Image source, Getty Images

Donald Trump has appeared glued to the Oval Office desk for much of this week, signing a succession of executive orders with his trademark black marker pen.

But later today he will make the first domestic trips of his second term.

He’s due to visit Asheville in North Carolina, which was devastated by Hurricane Helene last year.

He’ll then fly west to visit a wildfire-ravaged Los Angeles, California, where firefighters are still battling a fast-moving blaze, and later - so far unclear whether this will be late on Friday or Saturday - to Las Vegas, Nevada.

Bernd Debusmann
Reporting from the White House

Image source, Jessenia Anderson

Over the last few days, I've been reaching out to and speaking with some of the people I met over many months of the campaign trail last year.

Among them is Jessenia Anderson, a Puerto Rican Trump supporter who lives in Pennsylvania, about 240 miles (386 km) west of Philadelphia.

I first met her in Butler, Pennsylvania, when Trump returned for a rally at the scene where he was shot in the ear.

Anderson, an Army veteran, listed a number of reasons why she's been impressed with Trump's first week in office, from addressing border issues to mandating that federal buildings display only the American flag.

"It's refreshing to see strong and decisive leadership back in office, providing the direction our nation desperately needs," she says.

In particular, she's also happy with Trump's efforts to remove "DEI" measures from US institutions, including the military.

"I support initiatives that value qualifications over quotas," she tells me. "These actions embody the decisive, principled governance that has been missing for too long."

As we've reported, President Trump pardoned 23 anti-abortion activists when he signed an executive order on Thursday - less than a week since he returned to the White House.

The 2024 US presidential election was the first since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, which protected the national right to an abortion.

A few days before the election the BBC spoke to women voters about abortion and gender - the issues that figured prominently during the campaigning.

Michelle Allen, a 38-year-old engineer from Arizona who is a registered Republican, said she was "concerned about women's rights and women's health care".

"I'm not a one-issue voter, but that is a huge one. I work in the medical sector and I was very personally affected by the overturn of Roe v Wade because I wasn't able to get access to a lot of the drugs I needed. Nobody was sure of what the legality was... even though they're used for other things."

Angela Richardson, a 27-year-old graduate student in Iowa backing the Democrats, said: "Obviously abortion is a huge issue that needs to be addressed.

"But I'm not necessarily happy, I should say, with either candidate's [Donald Trump and Kamala Harris] approaches in addressing the issue."

Abigail Burke, a 38-year-old independent voter in Florida, said: "Reproductive rights for women are huge for me as a woman.

"I really want to support a party that's going to support reproductive rights for women and not just women, but for everybody, because what's to say it's not going to spread elsewhere? It starts with women, usually, but it goes on and on."

• Women on how abortion shaped their vote

Image source, Reuters

The United Nations says the right to seek asylum is "universally recognised" after US President Donald Trump suspended all refugee admissions and halted the US asylum programme.

"All states are entitled to exercise their jurisdiction along their international borders, [but] they need to do so in line with their human rights obligations," UN rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani says, according to AFP news agency.

"The right to seek asylum is a universally recognised human right," she adds.

On Monday, Trump signed an executive order suspending the Refugee Admissions Program, saying the US "lacks the ability to absorb large numbers of migrants, and in particular, refugees, into its communities".

The move has cancelled travel plans for over 1,600 approved Afghan refugees, while more than 3,000 others are waiting in Albania to be resettled.

The UNHCR said yesterday that "refugee resettlement is a life-saving measure", and they are "ready to continue our work with the new administration to find solutions for refugees".

Image source, Reuters

Away from US domestic issues, Russia says it is open to negotiating nuclear disarmament.

Moscow will engage with Washington, but only if the nuclear arsenals of the UK and France are included, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said, according to Russian state media outlet TASS.

This follows comments by US President Donald Trump yesterday, where he said he wanted to work towards reducing nuclear arms. Trump suggested that Russia and China might also support scaling back their weapons.

Responding to Trump’s remarks, Peskov told TASS: "We are certainly interested in starting the negotiation process as soon as possible."

But he also added: "In the current situation, all nuclear capacities need to be taken into account. In particular, it’s impossible to hold a conversation without taking into consideration the nuclear capacities of France and the United Kingdom. The current realities make it necessary."

As we've been reporting, US President Donald Trump signed pardons for 23 anti-abortion activists.

Watch how it unfolded in the Oval Office on Thursday.

Image source, Getty Images

As we mentioned earlier, one of the people reportedly pardoned by Donald Trump is Lauren Handy.

In 2020 she was the leader of the Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU) group and describes herself as a "Catholic anarchist".

On 22 October that year, Handy booked an abortion appointment at the Surgi-Clinic in Washington DC under the name Hazel Jenkins.

When she arrived, she and others forced their way into the clinic. A nurse sprained her ankle as one of the group entered.

The group stayed inside for hours, livestreaming on Facebook as they linked arms and used furniture, locks and chains to block the doors.

Handy was arrested and charged with conspiring to injure, oppress, threaten and intimidate patients and staff.

She was found guilty in August 2023 and sentenced to three years of supervised release.

President Donald Trump is expected to address via videolink America's largest annual anti-abortion rally later on Friday.

As we've reported, he also pardoned 23 anti-abortion activists a day before the March for Life in Washington DC.

In 2020, Trump became the first US president to attend the rally in person.

Previous Republican presidents, including George W Bush and Ronald Reagan, have addressed the group remotely.

The annual demonstration first began in 1974 - a year after the US Supreme Court legalised abortion in Roe v Wade.

Image source, Reuters

Roe v Wade was a landmark 1973 legal ruling that made abortion legal across the US, but it was overturned by the US Supreme Court in 2022.

In 1969, Norma McCorvey, using the pseudonym "Jane Roe", challenged Texas's criminal abortion laws, which only allowed abortion if the mother's life was at risk.

Henry Wade, the district attorney for Dallas County, defended the anti-abortion law – giving the case its name, Roe v Wade.

In 1973, the US Supreme Court ruled that a woman’s right to end her pregnancy was protected by the constitution.

The ruling gave American women an absolute right to an abortion in the first three months (trimester) of pregnancy, with some restrictions later on.

But in 2022, the court ruled in favour of Mississippi in another case that challenged the state's ban on abortion after 15 weeks, effectively ending the constitutional right to an abortion.

Since then, many US states have passed laws that outlaw abortion.

Image source, Getty Images

Donald Trump signed pardons for anti-abortion activists on Thursday, during another round of executive orders from the Oval Office

The president pardoned 23 people who had been convicted for blocking access to abortion clinics.

"They should not have been prosecuted. Many of them are elderly people. They should not have been prosecuted," he said. "This is a great honour to sign this. They’ll be very happy."

US media report that one of those pardoned is Lauren Handy, leader of the group Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU).

The group was convicted of conspiring in 2020 to storm a Washington reproductive health clinic and block access to intimidate patients and staff. Members forced their way into the Surgi-Clinic, injuring a nurse, and spent several hours inside.

Handy was found guilty in August 2023 and sentenced in May 2024.

Abortion rights became a key issue in the 2024 presidential race after the US Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v Wade ruling in 2022, ending nearly 50 years of federal protection for abortion.

Mike Wendling
BBC News

Image source, Getty Images

As we've reported, Donald Trump has ordered officials to make plans to declassify documents related to three of the most consequential assassinations in US history - the killings of John F Kennedy, Robert F Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr.

The order directs top administration officials to present a plan to declassify the documents within 15 days.

President John F Kennedy was killed in Dallas in 1963. His brother Robert F Kennedy was assassinated while running for president in California 1968, just two months after King, America's most famous civil rights leader, was murdered in Memphis, Tennessee.

Image source, Reuters / Dallas Police Department

John F Kennedy was shot by Lee Harvey Oswald, a Marine veteran who had defected to the Soviet Union and later returned to the United States. A government commission determined that Oswald acted alone.

However, unanswered questions have long dogged the case, and have given rise to alternative theories about the involvement of government agents, the mafia and other nefarious characters - as well as more outlandish conspiracy theories.

In 1992, Congress passed a law to release all documents related to the investigation within 25 years. Both Trump in his first term and President Joe Biden released piles of JFK-related documents, but thousands - out of a total of millions - still remain partially or fully secret.

Trump promised to declassify all of the files in his first term, but held back on his promise after CIA and FBI officials persuaded him to keep some files secret.

Speaking to the BBC's correspondent Sumi Somaskanda earlier, one of the lawyers challenging Trump's attempt to restrict birthright citizenship called the president's effort "just a blatant violation" of the US Constitution.

Dana Nessel, Michigan's attorney general, says "it's unsurprising" the federal judge in Washington has temporarily blocked Trump's plan.

The White House says it will challenge the ruling.

"A vital part about being an American is that if you are born in the United States, you are considered to be an American citizen, and it's been that way, of course, for over a century," she says.

Trump's challenge to the century-old constitutional right has been tested before the Supreme Court twice before and failed, she says, adding that changing birthright citizenship - protected by the 14th Amendment - is "quite a lengthy process".

She says Trump "simply wants to implement his policies without following the law" and the court's ruling today says "that he simply is not going to be permitted to do that".

Here in Beijing, people are wondering what Trump wantspublished at 08:07 Greenwich Mean Time 24 January

08:07 GMT 24 January

Laura Bicker
China correspondent, reporting from Beijing

China has been offered some breathing room from Donald Trump’s tariffs, prompting some analysts to ask if the US president has gone soft on China.

But this approach is also keeping Beijing guessing. Many here are wondering – what does the US want in return?

Trump described tariffs as Washington’s “one very big power” over China, so he sees them as a key diplomatic tool to do a deal.

In response the Chinese foreign ministry has once again warned in its daily briefing that there will be no winners in a trade war and that Beijing is ready to talk to the US to “properly handle differences”.

They appear to be keeping the tone neutral and seem open to engagement.

So, what could those talks involve? And what deal could be on the table?

During Trump’s honeymoon period with China during his first term in the White House he came to Beijing to ask for President Xi’s help with North Korea and Kim Jong Un.

This time, there is some speculation that he could ask for Xi’s help with Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.

Trump told business leaders in Davos during a video speech that China had “a great deal of power over that situation”.

He could also demand that China do more to end the flow of fentanyl to the United States or he could do a much talked about deal on TikTok.

Whatever the deal is, it holds both promise and peril for Beijing. A deal could help reset US-China ties. No-deal could abruptly end this second honeymoon and set the two leaders up for a far more confrontational relationship.

As we've been reporting, Donald Trump said he "would rather not" have to impose tariffs on China and suggested a deal could be done with Beijing.

We've now heard from Beijing and in today’s foreign ministry briefing, spokesperson Mao Ning emphasised that economic and trade co-operation between the two countries is "mutually beneficial and win-win".

"There are no winners in trade wars and tariff wars, which are not in the interests of either side and are not in the interest of the world," she added.

In terms of trade deficit, a central issue in the two countries' dispute over trade, Mao said that China had never deliberately pursed a trade surplus and pointed out that there is "enormous room" for co-operation between China and US.

Suranjana Tewari
Business reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Exporters in China have been rushing to load and ship cargo through ports ahead of an eight-day Lunar New Year holiday, and a proposed wave of US tariffs.

It’s called frontloading – increasing exports of everything from toys to furniture and electronics before any tariffs kick in.

Yantian Port in Shenzhen is one of the world's largest container ports and handles one-quarter of China's exports to the United States.

In a statement on Wednesday, it said it’s increased the daily quota on containers by 15% between 20 and 28 January.

Tariffs would hurt US demand for Chinese products – manufacturers would be left with no choice but to pass on the increased costs to the consumers, and so they may order less.

In the US, polls have shown that Americans don’t think tariffs are a good idea if they lead to higher prices, and many are sceptical they would even protect jobs for US workers.

The Chinese commerce ministry has said that China is willing to work with the United States to promote stable and healthy development of economic and trade ties.

A congressman has proposed an amendment which would allow Donald Trump to serve a third term as US president.

Andy Ogles, a Republican from Tennessee, has introduced a joint resolution to alter the 22nd Amendment, which currently prohibits anyone from serving more than two terms as president.

His new wording would allow a president to serve three terms, as long as only two of them are consecutive. It’s a proposal squarely intended for Trump, which Ogles makes clear in a statement.

"This amendment would allow President Trump to serve three terms, ensuring that we can sustain the bold leadership our nation so desperately needs," he says.

But amending the Constitution is extremely difficult, requiring the support of two-thirds of the House and Senate. Even the backing of every Republican in congress - which is far from guaranteed - would not be enough.

Trump tariffs aren't China's only problempublished at 06:22 Greenwich Mean Time 24 January

06:22 GMT 24 January

Suranjana Tewari
Business reporter

Image source, Getty Images

China's economy rebounded in the last three months of last year, allowing the government to meet its growth target of 5% in 2024, Beijing announced last week.

But it is one of the slowest rates of growth in decades as the world's second largest economy struggles to shake off a protracted property crisis, high local government debt and youth unemployment.

The head of the country's statistics bureau said China's economic achievements in 2024 were "hard won", after the government launched a slew of stimulus measures late last year.

Beijing has rarely missed its growth targets in the past.

Experts had broadly predicted this rate of growth. The World Bank said lower borrowing costs and rising exports would mean China could achieve annual growth of 4.9%.

Investors, however, are bracing themselves: the threat of President Donald Trump's tariffs on $500bn (£409bn) worth of Chinese goods looms large.

Yet that is not all that stands in the way of China achieving its growth targets next year.

Read more from Suranjana Tewari here.

Good morning to our readers in the UK and Europe. Here's a recap of some key lines from the last few hours:

• In the second part of a Fox News interview, he said he "would rather not" have to impose tariffs on China while saying it's America's "tremendous power" over Beijing
• He also called North Korean leader Kim Jong Un a “smart guy”, criticised green energy, and discussed his approaches to China’s President Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin
• Meanwhile, immigration agents have arrested hundreds of people - the White House has called the detainees "illegal immigrant criminals"
• A federal judge temporarily blocked Trump’s executive order to curtail birthright citizenship, calling it “blatantly unconstitutional” - Trump vowed to appeal the ruling

• The president declassified files relating to the deaths of John F Kennedy, Robert F Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr, saying “everything will be revealed”

• While threatening “trillions of dollars” in tariffs on foreign imports, Trump said Canada could become a US state to avoid them, to audible gasps at the World Economic Forum in Davos

Stay with us, as our teams in London, Washington DC and across the US bring you the latest updates.

Hours earlier President Trump touched on a broad range of issues during his first global address of his second term in office, speaking virtually to the audience at the Davos World Economic Forum.

Here are a few key lines:

• "Make your products in America or pay tariffs," Trump tells world leaders
• "You can always become a state, and if you're a state, we won't have a deficit. We won't have to tariff you," Trump says, speaking to Canada
• "I’m also going to ask all Nato nations to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP, which is what it should have been years ago”
• "Ukraine is ready to make a deal," Trump says, when asked if the Russia-Ukraine war would end by next year
• Trump says China President Xi Jinping called him and that they have a "very good relationship", adding that "all we want is fairness"

Will we see more talks between Trump and Kim Jong Un?published at 05:22 Greenwich Mean Time 24 January

05:22 GMT 24 January

Jean Mackenzie
Seoul correspondent

Some of the most memorable moments of Trump’s previous presidency were the astonishing meetings he held with the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, to try and persuade him to give up his nuclear weapons.

But if Trump wants to restart these talks, there is no guarantee Kim Jong Un would agree this time. And it is unlikely he would sit down on the same terms.

A lot has changed since 2019, when they last met.

Firstly, Kim Jong Un has been burnt. He was said to be humiliated after the talks broke down without a deal. He may not want to risk being humiliated again.

Secondly, North Korea’s nuclear arsenal has improved. Kim even changed his constitution in 2022, to state that North Korea is a nuclear power and will never denuclearise.

And lastly, Kim is less isolated now. He is supporting Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, sending weapons and troops, in return for food, fuel and possibly military assistance.

Kim doesn’t have the same need to cut a deal with the US and give up his prized nuclear weapons – while Russia is willing to ignore sanctions and give him what he needs.

This could all change if the war in Ukraine ends, or Trump agrees to talk to Kim on more favourable terms, especially if he were to dangle the possibility of allowing North Korea to hold onto some of its nuclear arsenal.