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Today โ€” 21 January 2025Main stream

Executive order list: What executive orders did President Trump sign and what to know

21 January 2025 at 10:21

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.

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 โ€” 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" โ€” 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:

Yesterday โ€” 20 January 2025Main stream

Trump 2.0: These Biden-era policies are on the chopping block

20 January 2025 at 10:51

President-elect Trump has made a litany of ambitious pledges that would gut his predecessor's legacy as soon as Day 1 in office โ€” and he could use his newly regained executive power to take immediate action.

Why it matters: Climate initiatives, LGBTQ+ protections and student loan forgiveness are among President Biden's biggest policy achievements that are at risk once Trump retakes the Oval Office.


  • Biden took a similar course when assuming office in 2021, succeeding Trump: rejoining international agreements, adjusting COVID-19 mandates, and repealing some of Trump's most controversial policies, like the so-called Muslim travel ban.

Trump plans, promises

Among Trump's paper trail of promises:

  • In July, he vowed on the campaign trail to "restore the travel ban, suspend refugee admissions, stop the resettlement and keep the terrorists the hell out of our country," on Day 1.
  • He repeatedly said that he'd "drill, baby, drill" within his first 24 hours.
  • And within "maybe the first nine minutes," he said after his election win, he'd start "looking at" Jan. 6. He's repeatedly vowed to pardon rioters who faced charges.

Project 2025

Project 2025 could also swiftly remake U.S. society.

Trump has repeatedly tried to distance himself from the Heritage Foundation-backed plan.

  • But he plucked a number of officials straight from the pages of the 900-plus-page Heritage Foundation-backed blueprint, and within a day of his victory, allies and right-wing commentators claimed that Project 2025 was the agenda all along.

Here are some of Biden's key issue areas Trump will most likely strike first:

Energy and the environment

Environmental policy became a central tenet of Biden's White House tenure. But his progress on climate change and clean energy will be vulnerable.

  • Trump said earlier this month that he would "immediately" reverse Biden's ban on offshore oil and gas drilling along hundreds of millions of acres of the U.S. coastline.
  • Biden's order could help limit greenhouse gas emissions driving global warming. Reversing it could do the opposite.

Reality check: Biden's memorandums implementing the policy rely on an open-ended provision in the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act โ€” making it harder to erase than with a simple executive order.

  • A provision in the act allows the president to permanently withdraw parts of the Outer Continental Shelf from the table for leasing, and it does not provide a means for another president to undo the action, Axios' Andrew Freedman reports.

Between the lines: The question of whether Trump can revoke the withdrawal status Biden ordered could trigger a legal battle, Cary Coglianese, a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania, told Axios.

  • The U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska considered the dilemma in 2019 when Trump tried to revoke an Obama-era offshore drilling ban in parts of the Arctic. The judge ruled an act of Congress would be needed to undo the ban.
  • "If this went all the way to the Supreme Court, it's anybody's guess how it would play out," Coglianese said.

Trump has also vowed to "terminate" spending on the "Green New Deal," seemingly referencing Biden's signature Inflation Reduction Act, which is not the same as the Green New Deal. The 2022 IRA marked the largest investment in addressing the impact of climate change in U.S. history.

  • But some Trump allies, like House Speaker Mike Johnson, have backed preserving parts of the IRA, like some of its tax credits to make major investments in new U.S. energy.
  • Trump has singled out the IRA's electric vehicle tax credit. He's also signaled plans to roll back vehicle emissions standards.

Federal employees and the "deep state"

Trump pledged in 2023 to "immediately reissue" his controversial 2020 executive order "restoring the president's authority to remove rogue bureaucrats" in the so-called "deep state."

  • The first-term executive order he referenced established a new "Schedule F" employment category for federal employees, increasing the president's power to oust civil servants who historically were shielded during changing administrations.
  • Trump didn't sign the order until two weeks before the 2020 election. Its vast implications for non-partisan federal employees โ€” and the possibility to replace them with MAGA loyalists โ€” flew under the radar.
  • Biden rescinded the order shortly after he assumed office in 2021. But Trump has vowed repeatedly, as he approaches his next turn in the Oval Office, to gut the federal workforce as his Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency, an unofficial advisory body, aims to slash millions in spending.

Reality check: A rule published by the Office of Personnel Management in April reinforcing worker protections could make it more difficult for Trump to make his desired changes. They could have to go through multiple steps of review, an OPM official told NPR.

  • "Rescinding a rule is itself something that calls for going through a rule-making process," Coglianese explained. "And that requires developing a proposed rule, putting that proposed rule out for public comment, and then finalizing it, and then being able to withstand judicial review."

Immigration policy

Trump has promised sweeping immigration reform โ€” some of which walks back Biden administration policies, while other parts of his plan push constitutional boundaries, like his vow to end birthright citizenship.

  • His immigration crackdown will likely ride on a flurry of executive orders, in particular taking action to end Biden's parole programs.
  • Axios' Stef Kight reported that the Trump White House will prioritize reinstating Title 42, a COVID-era public health policy that uses concerns about spreading illness to facilitate the swift expulsion of migrants at the border and prevents them from attaining asylum. Biden ended the policy in 2023.

Yes, but: Later in his presidency, Biden took a more hardline approach on immigration, issuing a sweeping executive order to crack down on illegal border crossings.

LGBTQ+ protections

LGBTQ+ people, in particular transgender Americans, were a target of Trump's often hyperbolic and false campaign anecdotes and promises.

  • Trump vowed to roll back "on Day 1" Biden-era expansion of Title IX for LGBTQ+ students, protecting against "discrimination based on sex stereotypes, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics."
  • But a federal judge struck down the rule just before Trump's inauguration in a major blow to the Biden administration.

Zoom out: Project 2025 also calls for the revoking of Biden's executive order in 2021 creating the first-ever White House Gender Policy Council.

AI and tech

Trump has promised to nix Biden's sweeping executive order on artificial intelligence, a signature part of the administration's tech policy.

  • The deadlines that agencies have already met may be difficult to walk back, Axios' Maria Curi reports.
  • But some directives that carry deadlines after Trump's White House return, such as OMB guidance for labeling and authenticating government AI, could be at risk.

Student loan forgiveness

Biden's push to cancel student debt for millions of Americans will likely meet its demise under Trump.

  • The new administration will likely pull defense of some of Biden's policies in court, leaving them to crumble under litigation.
  • But rolling back the congressionally created Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which the Biden administration worked to expand access to, could be trickier.

The bottom line: Even if Trump can't feasibly push through some of his promises, Coglianese noted, "he gets credit among his base for trying."

Go deeper: Breaking down presidents' executive order powers after Trump vow

Biden leaves White House for last time as president

20 January 2025 at 08:24

President Biden left the White House for the last time as commander-in-chief Monday morning alongside his successor (and predecessor), President-elect Trump.

Why it matters: The historic moment likely marks the end of Biden's storied political career.


  • The political rivals departed the White House together to travel to Capitol Hill for Trump's swearing-in ceremony.
President Biden and President-elect Trump depart from the North Portico of the White House ahead of the 60th presidential inauguration on Jan. 20. Photo: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Flashback: This is the first time Biden and Trump have gone through many of the traditional motions during the transition of power, as Trump refused to participate in Biden's inaugural events in 2021.

State of play: Just before the two smiled and posed for photos alongside their spouses Monday, Biden issued historic preemptive pardons for former NIAID Director Anthony Fauci, members of the House Jan. 6 committee and others in response to Trump's threats to investigate his political enemies.

  • He's not the only one who had to bid the White House goodbye beside a political foil โ€” Harris departed just minutes before with Vice President-elect JD Vance.
  • And first ladies Jill Biden and Melania Trump also took the short trip to the Capitol side-by-side.
First Lady Jill Biden and incoming First Lady Melania Trump depart from the White House. Photo: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Go deeper: Follow Axios' live coverage of Inauguration Day.

Editor's note: This story was updated with additional photos.

Biden pardons Fauci, Cheney and Jan. 6 panel ahead of Trump inauguration

20 January 2025 at 08:26

President Biden issued historic preemptive pardons for former NIAID Director Anthony Fauci, members of the House Jan. 6 committee and others on Monday, granting them broad immunity before President-elect Trump's White House return, multiple outlets reported.

Why it matters: He issued the blanket pardons after President-elect Trump repeatedly threatened to investigate or jail his political enemies.


Driving the news: Biden said in a statement Monday that the pardons should not be construed as an "acknowledgment that any individual engaged in any wrongdoing."

  • Rather, Biden said he wished to protect the individuals from damage to their reputations or finances by "baseless and politically motivated investigations." His statement did not mention Trump by name.
  • "Our nation owes these public servants a debt of gratitude for their tireless commitment to our country," the statement read.

The big picture: The pardons benefit people who have been the target of Trump's ire as he mounted his bid for another term in the White House.

  • Fauci was, for decades, the nation's top infectious disease expert. He led the country through the COVID-19 pandemic, and was repeatedly attacked by Trump, who sought to downplay the pandemic.
  • Retired U.S. Army Gen. Mark Milley, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had issued stark warnings about Trump, calling him a fascist and a "wannabe dictator."
  • Among Trump's most famous opponents on the Jan. 6 select committee was former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.). Her anti-Trump criticism ostracized her from much of the Republican party.
  • Trump has said Cheney and other members of the Jan. 6 committee should go to jail.

State of play: Biden issued the preemptive pardons for Fauci, Milley, the members and staff who served on the Jan. 6 select committee, and the law enforcement officers who testified before the committee just hours before his term ends.

  • Fauci told CNN Monday that while he had done nothing wrong, he was "grateful" to Biden for the preemptive pardon, saying he had become increasingly concerned about threats against his family.
  • Former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn echoed Fauci's sentiment, saying in a statement that he was "eternally grateful" to Biden for the pardon, CNN reported.
  • "I wish this pardon weren't necessary, but unfortunately, the political climate we are in now has made the need for one somewhat of a reality," Dunn added.

Cheney and Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), who co-chaired the select committee, issued a joint statement Monday thanking Biden for their pardons.

  • "We have been pardoned today not for breaking the law but for upholding it," they said.

Zoom out: Biden had been reportedly mulling issuing a slate of preemptive pardons for weeks for individuals likely to be targeted by Trump.

Editor's note: This story was updated with reaction to Biden's pardons and additional context.

Before yesterdayMain stream

Sunday snapshot: MAGA's TikTok dilemma

19 January 2025 at 12:37

On Sunday, millions of U.S. TikTok users were sent a message less than 24 hours after the app went dark: "As a result of President Trump's efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!"

Yes, but: While Trump's vow to delay the app's divestment deadline might earn him some likes online, key GOP lawmakers who pushed for a ban over national security concerns could be a bit ticked off.

  • And despite Trump's vow to issue an executive order on day one to delay the enforcement of a bipartisan law, TikTok still might be racing against the clock to strike a deal.

Here's what you may have missed when newsmakers hit the airwaves this Sunday, Jan. 19.


1. MAGA's TikTok turnaround

Rep. Mike Waltz speaks about the law banning TikTok in the U.S. on CNN's "State of the Union" on Jan. 19.

Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), a prominent congressional China hawk, said last year President Biden's presidential campaign should be "ashamed" for joining TikTok when federal agencies had to remove the app from their devices.

  • "We know the Chinese Communist Party are using this as a data collection bonanza," he said, contending the campaign's presence on the platform as "a superhighway" for election interference.
  • "I've called for a full-on ban," Waltz said at the time, calling action on TikTok "long overdue."
  • Trump, who once spearheaded the effort to ban the app, eventually joined TikTok as well.

The latest: But on Sunday, Waltz, now the incoming national security adviser, said he's confident the Trump administration can "save TikTok" while protecting U.S. user data.

  • That could mean "an outright sale," as is stipulated in the bipartisan law that set the stage for the app's ban, or "some mechanism of firewalls to make sure that the data is protected here on U.S. soil," Waltz said on CNN's "State of the Union."
  • "So it's possible China will still own [TikTok]?" host Dana Bash asked, adding, "Isn't that totally capitulating to China?"
  • Waltz replied that it's "not capitulating at all." He continued, "TikTok can continue to exist ... whether that's in American hands, owned by an American company, or whether the data and the algorithms are fully protected from Chinese interference."

Zoom out: But House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told NBC's "Meet the Press" that "we will enforce the law," and Trump's vows to "save TikTok" mean the president-elect wants to see "a true divestiture."

  • "It's the Chinese Communist Party and their manipulation of the algorithms," Johnson said. "They have been flooding the minds of American children with terrible messages, glorifying violence and antisemitism and even suicide and eating disorders."
  • The only way to extend the deadline, Johnson said, is if there's an "actual deal" in the works. But he noted, "We don't have any confidence in ByteDance," TikTok's parent company.
  • House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) noted on CNN that presenting a remedy other "than someone else purchasing TikTok who's not affiliated with the Chinese communist party" would mean there would have to be "some kind of change in the law."

Yes, but: Trump's vision may look a little different.

  • "[My]y initial thought is a joint venture between the current owners and/or new owners whereby the U.S. gets a 50% ownership in a joint venture set up between the U.S. and whichever purchase we so choose," Trump wrote in his social media statement expressing his intent to issue an executive order pushing back the apps' lights-out date.
  • It's clear that ByteDance does not want to sell its famous algorithm. And there is no evidence of an in-progress deal, though investor Kevin O'Leary said he's made a $20 billion offer.

What we're watching: Trump 2.0 โ€” and perhaps, the path to TikTok 2.0 โ€” start Monday.

  • And as White House deputy national security adviser Jon Finer made clear Sunday on ABC's "This Week," the ball is in Trump's court.

2. Israel-Hamas ceasefire commences

Brett McGurk speaks during a Jan. 19 interview on CBS News' "Face the Nation."

The early hours of the Gaza ceasefire saw three female Israeli hostages released from Hamas captivity after more than 470 days.

The latest: Some 800 aid trucks are set to enter Gaza today, said Brett McGurk, the lead U.S. negotiator on the hostage deal โ€” a dramatic increase from daily averages.

  • As of Friday reporting from Reuters, UNRWA data showed 523 aid trucks had entered Gaza in January.
  • Janti Soeripto, the president and CEO of Save the Children, said on CBS News' "Face the Nation" that there are some 300,000 children in Gaza who are in "real acute need of malnutrition treatment."
  • Her organization is also trying to reconnect more than 17,000 children separated from their families during a war that has seen more than 45,000 Palestinians killed.

What they're saying: "This was not put together in the last week," McGurk said. "This was put together really since May when President Biden laid out this framework."

  • McGurk said the Biden administration has been working "seamlessly" with the incoming Trump team.
  • "This is a testament to President Biden and to President Trump allowing us to work together," he said, characterizing his partnership with Trump Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff as "historic."

Waltz characterized the hostage return as a "Reagan moment" for Trump, referencing the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis.

  • The terms of the deal were "inherited" from the Biden administration, Waltz said, but he contended "this deal would have never happened had President Trump not been elected."

The bottom line: Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said on NBC's "Meet the Press" that the question over whether Trump deserves some credit for the deal is one "historians will have to answer moving forward."

3. Johnson: Trump isn't behind Turner's ousting

House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks on NBC News' "Meet the Press" during a Jan. 19 interview.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) denied Sunday that his decision to oust Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) as the House Intelligence Committee chair was prompted by President-elect Trump.

The intrigue: Turner's ousting has generated frustration and disbelief from Republicans who fear their razor-thin majority would shrink further if the Ohio congressman decides to vote against the GOP agenda in retaliation for Johnson's actions.

What they're saying: Johnson told NBC News' Kristen Welker that "the notion that this was directed by the incumbent administration is just simply false."

Yes, but: Turner told CBS News that Johnson said "concerns from Mar-a-Lago" were among the reasons for his removal.

State of play: Johnson said he feels he can still count on Turner's vote as he's a "team player."

  • The speaker added that he and Turner are "good friends, trusted friends and colleagues. He will still be one of the top leaders in the House. In fact, I reappointed him and asked him to serve again, and he graciously agreed."
  • Turner will be the chairman of the U.S. delegation for NATO's Parliamentary Assembly, a position he previously held in 2011. He was president of the assembly from 2014 to 2016. He also serves on the Armed Service and Oversight and Government Reform committees.

More from Axios' Sunday coverage:

TikTok restoring service after Trump vows to delay ban

19 January 2025 at 11:25

TikTok announced it is restoring service Sunday, just hours after President-elect Trump said he would sign an executive order on his first day in office to delay enforcing the U.S. ban of the social media platform.

The big picture: The app went dark Saturday night, but by Sunday afternoon services were restored for many users, complete with a notification reading, in part, "as a result of President Trump's efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!"


  • Trump, who once spearheaded the effort to see TikTok banned, has spent weeks pushing for the app to be saved as the deadline, decided by a bipartisan law, neared.
  • TikTok said in a statement that it was resuming services as Trump's Sunday post on the matter provided "the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans."
A TikTok notification welcoming U.S. users back to the app after a brief shutdown as a result of the U.S. ban. (Screenshot: Avery Lotz)

The latest: The decision to begin restoring services less than 24 hours after the app effectively shut down was made "in agreement with our service providers," the platform said in a statement on its TikTok Policy X account.

  • "It's a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship," the statement read. "We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States."

Driving the news: Trump wrote in a Sunday Truth Social post that he will "issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law's prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security."

  • He added the order will also "confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order."
  • Trump said he'd like the U.S. to have a "50% ownership position" in a joint venture "between the current owners and/or new owners" to save TikTok.
  • "By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands and allow it to [stay] up," he wrote. "Without U.S. approval, there is no TikTok."

Reality check: The law, which President Biden signed in April, required that ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, sell the app to an approved buyer by Jan. 19 to avoid being banned.

  • It's unclear if Trump wants the U.S. government or a U.S. company to have 50% ownership, and how exactly he plans to circumvent the law as an executive order can't override it.
  • The White House said in a statement Friday that given the timing, the "actions to implement the law simply must fall to the next Administration."
  • But Republican Sen. Tom Cotton (Ark.), the chair of the Select Committee on Intelligence, said in a joint Sunday statement with Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) that there's no legal basis for any extension of the law's effective date now that it's taken effect.

Context: The divest-or-ban law does allow the president to initiate a 90-day extension, but only if there is "significant progress" toward divestiture and binding legal agreements in place to facilitate a deal.

  • There is no known deal in the works for purchasing TikTok, though investor Kevin O'Leary has offered $20B.
  • ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, has stood firm against the ban, arguing the forced divestment is unconstitutional. And the company does not want to sell its famed, powerful algorithm.

Our thought bubble: TikTok's restoration of service means that both the company and some of its back-end U.S. service providers โ€” Oracle, Akamai and Amazon Web Services โ€” have decided that Trump's assurances about exempting them from liability are good enough to go on. That also means the app will presumably be running on Trump's inauguration day.

  • As of this writing, neither Apple nor Google have restored the availability of the TikTok app in their app stores, meaning new users can't sign up. This suggests that neither company's lawyers are sufficiently persuaded by Trump's statement.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with a statement from TikTok and additional context.

Bannon: Billionaire CEOs have surrendered to Trump

19 January 2025 at 06:32

Ex-Trump adviser Steve Bannon said he sees the presence of billionaire CEOs and tech moguls at President-elect Trump's inaugural events as a white flag of surrender from "the oligarchs."

Why it matters: The conservative media firebrand, a leading MAGA voice, has already noted his dissent against Trump's alignment with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk โ€” but the president-elect has seemingly sided with the world's richest man.


  • "I will have Elon Musk run out of here by Inauguration Day," Bannon said in a recent interview with Italian outlet Corriere della Sera, characterizing Musk as a "truly evil guy."

Driving the news: "They're there as supplicants," Bannon said on ABC's "This Week" of Musk, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos attending Trump's inauguration. "They're not there as the oligarchs."

  • He continued, "I look at this and I think most people in our movement look at this as President Trump broke the oligarchs, he broke them and they surrendered."
  • Bannon, who was released from prison in October after serving a four-month sentence on contempt of Congress charges, characterized Zuckerberg as "a criminal."
  • Zuckerberg, who once banned Trump from his platforms following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, is set to cohost a reception Monday with other billionaire GOP donors for Trump's inauguration, the AP reported.
  • "That guy will flip on President Trump and he'll flip on us in the second," he contended about Zuckerberg. "When it's convenient for him. He will flip."

Zoom out: Zuckerberg is just one of several big-name tech leaders who will attend Trump's inaugural events โ€” and who made large donations for the inauguration.

  • After a stream of CEOs stopped by Mar-a-Lago following Trump's election victory, the president-elect declared "everybody wants to be my friend."
  • But Bannon sees it differently: "[T]hey're trying to get a landing slot to get in there and be a supplicant."

Go deeper: Scoop: Apple CEO Tim Cook donates $1 million to Trump inauguration

Moon landing sites at risk from space tourism, preservationists warn

16 January 2025 at 13:04

Only 12 people have walked on the Moon โ€” but in a new era of commercial space exploration, a nonprofit dedicated to safeguarding treasured sites is warning about threats to historic Moon landing locations.

The big picture: The World Monuments Fund listed an at-risk site beyond the Earth's surface for the first time in this year's World Monuments Watch, a nomination-based list released biennially to raise awareness of heritage sites in need of preservation.


  • The organization said "a burgeoning commercial space industry" may pose "novel risks" to preserving the integrity of dozens of historic landing and impact sites on the Moon's surface.
  • This year the advocacy program featured 25 historic sites that face major challenges, including conflict, climate change and natural disaster.

Driving the news: The organization named Tranquility Base, in particular, as a trove of historic artifacts immortalizing the first time humans walked on the Moon that must be protected.

  • "Exploitative visitation, souveniring, and looting by future missions and private lunar exploration could eventually compromise this truly unique cultural heritage, removing artifacts and forever erasing iconic prints and tracks from the Moon's surface," according to the WMF.
  • Tranquility Base, the WMF's page on preserving the Moon reads, is one of over 90 historic landing and impact sites that "mark humankind's presence on the Moon's surface and testify to some of our most extraordinary feats of courage and ingenuity."

Zoom out: International collaboration is key to preserving the Moon's historic legacy, the organization writes.

  • The Artemis Accords, a U.S.-led agreement by dozens of nations, govern civil uses of the Moon, its resources and other parts of outer space.
  • Nations across the globe have raced to tap the Moon's scientific, economic and geopolitical value โ€” while the commercial space race intensifies.

Other sites on the World Monuments Fund list include areas struck by war, like Gaza and an iconic building in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Go deeper: The race to tap the Moon's immense value

Trump's attorney general pick echoes claims prosecutions were political

15 January 2025 at 12:13

Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi echoed President-elect Trump's persistent claims that the charges he faced stemmed from politically motivated prosecution driven by President Biden's Justice Department during her Wednesday confirmation hearing.

Why it matters: If confirmed, Bondi's appointment would install a Trump loyalist in the nation's highest law enforcement role โ€” empowering a MAGA overhaul of the DOJ, which could include investigating the president-elect's political enemies.


  • Bondi claimed prosecutors "targeted" Trump and his campaign dating back to 2016, adding that she will not "politicize" the DOJ or "target people simply because of their political affiliation."

Driving the news: Bondi vowed in her opening statement to "return the Department of Justice to its core mission of keeping Americans safe and vigorously prosecuting criminals."

  • "America will have one tier of justice for all," she said.
  • Trump, who was convicted of falsifying business records in New York, has repeatedly sought to cast his various criminal cases as political prosecution by Democrats.

Zoom in: Bondi said she "absolutely" has not discussed appointing a special counsel to investigate Biden, nor has she spoken with the president-elect about going after former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) or members of the House Jan. 6 select committee.

  • "No one will be prosecuted, investigated because they are a political opponent," Bondi said. "That's what we've seen for the last four years in this administration."
  • Trump has said members of the committee that investigated the Capitol riot should be jailed and has labeled Schiff an enemy "from within."

During a heated exchange with Schiff, Bondi would not say whether she would investigate Special Counsel Jack Smith, noting she'd need more than a "summary" to reach a decision and that it would be "irresponsible" to commit.

  • She said what she's heard on "the news" is "horrible" but said she has not "looked at" whether Smith "committed a crime."
  • Bondi shot back at Schiff when he asked whether there was a factual predicate to investigate Cheney, saying "we should be worried" about the "crime rate in California."
  • Schiff also repeatedly pushed Bondi on Jan. 6 pardons, a day-one priority for Trump that Bondi said she would have "plenty of staff" to work.

Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats pressed Bondi about her loyalty to Trump during her Wednesday confirmation hearing, highlighting past rhetoric that bolstered his false claims about the 2020 election being stolen.

  • "At issue I believe in this nomination hearing is not your competence nor your experience," Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the ranking member on the panel, said during the hearing. "At issue is your ability to say no."

Durbin pressed Bondi on if she has any doubts about the 2020 election, to which she replied, "President Biden is the President of the United States."

  • Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) pressed Bondi on how she would handle potential White House interference at the Department of Justice. Bondi said she believes the DOJ "must be independent and must act independently."

Between the lines: Bondi is a longtime Trump ally who has been at his side at times of legal jeopardy, including as a member of his impeachment team in 2020.

Asked by Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) what she would do should Trump give an illegal or unethical order, Bondi said she "will never speak on a hypothetical, especially one saying that the president would do something illegal."

  • She again did not answer the hypothetical question of whether she would bring in a special prosecutor if she received credible evidence of a criminal violation by a White House official, including the president.
  • "What I do know is special prosecutors have been abused in the past on both sides," she said, adding, "I will look at each situation on a case-by-case basis and consult the appropriate career ethics officials within the department."

Zoom out: During questioning from Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Bondi repeatedly said she was not familiar with statements Trump had made, including his characterization of Jan. 6 defendants as "hostages" or "patriots."

  • Asked earlier in the hearing about pardons for those who stormed the Capitol, she said she'd advise on a "case by case basis."

Catch up quick: Bondi, a veteran prosecutor and former Florida attorney general, was Trump's second pick for attorney general after his embattled first pick, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, withdrew his name from consideration.

  • Bondi's hearing will be split across two days, picking up again Thursday at 10:15am ET.
  • Bondi's hearing comes a day after Pete Hegseth's fireworks-filled appearance before the Senate Armed Services Committee, where Democrats pressed him on his qualifications to be Defense secretary and the slate of allegations against him.

Go deeper: Scoop: Schumer's plan to fire back at MAGA nominees

Editor's note: This story has been updated throughout with additional information from the hearing.

Five questions Hegseth dodged at his Defense Department confirmation hearing

14 January 2025 at 13:09

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Trump's pick for secretary of Defense, dodged several questions during his often contentious Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday.

The big picture: Republicans' narrow Senate majority means they can only lose a handful of votes, and Democrats used the hearing to air Hegseth's allegations of sexual misconduct, financial mismanagement and excessive drinking and question how far he would go on Trump's behalf.


  • The former Fox News host and U.S. Army veteran, who some national security officials have cautioned may not have enough experience, traversed a tumultuous path to Tuesday's hearing.
  • He's blamed a "smear campaign" for threatening to derail his nomination but has solidified support from key members of the GOP.

Here are some of the questions Hegseth dodged during his hearing:

Will he resign if he drinks?

Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) pressed Hegseth on accusations of excessive drinking, pointing to his vow not drink on the job if confirmed.

  • He said he "absolutely" made that promise to Republican lawmakers.

Yes, but: Hegseth did not answer whether he would resign if he does drink, instead saying, "I've made this commitment on behalf of the men and women I'm serving because it's the most important deployment of my life."

Should domestic violence be disqualifying?

As part of a fiery exchange with Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Hegseth would not say whether violence against a spouse should be disqualifying for a secretary of Defense.

He repeatedly told Kaine he "absolutely" had never committed physical violence against any of his three wives.

  • He called Kaine's question "a hypothetical."

Would he use the military against Americans?

Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) pressed Hegseth on whether he'd support using the U.S. military against American citizens โ€” and Hegseth's answer seemed inconclusive.

  • "If Donald Trump asked you to use the 82nd Airborne in law enforcement roles in Washington, D.C., would you ... convince him otherwise?" she asked.
  • "I'm not going to get ahead of conversations I would have with the president. However, there are laws and processes inside our Constitution that would be followed," Hegseth replied.

Zoom out: As part of Hirono's questioning, Hegseth did not directly answer whether he'd approve of shooting protesters in the legs, in reference to the suggestion former defense secretary Mark Esper said Trump gave him in 2020.

  • "Senator, I was in the Washington, D.C., National Guard unit that was in Lafayette Square during those events," Hegseth replied, "holding a riot shield on behalf of my country."

Would he seize Greenland by force?

Hegseth sidestepped another inquiry from Hirono, who asked whether he would comply with an order to claim Greenland or the Panama Canal by force, as Trump has threatened.

What he's saying: Hegseth applauded Trump for "never strategically tipping his hand" in response to Hirono's question, adding he would not provide details in "this public forum."

  • "That sounds to me like that you would contemplate carrying out such an order to basically invade Greenland and take over the Panama Canal," Hirono replied.

Should the U.S. follow the Geneva Conventions?

Hegseth did not appear to commit to upholding the laws of combat governed by the Geneva Conventions during questioning from Sen. Angus King (I-Maine).

What he's saying: "We have laws on the books from the Geneva Conventions into the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and then underneath that, you have layers in which standard or temporary rules of engagement are put into place," Hegseth said. "We fight enemies ... that play by no rules."

  • Pressed by King, he said, "We don't need burdensome rules of engagement that make it impossible for us to win these wars."

Zoom in: Asked if the conventions' ban on torturing prisoners still applies, Hegseth called the conventions "incredibly important" but said how wars are fought has evolved.

  • "Your position is torture is OK, is that correct?" King asked.
  • Hegseth contended that was not what he said, adding, "I've never been party to torture."
  • Later, when pressed on past comments he made seemingly endorsing waterboarding, Hegseth responded, "The law of the land is that waterboarding is not legal."

Go deeper: Scoop: Hegseth opening statement pledges Pentagon "warrior ethos"

Hegseth claims "smear campaign" as Dems question his fitness to lead Pentagon

14 January 2025 at 10:56

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Trump's pick for Defense secretary, repeated his claim Tuesday that he is the target of a "smear campaign" when faced with pointed questions from lawmakers over his fitness to lead the military amid misconduct allegations.

The big picture: After Trump chose the former Fox News host for the Cabinet post, Hegseth was besieged with scandals that threatened to tank his nomination before he ever faced lawmakers.


The other side: Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) asked: "How many senators have showed up drunk to vote at night? ... Don't tell me you haven't seen it, because I know you have."

  • The audience, packed with military veterans and other Hegseth supporters, cheered. Some Democratic senators averted their gazes.

Driving the news: Hegseth's highly anticipated confirmation hearing, which lasted over four hours, began with him promising to be a "change agent" for the Department of Defense.

  • Before Hegseth spoke to the committee, Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) decried the "anonymous sources" behind the allegations that have hounded Hegseth, contrasting them with public pronouncements of support from his colleagues.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), an Iraq War veteran who lost both of her legs in combat, questioned Hegseth's qualifications in a contentious back-and-forth in which he could not name the number of nations or members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

  • "I couldn't tell you the exact amount of nations," Hegseth said, adding, "but I know we have allies in South Korea and Japan and in AUKUS, with Australia, trying to work on submarines."
  • Duckworth replied: "None of those three countries that you mentioned are in ASEAN. I suggest you do a little homework before you prepare for these types of negotiations."

Asked by Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nevada) about his past characterization of NATO as "a relic" that should be "scrapped and remade," Hegseth claimed the country's allies have had "no better friend" than Trump.

  • He didn't answer about his own past comments about the alliance.
  • Rosen pressed Hegseth on whether Trump has a plan to rapidly end the years-long war in Ukraine as the president-elect has claimed he will do, to which Hegseth replied, "I will always give clear guidance ... best guidance to the president ... on matters like that."

During a heated exchange, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) refuted Hegseth's characterization that all the allegations against him were spurred by anonymous sources.

  • "They are not anonymous. We have seen more records with names attached to them," Kaine said.
  • Committee ranking member Jack Reed (D-R.I.) said he doesn't believe Hegseth is "qualified to meet the overwhelming demands of this job," citing the "extremely alarming" allegations and some of Hegseth's views, including on women serving in the military.
  • Reed implored the committee to make the FBI's background check available to all committee members, but Wicker rebuffed his request.

Questioned by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) about his previous derisive comments about women serving in combat roles, Hegseth maintained that he appreciated women's contributions to the military.

  • "It's not about the capabilities of men and women. It's about standards," he said.
  • Hegseth refused to rule out carrying out an order from Trump to take over Greenland or the Panama Canal โ€” notions the president-elect has floated in recent weeks โ€” when quizzed by Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii).

State of play: In his opening statement, Hegseth vowed to "restore the warrior ethos" at the Pentagon.

  • "It is true that I don't have a similar biography to Defense Secretaries of the last 30 years," Hegseth said, before positioning himself as a "change agent."
  • "But, as President Trump also told me, we've repeatedly placed people atop the Pentagon with supposedly 'the right credentials' โ€” whether they are retired generals, academics or defense contractor executives โ€” and where has it gotten us?" Hegseth said in his opening statement.
  • A protester interrupted Hegseth's opening statement to call him a misogynist. That protester was one of several removed from the hearing.

Flashback: Trump defended Hegseth as the criticism mounted last year โ€” though after a prolonged silence and news of his backup nominee leaked.

Between the lines: Hegseth's FBI background check became a point of contention ahead of the hearing.

  • Just one Senate Democrat โ€” Armed Services ranking member Jack Reed (D-R.I.) โ€” has been briefed on the findings.
  • The Trump transition team opposes sharing it, Axios' Hans Nichols and Stephen Neukam report.
  • Democrats had pushed for the findings to be accessible by the full Senate before the hearing, given the allegations against Hegseth.

Go deeper: Trump picks historically young group of top officials

Editor's note: This story was updated with developments from the hearing.

READ: Jack Smith's final report on Trump's Jan. 6 case

14 January 2025 at 01:27

The Department of Justice's final report on President-elect Trump's dismissed federal election subversion case was published early Tuesday, revealing new details of special counsel Jack Smith's investigation.

Why it matters: Smith claims in the report less than two weeks from Trump's inauguration that he could have secured a conviction if the Republican leader hadn't won November's election and the case had gone to trial.


  • Trump wanted the final report kept secret, but Attorney General Merrick Garland defied the president-elect in one of his final acts in the Biden administration and sent the 137-page document to Congress.

Zoom out: The release of volume one of Smith's final report follows a lengthy legal battle after Trump's lawyers sought to stop it being made public.

  • Volume two of Smith's report, on Trump's federal classified documents case, remains sealed after U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon barred the DOJ from releasing a final investigative report or any drafts.
  • Cannon, whom Trump appointed when he was in office, has been accused of bias in her handling of the case.
  • However, on Monday she ordered a hearing later this week on whether to release the second part of the report.

Flashback: Smith's original Jan. 6 indictment charged Trump with four counts, including "conspiracy to defraud" the U.S.

  • It was unsealed in 2023, less than two months after Smith first brought charges against the president-elect over his alleged mishandling of classified documents.
  • Last August, Smith filed a superseding indictment in the Jan. 6 case, paring down the original findings to account for the Supreme Court's July ruling that presidents have immunity for "official acts."
  • But after Trump won the 2024 election, Smith moved to drop his two federal cases against Trump, noting the longstanding DOJ policy that a sitting president can't be prosecuted.

Read Smith's report in full, via DocumentCloud:

Go deeper: Trump asks Supreme Court to block hush money sentencing

Wildfires death toll rises to 24 as L.A. area faces fresh threats

12 January 2025 at 21:39

Los Angeles County is facing "critical fire conditions" after firefighters have for days battled deadly wildfires that have razed entire neighborhoods, and the situation is expected to worsen this week.

Threat level: The National Weather Service issued a rare "Particularly Dangerous Situation" red flag warning that's due to start early Tuesday into Wednesday for parts of L.A. County and Ventura County, warning that winds will be high enough to cause "explosive fire growth."


  • The areas under this warning do not include the Eaton Fire, but do include western Santa Monica, Simi Valley, Porter Ranch, Ventura and other parts of the hard hit region.
  • The winds will not be as strong as the previous event but strong enough to meet the high-end criteria.

The big picture: The death toll rose to at least 24, per the L.A. County medical examiner's Sunday evening update. Another 16 people have been reported as missing, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said during a Sunday briefing.

  • More than 100,000 residents remain under evacuation orders and over 12,000 structures have been destroyed.

Situation report: The Kenneth, Sunset and Lidia fires have been 100% contained, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a Sunday update.

  • The Hurst Fire was at 89% containment Sunday evening, per Cal Fire.
  • The Palisades and Eaton fires, the biggest of the blazes, were 13% and 27% contained, respectively.
  • Sixteen of the reported deaths have been attributed to the Eaton Fire, while the remaining eight have been categorized with the Palisades Fire.
  • Newsom announced he's deployed a further 1,000 California National Guard personnel to the Los Angeles area, taking the number assisting in firefighting efforts to 2,500.
Screenshot: NWS Los Angeles/X

State of play: Red flag warnings for much of Los Angeles and Ventura counties are set to remain in place until Wednesday as gusty winds and low relative humidity persist, the National Weather Service's L.A. office said Sunday evening.

  • NWS expects the offshore Santa Ana winds that have been making fighting the fires extremely difficult to pick back up after a brief reprieve, which could complicate firefighters' efforts to contain the flames.
  • Dry vegetation coupled with "prolonged extreme fire conditions" will support "rapid spread and erratic behavior" of new or existing fires, per NWS. The Eaton Fire may be less affected by strong winds than the other blazes.

By the numbers: Over 35,000 customers in Los Angeles County were without power about 12:30am Monday ET, per PowerOutage.us.

Context: Parts of Southern California are experiencing their driest start on record.

  • An overlap of rare climate factors is in part to blame for the rapidly spreading blazes, as the bone-dry region grapples with the worst high wind event in Southern California since 2011, per Axios' Andrew Freedman.
  • While the fires are not the largest wildfires the state has faced, they are among the most destructive on record.

Go deeper: Why fire hydrants ran dry as wildfires ravaged Los Angeles

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

Sunday Snapshot: America's closing borders

12 January 2025 at 11:34

With eight days until Jan. 20, President-elect Trump and his team are preparing to unleash an onslaught of executive orders regarding the border.

Vice President-elect JD Vance said Sunday those day-one actions should send a message to "illegal immigrants all over the world: You are not welcome in this country illegally."

Here's what you may have missed when newsmakers hit the airwaves this Sunday, January 12.


1. Vance: "America is closed to illegal immigration"

Vice President-elect JD Vance visits "Fox News Sunday" with anchor Shannon Bream at FOX News D.C. Bureau on Jan. 11. Photo: Paul Morigi/Getty Images

Vance said in an interview aired Sunday that the Trump administration will release "dozens of executive orders" on day one signaling that "America is closed to illegal immigration."

The big picture: He dismissed questions about the humanitarian concerns surrounding Trump's mass deportation promises, arguing that family separation is a "dishonest term."

  • "If you say, for example, in the United States we have a guy who's convicted of a violent crime and has to go to prison, we want that guy to go to prison," he said. "But yes, it does mean that that guy is going to be separated from his family."
  • Vance argued Democrats "hide behind" raising alarms about a lack of compassion for families at the border.
  • "It is not compassion to allow the drug cartels to traffic small children," he argued. "It is not compassionate to allow the worst people in the world to send minor children, some of them victims of sex trafficking, into our country. That is the real humanitarian crisis at the border."

Fox News' Shannon Bream pushed back, noting that violent criminals are a small slice of the millions of undocumented immigrants living in the U.S.

  • Vance replied that law enforcement action is necessary to end the border crisis, saying the country can't buy into "the lie ... from the extreme left" that "law enforcement at the American southern border is somehow not compassionate to families who want to cross illegally."

Flashback: A federal judge in 2023 banned the separation of families at the U.S. southern border until 2031 to deter migrants from crossing.

  • That ruling could prevent the return of the first Trump administration's controversial policy that saw thousands of children separated from their parents.
  • Tom Homan, Trump's incoming "border czar," played a key role in crafting the policy.

Trump has suggested he'll use the military for immigration raids and has said he'd be open to detaining immigrants in camps.

2. Newsom taking Trump's threats to withhold California aid seriously

Gavin Newsom speaks with NBC's Jacob Soboroff during a "Meet the Press" interview aired Jan. 12.

Trump has threatened to withhold federal aid from California on several occasions โ€” both during and after his first White House stay.

  • And amid the catastrophic fires tearing through Los Angeles County, Trump has repeatedly heaped blame on California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
  • It's not immediately clear how Trump would handle the fires if they're still blazing when he takes over the White House.

Driving the news: "That's his style," Newsom said on NBC's "Meet the Press," highlighting a slate of times Trump delayed or threatened to block aid to the Golden State and others.

  • He said he takes the threats "seriously to the extent that in the past it's taken a little bit more time" to deliver federal aid during political tension with Trump.

Zoom out: Vance, asked in a "Fox News Sunday" interview aired Sunday if Trump would withhold aid to Californians, said Trump "is the president for all Americans."

  • But he blamed the fires' rampant spread in part on a "serious lack of competent" California officials.

Reality check: The fires ignited amid a rare overlap of climate factors: the worst high wind event in Southern California in over a decade, and extremely dry conditions.

What they're saying: Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said Sunday that he's ready to work with Trump to make sure there is "no gap, no air between us" when rebuilding and helping victims heal after the deadly fires.

  • "I've been in Congress a long time, approving aid after disasters. I never once even considered, is this hurricane hitting a red state or a blue state?" Schiff said.
  • He added: "We need the incoming president to view it that way."

3. Lankford flips on Tulsi

Sen. James Lankford speaks during an interview aired Jan. 12 on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) made former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard's path to confirmation a bit easier Sunday when he said he would vote yes for her as director of national intelligence.

Why it matters: With the GOP's Senate majority so small, all of Trump's Cabinet appointees can only risk losing a few Republican votes, and several in the party have seemed reluctant to vote for Gabbard.

Between the lines: Lankford previously said he wanted Gabbard to explain where she stands on Section 702, which allows the U.S. to engage in targeted surveillance of foreign nationals living outside the United States, which Gabbard opposed while in Congress.

  • Last week, Gabbard said she supports Section 702 and that she would "uphold Americans' Fourth Amendment right" if confirmed as the nation's top spy.

What they're saying: "[Section 702] was a very important piece for me," Lankford said on NBC News' "Meet the Press."

  • He added that Section 702 is a key part of the DNI job, "to make sure we're actually watching for people to come attack us and stopping them before they do."

State of play: 13 proposed members of Trump's Cabinet will sit for confirmation hearings this week, including Pete Hegseth (Sec. of Defense) on Jan. 14 and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (Sec. of Homeland Security) on Jan. 15.

  • A date for Gabbard's confirmation hearing has not been set.
A CNN graphic displays the dates for this week's Senate confirmation hearings.

More from Axios' Sunday coverage:

JD Vance says there's "a deal to be made in Greenland"

12 January 2025 at 08:44

Vice President-elect JD Vance said in an interview aired Sunday that "there's a deal to be made in Greenland" amid President-elect Trump's indication that he wants the U.S. to own the world's largest island.

Why it matters: Trump's refusal to rule out military force to acquire Greenland, currently defended by NATO member Denmark, or the Panama Canal sent shockwaves through the U.S. and its ally nations.


  • Vance said on "Fox News Sunday" that military force isn't needed in Greenland, and that the U.S. already has troops stationed on the island.
  • Trump has repeatedly said that controlling Greenland is critical for U.S. national security, a talking point that Vance echoed on Sunday.
  • Danish officials, in private messages sent to Trump's team, expressed willingness to boost security in Greenland or increase U.S. military presence there, Axios' Barak Ravid and Dave Lawler report.

Driving the news: Greenland is "really important for America strategically" and has "a lot of great natural resources," Vance said.

  • Vance added that people Donald Trump Jr. met in Greenland last week told him they "want to be empowered to develop" those resources. Vance also argued that the Danish government has not done a sufficient job of securing the island.

Context: As climate change reshapes the Arctic, it's ignited heightened competition among global superpowers in the region.

  • During the Cold War, Greenland played a key role in U.S. defense as part of an early warning system. Trump has argued that it's critical to secure the island as Russia and China also search for footholds in the Arctic.
  • The effects of a changing climate may also make it easier to tap Greenland's critical minerals. But Greenlandic and Danish officials have made clear that the island is not for sale.

Zoom out: Vance's comments were echoed by Trump's pick for national security adviser, Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), who said the president-elect "is always going to leave all options on the table" when pressed if the incoming administration would use military force to achieve its goals in Greenland or Panama.

  • "President Trump is ready to take big, bold steps to ensure the United States is well-defended," he said on ABC's "This Week," pointing to mineral resources and the emergence of new shipping lanes in the region.
  • While he did not rule out the use of military action, Waltz suggested "existing agreements" could also be amended, adding that Greenland is "pushing for independence, which would allow all types of other avenues."

Yes, but: Not all Republicans think military intervention is a viable option.

  • Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) said on NBC's "Meet the Press" that the U.S. is "not going to invade another country."
  • "That's not who we are," he continued. "The president speaks very boldly on a lot of things."

Go deeper: Trump dreams of empire expansion

L.A. fires could be the U.S.' worst natural disaster, Newsom says

12 January 2025 at 06:58

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said in a "Meet the Press" interview that the wildfires that have destroyed entire neighborhoods across Los Angeles could be the worst natural disaster in U.S. history "in terms of just the costs associated with it."

  • That would mean eclipsing Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans and the Mississippi coastline in 2005 and caused over $200 billion in damage.

The big picture: The fires, which have now killed at least 16, are not the biggest ever recorded in the state โ€” but they are among the most destructive.


  • Thousands of homes and businesses have been razed and tens of thousands of acres have burned.
  • Risk experts believe the insured losses from the fires will be greater than $20 billion, surpassing the 2018 Camp Fire's record for the biggest insured wildfire loss ever.

Context: While the LA County fires rank among the most expensive wildfires in U.S. history, they currently fall far behind other disasters.

  • Hurricane Katrina killed over 1800 people and remains the most expensive natural disaster to hit the United States.
  • Hurricane Harvey caused over $160 billion in damage in 2017. Over 100 people died in the storm across four states, as well as one death in Guyana.

What he's saying: Newsom said he expects there to be "a lot more" deaths counted.

  • Eleven of the 16 deaths currently recorded were attributed to the Eaton fire, according to the Los Angeles medical examiner's Saturday evening update. Five were attributed to the Palisades fire.

The catastrophic fires occurred as Los Angeles prepares to play a key role in what experts are calling the U.S.' "mega decade" of sports: In upcoming years, the city will host the Super Bowl in 2027, World Cup games in 2026 and the 2028 Olympics.

  • "[T]hat only reinforces the imperative in moving quickly, doing it in the spirit of collaboration and cooperation," Newsom said.
  • He said the state is organizing a Marshall Plan to rebuild the region ahead of the events.

Zoom out: Beyond rebuilding communities, Newsom said he wants an independent investigation to answer questions about water supply issues highlighted by the disaster.

  • Reports that firefighters found dry fire hydrants while combatting the flames sparked outrage โ€” and an onslaught of political jabs from President-elect Trump, who claimed without evidence that the governor blocked supply to the south of the state because of fish conservation efforts.
  • "This is not about finger-pointing," Newsom said. "It's about answering the questions you and everybody want answered," he said.

Go deeper: The psychological toll of California's catastrophic fires

Trump avoids prison time, fines for New York felony conviction

10 January 2025 at 07:39

President-elect Trump received a no-penalty sentence in his New York hush money case Friday after the Supreme Court refused to intervene.

Why it matters: Trump is the first former (and returning) president convicted of a felony. The expected sentence of unconditional discharge โ€” also recommended by prosecutors โ€” means the conviction remains on his legal record.


  • The sentencing, which Trump fought to delay or block altogether, comes just 10 days before his inauguration and White House return.
  • The nation's high court on Thursday dashed a last-ditch bid by Trump's legal team to stop the proceeding.
  • Judge Juan Merchan had already indicated that Trump wouldn't face jail time, after winning the 2024 election.

Driving the news: Trump, appearing remotely from Florida, said during the hearing that "this has been a very terrible experience," CNN reported.

  • He described the case as a "political witch hunt" and a "setback" for New York and the state court system.
  • "The fact is I'm totally innocent. I did nothing wrong," Trump said.

Merchan remarked by noting that "this has been a truly extraordinary case."

  • In his statement to the court, Merchan discussed the limits of the protections of the presidency. He said "they do not reduce the seriousness of the crime or justify its commission in any way. One power they do not provide is the power to erase a jury verdict."

What they're saying: Trump celebrated the unconditional discharge sentence in a Truth Social post shortly after the hearing Friday, saying it proved "this whole Scam fully deserves to be DISMISSED."

  • While the sentencing hearing had been a "despicable charade," his legal team would now press forward with an appeal, he added.

Catch up quick: Merchan wrote in a filing earlier this month that "unconditional discharge appears to be the most viable solution to ensure finality" and allow Trump to pursue his appellate options.

  • A court may impose a sentence of unconditional discharge when it believes "no proper purpose would be served by imposing any condition upon the defendant's release," under New York law.
  • This would mean that Trump would face no jail time, probation or fines, but would nevertheless serve as a mark on his permanent record.
  • Merchan noted that prosecutors no longer viewed jail time "as a practicable recommendation" given Trump's election victory.

Flashback: A New York jury found Trump guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records last May.

  • He was charged in connection with a $130,000 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels over an alleged sexual encounter. Trump has repeatedly denied the affair.
  • Since then, Trump's team has repeatedly tried to have his case thrown out under the Supreme Court's 2024 ruling that presidents have immunity for "official acts."

The big picture: Just last year, Trump faced four criminal indictments.

  • Since his election win, two federal cases against him have been dropped.
  • His Georgia election interference case was cast into further limbo after the Georgia Court of Appeals ruled to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis late last month. She is appealing the decision.

Go deeper: Trump seeks to stop Smith releasing final report

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional developments.

Supreme Court denies Trump's effort to stop hush money sentencing

9 January 2025 at 17:51

The Supreme Court on Thursday denied President-elect Trump's request to delay his Friday sentencing in his criminal hush money case.

Why it matters: Though Trump faces no jail time for his 34 felony convictions, the Supreme Court's decision is the final blow to his efforts to sideline his sentencing just days before he returns to the White House.


  • The sentencing will formalize his status as the only living president to be convicted of a crime.

What he's saying: Trump said on Truth Social Thursday evening he appreciated the "time and effort" the Supreme Court had taken "in trying to remedy the great injustice done to me," as he complained about presiding Judge Juan Merchan and his prosecution in the New York case.

  • "For the sake and sanctity of the Presidency, I will be appealing this case, and am confident that JUSTICE WILL PREVAIL," he said, indicating he will appeal the sentencing.

Catch up quick: Trump turned to the Supreme Court in an 11th-hour attempt to halt proceedings in the case while his presidential immunity appeals play out.

  • "Forcing President Trump to prepare for a criminal sentencing in a felony case while he is preparing to lead the free world as President of the United States in less than two weeks imposes an intolerable, unconstitutional burden on him that undermines these vital national interests," Trump's team wrote in their appeal to the Supreme Court.
  • His attorneys further contended that presidential immunity should extend to presidents-elect in the "brief but crucial" time before they take office.

State of play: The 5-4 decision by the conservative-majority court all but ensures that Trump's sentencing continues as planned for Friday.

  • Chief Justice John Roberts and Amy Coney Barrett, whom Trump appointed to the high court, sided with the liberal justices in making the decision.

Zoom in: Trump's sentencing will place a "relatively insubstantial" burden on his responsibilities as president-elect, the Supreme Court said.

  • Merchan has indicated that he'd impose a sentence of "unconditional discharge."
  • The Supreme Court noted that Trump's "alleged evidentiary violations" could be addressed on appeal.

Zoom out: District Attorney Alvin Bragg argued in a Thursday filing to the Supreme Court that there is "no basis for such intervention" to take the "extraordinary step" of halting sentencing before the court's final decision.

  • The "defendant makes the unprecedented claim that the temporary presidential immunity he will possess in the future fully immunizes him now, weeks before he even takes the oath of office," Bragg wrote of Trump's stay request.

Flashback: A New York jury found Trump guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records last year, making him the first-ever former U.S. president to be a convicted felon.

  • But the Supreme Court's ruling that presidents have immunity for "official acts" gave Trump legal ammunition in his numerous attempts to see the case tossed or postponed.
  • His federal criminal cases crumbled after his presidential win, and his Georgia case remains frozen in limbo.

Go deeper: How prosecuting Trump backfired

Editor's note: Axios' Erin Doherty contributed reporting.

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

"A great American": Biden honors Jimmy Carter at state funeral

9 January 2025 at 09:47

The U.S. honored former President Jimmy Carter, the nation's 39th commander-in-chief, with a state funeral Thursday at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.

The big picture: Carter, who died Dec. 29 at 100, has been celebrated throughout the week โ€” from his hometown of Plains, Georgia, to the nation's capital. President Biden declared Thursday a national day of mourning for Carter.


  • Often called the "nation's greatest former president," Carter is remembered for a lifetime of service and his decades of humanitarian work after his time in the White House.

State of play: All five living U.S. presidents were in attendance at Thursday's service.

  • First Lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff were also present, as were former vice presidents Al Gore and Mike Pence.
  • Biden said in 2023 that Carter, who at the time was receiving hospice care, had asked him to deliver his eulogy after his death.
  • The U.S. Postal Service, financial markets (including the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq) and federal buildings are closed Thursday to mark the national day of mourning.

What they're saying: President Biden reflected Thursday on his friendship spanning six decades with Carter, who he characterized as "a great American, a dear friend and a good man."

  • "Jimmy Carter's friendship taught me ... the strength of character is more than title or the power we hold," Biden said during his eulogy. "It's the strength to understand that everyone should be treated with dignity, respect โ€” that everyone, and I mean everyone, deserves an even shot."
  • Biden added, "We have an obligation to give hate no safe harbor and to stand up to what my dad used to say is the greatest sin of all, the abuse of power."
  • He applauded Carter as a champion for clean energy, conservation and civil rights and characterized him as the president "who redefined the relationship with the vice president," celebrating Carter's "model partnership" with the late former Vice President Walter Mondale.
President Biden touches the casket after delivering the eulogy at the State Funeral Service for former President Jimmy Carter at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, DC, on Jan. 9. Photo: MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

Ted Mondale, the son of the late Vice President Walter Mondale, read a letter from his father, who described Carter's four years in the White House as "a marker for Americans dedicated to justice and decency."

  • "Carter was far-sighted. He put aside his short-term political interests to tackle challenges that demanded sacrifice to protect our kids and grandkids from future harm," Mondale's letter read, adding, "Very few people in the 1970s had heard the term climate change."

Steven Ford, son of the late President Gerald Ford, similarly read a letter from his father: Carter's political rival turned friend. The two former presidents, Ford said, had vowed to deliver eulogies at each other's funerals.

  • "It was because of our shared values that Jimmy and I respected each other as adversaries, even before we cherished one another as dear friends," the late president's letter read.
  • After Ford's death in 2006, Carter delivered a eulogy at his service.
  • "I'm looking forward to our reunion," Ford's letter ended. "We have much to catch up on. Thank you, Mr. President. Welcome home, old friend."

Josh Carter, Jimmy Carter's grandson, opened remarks at the service by remembering the way his grandfather dedicated his life to"helping those in need."

  • "He built houses for people that needed homes. He eliminated diseases in forgotten places," he said. "He waged peace anywhere in the world, wherever he saw a chance. He loved people."

Jason Carter characterized his grandfather's life as "a love story."

What's next: After the state funeral, Carter's body will be taken back to his hometown, where there will be a private funeral service.

Go deeper: How, when to watch Jimmy Carter's funeral live

Editor's note: This story was updated with details from the service.

Trump asks Supreme Court to block hush money sentencing

8 January 2025 at 06:34

President-elect Trump is asking the Supreme Court to halt Friday's sentencing in his New York hush money case, according to a new court filing.

Why it matters: If the high court intervenes, it could hand Trump another legal win by delaying the hearing or blocking the lower court from proceeding with levying a punishment for his historic felony conviction.


Driving the news: "This Court should enter an immediate stay of further proceedings in the New York trial court to prevent grave injustice and harm to the institution of the Presidency and the operations of the federal government," Trump's attorneys wrote in their Wednesday emergency application.

  • They argued in their 51-page filing that Trump's sentencing should be paused while his presidential immunity appeals play out.
  • His lawyers further contended that presidential immunity should extend to presidents-elect in the "brief but crucial" period between the election and their inauguration, shielding them from criminal process.
  • "Forcing President Trump to prepare for a criminal sentencing in a felony case while he is preparing to lead the free world as President of the United States in less than two weeks imposes an intolerable, unconstitutional burden on him that undermines these vital national interests," Trump's team wrote.

Catch up quick: Trump's legal team made the request to the Supreme Court after Merchan denied his latest bid to halt his sentencing. An appeals judge rejected his request to dismiss his conviction, as well.

Flashback: A New York jury found Trump guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records, making him the first-ever former U.S. president to be a convicted felon.

  • Trump has harnessed the Supreme Court's July ruling that presidents have immunity for "official acts" in several attempts to see the case tossed or delayed.
  • While his federal criminal cases crumbled after his presidential win, Merchan has remained intent on the New York hush money case moving forward.

What we're watching: The court ordered prosecutors to file a response by 10 a.m. Thursday โ€” just under 24 hours before his sentencing is scheduled.

Go deeper: How prosecuting Trump backfired

Editor's note: This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

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