US and Canada

What is an autopen, and why does Trump use it as one of his favorite topics to mock Biden? BBC News

President Donald Trump’s name has been added to the US Institute of Peace (USIP) building in Washington, after the Department of State rebranded the organisation on Wednesday. The president’s name was added in large block capitals ahead of a peace agreement signing ceremony between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of …

EPA/Shutterstock John Ellis was 16 when frequent stomach pains led to an unexpected diagnosis. His mother suggested they go to the doctor, and after a series of tests, the results took even Mr Ellis’s mother, a nurse of 30 years, by surprise: Mr Ellis had hepatitis B. Born in 1990, …

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth could have endangered troops’ safety when he used an unsecured app to discuss a planned attack on militants in Yemen, according to a report from the Pentagon’s inspector general, an internal watchdog. The details of the March attack were discussed on the commercial Signal app, …

Aj Awer Aj Awer, of the Cedar-Riverside Community Council, says Trump’s comments were “dangerous” Somali-Americans in Minnesota have told of their heightened fear after US President Donald Trump intensified his criticism of the community this week. Community leaders told the BBC the “apprehension is palpable” following Trump’s remarks, in which …

The Los Angeles Clippers have released 12-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul following the side’s dreadful start to the season. The Clippers, who have lost 14 of their past 16 matches, announced Paul’s departure before their match against the Atlanta Hawks. Paul, 40, is regarded as one of the best players …

Natalie ShermanBusiness reporter Getty Images The US is set to loosen its fuel economy rules, reversing another Biden-era policy that had been expected to lead to increased take-up of electric cars. US President Donald Trump announced the proposal at the White House, where officials said the prior standards were not …

Republican Matt Van Epps defeated Democrat Aftyn Behn in Tennessee’s special election on Tuesday. Although Republicans held the seat, the margin was well below the 22-point cushion Donald Trump achieved there in November 2024. The BBC’s Anthony Zurcher breaks down what this congressional race means for the future of the …

The 1670 Hudson’s Bay Company Royal Charter, considered among one of Canada’s founding documents, has been sold for C$18m ($13m; £9.6m) to two of the country’s richest families. The 355-year-old charter, which granted the Hudson’s Bay Company wide-ranging powers over large swaths of what is now Canada, ended up at …

US defence secretary Pete Hegseth risked imperilling American troops by sharing information that could have been intercepted by a foreign adversary, according to a Pentagon watchdog. Sky’s US partner NBC News is reporting that the Inspector General also found that Mr Hegseth violated military regulations by using his personal phone …

Police in a Canadian city are reminding the public that being a “grinch” may be frowned upon, but not illegal, after receiving calls over anti-Santa signs. The signs appeared on a house window along a Santa Claus parade route over the weekend in Brantford, 103 kilometres (64 miles) west of …

US President Donald Trump has pardoned a moderate Democrat and his “wonderful” wife after they were charged with bribery. Mr Trump said he was granting a “full and unconditional pardon” to the “beloved” 70-year-old Democratic House Representative Henry Cuellar of Texas, who has served in Congress for more than two …

Bernd Debusmann Jrat the White House Donald Trump/Truth Social The 2 September strike in the Caribbean was the first of a wave of attacks against suspected drug traffickers conducted by the Trump administration. A US strike against an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean has become the focal point of …

The parents of Friends star Matthew Perry have written to a judge who is set to sentence a doctor who prescribed the actor ketamine before his overdose death. His relatives, in two separate statements on Wednesday, said they struggle to understand why Dr Salvador Plasencia repeatedly supplied Perry with the …

Images and video of Jeffrey Epstein’s private island have been released by politicians in the US. In a post on X, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee said they “are a harrowing look behind Epstein’s closed doors” on his private Caribbean island. “We are releasing these photos and videos to …

The Trump administration has paused immigration applications submitted by nationals from 19 countries that were banned from travel earlier this year, according to a US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) policy document. The agency, tasked with processing and approving all requests for immigration benefits, said in the memo that the …

Melania Trump has unveiled a White House makeover for Christmas – and the theme is “Home Is Where The Heart Is”. Dozens of volunteer decorators helped make the building festive with 75 wreaths, 51 Christmas trees, about 200m of garland, over 2,000 strands of lights, more than 7,600m of ribbon, …

An eight-year-old girl described as “the light in everyone’s life” has been identified as one of four people killed in a mass shooting at a child’s party in California, her devastated family said. Maya Lupian was shot dead at a banquet hall in the city of Stockton, about 60 miles …

The US has halted the processing of all immigration applications linked to 19 countries already subject to a travel ban, according to an internal official memo seen by BBC partner CBS News. Immigration agents have been told to “stop final adjudication on all cases”, and pause naturalisation ceremonies for migrants …

Republicans have won a hotly-contested congressional election in Tennessee, US media outlets projected, after a race which had been seen as a test of whether Democrats can mount a national comeback next year. With almost all the votes counted, Republican Matt Van Epps was on course to beat Democrat Aftyn …