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Joe Biden got Britney Spears muddled up with Taylor Swift in his latest gaffe in front of reporters.

The US president, who turned 81 today, was in the middle of pardoning two turkeys – Liberty and Bell – in the White House’s annual ceremony before the Thanksgiving holiday when he used the name Britney in an apparent reference to Taylor Swift’s current overseas tour.

Mr Biden said: “Just to get here, Liberty and Bell had to beat some tough odds and competition. They had to work hard, to show patience, and be willing to travel over 1,000 miles.

“You could say it’s even harder than getting a ticket to the Renaissance tour or, or Britney’s tour. She’s down, it’s kind of warm in Brazil right now.”

President Joe Biden speaks after pardoning the national Thanksgiving turkey, Liberty. Pic: AP
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President Joe Biden speaks after pardoning Liberty the turkey. Pic: AP

Spears is not currently on tour, nor is Beyonce who finished her Renaissance tour in October. However, Swift is in the middle of a string of international dates, and she postponed her concert in Rio on Saturday due to extreme heat.

A day earlier, a 23-year-old fan had died at the singer’s first Eras Tour show in the Brazilian city.

Swift said in a post on Instagram she was devastated by the death – the cause has not been confirmed.

Saturday’s concert was rescheduled for Monday.

Taylor Swift performs at the Monumental stadium during her Eras Tour concert in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
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Taylor Swift. Pic: AP

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Taylor Swift fans queue in ‘extreme temperatures’

Also speaking at the same White House ceremony, Mr Biden joked about his age, saying: “As much of you know, it’s difficult turning 60.

“This is the 76th anniversary of this event. I want you to know I wasn’t there, and I was too young to make it up.”

The White House did not immediately respond to request for a comment by Sky News’ partner network NBC News on Mr Biden’s apparent mix-up, which comes as voters express concerns in polling about his age.

In June, the president made a comment about Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s “war in Iraq”, which led to him being mocked online.

Mr Biden said at the time there were clear signs Mr Putin was losing his grip on power amid the conflict in Ukraine.

He told reporters: “It’s hard to tell, but [Putin is] clearly losing the war in Iraq, and he’s losing the war at home.”

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Biden mistakes Ukraine for Iraq

In September, Mr Biden mistakenly praised the “Congressional Black Caucus” while addressing the Congressional Hispanic Caucus at the group’s annual gala in Washington DC.

He made the error while noting the group shares qualities with gala award recipient Sister Norma Pimental, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley.

“I know Sister Norma lives the lessons nuns taught me growing up. Lessons based on the Gospel of Matthew: feed the hungry, care for the sick, welcome strangers,” he said.

“They echo what my dad taught me, and I mean this sincerely, my dad used to say, ‘Everyone, everyone is entitled to be treated with dignity and respect.’ The Congressional Black Caucus embodies all those values.”

And in April, during a visit to Ireland, the US president praised former Irish rugby international Rob Kearney who he said was “a hell of a rugby player, and beat the Black and Tans”.

By doing so, Mr Biden confused New Zealand’s famous team, the All Blacks, with the reviled British paramilitary force the Black and Tans, who brutally repressed opponents of British rule during the Irish War of Independence.

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Biden makes ‘Black and Tans’ gaffe

Most infamously, the force massacred 14 people and wounded 60 more at a Gaelic football match at Croke Park in Dublin in 1920.

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Ahead of the 2024 election, Democrat Mr Biden is currently trailing former Republican president Donald Trump, 77, among young voters ages 18 to 34, with 46% of them supporting Mr Trump and 42% Mr Biden, according to NBC News’ latest poll.

The disparity is significant compared to Mr Biden’s success among young voters in the 2020 presidential election, when he won over voters ages 18 to 29 by more than 20 points, according to the national exit poll.

Another NBC News poll in September found 59% of Americans had major concerns about Mr Biden having the necessary mental and physical health to be president for a second term.

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The anniversary of George Floyd’s murder is a reminder of America’s racial divides

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The anniversary of George Floyd's murder is a reminder of America's racial divides

In Minneapolis, the spot where George Floyd was murdered has been turned into a mural.

His face is depicted in street art on a pavement covered in flowers, rosaries, and other trinkets left by people who have come to pay their respects in the last five years.

His final moments, struggling for breath with white police officer Derek Chauvin’s knee on his neck, were captured in a viral video that provoked anger, upset, and outrage.

Derek Chauvin kneeling on George Floyd's neck
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Derek Chauvin kneeling on George Floyd’s neck

In Minneapolis and other parts of America, there were protests that at points boiled over into unrest.

The events to mark the fifth anniversary of his death took on a very different tone – one of celebration and joy.

Behind a wooden statue of a clenched fist on one end of a junction now renamed George Perry Floyd Square, people gathered in the morning.

There was a moment of prayer before a brass band began to play and the group marched, while singing and chanting.

George Perry Floyd Square, a makeshift memorial area
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George Perry Floyd Square, a makeshift memorial area

‘It made us want to fight harder’

Among those gathered in front of a makeshift stage built in the square were two of Floyd’s family members – his cousin Paris and aunt Mahalia.

To them, the man whose death sparked a racial reckoning in America and further afield, was simply “Perry,” a larger-than-life figure whose presence is missed at family gatherings.

Speaking to me while the speakers behind them thumped and people danced, they didn’t just reflect with sadness though.

There was also pride at a legacy they felt has led to change.

“It made us want to fight harder,” said Mahalia, “and it’s a feeling you cannot explain. When the whole world just stood up.”

George Floyd's aunt Mahalia and cousin Paris
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George Floyd’s aunt Mahalia and cousin Paris

Referring to Chauvin’s eventual murder charge, Paris added: “I think that from here on out, at least officers know that you’re not going to slide through the cracks. Our voices are heard more.”

The tapestry of items outside the Cup Foods convenience store, now renamed Unity Foods, is not the only makeshift memorial in the area.

A short walk away is the “Say Their Names” cemetery, an art installation honouring black people killed by the police.

Meeting me there later in the day, activist Nikema Levy says the installation and George Floyd Square are called “sacred spaces” in the community.

As someone who took to the streets at the time of Floyd’s death and a community organiser for years before that, she’s constantly stopped by people who want to speak to her.

Activist Nikema Levy speaking to Sky News
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Activist Nikema Levy speaking to Sky News

‘White supremacy on steroids’

Once we do manage to speak, Levy reminds me of a wider political picture. One that goes beyond Minneapolis and is a fraught one.

In the week of the anniversary, the US Department of Justice rolled back investigations into some of the largest police forces in the country, including in Minneapolis – a move she calls “diabolical.”

“That type of cruelty is what we have seen since Donald Trump took office on January 20th of this year,” she continued.

“From my perspective, that is white supremacy on steroids. And it should come as no surprise that he would take these types of steps, because these are the things that he talked about on the campaign trail.”

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Has US changed five years after George Floyd’s death?

‘True healing has never taken place’

Trump has argued his policing reforms will help make America’s communities safer.

Even on a day of optimism, with a community coming together, Levy’s words in front of headstones bearing the names of black people who have died at the hands of the police are a reminder of how deep the racial divides in America still are – a sentiment she leaves me with.

“From the days of slavery and Jim Crow in this country, we’ve just had the perception of healing, but true healing has never taken place,” she says.

“So the aftermath of George Floyd is yet another example of what we already know.”

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US-EU trade war fears reignite as Europe strikes back at Trump’s threat

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US-EU trade war fears reignite as Europe strikes back at Trump's threat

Fears of a US-EU trade war have been reignited after Europe refused to back down in the face of fresh threats from Donald Trump.

The word tariff has dominated much of the US president’s second term, and he has repeatedly and freely threatened countries with them.

Money blog: Trump sends message to UK on energy bills

This included the so-called “liberation day” last month, where he unleashed tariffs on many of his trade partners.

On Friday, after a period of relative calm which has included striking a deal with the UK, he threatened to impose a 50% tariff on the EU after claiming trade talks with Brussels were “going nowhere”.

The US president has repeatedly taken issue with the EU, going as far as to claim it was created to rip the US off.

However, in the face of the latest hostile rhetoric from Mr Trump’s social media account, the European Commission – which oversees trade for the 27-country bloc – has refused to back down.

EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic said: “EU-US trade is unmatched and must be guided by mutual respect, not threats.

“We stand ready to defend our interests.”

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after signing executive orders regarding nuclear energy in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, May 23, 2025, in Washington, as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listen. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the Oval Office on Friday

Fellow EU leaders and ministers have also held the line after Mr Trump’s comments.

Polish deputy economy minister Michal Baranowski said the tariffs appeared to be a negotiating ploy, with Dutch deputy prime minister Dick Schoof said tariffs “can go up and down”.

French trade minister Laurent Saint-Martin said the latest threats did nothing to help trade talks.

He stressed “de-escalation” was one of the EU’s main aims but warned: “We are ready to respond.”

Mr Sefcovic spoke with US trade representative Jamieson Greer and commerce secretary Howard Lutnick after Mr Trump’s comments.

Mr Trump has previously backed down on a tit-for-tat trade war with China, which saw tariffs soar above 100%.

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US and China end trade war

Sticking points

Talks between the US and EU have stumbled.

In the past week, Washington sent a list of demands to Brussels – including adopting US food safety standards and removing national digital services taxes, people familiar with the talks told Reuters news agency.

In response, the EU reportedly offered a mutually beneficial deal that could include the bloc potentially buying more liquefied natural gas and soybeans from the US, as well as cooperation on issues such as steel overcapacity, which both sides blame on China.

Stocks tumble as Trump grumbles

Major stock indices tumbled after Mr Trump’s comments, which came as he also threatened to slap US tech giant Apple with a 25% tariff.

The president is adamant that he wants the company’s iPhones to be built in America.

The vast majority of its phones are made in China, and the company has also shifted some production to India.

Shares of Apple ended 3% lower and the dollar sank 1% versus the Japanese yen and the euro rose 0.8% against the dollar.

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Trump accused of ‘pouring salt on the wounds’ five years after murder that shook America

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Trump accused of 'pouring salt on the wounds' five years after murder that shook America

In the dozens of framed images and newspaper clippings covering the walls of his office in downtown New York City, Al Sharpton is pictured alongside presidents and leading protests.

He has spent decades campaigning and is perhaps the most famous civil rights activist in the US today.

Many of those clippings on the wall relate to one moment in May 2020 – the murder of George Floyd.

George Floyd was killed while under arrest in Minneapolis in May
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George Floyd was killed while under arrest in Minneapolis in May 2020

Speaking to Sky News ahead of the five-year anniversary of that moment, Mr Sharpton remembered the combination of “humiliation and deep anger” he felt seeing the footage of Mr Floyd’s death that swept the world.

“The more I watched, the more angry I felt,” he said.

Mr Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old white police officer.

Mr Floyd had been arrested after a store clerk reported he had made a purchase using counterfeit money.

Chauvin knelt on Mr Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes, while he was handcuffed and lying face down in the street.

Chauvin pressed his knee on Mr Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes, as the victim repeatedly said "I can't breathe" Pic: AP
Image:
Chauvin pressed his knee on Mr Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes, as the victim repeatedly said ‘I can’t breathe’. Pic: AP

‘A seismic moment’

For Mr Sharpton, who has marched with countless other families, this felt different because it was “graphic and unnecessary”.

“What kind of person would hear somebody begging for their life and ignore them?” he said.

“I had no idea this would become a seismic moment,” he continued.

“I think people would accuse civil rights leaders, activists like me of being opportunistic, but we don’t know if one call from the next one is going to be big, all we know is we have to answer to the call.”

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Has US changed five years after George Floyd’s death?

Trump ‘pouring salt on the wounds’

Mr Floyd’s death took place during Donald Trump’s first term in the White House.

During Trump’s second term, his administration has moved to repeal federal oversight plans for the Minneapolis Police Department – a move originally supported by Joe Biden’s administration.

Mr Sharpton believes Mr Trump and the Department of Justice have purposely timed this for the 5th Anniversary of Mr Floyd’s Death.

“It’s pouring salt on the wounds of those that were killed, and those that fought,” he said.

“I think Donald Trump and his administration is actively trying to reverse and revoke changes and progress made with policing based on the movement we created after George Floyd’s death, worldwide.”

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Protesters took to the street the day before jury selection, due to take three weeks, started
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The murder of George Floyd sparked Black Lives Matter protests around the world

Mr Sharpton still supports George Floyd’s family and will be with them this weekend in Houston, Texas, where many of them will mark the anniversary.

He said the legacy of Mr Floyd’s death is still being written.

Evoking the civil rights movement of the 1960s he said: “The challenge is we must turn those moments into permanent movements, it took nine years from 1955 to 1964 for Dr [Martin Luther] King in that movement to get a Civil Rights Act after Rosa Parks sat in the front of a bus in Montgomery.

“We’re five years out of George Floyd, we’ve got to change the laws.

“We can do it in under nine years, but we can’t do it if we take our eye off the prize.”

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