Mexican president hits back at Donald Trump over border wall but White House summit is still on ... 'for now'

President Raul Castro expressed Cuba's willingness to continue negotiations with Mr Trump's new administration but warned his country would not concede any of its sovereignty.

Mr Castro made the comments at a summit of Latin American and Caribbean leaders in the Dominican Republic that was dominated by talk of mr Trump's immigration and trade policies, and his criticism of the detente between Cuba and the United States that was promoted by Mr Trump's predecessor in the presidency, Barack Obama.

"Cuba and the United States can cooperate and live together in a civilised manner," Mr Castro said on Wednesday in a speech at the summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.

He said Cuba was willing to continue normalising relations with Washington but his country would not "make concessions inherent to its independence and sovereignty" to achieve this.

Mr Trump said he "will absolutely do safe zones in Syria" to protect people fleeing violence there.

"I'll absolutely do safe zones in Syria for the people."

"I think that Europe has made a tremendous mistake by allowing these millions of people to go into Germany and various other countries."

 Mr Trump said illegal immigrants brought to the United States as children, known as "dreamers," should not be worried about deportation.

"They shouldn't be very worried.

"I do have a big heart. We're going to take care of everybody. Where you have great people that are here that have done a good job, they should be far less worried."

"We'll be coming out with policy on that over the next period of four weeks."

Talking about the letter Mr Obama left for him in the Oval Office, Mr Trump said it was a "beautiful letter...so well written, so thoughtful. It was long, it was complex, it was thoughtful, and it took time to do it and I appreciated it and I thanked him ...He wants me to do a great job. He said 'you know, if I thought your healthcare plan was going to be better than Obamacare, I would support it', and I believe he would."

What is Mr Trump's plan for healthcare? "I want to take care of everybody. I'm not going to leave the lower 20% that can't afford insurance...Obamacare is a disaster.  It's too expensive, it's horrible healthcare." He says he wants to "get it fixed", but he doesn't say how. 

Responding to the potential backlash to his immigration policies, Mr Trump says: "Anger? There's plenty of anger right now. How can you have more? David, I know you're a sophisticated guy, the world is a mess, the world is as angry as it gets, what, you think this will cause a little more anger? The world is an angry place. The world is a total mess...the world is a mess, David."

On receiving nuclear codes, Mr Trump says: "It is a very sobering moment, yes. It's very, very, very scary in a sense." But it doesn't keep him up at night.

"As far as I'm concerned, we have to fight fire with fire," Mr Trump says of using torture techniques like waterboarding in combating Isil." He says he will go with what Defence Secretary Mattis and CIA Director Pompeo say, but he says he asked people at the highest level of intelligence whether torture works, and he says they told him it does. "If they do want to do (waterboarding), then I will work toward that end...Do I feel it works? Absolutely."  

Discussing the crime problem in Chicago, he repeated that it was "carnage". "Afghanistan is not like what’s happening in Chicago," he said. "I will send it what I have to send in...Chicago is like a war zone. Chicago is worse than some of the people that you report and some of the places that you report about every nice, in the Middle East." When pressed about what action he would take, he said: "I want them to fix the problem."

 Unlikely the good city of Chicago will be using Mr Trump in any tourism campaigns anytime soon...

On the row over crowd size, Mr Trump said he "won’t allow" anyone to demean people in Inauguration crowd: "We had a massive crowd of people. I looked over that sea of people and I said to myself, 'wow', and I've seen crowds before ...big, big crowds. That was some crowd ...We had the biggest audience in the history of inaugural speeches."

As previously released, Mr Trump explains why he wants to launch an investigation into alleged fraud. "I want the voting process to be legitimate."

When told the author of a Pew report said he found no evidence of fraud, he said the author was clearly "grovelling". 

The ABC interview has now started.

President Trump says construction of border wall with Mexico will begin "in months" and Mexico will "absolutely" reimburse the US for wall. "He says to say that," Mr Trump says when told Mr Nieto refuses to pay.

Has he changed after the first 5 days in office? "I don't want to change too much...I could be the most presidential person ever...but I may not be able to do the job nearly as well if I do that."

The Mexican President, Enrique Pena Nieto, has issued a video message to his citizens, saying he "regrets and disapproves" of Mr Trump's planned border wall and reiterates that Mexico will not pay for it.

Pena Nieto did not say whether or not he will attend a summit with Trump in Washington that the White House said would take place on Tuesday. 

 The message comes just minutes before Mr Trump's first televised interview since taking office is set to air. 

US House Speaker Paul Ryan has said an investigation is the right thing to do to determine the facts after Mr Trump said he would seek an investigation into what he believes was voter fraud in the November election.

"I'm sure there is some fraud," Mr Ryan told MSNBC in an interview. "If he believes that there is a problem to be looked at, the right thing is to get an investigation to get the facts."

Mr Ryan added that he had not seen evidence of "this kind of widespread numbers that we have been hearing about".

Here are the president's latest statements on his voter fraud claims, to ABC News:

Mexico's president is "considering" canceling next week's visit to Washington following President Donald Trump's order to begin construction of a wall between the two countries, a senior official said Wednesday.

The decision to rethink the visit comes amid growing outrage in Mexico, and a sense among many that President Enrique Pena Nieto has been too weak in the face of Trump's tough policy stance.

The official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press the administration "is considering" scrapping the Jan. 31 visit. "That's what I can tell you."

It was not clear when a final decision may be made (AP).

Donald Trump is waging an all out war on the Environmental Protection Agency- nominating a man who has called for the dismantling of the agency (and filed several lawsuits against it) to direct it, and banning staff from speaking to the press or posting to social media about their work.

The administration has now gone a step further. The EPA will not be able to publish any scientific studies unless they are approved by administration appointees.

That decision means the White House can control the information coming out of government agencies, in this case potentially scrapping studies on global warming or other environmental issues in favour of findings that serve Mr Trump's agenda.

Marty Walsh, the mayor of Boston, has responded forcefully to Donald Trump's order to strip "sanctuary cities" of federal funding.

Boston is one such city, meaning there is a policy in place to protect undocumented immigrants from deportation.

Mr Walsh said he was "deeply disturbed" by the announcement, and would not abandon the "values" of the New England city by helping Mr Trump deport residents.

“I will use all of my power within lawful means to protect all Boston residents — even if that means using City Hall itself as a last resort," he said.

Here's what Donald Trump told ABC news about potentially reinstating waterboarding and other techniques:

Mr Trump vowed during the campaign to bring back waterboarding, "and a hell of a lot worse,” but later said he had taken to heart statements by James Mattis, his new Pentagon chief and a retired Marine Corps general, that torture did not work and was not in America’s interest.

He changed his tune on Wednesday, telling ABC news the US had to "fight fire in fire" as terrorist groups beheaded their prisoners in the Middle East

"We have that and we're not allowed to do anything. We're not playing on an even field," he said.

Mr Trump insisted that torture was effective for extracting information but said he would confer with Mr Mattis and Mike Pompeo, the CIA director, about what methods could legally be used.

"If they don't want to do it that's fine," he said of waterboarding, adding "if they want to do it" he would work toward implementing it.

Nick Allen went to the border to talk to local residents about the proposed wall

The Brookings Institution held an event on Monday looking at possible voter fraud.

They concluded that it was actually harder to vote in the 2016 election than at any other time.

In a blog on their website, it states:

During the 2016 election, more stringent photo identification requirements became the new “poll tax” for more than 21 million Americans, or 11 percent of the entire voting-eligible population without government-issued photo IDs. As a result, voting restrictions have extended beyond African Americans to other people of color, including Latinos, and Asian Americans, along with many seniors, students, and low-income citizens who do not possess, nor can readily obtain the selective forms of photo ID that states have chosen to accept.

You can watch the event here:

My colleague David Lawler has been looking into the practicalities of building a wall.

He writes:

Donald Trump's proposed wall on the Mexican border is a massive undertaking.

The US has already spent about $7 billion constructing barriers on a 600 mile stretch of the border, but that is only about one-third of the land border which stretches from California to Texas.

Mr Trump wants to upgrade the fencing currently in place and build a "great wall", upwards of 40 feet in height and reaching underground to prevent tunneling.

There is a 2006 law on the books, signed by George W Bush, authorising a "physical barrier" on the border. It was only partially implemented, and there is nothing stopping Mr Trump from carrying it forward so long as he finds the necessary funds- estimated to be between $15 and $25 billion.

Congressional Republicans have signalled they are willing to include the funds in an upcoming governing spending package. For now, Mr Trump will have to use money already set aside for border security.

He says the planning will begin immediately, and construction within months.

The US taxpayers will foot the bill in the short term, but Mr Trump maintains that Mexico will reimburse them "in some form"

It was a scripted speech - unlike his talk on Saturday at the CIA, which critics have described as chaotic and rambling and, in the words of former CIA chief John Brennan, "despicable".

This time he was "on message".

And the message was:

• The border wall is going ahead; an executive order has been signed
• The wall will help Mexico and the US, and save thousands of lives
• Border security should not be about politics; it should be about protecting Americans
• Families whose loved one has been killed by an illegal immigrant will be assisted by a new agency
• Border and immigration agencies will be beefed up
• Sanctuary cities - where police do not ask about immigration status - will have funding cut.

Mr Trump concludes with a message of unity - something which, many have noted, was sorely lacking in his address on Saturday at the CIA.

He seems to have got the message. This is a far more "presidential" tone.

We will bridge our divisions, heal our wounds, and work together for our country. If we do that there is nothing we cannot do as Americans.

Mr Trump is now naming, one by one, the families of those whose relative was killed by an illegal immigrant.

He's asking them to stand, detailing the murder, and making the crowd applaud

.

We have many others here for remembrance. I want to thank them for being here.

Nothing can ever make your pain go away.

But I want you to know that your children have not lost their lives for no reason.

Mr Trump says: "Beginning today the United States gets back control of its borders."

Mr Trump says this will help both Mexico and the US, and save thousands of lives.

He is now summarising his executive orders, signed earlier today:

1. Begins construction of the wall.
2. Ends the policy of "catch and release" at the border.
3. Requires other countries to take back their criminals
4. Cracks down on sanctuary cities
5. Reinforces ICE
6. Hires more border officers
7. Creates office of homeland security dedicated to supporting victims of illegal immigrant crime.

"For years the media has largely ignored the stories of American victims of crimes committed by illegal immigrants. For all of those hurting out there, you will never be ignored again.

As your president, I have no higher duty than to protect the lives of American citizens.

We are going to restore the rule of law in the United States.

I want to recognise the service of ICE and the border agents - not just because they endorsed me.

We are in the middle of a crisis on our southern border.

The unprecedented crisis is threatening both Mexico and the United States, and I believe it will help both nations. 

Our Washington reporter, David Lawler, has been looking into claims that Donald Trump could reinstate waterboarding.

He writes:

President Donald Trump is considering reinstating waterboarding and other methods widely considered torture for use in interrogations, prompting a backlash from senior US officials and a response from Prime Minister Theresa May

Mr Trump vowed during the campaign to bring back waterboarding, "and a hell of a lot worse,” but later said he had taken to heart statements by James Mattis, his new Pentagon chief and a retired Marine Corps general, that torture did not work and was not in America’s interest.

The president told ABC News on Wednesday that he would defer to Mr Mattis for the time being, but had since been told by other officials that waterboarding and similar techniques were effective, and left open the possibility of bringing them back.

Meanwhile the New York Times reported that Mr Trump was considering re-opening CIA “black sites” outside the US for detention and interrogation of terrorism suspects, and would open a review into whether “enhanced interrogation” should be used.

After the news emerged, Mrs May told the Commons the UK had a “very clear position on torture.

"We do not sanction torture, we do not get involved with that and that will continue to be our position," she said.

John McCain,a former prisoner of war and outspoken opponent of torture, said the same of the US.

"The President can sign whatever executive orders he likes. But the law is the law. We are not bringing back torture," he said in a statement.

Waterboarding, or simulated drowning, was banned by Barack Obama after he took office in 2009. Mr Obama said he believed the technique constituted torture, and was contrary to American values.

Some Republicans have broken with Mr Trump after it emerged that he was seriously considering reversing that decision.

John Thune, the South Dakota senator, said it was “settled law” that American’s would not torture prisoners.

A purported draft of an executive order from Mr Trump on interrogation techniques and black sites circulated on Wednesday. It stipulated that Mr Obama’s order to close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba would be revoked, and that rules on approved interrogation techniques would be amended if necessary.

Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, said it was “not a White House document”, but refused to say whether Mr Trump was considering the policies it contains.

This is from Sean Spicer's press conference a little while ago; we have the full transcript of his remarks now.

He explained why Donald Trump believes in the wall, and why today he signed an executive order to begin it.

He said:

The first order is the border security and immigration enforcement improvements. It addresses long overdue border security issues and it's the first order of -- order in that will be to build a large physical barrier on the southern border. Building this barrier is more than just a campaign promise, it's a common sense first step to really securing our porous border. This will stem the flow of drugs, crime, illegal immigration into the United States. And yes, one way or another, as the president has said before, Mexico will pay for it.

The executive order also provides the dedicated men and women of the Department of Homeland Security with the tools they need -- the tools and the resources they need to stop illegal immigration from the -- entering the United States.

Under the Constitution, the America people get the final say who can and cannot enter our nation, and they've spoken loud and clearly through our laws. We're going to create more detention space for illegal immigrants along the southern border to make it easier and cheaper to detain them and return them to their country of origin. We're going to end the last administration's dangerous catch and release policy, which has led to the deaths of many Americans.

We're going to once again prioritize the prosecution and deportation of illegal immigrants who have also otherwise violated our laws. And after these criminals spend time in prison for the crimes they've committed, they're gonna get one-way tickets to the country of their origin and their governments are gonna take them back.

Donald Trump has been tweeting that he wants to clamp down on voter fraud - which he believes includes people registered to vote in two states.

But according to the website Heat Street, Mr Trump's own daughter, Tiffany, is registered to vote in both Philadelphia - where she studied - and in New York.

His senior adviser, Steve Bannon, is also registered to vote in two places - Florida and New York.

This is currently totally legal.

The only problem would be if they tried to vote twice.

Bill Richardson, the former governor of New Mexico, says that it is a waste of money to investigate voter fraud - as there is no evidence of widespread fraud.

He also said Mr Trump is "negotiating against himself" in his approach to Mexico.

Mexico could stop collaborating with the US on issues such as cartel violence, and extradition of criminals like Chapo Guzman.

Guzman was handed over the day before Mr Trump became president.

• Trump plans to cut funding from "sanctuary cities" - where illegal immigrants can still access basic services.
• He is weighing up various ways of making Mexico pay for the border wall.
• Visas are being blocked from certain countries as part of Mr Trump's plan to protect Americans.
• He is looking at ways of investigating possible voter fraud.

One of the favourites is Neil Gorsuch (see 4:18pm).

I think there are several names out there.

He put out a list on the campaign.

I'm definitely not getting ahead of the president on that.

Donald Trump is expected to announce restrictions today on visas for people arriving from seven countries - Syria, Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Yemen, Libya and Sudan.

He says that it is about keeping America safe.

I think the next step is a dialogue with Mayor Emanuel.

We will set up a way to work together.

Well worth reading my colleague Nick Allen's dispatch from "Chi-Raq".

He writes:

Last week, Camiella Williams went to view the body of her old school friend Cordero Mosley. He was the 24th friend she has lost to gun violence in Chicago, a city that now goes by the unwanted nickname “Chiraq”.

“Cordero was in a car and somebody walked up and shot him in the head,” said Miss Williams, 28, an anti-gun campaigner. “I’m just numb to this now, I’ve been to a lot of funerals. 

"What's going on in Chicago makes no sense at all. It's a war zone that people don't want to acknowledge. It feels like they just forgot about us and I'd be surprised if you don't see serious unrest very soon."

For background on this, see my colleague Helena Horton's contribution at 2:36pm.

Mr Spicer said:

I think I need to make this clear.

They haven't been told by us anything.

What I understand, they have been told by their agencies to adhere to policy.

That did not come from here.

Mr Trump tweeted last night that he could "send in the Feds" to Chicago.

He met Mayor Emanuel before the election and expressed his support for the city.

I think when Obama was speaking, in his final address, two people were killed in the city.

I think he was saying to Mayor Emanuel that there is federal support for the city. But to my knowledge he has not received a return call.

This is a key question: if the wall costs between $8-14 billion, how does Mr Trump plan to make Mexico pay?

Mr Spicer, perhaps unsurprisingly, refuses to get drawn into possible options.

He replies:

I think the president is working with Congress and other folks to make this happen.

There are a lot of mechanisms he can use.

At this point his priority was to get this moving, with existing funding.

He is then asked about immigration priorities.

The president understands the magnitude of this problem. He's a family man. He has a huge heart. He understands the magnitude of this problem.

His priority with immigration is getting rid of criminals who should not be here.

Sean Spicer says:

The president is looking at various options to combating voter fraud.

Spicer says Mr Trump will address the issue further tomorrow, at the Republican gathering in Philadelphia.

You can read more about this whole kerfuffle here.

Mr Spicer says that the wall is "not just a campaign promise" and is central to his policy on security and law and order.

He continues:

Federal agencies are going to unapologetically enforce the law - no ifs, no buts.

The state department is going to withhold visas and use other tools to make sure that countries take criminals back.

Funding for sanctuary cities will be witheld.

The American people are no longer going to be forced to subsidise this disregard for its laws.

Sean Spicer opens by saying that President Donald Trump will appoint the new Supreme Court judge next week, and detailing his conversation on Tuesday with Narendra Modi, Indian prime minister.

The fee to join Donald Trump's resort in Florida, Mar-a-Lago, has doubled, according to CNBC.

It now costs $200,000 to join - an increase which had been under consideration for some time, insiders told the channel, but which will add to criticism that Mr Trump is cashing in on the presidency.

People close to the Florida resort said the increase took effect on January 1.

Mr Trump plans to use the resort as his occasional "Winter White House" and has visited twice since his election — first for Thanksgiving and then over Christmas and New Year holidays.

There's no way of knowing whether demand for memberships has grown.

The initiation fee for Mar-a-Lago had been $100,000 since 2012, when it was cut from $200,000.

On top of the initiation fee of $200,000 plus tax, members also pay $14,000 a year in annual dues (plus tax).

A clip of Donald Trump's interview with ABC has just been released.

In it, he says of the wall:

Ultimately it will come out of what's happening with Mexico, we will be starting those negotiations very soon and we will be in a form reimbursed by Mexico.

On whether they will pay the US back:

Absolutely, 100 per cent.

On Enrique Pena Nieto, Mexican president, who has refused to pay:

He has to say that. But I'm just telling you there will be a payment. It will be in a form, perhaps a complicated form.

You have to understand, what I'm doing is good for the United States, it will also be good for Mexico.

As soon as we can, as soon as we can physically do it. I would say in months, certainly planning will begin immediately."

 Donald Trump has given an interview to ABC News, which airs tonight at 10pm ET.

A producer with ABC is tweeting some highlights of tonight's show.

We are yet to hear the details about Donald Trump's immigration proposals, which he is expected to detail today.

But he is expected to issue a ban on US entry for people from seven countries - Syria, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen - for reasons of "NATIONAL SECURITY" (his caps).

Now, it is already very hard for people from those countries to obtain a visa to come to the US.

And interestingly, of the 21 terror attacks that are listed by Wikipedia as having taken place on US soil since (and including) September 11 2001, the nationalities of known perpetrators, based on country of birth, have been:

• Russian (1) 
• Kyrgyz (1) 
• American (13, or possibly 14 - one uncertain) 
• Pakistani (1 or possibly 2) 
• Afghan (1) 
• Jamaican (1) 
• Iranian (1) 
• Saudi Arabian (15, all 9/11) 
• UAE (2) 
• Lebanese (1)
• Egyptian (2).

Thus of the around 40 known perpetrators of terrorist attacks on US soil since September 11 2001, only one was born in a country on Mr Trump's current list, and even he became a naturalised US citizen aged two

There have been no terrorist attacks on US soil by individuals born in Syria, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan or Yemen since 9/11, and all six of these countries are experiencing humanitarian crises.

The department of agriculture has reportedly lifted an order that called for scientists and employees of its research arm not to release any of its work to the public.

The Trump administration had instituted a media blackout for employees of the Environmental Protection Agency and the departments of commerce, health and human services, and the interior, sparking backlash and concerns that Mr Trump is attempting to silence any dissenting views and control the messaging from federal agencies.

But on Wednesday morning, the department of agriculture issued a statement:

“ARS will be providing updated direction to its staff. ARS values and is committed to maintaining the free flow of information between our scientists and the American public.”

Joaquin Castro, a Democrat politician from Texas who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

He says that 40 per cent of the illegal immigrants in the US overstayed their visas, rather than entering across the border with Mexico (or Canada).

He argues that the money would be better spent on improving existing immigration and visa procedures.

Some facts on the wall, from the government accountability office estimates, which put the total cost at $14 billion:

• $6.5m per mile for a single-layer fence.
• Additional $4.2m per mile for roads and additional fencing.
• Does not include maintenance.

This is one of the most eagerly-anticipated decisions he will make.

There are nine justices on the Supreme Court, who serve for life: Antonin Scalia died in February 2016, and so the choice of someone to replace him weighed heavy on the election.

Barack Obama wanted Merrick Garland, a judge from DC. But that was blocked by the Republicans, who said an outgoing president could not choose.

Mr Trump has circulated a list of 21 possible nominees for the role - which has the enormous responsibility of having the final say on issues such as abortion, education and human rights.

Neil Gorsuch, a judge from Denver, is said to be one of the front runners. He is described by the LA Times as a "highly regarded conservative jurist best known for upholding religious liberty rights in the legal battles over Obamacare."

Seven activists from Greenpeace have climbed a crane near the White House, and began deploying a 70-foot by 35-foot banner of the word “Resist” above the White House.

Greenpeace have just put out a statement:

The activists from around the country are still in place, calling for those who want to resist Trump’s attacks on environmental, social, economic, and educational justice to contribute to a better America.

They are streaming their protests live.

You have probably gathered by now that there are some unusual things happening in Washington at the moment.

Well, this is just another one.

The White House press secretary sent out a bizarre email this morning collating all the praise that Donald Trump has received.

 Here is a sample of the email:

• ABC News’ Jonathan Karl: “Incredible Pace Of Activity In The Trump White House On Week One…”
• Karl Tweet: “Incredible pace of activity in the Trump White House on week one - when have we seen a public WH sked packed as yesterday's & today's?” (Twitter.com, 1/24/17)
• Fox News’ Sean Hannity: “I Don't Think I've Ever Seen So Much Happen In Such A Short Period Of Time.” (Fox News’ “Hannity,” 1/24/17)
• Chicago Tribune Editorial Board: “Trump Could Have Chosen Any Topic To Get His Presidency Rolling. He Picked Jobs. Good.” (Editorial, “What Trump Got Right On Day 1: The Jobs Agenda,” Chicago Tribune, 1/23/17)

​- and it goes on and on.

My colleagues and I can't ever remember another White House email like that.

And on Twitter, journalists were bemused.

Donald Trump tweeted earlier this morning about how he was considering "sending in the Feds" to deal with Chicago's gun violence problem.

He appears to have tweeted immediately after watching a segment on Fox News.

 And what is really interesting is the response from the mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel.

 A spokesman for the mayor referred reporters to an interview on WTTW-Ch. 11, which aired on Tuesday night.

Asked in that conversation about the White House website under the Trump administration citing violence in Chicago, Mr Emanuel said that federal agencies including the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives already do help the city, but more could be done.

He said: "There's a lot the federal government can do," citing gun control, use of federal resources to track illegal guns and federal prosecutions.

"And also, fundamentally, in my view, also help fund additional police officers.

Over the years the federal government's stepped back their resources, which we have stepped up. The federal government can be a partner, and to be honest they haven't been for decades.'" 

Ruth Sherlock in Washington has spoken with James Carafano, who held the homeland security portfolio in Donald Trump's transition team:

Mr Carafano described the allegations that Mr Trump's immigration policies demonise Muslims, as "fear mongering from the liberal media". 

"If people want to give into fear mongering that's their problem," he said. He described the situation as being the "equivalent of 'prove to me you are not beating your wife'". 

"People are saying 'prove to me you are not persecuting Muslims'," he said. "Well, I have said to the president that best way to for the you to counteract the demonisation to just do your job. 

When you implement the policies and people, including Muslims, find they can just live their lives, then they will stop giving into the fear mongering."

He said that "at the leadership level" no one in the Middle East is worried about Mr Trump's immigration policies, and claimed that "the most pro-Trump people I have talked to have been leaders from that region".

• How the San Bernardino massacre triggered Donald Trump's Muslim ban, and how it has changed the country

Mr Carafano said that their restrictions on immigration from certain Middle Eastern countries was a policy intended to mitigate what he saw as the fallout from escalating attacks against Isil in Syria and Iraq.

"Those foreign fighters will move," he said. "We have to make sure we are ready to stem the flow."

Donald Trump will issue an executive order on interrogation and detention of terrorism suspects overseas, returning to Bush-era policies and wiping away Barack Obama's reforms.

CIA black sites, used to hold and in some cases to torture suspects,  appear likely to be re-opened. Torture remains illegal, but Mr Trump will order a review of interrogation techniques according to the New York Times.

He vowed during the campaign to bring back waterboarding, "and a hell of a lot worse".

John McCain, a former prisoner of war and outspoken opponent of torture, has released a statement pledging to fight any moves toward reinstating such techniques: "The President can sign whatever executive orders he likes. But the law is the law. We are not bringing back torture."

Mr Trump has also vowed to fill the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba with "bad dudes." Mr Obama failed to close the camp before leaving office.

Helena Horton on a David vs Goliath battle brewing on social media:

Last night, there was widespread anger over revelations of a gagging order imposed by the Trump administration on the Environmental Protection Agency.

This is a temporary ban on social media posts, blog posts and any publicity around publicly-funded research by government employees.

The unlikely rebels in this story are the people behind the social media accounts of the National Parks.

Badlands National Park tweeted a series of scientific facts about climate change, including: "Today, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is higher than at any time in the last 650,000 years",

Shortly after these tweets were posted, they were deleted.

Then, a new account sprung up, an unofficial National Parks Twitter page, which has been tweeting anti-Trump sentiments, climate change facts and a plan for a scientists' march on Washington.

They said: "Can't wait for President Trump to call us FAKE NEWS. 

"You can take our official twitter, but you'll never take our free time!"

Amusingly, many have linked this backlash to Parks and Recreation, a popular television show in which the main character, Leslie Knope, works for her local parks department.

Donald Trump has sent fact-checkers into a frenzy with his repeated claims, made most recently on Monday night and then parroted on Tuesday by his press secretary, that millions of illegal immigrants voted in the 2016 election. Mr Trump has stated that the fraud was so widespread that it denied him the popular vote (he lost by nearly 3 million votes).

Election officials from both parties in all 50 states have denied that such fraud took place. Every study claiming otherwise has been debunked. So what on earth is going on here? A few things:

1.  President Trump is infuriated by efforts to delegitimise his election (see: coverage of Russian hacking, Comey pre-election announcement), and seems fixated on the fact that he lost the popular vote by such a large margin
2. Some Republicans will welcome this investigation as justification for more restrictive voting laws, including mandating government IDs at the polls. Some ten per cent of the population, mostly low-income and Democratic-leaning, lack the necessary ID and Democrats deny that there is any need for voter ID laws
3. We're now in the era of "alternative facts"

What is he doing? Donald Trump is taking an executive action to order construction of a wall on the border

How is he doing it? You might think such a massive undertaking would require Congress to give its approval As it turns out, it already has- sort of. There is a 2006 law on the books, signed by George W Bush, authorising a "physical barrier" on the border. It was only partially implemented, and there is nothing stopping Mr Trump from carrying it forward, so long as he finds the necessary funds.

Will Mexico pay? No, or at least not initially. Congressional Republicans plan to stick funds for the wall into a government funding package. Mr Trump says they are merely paying up front, and Mexico will end up footing the bill at a later date.

Will it work? It depends on what the goal is. Will it be harder for some immigrants to cross the border? Probably. But read this excellent dispatch from the Telegraph's Nick Allen on the difficulties involved.

While you're at it, read this equally excellent dispatch from Nick on migrants rushing across the border before the wall is built.

Here's a look at the president's schedule:

• 9:25AM     THE PRESIDENT meets with Chief of Staff, Reince Priebus
• 11:00AM    THE PRESIDENT takes official portrait
• 1:00PM     Press Briefing with Press Secretary Sean Spicer
• 1:25PM     THE PRESIDENT visits the Department of Homeland Security
• 4:00PM     THE PRESIDENT begins phone call with Phil Bryant, Governor of Mississippi