Donald Trump has pardoned 23 anti-abortion activists, including some convicted of blockading a reproductive health clinic and intimidating staff and patients
The pardons were issued a day before March for Life, an annual anti-abortion rally in Washington DC
Meanwhile a US judge has temporarily blocked Trump's order to change birthright citizenship, which was slated to take effect in February
Trump has also ordered the declassification of files relating to the deaths of John F Kennedy, Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr as part of another flurry of executive orders
Elsewhere in an interview with Fox News, Trump says he "would rather not" impose tariffs on China, after previously threatening sweeping action on the world's second-biggest economy
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Trump: Canada could 'become a state' of the US to avoid tariffs
Edited by James Harness in London
Handy at a Washington rally in 2022
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.
People chant during the March for Life in Washington DC in 2024
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.
Lauren Handy is reportedly one of those pardoned on Thursday
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
President John F Kennedy (left) was killed while driving through Dallas in 1963
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.
Lee Harvey Oswald (centre) after being captured by Dallas police in 1963. Oswald was shot to death by an assassin before he faced trial
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".
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
Yantian Port in Shenzhen
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.Suranjana Tewari
Business reporter
Shoppers on Qianmen Street in Beijing
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:
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:
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.
Kash Patel, president Trump's pick to lead the FBI, is scheduled to have a hearing before the US Senate Judiciary Committee on 30 January.
A majority vote from the committee is required before Patel can receive a full Senate confirmation vote.
Patel is considered one of Donald Trump's most controversial remaining nominees. He is accused of being blindly loyal to Trump following a book he published in 2023.
Titled Government Gangsters, the book labels several elected officials that have opposed Trump as enemies of the US and members of the "deep state". In the book, he vowed revenge.
Senator Chris Coons, a Democrat and member of the Judiciary Committee, said in a statement after meeting with Patel on Thursday that he was "still concerned" about Patel's "ability to put past grievances aside and focus the FBI on its core mission of keeping Americans safe".
More on recent immigration arrests: Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have arrested 538 people and lodged 373 detainers, the agency said in an update on Thursday.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described those arrested as "illegal immigrant criminals", adding that they include four members of a Venezuelan prison gang, individuals convicted of sex crimes against minors, and a "suspected terrorist".
"The largest massive deportation operation in history is well underway," Leavitt said in an X post.
"Promises made. Promises kept," she added.
Immigration advocates had worried when Trump returned to power, with promises of stopping illegal immigration, that could mean harsh realities for undocumented immigrants and immigrants broadly.
They warned that during raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) other people, including citizens, could get caught in the crossfire.
Meanwhile, Trump's border czar Tom Homan has repeatedly warned that undocumented people caught up in raids of criminals who are without documentation will be deported too.
Earlier today, we heard about one of those raids in Newark in New Jersey.
The Mayor of Newark Ras Baraka said in a statement this evening that ICE agents raided a local establishment in the city and detained undocumented residents and US citizens "without producing a warrant".
One of those individuals was a US military veteran, the mayor said.
"Newark will not stand by idly while people are being unlawfully terrorised," Baraka said.
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Trump's re-election 'once-in-a-thousand-year opportunity' for North Korea, says defector
Trump says he is keen on reconnecting with Kim Jong Un – the feeling may be mutual.
A former North Korean diplomat who had defected told the BBC last year that Trump's return to the White House would be “a once-in-a-thousand-year opportunity” for Pyongyang.
Ri Il Kyu was working in Cuba when he fled with his family to South Korea in November 2023.
He said that North Korea still views Trump as someone it can negotiate with over its nuclear weapons programme, despite talks between him and Kim breaking down in 2019.
But Ri said Pyongyang would not negotiate in good faith. Agreeing to freeze its nuclear programme “would be a ploy, 100% deception”, he said, adding that this was therefore a “dangerous approach” which would “only lead to the strengthening of North Korea”.
You can read more from our Seoul correspondent Jean Mackenzie's interview with Ri in his first interview with an international broadcaster.
Peter Hoskins
Business reporter, Singapore
Trump has said he thinks a trade deal between the US and China could be reached, in a change of tone from his comments on the campaign trail.
Since returning to the White House, he has threatened to hit China with 10% tariffs because of the large amounts of the opioid fentanyl that he says is being sent from China to the US through Mexico and Canada.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump said that an agreement was possible and “we have one very big power over China, and that's tariffs, and they don't want them, and I'd rather not have to use it, but it's a tremendous power over China."
His comments highlight how the US President appears to be using the threat of tariffs as a negotiating tactic.
The world’s two biggest economies have been sparring on a number of geopolitical and economic issues, and the sources of tension between them range from the sovereignty of Taiwan and the ownership of the social media platform TikTok.
Trump and Kim last met in 2019, at the Demilitarised Zone between the two Koreas
Earlier in his interview with Fox News, Trump also said he plans to reach out to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
"I got along with him," Trump said of Kim.
"He’s not a religious zealot. He happens to be a smart guy."
The two last met in 2019, at the Demilitarised Zone between North Korea and South Korea.
During Trump's first term in office, he met Kim three times – he was also the first sitting US president to set foot in North Korea.
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