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4m ago
U.S. expands expedited deportations beyond border areas
The Trump administration on Tuesday dramatically broadened the scope of expedited deportations, enacting a nationwide expansion of an immigration policy known as “expedited removal” that was previously limited to areas close to U.S. borders.Expedited removal allows U.S. immigration officials to deport migrants who lack proper documents through a streamlined process that bypasses the lengthy and massively backlogged immigration court system. If those identified for expedited removal do not request asylum or fail to establish they may have a legitimate asylum case, they can be expeditiously deported, without an opportunity to see an immigration judge.Before Tuesday’s change, federal immigration officials were only allowed to use expedited removal on unauthorized immigrants detained within 100 miles of an international border and who had been in the U.S. for less than two weeks.Now, these expedited deportations will apply to unauthorized immigrants anywhere in the U.S. who can’t prove they have been in the country for more than two years.Read more here.
By Camilo Montoya-Galvez
Updated 28m ago
Capitol Police chief concerned about message sent by Jan. 6 pardons
U.S. Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger said he’s concerned by the sweeping pardons President Trump issued Monday night to those convicted or facing charges of assaulting police officers after the Capitol riot four years ago.”I think it sends the message that politics is more important than policing,” Manger told “CBS Evening News” anchor and managing editor Norah O’Donnell on Tuesday.
Capitol Police chief says Trump’s Jan. 6 pardons send concerning message
02:37
The president also ordered the Justice Department to end all pending cases connected to the riot, abruptly ending the department’s massive effort under former President Joe Biden to hold those who participated in the attack accountable. “I’m concerned for my officers. I’m concerned about what message they get from these actions,” Manger said, adding that it could prompt officers to question why they put themselves in harm’s way. Read more here.
By Caitlin Yilek
Updated 53m ago
Trump says he’s going to issue executive order on California water
Answering questions from reporters at the White House, the president told reporters he plans to issue an executive order to bring water from Northern California to Southern California, which has been ravaged by wildfires.”Los Angeles has massive amounts of water available to it,” Mr. Trump argued. “All they have to do is turn the valve.” He accused California of withholding water to the southern part of the state and letting it drain into the Pacific Ocean in order to protect smelt that live in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.He has posted on social media in the past several days, demanding of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, “RELEASE THE WATER FROM UP NORTH. MILLIONS OF GALLONS A DAY. WHAT’S TAKING YOU SO LONG.”Days ago, an official who helps oversee Southern California’s water supply disputed Trump’s claim that his proposed changes could have mitigated the wildfires.Mark Gold, water scarcity director for the Natural Resources Defense Council and member of the Metropolitan Water District Board that provides water to 19 million people in Southern California, told CBS News, “The issues have nothing to do with what amount of water we have stored within the region. The Metropolitan Water District has a record amount of water stored at this time.”Mr. Trump plans to travel to California at the end of the week.— Paulina Smolinski, Laura Doan
By Paulina Smolinski
Updated 7:30 PM
Trump says he’s read letter Biden left him
President Trump said he read the letter left for him by former President Biden in the Oval Office, addressed to “47.””He wrote me a nice letter — I mean, I did open it last night,” the president told reporters during an impromptu news conference after an event on AI private investment.”It’s sort of a tradition. You put it in the drawer, especially of the beautiful Resolute desk, and I opened the drawer. There it was,” he said.Mr. Trump called it an “inspirational-type letter. ‘Enjoy it. Do a good job — important — very important, how important the job is,'” he said, describing what Biden had written.He said maybe he’d make the letter public, calling it a “very nice letter.”
Updated 7:05 PM
Trump executive order says federal government only recognizes “two sexes”
An executive order Mr. Trump signed Monday declared it’s now federal government policy to recognize only “two sexes, male and female,” reversing the ability of Americans to mark “other” or “X” on federal forms and causing sweeping implications in the way the federal government acknowledges gender. Mr. Trump has long pledged to alter the way the federal government handles the issue of gender identification, and on the campaign trail, his lines about preventing transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports prompted some of the loudest reactions from his rally-goers.LGBTQ rights groups are pledging to challenge Trump’s order where they can. “Across the country, ideologues who deny the biological reality of sex have increasingly used legal and other socially coercive means to permit men to self-identify as women and gain access to intimate single-sex spaces and activities designed for women, from women’s domestic abuse shelters to women’s workplace showers,” Mr. Trump’s executive order reads. “This is wrong.”By Kathryn Watson, Caroline Linton
6:45 PM / January 21, 2025
Trump officials revoke Biden policy that barred ICE arrests near “sensitive locations” like schools and churches
Just hours after President Trump’s inauguration, his administration revoked a Biden-era policy that prohibited arrests by U.S. immigration agents at or near schools, places of worship and other places deemed to be “sensitive locations.”Benjamine Huffman, whom the Trump administration installed as acting homeland security secretary pending the confirmation of South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, issued a memo on Monday reversing the Biden administration’s immigration arrest guidelines on “sensitive locations.”That policy, signed by former Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, instructed Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection to refrain from apprehending unauthorized immigrants at or near locations “that would restrain people’s access to essential services or engagement in essential activities.” Those locations included schools; places of worship; hospitals and other healthcare facilities; shelters; relief centers; and public demonstrations, like rallies and protests.Read more here.
By Camilo Montoya-Galvez
6:13 PM / January 21, 2025
Kash Patel’s confirmation hearing to be FBI director tentatively scheduled
Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, the ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, told reporters this evening at a pen and pad that Kash Patel, Mr. Trump’s nominee to be FBI director, is tentatively set to appear before the committee on Jan. 29. Durbin said he would not vote to confirm Patel, arguing that he doesn’t have “the experience, the temperament or the judgment” for the role.
By Kaia Hubbard
5:45 PM / January 21, 2025
Trump administration reassigns about 20 career Justice Department officials
Making good on President Trump’s promise to reshape the Justice Department, the administration on Tuesday reassigned roughly 20 career officials from their posts within the Justice Department’s Criminal and National Security divisions, multiple people familiar with the moves confirmed to CBS News. The officials affected included senior criminal and national security leaders within two of the department’s most critical sections, the sources said. The career officials have handled numerous high-profile investigations across administrations. The changes are likely indicators of Trump’s intended shifts in career leadership within the Justice Department.CBS News has reached out to the Justice Department for official comment. The news comes after four officials within the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review, which handles immigration cases, were removed from their posts Monday night, according to two sources. — Nicole Sganga, Robert Legare and Andres Triay
4:56 PM / January 21, 2025
Senators learn new allegations about Hegseth in affidavit by former sister-in-law
The former sister-in-law of Pete Hegseth, President Trump’s nominee to become secretary of defense, told senators in a sworn affidavit that he caused his second wife to fear for her personal safety and abused alcohol over the course of many years.In the affidavit to members of the Senate Armed Services Committee and obtained by CBS News, Danielle Hegseth said she was married to Pete Hegseth’s brother from 2011 to 2019. She recounted what she had told FBI agents who conducted a background check into Hegseth as part of the nomination process. She wrote that her statement came in response to a letter from Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the committee.NBC News first reported on the document. Tim Parlatore, an attorney for Hegseth, denied the allegations, calling Danielle Hegseth an “anti-Trump far left Democrat.”In the affidavit, she wrote that Samantha Hegseth, Pete Hegseth’s second and now ex-wife, had told her that she once hid in the closet from Hegseth for fear of her safety, an incident she said occurred between the years of 2014 and 2016. She noted the anecdote was consistent with what she observed of Hegseth’s behavior over a number of years. Read more here.
By Kaia Hubbard
4:44 PM / January 21, 2025
Trump meeting with Johnson, Thune underway
Mr. Trump’s meeting with House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune in the Oval Office began around 3:20 p.m. Mr. Trump is expected to give remarks later this afternoon, with multiple sources familiar with the matter saying he will announce billions of dollars in private sector investment to build artificial intelligence infrastructure.
By Caroline Linton
3:51 PM / January 21, 2025
Designer of Melania Trump’s viral inauguration hat shares his inspiration for the first lady’s look
Designer Eric Javits discusses Melania Trump’s inauguration hat
05:42
First lady Melania Trump’s hat caught the attention of many across the country and on social media on Inauguration Day.The man behind the design, Eric Javits, has been creating headwear for decades. His hats are a familiar sight on the national stage. They have been showcased by celebrities including Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, Ariana Grande and other first ladies like Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush.”I thought she looked amazing, very polished, very pulled together,” Javits told “CBS Mornings.” “I think it reflected the formality of the occasion.”He admits due to last-minute changes in the venue for President Trump’s inauguration due to freezing temperatures, he didn’t know if the first lady would wear the hat until he saw her on TV.He credits the first lady for helping to make the now viral hat a focal point.”I sort of feel like it wasn’t really a ‘wow’ hat. It was very understated, very elegant and appropriate, but when she put it on, and I had never seen her wearing it before because I never had direct contact with her in person or anything, so I really felt that her presence and her grace and beauty really brought the whole thing alive,” he said.Read more here.
By Kelsie Hoffman
3:30 PM / January 21, 2025
John Bolton’s Secret Service protection discontinued by Trump administration
In its first 24 hours in office, the Trump administration removed U.S. Secret Service protection from former Trump national security adviser John Bolton, who became a critic of the president after Bolton’s ouster from the first Trump administration in 2019. Multiple sources told CBS News the decision was made in the past 24 hours.Bolton, an outspoken critic of President Trump, was granted Secret Service protection by the Biden administration in December 2021 for the first time since he served in the Trump White House. That decision followed a series of threats from Iran linked to retaliation for a drone strike ordered by Mr. Trump during Bolton’s tenure, resulting in the assassination Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. In a statement, Bolton told CBS News that he is “disappointed but not surprised that President Trump has made this decision.” Read more here. — Scott MacFarlane, Nicole Sganga and Margaret Brennan
3:11 PM / January 21, 2025
Pam Bondi won’t get committee vote until Jan. 29
The Senate Judiciary Committee expects to hold a vote on the nomination of Pam Bondi for attorney general on Jan. 29, it said.The committee was set to hold a business meeting Wednesday to consider Bondi’s nomination, but its Democratic members requested to hold the nomination over for seven days, as allowed under the panel’s rules.Bondi appeared before the Judiciary Committee for her confirmation hearing last week. She is expected to easily win approval from the GOP-led Senate.Bondi served two terms as attorney general of Florida and was part of the legal team that represented Mr. Trump during his Senate impeachment trial in early 2020. She worked as a lobbyist at the firm Ballard Partners after leaving public office in 2019.
By Melissa Quinn
2:49 PM / January 21, 2025
Lawmakers react to Trump’s executive orders
Lawmakers react to Trump’s executive orders
07:23
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are responding to Mr. Trump’s executive orders signed on Day 1 of his second term in the White House. The actions include measures on immigration and birthright citizenship. CBS News’ Nancy Cordes reports as Mr. Trump’s full first day of his second term continues.
2:33 PM / January 21, 2025
Susan Collins blasts many of Trump’s Jan. 6 pardons: “This has been a terrible week for our justice system”
Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, criticized Mr. Trump’s decision to pardon even many Jan. 6 rioters who assaulted police officers and broke and entered Capitol property. “While I believe some Americans were caught up in the crowd on January 6 and may well deserve the clemency President Trump has given, there is a great difference between violent crimes and non-violent crimes,” she said in a statement. “I do not support pardons given to people who engaged in violence on January 6, including assaulting police officers, or breaking windows to get into the Capitol, for example.”Collins also criticized former President Joe Biden for his 11th-hour pardons.”I also do not agree with President Biden’s recent clemency decisions, including commuting the sentences of convicted murderers, one of whom killed two FBI agents, and preemptively pardoning his son as well as five other members of his own family in the final hours of his presidency,” she said. “This has been a terrible week for our justice system. Violence must never be tolerated in America.”Collins, who is the only Republican from New England in either chamber, is up for reelection in 2026. She was one of seven Republicans who voted to impeach Mr. Trump in Feb. 2021 over his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
By Kathryn Watson
2:18 PM / January 21, 2025
Jacob Chansley, known as “QAnon Shaman,” says he was pardoned by Trump
Jacob Chansley, known as the “QAnon Shaman” and arguably one of the most recognizable Jan. 6 defendants, posted on social media on Tuesday that he had been pardoned by Mr. Trump.”I just got the news from lawyer … I got a pardon baby!” Chansley wrote in capital letters. He said he was going to buy guns now. Chansley was released from prison in 2023 after serving a little over two years in prison for pleading guilty to a federal charge of obstruction of an official proceeding.”J6ers are getting released & JUSTICE HAS COME…” Chansley wrote. “EVERYTHING done in the dark WILL come to light!.”
By Caroline Linton
2:05 PM / January 21, 2025
Trump on national prayer service: “They could have done better”
Mr. Trump attended the national prayer service at the National Cathedral on Tuesday morning. When asked about the service afterward, he said “they could have done better.””What did you think?” Mr. Trump asked reporters. “Did you like it? You find it exciting? Not too exciting, was it? I didn’t think it was a good service.”The Right Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde directed some of her sermon at Mr. Trump, specifically noting the fear felt by many undocumented immigrants and transgender Americans.”Let me make one final plea, Mr. President, millions have put their trust in you, and as you told the nation yesterday, you have felt the providential hand of a loving God,” Budde said. “In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country. We’re scared now. There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican and independent families, some who fear for their lives and the people, the people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings, who labor in poultry farms and meat packing plants, who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants, and work the night shifts in hospitals. I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away, and that you help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here.”After the sermon, Mr. Trump headed back to the White House.
By Kristin Brown
1:42 PM / January 21, 2025
18 states sue Trump administration over order seeking to overturn birthright citizenship
A coalition of Democratic state attorneys general filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday to stop Mr. Trump’s executive order that seeks to eliminate birthright citizenship.Mr. Trump invoked presidential powers to begin his long-promised immigration crackdown shortly after taking office on Monday. His executive actions included an order directing the federal government to stop issuing passports, citizenship certificates and other documents to many children born in the U.S. whose mothers are in the country illegally, or for whom neither parent is a legal permanent resident.The lawsuit by the 18 states, filed in federal court in Massachusetts, claims Mr. Trump’s initiative violates the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which the federal government has long interpreted to mean that those born on American soil are citizens at birth. The cities of San Francisco and Washington, D.C., also joined the suit.Read more here.
By Graham Kates
1:07 PM / January 21, 2025
Can Trump really end birthright citizenship? The legality of Trump’s executive actions
Can Trump really end birthright citizenship? The legality of Trump’s executive actions
04:01
Mr. Trump on Monday issued an order to federal agencies to deny birthright citizenship to children of parents who are unauthorized immigrants or temporary visa holders, seemingly defying the longstanding interpretation of the 14th Amendment. CBS News legal contributor Jessica Levinson joins CBS News 24/7 on the legality of that order and some of Mr. Trump’s other executive actions.
12:53 PM / January 21, 2025
Trump to announce private sector AI infrastructure investment
Mr. Trump is set to announce billions of dollars in private sector investment to build artificial intelligence infrastructure in the United States, CBS News has learned. OpenAI, Softbank and Oracle are planning a joint venture called Stargate, according to multiple people familiar with the deal. SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son is expected at the White House Tuesday afternoon, along with Sam Altman of OpenAI and Larry Ellison of Oracle.Executives from the companies are expected to say they plan to commit $100 billion initially and pour up to $500 billion into Stargate over the next four years. Other details of the new partnership were not immediately available. Read more here.
By Jennifer Jacobs
12:47 PM / January 21, 2025
Trump signs order to revoke clearances of ex-intel officials who signed letter about Hunter Biden’s laptop
Mr. Trump took executive action Monday to start revoking the security clearances of his former national security adviser, John Bolton, and dozens of intelligence officials who signed a letter in 2020 claiming emails found on a laptop owned by Hunter Biden bore the hallmarks of a Russian disinformation campaign.The executive action was part of a slew of measures signed by Mr. Trump in the hours after he was sworn into a second term in office and is one of his first steps he has taken to target those he considers political opponents now that he has returned to the White House.Mr. Trump said in his order that the signers of the letter “willfully weaponized the gravitas of the Intelligence Community to manipulate the political process and undermine our democratic institutions.””This fabrication of the imprimatur of the Intelligence Community to suppress information essential to the American people during a presidential election is an egregious breach of trust reminiscent of a third world country,” the order states. “And now the faith of Americans in all other patriotic intelligence professionals who are sworn to protect the nation has been imperiled.”Read more here.
By Melissa Quinn
12:34 PM / January 21, 2025
Trump administration fires Coast Guard Commandant Linda Fagan
Trump administration fires Coast Guard chief
00:29
Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan was ousted by the Trump administration Tuesday, on Mr. Trump’s first full day in office. In 2022, Fagan became the first woman to lead a branch of the U.S. military. Fagan was relieved of her duties Monday night in a workforce-wide message by Acting Homeland Security Secretary Benjamin Huffman. “Under my statutory authority as the Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security I have relieved Admiral Linda L. Fagan of her duties as Commandant of the United States Coast Guard,” the brief message read, in part. “She served a long and illustrious career, and I thank her for her service to our nation.”The Coast Guard commandant is appointed for a four-year term, and Fagan had served two years.Read more here.
By Nicole Sganga
12:19 PM / January 21, 2025
Trump administration issues guidance to border officials to call migrants “illegal aliens,” sources say
The Trump administration has issued guidance to U.S. border officials instructing them to call migrants “illegal aliens,” reversing a Biden-era move to stop the use of that term, two U.S. Customs and Border Protection sources tell CBS News.The term is found in U.S. immigration law, but advocates argue it is dehumanizing. The Biden administration had instructed agents and officers to use “migrants” or “undocumented” individuals instead. Border officials have also been directed to stop most releases of migrants, requiring agents to get approval from headquarters before releasing migrants into the U.S. with court notices, the CBP sources said.
By Camilo Montoya-Galvez
12:05 PM / January 21, 2025
California AG Rob Bonta vows to defend birthright citizenship after Trump’s executive order
Attorney General Rob Bonta said he would defend birthright citizenship following an executive order by Mr. Trump, as California officials gear up for what is expected to be many legal challenges involving the new administration.The order, signed hours after Mr. Trump was inaugurated, seeks to deny birthright citizenship to the children of immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally or on temporary visas.”Birthright citizenship is a right expressly guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution. It is disappointing, but unfortunately unsurprising, that the President chose to disregard the constitution and attempt to invalidate this right as one of his first acts in office,” Bonta said in a statement Monday.The U.S. government has long interpreted the Constitution to mean that those born on American soil are citizens at birth, regardless of their parents’ immigration status.Read more from CBS Bay Area here.
By Tim Fang
11:45 AM / January 21, 2025
Tarrio and Rhodes are released from prison
Attorneys for both Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes have both been released from prison following Mr. Trump’s pardon. Tarrio, who was not at the Jan. 6 riot, was serving a 22-year sentence for seditious conspiracy and other crimes. Rhodes was serving an 18-year sentence for seditious conspiracy and other crimes. Tarrio was expected to return to Miami on Tuesday night, a family spokesperson told CBS Miami.
By Robert Legare
11:24 AM / January 21, 2025
Ed Martin, advocate of Jan. 6 defendants, named acting U.S. attorney for D.C.
Ed Martin, a champion of the Jan. 6 defendants and a speaker at a Jan. 5, 2021, “Stop the Steal” election rally has been named acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. Martin was subpoenaed by the House Jan. 6 select committee, and he will now be overseeing the Justice Department requests to dismiss Capitol riot cases.
By Scott MacFarlane
11:08 AM / January 21, 2025
Trump heads to National Cathedral for national prayer service
Mr. Trump headed to the National Cathedral on Tuesday morning, where he will attend the national prayer service.
By Caroline Linton
10:57 AM / January 21, 2025
Thune on Jan. 6 pardons: “We’re not looking backwards, we’re looking forwards”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune told CBS News on Tuesday about the Jan. 6 pardons that Republicans are “not looking backwards, we’re looking forwards.” Thune pointed to former President Joe Biden’s pardons at the end of his term, saying “Biden laid forth the most massive use of the pardon power that we’ve seen in history … and I think you guys should probably be asking the same questions.”
Thune on J6 pardons: “We’re not looking backwards we’re looking forwards…Look I’ve said this before Biden laid forth the most massive use of the pardon power that we’ve seen in history…and I think you guys should probably be asking the same q’s.” pic.twitter.com/Nvcv6WFKk3— Alan He (@alanhe) January 21, 2025
By Alan He
10:40 AM / January 21, 2025
Political experts analyze Trump’s inauguration speech, its implications for the next four years
Political experts analyze Trump’s inauguration speech, its implications for the next four years
06:24
Mr. Trump’s inauguration speech promised a “golden age” and outlined his priorities for a second term. CBS News political contributors Joel Payne and Terry Sullivan join “CBS Mornings” to break down what his speech means for the country’s future.
10:22 AM / January 21, 2025
Inside the inaugural balls Trump attended for his 2025 swearing-in celebration
Mr. Trump and first lady Melania Trump attended three inaugural presidential balls to celebrate his 2025 inauguration Monday evening: the Commander-in-Chief Ball, the Liberty Ball and the Starlight Ball. After delivering several speeches earlier in the day and signing a series of executive orders — including one on granting clemency to Jan. 6 defendants, several on immigration policy, and another on his plans to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement — Mr. Trump headed out to celebrate with supporters and deliver brief remarks at each of the three balls.Read more here.
10:06 AM / January 21, 2025
Watch Live: Elise Stefanik faces senators at confirmation hearing for U.N. ambassador today
Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik is facing senators’ questions on Tuesday as she defends her record and qualifications to become the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Stefanik, one of Mr. Trump’s most reliable allies in Congress, goes before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations for her confirmation hearing less than 24 hours after Mr. Trump was sworn into office. Mr. Trump hopes his key Cabinet picks will sail through confirmation and take their posts once he’s president on Jan. 20. Stefanik is likely to be confirmed when the full Senate takes up a vote. Stefanik, 40, would be the youngest-ever U.S. ambassador to the U.N. The New York Republican has served in a leadership position as Republican conference chair, and she was on the House Armed Services Committee and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. And that skillset honed in Congress will serve her well, said John Alterman, senior vice president and director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Watch her confirmation hearing here.
By Kathryn Watson
9:49 AM / January 21, 2025
Marco Rubio, Trump’s new secretary of state, says his “singular focus” is on American interests
Marco Rubio discusses secretary of state confirmation, goals in President Trump’s second term
06:16
Marco Rubio, confirmed unanimously by the Senate Monday as secretary of state, said his “singular focus” will be to ensure American interests are at the center of State Department priorities.”Our foreign policy, once again, needs to focus on the national interest of the United States,” Rubio said on “CBS Mornings.”Rubio represented Florida in the Senate since 2011 and resigned Monday. He was officially sworn in as secretary of state Tuesday morning.Rubio sidestepped questions about Mr. Trump’s far-reaching pardons of Jan. 6 rioters, saying his focus is on his new role and the nation’s foreign policy approach. “I work for Donald J. Trump, the new president of the United States, the 47th president who has a clear mandate to reorient our foreign policy to one that, once again, puts America and our interests at the center,” Rubio said. Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, said his entire life and career has been influenced by his parents’ decision to come to the U.S. in 1956, with nothing but “dreams of a better life.” “I think it reminds us that this remains the one place on earth where anyone from anywhere can achieve anything,” Rubio said.
By Kaia Hubbard
9:34 AM / January 21, 2025
Marco Rubio sworn in as secretary of state
Vice President JD Vance swore Rubio in as secretary of state on Tuesday morning, after the Senate confirmed him Monday night in a 99-0 vote. Rubio said Mr. Trump has “given us a very clear mandate,” saying “everything we do must be justified” by whether it makes the nation stronger, safer or more prosperous. Rubio said that is the promise his government will help him keep. The secretary of state said “it’s a transformational moment,” adding that the U.S. is “heading into a new era that I think will make the world a safer place.””Yesterday, President Trump made clear in his inaugural speech that one of the primary goals of American foreign policy is the promotion of peace,” Rubio said, adding that includes “peace through strength” and the promotion of peace without “abandoning our values.”
By Kaia Hubbard
Updated 9:25 AM / January 21, 2025
Trump pardons about 1,500 Jan. 6 defendants
Mr. Trump on Monday granted clemency to roughly 1,500 defendants who had been convicted of crimes on Jan. 6, 2021, following through on his longtime promise to absolve those who participated in the attack on the U.S. Capitol of wrongdoing. The president’s action comes on his first day back in the White House and just hours after he was sworn in for a second term. Mr. Trump has repeatedly sought to downplay the events of Jan. 6, when a mob of his supporters breached the Capitol in an effort to stop Congress from reaffirming Joe Biden’s victory over him in the 2020 presidential election. Mr. Trump extended clemency to those convicted of violent and serious crimes, including assaulting police officers and seditious conspiracy. He also ordered the attorney general to dismiss all pending indictments related to the Capitol riot, essentially eradicating the Biden Justice Department’s massive effort to hold accountable those who participated in the assault.”These are the hostages, approximately 1,500 for a pardon, full pardon,” Mr. Trump said during remarks from the Oval Office. “This is a big one.”Read more about the Jan. 6 pardons here. — Melissa Quinn, Rob Legare
Updated 9:25 AM / January 21, 2025
Read the full transcript of Trump’s inauguration speech
Mr. Trump delivered his second inaugural address Monday, vowing a “revolution of common sense” and announcing “we are at the start of a thrilling new era of national success.”In the 30-minute speech in the Capitol Rotunda, he promised a “tide of change” and salvation from what he said was the “decline” brought on by the policies of his predecessor, former President Joe Biden. To that end, he’s expected to sign about 200 executive orders, actions and proclamations following his address. “The golden age of America begins right now,” Mr. Trump said. “From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world.” Read the full transcript here of Mr. Trump’s second inaugural address, provided by the Associated Press, and watch the full speech in the player below.
Trump delivers inauguration address as 47th U.S. president
33:10
Updated 9:25 AM / January 21, 2025
Trump signs flurry of executive actions and memos on Day 1
Mr. Trump signed roughly 200 executive actions, memoranda and proclamations on his first day in office, undoing Biden administration mandates and implementing his “America first” policies. Mr. Trump signed executive actions related to immigration, including invoking presidential powers to launch a sweeping crackdown on immigration, tasking the military with border enforcement, designating cartels and gangs as terrorist groups and shutting down asylum and refugee admissions, declaring a national emergency at the southern border, ordering the Defense Department to more heavily involve military resources there, tasking officials to deploy additional troops to the border. Mr. Trump also moved to dismantle birthright citizenship, which the U.S. government has long interpreted the Constitution to mean that those born on American soil are citizens at birth, regardless of their parents’ immigration status, meaning the executive action is likely to be challenged legally.Mr. Trump also signed executive action ordering federal workers back to the office, ending diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives within the federal government and telling the Justice Department not to enforce the TikTok ban for 90 days.
By Kathryn Watson
