US

The CIA now believes the COVID-19 pandemic is “more likely” to have originated from a laboratory leak in China than from animals. It follows the release of new analysis that began under the Biden administration at the request of former CIA director William Burns. For years, the CIA has said it is unclear whether COVID-19

Donald Trump has said he thinks Sir Keir Starmer has “done a very good job” so far and said the pair will speak over the phone “over the next 24 hours”. The US president said he and the prime minister “get along well” despite Sir Keir being “liberal, which is a little bit different from

Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s controversial choice for US defence secretary, has been confirmed for the job. The 44-year-old ex-veteran and former Fox News host narrowly secured the top Pentagon post with vice president JD Vance casting the 51-50 tie-breaking vote. Three Republican senators – Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Mitch McConnell

Donald Trump has said that attacks on police officers during the January 6 riots were “minor incidents”. In his first sit-down interview since being inaugurated on Monday, recorded in the Oval Office, Mr Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity most of those who were jailed over the US Capitol riots were “absolutely innocent”. As part

It’s the end of Donald Trump’s second full day as president. It feels like rather longer. Plenty has happened. This is the future. He promised he’d get down to business and so he did. It’s been hard to know which way to look; what to focus on. President Biden preferred short days. President Trump chooses

Donald Trump has attempted to negotiate a potential TikTok sale on live television, in what was supposed to be an announcement about investment in artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure. The US president was holding a news conference about a $500bn (£405bn) investment in AI infrastructure in the country, but was questioned about a range of topics.

Donald Trump has signed an order to remove the US from the World Health Organization (WHO), citing its perceived mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic and “unfair” payments as a driving force. The president singled out the WHO executive order as a “big one” as he signed it alongside 100+ others upon his return to the

Elon Musk’s starring role in the new Donald Trump administration was confirmed as he appeared front and centre of his inauguration proceedings – and witnessed him pledge a mission to Mars. Musk sat behind members of the Trump family for Monday’s ceremony, grinning and pumping his fists as the president declared he would “pursue our

Donald Trump will declare an emergency at the US-Mexico border as one of a host of executive orders the incoming president is expected to sign on Monday and in the coming days. Incoming White House officials have said the first wave of executive orders is said to cover a mix of campaign trail promises, reversals

Donald Trump will become the 47th president of the United States today – marking an astonishing return to the White House for the businessman and former reality TV star. Today’s inauguration comes after a tumultuous four years out of office that saw assassination attempts and several serious legal cases against the 78-year-old. Mr Trump will

Donald Trump’s swearing-in ceremony is “likely” to be moved indoors due to cold weather forecast for Washington DC on Monday. A source familiar with the matter, who spoke to Sky News’ US partner, NBC News, on the condition of anonymity, said it was likely the ceremony would be moved indoors due to the frigid weather

If you think TikTok is messing with the heads of young people, consider what it’s been doing to America’s most powerful adults. Last March, Congress voted overwhelmingly to ban the app on American soil unless a US buyer was found. Despite claims or speculation that anyone from Elon Musk to MrBeast might be buyers, a

The two richest people on the planet are heading for a showdown in space. Elon Musk versus Amazon founder Jeff Bezos: they both launched prototype rockets on the same day, a rivalry with billions of dollars at stake. SpaceX’s Starship is fuelled by Musk’s extraordinary appetite for risk. He innovates through failure, and the seventh

The expectation was that this would be a speech tinged with hubris and bitterness.  The consensus was that it would be a greatest hits farewell threaded with frustration that America didn’t appreciate him despite the achievements, as he’d see them, of his one-term presidency – from a booming economy, record employment, historic infrastructure bills, climate

President Joe Biden has warned of a “dangerous concentration of power” among a few wealthy people in the United States in his farewell address to the nation. Without naming president-elect Donald Trump, Mr Biden said: “Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that really threatens our entire democracy,

Elon Musk is being sued for failing to disclose his purchase of more than 5% of Twitter stock in a timely fashion. The world’s richest man bought the stock in March 2022 and the complaint by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said the delay allowed him to continue buying Twitter stock at artificially

Donald Trump’s choice for US defence secretary has been accused of lacking the competence for the job, during a much-disrupted Senate confirmation hearing. Senators are determining whether Pete Hegseth, a former combat veteran and TV news show host, is fit to lead the US military as Mr Trump’s choice for defence secretary. He is a

President-elect Donald Trump engaged in an unprecedented criminal effort to overturn his 2020 election defeat, according to a report by Special Counsel Jack Smith. He said that Trump “inspired his supporters to commit acts of physical violence” in the January 6 riots and knowingly spread a false narrative about fraud in the 2020 election. Special

With less one week left to go before the Biden administration gives way to Trump’s second term, the starkly contrasting visions and styles of the two presidencies could not be more striking. President Biden is using his final week to mould and cement his legacy. No one writes their own legacy but that doesn’t stop

Donald Trump says a meeting is being set up between himself and Vladimir Putin – and that he and Barack Obama “probably” like each other. Republican US president-elect Mr Trump spoke to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Thursday, saying Russian president Mr Putin “wants to meet, and we are setting it up”.