US talk show host Larry King has died at the age of 87. The TV star was taken to hospital in Los Angeles in late December after testing positive for coronavirus. King died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, said Ora Media, the studio and network he co-founded, tweeted. No cause of death was given in the
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Up to 200 members of the National Guard on duty in Washington DC for inauguration day have tested positive for coronavirus, an official has said. More than 25,000 troops were drafted in from all over the US to ensure a smooth transition of power. An official who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity said
The impeachment trial of former president Donald Trump will be triggered next week, US Democrats have said. Articles of impeachment are to sent to the Senate by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday, meaning the upper house can launch formal proceedings against Mr Trump on a charge of insurrection over the Capitol riots earlier in
Joe Biden has warned that the fight to bring coronavirus under control in the US is a “wartime undertaking” – devoting much of his first full day in office to tackling the pandemic. The new president signed 10 executive orders on Thursday that are designed to ramp up testing, tackle vaccine shortages, and increase mask
Joe Biden has signed 10 new executive orders in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus across the United States. On his first full day in office, the newly-inaugurated president launched new measures on vaccines, masks and testing. He hit out at Donald Trump’s handling of the pandemic, saying his predecessor lacked the “urgency,
President Joe Biden starts his first full day in office pledging to unify the country and heal divisions after four turbulent years. America’s new leader, the country’s 46th president, is a seasoned political operator but the challenges he faces are legion. Taming the pandemic, dealing with the economic carnage it has reaped and calming a
Joe Biden is preparing to be sworn in as the next US president, replacing Donald Trump after a tumultuous four years. The inauguration ceremony is usually attended by millions of people – but instead, Mr Biden will address a small, socially distanced crowd in light of the coronavirus pandemic and the recent, deadly riots on
Former White House adviser Steve Bannon and rapper Lil Wayne are among the people being pardoned or granted clemency by Donald Trump in the final hours of his presidency. The outgoing president granted clemency to 143 people on Wednesday. Wayne pleaded guilty last month to possessing a loaded, gold-plated handgun on a private flight in
Donald Trump says he will “pray for the success” of Joe Biden’s administration but that the political movement he created “is only just beginning”. Before he leaves office tomorrow, the outgoing president said in his farewell address that everyone in the US had been “horrified” by the rioting at the Capitol in Washington DC earlier
First Lady Melania Trump has advised Americans that “violence is never the answer” in her White House farewell speech. Mrs Trump said it had been “the greatest honour of my life to serve as first lady of the United States” and paid tribute to the military, law enforcement workers and those on the frontline of
The US Capitol Complex has been put in lockdown with no entry or exit due to an “external security threat”. US Capitol Police issued a warning to all buildings within the complex. A notice sent to House and Senate offices: “All buildings within the Capitol Complex: Due to an external security threat located under
Fears about a potential insider attack at Joe Biden’s inauguration have prompted the FBI to vet all 25,000 National Guard troops who will be on duty. Officials are taking “second, third looks at every one of the individuals”, said US Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy. Guard members are also getting training on how to identify potential
Disgraced former music producer Phil Spector has died aged 81. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has confirmed he died of natural causes on Saturday evening. Image: Image of Spector dated 19 November 2019 (Pic: CDCR) TMZ says the 81-year-old was diagnosed with coronavirus four weeks ago and was transferred from his prison cell
Donald Trump needs the same level of affirmation as a toddler – but prosecuting him would only give him the attention he craves, says former FBI chief James Comey. Mr Comey, who was controversially fired by the president in 2017, told Sky News launching a criminal case could lead to several more years of the
America is finally waking up to the problems caused by its polarising politics. And if Sky News’ investigations into one small community in mid-west Ohio are anything to go by, it is going to be one heckuva big, continual challenge – long after the US inauguration on Wednesday. The Sky team in Ohio tracked down
The National Rifle Association (NRA) has announced it has filed for bankruptcy petitions in a US court as part of a restructuring plan. The gun rights advocacy group said it would restructure as a Texas nonprofit to exit what it described as “a corrupt political and regulatory environment in New York”, where it is currently
Police involved in protecting the Capitol building last week have spoken for the first time describing what happened as “brutal, medieval style combat”. The officers were outnumbered by hundreds of rioters, who federal prosecutors claim were intending to “capture and assassinate officials”. Officer Daniel Hodges was nearly crushed to death in the violence. Disturbing video
President-elect Joe Biden has revealed a $1.9trn (£1.4trn) stimulus package to help the US get through the coronavirus pandemic. The package includes $415bn for the virus response, around $1trn for households, and roughly $440bn for small businesses and hard-hit communities. Mr Biden said: “A crisis of deep human suffering is in plain sight, and there’s
Donald Trump has called for “no violence” ahead of what the FBI has warned are “armed protests” being planned at all 50 state capitals ahead of Joe Biden’s inauguration – as removal vans were spotted outside the White House. One group has vowed an uprising will take place and government offices will be stormed if
Donald Trump has become the only US president to be impeached twice. He was first impeached by the Democratic-led House of Representatives in December 2019 on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress over his dealings with Ukraine about political rival Joe Biden. The 45th president was acquitted by the Republican-led Senate last