Donald Trump signed executive order to rename body of water in honor of ‘American greatness’

The US Coast Guard (USCG) and the state of Florida have started referring to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America – a new label pushed by Donald Trump – despite the name of the body of water not yet being formally changed.

On Tuesday, following a flurry of executive orders signed by Trump on his first days in office, the USCG announced that it would deploy additional assets to multiple locations, including the “maritime border between Texas and Mexico in the ‘Gulf of America’”. Similarly, Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, cited the new moniker in a winter storm executive order on Monday, saying “an area of low pressure [was] moving across the Gulf of America”.

US president tells his Russian counterpart to ‘settle now and stop this ridiculous war’ or face repercussions

• Trump administration – live updates

Donald Trump has threatened Russia with taxes, tariffs and sanctions if a deal to end the war in Ukraine is not struck soon, as the new US president tries to increase pressure on Moscow to start negotiations with Kyiv.

Writing in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, Trump said Russia’s economy was failing and urged Vladimir Putin to “settle now and stop this ridiculous war”.

Mohammad Javad Zarif says he hopes new Trump administration will be more serious, focused and realistic

A senior Iranian politician has appealed to Donald Trump to begin new negotiations with Tehran over its civil nuclear programme, saying: “I hope that this time around, [Trump 2.0] will be more serious, more focused, more realistic.”

Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran’s vice-president for strategic affairs, pointed out that the returning US president had not reappointed figures from his first term such as the former secretary of state Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton, who persuaded him in 2018 to quit the nuclear deal on the basis that withdrawal would lead to the regime’s collapse.

Federal prosecutors could investigate officials not cooperating with Trump’s hardline immigration policies, memo suggests

• Trump administration cancels travel for refugees approved to resettle in US

The Wall Street Journal has spoken to some federal workers affected by the slew of executive orders signed by president Donald Trump at the outset of his second term as president, and reports “a sense of anxiety and confusion” among staff.

One person, a product-support manager for the US navy, said “It’s leaving a lot of uncertainty that folks have never really had to feel. It seems like there is a level of distrust with how things are working.”

Communication lines open 24 hours intended to avoid breakdown over reported violations and other issues

Qatari, US and Egyptian negotiators are running a communications hub in Cairo to protect the ceasefire in Gaza, as Donald Trump said he was not confident the break in fighting would hold.

Violations have already been reported. Medics in Gaza said on Monday that eight people had been hit by Israeli fire. The start of the ceasefire was also delayed when Hamas did not provide the names of hostages to be released.

Timing may show two leaders want to coordinate approach in engaging with new US administration over Ukraine

• US politics live – latest updates

The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, held a video call with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in a symbolic display of unity just hours after Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the US.

Speaking from his Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Putin highlighted the close ties between the two countries, stating that their relations were based on “shared interests, equality, and mutual benefit“, calling Xi his “dear friend”.

Trump took a whistlestop world tour from his Oval Office desk, touching on topics including imposing tariffs, rebuilding Gaza and withdrawing (again) from the Paris climate agreement and the WHO

• Donald Trump returns to office – live updates

Donald Trump said he planned to impose 25% tariffs on both Canada and Mexico and withdrew from a signature international climate treaty during an impromptu, wide-ranging news conference from the Oval Office where he tackled topics from trade wars to TikTok and said he was “not confident” that the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel would hold.

The offhand remarks came as Trump signed a flurry of executive orders on domestic and international politics, including a decision to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization, which analysts have warned could hamper efforts to fight future pandemics.

The cold forced the speeches indoors but it didn’t stop Donald Trump from announcing a flurry of executive orders dismantling much of the work of his predecessor. Jonathan Freedland speaks to the US commentator Molly Jong-Fast about what a virtual declaration of war against an American ally, a promise to “expand America’s territory” and a couple of declarations of emergency say about what we can expect from the next four years