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US President Joe Biden is expected to address the nation this afternoon after Donald Trump was elected as his successor in an extraordinary political comeback.

Mr Biden, who was replaced by vice president Kamala Harris as the Democrats’ presidential candidate over concerns about his mental fitness, will speak at 4pm (UK time), the White House said on Thursday.

He has already issued a statement in which he said Ms Harris “stepped up and led a historic campaign” that “embodied what’s possible when guided by a strong moral compass and a clear vision for a nation”.

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But later today will be the first time the country will hear from the president in person.

Mr Biden called Mr Trump after his emphatic victory in the US presidential election on Wednesday.

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What will Trump 2.0 look like?

He has also invited the man he ousted from the White House four years ago to an Oval Office meeting to prepare to return the keys.

The president and president-elect will get together in the coming weeks as the administrations begin the process of changing leader.

Ms Harris called Mr Trump to concede the election and to congratulate him last night, and told her supporters in a speech in Washington she was “proud of the race we ran” but “we must accept the result”.

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Harris fans despair as she concedes

Mr Trump, who has described his return to power as the start of a “golden age of America”, has been keeping a low profile after addressing supporters in Florida yesterday morning to declare victory.

The 78-year-old made history as the first defeated president in over a century to return to the Oval Office – and the first convicted criminal to win the presidency.

He is also facing other criminal and civil cases.

Experts say his election victory will essentially end the criminal cases brought against him, at least for the time he occupies the White House.

The former president refused to accept defeat four years ago, sparked a violent insurrection at the US Capitol, was convicted of felony charges and survived two assassination attempts.

The property mogul and former reality star told his supporters at his election party in Florida: “People told me that God spared me for a reason.”

He added: “This is a magnificent victory for the American people that will allow us to ‘make America great again’.”

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‘God spared my life for a reason’

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Against the expectations of most polls and pundits, Mr Trump surpassed 270 Electoral College votes and clinched a second term in the White House with crucial wins in five battleground states: North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.

He is also leading in Arizona and Nevada (which are yet to called), according to Sky’s US partner NBC News, and remains on course to claim all seven swing states.

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How Trump won

Mr Trump spent his first day as president-elect receiving congratulatory phone calls from world leaders – and will now begin the process of choosing who will be in his administration for his second stint in the White House.

He may opt to dramatically transform US foreign and domestic policy.

Mr Trump has previously said he would end Russia’s war in Ukraine if he returned to office.

He has also long criticised NATO, threatening to pull the US from the alliance.

On Thursday, NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte warned the strengthening ties between Russia and North Korea are not only a threat to European security, but also for the United States.

“I look forward to a sit down with Donald Trump to discuss how we face these threats collectively,” he said.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said she was looking forward to working with Mr Trump again to strengthen the transatlantic bond.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin has not yet commented on the outcome of US election.

However, contact between him and Mr Trump before the 20 January inauguration has not been ruled out, the Russian Interfax news agency cited the Kremlin as saying.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged Mr Trump’s win but said he had no information on whether Mr Putin planned to congratulate him.

He underlined that Russia still sees the US as an “unfriendly” country due to its support for Ukraine.

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Donald Trump wades into Sydney Sweeney ad debate

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Donald Trump wades into Sydney Sweeney ad debate

Donald Trump has waded into the debate surrounding Sydney Sweeney’s jeans ad.

The American Eagle ad, which features the 27-year-old actress, who starred in the HBO series Euphoria and White Lotus, has the tagline “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans”.

It has sparked a debate in the US over race and Western beauty standards.

One of the Sydney Sweeney jeans ads. Pic: AP
Image:
One of the Sydney Sweeney jeans ads. Pic: AP

In a Truth Social post, the US president described it as the “hottest ad out there”.

Hailing Sweeney as a “registered Republican”, he said the jeans are “flying off the shelves”, adding: “Go get ’em Sydney!”

Most of the criticism of the ad has centred on videos using the word “genes” instead of “jeans”, with one in which Sweeney says: “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality and even eye colour. My jeans are blue.”

Critics argued the play on words potentially promotes eugenics, a discredited theory that believed humanity could be improved through the selective breeding of certain traits.

But others have defended the ad, saying the critics are reading too much into its message.

The video appeared on American Eagle’s Facebook page and other social media channels, but is not part of the ad campaign.

In a statement on Instagram on Friday, American Eagle Outfitters said the campaign “is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story. We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”

Stocks in American Eagle Outfitters jumped by 23.3% after Mr Trump’s intervention.

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Trump knows all publicity is good publicity

They say all publicity is good publicity, and Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle ad is certainly notching up the column inches, especially now Donald Trump has intervened.

The US president must have been breathlessly excited when he found out Sweeney was a registered Republican because he wrote a Truth Social post in support of her before deleting it twice and reposting three times to correct various spelling and grammatical errors.

He clearly could not wait to get involved in the discourse.

“Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the HOTTEST ad out there,” he wrote. “Go get ’em Sydney!”

In any other era, the president weighing in so heavily on one side of a pop culture issue would’ve been unusual.

But the current president knows people are talking about the ad around their dinner tables and at parties right now. By injecting himself into the discussion, they will now be talking about him too.

In his Truth Social post, which he reposted three times to fix various typos, Mr Trump compared the ad with “woke” ones “on the other side of the ledger” – as he criticised other companies, as well as hitting out at Taylor Swift.

“The tide has seriously turned – Being WOKE is for losers, being Republican is what you want to be,” he wrote.

Sky News has contacted Sweeney’s agent for comment.

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Soulja Boy arrested on suspected weapons charge during traffic stop

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Soulja Boy arrested on suspected weapons charge during traffic stop

Soulja Boy has been arrested and charged with possession of a firearm during a traffic stop.

The rapper, whose real name is DeAndre Cortez Way, was a passenger in the car that was stopped in the Fairfax area of Los Angeles early on Sunday morning, the LAPD said.

“A passenger was detained and police arrested DeAndre Cortez Way for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm,” the statement added.

Possessing a firearm as a convicted felon is a felony.

The 35-year-old was booked into jail in the LAPD’s Wilshire Division shortly after 6am. It is not clear if he has since been released.

Police did not provide information on what prompted the traffic stop and who else was in the vehicle with Way.

Soulja Boy is yet to publicly comment on the incident.

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Soulja Boy is best known for his 2007 hit Crank That, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks and landed him a nomination for best rap song at the Grammys.

The rapper was arrested and charged with a felony in 2014 for carrying a loaded gun during a traffic stop in LA.

In April this year, the Chicago hip-hop artist was ordered to pay more than $4m (£3m) in damages to his former assistant after being found liable for sexually assault, as well as physically and emotionally abusing them.

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Tennessee: Man tries to detonate 14 explosive devices while being arrested

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Tennessee: Man tries to detonate 14 explosive devices while being arrested

Police in Tennessee have discovered 14 improvised explosive devices in a man’s home as they were arresting him, the local sheriff’s office said.

Officers were executing a warrant in the home of Kevin Wade O’Neal in Old Fort, about 45 miles (70km) east of Chattanooga, after he had threatened to kill public officials and law enforcement personnel in Polk County.

After arresting the 54-year-old, officers noticed “something smouldering” in the bedroom where he was found.

Kevin Wade O'Neal. Pic: Polk County Sheriff's Office
Image:
Kevin Wade O’Neal. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office

On closer inspection, they discovered an improvised explosive device and evacuated the house until bomb squad officers arrived at the scene.

Fourteen devices were found inside the property – none of which detonated.

Improvised explosive devices were found in Kevin Wade O'Neal's home. Pic: Polk County Sheriff's Office
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Improvised explosive devices were found in Kevin Wade O’Neal’s home. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office

Kevin Wade O'Neal's home in Old Fort, Tennessee. Pic: Polk County Sheriff's Office
Image:
Kevin Wade O’Neal’s home in Old Fort, Tennessee. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office

O’Neal was charged with 11 counts of attempted first-degree murder, corresponding to nine officers and two other people inside the property when the suspect tried to detonate the devices.

He also faces 14 counts of prohibited weapons and one count of possession of explosive components.

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O’Neal is being held at the Polk County jail and his bond is yet to be determined.

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