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Donald Trump has signed a raft of executive orders within hours of returning to the White House as he reversed some of his predecessor Joe Biden’s policies.

The new president told supporters at an inauguration parade event at a sports arena in Washington DC that he would revoke “80 destructive and radical executive actions of the previous administration”.

Trump inauguration: Latest updates

Donald Trump signs pardons for January 6 defendants in the Oval Office.
Pic: Reuters
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Donald Trump signs pardons for January 6 defendants in the Oval Office. Pic: Reuters

Among Mr Trump‘s first acts after being sworn in as the country’s 47th president on Monday were:

January 6

:: Pardons for about 1,500 Trump supporters who have been charged over the January 6 2021 riot at the US Capitol.

The action also cuts short the sentences of 14 members of the far-right Proud Boys and Oath Keepers organisations, including some who were convicted of seditious conspiracy.

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Climate

:: Withdrawing the US from the Paris climate agreement. The announcement further threatens the central goal of the agreement to avoid a rise in global temperatures of 1.5C.

Mr Trump withdrew the US from the agreement during his last presidency, but President Biden reversed this decision.

::Revoking a 2021 Biden order that sought to ensure half of all new vehicles sold in the US by 2030 were electric.

Energy

:: Repealing a 2023 memo from Mr Biden that barred oil drilling in 16 million acres in the Arctic. The new president declared a national energy emergency, promising to fill up strategic oil reserves and export US energy all over the world.

“We will be a rich nation again, and it is that liquid gold under our feet that will help to do it,” the American leader said.

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Trump inauguration: Key moments

Illegal immigration

:: Declaring illegal immigration at the US-Mexico border a national emergency as he plans to send US troops to help support immigration agents and restrict refugees and asylum.

The president has also designated criminal cartels as terrorist organisations, and has taken steps to block citizenship for children of immigrants who are in the US illegally.

Mr Trump reversed several immigration orders from the Biden presidency, including one that narrowed deportation priorities to people who commit serious crimes, are deemed national security threats, or were stopped at the border.

Foreign affairs

:: Temporarily suspending all US foreign assistance programmes for 90 days pending reviews to determine whether they are aligned with his policy goals.

It was not immediately clear how much assistance would initially be affected by the order as funding for many programmes has already been appropriated by Congress and is obligated to be spent, if not already spent.

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Who was at Trump’s inauguration?

Free speech

:: Restoring freedom of speech and preventing censorship of free speech.

:: The president signed a document “ending weaponisation” of government against political opponents.

The order directs the attorney general to investigate the activities of the federal government over the last four years, including at the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Federal Trade Commission during the previous administration.

It said the government will “identify and take appropriate action to correct past misconduct by the federal government related to the weaponisation of law enforcement and the weaponisation of the intelligence community”.

Death penalty

:: Mr Trump signed a sweeping order on the death penalty, directing the attorney general to “take all necessary and lawful action” to ensure that states have enough lethal injection drugs to carry out executions.

Mr Trump said in the order that “politicians and judges who oppose capital punishment have defied and subverted the laws of our country”. A moratorium on federal executions has been in place since 2021, and only three defendants remain on federal death row after Democratic President Joe Biden converted 37 of their sentences to life in prison.

TikTok

:: Mr Trump signed an executive order to keep TikTok operating for 75 days, a boost for the social media platform’s users even as national security questions remain.

TikTok’s China-based parent company ByteDance was supposed to find a US buyer or be banned on 19 January. Mr Trump’s order could give ByteDance more time to find a buyer.

“I guess I have a warm spot for TikTok,” Mr Trump said.

Return to office

:: Ordering federal workers to return to the office five days a week.

:: The return-to-office order comes alongside a federal hiring freeze, except for the military, and the creation of an advisory body – the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – aimed at reducing the federal government’s size.

Cost of living

:: There was a directive to every department and agency to address the cost of living crisis.

Gender and equality

:: Ending “wasteful” government programmes promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, defend women from “gender ideology extremism” and restore biological truth to the federal government ( two sexes male and female).

Drug cartels

:: Designating cartels and other organisations as foreign terrorist organisations and specially designated global terrorists. “International cartels constitute a national-security threat beyond that posed by traditional organized crime.”

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US-UK trade deal ‘done’, says Trump as he meets Starmer at G7

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US-UK trade deal 'done', says Trump as he meets Starmer at G7

The UK-US trade deal has been signed and is “done”, US President Donald Trump has said as he met Sir Keir Starmer at the G7 summit.

The US president told reporters: “We signed it, and it’s done. It’s a fair deal for both. It’ll produce a lot of jobs, a lot of income.”

As Mr Trump and his British counterpart exited a mountain lodge in the Canadian Rockies where the summit is being held, the US president held up a physical copy of the trade agreement to show reporters.

Several leaves of paper fell from the binding, and Mr Starmer quickly bent down to pick them up, saying: “A very important document.”

President Donald Trump drops papers as he meets with Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Kananaskis, Canada. Pic: AP
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President Donald Trump drops papers as he meets with Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Kananaskis, Canada. Pic: AP

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Sir Keir Starmer hastily collects the signed executive order documents from the ground and hands them back to the US president.

Sir Keir said the document “implements” the deal to cut tariffs on cars and aerospace, adding: “So this is a very good day for both of our countries – a real sign of strength.”

Mr Trump added that the UK was “very well protected” against any future tariffs, saying: “You know why? Because I like them”.

However, he did not say whether levies on British steel exports to the US would be set to 0%, saying “we’re gonna let you have that information in a little while”.

Sir Keir Starmer picks up paper from the UK-US trade deal after Donald Trump dropped it at the G7 summit. Pic: Reuters
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Sir Keir Starmer picks up paper from the UK-US trade deal after Donald Trump dropped it at the G7 summit. Pic: Reuters

What exactly does trade deal being ‘done’ mean?

The government says the US “has committed” to removing tariffs (taxes on imported goods) on UK aerospace goods, such as engines and aircraft parts, which currently stand at 10%.

That is “expected to come into force by the end of the month”.

Tariffs on car imports will drop from 27.5% to 10%, the government says, which “saves car manufacturers hundreds of millions a year, and protects tens of thousands of jobs”.

The White House says there will be a quota of 100,000 cars eligible for import at that level each year.

But on steel, the story is a little more complicated.

The UK is the only country exempted from the global 50% tariff rate on steel – which means the UK rate remains at the original level of 25%.

That tariff was expected to be lifted entirely, but the government now says it will “continue to go further and make progress towards 0% tariffs on core steel products as agreed”.

The White House says the US will “promptly construct a quota at most-favoured-nation rates for steel and aluminium articles”.

Other key parts of the deal include import and export quotas for beef – and the government is keen to emphasise that “any US imports will need to meet UK food safety standards”.

There is no change to tariffs on pharmaceuticals for the moment, and the government says “work will continue to protect industry from any further tariffs imposed”.

The White House says they “committed to negotiate significantly preferential treatment outcomes”.

Mr Trump also praised Sir Keir as a “great” prime minister, adding: “We’ve been talking about this deal for six years, and he’s done what they haven’t been able to do.”

He added: “We’re very longtime partners and allies and friends and we’ve become friends in a short period of time.

“He’s slightly more liberal than me to put it mildly… but we get along.”

Sir Keir added that “we make it work”.

The US president appeared to mistakenly refer to a “trade agreement with the European Union” at one point as he stood alongside the British prime minister.

Mr Trump announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs on countries in April. At the time, he announced 10% “reciprocal” rates on all UK exports – as well as separately announced 25% levies on cars and steel.

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In a joint televised phone call in May, Sir Keir and Mr Trump announced the UK and US had agreed on a trade deal – but added the details were being finalised.

Ahead of the G7 summit, the prime minister said he would meet Mr Trump for “one-on-one” talks, and added the agreement “really matters for the vital sectors that are safeguarded under our deal, and we’ve got to implement that”.

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Doctor to plead guilty to giving Matthew Perry ketamine before Friends star suffered fatal overdose

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Doctor to plead guilty to giving Matthew Perry ketamine before Friends star suffered fatal overdose

A Los Angeles doctor has agreed to plead guilty to giving Friends actor Matthew Perry ketamine in the lead up to his death from a fatal overdose, prosecutors have said.

Dr Salvador Plasencia, who will admit to four counts of distribution of ketamine, faces up to a maximum of 40 years in prison.

He is among five people charged in connection with the death of Friends star Perry, 54, whose body was found in his hot tub by his assistant in October 2023.

The medical examiner ruled that ketamine and other factors caused him to lose consciousness and drown.

The actor had been using the drug through his regular doctor in a legal treatment for depression, but had begun seeking more ketamine than his doctor would give him.

Salvador Plasencia. Pic: Malibu Canyon Urgent Care
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Salvador Plasencia. Pic: Malibu Canyon Urgent Care

Plasencia is accused of supplying the bulk of Perry’s ketamine in his final weeks. He and three other defendants, including another doctor, agreed to plead guilty in exchange for their cooperation.

Jasmine Sangha, who prosecutors allege was a major ketamine dealer, is alleged to have provided the dose that killed the actor and is the only defendant who has pleaded not guilty to the prosecution’s case.

More on Friends

About a month before the actor’s death, Perry found Plasencia, a doctor who allegedly asked another doctor, Mark Chavez, to obtain the drug for him, according to court filings in the Chavez case.

“I wonder how much this moron will pay,” Plasencia texted Chavez, according to court filings from prosecutors.

Dr. Mark Chavez, a physician from San Diego, who is charged in connection with Matthew Perry's fatal overdose. Pic: AP
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Dr Mark Chavez has pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute ketamine to Perry. File pic: AP

Read more from Sky News:
Courteney Cox pays tribute to Perry
Lisa Kudrow talks about star’s death

The pair who practised in California met up the same day and exchanged at least four vials of ketamine, the filings said.

After selling the drugs to Perry for $4,500 (£3,314), Plasencia allegedly asked Chavez if he could keep supplying them so they could become Perry’s “go-to” prosecutors said.

Chavez has pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute ketamine to Perry.

Perry struggled with addiction for years, dating back to his time on Friends, when he became one of the biggest stars of his generation as Chandler Bing.

He starred alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004.

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Suspect in killing of US politician went to homes of other lawmakers in same night, officials say

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Suspect in killing of US politician went to homes of other lawmakers in same night, officials say

A man accused of killing a US politician and her husband went to the homes of other lawmakers that night, intending to kill them, officials said. 

Vance Boelter, 57, meticulously planned his attacks, carrying out surveillance missions, taking notes on the properties and people he targeted and disguising himself as a police officer, according to Minnesota’s acting US attorney Joseph Thompson.

Read more: Shooting suspect captured after two-day manhunt

Authorities believe Boelter wore a mask as he posed as a police officer and shone a torch in the face of some of his victims to disguise his identity.

The FBI released this image of Vance Boelter posing as a police officer. Pic: FBI.
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The FBI released this image of Vance Boelter posing as a police officer. Pic: FBI.

“It is no exaggeration to say that his crimes are the stuff of nightmare,” said Mr Thompson.

Boelter, 57, allegedly shot and wounded Senator John Hoffman, a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, in their Minneapolis home in the early hours of Saturday morning.

John Hoffman. Pic: Facebook/Senator John Hoffman
Image:
John Hoffman. Pic: Facebook/Senator John Hoffman


He then travelled to the home of another state lawmaker but she and her family were on holiday, so they didn’t answer the door, said Mr Thompson.

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Video showed that Boelter rang the doorbell at around 2.24am on Friday but left when the family didn’t respond.

Vance Boelter.
Pic: Hennepin County Sheriff's Office/Reuters
Image:
Vance Boelter. Pic: Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office/Reuters

He then drove to the home of an unnamed state senator, but after the Hoffmans’ adult daughter called emergency services to say her parents had been shot, a police officer was dispatched to conduct a wellness check.

That officer saw Boelter’s car parked up the street but thought he was another officer, said Mr Thompson.

Boelter had reportedly altered his car to make it look more like a police car.

He then left and drove to the home of lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, according to an FBI affidavit.

Read more:
Neighbours of murdered US politician stunned

Melissa Hortman. Pic: Instagram.
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Melissa Hortman. Pic: Instagram

Local police officers, also conducting a check, arrived to see Boelter fatally shoot Mark Hortman through the open door of the home, according to the document.

Melissa Hortman was found dead inside.

Boelter was arrested on Sunday evening after a huge manhunt in a rural area in Sibley County, southwest of Minneapolis.

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He faces two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder in the deaths of the Hortmans and the wounding of Mr Hoffman and his wife.

Before his arrest, the father of five texted his family group chat saying: “Dad went to war last night … I don’t wanna say more because I don’t wanna implicate anybody,” according to the affidavit.

His wife got another text that said: “Words are not gonna explain how sorry I am for this situation… there’s gonna be some people coming to the house armed and trigger-happy and I don’t want you guys around,” the document said.

Several AK-style firearms and a list of about 70 names, which included politicians and abortion rights activists, were allegedly found inside his vehicle.

A Minnesota official said politicians who had been outspoken in favour of abortion rights were on the list.

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