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US President-elect Donald Trump has launched his own cryptocurrency, appropriately called $TRUMP, sparking feverish buying that sent its market capitalization soaring on Saturday to several billion dollars.In a message posted on his Truth Social platform and X, Trump unveiled the so-called meme coin, which is designed to capitalize on the popularity of a certain personality, movement or viral internet trend.Meme coins have no economic or transactional value, and are often seen as a means of speculative trading. “This Trump Meme celebrates a leader who doesn’t back down, no matter the odds,” says the coin’s official site, which makes reference to the assassination attempt against the Republican in July 2024.In the hours following the overnight launch, the crypto community posed questions about the legitimacy of the $TRUMP coin, and its actual link to the president-elect, with some fearing a scam.But the fact that the announcements came on Trump’s official social media channels seemed to reassure the market, as did the fact that Trump has used one of the companies behind the project, CIC Digital LLC, in the past to sell non-fungible tokens (NFTs).By mid-morning on Saturday, the market capitalization for $TRUMP stood at nearly $6 billion. Neither Trump nor the company managing the launch, Fight Fight Fight LLC, offered details about how much he made from the initial batch of meme coins released.The coin’s official site said 200 million meme coins were issued, with Fight Fight Fight saying an additional 800 million would be added over the next three years.At the current rate, the coins not yet on the market would be worth about $24 billion. Initially opposed to cryptocurrency, Trump made a sharp about-face during his 2024 presidential campaign, becoming a champion of the concept and promising to develop the sector, notably by loosening regulations.Before this new announcement, businessmen linked to Trump had in October put online a crypto platform called World Liberty Financial.

US immigration authorities will carry out mass arrests of undocumented immigrants across the country on Tuesday, a top border official in the incoming administration of Donald Trump has said.The move would be among the first by Republican Trump, who returns to the White House on Monday, to uphold a campaign pledge to deport millions of undocumented immigrants from the United States.The remarks on Friday by Trump’s incoming “border czar” Tom Homan to Fox News came in response to reports in the Wall Street Journal and other US outlets that Trump’s new administration planned to carry out an “immigration raid” in Chicago beginning Tuesday.”There’s going to be a big raid across the country. Chicago is just one of many places,” said Homan, a former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) who oversaw a policy that separated migrant parents and children at the border under the first Trump administration.”On Tuesday, ICE is finally going to go out and do their job. We’re going to take the handcuffs off ICE and let them go arrest criminal aliens,” he said in the interview.”What we’re telling ICE, you’re going to enforce the immigration law without apology. You’re going to concentrate on the worst first, public safety threats first, but no one is off the table. If they’re in the country illegally, they got a problem,” Homan added.The Wall Street Journal reported that the “large-scale immigration raid” in Chicago was expected to start on Tuesday, a day after Trump’s inauguration, would “last all week” and would involve 100 to 200 ICE officers, citing four unnamed people familiar with the operation’s planning.Don Terry, a Chicago police spokesman, told the New York Times that the department would not “intervene or interfere with any other government agencies performing their duties.”But he said the department “does not document immigration status” and “will not share information with federal immigration authorities.”Midwestern Chicago is one of several Democrat-led US cities that have declared themselves “sanctuaries” for migrants — meaning they will not be arrested solely for not having legal immigrant status.A Trump representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP.

As a law that could get TikTok banned in the United States is poised to go into effect, here is a look at the rise of the video-sharing social media platform.- Genesis -In 2016, Beijing-based ByteDance launched Douyin, an app for sharing short videos, in the Chinese market.ByteDance released TikTok for the international market the following year, shortly before buying “lip-synching” app Musical.ly and merging it into TikTok.The social network became a hit, with its algorithm serving up endless collections of short, looping and typically playful videos posted by users.- Pandemic boom -TikTok’s popularity soared during the Covid-19 pandemic declared in 2020, as people enduring lockdowns relied on the internet for diversion and entertainment.As a result, authorities worldwide began eyeing TikTok’s influence and addictive appeal.TikTok became one of the most downloaded apps in the world, as officials grew increasingly wary of the potential for the Chinese government to influence ByteDance or access user data.India banned TikTok in July 2020 due to tensions with China.- Targeted by Trump -While Donald Trump was US president in 2020, he signed executive orders to ban TikTok in the United States.Trump accused TikTok, without proof, of siphoning off US users’ data to benefit Beijing and of censoring posts at the direction of Chinese officials.Trump’s decision was made as his government clashed with Beijing on an array of issues.During a failed bid for reelection in 2020, the Republican continued to campaign on an anti-China message.Between legal challenges and Trump’s loss to Joe Biden in that year’s presidential election, the executive orders did not take effect.- Billion mark -In September 2021, TikTok announced it had one billion monthly users worldwide.But concerns grew about TikTok users facing risks of addiction, propaganda and spying.In 2022, BuzzFeed reported that ByteDance employees based in China had accessed TikTok users’ non-public information.ByteDance tried to cool privacy concerns by hosting user data on servers managed in the United States by Oracle.The move did not ease concerns, however, with TikTok banned from devices used by the US military.An array of other government agencies and academic institutes followed suit, forbidding members from using TikTok.TikTok’s Singaporean chief executive Shou Chew was grilled by members of the US Congress during a six-hour hearing in March 2023.- Sell or go -TikTok was back in the hot seat in the United States in 2024 when President Joe Biden authorized a law requiring TikTok to be banned if ByteDance does not sell the app to a company not associated with a national security adversary.Washington’s stated aim was to cut the risk of Beijing spying on or manipulating TikTok users, particularly the 170 million US users of the app.TikTok remains adamant that it has never shared user data with the Chinese government or done its bidding at the social network.ByteDance sued the US government, arguing the law violates free speech rights.A final decision in that case was made Friday by the US Supreme Court, which upheld a law going into effect on January 19.In a major defeat for TikTok, the court ruled that the law does not violate free speech rights and that the US government had demonstrated legitimate national security concerns about a Chinese company owning the app.President-elect Trump, who returns to office on Monday, has signaled he might intervene on TikTok’s behalf.The company, however, has said that unless the outgoing Biden administration makes “definitive” assurances that the law will not be implemented, it would be forced to “go dark.”

TikTok says it will “go dark” in the United States on Sunday unless the government provides assurances a new law calling for its ban won’t be used to punish service providers.”Unless the Biden Administration immediately provides a definitive statement to satisfy the most critical service providers assuring non-enforcement, unfortunately TikTok will be forced to go dark on January 19,” TikTok said in a statement.The US Supreme Court on Friday upheld a law supported by President Joe Biden and Congress that requires the app’s owner ByteDance to either sell TikTok or cease US operations by January 19.”The statements issued today by both the Biden White House and the Department of Justice have failed to provide the necessary clarity and assurance to the service providers that are integral to maintaining TikTok’s availability to over 170 million Americans,” TikTok said following the Supreme Court decision. The unanimous ruling, which found the law does not violate free speech rights, dealt a major blow to TikTok and created uncertainty about what will happen when the ban takes effect.The court agreed with the government’s national security concerns about Chinese company ByteDance’s ownership of the app.ByteDance has firmly rejected selling its US operation, a stance also taken by Beijing, which has denounced the law as theft.The justices acknowledged that, “for more than 170 million Americans,” the social media giant “offers a distinct and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community.”But, the court concluded, “Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary.”Even if the ban now stands, the Biden White House said it won’t enforce it, leaving the matter to incoming president Donald Trump.Trump, who opposes the ban, discussed TikTok with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday.”The Supreme Court decision was expected, and everyone must respect it,” Trump wrote on Truth Social as he said he would need time to find an alternative to the ban.The Department of Justice noted that enforcing the law “will be a process that plays out over time,” in a potential sign that it does not intend to carry out the law for now.Despite the court defeat, TikTok chief executive Shou Chew thanked Trump for his “commitment to work with us to find a solution.”Trump “truly understands our platform,” he added.TikTok has been lobbying furiously to thwart the law’s implementation with Chew set to attend Trump’s inauguration on Monday.The law requires Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores, blocking new downloads. The companies could face penalties of up to $5,000 per user who can access the app.Chew gave no indication on whether TikTok would unilaterally shut down its platform in the United States when the ban kicks in, as reported in US media.TikTok’s lawyer Noel Francisco had warned it would shut down Sunday in case of a legal defeat.- ‘Viable deal’ -Trump’s incoming national security advisor Mike Waltz told Fox News the administration would work “to keep TikTok from going dark,” noting the law allows a 90-day delay if the White House can show progress toward “a viable deal.” Former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt has expressed interest in leading a purchase of TikTok’s US activity and said he’s “ready to work with the company and President Trump to complete a deal.”The ban would hugely benefit US-owned rivals Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, but influencers said that TikTok’s unique abilities could not be matched.”Making videos and reaching people on TikTok is so much easier than a lot of other platforms,” said Nathan Espinoza, who has more than 500,000 followers on TikTok.Courtney Spritzer, head of digital marketing agency Socialfly, said TikTok creators were in “great uncertainty.” Among advertisers, “some are betting there will be a shutdown while others are more optimistic that it will continue to exist after Sunday.”

A re-sentencing hearing for Lyle and Erik Menendez over the bloody murder of their wealthy parents was delayed Friday as Los Angeles grapples with devastating wildfires.The pair were jailed for life after a blockbuster trial in the 1990s detailing the gruesome slayings of Jose and Kitty Menendez at the family’s luxury Beverly Hills mansion.But a growing campaign to free the brothers — given new life by a hit Netflix series — has opened the door to a reduced sentence, with Los Angeles officials seemingly receptive to their lawyer’s overtures.A January 30-31 hearing was postponed Friday until March 20-21, the office of District Attorney Nathan Hochman said.Local media cited Hochman saying agreement had been reached between prosecutors and defense because of the impact the fires would have on the “extensive preparations” required.Los Angeles is staggering under the weight of a sprawling disaster that has killed at least 27 people and forced tens of thousands from their homes.Around 40,000 acres (16,000 hectares) have been burned and thousands of buildings lie in ruins.At the time of the conviction, prosecutors said the brothers had plotted to murder their parents in a bid to hasten a $14 million inheritance.Supporters insist the 1989 killings were an act of desperate self-defense by young men subjected to years of sexual abuse and psychological violence at the hands of an abusive father and a complicit mother.Erik Menendez, now 53, and Lyle Menendez, 56, have spent more than three decades behind bars.A previous court hearing — at which the men were due to appear by videolink from prison —  was a blockbuster event in its own right, with a lottery system in place for spots in the public gallery.

Sheriff’s deputies on horseback fanned out through charred brush on Friday, hunting for the remains of people who perished when huge wildfires raced through Los Angeles.At least 27 people are known to have died in the two massive blazes, with dozens still missing.Ten days after flames erupted, frustration was growing among the tens of thousands who remain in limbo, unable to return even to homes that were spared by the flames, because of unseen dangers like toxic pollution or the risk of landslides.Nina Madok, who lost her home in the Palisades Fire, told AFP an information meeting for evacuees had been “worthless.””We need local leaders from the Palisades to answer our questions now.”An emotional Los Angeles Assistant Fire Chief Joe Everett told those present: “It’s extremely, extremely hard for me to look you in the eye knowing that, quite honestly, I feel like I failed you in some respect.” Officials said Thursday it would be at least a week until anyone could go home.Los Angeles City Mayor Karen Bass, under pressure over her handling of the disaster, announced the appointment of a chief recovery officer.Steve Soboroff, a former police commissioner, said he was devising an action plan for the path forward.”There is an A to Z for each one of us, and A is today,” he told a press conference. “We’re going to get there step by step.”But with dangerous rubble strewn over a large swath and the final death toll still unknown, the area remained in emergency mode.Urban search teams using cadaver dogs continued their painstaking trawl through Altadena, where whole blocks of homes were incinerated.In the countryside above Malibu, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies on horseback were also looking for the dead.Although they reportedly have no specific information that there was anyone in the wild area, it all has to be searched before it can be reopened to the public.- Acclaim for firefighters -Thousands of firefighters continued their efforts to snuff out hotspots over the 40,000 acres (16,000 hectares) that have been burned — an area almost as big as the US capital Washington.All over Los Angeles, signs have appeared thanking first responders, including one outside the studio where Jimmy Kimmel records his late-night chat show.Entertainment website TMZ posted a video of diners in Calabasas clapping as uniformed firefighters finished a meal, which the site reported had been paid for by other customers and the restaurant.The acclaim for first responders stood in contrast to the political bickering, which has seen Republicans across the country line up behind President-elect Donald Trump as he bashes California’s Democratic leadership.Trump has previously threatened to withhold federal aid to the state unless Governor Gavin Newsom bends to his policy demands, and some congressional allies have sought to link cash to the incoming administration’s priorities.Actor Eric Braeden, a mainstay of US daytime soap opera “The Young and the Restless,” on Thursday lashed out at the politicization of the issue.”We contribute more taxes than any other state in America,” said the German-born actor, whose Pacific Palisades home was razed in the fires.”The rest of the country: don’t point your finger at California.”US tennis great Pam Shriver appealed Friday for the return of trophies stolen with her car after she evacuated her luxury home.”Let’s do the right thing,” she told broadcaster KTLA. “This is not the time to give people even more stress and more worry.”Dozens of people have been arrested in the wake of the disaster, with several charged for looting.

In the ashes of what was once a luxury home on Malibu’s Pacific coast, an energetic dog runs from spot to spot, searching for victims of one of the huge wildfires that ravaged Los Angeles.Tulla, a sandy-colored Labrador retriever, stops next to a crusted gas canister that was once perhaps part of a barbecue, and begins to bark furiously.To the human eye, there is nothing there, but Tulla’s powerful sense of smell says otherwise.Moments later, handlers bring in another dog, which also homes in on the same spot, offering a strong indication that the body of one of the dozens still missing from the massive blazes may finally be found.Marco Rodriguez, of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, says the dogs are “critical” to the search effort.”We have thousands of homes here in this area that have burned and approximately 15 people that have been reported missing.”We’re doing our best, and the dogs are an integral part of that,” he told AFP.For thousands of firefighters doing 12- or even 24-hour shifts, the last ten days have been back-breaking; hard physical work made even more difficult for those who have seen swaths of their city burned to the ground.But for the dogs, it is something of a game, says Joshua Davis, who has deployed with Bosco — a black Labrador — from his base in San Francisco.”They’re used to crawling on rubble. They enjoy it,” he said.While there’s no emotional toll on the animals, there are physical dangers that require special protective boots to safeguard their paws.”There’s a lot of sharp glass and a lot of nails and debris out there that can injure the dogs,” said Davis.- ‘Like every other firefighter’ -The dogs in the search and rescue unit have routines similar to the humans they work alongside, said Davis.”Every day we go to work, he gets fed, just like every other firefighter,” he said.”He gets training on various things and we do daily exercises with him, so he knows how to run on a treadmill and he can climb ladders.”When he’s not on operations, Bosco keeps his skills up with a weekly session in a dummied-up practice disaster area, where trainers hide scents for him to find.Bosco was originally trained to be a guide dog but “failed miserably” because he had too much energy, said Davis.But that energy makes him perfect for searching — where the dog has learned to associate the discovery of a scent with the chance to play with his favorite toy.In Bosco’s case, that’s a piece of fire hose.”When they find the scent, they’ll bark at it. I’ll get to the victim and/or the source where they’re barking at, and then I’ll reward Bosco,” said Davis.The dogs are not infallible and there are false alarms, but on the whole they drastically reduce the amount of work that humans have to do.”A lot of the dogs here today can cover a building that has been collapsed in five minutes or less,” said Davis.”It can take four to five firefighters 10 to 20 minutes to cover a location.”For Bosco, who has worked alongside Davis for three years searching countless properties, it’s not all serious labor.In his downtime, he has a successful Instagram feed, where followers can see what he has been up to.This week, one of his stories showed Bosco sitting in a car, looking enthusiastically through the window with an apt caption: “Ready to work, boss!”

Donald Trump’s family will likely be less formally involved in White House business in his second term as they were in the first, but some will remain key to his political operation as unofficial advisors.Here is a look at how Trump’s wife, five children and other relatives will play a role in the new administration after Monday’s US presidential inauguration.- Melania Trump -Melania — who met Trump at a party in 1998 and wed him in 2005 — returns as first lady to the White House, which she plans to make her primary residence.This would differ from Trump’s first term, when his wife did not join him at the White House for several months so that their son Barron, then 10, could finish school in New York.She fulfilled traditional first lady duties when she finally moved in — taking charge of state dinners and promoting her favorite causes, including a campaign against online bullying.She has always been her own boss — feeling little obligation to accompany her husband to rallies and other events — and courting controversy with a coat bearing the slogan, “I really don’t care, do you?” as she headed to a migrant children’s shelter.- Donald Trump Jr -Trump’s eldest son, known as Don Jr, is a darling of the MAGA movement and is considered to have his thumb on the pulse of the base.His “Triggered” podcast is influential among the president-elect’s most ardent supporters and he is said to have had significant sway in the selection of JD Vance as vice president.But the 47-year-old is reportedly planning to forego an official White House role to continue in his job as a Trump Organization executive vice president.Trump Jr and former Fox News Host Kimberly Guilfoyle reportedly broke off their engagement after six years of dating, but she will remain in the “family business” as ambassador to Greece.- Ivanka Trump – The eldest Trump daughter largely checked out of politics after leaving the White House, where she had worked as a top advisor to her father.”The main reason I am not going back to serve now is, I know the cost and it’s a price that I’m not willing to make my kids bear,” the mother-of-three, 43, told the “Him & Her Show” podcast ahead of Trump’s inauguration.She had already previewed her decision in a statement stepping out of public life when her father launched his 2024 campaign. – Eric Trump -Trump’s second son, 41, spent his father’s first term, like his older brother, as an executive vice president of the Trump Organization, overseeing its high-end real-estate portfolio.And like Don Jr, he has been at his father’s side as an unofficial advisor throughout the president-elect’s political career, frequently appearing at rallies and defending him on cable news. He is expected to continue in both roles.His wife Lara Trump, who is pursuing a pop music career, stepped down as Republican National Committee co-chair last year and withdrew from consideration as Florida Senator Marco Rubio’s replacement when he joins the administration.- Tiffany Trump -Tiffany Trump, 31, was largely out of the spotlight during her father’s first term, only making occasional public appearances with him. The Georgetown University law graduate attended some campaign events but did not speak at the 2024 Republican National Convention for the first time in three election cycles.The only child from Trump’s marriage to Marla Maples, she is reportedly expecting a baby and is planning to remain distanced from politics.- Barron Trump -Melania Trump was at pains during her husband’s first term to shield her son Barron from the harsh glare of the press but he is now 18 and beginning to chart his own political path.Trump’s youngest boy emerged as a surprise vital cog in the president-elect’s 2024 campaign machine, as his unofficial advisor on how to appeal to Gen Z.In an August interview with high-profile YouTuber Adin Ross, the president-elect shared that Barron had told him to appear on the channel as a guest, saying, “Dad, he’s really big.”The teenager — who is six feet seven inches (201 centimeters) tall — is studying at New York University.- In-laws -Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, like his wife Ivanka, was a senior White House advisor in Trump’s first term, cultivating ties with Middle Eastern leaders while brokering the Abraham Accords.He is not expected to rejoin the Trump administration but CNN has reported that he will serve as an unofficial advisor to the president on Middle Eastern affairs.His father Charles Kushner — a pardoned felon — and Massad Boulos, Tiffany’s father-in-law, will have formal roles as ambassador to France and Middle East advisor respectively.

US media are bracing for the White House return of Donald Trump, who previously helped to boost news consumption but is now prompting outlets to protect themselves from retaliation — legal or otherwise — from the famously grudge-bearing Republican. News organizations are girding themselves for a legal assault from Trump personally, as well as federal agencies that could theoretically frustrate broadcast licenses, comb through tax affairs and otherwise make life difficult for organizations that do not toe the line. New York University journalism professor Adam Penenberg told AFP that US news outlets, who normally compete in a fierce market, would have to cooperate to face down the threat posed by Trump.”Trump’s second term promises to be less reality show and more revenge tour, especially for the press,” he said. “The question isn’t whether he’ll attack the media. He will. But can the media resist bending under the weight of those attacks?”Early moves indicated that some US media were taking an initially conciliatory approach to Trump this term, with major broadcaster ABC opting to settle a defamation suit brought by the billionaire rather than fight it.The US news media landscape is also changing in both form and ownership.With an increasing number of US consumers getting their news from social media, Meta’s billionaire owner Mark Zuckerberg announced the end of Facebook’s US fact-checking program, which had previously drawn Trump’s ire. The Washington Post, owned by tech mogul Jeff Bezos, declined to endorse a candidate for president, and in recent days spiked a cartoon critical of tycoons currying favor with the Republican. – Defense of journalism -“The news media can prepare by reinforcing legal defenses, building coalitions between outlets, and fortifying cybersecurity to guard against hacks and leaks,” said Penenberg.The New York Times has repeatedly drawn rebukes from Trump over its persistent, attention-grabbing reporting of his political, personal, financial and legal problems.It warned that smaller news organizations may be unable to stand up to legal threats from Trump.”For smaller, less financially secure news organizations, the expense of defending themselves in lawsuits from Mr Trump and his allies may be enough to encourage self-censorship,” it said in a grave editorial.For some, the crackdown has already begun. Trump has sued an Iowa daily, the Des Moines Register, and an Iowa opinion pollster, for a survey that predicted Kamala Harris would win the state that the Republican ultimately carried.The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University said the move would “intimidate” others.A few days earlier, the Disney-owned ABC network agreed to pay $15 million in damages to settle Trump’s defamation lawsuits against its news division and a journalist, a move perceived by some as a climb-down.CBS is also considering settling lawsuits from Trump, who had accused its popular “60 Minutes” show of favoring Kamala Harris, the Wall Street Journal reported. CBS did not respond to a request for comment.- Comparison to oligarchs -Several organizations are reportedly reviewing their insurance coverage for libel or other litigation from hostile officials, while one non-profit is reviewing its compliance with labor regulations. Other media are working to protect sources in the event of whistleblower investigations.Penenberg, a former senior editor, stressed that while newsrooms should prepare for lawsuits, regulatory harassment and pressure campaigns, many US presidents have governed with deep hostility to the media.Former president Richard Nixon, he said, “turned paranoia into an art form.”Trump has long derided the media, calling it “fake news” at every opportunity, while his nominee for FBI chief has said he would “come after the people in the media who lied about American citizens.”Journalism professor Mark Feldstein compared efforts by some outlets and big tech to appease the Trump administration ahead of the inauguration to what “Russian oligarchs do with President Vladimir Putin.””In one sense, it is understandable because Donald Trump has made clear how vindictive he will be toward those who oppose him,” said Feldstein, who teaches at the University of Maryland.”But the public depends on a free press to keep government officials honest.”