Democratic senators formally condemn Trump’s pardons for violent January 6 rioters
03:15
,
Oliver O'Connell
A single-line bill backed by every Democratic senator condemns Donald Trump’s decision to pardonJanuary 6 rioters who were convicted for assaulting law enforcement officers.
Alex Woodward reports.
Fetterman grilled over ‘rightward shift’ as he’s accused of cozying up to Trump administration
02:45
,
Oliver O'Connell
Pennsylvania Democratic Senator John Fetterman was grilled on The View Monday about his “rightward shift” after many have criticized him for cozying up to President Donald Trump and his administration.
View host Sunny Hostin noted that critics “on the left” have called out the senator for undergoing a “rightward shift.” She went on to ask Fetterman about his response to those “questioning your commitment to the Democratic party.”
Katie Hawkinson has the story.
ICYMI: Colombia backs down in face of Trump tariff threats
02:15
,
Oliver O'Connell
The White House says Colombia has agreed to President Donald Trump’s terms following a weekend dispute over deportation flights from the United States using military aircraft, averting a trade war within the first week of Trump’s presidency.
Trump threatened Colombia with “decisive retaliatory measures” including tariffs and visa sanctions after Colombia denied entry to two U.S. flights on military planes carrying people who were allegedly living in the country without legal permission.
Gustaf Kilander and Alex Woodward report.
Trump threatens exile for Americans who are ‘repeat offenders’ and ‘violent criminals’
02:04
,
Josh Marcus
President Donald Trump on Monday told Republican members of the House that he would launch a plan to subject recidivist American criminals to a punishment never before used in the United States and last used in the United Kingdom nearly two centuries ago: Forced exile.
“We’re going to get approval ... to get them the hell out of our country,” he vowed. “Let’s see how they like it.”
Trump last week pardoned more than 1,500 people convicted of crimes linked to the the January 6, 2021 Capitol riots, including 169 who pleaded guilty to assaulting police officers in a bid to overturn the election in Trump’s favor.
Trump unveiled his plan to exile Americans as he spoke to House Republicans during a dinner for them at his Doral, Florida golf resort, discussed his administration’s operation implementing mass deportations of undocumented immigrants.
Andrew Feinberg has the story.
Trump is trying to undo the 14th amendment. Historians are horrified.
01:45
,
Oliver O'Connell
Katie Hawkinson writes:
One hundred and fifty-seven years ago, the United States adopted a Constitutional amendment guaranteeing citizenship to people born on U.S. soil, one of the American bedrocks of equality.
Now, that guarantee is under attack.
Read on...
Selena Gomez hits back at critics after sobbing over Trump deportations in since-deleted video
01:15
,
Oliver O'Connell
Conservative critics came after Selena Gomez after she posted an emotional video about the Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids that occurred over the weekend.
956 people were arrested across major cities in the U.S. over just three days as a result of President Donald Trump’s new immigration policy.
Kaleigh Werner has the story.
Dr. Phil, lawsuits and ‘frightened’ communities: Inside Trump’s immigration arrests in Chicago
00:45
,
Oliver O'Connell
Alex Woodward writes:
A top Department of Justice official — and former criminal defense attorney for Donald Trump — joined federal law enforcement agents and administration officials on the ground in Chicago this weekend to carry out a series of immigration arrests after weeks of heightened tensions among immigrant communities bracing for threats.
Trump’s border czar Tom Homan was joined by acting deputy U.S. Attorney General Emil Bove, along with officials from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and other agencies after the Department of Homeland Security broadly expanded immigration enforcement authorities across federal law enforcement.
The groups were also joined by Phil McGraw, aka television personality Dr. Phil, who joined agents for ride-alongs and used the raids and arrests as content for his newly launched Merit TV platform.
Continue reading...
Full story: Trump fires Justice Department officials who prosecuted him because they cannot be ‘trusted’
00:15
,
Oliver O'Connell
More than a dozen Justice Department officials who worked on the federal criminal investigations into President Donald Trump were fired by the acting attorney general on Monday.
Keeping good on his promise to seek retribution on those who investigated and prosecuted him, several officials who worked with former special counsel Jack Smith were terminated because they can no longer be “trusted.”
Ariana Baio reports.
Melania Trump’s new First Lady portraits sets internet alight
Monday 27 January 2025 23:45
,
Oliver O'Connell
First Lady Melania Trump’s second White House portrait has been released - and the internet has had plenty to say about it.
The 54-year-old’s second portrait as First Lady features her in grayscale, wearing a fitted black suit as she stands with her hands on a tabletop. The Washington Monument is visible in the background through a window.
Social media users were quick to react to the new portrait.
Katie Hawkinson has the story.
Full story: CDC ordered to stop working with WHO immediately
Monday 27 January 2025 23:15
,
Oliver O'Connell
U.S. public health officials have been told to stop working with the World Health Organization, effective immediately.
A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official, John Nkengasong, sent a memo to senior leaders at the agency on Sunday night telling them that all agency staff who work with the WHO must immediately stop their collaborations and “await further guidance.”
Experts said the sudden stoppage was a surprise and would set back work on investigating and trying to stop outbreaks of Marburg virus and mpox in Africa, as well as brewing threats from around the world. It also comes as health authorities around the world are monitoring bird flu outbreaks among U.S. livestock.
Continue reading...
Jubilant Trump jokes he’s raised money for rest of GOP — not himself — for next election
Monday 27 January 2025 22:46
,
Oliver O'Connell
Speaking to a packed room of House Republicans in Florida, President Donald Trump jokes he’s raised money for the rest of the GOP — not himself — for the next election.
“I think I’m not allowed to run again. Mike? I better not get you involved in that,” he quipped to Speaker Mike Johnson.
Trump: I've raised money for the next race, and I assume I can't use it for myself, but I'm not 100% sure because -- I don't know, I think I’m not allowed to run again. Am I allowed to run again? Mike? pic.twitter.com/3kH3Ng2kpg
— Acyn (@Acyn) January 27, 2025
“Together, we're forging a new political majority that is shattering and replacing Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal coalition, which dominated American politics for over 100 years,” says Trump.
When speaking about the sale of TikTok, the president repeated the lie that he won the youth vote by 36 points.
Trump again lies that TikTok helped him win youth voters by "36 points" (he actually lost the youth vote) pic.twitter.com/A0E6l94hFm
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 27, 2025
Trump returns to golfing, just a week after inauguration
Monday 27 January 2025 22:45
,
Oliver O'Connell
President Donald Trump has been called out for hitting the golf course just one week after being sworn in for his second term.
The president was pictured playi
