A deal will get done to ensure that TikTok remains available in the U.S., General Atlantic CEO Bill Ford told Axios during an event on Wednesday in Davos, Switzerland.

Why it matters: General Atlantic is a major investor in TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance. Ford is on ByteDance's board of directors.

Catch up quick: President Trump signed an executive order giving ByteDance 75 more days to work out a change-of-control deal, as required by a law signed last year.

• As of Trump's order, ByteDance had not engaged in negotiations with any potential buyer, despite the pending ban.

What he's saying: "Yes," said Ford, when asked if a deal will get done. "It's in everybody's interest."

• "We'll get on with it, as soon as maybe the end of the week in terms of negotiating what might work ... The Chinese government, the U.S. government and the company and the board all have to be involved in this conversation."
• He added that there could be solutions "short of divestiture."

Zoom in: Ford also argued that the Biden administration is partially to blame for the situation reaching a boiling point, arguing that it wasn't "engaging with us on a real dialogue."

• At the same time, however, he acknowledged that President Trump tried banning TikTok in the waning days of his first term, before changing course during the recent campaign.

Go deeper: TikTok ban timeline

The spread of influenza A, COVID and RSV is "high" or "very high" across much of the U.S. at the same time norovirus cases are well above normal levels, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and wastewater surveillance data shows.

Why it matters: The result is "quad-demic" of illness hitting simultaneously in what's shaping up to be a more active virus season than last year.

The big picture: The simultaneous threats are straining some hospitals to capacity and leading administrators to recommend masking among staff, ABC News reports.

• The surge follows what was a slow start to the respiratory virus season.
• "Predictions for this respiratory virus season were that we would see peak January 1 and that it would likely mirror previous respiratory virus seasons. We're obviously seeing it peak a little bit later," Saskia Popescu, a member of APIC's Emerging Infectious Diseases Task Force, told Axios.

The details: Flu activity is high or very high across 33 states and Washington, D.C., according to the CDC tracking of outpatient visits to health care providers for influenza-like illness.

• Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas had the highest levels as of the week of Jan. 18, according to the Walgreens Flu Index, compiled using retail prescription data for antiviral medications used to treat the flu across Walgreens locations.
• The CDC data shows flu-like illness is "very high" in New York City while the Walgreens index identifies Oklahoma City; Lafayette, Louisiana; and Montgomery-Selma, Alabama, among the areas with the most activity.

What we're watching: Human metapneumovirus, or HMPV — which comes with symptoms of a cough, fever, nasal congestion and shortness of breath — made headlines in China and has also been spreading in the U.S.

• Activity in the U.S. remains low compared with other viruses, per CDC data, and experts have said it shouldn't be cause for panic. "It is a seasonal bug that we know how to manage," said Popescu, an assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
• For HMPV, as well as these other viruses that are circulating, the tried-and-true advice is particularly worth heeding right now, she said.
• "All of those mitigation efforts that you can do — washing your hands, covering your cough, cleaning, disinfection, being mindful of ventilation in shared spaces — that's all going to help," she said.

Over just eight hours on Inauguration Day, Presidents Trump and Biden forever stretched the immense public and private power of the presidency to once-unimaginable dimensions:

• Presidents can preemptively pardon family and friends in case of any accusation of grift or crimes.
• Presidents can pardon violent criminals convicted of sedition and violence in defense of their politics.

• Presidents and their families can start businesses — or even currencies — and profit without restriction or outcry.
• Oh, and they can do this with the presumption of presidential immunity.
• America doesn't have a king. But we're dancing close to king-like power.

Why it matters: Presidents could always pardon, profit or protect friends, family and allies. It just never has been done this broadly, this brazenly, this quickly. And with this much of a public shrug.

The big picture: So much of modern political and presidential power flows from precedent and imagination: doing unto others what the predecessors did — or did to them. And then stretching the hell out of it.

Biden, under the guise of protecting his family from unfair political and legal persecution, preemptively pardoned his brothers James and Frank Biden, his sister Valerie Biden Owens, and John Owens and Sara Biden, the spouses of Valerie and James. This is unprecedented.

• "It's disgusting," Bill Daley — a longtime Biden friend who was White House chief of staff under President Obama — told us. It "confirms that there are serious concerns about culpability." Daley said the Bidens will never wipe this "stain" from the former president's legacy.
• Trump blasted the pardons, moments before offering his own to approximately 1,500 people convicted or charged in the Jan. 6  attack on the Capitol — including violent criminals who attacked police officers.

Trump also pardoned Enrique Tarrio, the fascist Proud Boy leader convicted of seditious conspiracy — and serving a 22-year sentence in federal prison — for coordinating the attack on the Capitol from outside Washington.

• Trump also commuted the sentences of 14 extremist members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers convicted for plotting to violently overthrow the U.S. government and keep Trump in office.
• The sweeping acts of clemency stunned Washington and contradicted prior statements from Republicans — including Vice President JD Vance — that violent offenders should not be pardoned.

Between the lines: Biden, who earlier pardoned his son, Hunter, basically offered blanket immunity to family members who might be accused of profiting from this presidency.

Trump tested new limits by launching a surprise meme coin, $TRUMP, that vaulted him to crypto billionaire status two days before being inaugurated.

• Crypto insiders fear that $TRUMP — as well as the hastily launched $MELANIA meme coin — could destroy credibility that the scam-plagued industry has spent years trying to build.
• Remember, Trump once was a crypto skeptic and converted only during the 2024 campaign. He then became a beneficiary, to the tune of tens of billions of dollars, of the industry's open wallet. What an ROI!

Most Americans don't realize there are basically no limitations on presidents profiting off their reins of power through new businesses or business deals.

• Thanks to the Supreme Court, presidents also enjoy the presumption of immunity for "official acts" if they're ever accused of crossing any legal lines.

So Trump and his family conceivably could make billions through deals worldwide, new businesses and new currencies, funding the family — or even a political movement — for a generation. Their only limitation is imagination.

• America has drifted into uncharted waters in the rule of law. Trump and future presidents can test the limits with a presumption of success. And Biden's final act of pardons show Democrats have lost a lot of ability to cry foul.
• Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters on Capitol Hill Tuesday when asked about Trump's blanket Jan. 6 pardons: "We said all along that Biden opened the door on this."

We'll leave you with this: Now that presidential power is so broad, so deep, so uncontainable, why forfeit it? Well, here's an apparent loophole in the constitutional limit on two presidential terms:

• Trump or future presidents could simply run for a de facto third term — as the vice presidential nominee, with the understanding they will take power back once elected. That's but one of the once-unthinkable scenarios that seem more thinkable than ever.

Axios' Zachary Basu contributed reporting.

President Trump's sweeping pardons for 1,500 Jan. 6 criminals and defendants were a last-minute, rip-the-bandage-off decision to try to move past the issue quickly, White House advisers familiar with the Trump team's discussions tell Axios.

Why it matters: Trump's move to "go big" on the pardons sheds light on his unpredictable decision-making process, and shows his determination to fulfill a campaign promise to his MAGA base — regardless of political fallout.

How it happened: Eight days before the inauguration, Vice President-to-be JD Vance — channeling what he believed to be Trump's thinking — said on "Fox News Sunday" that Jan. 6 convicts who assaulted police ought not get clemency: "If you committed violence that day, obviously you shouldn't be pardoned."

• Trump vacillated during an internal debate over targeted clemency vs. a blanket decision according to two insiders.
• But as Trump's team wrestled with the issue, and planned a shock-and-awe batch of executive orders Day 1, "Trump just said: 'F -k it: Release 'em all,'" an adviser familiar with the discussions said.

Catch up quick: Trump's decision was a surprise to some Republicans in Congress, who grimaced at the appearance of the new president condoning violence against police officers.

• On Jan. 7, 2021, the day after his supporters rioted at the Capitol to protest the 2020 election, Trump decried those who "defiled" the building.

But as his own legal problems mounted during his campaign, Trump came to embrace the cause of those charged in the riot. On the campaign trail, he began playing a version of the National Anthem sung by jailed protestors who called themselves the "J6 Prison Choir."

• After he was elected, Trump told "Meet the Press" on Dec. 8 that he'd pardon Jan. 6 convicts and defendants on Day 1: "I'm going to be acting very quickly."
• He didn't rule out clemency for those accused or convicted of attacking police, but said: "We're going to look at individual cases."

Between the lines: Early in the internal discussions, Vance actually had advocated for a blanket pardon. But the Yale-trained lawyer figured Trump wouldn't want to take the hit for releasing notorious convicts.

• The case-by-case review was onerous. Trump staffers wondered whom to pardon and who might slip through the cracks.
• Time was running out heading into Inauguration Day. Trump wanted to pardon as many people as possible and get it over with, so he landed on clemency for everyone.

In the Trump team's view, "all the prosecutions are tainted," the adviser familiar with the discussions told Axios: "It's time to move on."

• Vance was "100% on board," said one Trump insider, pointing to a Vance post on X in which he noted that in 2021, "I donated to the J6 political prisoner fund and got ROASTED for it during my Senate race."
• Trump advisers say they aren't particularly worried about the political fallout from the pardons decision, despite bad poll numbers. They believe Jan. 6 was essentially litigated in the election Trump won, and that other issues matter more to voters.

The pardons episode provided a lesson for Vance and others in Trump's orbit: Categorical statements forecasting the mercurial president's actions are always a risk. It also happened to Vance during the campaign, when he said Trump would veto a national abortion ban.

• "The president didn't change his mind," the Trump adviser said. "He just made up his mind and Vance got a little over his skis on Fox, but it's no big deal."

The bottom line: "Never get ahead of the boss," a Trump transition source said, "because you just never know."

"Volatile" is the one word that describes the tech industry's new reality under the second Trump administration.

Why it matters: With AI booming, social media splintering and crypto inflating, the giant companies that drive today's economy face a huge spike in uncertainty.

The big picture: Trump's track record of sudden policy about-faces and unpredictable lurches governed by whim and self-interest puts CEOs in a defensive crouch.

• Some, like Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, have enthusiastically moved into the MAGA tent, joining tech billionaires like Elon Musk and Marc Andreessen. Others are standing outside but paying ritual tribute.
• Silicon Valley leaders won't shed tears, for the most part, as Trump's team disassembles Washington's half-constructed regulatory regime for AI and backs off from the Biden administration's full-court press on monopoly and competition.
• But Trump's priority of shutting the U.S.'s immigration door will directly harm the tech work force. And the new president's vow to stifle trade with tariffs, if fulfilled, could disrupt tech's global supply chain in unpredictable ways.

Here are four trends that will shape tech's free-for-all world in the new Trump era.

1. Rail-free artificial intelligence

• Trump has already revoked Biden's AI executive order as part of his blizzard of day-one declarations.
• The incoming president has given no sign that he believes the government has an important role to play in regulating tech's new platform beyond assuring that conservative voices aren't limited.
• Elon Musk has long held the view that advanced AI could threaten humanity's future. But that fear does not appear to be front of mind as he tackles his mission of cutting the federal budget.

2. Unchained crypto

• Cryptocurrency investors and developers see Trump's return as the start of a new golden age: Regulators will get off their backs, and thousands of coins will bloom.
• There will likely be a burst of new experiments in blockchain-driven democracy, too.
• But the inauguration-eve floating of new meme coins for both the new president and First Lady Melania Trump made clear where the biggest action will be: lots of fast money new coin issues, many of which will be soak-the-suckers pump and dump schemes.
• Even some Trump-friendly crypto insiders were uncomfortable with the brazen profiteering of the Trump-coin schemes.
• Things will get progressively crazier until another big failure on the scale of FTX causes a new bust.

3. Deals dynamo

• With regulators sidelined and vast amounts of cash sloshing around the globe, expect deal-making in tech to accelerate, even if the Federal Reserve keeps trying to hit the brakes.
• The biggest companies still face ongoing antitrust investigations and lawsuits, but they're likely to be less cautious and more opportunistic.
• Any deal that holds the possibility of enriching the president, his family or his allies will have that much extra juice.

4. Social media's "big sort"

• American internet companies and users are rapidly segregating themselves into separate "red" and "blue" environments.
• Meta's move to embrace MAGA and X's harbor for extreme right-wing voices are speeding this process, driving opponents to new rival media platforms on the other side of the political fence.
• Online, at least, this process dooms the quest for common ground and assures further estrangement of America's two parties and cultures.

The bottom line: Volatility compounds across different domains.

• What happens when autonomous AI agents, steered by blockchain-based voting, start executing deals on tribalized social-media platforms?
• Cyberpunk authors dreamed such visions as dystopias, but team Trump sees them as blueprints.

Senate Democrats from Trump states are starting to vote in tandem, which could make Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's (D-N.Y.) life more complicated for the next two years.

Why it matters: Call it the buddy system for vulnerable Dems. If Senate GOP leader John Thune (R-S.D.) can flip a Democrat who's up for election in 2026, he increases his chance of picking up the other state's Dem senator.

• That 2-for-1 math gives him massive incentive to push the limit on messaging bills ahead of 2026.
• It's a major headache for Schumer if Monday night becomes a trend.

You saw this on the Laken Riley Act vote, which passed with help from 12 Democrats.

• Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) quietly changed his position by voting in favor of final passage. He was backing up Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), who faces reelection in 2026. Warnock later blamed a process objection for his flip.
• Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) voted with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), who's up in '26.
• So did new Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), whose fellow Democratic Michigander Sen. Gary Peters is up next year.

Zoom out: The Laken Riley Act is just the beginning of a barrage of GOP bills that Senate Democrats will have to find their footing on in the coming months.

• Thune is likely to try to pass an abortion-related bill later this week, which is unlikely to get much — if any — Democratic support, sources tell Axios.
• But other GOP legislation, particularly if it is related to the border and the economy, is an area ripe for some Democratic buy-in.

Editor's note: This article has been corrected to note that Sen. Shaheen (not Sen. Hassan) faces reelection in 2026.

A rare winter storm that's slamming the southern U.S. with "dangerously cold temperatures," historic snow and icy conditions has been linked to at least 10 deaths as it disrupts travel across the region.

The big picture: Schools, government offices and roads across the southern U.S. closed and thousands of flights were delayed or canceled due to the cold weather that's brought record snowfall to places including New Orleans, Louisiana; Mobile, Alabama; and Pensacola, Florida.

• Lake Charles, La., saw its first-ever blizzard warning on Tuesday due to heavy snow and high winds from the extreme weather that's tied to the polar vortex event across the Lower 48 states, as it left some 300 million people under cold weather alerts.

Threat level: Rare winter storm and blizzard warnings and advisories stretched from South Texas to Jacksonville, Florida.

• The once-in-a-generation winter storm with "heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain, was spreading eastward from parts of the Florida panhandle through the eastern Carolinas, per a National Weather Service forecast discussion.
• "Major highway and air traffic disruptions, including possible road closures and flight cancellations, may continue for several days even after the snowfall ends," the NWS noted.
• "The Arctic Air Mass will create widespread sub-freezing overnight lows along the Gulf Coast and throughout the Southeast. The cold weather will exacerbate power outages," it added.
• "From Tuesday evening into Wednesday, 0.10 inches of freezing rain will develop across northeastern Florida and southeastern Georgia."

Situation report: States of emergency were declared in states including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi ahead of the extreme weather event, but storm-related deaths have been reported across the region.

• Five deaths were reported in a vehicle crash on a highway between La Pryor and Batesville in Zavala County, Texas, on Tuesday morning.
• The Dale County, Alabama coroner confirmed two storm-related deaths.
• Austin-Travis County emergency officials "have responded to more than a dozen cold exposure calls since Monday, including two fatal incidents," per a city of Austin, Texas, statement
• Georgia officials said at least one person had died of hypothermia in the Atlanta area.

Zoom in: Winter weather warnings are affecting areas not usually affected by icy conditions and snow, with the NWS Jacksonville noting on X that southeast Georgia into northeastern Florida among the areas facing snow, sleet and ice.

• The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office in a Facebook post urged people to stay off the roads if possible Tuesday night into Wednesday.
• "We are expecting some winter weather we're not used to in Northeast Florida," per the post. "The safest place you can be Tuesday night and Wednesday is at home!"

Zoom out: "Bitterly cold" high pressure extended from the Ohio Valley to the Southern Plains, bringing temperatures 25 to 30 degrees below average from parts of the Mid-Atlantic in addition to the Central Gulf Coast, per the NWS.

• New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency in 13 counties on Tuesday, with communities near Lake Ontario forecast to receive up to 3 feet of snow and those in the state's west up to 2 feet.

Between the lines: Studies suggest that polar vortex shifts over longer timescales may be more likely because of human-caused climate change, per Axios' Andrew Freedman who notes this is an area of active research.

• Despite this extreme weather event, the Environmental Protection Agency notes that total snowfall has fallen in many parts of the U.S. since widespread observations began in 1930.
• "In addition to changing the overall rate of precipitation, climate change can lead to changes in the type of precipitation," per the EPA.
• "One reason for the decline in total snowfall is because more winter precipitation is falling in the form of rain instead of snow."

More from Axios:

• Read Axios New Orleans' coverage
• Read Axios Houston's coverage
• In photos: Rare snowstorm hits much of the U.S. South, Texas

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.

The escalating bird flu crisis is ravaging the nation's supply of eggs, leading to increased prices and presenting an immediate challenge for the Trump administration.

Why it matters: An outbreak of avian influenza is growing and has affected nearly 13 million birds in the last 30 days, according to USDA data.

• Some retailers are limiting how many eggs consumers can purchase while others are having a hard time keeping shelves stocked.
• "It's really a crazy situation and an unfortunate situation for consumers because the supply situation is what it is due to the bird flu," Jason Hart, CEO of grocery chain Aldi, tells Axios.

State of play: Egg prices are climbing to new record highs daily, Karyn Rispoli, managing editor for eggs in the Americas for price-reporting service Expana, tells Axios.

• A dozen large eggs in the Southeast and South Central "will be north of $7," while Midwest eggs are $6.95, Rispoli said Tuesday.
• Brian Moscogiuri, a global trade strategist at Eggs Unlimited, an egg supplier based in Irvine, California, told Axios that the "transactional values of eggs are as high as we've ever seen them."
• "Some of the retailers are short because their suppliers have been directly impacted and their replacement cost is extremely high right now because there's not much egg to be had in the market," he said.

Meanwhile, Emily Metz, president and CEO of the American Egg Board, said demand "for eggs at retail has been exceptionally high for a sustained period, and failing to act quickly and identify new ways to fight [highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI] could mean continued challenges for customers and consumers who need the nutritious foods impacted."

What's next: Egg prices are expected to fly to new highs in the coming weeks and months.

• Hart said Aldi is committed to keeping prices as low as possible on eggs, consistent with its general pricing philosophy. "We view ourselves as that shock absorber for the consumer, so wherever we can we hold the line" on prices, he said.
• Walmart, the nation's largest retailer, told Axios in a statement that it "does not have a purchase limit on eggs, and although supply is very tight in some areas, we're working with suppliers to try and help meet customer demand."

What we're watching: It remains to be seen whether the Trump administration will take any action in addition to efforts already underway to address the crisis.

• Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services announced it would give Moderna approximately $590 million to accelerate bird flu vaccine trials.
• The American Egg Board tells Axios it's eager to work with the Trump administration as farmers, distributors and retailers all grapple with egg shortages and price hikes.
• Department of Agriculture representatives did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment from Axios.

Reality check: "There's no real silver bullet for this thing right now, outside of trying to stop the spread of the virus and get birds repopulated as quickly as possible," Moscogiuri said, adding that "farms are doing to their best of their ability."

• "It's unlikely that the new administration will be able to bring about significant change in just a matter of weeks, especially when it comes to the bird flu itself," Rispoli said.

The bottom line: Eggs are considered safe to eat but don't expect them to get cheaper until bird flu is under control.

The Trump administration is directing agencies to move to close federal diversity, equity and inclusion offices and place DEI staff on paid leave by 5pm Wednesday ET ahead of being laid off.

The big picture: The memorandum that the Office of Personnel Management sent to federal agencies on Tuesday follows President Trump's signing of an executive order a day earlier to dismantle DEI initiatives within the federal government.

Details: The OPM's memo instructs agencies to take offline all websites and social media accounts associated with DEI by the Wednesday deadline.

• The next action is for agencies to report on steps taken to implement the order by 12pm Thursday ET.
• This includes providing a "complete list" of DEI offices and workers as of Election Day 2024, according to the memo.
• The agencies must provide a written plan for "executing reduction-in-force action" for DEI employees by 5pm Friday ET, the memo says.

What they're saying: "President Trump campaigned on ending the scourge of DEI from our federal government and returning America to a merit based society where people are hired based on their skills, not for the color of their skin," said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt in a media statement.

• This is another win for Americans of all races, religions and creeds. Promises made, promises kept."
• Trump in Monday's order calling for the termination of all federal government DEI programs described the Biden administration initiatives to increase diversity, equity and inclusion as "illegal and immoral discrimination programs."

Zoom out: Companies have in recent months responded to Republican lawmakers and activists railing against DEI by rolling back programs.

Go deeper: Americans are fine with corporate DEI

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.

The top Democrat on the DOGE subcommittee is ready to "fight back" against any attempts to dismantle federal agencies and programs like Social Security and Medicare, she told Axios on Tuesday.

Why it matters: Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), a former OMB staffer, is very skeptical that DOGE will live up to its public billing.

• "All you need to do is see that they put [Rep.] Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) in charge of the committee to know that this is likely going to be very much a political committee," she said.

Driving the news: Stansbury was named the ranking member of the DOGE Subcommittee on Oversight, the congressional arm of the Elon Musk-led government department.

• Stansbury said that there are "a lot of good government, bipartisan solutions" that she supports, including modernizing federal agencies and spending federal resources more efficiently.
• She said that she has not yet spoken to her GOP counterpart since being named as the Democratic ranking member earlier on Tuesday.

Zoom out: Stansbury said that she will "fight back against efforts to dismantle federal agencies, to take away critical programs like Social Security and Medicaid and Medicare, we'll fight back against the dismantling of environmental programs."

• She also said that she will "be on watch" to make sure that Musk, the billionaire founder of SpaceX, does not use his role in government to benefit his private companies.

The bottom line: Stansbury highlighted a number of executive orders that Trump signed on his first day in office, including reinstating his first-term Schedule F executive order and dismantling government diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives within 60 days.

• "These are the kinds of things that I'm prepared to fight back against and to lead Democrats in the battle to make sure that we're protecting the American people," she told Axios of her role with the new subcommittee.

Go deeper: Inside House Democrats' DOGE-curious bloc

President Trump pushed his top two leaders to play outside the lines in Tuesday's White House meetings.

Why it matters: Trump hasn't shown much interest in resolving the GOP's big internal fight over reconciliation strategy. But he's showing a high level of interest in how to gain leverage over the Democrats.

• Trump urged Senate GOP leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to be ready to roll on recess appointments if Democrats gum up confirmations, Politico reports.
• Trump told Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) that California wildfire aid could be good leverage to get the big debt limit hike he's been pushing.

After the meeting, Johnson disputed suggestions from reporters that the House and Senate were still divided on process, insisting they had "a plan pretty well formulated now.

• Thune said the discussion was more focused on "what we can get done," he said. "We're obviously all interested in getting to the same destination."
• That doesn't sound like identical readouts of the same meeting.

The bottom line: At this stage, the GOP trifecta seems to be spending more time admiring its problems than solving them.

President Trump on Tuesday announced billions in private sector investments to grow artificial intelligence in the U.S. and build massive new data centers for OpenAI.

The big picture: OpenAI, SoftBank, Oracle and the UAE's MGX will convene under a joint venture called Stargate, and will commit $100 billion to start with a potential of up to $500 billion over four years.

• The new company will create more then 100,000 American jobs, Trump said.
• Stargate will open a data center project in Texas and later expand to other states.

Driving the news: "This monumental undertaking is a resounding declaration of confidence in America's potential under a new president," Trump said Tuesday.

• SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Oracle founder and chairman Larry Ellison appeared with Trump at the White House for the announcement.
• Son will serve as the company's chairman, according to an Oracle press release.
• Arm, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Oracle and OpenAI are the initial technology partners, per the release.

Zoom out: The announcement comes a day after Trump signed an executive order rescinding a Biden-era executive order regulating AI.

Flashback: SoftBank's Son made a similar promise of $50 billion investment in Dec. 2016 on the eve of Trump's first term.

Our thought bubble: Trump will take credit for these spending commitments, but the rush to build AI data centers has been building for two years, and this money would likely have flowed regardless of who occupied the White House.

Go deeper: Biden warns against extreme wealth and rise of "tech industrial complex"

People in Texas and much of the U.S. South are facing record snowfalls and icy conditions, with both New Orleans and Houston covered in snow.

The big picture: This once-in-a-generation event for millions across the Gulf Coast has closed schools, government offices and roads across the region and caused massive flight delays and cancelations.

More from Axios:

• Read Axios New Orleans' coverage
• Read Axios Houston's coverage
• Polar vortex-driven Arctic blast to yield historic southern snow

President Trump's near-total pardon of Jan. 6 rioters was denounced by the Fraternal Order of Police, the largest police union in the U.S., and the International Association of Chiefs of Police on Tuesday.

The big picture: The groups said they're deeply discouraged by pardons and commutations made by both the Biden and Trump administrations of individuals convicted of killing or assaulting law enforcement officers.

Driving the news: The groups said in a statement they firmly believe those convicted of such crimes should serve full sentences.

• "Allowing those convicted of these crimes to be released early diminishes accountability and devalues the sacrifices made by courageous law enforcement officers and their families," per the statement.
• "When perpetrators of crimes, especially serious crimes, are not held fully accountable, it sends a dangerous message that the consequences for attacking law enforcement are not severe, potentially emboldening others to commit similar acts of violence," the unions said.

Between the lines: The group did not specifically mention which pardons they were referring to, but the only ones issued in the second Trump administration concerning such violent assaults involve Jan. 6. 

Zoom in: Newly inaugurated Trump signed an executive order on Monday granting a "full, complete and unconditional pardon" to the vast majority of Jan. 6 defendants charged with participating in the Capitol riot four years ago.

• Among the roughly 1,500 pardoned and 14 others whose sentences were commuted were leaders of the extremist groups Proud Boys and Oath Keepers who were convicted of the seditious conspiracy for their roles in the attack.
• Representatives for Trump did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment. Representatives for Biden could not immediately be reached for comment.

Flashback: The Fraternal Order of Police endorsed Trump in 2016, 2020 and 2024.

More from Axios:

• GOP Senate resistance hits Trump over Jan. 6 pardons
• Trump pardons most Jan. 6 defendants
• The most notorious Jan. 6 defendants pardoned by Trump

Immigration officials can raid churches and schools to arrest undocumented immigrants after the Trump administration scrapped a policy that protected sensitive spaces.

The big picture: President Trump has promised aggressive immigration crackdowns, and the latest directive signals the Department of Homeland Security will consider operations at sites previously deemed off-limits.

• "Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America's schools and churches to avoid arrest," DHS announced Tuesday.
• The policy, issued by Acting DHS Secretary Benjamine Huffman, removes prior guidance to avoid so-called sensitive areas.

State of play: Trump, hours after being sworn in on Monday, issued executive orders that clear the way for the military to help combat illegal immigration.

• He declared a national emergency on the U.S.-Mexico border, called for more barriers at the southern border and designated Mexican cartels as a terrorism threat.

Flashback: Immigrations and Customs Enforcement in a 2011 memo directed officers to avoid arrests, interviews, searches and surveillance at sensitive locations if possible.

• Those locations included schools, hospitals, churches, synagogues, mosques, funeral sites, weddings, marches, rallies or parades.

Zoom out: Immigration advocacy groups in places like Chicago, which Trump has singled out for potential raids, are encouraging undocumented populations to learn their rights.

Go deeper: Trump's orders unleash sweeping limits on immigration, asylum

President Trump on Tuesday announced he signed a full and unconditional pardon for Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the unlawful Silk Road marketplace who was convicted of drug trafficking charges.

The big picture: Trump vowed on the campaign trail to commute Ulbricht's sentence as he sought backing to be the Republican Party's presidential nominee from Libertarians, who view the Silk Road founder as a hero.

Flashback: Ulbricht was sentenced in 2015 to life in prison without the possibility of parole after being convicted on charges that included distributing narcotics online.

What he' saying: Trump said on Truth Social that he called Ulbricht's mother to inform her of the pardon "in honor of her and the Libertarian Movement, which supported me so strongly."

• He added, "The scum that worked to convict him were some of the same lunatics who were involved in the modern day weaponization of government against me."

Go deeper: Trump pardons most Jan. 6 defendants

It's one thing for the new President to support the blockchain industry, but veterans aren't so crazy about him joining their ranks.

Why it matters: The president-elect nominally making $50 billion on a crypto asset that didn't exist a day prior speaks to the industry's power — but there's growing debate within the community about a stain on crypto's burgeoning credibility.

The big picture: Just days before taking office, Trump launched the Official Trump meme coin, sparking immediate questions of whether it could be used as a vehicle to funnel money to the Trump Organization by people seeking to curry favor with the administration.

• That said, it also brought a huge crush of new buyers into the market.

"Crypto changed forever last night," Udi Wertheimer, a blockchain entrepreneur tweeted the next day.

• "I think the Trump coin represents one of the largest events in crypto history, without a doubt," Alon, a cofounder of Pump.fun, the biggest meme coin launching platform, tells Axios in an interview.

Others are more circumspect. "[The President] creating a bunch of meme coins and DeFi protocols opens the possibility to rampant violations of the emoluments clause," Nic Carter, an investor in the space and fan of the new president said on X.

• When the Trump Organization endorsed decentralized-finance project World Liberty Financial back in August, Carter criticized that, too.

Echoing Carter, long-time crypto lawyer, Hailey Lennon, wrote on X, "I don't think Trump knows or cares what the ramifications of his meme coins are besides his short term personal profit."

• And Lee Bratcher of the Texas Blockchain Council put out a statement this weekend saying, "in my subjective opinion it isn't" a healthy development.
• Bitcoin Magazine was more succinct, denigrating the Trump token offering on X. That's despite the fact that its parent company enthusiastically welcomed the then-presidential candidate to Nashville for Bitcoin 2024.

Some are conflicted. "I'm 50:50 on this," Matti, a partner at Zee Prime Capital, tells Axios over Telegram.

• Matti bases his whole investing strategy on the memetic nature of digital assets. He acknowledged the Trump token could make the industry look bad, but added that "it makes you feel crypto is truly part of the zeitgeist."

Meanwhile, Investor Maya Bakhai, general partner at Spice Capital, which has backed a meme trading app, Hype, tries to keep her eye on the retail investor, which she sees as diverging from the crypto illuminati right now.

• To her, the president getting in makes meme coins credible. The negativity we're seeing today from other crypto investors, Bakhai pins on the fact that they missed so much of the meme coin boom.
• Speaking to the financial risks for meme coin traders, Bakhai pushes back on those concerns. "If you think about retail, they know it's a gamble," she says. "They want to gamble."

By the numbers: The energy sparked by the Trump token is showing up on chain. In terms of volume, this has been the best month ever on the blockchain that the token runs on, Solana.

• And it's clearly the new coin that's driving that. Daily volume had been around $4 billion or $5 billion a day through January, but Friday through Saturday were all over $30 billion daily.
• And crypto app downloads are also spiking.
• On the other hand, overall daily volumes across the market look fairly normal still.

The intrigue: While the Trump token unquestionably enriched the President, at least on paper, its launch doesn't seem to have included a special handout to his blockchain fans.

• The meme coin was released at the same time as a party for crypto leaders in D.C. ahead of the inauguration. Sources who were there tell Axios that there was no announcement of the new token at the event.
• In other words, a lot of the best traders were away from their terminals when the token's price was lowest.

What we're watching: It's too early to predict possible political implications from the launch, although the first voices from official Washington are starting to weigh in.

• House Financial Services Committee ranking member Maxine Waters (D.-Ca.) put out a statement Monday saying, "the launch and sale of this coin is yet another reason why all Americans and policymakers should exercise extreme caution on crypto."
• That's notable, as Waters has been a crucial voice on the topic — one that has become tentatively willing to pass legislation in recent years.

The bottom line: The last thing the crypto lobby needs is for Democrats like her to get cold feet.

Fox News host Sean Hannity will interview President Trump in the Oval Office on Wednesday. It's Trump's first Oval interview since returning to the White House.

Why it matters: Trump has hinted at shaking up the briefing room and allies have praised unconventional news sources. But his first sit-down is with a longstanding, well-known TV host on the president's beloved network.

• The interview will be pre-taped and will air on Hannity's Wednesday night program, which starts at 9pm EST.
• Trump is expected to discuss his second presidential term, recent executive orders and what to expect from the first 100 days, Fox exclusively confirmed to Axios.

Between the lines: Trump tapped 19 people for his administration who have worked for the news company at one point, according to an analysis by NPR.

• Hannity's show averages 2.8 million viewers, the highest rated cable show for the hour.

Flashback: Trump gave his first TV interview to ABC's David Muir his first time around.

A small core of Senate Republicans — including former GOP leader Mitch McConnell — has denounced President Trump's near-blanket pardon of Jan 6 rioters.

Why it matters: These voices will be a distinct minority on Capitol Hill. Many Republicans are in lock-step with Trump, even over an issue as personal to lawmakers as Jan. 6.

• McConnell (R-Ky.) told Semafor "no one should excuse violence. And particularly violence against police officers."
• Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said: "I've got concerns with any pardons for people who did any harm to police officers. Full stop. And I've also got serious concerns with all of the pardons by Biden."
• Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) called Monday a "terrible day" for the Justice Department, citing the pardons by both Trump and former President Biden.
• Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska): "I'm disappointed to see that and I do fear the message that is sent to these great men and women that stood by us," she told HuffPost.

Between the lines: Look to Sens. John Curtis (R-Utah) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) as others who could criticize Trump on issues like the pardons.

• That core group of GOP Senate resisters is the likeliest to break with Trump on a host of issues, including tariffs and TikTok.

Zoom in: The extent of Trump's Jan. 6 pardons shocked many lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

• Less than two weeks ago, VP-elect JD Vance said violent offenders wouldn't be eligible for pardons.
• That view was backed up on Sunday by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who caveated that "it's up to the president on that."

Zoom out: Many GOP senators, including Collins, Tillis and others, blasted Biden's pardons for his own family members and others.

• Biden "opened the door" to pardons, Senate GOP leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told CNN.
• Thune said Biden's pardons were the "most massive use of the pardon power that we've seen in history."

President Trump began his pledge to give America a MAGA makeover Monday, taking a slew of executive actions to walk back Biden-era policies and fulfill bold campaign promises.

The big picture: Trump's radical expansion of executive power will dramatically change life for millions of people if the orders withstand the barrage of legal challenges that are already coming.

President Trump executive orders list 2025

What Trump's Day 1 executive orders do...

Immigration executive orders

Many of Trump's first orders curtail immigration at the southern border.

• He promised mass deportations but hasn't detailed how he would implement, staff and fund such a massive, costly operation.

Trump declares national emergency at Mexico border

Trump declared an emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border, vowing to deploy troops to the region, including the National Guard. He also instructed the secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security to construct additional border barriers.

• Trump designated "certain international cartels" and organizations, such as Tren de Aragua and MS-13, as foreign terrorist organizations and announced plans to invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to target them.
• Trump suspended U.S. Refugee Admissions Program resettlements "until such time as the further entry into the United States of refugees aligns with the interests of the United States." Homeland Security will report back within 90 days whether resuming refugee entries would "be in the interests" of America.
• Nearly 1,660 Afghans cleared by the U.S. to resettle in the country, including family of active-duty U.S. military personnel, had their flights canceled following Trump's orders, Reuters reported.
• Trump also ordered Homeland Security to terminate "all categorical parole programs that are contrary to the policies of the United States established in my Executive Orders," including those for refugees fleeing Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

Remain in Mexico policy

Trump reinstated the "Remain in Mexico" policy, ending a program that released asylum seekers into the U.S. while their cases were considered.

• The U.S. Customs and Border Protection website said Monday that appointments made through the CBP One app at certain border crossings have been canceled. Hours later, Trump nixed the program.
• Trump empowered officials to "repeal, repatriate, or remove any alien engaged in the invasion" of the southern border.

Trump birthright citizenship executive order

One of his boldest moves was an attempt to end birthright citizenship for those born to undocumented immigrants.

• Birthright citizenship is protected by the U.S. Constitution, and the order already faces legal challenges.
• Trump ordered agencies (starting 30 days after the order) not to recognize babies as citizens if their mothers were "unlawfully present" at the time of birth and their father was not a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident.
• That also applies to children born to mothers who were lawful, temporary residents and fathers who were not citizens or lawful permanent residents.

Energy and environment executive orders

Trump declared a "national energy emergency," ordering expedited, deregulated drilling as he's repeatedly vowed to "drill, baby, drill."

• One order specifically targets energy production in Alaska — rescinding former President Biden's protections around the state's coastal areas.

In a separate memorandum, Trump paused offshore wind leasing in federal waters.

• "[T]he heads of all other relevant agencies, shall not issue new or renewed approvals, rights of way, permits, leases, or loans for onshore or offshore wind projects," pending a review of federal wind leasing, per the order.

Paris Climate treaty

State of play: He also signed an order withdrawing the U.S., the world's second-largest greenhouse gas emitter, from the Paris Climate Agreement.

• Trump had pulled out of the pact during his first term, but Biden rejoined the deal in a Day 1 order of his own.
• It takes a year to withdraw from the agreement, Axios' Andrew Freedman reports.

Trump also took aim at the Biden administration's federal procurement targets for clean power, electric vehicles and other energy goals.

• Trump directed the Energy secretary to restart application reviews for liquefied natural gas export projects, which were paused by Biden over climate change concerns.
• Tump also revoked a 2021 Biden executive order that set a goal for 50% of US vehicle sales to be electric by 2030.

Executive orders targeting DEI and transgender Americans

Trump established Monday that "it is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female" on official documents.

• "These sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality," his executive order read.
• Transgender Americans were a central target of Trump's often hyperbolic and outright false campaign trail messaging.

Zoom out: He also rescinded a Biden administration provision that allowed transgender people to serve in the military.

• Trump did not immediately ban trans military personnel from serving, as he did under his first administration, but he paved the path to revive the ban.

Trump, as part of his crusade against what the GOP decries as "woke" culture, ordered the dismantling of government diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives within 60 days.

• It eliminates policies that established several diversity initiatives, Axios' Emily Peck reports, including one that widened sex discrimination protections to include sexual orientation and gender identity.

Other executive orders affecting federal workers

Trump signed several other provisions that will impact government workers.

• He required a full-time return to in-office work for federal employees and ordered a hiring freeze on government positions.
• The hiring freeze does not apply to the military or "immigration enforcement, national security, or public safety."

He also reinstated his first-term Schedule F executive order, which could make it easier to fire civil servants deemed disloyal.

• The order could strip employment protections from thousands of federal employees, Axios' Mimi Montgomery reports.
• Employees are "not required to personally or politically support the current President" — but they must "faithfully implement administration policies to the best of their ability," the order said.

Jan. 6 pardons

Trump pardoned the vast majority of Jan. 6 defendants charged with participating in the Capitol riot and commuted the sentences of 14 others.

• Among those were leaders of the extremist groups the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers.
• "These are the hostages, approximately 1,500 for a pardon, full pardon," Trump said from the Oval Office on his first night as president.
• Pardoning rioters was a prominent campaign pledge, but Trump had previously said recipients would be determined on a "case-by-case" basis.

Health executive orders: WHO, COVID and drug costs

Trump signed an order pulling the U.S. from the World Health Organization, a process he started during his first term.

• Monday's order said the U.S. will withdraw "due to the organization's mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic ... and other global health crises, its failure to adopt urgently needed reforms, and its inability to demonstrate independence from the inappropriate political influence of WHO member states."

Zoom out: Trump also rescinded a 2022 Biden order to lower the cost of prescription drugs.

TikTok extension, DOGE and more executive orders

Trump signed a number of other executive orders and actions. Those include:

• Ensuring government agencies do not "unconstitutionally abridge the free speech of any American citizen," highlighting what Trump and his allies considered censorship under Biden.
• Ordering a review of trade practices and agreements.
• Revoking security clearances of Trump's former national security adviser, John Bolton, and former intelligence officials who signed a letter discrediting the Hunter Biden laptop story.
• Formally establishing the Department of Government Efficiency.
• Suspending the TikTok ban for 75 days.
• Declaring that federal buildings should "respect regional, traditional, and classical architectural heritage" to "beautify public spaces and ennoble the United States."

Go deeper:

• The most notorious Jan. 6 defendants pardoned by Trump
• America's second Paris withdrawal is not like the first
• Trump's inauguration word choices give insight into Trump 2.0