Secretary of state tells staff ‘sex is not changeable’ in email following Trump executive order on gender

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The US state department has frozen all applications for passports with “X” sex markers and changes to gender identity on existing passports, following a new executive order signed by Donald Trump on his first day of office.

In an internal email shared with the Guardian, the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, instructed department staff on Thursday to implement the strict new guidelines for official documentation.

Daniel Ball granted clemency by Trump over riot-related offenses but remains in jail under separate gun charge

• ‘Very minor incidents’: Trump defends January 6 pardons
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A Florida man pardoned for his role in the January 6 Capitol riot was swiftly rearrested on Wednesday on federal gun charges.

Daniel Ball, 38, of Homosassa, Florida, remains detained after federal authorities executed an arrest warrant for illegal firearm possession – a charge that predates but emerged from his involvement in the 2021 Capitol insurrection. The arrest marks a complex legal move that suggests presidential pardons may not provide absolute protection from prosecution.

Controversial move follows flurry of executive actions including suspension of refugee resettlement programme

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The Pentagon is set to deploy up to 1,500 active-duty troops to the US-Mexico border as part of Donald Trump’s aggressive new immigration enforcement strategy, marking a significant militarisation of the southern border.

The controversial move, defence officials told the New York Times, comes amid a flurry of executive actions targeting immigration in the early days of Trump’s presidency. The Washington Post on Wednesday reported that the number could be much higher, with military officials preparing to send as many as 10,000 troops to the border.