US

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 spent his inaugural address preaching unity in a country riven with division. But on his first day in office he went solo to sign 15 executive orders and two directives. It was all aimed at undoing Trump’s work swiftly- from re-joining the Paris Climate accord, to a national mask mandate, to reversing the

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

One of the most senior US Republicans has accused Donald Trump of feeding supporters lies that led to the deadly Capitol riot. Mitch McConnell, leader of the GOP in the Senate, accused the outgoing president on his last full day in office of having “provoked” those who stormed the building where legislators narrowly escaped a

Donald Trump has scrapped a travel ban on people from countries such as the UK and Brazil – but incoming president Joe Biden intends to ignore it. Mr Trump said the ban would end on 26 January, the same day a new system comes in requiring everyone flying from outside the US to show a

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

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