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Donald Trump has described attacks by insurrectionists on police officers at the US Capitol on January 6 2021 as “very minor incidents” after he offered sweeping clemency to those who took part.
Giving his first televised interview since his return to the White House to the Fox News host Sean Hannity on Wednesday, Trump defended his decision to include those who committed violence, saying: “Most of the people were absolutely innocent. OK. But forgetting all about that, these people have served, horribly, a long time. It would be very, very cumbersome to go and look – you know how many people we’re talking about? 1,500 people.”
Trump also suggested that those who put him through “four years of hell” of criminal prosecutions should be investigated, adding ominously that his predecessor, Joe Biden, was “badly advised” not to pre-eminently pardon himself.
Trump’s executive orders threaten healthcare of 24 million Americans
Donald Trump has signed several executive orders that put more than 20 million lower-income and middle-class Americans’ access to healthcare in jeopardy.
Within two days of his return to office, the president had ordered the repeal of Biden-era directives that had expanded Americans’ healthcare access and options. The healthcare access of about 24 million people who bought their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) this year is now at risk.
Trump also repealed Biden-era orders to cut the cost of prescription drugs for people using the government health insurance programs Medicare and Medicaid. The core beneficiaries are older and lower-income Americans.
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Which aspects of the ACA will be affected? Trump cannot repeal the act by executive order but his directives are restricting eligibility requirements, cutting federal subsidies and affecting enrolment deadlines.
Trump to sign anti-immigrant act after it passes in House
The House has passed a bill to require the detention of undocumented immigrants charged with theft-related crimes, which will now return to Donald Trump’s desk to be signed.
Under the Laken Riley Act, named after a 22-year-old murdered last year by a Venezuelan national who was in the US illegally, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) must detain undocumented immigrants charged with crimes such as “burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting”. The proposal does not include new funding, despite ICE warning that the agency lacks the resources to enforce it.
Democrats argued it would “do nothing to fix the immigration crisis” and would just result in more racial profiling and fear-mongering. Opponents emphasised that it ignored the principle that someone charged with a crime had not been convicted and had a right to due process.
In other news …
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Thailand’s new same-sex marriage law came into force on Thursday, with thousands of couples tying the knot.
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Microsoft provided Israel’s army with at least $10m of technical support during the most intensive bombing phase of its war in Gaza, leaked documents reveal.
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Donald Trump has threatened Russia with further economic sanctions unless it agrees to a deal to end the Ukraine war, though it is questionable how much more the US could shrink its trade with the state.
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A 16-year-old student has been killed after a 17-year-old student opened fire in a Nashville-area high school cafeteria on Wednesday, police said.
Stat of the day: The EU generated 11% of its electricity from solar in 2024, surpassing coal for first time
EU nations created more power out of sunlight than coal last year, with solar passing coal-burning power plants for the first time to generate 11% of electricity, compared with the fossil fuel’s 10%. “This is a milestone,” said Beatrice Petrovich, co-author of the report by the climate thinktank Ember. “Coal is the oldest way of producing electricity, but also the dirtiest. Solar is the rising star.”
Don’t miss this: An oral history of Twin Peaks reveals the mystery and mayhem behind the scenes
After David Lynch’s death last week, the stars of Twin Peaks have opened up about what it was like to work with the legendary director on the production that would become embedded in TV’s DNA. From onset “friskiness” to the eerie experience of finding a town that was just like the one they had dreamed up, the core members of the team behind Twin Peaks give Steve Rose a glimpse of the fascinating world behind the surreal show.
Climate check: New California fire spurs evacuations as residents endure dangerous winds
Residents have been ordered to evacuate after a new, fast-moving wildfire erupted north of Los Angeles. The Hughes fire, which has already torn through more than 9,400 acres, comes as the Palisades and Eaton fires continue to burn in their third week. Containment of the former is now at 68%, while the latter is 91% contained.
Last Thing: Can anyone explain what skibidi means?
As ever, the slang used by teens and tweens is rapidly evolving. You do not get any points for knowing the right context in which to use “slay” (who doesn’t?), but you may need a primer on what kids are describing as “sigma”. “Skibidi”, however? That’s anyone’s guess. TLDR: If you were born after 2010, you probably should not be embarrassing yourself by shoehorning any of these words into your vocabulary.
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