Trump dismisses bishop’s call for mercy; ban on immigration raids in churches and schools scrapped – live
President responds to bishop urging him to show mercy to immigrants and LGBTQ people by saying ‘I didn’t think it was a good service’; Ice officials can again raid ‘sensitive areas’ and carry out ‘expedited removals’
In Germany, the president of the Jewish community in Munich and Upper Bavaria, Charlotte Knobloch, described Elon Musk’s apparent fascist salute gesture as “highly irritating”.
“Far more worrying are Elon Musk’s political positions, his offensive interference in the German parliamentary election campaign and his support for a party whose anti-democratic aims should be under no illusions,” she said in a statement, Reuters reports.
In the US, the Anti-Defamation League described it as “an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed Donald Trump and their relations with the US during a lengthy phone call on Tuesday.
Citing a read-out of the call from Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov, Reuters reports that the two leaders spoke for one hour and 35 minutes.
The read-out states that Xi told Putin about his call with Trump, and the pair confirmed both countries were ready to build relations with the US on a mutually beneficial and respectful basis if the Trump team shows interest.
Ushakov also said that Russia is yet to receive any specific proposals from Washington over contacts with Moscow.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed one suit, and another has been filed in Massachusetts, asking the court to declare the order unconstitutional and issue an injunction preventing enforcement.
ABC News’ Peter Charalambous reports the lawsuit is being brought by “an undocumented expectant mother who is due in March and two nonprofit groups”
He reports the lawsuit claims:
This unprecedented attempt to strip citizenship from millions of Americans with the stroke of a pen is flagrantly illegal. The president does not have the power to decide who becomes a citizen at birth.
Those victimized in this way by the executive order would be shorn of their national identity, stigmatized in the eyes of those who should be their fellow citizens, and forced to live with the shame, uncertainty, and fear that comes with potential banishment from their native country. Many would be rendered immediately stateless.
Spain’s culture minister, Ernest Urtasun, has joined his colleague Yolanda Díaz by announcing that he will no longer use X because of Elon Musk’s political interference with the platform.
Announcing his decision on X on Tuesday morning, Urtasun wrote: “Social networks are a tool for public debate. This one, however, has become a megaphone for a far-right oligarch and his tentacles, which promote hate and disinformation. And that is why I am today ceasing to use this account.”
Several moments from the inauguration ceremony have gone viral on social media, including this moment when former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton was seen to laugh at president Donald Trump’s announcement that, for the purposes of the US, he would be renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
Hillary Clinton laughs at Trump's plan to rename Gulf of Mexico – video
The World Health Organization regrets the announcement that the US intends to withdraw from the Organization.
WHO plays a crucial role in protecting the health and security of the world’s people, including Americans, by addressing the root causes of disease, building stronger health systems, and detecting, preventing and responding to health emergencies, including disease outbreaks, often in dangerous places where others cannot go.
The US was a founding member of WHO in 1948 and has participated in shaping and governing WHO’s work ever since, alongside 193 other member states, including through its active participation in the World Health Assembly and Executive Board.
For over seven decades, WHO and the US have saved countless lives and protected Americans and all people from health threats. Together, we ended smallpox, and together we have brought polio to the brink of eradication.
American institutions have contributed to and benefited from membership in WHO.
With the participation of the US and other member states, WHO has over the past seven years implemented the largest set of reforms in its history, to transform our accountability, cost-effectiveness, and impact in countries. This work continues.
We hope the US will reconsider and we look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue to maintain the partnership between the US and WHO, for the benefit of the health and wellbeing of millions of people around the globe.
It’s a truly unfortunate development that the world’s largest economy, and one of our closest allies in the fight against climate change, is withdrawing from the Paris Agreement.
Despite this setback, we remain committed to working with the US and our international partners to address the pressing issue of climate change.
The science is crystal clear: every incremental increase in global temperatures will come with enormous costs, economically, socially but also in human lives.
The Paris Agreement has strong foundations and is here to stay.
“We hope that the US will reconsider, and we really hope that there will be constructive dialogue for the benefit of everyone, for Americans, but also for people around the world,” Reuters reports WHO spokesperson Tarik Jašarević told a Geneva press briefing.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, European Commission president Urusula von der Leyen has said she still supports the Paris Climate agreement.
Reuters quotes von der Leyen saying:
Europe will stay the course, and keep working with all nations that want to protect nature and stop global warming.
During her speech, in a clear reference to the change of direction in US policy signalled by Donald Trump, von der Leyen said the use of sanctions, export controls and tariffs was likely to increase, and that in dealing with the US, she said:
Our first priority will be to engage early, discuss common interests, and be ready to negotiate. We will be pragmatic, but we will always stand by our principles. To protect our interests and uphold our values – that is the European way
Summary: all the key policy actions taken by Donald Trump on inauguration day
Long-term observers of president Donald Trump’s political tactics will remember his tendency to adopt what Steve Bannon calls “flooding the zone”, and yesterday’s inauguration day blitz of executive orders was in part intended to overwhelm the media and opponents so that it is harder to focus on any one issue.
Here is a list of all the key explainers and articles the Guardian has published over the last few hours documenting the areas the second Trump administration has already acted in: