The US economy suffered its worst annual decline for 74 years in 2020 as the pandemic crushed business activity and pushed millions of Americans out of work, official figures showed. Gross domestic product (GDP) shrank by 3.5%, the biggest fall since 1946 when America was demobilising after the Second World War. Output is now recovering
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Two members of a far-right group tracked down by Sky News after an attack on the US Capitol have been indicted. Jessica Marie Watkins, 38, and Donovan Ray Crowl, 50, were indicted along with Thomas Caldwell, 65, after allegedly conspiring to obstruct Congress. If they are found guilty they could be jailed for up to
For the last four years the most important voice in America was largely absent from the discussion of how to tackle climate change. The new president of the United States has signalled he will not be silent on the “existential threat” facing the world. He has issued executive orders to cut oil, gas and coal
Prosecutors say they will not be overwhelmed by the number of cases being pursued over the US Capitol riots – despite the FBI identifying more than 400 suspects. More than 150 people have so far been charged after Donald Trump‘s supporters stormed the Capitol on 6 January, leaving five people dead. Investigators are also continuing
Joe Biden has spoken to Vladimir Putin for the first time since taking office, with the US president raising concerns over the treatment of Alexei Navalny. The high-profile opposition figure, a vocal critic of the Russian president, was jailed after returning to Moscow from Germany, where he was recovering after being exposed to novichok. Mr
Disney has said it is updating its Jungle Cruise ride at theme parks in the US following allegations of racism. The “scenic and comedic boat tour”, which takes passengers on a trip taking in “exotic rivers across Asia, Africa and South America”, has been accused of including offensive depictions of indigenous people. White characters featured
Joe Biden has suggested the US could soon be vaccinating an average of 1.5 million Americans a day – but warned the country’s growing COVID death toll could still top 600,000. The US has offered one million doses per day over the last week, but the new president insisted: “I think we may be able
The starting gun for Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial is fired today with the Article Of Impeachment sent to the US Senate. Republicans and Democrats have agreed on the start date for the trial – 8 February – but not much else, it seems. The ground rules for the trial are still being discussed. Democrats
The state of the special relationship between Britain and America under a Biden presidency has been the focus of intense speculation. Joe Biden and Boris Johnson are not political bedfellows. Mr Biden has referred to Mr Johnson as the physical and emotional clone of Donald Trump and is no fan of Brexit. But Saturday’s phone
Boris Johnson has spoken to the newly inaugurated US President Joe Biden in a Saturday evening phone call to Washington DC. After the call, the prime minister tweeted: “Great to speak to President Joe Biden this evening. “I look forward to deepening the longstanding alliance between our two countries as we drive a green and
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
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