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Summary
- The Kremlin says it is ready for a “mutually respectful dialogue” with US President Donald Trump about the war in Ukraine
- This comes after Trump warned that Russia will face more sanctions if Putin doesn’t stop what he described as the “ridiculous war” – a message Ukraine says they “really welcome”
- Analysis: Kyiv is waiting for action, not words, from President Trump, writes our correspondent Sarah Rainsford
- This afternoon, Trump is set to deliver his first major speech to global business and political leaders of his second term at the World Economic Forum in Davos
- Meanwhile, in the US, Trump has ordered 1,500 troops to the border to put up barriers as part of his immigration crackdown, and up to 10,000 troops could be deployed
- Earlier, in his first interview since returning to the White House, Trump plays down concerns about TikTok being used by the Chinese government to spy on its users, saying the app will “stay around”
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00:47Media caption,
Watch: Trump says TikTok is ‘going to stay around’
Live Reporting
Edited by Brandon Livesay in Washington DC
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- Illegal migrants to be deported without asylum hearingpublished at 10:4110:41Illegal migrants entering the US will no longer be able to seek asylum before being deported, after the Trump administration invoked public health and national security laws to justify the move, according to government documents and officials.Two Customs and Border Protection officials tell BBC’s US partner CBS that migrants won’t have access to immigration judges or asylum officers under executive orders signed by Trump shortly after taking office.This effectively suspends US obligations under domestic and international law to protect people fleeing persecution from being returned to danger.CBS reports that internal documents show any request to release migrants in the US with a court notice must be approved by Border Patrol headquarters and will only be considered in “life-threatening” cases.Trump has cited an immigration law which allows presidents to block entry of foreigners deemed “detrimental” to the US, including those from countries with “communicable diseases”.Share
- ‘Energetic’, ‘cruel’? Former US labour secretary’s verdict on Trump’s first dayspublished at 10:2010:20
Image source,EPARobert Reich, a secretary of labour under former US president Bill Clinton, has been speaking to our colleagues at BBC World Service’s Newsday programme – telling them he thinks Trump has started his second presidential term “more energetically and cruelly” than many anticipated.Trump’s “very political existence” is based on “his fear of immigration”, Reich says, adding that the president believes illegal immigrants in the US are “dangerous” and “criminals”. (There’s more on that in our last post.)Reich also criticises Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship – where anyone born in the US becomes a citizen – saying it’s a violation of the US constitution: “Decent people could lose their citizenship… children could lose their parents…some parents may not have the right papers.”Migrants often take up low-paid jobs that others won’t, Reich tells Newsday, adding there’s “no advantage to the American workforce to have this kind of attack” on illegal immigration.As we’ve reported, Trump has already declared a national emergency at the US-Mexico border and in an executive issue he says there’s been an “invasion” of America. “This assault on the American people and the integrity of America’s sovereign borders represents a grave threat to our Nation,” the document says.Share - What we learnt from Trump’s first interview since taking officepublished at 09:4209:42
- Illegal southern border crossings – the datapublished at 09:0509:05Following that update on up to 10,000 US troops being sent to the southern border with Mexico, let’s look at the data showing just how many illegal crossings there’ve been since 2018 – when Donald Trump was last president.Trump has been highly critical of the Biden administration’s approach to immigration, pledging to address “record” illegal border crossings and casting current migration as an “invasion”. Crossings did reach record levels under President Biden, but numbers began dropping significantly even before Trump won the election.The graph below shows the number of “encounters” recorded by US border officials, which include people who attempted to cross illegally and people who tried to enter legally but were deemed inadmissible.The number of encounters is not a count of individuals who stay in the US, as some migrants will be returned and the same person can be recorded trying to enter multiple times, and it doesn’t count the number who cross undetected.
Share - Up to 10,000 troops could be sent to US-Mexico border, internal memo showspublished at 08:5408:54
Image source,Getty ImagesWe reported late last night that 1,500 US troops were being deployed to the southern border, where they’d help install barriers but wouldn’t be involved in “law enforcement”. It forms part of Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration.There’s an update to that figure now – with an internal government memo, seen by the BBC’s US partner CBS News, suggesting up to 10,000 troops could actually be deployed.The Customs and Border Protection memo is dated 21 January – one day after Trump’s inauguration – and shows a plan to dispatch “10,000 soldiers” to help the agency. The initial boost of 1,500 troops, to be sent to San Diego in California and El Paso in Texas, will join the 2,500 soldiers already stationed at the border.The memo also says that US Department of Defense bases may be used as “holding facilities” for migrants waiting to be deported.- As a reminder: Hours after being sworn in as president, Trump declared a national emergency at the border with Mexico, saying “America’s sovereignty is under attack”. Immigration was a key campaign promise of Trump’s – he’s made repeated vows to seal the border and increase enforcement
- America’s delayed TikTok ban and Trump’s part in it – the key detailspublished at 08:3508:35
Image source,EPAImage caption,Donald Trump has signed sweeping executive orders since returning to the White House, including one on the social media platformThe row in the US over TikTok continues – here’s what you need to know:- Among the executive orders signed by Donald Trump since his return to the White House, a 75-day extension was granted to TikTok after Congress voted last year to ban it in the US unless China-based parent company ByteDance sold the platform
- Trump has said that during this period, the US will not enforce the law signed by former President Joe Biden
- The idea to ban it in the US initially came from Trump himself in 2020, during his first presidency, but when asked recently why he’d had a change of heart, he said: “Because I got to use it”
- He’s since floated the possibility of a joint venture running the company, between the US and ByteDance, but hasn’t given any further details on how that might work
- US lawmakers voted to ban the video-sharing app over concerns about its links to the Chinese government, though TikTok has repeatedly said it does not share information with Beijing
- Billionaire says he’ll fund UN climate body after US moves to withdraw from Paris Agreement – againpublished at 08:1008:10
Image source,Getty ImagesWe’re hearing that billionaire Michael Bloomberg’s foundation will step in to fund America’s financial obligations to the UN’s climate change body – after Trump called for the US to withdraw from the Paris Agreement for the second time.In one of many executive orders, signed on his first day back in office, Trump said he would end all of the US’s international climate financial commitments.Bloomberg, who serves as a UN special envoy on climate change, says his intervention aims to ensure the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) remains fully funded.”From 2017 to 2020, during a period of federal inaction, cities, states, businesses and the public rose to the challenge to uphold our nation’s commitments – and now, we are ready to do it again,” he says.- For context: During his first term as president (2016-20), Trump oversaw the US becoming the first nation in the world to formally withdraw from the Paris climate agreement – a deal drafted in 2015 to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change. Upon taking office, his successor Joe Biden overturned the decision.
- Rubio discusses security with Asian leaderspublished at 07:2907:29
Image source,ReutersMarco Rubio has pledged Washington’s “ironclad” commitment to defending the Philippines against Chinese provocation in the South China Sea, as he speaks to leaders across Asia after being sworn in as secretary of state.In his first call with Philippines Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo on Wednesday, Rubio said Beijing’s behaviour in the South China Sea “undermines regional peace and stability and is inconsistent with international law”, according to a statement by the State Department.“An armed attack in the Pacific, including anywhere in the South China Sea, on either of their public vessels, aircraft, or armed forces – which includes their coast guards – would invoke mutual defence commitments,” the statement said.Rubio also had a phone call with South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, where he agreed to continue close cooperation on North Korea, and Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Sugiono, where he discussed trade, maritime security and the importance of peace and stability in Indo-Pacific.Share - A quick catch uppublished at 07:0607:06
Image source,Getty ImagesFor those in the UK and Europe who are just joining us, welcome. Here’s a brief recap of some key developments on the third day of Donald Trump’s presidency:- In a free-flowing interview on Fox News, Trump said TikTok is “going to stay around”, downplaying the threat of the Chinese government using the app to spy on users. “You can say that about everything made in China,” he said
- As part of a crackdown on “illegal aliens”, Trump ordered 1,500 ground troops to the southern border, along with aircraft support. A senior military official said the troops will not be involved in “law enforcement”
- Trump also announced the next US ambassador to the European Union: former fast food CEO Andrew Puzder, who previously headed the parent company of the Carl’s Jr and Hardee’s chains
- Trump won his first legislative victory since being sworn into office, after the House passed amendments to a bill requiring officials to detain undocumented immigrants who are charged, arrested or convicted with certain crimes. The amendments were added to expand the scope of offences that could lead to detention
Ukrainians aren’t optimistic, but some in Moscow see Kremlin’s position shiftingpublished at 06:4806:48
Sarah Rainsford
Eastern Europe CorrespondentOn social media, there is a generally scathing response from Ukrainians to Donald Trump’s call to Vladimir Putin to end the war.Trump’s words were re-posted, in translation, by one popular account on X inviting comments.Most mocked the president’s ignorance of world history and inability to count. Many suggested that more sanctions were a weak reply to Russian aggression. But the biggest question for most is what Putin is actually open to discussing with Ukraine at any peace talks.It’s Trump’s position then, that matters. After 11 years of war with Russia, and a history of poor peace deals, Ukrainians aren’t inclined to be hopeful.There’s also the fact that Russian state media and officials keep referring to Ukraine as “the country currently known as Ukraine”. Just before launching a full-scale invasion, Vladimir Putin wrote a whole essay denying Ukraine’s very existence as a state.In Moscow, some see signs the Kremlin may be readying Russians to accept less than the victory once envisaged, which included tanks rolling all the way west to Odesa. TV editor Margarita Simonyan, who is stridently pro-Putin, has begun talking of “realistic” conditions for ending the war, which she suggests could include halting the fighting along the current frontline.That would mean the four Ukrainian regions that Vladimir Putin illegally pronounced as Russian territory more than two years ago, like Zaporizhzhia, were still partially controlled by Kyiv.Russian hardliners, the so-called Z bloggers, are furious at such defeatism.Share- Rubio speaks to Netanyahupublished at 06:1706:17Earlier, the newly-sworn-in Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Rubio, who is the US’s top diplomat, emphasised US support for Israel according to a readout of the call.He also reportedly congratulated Netanyahu on Israel’s successes against Hamas and Hezbollah.
Image source,Getty ImagesShare - More detail on the 1,500 troops deployment to the borderpublished at 05:5805:58Around 1,500 members of the US military have been ordered to deploy to the US-Mexico border, as we reported earlier.Here are a few more details that we received from a military and defence background briefing.Several hundred troops were expected to arrive soon, where they will be engaged in tasks such as placement of physical barriers and other border missions. They will not be tasked with law enforcement, Trump officials say.“This is just the start,” said one senior defence official, speaking on condition of anonymity.A separate military official said troops have not yet been asked to house immigrants at military bases, something that Trump aides have suggested could be coming.Officials also said troops plan to provide aerial support to border patrol, including via air lifts, and also plan to send intelligence analysts to the border.You can read more in our story here.Share
- Justice Department orders halt on civil rights investigationspublished at 05:3305:33The Justice Department has ordered its Civil Rights Division to cease all new civil rights cases and investigations, according to memos seen by the New York Times and the Washington Post.In the letter obtained by the Washington Post, it instructs the supervisor of the division to ensure that its lawyers do not file “any new complaints, motions to intervene, agreed-upon remands, amicus briefs, or statements of interest”.Another memo seen by the New York Times ordered a “litigation freeze” within the Civil Rights Division to allow Trump appointees to decide if they want “to initiate any new cases”.The Civil Rights Division has been involved in a number of high-profile cases, including investigating the Louisville, Kentucky police department after the police killing of Breonna Taylor, and the Minneapolis Police Department after the police killing of George Floyd.In both cases, the division has issued consent decrees, which are agreements made between the Justice Department and local governments accused of civil rights violations.A second memo seen by the New York Times also ordered a similar freeze on consent decrees.Trump has often criticised many of the Justice Department’s investigations into police departments as unfair obstructions.He has nominated Harmeet Dhillon, a California-based Republican attorney and former co-chair of Lawyers for Trump, to lead the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.Share
- Ros Atkins on… the politics of pardonspublished at 05:1705:17On Inauguration Day, both the outgoing and incoming US presidents issued controversial pardons that expanded the power to new limits.Joe Biden gave family members pre-emptive pardons, while Donald Trump pardoned nearly 1,600 people charged with crimes related to the riot at the US Capitol.The BBC’s Analysis Editor Ros Atkins examines how both cited “politically motivated prosecutions” to explain their actions – and why that’s a challenge for trust in the justice system going forward.
- Rubio due to travel to Panama in first overseas trip – US mediapublished at 05:0205:02
Image source,Getty ImagesMarco Rubio, the top US diplomat, has had a busy second day as the secretary of state.He is due to travel to Panama in the coming days in his first trip overseas, according to US officials who spoke to American news outlets.Trump has been levelling accusations against Panama, claiming that China is in control of the canal that the US dug before handing the vital waterway over to the Central American country.He has even suggest seizing it with military force – similar to comments he has made about Greenland, a Danish territory.According to Politico, the trip will take place in February and also include stops in Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.Rubio also spoke to the prince and prime minister of Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, in which they discussed the “threat” of Iran, and the future of the US-Saudi relationship, according to a news release from the State Department.Share - Trump defends not releasing JFK files as promisedpublished at 04:4404:44Earlier, in his interview with Fox, Trump was asked why he has not released all the government files related to the 1963 assassination of President John F Kennedy (JFK), as he promised to do in his first term.He says that he did release files “to an extent”.”But I was asked by some government officials not to. And you have to respect them.”He specifically mentions his former secretary of state Mike Pompeo as one of the officials who asked him not to release the classified files.”I felt he knew something,” he says of Pompeo, adding that he felt “it was not a good time to release them”.He later goes on to speculate that Pompeo might “deny” having made the request.Days before taking office, Trump told a rally that he planned to release the documents, as well as those relating to the assassinations of JFK’s brother, Democratic politician Robert Kennedy, and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.Share
- Trump on Capitol riot pardons: ‘I said I was gonna release them… and I won in a landslide’published at 03:5703:57Hannity presses Trump on his decision to pardon Capitol Hill rioters, including ones who admitted to violently attacking police officers.Trump says the 6 January convicts were “‘treated like the worst criminals in history”.He adds that he sees the decision as his fulfilment of a campaign pledge.”I was very clear about it,” he says.”I said I was gonna release them, and probably very quickly. And they voted for me. And I won in a landslide.”Share
- Trump notes that Biden never pardoned himselfpublished at 03:4503:45Trump and Hannity are still talking on Fox News in the sit-down interview which was recorded earlier today. They speak about Biden’s last pardons in office, in which he pre-emptively pardoned some of his family members and allies who he said were at risk of being persecuted by the new White House administration.”The funny thing, or the sad thing, is he didn’t give himself a pardon,” Trump says about Biden. He adds that there were other people in need of pardons that Biden denied, despite their “begging”.Hannity asks if Congress should investigate Biden’s pre-emptive pardons, and Trump doesn’t answer.Trump notes that he never issued himself a pre-emptive pardon after his first term, or any pardons for immediate family members.Share
- Trump says TikTok is ‘going to stay around’published at 03:3103:31
- Trump says new budget battles loom over disaster reliefpublished at 03:1803:18
Image source,Fox NewsIn an interview currently airing on Fox News, President Trump says that there are looming budget battles coming to Congress, and notes the need for disaster aid for Los Angeles and North Carolina.”Los Angeles has changed everything because a lot of money is gonna be necessary for Los Angeles,” says Trump, in reference to the wildfires.After host Sean Hannity mentions North Carolina, a state that voted for him and is still reeling from Hurricane Helene in September, Trump chimes in that “the Democrats don’t care about North Carolina”.Regarding federal funding to states, Trump says: “I’d rather see the states take care of their own problems.”He also claims that California is allowing fresh water to drain into the ocean, rather than using it to combat wildfires.As he was speaking, new evacuation orders were being issued in LA amid a new fast moving wildfire.Share
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