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The mayor of Los Angeles has announced that a curfew will be in force overnight, as officials attempt to “stop the vandalism and stop the looting”.

Karen Bass says the restrictions will be in force in downtown areas of the city from 8pm to 6am local time (4am to 2pm UK time) – and will likely be repeated in the coming days.

She confirmed that a local emergency had been declared as “we reached a tipping point”, with 23 businesses looted on Monday night.

Ms Bass said “graffiti is everywhere”, with “significant damage” to properties as a result of the protests.

Workers try to remove graffiti after a protest over immigration raids. ICE Pic: AP/Damian Dovarganes
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Workers try to remove graffiti after a protest over immigration raids. ICE Pic: AP/Damian Dovarganes

Members of law enforcement stand guard in downtown LA. Pic: Reuters/Leah Mills
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Members of law enforcement stand guard in downtown LA. Pic: Reuters/Leah Millis

A protester marches past businesses being boarded up. Pic: Reuters/Leah Millis
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A protester marches past businesses being boarded up. Pic: Reuters/Leah Millis

Jim McDonnell, the chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, described the curfew as a “necessary measure to protect lives” after “unlawful and dangerous behaviour” had been escalating in the last few days.

On Tuesday alone, 197 arrests were made by the force, and he warned anyone violating the curfew without a valid reason would be detained.

Residents, people who are homeless, those travelling to and from work, credited media as well as public safety and emergency personnel, will be exempt from the curfew, according to Mr McDonnell.

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The curfew covers a one square mile (2.59 square kilometre) section of downtown LA that includes the area where protests have happened since Friday. The city of Los Angeles encompasses roughly 500 square miles (2,295 square kilometres).

Workers board up a store in Santa Ana. Pic: AP/Jae C. Hong
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Workers board up a store in Santa Ana. Pic: AP/Jae C. Hong

California National Guard soldiers stand at a federal agency building. Pic: AP
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California National Guard soldiers stand at a federal agency building. Pic: AP

Protesters are detained by law enforcement near the federal building in downtown LA. Pic: AP/Eric Thayer
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Protesters are detained by law enforcement near the federal building in downtown LA. Pic: AP/Eric Thayer

The protests are in response to raids carried out by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE).

US President Donald Trump has activated 4,000 National Guard troops – the federal reserve force – to protect ICE officers carrying out raids as well as federal buildings in LA, despite objections by California Governor Gavin Newsom, who called the deployments unnecessary, illegal and politically motivated.

Mr Trump also sent 700 Marines, who are expected to start operating in the LA area on Wednesday, according to the US Northern Command.

Read more from Sky News:
Eyewitness: Furious immigrants vow to ‘defend’ LA
What we know about the LA immigration raids and protests
Explainer: Who is Gavin Newsom?

The Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse in Santa are boarded up. Pic: Mindy Schauer/The Orange County Register via AP
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The Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse in Santa are boarded up. Pic: Mindy Schauer/The Orange County Register via AP

National Guard troops are lined up to protect a federal building in downtown LA. Pic: AP/Eric Thayer
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National Guard troops are lined up to protect a federal building in downtown LA. Pic: AP/Eric Thayer

State officials said Mr Trump’s response was an extreme overreaction to mostly peaceful demonstrations, with California senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla saying the domestic mobilisation of active-duty military personnel should only happen “during the most extreme circumstances, and these are not them”.

Mr Trump defended his decision in a speech to soldiers at the Army base in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, on Tuesday, saying his administration would “liberate Los Angeles”.

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Trump: ‘We will liberate Los Angeles’

“Generations of Army heroes did not shed their blood on distant shores only to watch our country be destroyed by invasion and third-world lawlessness,” Mr Trump said.

“What you’re witnessing in California is a full-blown assault on peace, on public order and on national sovereignty, carried out by rioters bearing foreign flags.”

A protester is arrested by law enforcement officers in downtown LA. Pic: AP/Eric Thayer
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A protester is arrested by law enforcement officers in downtown LA. Pic: AP/Eric Thayer

California Highway Patrol officers clash with protesters in LA. Pic: AP/Eric Thayer
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California Highway Patrol officers clash with protesters in LA. Pic: AP/Eric Thayer

Gavin Newsom launched a blistering response in an address on Tuesday evening, saying the deployment of the National Guard without consulting Californian officials was a “brazen abuse of power by a sitting president”.

He said it “enflamed a combustible situation, putting our people, our officers and even our National Guard at risk”.

“That’s when the downward spiral began. He doubled down on his dangerous National Guard deployment by fanning the flames even harder – and the president, he did it on purpose,” Mr Newsom said.

Newsom takes the fight to Trump

California Governor Gavin Newsom’s televised address to the nation felt presidential as he took the fight to the man in the Oval Office, with a series of scorching put downs.

He made a compelling case that Donald Trump’s extraordinary decision to send troops to LA against his wishes had put the country on the brink of authoritarianism.

He spoke the day after the Pentagon announced 700 Marines were being deployed to join 4,000 National Guard troops ordered to the streets of LA by Trump.

But there has been no evidence so far that local law enforcement is being overwhelmed by the size or might of this resistance movement.

The head-to-head between Trump and Newsom is a compelling one.

The governor is known to harbour presidential ambitions for 2028 and is something of a MAGA bogeyman.

Newsom presides over a blue state, the biggest in the country, and is growing his brand with a podcast and – now – Trump has effectively put him in the national spotlight by bringing this political battle to his door.

The governor accused Mr Trump of choosing escalation and “theatrics over public safety”, as the situation was “winding down” before the president deployed the federal reserve force.

Mr Newsom added: “When Donald Trump sought blanket authority to commandeer the National Guard, he made that order apply to every state in this nation.

“This is about all of us, this is about you. California may be first, but it clearly won’t end here; other states are next. Democracy is next. Democracy is under assault before our eyes.”

A man holds a Mexican flag, which has become synonymous with solidarity for migrants targeted in the raids. Pic: AP/Damian Dovarganes
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A man holds a Mexican flag, which has become synonymous with solidarity for migrants targeted in the raids. Pic: AP/Damian Dovarganes

A protester holds up a placard while marching through downtown LA. Pic: Reuters/Leah Millis
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A protester holds up a placard while marching through downtown LA. Pic: Reuters/Leah Millis

People protest against the ongoing immigration raids in Washington, D.C. Pic: AP/Julia Demaree Nikhinson
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People protest against the ongoing immigration raids in Washington, D.C. Pic: AP/Julia Demaree Nikhinson

Homeland Security said on Monday that ICE had arrested 2,000 immigration offenders per day recently, which significantly exceeds the 311 daily average in the fiscal year 2024 under former president Joe Biden.

The protests over the immigration raids have started to spread across the US, with demonstrations in cities like Seattle, Austin, Chicago and Washington, D.C.

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At least 13 people confirmed dead and more than 20 missing from girls camp in Texas flooding

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At least 13 people confirmed dead and more than 20 missing from girls camp in Texas flooding

13 people have been killed in the US state of Texas after heavy rain caused flash flooding, according to local media reports.

Officials have also said more than 20 are missing from a girls’ camp in Texas.

As much as 10 inches (25 centimetres) of heavy rain fell in just a few hours overnight in central Kerr County, causing flash flooding of the Guadalupe River.

Judge Rob Kelly, the chief elected official in the county, confirmed fatalities from the flooding and dozens of water rescues so far.

A flood watch issued on Thursday afternoon estimated isolated amounts up to seven inches (17 centimetres) of rising water.

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Vladimir Putin tells Donald Trump he will not back down from goals in Ukraine, Kremlin says

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Vladimir Putin tells Donald Trump he will not back down from goals in Ukraine, Kremlin says

Vladimir Putin told Donald Trump he “will not back down” from Russia’s goals in Ukraine during a phone call today, the Kremlin has said.

The Russian president spoke to his US counterpart for almost an hour, and Mr Trump “again raised the issue of an early end to military action” in Ukraine, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.

In response, Mr Putin said “Russia will not back down” from its aims there, which include “the elimination of the well-known root causes that led to the current state of affairs,” Mr Ushakov said.

The phrase “root causes” is shorthand for Moscow’s argument that it was compelled to invade Ukraine in order to prevent the country from joining NATO.

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Trump and Putin’s latest call on Ukraine

Ukraine and its European allies say this is a pretext to justify what they call an imperial-style war, but Mr Trump has previously shown sympathy with Russia.

At the same time, Mr Putin told the US president that Russia is ready to continue negotiating, the aide said.

The Russian president said any prospective peace deal must see Ukraine give up its NATO bid and recognise his country’s territorial gains.

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Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands June 25, 2025. Pic: Reuters
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Volodymyr Zelenskyy, seen with Mr Trump in June, is pushing for Ukraine to join NATO. Pic: Reuters

He also briefed Mr Trump on agreements made last month, which saw Russia and Ukraine exchange prisoners of war and dead soldiers.

Specific dates for the third round of peace talks in Istanbul were not discussed – nor was the US decision to halt some shipments of critical weapons to Ukraine.

Mr Putin and Mr Trump’s call came after the Pentagon confirmed some weapons due to be sent to Ukraine have been held as it reviews military stockpiles.

The paused shipments include air defence missiles and precision-guided artillery, two people familiar with the situation have said.

Read more:
Putin threatens nuclear strike

Western brands on Russian shelves despite sanctions

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The decision led to Ukraine calling in the acting US envoy to Kyiv on Wednesday to underline the importance of military aid from Washington.

Kyiv also cautioned that the move would weaken Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against intensifying Russian airstrikes and battlefield advances.

Mr Putin and Mr Trump’s phone call was the sixth they have publicly disclosed since the US president returned to the White House in January.

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Donald Trump’s ‘big beautiful’ tax cuts bill passes final hurdle in US Congress

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Donald Trump's 'big beautiful' tax cuts bill passes final hurdle in US Congress

Donald Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’ has been passed by the US congress, sending it to the president to sign into law.

The controversial tax breaks and spending cuts package cleared its final hurdle as the Republican-controlled House of Representatives narrowly approved the bill with a 218-214 vote.

The bill delivers tax breaks Mr Trump promised in his 2024 election campaign, cuts health and food safety programmes, and zeroes out dozens of green energy incentives.

According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), it will lower tax revenues by $4.5trn over 10 years and add $3.4trn to the US’s $36.2trn debt.

But despite concerns over the 869-page bill’s price tag – and its hit to healthcare programmes – Republicans largely lined up in support, with just two rebelling on the vote.

Speaker Mike Johnson congratulated following the signing of Trump's bill. Pic: Reuters
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House Speaker Mike Johnson is congratulated following the vote. Pic: Reuters

Every Democrat in Congress voted against the bill, blasting it as a giveaway to the wealthy that will leave millions of Americans uninsured.

House Speaker Mike Johnson made the Republicans’ closing argument for the bill, telling Congress: “For everyday Americans, this means real, positive change that they can feel.”

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Earlier, the House’s Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries gave a record-breaking eight-hour and 44-minute speech against it.

“The focus of this bill, the justification for all of the cuts that will hurt everyday Americans, is to provide massive tax breaks for billionaires,” he said.

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The bill’s spending cuts largely target Medicaid, the health programme that covers 71 million Americans on low incomes.

It will tighten enrolment standards, institute a work requirement and clamp down on a funding mechanism used by states to boost federal payments.

The changes could leave nearly 12 million people without health insurance, according to the CBO.

On the other side of the ledger, it will stave off tax increases that were due to hit most Americans at the end of the year, when tax cuts from President Trump’s first term were due to expire.

It also sets up new tax breaks for overtime pay, seniors and tipped income.

Read more:
Why the bill sparked an ugly debate
Kremlin shares details of Putin-Trump call

The bill narrowly passed the US Senate on Tuesday after vice president JD Vance cast the deciding vote to break a 50-50 tie.

Mr Trump will sign it into law on Friday at 5pm local time (10pm in the UK), the White House said.

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