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Trump visits fire-ravaged areas, promises to work closely with local authorities to support the victims
US President Donald Trump on Friday (January 24) toured the fire-ravaged Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles, shaking hands with firefighters and talking to a few residents, surveying the extent of destruction.
The new President walked through a neighbourhood of levelled homes and scorched trees and firefighters presented him with a white fire helmet, emblazoned with the number 47 on the front and side.
Trump expressed his shock at the devastation and promised to work closely with local authorities to support the victims.
'Get rid of FEMA, too slow'
Earlier, Trump said he was considering “getting rid of” the Federal Emergency Management Agency, offering the latest sign of how he is weighing sweeping changes to the nation's central organization for responding to disasters.
Instead of having federal financial assistance flow through FEMA, the Republican president said Washington could provide money directly to the states. He made the comments while visiting North Carolina, which is still recovering months after Hurricane Helene, on the first trip of his second term.
“FEMA has been a very big disappointment," the Republican president said. “It's very bureaucratic. And it's very slow." Trump said Michael Whatley, a North Carolina native and chair of the Republican National Committee, would help coordinate recovery efforts in the state, where frustrations over the federal response have lingered. Although Whatley does not hold an official government position, Trump said he would be “very much in charge.”
The president emphasized his desire to help North Carolina, a battleground state that's voted for him in all of his presidential campaigns.
According to reports, Trump also visited Swannanoa to meet with those affected by Hurricane Helene. As the victims shared their experiences of the devastating storm, Trump blamed Joe Biden for the disaster.
Live Updates
- 25 Jan 2025 8:11 AM GMT
Department of Defence puts pause on its social media accounts
The Department of Défense has ordered a pause on all of its official social media accounts, unless the posts are regarding the Trump administration’s mission at the southern border or are informational updates, reported NBC News.
- 25 Jan 2025 8:10 AM GMT
Did Trump violate federal law in firing 12 inspector generals?
US President Donald Trump's administration fired more than 12 independent inspectors general from the departments of defence, state, transportation, veterans affairs, housing and urban development, interior, and energy on Friday.
However, the Washington Post reports that the layoffs "appeared to violate federal law, which requires Congress to receive 30 days’ notice of any intent to fire the inspectors general."
- 25 Jan 2025 8:09 AM GMT
265 immigrants sent back to Guatemala
US military planes carrying dozens of deported migrants arrived in Guatemala on Friday.
A total of 265 Guatemalans arrived on three flights -- two operated by the military, and one a charter, the country said.
- 25 Jan 2025 8:09 AM GMT
Indian students quitting part-time jobs due to deportation fears
Indian students are quitting their part-time jobs in the US due to fears of random checks at their workplace and fears of their education being interrupted as Donald Trump escalates his immigration crackdown, reported The Times of India.
- 25 Jan 2025 8:08 AM GMT
Nissan Motor Co in limbo over Trump's promise to introduce incentives for EVs
Nissan Motor Co. has expressed apprehension around manufacturing their battery powered cars at a plant in Canton Mississippi, over unease surrounding Trump's promise to introduce incentives for buyers and makers of electric vehicles.
Trump had vowed to scrap a $7,500 tax credit and introduce other incentives for buyers and makers of EVs, which will influence Nissan's operations in America, according to Ponz Pandikuthira, Nissan’s chief planning officer for operations in the Americas.
- 25 Jan 2025 7:53 AM GMT
Trump, Vance join March for Life anti-abortion activists in celebrating movement's gains
President Donald Trump vowed to support anti-abortion-rights protesters in his second term as tens of thousands of demonstrators rallied in Washington on Friday for the annual March for Life.
“We will again stand proudly for families and for life,” Trump declared in a pre-recorded video address.
Protesters had come to the capital for decades to call for the repeal of Roe v. Wade, which affirmed a constitutional right to an abortion. Now, with the repeal of Roe in 2022, they are now on the inside rather than the outside. With Trump's return to the White House and Republicans in control of Congress, the activists want to build on their victories.
“Our country faces the return of the most pro-family, most pro-life American president of our lifetimes," Vice President JD Vance told the crowd in his in-person speech.
Vance hailed Trump's previous actions on abortion, saying the president “delivered on his promise of ending Roe" and appointed hundreds of anti-abortion judges.
Abortion was largely absent from the stack of dozens of executive actions in Trump's first days of office. But he has already made quieter moves on abortion, including pardoning several right to life activists and using wording related to fetal personhood in an executive order rolling back protections for transgender people.
House Speaker Mike Johnson celebrated these moves as evidence “this new White House is already showing its resolve.” “It is a new golden age for America,” Johnson told the crowd.
- 25 Jan 2025 7:51 AM GMT
Justice Department curtails prosecutions for blocking reproductive health care facilities
President Donald Trump's new Justice Department leadership issued an order Friday to curtail prosecutions against people accused of blocking reproductive rights facilities, calling the cases an example of the “weaponization” of law enforcement.
Prosecutions and civil actions under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act or “FACE Act” will now be permitted only in “extraordinary circumstances” or in cases presenting ”significant aggravating factors," attorney general chief of staff Chad Mizelle said in a memo sent to the head of the department's Civil Rights Division.
Mizelle also ordered the immediate dismissal of three FACE Act cases related to 2021 blockades of clinics in Tennessee, Pennsylvania and Ohio.
The memo signals a sharp departure from Justice Department under the Biden administration, which brought cases involving dozens of defendants accused of violating the law. The act prohibits physically obstructing or using the threat of force to intimidate or interfere with a person seeking reproductive health services as well as damaging property at abortion clinics and other reproductive health centres.
The legal group Thomas More Society, which represents many of the defendants, called the move a “huge moment in the fight against FACE." “In each of these three FACE Act cases, Thomas More Society attorneys were representing several brave and peaceful pro-life defendants — who can now breathe easy without the heavy burden of federal prosecutors on their backs,” the group said Friday.
The announcement comes hours after Trump vowed to support tens of thousands of anti-abortion protesters at Friday's March for Life, declaring, “We will again stand proudly for families and for life” in a prerecorded address. A day earlier, Trump pardoned several anti-abortion activists convicted of blockading abortion clinic entrances in violation of the FACE Act, which is designed to protect abortion clinics from obstruction and threats.
- 25 Jan 2025 7:47 AM GMT
Pete Hegseth confirmed as US Defence Secretary
The US Senate has narrowly confirmed Pete Hegseth as the country’s Defence Secretary after Vice President J D Vance cast a rare tiebreaker vote, approving President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Pentagon after a contentious battle over his nomination amid allegations of sexual assault and alcohol abuse. In the 100-member Senate, the ruling Republican Party has 53 members.
With the vote tied at 50-50, Vance used his rare vote to confirm the nomination of Hegseth, 44, a veteran of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. All 47 Democrats voted against Hegseth, a former Fox News host.
Three Republican Senators Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Mitch McConnell also voted against him.
Hegseth’s confirmation process has been mired in allegations of sexual assault, alcohol abuse and financial mismanagement of veterans’ charities, all of which he has denied.
Friday's confirmation vote marked a significant victory for the Trump administration, which has backed Hegseth as its nominee, despite his lack of experience and allegations against him.
Vance becomes only the second vice-president in US history to break a tie to confirm a cabinet nominee.
Trump's previous vice president, Mike Pence, became the first when he cast the deciding vote to confirm Betsy DeVos as education secretary in 2017.
During the confirmation hearing, Hegseth was asked, particularly by female senators, about his previous comments that women should not serve in combat roles. He responded that his concern was not women serving in combat, but in maintaining a certain standard in the US military.
- 25 Jan 2025 7:45 AM GMT
Senate heads toward confirming Kristi Noem as Trump's homeland security secretary
The Senate is heading towards a vote on confirming South Dakota Gov Kristi Noem as homeland security secretary, placing her at the head of a sprawling agency that will be essential to both national security and President Donald Trump's plans to squash illegal immigration.
Republicans were determined to barrel through on Noem's confirmation, threatening to keep the Senate working through the weekend to install Trump's national security Cabinet officials. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth won confirmation Friday night, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe were already in place.
Noem, a Trump ally who is in her second term as South Dakota governor, received some support from Democrats on the Senate Homeland Security Committee when it voted 13-2 to advance her nomination earlier this week. Republicans, who already hold the votes necessary to confirm her, have also expressed confidence in her determination to lead border security and immigration enforcement.
“Fixing this crisis and restoring respect for the rule of law is one of President Trump and Republicans' top priorities,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a fellow South Dakota Republican, said Friday. “And it's going to require a decisive and committed leader at the Department of Homeland Security. I believe Kristi has everything it takes to undertake this task." Noem will oversee US Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Citizenship and Immigration Services. Beyond those agencies, the department is also responsible for securing airline transportation, protecting dignitaries, responding to natural disasters and more.Trump is planning major changes to the way the department functions, including involving the military in immigration enforcement and reshaping the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Those plans could immediately put Noem in the spotlight after the new president visited recent disaster sites in North Carolina and California on Friday.
