Donald Trump has just taken the stage at his Las Vegas rally.

Trump thanked his supporters and political allies in Nevada and promised "the four greatest years in the history of our country".

He is expected to discuss his "no tax on tips" policy during his speech.

Image source, Getty Images

At his rally in Las Vegas today, Donald Trump is expected to promote his "no taxes on tip" proposal - making good on a campaign promise he floated while on the trail this past summer.

The plan will be especially popular in Nevada, a swing state where the tip-heavy hospitality industry makes up more than a fifth of jobs. And it could benefit the more than two million restaurant servers across the country, who often rely heavily on tips to augment their income.

But so far it's not clear how this plan would work.

In the Senate, Texas Republican Ted Cruz has introduced a bill that would exempt tips from income taxes. In the House, two Republicans have a wider bill that would exempt tips from both income taxes and payroll taxes, which fund Social Security and Medicare.

But some experts have pointed to broad problems with both plans: first, that many working-class Americans do not earn enough to have to owe much income tax to begin with and, second, that paying less in payroll taxes could then limit what benefits those workers are able to claim from Social Security and Medicare.

There is also the question of cost. The Tax Foundation estimates that any change to tax on tips could cost at least $107bn (£86bn) over a decade.

Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent reporting from Las Vegas

Donald Trump begins the second day of his first domestic trip since his inauguration in Las Vegas, where he will hold a rally in a downtown casino later this afternoon.

As we wait for Trump to depart his hotel, a crowd of supporters and onlookers are already gathering across the street to watch the spectacle of a presidential motorcade.

Nevada was one of the battleground states that Trump flipped into his column in November’s election. And while it was not a big electoral prize, it marked the first time a Republican had won this western state in 20 years.

Trump is expected to tout his promise to make income from tips exempt from federal taxes. It was a policy that Democrats quickly supported as well but that many in Trump’s circle believe was key to his winning service-industry workers in this state.

After Trump finishes here in Nevada, he will head to his golf resort in southern Florida - the conclusion of what has been a frenetic week of activity back in power.

Inspectors general were sent emails from the director of presidential personnel overnight on Friday telling them that "due to changing priorities, your position as inspector general... is terminated, effective immediately", according to CBS News, the BBC's US partner.

The group of dismissed watchdogs includes the inspector general for the Department of Health and Human Services, and the inspector general of the Small Business Administration, CBS said.

According to the New York Times, competing lists of fired watchdogs had been circulated, which included watchdogs at the departments of agriculture, commerce, defence, education, housing and urban development, interior, labour, transportation and veterans affairs, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency.

Image source, Getty Images

Republican senator and chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee Chuck Grassley has said he wants "further explanation" from Trump after the president fired at least at dozen inspectors general.

As we've been reporting, the legality of the move to dismiss the officials - who act at independent watchdogs for federal agencies - has been questioned by Democrats and the chair of the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency.

Grassley says there "may be good reason" for the officials to be dismissed, but added: "We need to know that if so. I'd like further explanation from President Trump.

"Regardless, the 30 day detailed notice of removal that the law demands was not provided to Congress."

It's not the first time Grassley has clashed with Trump over an attempt to fire inspectors general - in the president's first term Grassley challenged dismissals on similar grounds and requested more details.

In 2020 he signed a bipartisan joint letter which argued "Congress intended that inspectors general only be removed when there is clear evidence of wrongdoing or failure to perform the duties of the office, and not for reasons unrelated to their performance".

Rachel Looker
Reporting from Washington

President Trump's reported firing of at least a dozen inspectors general late on Friday maybe should not come as a total surprise. We did see him do something similar in his last administration.

In 2020, Trump fired or side-lined a handful of individuals serving in these same positions. At the time, Democrats said Trump was retaliating against public servants who were holding his administration to account.

Inspectors general serve in independent, watchdog positions. Congress created the roles to prevent fraud, waste, abuse and wrongdoing in federal agencies. Presidents rarely replace inspectors general at the start of their term, though there have been occasions in the past when a White House is concerned with performance or alignment with the administration's priorities.

Democrats are condemning Trump's latest move. Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote in a social media post that the president is "dismantling checks on his power". Many anticipate that he will install political allies in the positions.

Trump's actions are likely to face legal challenges for violating a law that requires a 30-day notice before an inspector general can be removed.

Image source, Getty Images

Democrats are unhappy with the Trump administration after the president reportedly fired at least a dozen federal watchdogs.

Gerry Connolly, a Virginia Democrat and ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, called it a "Friday night coup" and an "attack on transparency and accountability, essential ingredients in our democratic form of government".

"Replacing independent inspectors general with political hacks will harm every American who relies on social security, veterans benefits, and a fair hearing at IRS on refunds and audits,” he added.

Connolly said that Democrats on the Oversight Committee had sent a letter of support to the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency.

President Trump has fired a number of inspectors general - independent watchdogs for federal agencies - prompting claims that the dismissals are unlawful.

Reports of how many inspectors general have been fired vary slightly across US media, but Senate Minority Leader, Democrat Chuck Schumer, said at least 12 had been dismissed "in the dark of night".

“This is a chilling purge,” Schumer said, claiming it was "Donald Trump's way of telling us he is terrified of accountability and is hostile to facts and to transparency".

Chair of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, Hannibal Ware, wrote to the White House last night saying he and an unspecified number of others had received notice of immediate termination.

He questioned the legality of the move, saying that federal law requires the president give Congress a month's warning and case-specific details before firing a federal inspector general.

The Trump administration has not announced the move, but BBC News has approached the White House for comment.

Image source, Getty Images

Senate Republicans united with seven Democrats to clear the final hurdle to confirm Kristi Noem as Department of Homeland Security secretary.

Noem previously cleared a procedural hurdle advancing her nomination through the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee with the help of Democrats.

Senator Gary Peters of Michigan, who serves as the top Democrat of the committee, voted to confirm Noem in the committee and on the full Senate floor.

The other Democrats who voted to favour of her confirmation include John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Tim Kaine of Virginia; Andy Kim of New Jersey and Elissa Slotkin of Michigan.

Rachel Looker
Reporting from Washington

Kristi Noem has just become the latest member of Trump's national security team.

She'll join Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliff - who were all confirmed less than one week into Trump's second administration.

Noem will be tasked with fulfilling one of Trump's biggest campaign promises: Addressing the US-Mexico border.

As Department of Homeland Security secretary, Noem now has jurisdiction over U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) - agencies that she referred to as under a "broken and dysfunctional" department during her confirmation hearing.

Beyond the border, Noem will also lead emergency and disaster planning and relief through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Disaster relief has turned political after Trump threatened to withhold federal relief funds following the deadly California wildfires after disagreements with the state's Democratic governor Gavin Newsom.

Noem declined to say during her confirmation hearing that she would defy the president over issues regarding aid to states.

Image source, EPA

Pete Hegseth was sworn in as the US's Secretary of Defense this morning after the Senate confirmed his nomination late last night.

His nomination was approved by the narrowest possible margin after three Republicans voted against Hegseth, forcing Vice President JD Vance to cast the deciding vote.

Hegseth's nomination was highly controversial, and he faced a number of misconduct allegations, including sexual assault – which he denied – and excessive drinking.

Concerns were also raised over the former veteran and Fox News host's experience given the defence department's size and complexity – it's made up of some three million employees and has a $849bn (£695bn) budget.

At his swearing in, Hegseth thanked the vice president for casting the deciding vote, and he joked that his kids said he "won in overtime".

Vance thanked President Trump for nominating someone respected by "the war fighters".

“I also want to say thank you to my Senate colleagues. It turns out we couldn't spare one,” Vance added.

The Senate has confirmed Kristi Noem to serve as Department of Homeland Security secretary by a vote of 59-34.

Noem becomes the fourth cabinet nominee to be confirmed by the Senate since Trump has entered office.

Republicans have pushed to quickly clear Trump's nominees to shore up his national security team.

Image source, Getty Images

Welcome back. We are restarting our live coverage as we continue to cover President Donald Trump's first week in office.

The Senate is now voting to confirm Kristi Noem, the president's nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security. She has already hit the 50-vote threshold needed to take office.

Noem, who currently serves as governor of South Dakota, previously testified before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee where she vowed to crack down on immigration if confirmed to the role.

She would oversee US security, including its borders, cyber-threats, terrorism and emergency response as head of the agency. The job also comes with managing more than 260,000 federal employees and a $62bn (£48bn) budget.

It’s unusual for lawmakers to vote on a Saturday - the Senate rarely works through the weekend - but Republicans are aiming to confirm all of Trump’s cabinet-level national security officials as soon as possible.

Donald Trump has had a busy first week in office. He's issued a slew of executive orders, travelled across the country and issued a number of pardons.

Here are some of the biggest developments:

• Trump has taken action on immigration, declaring a border emergency, halting arrivals of refugees, loosening rules on where officers can search for illegal immigrants and ordering troops to the US border with Mexico.
• However, large-scale immigration raids in Democrat-run major cities that were hinted at have so far failed to materialise
• The US president does not have complete power to issue laws and Trump’s actions are subject to Congress and the courts. Trump’s order to end birthright citizenship – automatic citizen rights to anyone born on US soil – has already been temporarily halted
• One absolute power the president does have is to pardon criminals, and he issued nearly 1,500 pardons of January 6 rioters, as well as Ross Ulbricht, who was convicted of running an online drugs market
• In executive orders, the president has ordered federal agencies to end diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) programs and recognize two sexes, male and female
• Trump has also paused a US ban on TikTok, renamed the Gulfof Mexico the “Gulf of America”, ordered officials to develop a plan to release classified documents related to the assassinations of John F Kennedy, Robert F Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr
• Trump ended his week with a pair of trips to areas that have seen natural disasters - North Carolina and California. He visited areas ravaged by Hurricane Helene in Asheville then flew to Los Angeles to tour areas destroyed by recent fires.

Here is more on what Trump has done since taking power.

We're ending our live coverage but catch up on updates on Hegseth's confirmation here and we have full coverage on Trump's trip to California here.

Republican Senator Mitch McConnell has just issued a statement explaining why he voted against Hegseth as the next US defence secretary.

It was a notable break from Trump for the Republican, who was the longest-serving Senate party leader in US history before taking a step back this year.

McConnell issued a blistering critique of Hegseth, saying he is unprepared to lead a department of three million people while managing a huge budget and co-ordinating with allies around the world.

“Mr Hegseth has failed, as yet, to demonstrate that he will pass this test," he says.

“The United States faces coordinated aggression from adversaries bent on shattering the order underpinning American security and prosperity," McConnell adds.

"In public comments and testimony before the Armed Services Committee, Mr Hegseth did not reckon with this reality."

He adds that in his testimony to the Senate, he didn't acknowledge a plan on how to defend Taiwan or the Philippines against a Chinese attack - or if the US should even step in if such an attack were to occur.

"He failed, for that matter, to articulate in any detail a strategic vision for dealing with," with China, McConnell says.

Using a phrased coined by Hegseth, a former Fox News host and author, McConnell says: "The restoration of ‘warrior culture’ will not come from trading one set of culture warriors for another."

He ends by wishing "Secretary Hegseth great success".

Image source, Getty Images

Pete Hegseth spent years in the US Army and as a Fox News host before becoming Trump's Defence Secretary.

The 44-year-old has little traditional experience for the role but he has long been a defender of President Trump.

Besides the time he unsuccessfully ran for the Republican Senate nomination in Minnesota - Hegseth has limited political experience.

He's argued women should not serve in combat roles and has called for "woke" policies of the department to be revoked.

While he earned the support of many Republicans, his nomination for weeks was dogged by concerns about his lack of experience and misconduct allegations.

Read more about Hegseth here.

Pete Hegseth, Trump's embroiled defence secretary nominee, was just confirmed by the US Senate.

In a dramatic turn, Vice-President JD Vance came to the US Capitol to cast the tie-breaking vote of 51-50.

Stick with us and we'll bring you the latest from the vote.

Vice-President JD Vance is expected to cast the tie-breaking vote to approve Hegseth. Currently, the Senate is split in a 50-50 tie on his appointment as defence secretary.

Vance joked in a post on X that, "I thought I was done voting in the senate" with a laughing emoji.

His expected vote will mark only the second time in history that a vice-president has exercised their authority to cast a deciding vote for a cabinet appointment.

In 2017, Trump's first vice-president, Mike Pence, cast the final vote to confirm Betsy DeVos as Trump's secretary of education.

We've been waiting to see how some Republicans would vote on Hegseth, including those who expressed concerned about his nomination.

Former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican representing Kentucky, has just voted no - a big step for the former top Republican in Washington.

He joins fellow Republican senators Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins who also voted against Hegseth becoming the US defence secretary.

The three Republicans voting against Hegseth would bring the vote to a tie, which Vice President JD Vance can break.

But if another Republican votes against Hegseth, his nomination will fail.

Hegseth is watching the votes on his nomination come in, as are many of us.

As the votes continue to be tallied, Hegseth just posted a letter on social media that he wrote to North Carolina Senator Tom Tillis, a Republican who is thought to be one of the key swing votes on his appointment.

In the letter he appears to answer specific questions Tillis asked him about allegations of physical abuse, sexual assault and alcohol use.

You can read the two-page letter here, external.

In the last few moments, Tillis posted on social media that he would support Hegseth's appointment.