Washington:

The debate over birthright citizenship has been rekindled, with President Donald Trump at the forefront. Trump has consistently argued that this provision was originally intended to benefit the children of slaves, not to provide a blanket opportunity for individuals worldwide to claim US citizenship.

“Birthright citizenship was, if you look back when this was passed and made, that was meant for the children of slaves. This was not meant for the whole world to come in and pile into the United States of America,” Trump made the statement in the Oval Office of the White House.

“Everybody coming in, and totally unqualified people with perhaps unqualified children. This wasn’t meant for that,” he said.

Trump emphasised that birthright citizenship was “meant for the children of slaves” and deemed it a “very good and noble” provision. However, he stressed that it was not intended for the global community to exploit. Trump asserted, “I’m in favor of that 100 per cent. But it wasn’t meant for the entire world to occupy the United States”.

The President’s stance on this issue has been consistent, and he’s taken concrete steps to challenge the status quo. On his first day in office, he issued an executive order aimed at revoking birthright citizenship, although it was swiftly struck down by a federal court in Seattle. Trump expressed confidence that the Supreme Court would ultimately rule in his favor.

Republican Senators Lindsey Graham, Ted Cruz, and Katie Britt have introduced a bill that aligns with Trump’s views. The proposed legislation, titled the Birthright Citizenship Act of 2025, aims to restrict birthright citizenship to children born to illegal immigrants and non-immigrants on temporary visas. The senators argue that the current policy is a significant draw for illegal immigration and poses a threat to national security.

The US is one of only 33 countries that do not impose restrictions on birthright citizenship. According to the Center for Immigration Studies, approximately 225,000 to 250,000 births in the US in 2023 were to illegal immigrants, accounting for nearly seven percent of total births.

The Birthright Citizenship Act of 2025 proposes to redefine eligibility criteria for citizenship by birth, limiting it to children with at least one parent who is a US citizen or national, a lawful permanent resident, or an alien serving in the armed forces. This legislation would only apply to children born after its enactment.
 

Washington:

Imagine a newly-elected president of a country claiming the legacy of someone as foundational as Thomas Edison. That’s the kind of appropriation New Zealanders are witnessing.

The recent inaugural address of President Donald Trump has sparked a heated debate over the origins of a groundbreaking scientific achievement: splitting the atom. Trump’s claim that American experts were responsible for this feat has been met with swift correction from New Zealanders, who proudly assert that their native son, Sir Ernest Rutherford, was the true pioneer behind this discovery.

Rutherford’s achievement in 1917 at Victoria University of Manchester in England marked a pivotal moment in the history of nuclear physics. His work not only earned him a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1908 but also led to the discovery of radioactive half-life and the understanding that radioactivity involves the transmutation of one chemical element to another.

Nick Smith, the mayor of Nelson, near Rutherford’s hometown, has invited the US ambassador to visit the Lord Rutherford memorial, emphasising the importance of preserving the accurate historical record. Smith expressed his surprise at Trump’s claim, stating, “I was a bit surprised by new president Donald Trump in his inauguration speech about US greatness claiming today Americans split the atom when that honour belongs to Nelson’s most famous and favourite son Sir Ernest Rutherford.”

Trump’s remarks have also drawn criticism from other New Zealanders, including Ben Uffindell, editor of The Civilian, who wrote on social media, “Okay, I’ve gotta call time. Trump just claimed America split the atom. That’s THE ONE THING WE DID.”

Okay, I’ve gotta call time. Trump just claimed America split the atom. That’s THE ONE THING WE DID.

— Ben Uffindell (@BenUffindell) January 20, 2025

Rutherford’s legacy extends far beyond his scientific contributions. He remains one of New Zealand’s most beloved sons, and his face still appears on the country’s $100 bill. As the world continues to grapple with the complexities of scientific discovery and national pride, Rutherford’s story serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of preserving accurate historical records and honouring the achievements of pioneering scientists.

In the realm of nuclear physics, Rutherford’s work paved the way for numerous breakthroughs, including the discovery of the neutron and the development of nuclear reactors. His influence can be seen in the work of other scientists, such as John Cockcroft and Ernest Walton, who successfully split lithium atoms using artificially accelerated protons in 1932.
 

Washington, United States:

US President Donald Trump fired four senior government officials appointed by his predecessor early Tuesday and warned “over a thousand more” faced imminent dismissal in a first post on Truth Social since his inauguration.

“My Presidential Personnel Office is actively in the process of identifying and removing over a thousand Presidential Appointees from the previous Administration, who are not aligned with our vision to Make America Great Again,” Trump said on the platform.

He named four individuals — Jose Andres from the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, Mark Milley from the National Infrastructure Advisory Council, Brian Hook from the Wilson Center for Scholars, and Keisha Lance Bottoms from the President’s Export Council — as being immediately dismissed.

“Let this serve as Official Notice of Dismissal for these 4 individuals, with many more, coming soon,” the post said.

It concluded with the words “YOU’RE FIRED!”, Trump’s catchphrase from his days as the boss of the hit TV show “The Apprentice”.

Many US government institutions are braced for upheaval in the days and weeks to come if Trump makes good on campaign promises to slash the civil service and improve efficiency — including threats to shutter entire departments.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Washington DC:

Donald Trump, who is set to take charge as the 47th President of the United States of America, reached Washington on Sunday morning, ahead of his inauguration ceremony marking his return to the White House. The incoming President’s inaugural weekend began with a star-studded 500-member reception at the Trump National Golf Club in Virginia, which included his cabinet nominees Pete Hegseth and Lee Zeldin.

The incoming commander-in-chief posted a nearly 15-minute video from the event showcasing him and First Lady Melania standing beside each other on a balcony at his golf club and applauding the massive pyrotechnic display. Towards the end of the video, the soon-to-be President can be seen shaking his leg and performing one of his signature dance moves in front of the crowd.

Trump Inauguration Gala Details 

Celebrations Start -Mr Trump’s inaugural ceremony includes 18 galas, with three official events that the Present-elect is expected to attend. The celebrations kicked off with a gala at Trump National Golf Club in Virginia on Sunday. Following this, the President-elect arrived in Washington DC, where he’s expected to participate in a rally and a candlelit dinner with supporters today. 

On Sunday alone, Mr Trump is scheduled to hold a major “Make America Great Again Victory Rally” at Capital One Arena for his supporters. This will be the first such event in the US capital that Mr Trump will address since his speech at the Ellipse on January 6, 2021, which led to the Capital riots. Later in the evening, he is also scheduled to attend a candlelight dinner with his supporters.

The Inauguration Ceremony-  Mr Trump will be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States at 12 pm EST (10:30 pm IST) on Monday as the US Constitution mandates that each new president’s term begins at noon on January 20 (or the day after if it falls on a Sunday). The oath is most often administered by the Supreme Court chief justice, and Monday would mark John Roberts’s second time officiating for Trump.

The First Address- The new president is then expected to deliver an inaugural address, laying out his plans for the next four years. The Republican rang in his first term in 2017 by evoking “American carnage.” Incoming vice president JD Vance will also be sworn in during the event.

Inaugural Luncheon- Following the ceremony, the President, along with their spouse, Vice President, Senate leaders, and distinguished guests, would be escorted to Statuary Hall in the US Capitol for a celebratory luncheon hosted by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC). 

Oval Office Signings- In the first act as the President after taking the oath, Mr Trump is likely to participate in a traditional signing of executive orders, officially beginning his second administration. The incoming President has pledged to fulfil a number of his poll promises on Day 1 by signing executive orders, but it is not clear what issues will be first up. Mr Trump is likely to reinstate some executive orders from his first term that President Biden had revoked.

Inaugural Balls- The signing in the Oval Office will be followed by three official inaugural balls on Monday evening. Mr Trump is expected to attend all three galas — the Commander in Chief Ball, the Liberty Ball and the Starlight Ball. More than a dozen other events are also planned.

National Prayer Service- Mr Trump will be hosted by the Washington National Cathedral, the sexy day after his inauguration at 11 am (9:30 pm IST) on Tuesday for an interfaith prayer service. The service will mark the official conclusion of the inauguration celebrations.

Change In Swearing-In Venue

While US presidents traditionally assume their powers outdoors in front of the Capitol building, with a large crowd of spectators witnessing the ceremony, Mr Trump on Friday said he would move the event inside the Capitol Rotunda amid forecasts of extreme cold.

Crowd size is a preoccupation of  Mr Trump’s, but the last-minute switch to an indoor event may dent his bragging rights. More than 220,000 tickets were being distributed to the public before the incoming President’s announcement of shifting the venue to the Capitol Rotunda, which can accommodate only about 600 people.

Trump said supporters could watch a live feed from Washington’s Capital One sports arena, which holds up to 20,000 — and he promised to drop in later. “This will be a very beautiful experience for all,” the president-elect said.

Presidential Parade 

The president’s inaugural parade will be held inside for the first since 1985. The parade, which has followed the presidential entourage down Pennsylvania Avenue as far back as 1805, will march on inside Capital One Arena on Monday.

The move comes after Mr Trump on Friday announced that he would take oath and deliver his inaugural address inside the US Capitol Rotunda and promoted Capital One Arena as essentially a massive watch party venue for his oath of office and inaugural address

Musical Affair

Mr Trump’s inauguration 2.0 will be a star-studded affair, with country star Carrie Underwood singing “America the Beautiful” during the swearing-in ceremony.

Also performing will be country singer Lee Greenwood, whose patriotic anthem “God Bless the USA” is standard at Trump rallies.

A pre-inauguration rally on Sunday will include a performance by the Village People, whose 1970s-era “Y.M.C.A.” is another Trump event staple, in addition to Kid Rock and Billy Ray Cyrus. Country musicians including Jason Aldean, Rascal Flatts and Gavin DeGraw plus the Village People will perform across Trump’s three official inaugural balls.

Inaugural Lunch

The event became an integral part of the day’s events in 1897, when the Senate Committee on Arrangements arranged a meal for President William McKinley, symbolizing the transition of power and the beginning of a new administration.

The menu for Donald Trump’s 2025 Inaugural Luncheon has not been revealed yet, but it is likely to follow patterns of previous occasions and may include the great American classic cuisines. As Mr Trump reportedly enjoys simple, savoury meals, he might include steak with some lobster, together with exquisite sweets. The Gulf shrimp and regional American flavours were part of his inauguration in 2017.

Guest List

The Republican has invited a number of tech titans to attend the inauguration, joining more traditional guests such as his cabinet nominees. Billionaires Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg will attend as will Shou Chew, the head of Chinese social media giant TikTok, according to US media.

Mr Trump has courted closer ties with the tech moguls, and his campaign benefited from disinformation spread on social media platforms such as TikTok, Musk’s X and Zuckerberg’s Facebook and Instagram.

Outgoing President Joe Biden will also attend the ceremony — despite Trump’s refusal to appear at Biden’s swearing-in when he beat Trump in 2020. All living former presidents — Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama — will attend, as will their wives, except for Michelle Obama.

That means Hillary Clinton, whom Trump beat in the 2016 presidential election, in addition to Vice President Kamala Harris, whom he beat in November, will be there. 

Heads of state are not traditionally invited, but Trump has sent invitations to a handful of foreign leaders, including some who share his right-wing politics. Far-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will attend, her office confirmed Saturday.

Hungary’s Viktor Orban, Argentine President Javier Milei and China’s Xi Jinping have also been invited, but not all will attend. 

Executive Orders

Mr Trump said he is preparing to sign multiple executive orders as early as his first day in office, aimed at undoing many of the Biden administration’s policies.

Among other promises, he has pledged to launch a mass deportation program and increase oil drilling. He has also said he might immediately begin pardoning January 6 rioters, his followers who ransacked the Capitol in 2021. Immediately after the inauguration a meeting is planned between US officials and foreign ministers from Japan, India and Australia, the so-called “Quad” which the Biden administration saw as a counterweight to an assertive China. 

Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 47th President of the United States is expected to be a high-profile event, with several global leaders and influential figures confirming their attendance. The ceremony will take place on January 20 at the US Capitol, with proceedings starting at 12 pm ET (10:30 pm IST)

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has received an official invitation and plans to attend the inauguration, pending confirmation of her schedule. Meloni, a populist and staunch conservative leader, has been a vocal supporter of Trump’s policies and has sought to strengthen ties between Italy and the US.

The Chinese President Xi Jinping also received an invitation from Donald Trump, with spokesperson Karoline Leavitt highlighting the invitation as an example of Trump “creating an open dialogue with leaders of countries that are not just our allies but our adversaries and our competitors”. However, Xi Jinping will send a high-level envoy to represent Beijing.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has also received an invitation to attend the inauguration, although he has yet to confirm his attendance. Orban, one of Trump’s closest foreign allies, has been a key supporter of the president-elect’s hard-right policies.

Argentine President Javier Milei will break tradition by attending the inauguration himself, rather than sending a representative.

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro also received an invitation for Trump’s inauguration but is currently seeking to obtain a return of his confiscated passport, which was seized during an investigation into the 2023 attempted coup.

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele was one of the first world leaders to congratulate Trump on his victory and has been invited to attend the inauguration. Bukele has been a key ally of Trump’s in Central America.

Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya will attend the inauguration as part of Japan’s effort to bolster ties with the new administration. Iwaya has stated that Japan aims to build a relationship of trust with the Trump administration, and his presence at the inauguration is seen as a significant gesture of goodwill.

“We aim to build a relationship of trust with the Trump administration,” Iwaya stated in an interview on NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will represent India at the inauguration, following an invitation from the Trump-Vance inaugural committee. Jaishankar’s attendance is seen as a significant gesture of support for Trump, who has sought to strengthen ties with India and other key Asian nations.

The foreign ministry statement read, “On the invitation of the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee, External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr. S. Jaishankar will represent the Government of India at the Swearing-In Ceremony of President-Elect Donald J. Trump as the 47th President of the United States of America.”

Other notable attendees at the inauguration will include Eric Zemmour, a far-right politician from France, and Nigel Farage, a UK politician and long-time Trump ally. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, is also expected to attend the inauguration with fellow billionaires – Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg.

The inauguration will also be attended by former US Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton, who will be accompanied by their spouses, except for Michelle Obama. Joe Biden has confirmed his attendance, dismissing controversy surrounding his presence as “childish games.”
 

Washington DC:

US President-elect Donald Trump will take office on January 20 after defeating Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in November’s presidential election. 

Here is a timeline of events between now and Inauguration Day:

2025

January 6: Harris presides over the Electoral College vote count at a joint session of Congress, announces the results and declares who has been elected.

Ahead of the count on January 6, 2021, then-President Trump lambasted his vice president, Mike Pence, for refusing to try to prevent Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s victory.

On that day, Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol in an effort to stop the count. Biden’s win was certified early the next day.

Congress has since passed reforms that require approval of one-fifth of the House and Senate to consider a challenge to a state’s results – a much higher bar than existed before, when at least one member each in the Senate and the House of Representatives could together trigger a challenge.

January 20: Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance will take their respective oaths of office during a swearing-in ceremony that is due to begin at 12 p.m. ET (1700 GMT).

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)