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On the first day of his new term, President Donald Trump signed orders ranging from climate to immigration, along with sweeping pardons for nearly all of those charged with storming the capital on January 6, 2021.Some of his orders delivered on promises he made during the 2024 campaign. Others, like a withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO), had not been expected. Here is a summary of the orders Trump signed at a Washington arena packed with supporters, and later at the White House, after he was sworn in as president.- Immigration -Trump signed various orders aimed at reshaping how the United States manages immigration and citizenship. One declared a national emergency at the southern border. Trump also promised a mass deportation operation involving the military, which he says will target those he called “criminal aliens.” In the Oval Office, Trump signed an order revoking birthright citizenship. But automatic US citizenship to people born in the country is enshrined in the Constitution, and Trump’s action is certain to face a legal challenge.- January 6 rioters -Trump signed pardons for more than 1,500 people charged in the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol by his supporters trying to overturn the 2020 election.He again referred to those who were convicted or pleaded guilty over the riots as “hostages.”- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion – Trump repealed various executive orders promoting diversity programs and LGBTQ equality, in line with his promised attack on “woke” culture.He overturned decrees promoting diversity and equality in the government, businesses and healthcare, as well as the rights of LGBTQ Americans.Trump said that moving forward the US government will only recognize “two genders, male and female.”- Paris climate accord – The president immediately withdrew the United States from the Paris climate accord, repeating an action he took during his first term.The order extends Trump’s defiant rejection of global efforts to combat planetary warming as catastrophic weather events intensify worldwide.It would take a year to leave the agreement after submitting a formal notice to the United Nations framework that underpins global climate negotiations.- Oil drilling -Trump signed an order declaring a “national energy emergency” aimed at significantly expanding drilling in the world’s top oil and gas producer.”We will drill, baby, drill,” Trump said in his inaugural address.- Work from home – Another order requires federal workers to return to the office full-time, with Trump seeking to undo most of the work-from-home allowances that flourished during the Covid-19 pandemic.- Leaving WHO –  Trump signed an order for the United States to exit the World Health Organization, insisting Washington was unfairly paying more than China into the UN body.- TikTok -The president ordered a 75-day pause on enforcing a law that would effectively ban TikTok.His action delayed implementation of an act that came into effect this week, prohibiting the distribution and updating of TikTok in the United States.Trump has said the app’s Chinese parent company must agree to sell a 50 percent share to the United States. – West Bank settlers -Trump revoked sanctions against violent Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank accused of abuses against Palestinians, undoing an unprecedented action taken by Joe Biden’s administration.- Cuba -Undoing another one of Biden’s more recent moves, Trump reversed the removal of Cuba from a blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism.Biden had removed Cuba from the list only days earlier as part of a deal to free prisoners.burs-bs/jgc/bfm/mtp

The Taliban government said Tuesday it had released two American citizens from prison in return for an Afghan fighter held in the United States, in a deal brokered by Qatar.Discussions about the prisoner exchange were confirmed last year, but the swap was announced after outgoing US president Joe Biden handed over to Donald Trump, who was inaugurated on Monday.”An Afghan fighter Khan Mohammed imprisoned in America has been released in exchange for American citizens and returned to the country,” the Afghan foreign ministry said in a statement.The ministry said Mohammed had been serving a life sentence in California after being arrested “almost two decades ago” in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar.Mohammed, who was convicted of narco-terrorism by a US court, returned to the province on Tuesday, where he was greeted by a crowd and presented with garlands of flowers. He told journalists he was grateful to the Taliban authorities for his release and he was “very happy” to be reunited with his family.”A lot of innocent people are imprisoned, my request is that all of them can be released and be able to return to their homes,” he said.His son, Rafiullah Mohammed, said his father was innocent and that the family demanded compensation.Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP two US nationals had been released, declining to provide any further details on the exchange.- ‘Overwhelming gratitude’ – The family of US citizen Ryan Corbett, who was detained by the Taliban in 2022, confirmed he was released and thanked both the Biden and Trump administrations, as well as Qatar.”Today, our hearts are filled with overwhelming gratitude and praise to God for sustaining Ryan’s life and bringing him back home after what has been the most challenging and uncertain 894 days of our lives,” the family said on their website.They called for two other Americans still held in Afghanistan to be released.US media named William McKenty as the second released American detainee, noting little was known about what he was doing in Afghanistan and that his family had asked the US government for privacy in his case.The New York Times said two other Americans remain in detention in Afghanistan, former airline mechanic George Glezmann and naturalised American Mahmood Habibi.In August 2024, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation said it was seeking information about the disappearance of Afghan-American businessman Habibi two years previously.- ‘New chapter’ -After Trump’s election win in November, the Taliban government had said it hoped for a “new chapter” in ties with the United States.Biden came under heavy criticism for the chaotic withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan in 2021, more than a year after Trump presided over a deal with the Taliban insurgents to end US and NATO involvement in the two-decade war.Taliban authorities have repeatedly said they want positive relations with every country since sweeping back to power in 2021.No state has officially recognised their government, with restrictions on women’s rights a key sticking point for many countries, including the United States.The Taliban government on Tuesday called the exchange “a good example of resolving issues through dialogue, expressing special gratitude for the effective role of the brotherly country of Qatar in this regard”.”The Islamic Emirate views positively those actions of the United States that contribute to the normalisation and expansion of relations between the two countries,” it added, using the Taliban authorities’ name for their government.A 2008 US Department of Justice statement named Mohammed — in his 30s at the time — as a member of “an Afghan Taliban cell” and said he was arrested in October 2006 and sentenced in December 2008 to “two terms of life in prison on drug and narco-terrorism charges”. It was the first narco-terrorism conviction in a US federal court, the statement said.Dozens of foreigners have been detained by the Taliban authorities since the group’s return to power.It is unclear how many Afghan citizens are in US custody.At least one Afghan prisoner remains in detention at the secretive US prison Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, Muhammad Rahim, whose family called for his release in November 2023. In February last year, two former prisoners held in Guantanamo Bay until 2017 were welcomed home to Afghanistan, more than 20 years after they were arrested. 

The World Health Organization said Tuesday it regretted US President Donald Trump’s decision — just hours after taking power — to withdraw his country from the UN agency, saying it hoped he would “reconsider”.Trump on Monday signed an executive order directing the United States to withdraw from the WHO, a body he has repeatedly criticized over its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.Speaking at the White House hours after his inauguration, Trump said the United States was paying far more to the UN body compared to China, adding: “World Health ripped us off.”The United States, the largest donor to the Geneva-based organization, provides substantial financial support that is vital to the WHO’s operations. The UN health agency said Tuesday it regretted the decision.”WHO plays a crucial role in protecting the health and security of the world’s people, including Americans,” spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told reporters in Geneva.”We hope the United States will reconsider and we look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue to maintain the partnership between the USA and WHO, for the benefit of the health and well-being of millions of people around the globe.”The US withdrawal is expected to trigger a significant restructuring of the institution and could further disrupt global health initiatives.This marks the second time Trump has sought to sever ties with the WHO. During his first term, the United States issued a notice of intent to withdraw, accusing the organization of being overly influenced by China during the pandemic’s early stages. That move was later reversed under former president Joe Biden’s administration.Jasarevic stressed that it would take one year from formal notification for the US to leave WHO, according to the rules in place.- China promises support -In China, a foreign ministry spokesman said Beijing would continue supporting the WHO.”The role of the WHO should only be strengthened, not weakened,” Guo Jiakun said.”China will, as always, support the WHO in fulfilling its responsibilities… and work towards building a shared community of health for humanity.”In his new executive order, Trump directed agencies to “pause the future transfer of any United States Government funds, support, or resources to the WHO” and to “identify credible and transparent United States and international partners to assume necessary activities previously undertaken by the WHO.”The administration also announced plans to review and rescind Biden’s 2024 US Global Health Security Strategy, which was designed to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease threats, “as soon as practicable.”Several experts expressed dismay at the withdrawal.”We cannot make WHO more effective by walking away from it,” Tom Frieden, a former senior health official under Barack Obama, wrote on on X.”The decision to withdraw weakens America’s influence, increases the risk of a deadly pandemic, and makes all of us less safe.”Others warned that by withdrawing from the organization, the United States will lose privileged access to important epidemic surveillance data which could harm the capacity to monitor and prevent health threats from abroad.”Instead of being the first to receive vaccines, we will be at the back of the line,” wrote Lawrence Gostin, professor of public health law at Georgetown University, on X.”Withdrawal from WHO inflicts a deep wound on US security & our competitive edge in innovation.”The timing of the US withdrawal comes amid mounting fears over the pandemic potential of the current bird flu outbreak (H5N1), which has infected dozens and claimed one life in the United States.Meanwhile, WHO member states have been negotiating the world’s first treaty on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response since late 2021 — negotiations now seemingly set to proceed without US participation.

Billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk said Tuesday his critics needed “better dirty tricks” after a row erupted over a gesture he made at an inauguration event for US President Donald Trump that some likened to a Nazi salute.The X, SpaceX and Tesla chief appeared on stage at the Capital One Arena in Washington, where supporters of the newly inaugurated president had gathered for a rally.Upon thanking the crowd for returning Trump to the White House, Musk tapped the left side of his chest with his right hand and then extended his arm with his palm open, repeating the gesture for the crowd seated behind him.Claire Aubin, a historian who specializes in Nazism within the United States, said Musk’s gesture was a “sieg heil,” or Nazi salute.”My professional opinion is that you’re all right, you should believe your eyes,” Aubin posted on X, aligning with those who found the gesture was an overt reference to Nazis.But Musk later posted on X that his opponents needed “better dirty tricks.””The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired,” he said.Musk has also made several statements in recent weeks in support of Germany’s far-right AfD party and British anti-immigration party Reform UK.But the Anti-Defamation League, an organization founded to combat anti-Semitism which has criticized Musk in the past, defended his actions this time around.- ‘Awkward gesture’ -“It seems that Elon Musk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute,” the organization said in a statement posted on X.Another historian, Aaron Astor, also rebuffed accusations of Musk’s Nazi emulation.”I have criticized Elon Musk many times for letting neo-Nazis pollute this platform,” he wrote on X, adding: “But this gesture is not a Nazi salute.””This is a socially awkward autistic man’s wave to the crowd where he says ‘my heart goes out to you.'”Musk announced in 2021 he had been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism.One attendee at the rally told AFP he thought Musk was making the gesture as a joke.”He’s very humorous, and he uses a lot of sarcasm. So when he did that on the stage, I don’t think he meant it,” said Brandon Galambos, a 29-year-old pastor and tech worker.Still, reports by Wired and Rolling Stone magazines said far-right personalities in the United States were celebrating the move, such as the writer Evan Kilgore, who called the salute “incredible.”Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a historian of fascism, found the gesture “was a Nazi salute — and a very belligerent one too,” she said on X.Democratic Party members also quickly responded with alarm.Congressman Jimmy Gomez reacted to the moment by posting on X: “Well, that didn’t take long.”

Paris Men’s Fashion Week kicks off Tuesday, headlined by Pharrell Williams’ highly anticipated new show for Louis Vuitton which is set to take over the Louvre in the evening.Transforming the French capital’s most famous museum continues his tradition of using major landmarks as backdrops for his clothes since he began as creative director in 2023.For his debut show, the LVMH-owned brand used the Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge in the capital, as a giant runway, even painting its paving stones gold.A historic theme park, the Jardin d’Acclimatation, hosted Pharrell’s show last January while in June he sent models down a lawn catwalk built on the rooftop of the modernist headquarters of UN agency UNESCO.The Louvre’s iconic architecture has been used several times in the past by Vuitton’s Nicolas Ghesquiere, artistic director of women’s collections, most recently in October.Pharrell’s fifth collection for the Autumn-Winter 2025-2026 season is expected to once again draw a star-studded crowd from the worlds of rap, cinema, and sports. Brand ambassadors include American basketball player LeBron James, French basketball sensation Victor Wembanyama, and Olympic swimming star Leon Marchand.South Korean star J-Hope of K-pop group BTS, currently in Paris, shared his invitation on social media: a metallic card bearing his name in a leather pouch.After delivering an ode to multiculturalism during his last show in June, Pharrell Williams might be tempted to send a political message a day after the inauguration of Donald Trump as US president, some observers believe.  – ‘Workwear’ -The opening day of Men’s Fashion Week, which runs until Sunday, will also feature an afternoon show by Japanese brand Auralee, making its third Paris appearance.Founded in 2015 by Ryota Iwai, the label stands out for its simple, functional design.In terms of looks, experts say the aesthetic dominance of streetwear is fading, with designers increasingly focused on “casual tailoring”, emphasising suits and structured pieces with a relaxed twist.A major trend from the spring-summer 2025 collections was dubbed “workwear”, featuring trench coats, Barbour-style jackets, duffle coats and loafers. “There’s a classic, slightly dandy but chic, elegant, and casual silhouette emerging,” Alice Feillard, men’s buying director at luxury Paris emporium Galeries Lafayette, told AFP.Brown colours have dominated for two seasons, and insiders expect them to remain a key shade at the end of the year.A number of top labels are luring new designers or looking for fresh inspiration in the increasingly tough luxury market.Lanvin is set to return after a two-year hiatus, presenting Peter Copping’s debut collection as the artistic director of France’s oldest couture house.After completing his first show in September, Valentino’s new artistic director, Alessandro Michele, will return for haute couture week, which follows immediately after the menswear week.One of the most anticipated shows will be on Sunday by in-vogue French designer Simon Porte Jacquemus, whose Jacquemus brand is making its return to the official calendar after a five-year absence.Notably absences include Givenchy, whose new chief designer Sarah Burton has reserved her first collection for the women’s Fashion Week in March, as well as Loewe, whose artistic director Jonathan Anderson is rumoured to be on the way out.Hedi Slimane left his role as artistic director at Celine in October, John Galliano quit Maison Margiela in December, and Chanel unveiled their new creative director, Matthieu Blazy, only a month ago. 

President Donald Trump on Monday announced the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris climate accord for a second time, a defiant rejection of global efforts to combat planetary warming as catastrophic weather events intensify worldwide.The Republican leader also declared a “national energy emergency” to expand drilling in the world’s top oil and gas producer, said he would scrap vehicle emissions standards that amount to an “electric vehicle mandate,” and vowed to halt offshore wind farms, a frequent target of his scorn.”I’m immediately withdrawing from the unfair, one-sided Paris Climate Accord rip-off,” he said to cheering supporters at a Washington sports arena after being sworn in. “The United States will not sabotage our own industries while China pollutes with impunity.”He also signed an order instructing federal agencies to reject international climate finance commitments made under the previous administration, and issued a formal letter to the United Nations notifying it of Washington’s intent to leave the agreement.Under the accord’s rules, the United States will formally exit in one year.Critics warn the move undermines global cooperation on reducing fossil fuel use and could embolden major polluters like China and India to weaken their commitments, while Argentina, under libertarian President Javier Milei has also said it is “re-evaluating” its participation.”Withdrawing the United States from the Paris Agreement is a travesty,” said Rachel Cleetus, of the Union of Concerned Scientists, adding the move “shows an administration cruelly indifferent to the harsh climate change impacts that people in the United States and around the world are experiencing.”- Agreement to endure without US – The move comes as global average temperatures over the past two years surpassed a critical 1.5 degrees Celsius warming threshold for the first time, underscoring the urgency of climate action.  Trump previously withdrew the United States from the Paris Accord during his first term. Despite this, the agreement — adopted in 2015 by 195 parties to curb greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change — appears poised to endure.”The US withdrawing from the Paris Agreement is unfortunate, but multilateral climate action has proven resilient and is stronger than any single country’s politics and policies,” said Laurence Tubiana, a key architect of the accord. UN climate chief Simon Stiell added the “door remains open” for Washington.Trump also on Monday signed a flurry of sweeping energy-related federal orders aimed at undoing former president Joe Biden’s climate legacy as he pledged to “drill, baby, drill!”He also attacked “big, ugly windmills” and said he’d take on Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which channels billions of dollars into clean energy tax credits.In addition, Trump vowed to reverse offshore drilling bans, unpause permits for liquefied natural gas facilities, and resume drilling on protected land in Alaska.- Praise and scorn – Trump’s actions drew praise from energy industry leaders and immediate outrage from environmental advocates.”The US oil and natural gas industry stands ready to work with the new administration to deliver the common sense energy solutions Americans voted for,” said Mike Sommers, of the American Petroleum Institute. But Manish Bapna, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council, pushed back: “There is no energy emergency. There is a climate emergency.” “The United States is producing more oil and gas than any country in history,” Bapnda said, accusing the Trump administration of “further enriching billionaire oil and gas donors at the people’s expense.”And China, the world’s largest emitter, said Tuesday that it was “concerned” about the US’ withdrawal from the accord.”Climate change is a common challenge faced by all of humanity, and no country can remain unaffected or solve the problem on its own,” foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said.”China will work with all parties…to actively address the challenges of climate change,” he added.Analyses predict that Trump’s policies will significantly slow the pace of greenhouse gas emissions reductions. Still, experts remain optimistic that emissions will continue trending downward over the long term.Trump’s actions come despite overwhelming scientific consensus linking fossil fuel combustion to rising global temperatures and increasingly severe climate disasters. Wildfires exacerbated by climate change have recently devastated Los Angeles, leaving widespread destruction in their wake.

US President Donald Trump begins his first full day in office Tuesday, riding a wave of executive orders signed just hours after his inauguration on everything from immigration to the environment and culture wars.After the pomp of his inauguration ceremony and stunning array of executive orders, the president’s Tuesday begins with a more solemn event: a prayer service at the National Cathedral.Trump, 78, last visited the neo-Gothic church in the US capital in early January for the funeral of late president Jimmy Carter.It was unclear if or when more executive orders would come from Trump, as the country and world digest the blizzard of actions he took Monday — including initiating withdrawals from the Paris climate accord and World Health Organization.Signed in front of roaring supporters at an arena and then later in the Oval Office, the long list of policy changes offered a vivid symbol of Trump’s increased preparedness versus eight years prior, when he entered the White House with zero governing experience.The Republican said in a speech after taking the oath at the Capitol — in a ceremony held indoors due to freezing weather — that “America’s decline is over” after four years of Democrat Joe Biden’s presidency, pledging “the golden age of America begins right now.”Biden, 82, watched stony-faced during the inauguration ceremony as his political nemesis read the last rites over his single term in office.But after the pomp and ceremony, it was the showman Trump of his first term — along with the sometimes strongman-style rhetoric — who was on display later in the day.”Could you imagine Biden doing this? I don’t think so,” Trump told a cheering crowd at a Washington sports arena as he threw them the pens he had used to sign a first round of orders.- January 6 pardons -Back in the Oval Office, he held an impromptu 50-minute press conference as he signed more orders — including one pardoning around 1,500 Capitol rioters.  They were charged for taking part in the assault on Congress on January 6, 2021 by thousands of Trump supporters seeking to stop certification of Biden’s election victory.”We hope they come out tonight frankly,” Trump said. “They’re expecting it.”He signed orders declaring a national emergency at the Mexican border and said he would deploy US troops to tackle illegal immigration — a key campaign issue that drove his election victory over Kamala Harris.The returning president often struck a nationalistic tone, pledging to impose trade tariffs, rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America,” and take “back” the Panama Canal, which has been controlled by the Central American country since 1999.But he played down his earlier promises to get a peace agreement in Ukraine before taking office.He confirmed he would meet Vladimir Putin and said Putin was “destroying Russia” by not making a deal to end the war.Trump and First Lady Melania Trump later attended several inaugural balls, beginning with the “Commander-in-Chief” event with US service members.”Instead of worrying about political agendas, you don’t have to worry about that at all,” Trump told the crowd in a brief speech.”It’s only one focus, defeating America’s enemies. We’re not going to be defeated. We’re not going to be humiliated. We’re only going to win, win, win!”Trump is making history — as both the oldest president ever to take office and as the first felon, after a conviction related to paying a porn star hush money during his first presidential run.He is also just the second president in US history to return to power after being voted out, after Grover Cleveland in 1893.

There’s no place like home. And for Donald Trump, home is back in the White House after four tumultuous years.”What a great feeling,” Trump told reporters when asked how it felt to be back in the Oval Office on Monday. “One of the better feelings I’ve ever had.”Trump acted as if he’d never left. Nor was there any mention of how he had left in disgrace after his supporters attacked the US Capitol in January 2021 trying to overturn his election defeat to Joe Biden.Instead, the 78-year-old launched straight into an impromptu, 50-minute press conference in the symbolic heart of the US presidency.But if it all felt familiar to the Republican billionaire, that was largely thanks to the work of an army of White House staff.They had only around five hours to erase every trace of his Democratic predecessor and create Trump’s Oval Office 2.0.Trump wouldn’t confirm reports of the return of the famed “Diet Coke button” — a button on the desk that he would press during his first term to summon a glass of his favorite drink on a silver tray.But signs of other changes were all around. – ‘Extraordinary decorators’ -A portrait of George Washington hung over the fireplace as it did four years ago — replacing Franklin D. Roosevelt who had occupied the spot under Biden — along with one of the third US president, Thomas Jefferson.A bust of British wartime leader Winston Churchill had also reportedly returned to its spot in the Oval, as it was in the first term.The aim, as ever with the presidency, is to portray an image of might and dignity, and Trump seemed to think his staff had done just right.”I just got here. My people came in, they have extraordinary decorators,” said Trump, who has spent much of the last four years at his luxury Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and arrived in a freezing Washington on Saturday.Pointing to the pictures of his predecessors, the 47th president said, “I can live with George Washington, I can live with Thomas Jefferson — they took a very safe route.”  However, Trump did have one surprise, underscoring just how quickly holders of the world’s most powerful job pass the torch.Asked if Biden had left him a traditional handover letter, Trump replied that he didn’t know and checked inside the drawer of the historic Resolute Desk.”Ooh!” Trump said, extracting a white envelope with the numbers “47” in Biden’s handwriting. “It could have been years before we got it.”- ‘Welcome home’ -Despite Biden’s gesture, Trump could not help lambasting his political rival as he kept talking.”Does Biden ever do news conferences like this?” said the Republican, no doubt knowing full well that Biden was often shielded by White House staff and would only take a handful of questions.For Biden and his staff, the day was a harsh reminder of the transitory nature of power.Before he had even left, photos on the walls of the West Wing had been removed and moving trucks were in the driveway.Officials from the Biden and Trump teams had awkward interactions on campus, like it was the first day of school.Social media accounts, websites and even email fonts all changed along with the new administration.Trump’s return was above all a bitter pill to swallow for the man who had branded him a threat to democracy, and was forced to bow out of their 2024 rematch after a humiliating debate performance against his rival sparked concerns about his age.Biden spent his last hours showing just what he thought of Trump, issuing pardons to aides and family members he feared would be prosecuted by the Republican.But as Trump and his wife Melania arrived for a pre-inauguration cup of tea with Biden and his wife Jill, the 82-year-old did his best to hide his feelings.”Welcome home,” he said.

US President Donald Trump repealed numerous executive orders promoting LGBTQ equality and issued new ones decreeing only two genders and ending government diversity programs Monday, definitively breaking with what he decries as “woke” culture.On the campaign trail, Trump vilified diversity, equity and inclusion policies in the federal government and corporate world, saying they discriminated against white people — men in particular.”The Biden Administration forced illegal and immoral discrimination programs, going by the name ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (DEI), into virtually all aspects of the Federal Government, in areas ranging from airline safety to the military,” said one new order ending such programs.While campaigning, Trump also demonized any recognition of gender diversity, attacking transgender people — notably transgender women in sports — and gender-affirming care for children.In front of a crowd of supporters in a Washington arena, Trump wiped out 78 executive orders, actions and presidential memoranda issued by his predecessor Joe Biden.Several of the overturned decrees promoted diversity and equality in the government, workplaces and healthcare, as well as the rights of LGBTQ Americans.In doing so, Trump fulfilled a campaign promise to immediately curtail programs that sought to redress historical inequality but that he has insisted disadvantage white people, particularly men.He scrapped Biden-era executive orders that prevented “discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation,” discrimination against LGBTQ Americans in education, as well as equity programs for Black, Hispanic and Pacific Islander Americans.He later issued a separate executive order requiring federal agencies to only give the option of male or female, removing the option for any other gender identity — such as “X” on passport applications.- ‘Continued backlash’ -“Agencies shall take all necessary steps, as permitted by law, to end the Federal funding of gender ideology,” the order said, using a catch-all phrase invoked by Trump to refer to any language inclusive of gender identity other than male or female.His administration would only use “clear and accurate language and policies that recognize women are biologically female, and men are biologically male,” the order said.The policies will almost certainly face legal challenges.Outside the historic Stonewall Inn in New York City, a focal point of the struggle for LGBTQ rights, members of the community were defiant.”These announcements and these policy changes really affect people in a deep level,” Angel Bullard, a 22-year-old transgender student from Wyoming, told AFP.”It’s a horrible place to be when you are unaffirmed and alone in this world.”As a result of the flurry of changes, access to gender affirming medical care could be at risk where federal funds are involved, warned Jami Taylor, a politics professor at Toledo University and an expert on LGBTQ policy.That could apply in cases funded by state-run insurances Medicare and Medicaid, used by older and less well-off Americans, or in federal prisons. Ahead of the election, Trump promised to ban gender-affirming care for minors and to take legal action against any doctors and educators who carry out or enable the practice.The LGBTQ Victory Fund, which seeks to promote political candidates friendly to the community, said “work to elect pro-equality LGBTQ candidates is even more critical as our community faces continued backlash, anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and rollback of pro-equality mandates.”The LGBT National Help Center has been receiving about 2,000 calls per day since the election results, instead of the usual 300, according to its director Aaron Almanza.Anti-trans rhetoric was a mainstay of Trump’s campaign rallies, drawing huge cheers from crowds.

President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order directing the United States to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO), a body he has repeatedly criticized over its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.Speaking at the White House hours after his inauguration, Trump said the United States was paying far more to the UN body compared to China, adding: “World Health ripped us off.”The United States, the largest donor to the Geneva-based organization, provides substantial financial support that is vital to the WHO’s operations. Its withdrawal is expected to trigger a significant restructuring of the institution and could further disrupt global health initiatives.This marks the second time Trump has sought to sever ties with the WHO. During his first term, the United States issued a notice of intent to withdraw, accusing the organization of being overly influenced by China during the pandemic’s early stages. That move was later reversed under former president Joe Biden’s administration.In his new executive order, Trump directed agencies to “pause the future transfer of any United States Government funds, support, or resources to the WHO” and to “identify credible and transparent United States and international partners to assume necessary activities previously undertaken by the WHO.”The administration also announced plans to review and rescind Biden’s 2024 US Global Health Security Strategy, which was designed to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease threats, “as soon as practicable.”The timing of the US withdrawal comes amid mounting fears over the pandemic potential of the current bird flu outbreak (H5N1), which has infected dozens and claimed one life in the United States.Meanwhile, WHO member states have been negotiating the world’s first treaty on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response since late 2021 — negotiations now set to proceed without US participation.