Major immigration raids to begin across US - as Trump's press secretary to give first news conference

Google to rename Gulf of Mexico after Trump order

Google Maps will use the names Mount McKinley and Gulf of America when referring to Mount Denali and the Gulf of Mexico, as favoured by Donald Trump.

Trump ordered the interior secretary to make the changes within 30 days when he took office last week.

The executive order said the changes "honour American greatness" and "celebrate the legacy of our American heroes".

Google said any changes to the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) will take place under long-standing policy, adding "we will update Google Maps in the US quickly to show Mount McKinley and Gulf of America" when the changes are made.

First chance to scrutinise Trump and his administration

A big day ahead in the White House.

Donald Trump's new press secretary will take to the podium in the iconic press room for her first news conference.

It's been a little over a week since President Trump's inauguration and it's been a dizzying time - with his administration upending governmental and diplomatic norms in so many areas.

From immigration, to geopolitics, and from the mechanics of government to the battle against "woke", Trump has hit the ground running.

If you haven't already then check out our daily podcast - Trump 100 - where we are trying to chart the Trump journey - discussing what’s been happening. 

Today will provide the media its first opportunity to scrutinise the administration in detail on some of the changes they have made and executive orders the president has signed.

I think we can expect a visual reflection of the first week of this presidency. 

Two TV monitors have been set up either side of the podium. 

For Donald Trump and his team, this is all about projecting the optics of an administration making waves.

The past week has been refreshing from our perspective in that the president has been accessible to the media - more so than his predecessor. 

He's offered a number of impromptu moments with reporters -  answering questions at random, though not always providing clear answers.

Today will allow for more detailed scrutiny of the administration's plans.

I wonder if the president himself might make an appearance today too, in keeping with his impromptu and unorthodox style.

We also hope to ask Leavitt about comments made to Sky News by Iran's foreign minister. 

Speaking to Dominic Waghorn, Abbas Araghchi said Israel and the US would be "crazy" to attack Iran's nuclear facilities.

Stay tuned - we’ll be streaming the news conference live and blogging it here.

Trump outlines new exec orders - including the building of an Iron Dome

Donald Trump has outlined four new executive orders he will sign - including one that will see the defence department build an Iron Dome missile defence system. 

"We have to have a strong, strong defence," he said when announcing the measures last night. 

The first was the immediate construction of an Iron Dome missile defence shield.

The systems have been used extensively by Israel in defending its skies from attacks from Iran and its proxies in the Middle East. 

It's Israeli-developed, but the US heavily funded the research that went into its construction. 

The second and third orders were aimed at removing diversity and inclusion initiatives in the military - with the ultimate goal of getting "transgender ideology the hell out of our military". 

The final order allows the reinstatement of service members discharged for not complying with COVID-19 mandates during the pandemic - which is though to affect around 8,000 people. 

Pardoned January 6 Capitol rioter shot dead by police in Indiana

A pardoned January 6 Capitol rioter has been shot dead by police in Indiana.

Matthew Huttle was killed on Sunday when he was shot following a traffic stop in Pulaski County.

The 42-year-old had been previously convicted over his role in the Capitol riots, along with his uncle Dale, but was among the more than 1,500 people pardoned by the US president in one of his first actions.

State police are now investigating the incident.

They said after an officer tried to arrest Huttle during a traffic stop, "an altercation took place between the suspect and the officer, which resulted in the officer firing his weapon and fatally wounding the suspect".

It was added that Huttle had been in possession of a firearm.

Trump's press secretary to give first news conference

We're expecting to hear from Donald Trump's new press secretary Karoline Leavitt at 6pm UK time in her first news conference.

Leavitt was Trump's spokeswoman during his election campaign, and is the youngest person to occupy the role of White House press secretary at 27 years old. 

Trump previously described Leavitt as "smart, tough, and has proven to be a highly effective communicator".

Leavitt could be quizzed on the Trump administration's plans for major immigration raids alongside multiple agencies, which we reported on in our 14.56 post. 

You can watch her news conference in a livestream here, or follow updates in this blog. 

Major immigration raids to begin across US

The Trump administration is planning to conduct major immigration raids with multiple agencies including the FBI, DEA and others, three sources have told our partner network NBC News. 

One of the sources described these operations as "all hands on deck" - with a target set to carry out raids in three cities per week.  

Targeting illegal immigration and carrying out mass deportations was one of the main campaign promises made by Donald Trump on his return to the White House. 

Operations in Chicago began on Sunday, New York City began today, and the three officials said they are planning for the next operation in Aurora, Colorado on Thursday. 

Next week, three more cities will be targeted. 

-SKY NEWS