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(WASHINGTON) — Migrants allowed into the U.S. temporarily under certain Biden administration programs can be quickly expelled, according to a memo sent by the Trump administration’s acting secretary of homeland security.

The memo, sent out Thursday night by Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman and obtained by ABC News, says that a migrant who has “been granted parole under a policy that may be paused, modified, or terminated” could be subject to expedited removal.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has the freedom to deport migrants covered by such “parole” programs — used to grant entrance to migrants under which for urgent humanitarian reasons.

The Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, Venezuela (CHNV) parole program allowed for certain migrants from those counties to apply for parole status into U.S. for up to two years. There were, however, conditions on the applicants, for example they needed to have a sponsor in the U.S. and be able to pass security vetting.

Both programs were swiftly done away with when President Donald Trump came into office earlier this week.

“The Biden-Harris Administration abused the humanitarian parole program to indiscriminately allow 1.5 million migrants to enter our country,” a DHS spokesperson said on Tuesday. “This was all stopped on day one of the Trump administration. This action will return the humanitarian parole program to its original purpose of looking at migrants on a case-by-case basis.”

The memo, first reported by The New York Times, says it is up to an ICE agent to review an individual case and determine what enforcement is necessary.

“Take all steps necessary to review the alien’s case and consider, in exercising your enforcement discretion, whether any such alien should be placed in removal proceedings; and Review the alien’s parole status to determine, in exercising your enforcement discretion, whether parole remains appropriate in light of any changed legal or factual circumstances,” according to the memo.

The memo says for any person in the country legally who ICE is “aware of,” agents should take “all necessary steps to determine if they should be in the country

“Take all steps necessary to review the alien’s case and consider, in exercising your enforcement discretion, whether to apply expedited removal. This may include steps to terminate any ongoing removal proceeding and/or any active parole status.”

The administration expanded its expedited removal authority to its “statutory maximum” — meaning someone who is in the country for less than two years can be removed without an immigration hearing — an interpretation of the law that immigration advocates say has never been used before.

“To maximize efficiency in the short term, DHS components may wish to prioritize aliens eligible for expedited removal who failed to apply for asylum within the statutory deadline,” the DHS memo said.

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(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump has kicked off his second term with a flurry of executive actions on immigration, the economy, DEI and more.

Trump discussed his economic agenda in a virtual discussion with those gathered at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland. He threatened tariffs against businesses that don’t make their products in the United States.

Meanwhile, the president’s attempt to end birthright citizenship faced its first legal test. A federal judge has temporarily blocked the order, calling it unconstitutional.

Judge bars Stewart Rhodes, other Oath Keepers from entering Capitol

The federal judge who formerly oversaw the seditious conspiracy case against Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and several of his associates has ordered Rhodes and his co-defendants, whose sentences were commuted by President Donald Trump, to not enter the U.S. Capitol or Washington, D.C. without first getting permission.

The order follows Rhodes’ surprise visit to the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, which caused alarm among many Democrats and others who had to seek shelter from the pro-Trump mob during the Jan. 6 attack.

-ABC News’ Alexander Mallin

2nd military flight with immigrants departs Tucson

A second military flight left Tucson, Arizona, overnight, according to a DHS official repatriating about 80 Guatemalans back to the country.

The official said military deportation flights and the speed at which they have been mobilized is “unprecedented.”

-ABC News’ Luke Barr

Trump on Hegseth vote: ‘You’ll never know what’s going to happen’

Trump was asked about Friday’s pending Senate floor vote to confirm Pete Hegseth as defense secretary, and although he expressed confidence in his pick, he noted, “you’ll never know what’s going to happen.”

GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins have both said they will vote against Hegseth.

Although Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell voted for Hegseth in a test vote Thursday on whether to advance his nomination, Trump questioned whether he would do the same today.

“Is Mitch a no vote?” he asked.

Even if he did, Vice President JD Vance could break a 50-50 tie to get Hegseth confirmed.

Trump says he didn’t invite Schiff to California wildfires tour

Trump refuted reports that he invited Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff to join him to tour the wildfire damage in Los Angeles.

Schiff told other news outlets that he declined the invitation from the White House because of Senate Cabinet confirmation votes taking place today.

Trump talks with reporters before heading to NC

Trump spoke with reporters as he left the White House Friday morning — heading to North Carolina to tour areas affected by Hurricane Helene.

The president, joined by first lady Melania Trump, said people in the state were still suffering from the September storm.

“North Carolina has been treated very badly, so we’re stopping there,” he said.

White House posts photos of military aircraft being used in deportations

The White House this morning says that military deportation flights have begun as part of its new mission and troop surge along the border.

The Department of Homeland Security has always done deportation flights. What’s different now — they are using military aircraft – in this case C-17s were used, according to a U.S. official.

The photos the White House is circulating were taken Thursday, when about 75-80 recent Guatemalan nationals were repatriated from El Paso, Texas, according to a DHS official.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X: “Just as he promised, President Trump is sending a strong message to the world: those who enter the United States illegally will face serious consequences.”

–ABC News’ Mary Bruce, Michelle Stoddart, Luke Barr and Luis Martinez

Trump won’t say if he’s talked with Putin, calls Xi ‘like my friend’

President Donald Trump declined to say if he had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but threatened to impose “massive tariffs” on Russia to end the war with Ukraine, in the second part of an Oval Office interview that aired Thursday night.

The interview was conducted by Fox News’ Sean Hannity.

Trump was pressed about his campaign pledge to end the war between Russia and Ukraine and whether he had spoken with the Russian president.

“I don’t want to say, but I will tell you, it’s gotta end,” Trump said.

Trump repeated his warning that Russia would face consequences if it doesn’t end the war.

“If they don’t settle this war soon, like almost immediately, I’m going to put massive tariffs on Russia and massive taxes, and also big sanctions,” Trump said. “And I don’t want to do that. You know, I love the Russian people. They’re great people. I don’t want to do that, but we gotta get this war ended.”

Trump also criticized Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy, saying he was “no angel” and shouldn’t have allowed the war to happen either.

Trump was also asked about his phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping before taking office, which he called a friendly conversation.

“It went fine. It was a good, friendly conversation,” Trump said. “I had a great relationship with him prior to COVID … They are a very ambitious country. He’s a very ambitious man. He’s a man that was, you know, I don’t want to be naive and say, my friend, but he was like my friend.”

-ABC News’ Molly Nagle and Fritz Farrow

National Guard says it’s ‘urgently working’ on Trump’s Southern border directives

The National Guard released a statement Thursday saying that servicemembers have been called to assist with the mission along the Southern border where 1,500 active duty Army soldiers and Marines were ordered on Wednesday.

“The National Guard is ‘Always Ready, Always There,’ and is urgently working to fully accomplish the objectives of the Presidential Executive Orders,” the statement from the military reserve force said.

President Donald Trump’s executive order authorized 2,500 federalized National Guardsmen to be deployed to the active duty mission.

As of Thursday, the National Guard has over 1,600 Guardsmen supporting the federal border security mission, according to the statement.

-ABC News’ Luis Martinez

Kash Patel’s confirmation hearing set for Jan. 30

The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing to consider Kash Patel’s nomination to serve as FBI director on Jan. 30, according to a committee hearing notice.

Migrant processing centers in Central and South America shut down

The Trump administration has shut down processing centers in Central and South American countries that allowed migrants to apply to come to the United States legally.

The move comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order suspending decisions on refugee cases and after the State Department suspended new applications and case processing.

The centers were part of a program started by the Biden administration called the Safe Mobility Initiative, aimed at reducing illegal immigration. Colombia, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Ecuador were among the countries that had processing centers.

“Following a decision by the US government, the Safe Mobility Initiative is no longer active,” said a message posted to the Safe Mobility Initiative website. “New applications will not be accepted.”

-ABC News’ Laura Romero

John Ratcliffe sworn in as CIA director

Vice President J.D. Vance swore in newly confirmed CIA Director John Ratcliffe on Thursday in the vice president’s ceremonial office.

“John is a great patriot, a guy that has the trust of the president, and I think really believes deeply in the mission, first of all, keeping Americans safe, but also doing it in a way that ensures that the American people have confidence in our national intelligence services,” Vance said.

Ratcliffe did not give any remarks.

-ABC News’ Molly Nagle

State Department starts suspending passport applications with ‘X’ gender marker

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has directed the State Department to freeze applications in the passport pipeline with “X” selected as the gender identifier, according to internal communications reviewed by ABC News.

The move follows President Donald Trump’s executive order titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” which states that “it is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female.”

Applicants who call into the State Department’s National Passport Information Center with questions are being told to wait for new guidance before applying if they can, which the center said will be made available “in the coming days.”

The State Department declined to comment on the matter, saying it “does not comment on leaked internal documents.”

The Biden administration introduced an option to select “X” instead of male or female on passport applications in 2022.

The State Department doesn’t publish data on how many applicants have selected “X” since it was introduced, but the Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, estimated at the time that 16,700 people would apply for passports with the “X” identifier each year.

-ABC News’ Shannon K. Kingston

Trump pardons pro-life protesters

Trump signed a set of pardons for several anti-abortion protesters calling it a “great honor to sign.”

More details of the pardons were set to be released later.

-ABC News’ Molly Nagle

DHS could request up to 10K troops on the border: Memo

An internal Border Patrol memo obtained by ABC News indicates that the Department of Homeland Security could request up to 10,000 troops to help with efforts along the United States and Mexico border.

Defense officials, however, said they have not heard of this figure but did note they expected there could be additional requests for troops along the border.

“This is just the start. This is an initial step, and we are anticipating many further missions,” a senior defense official told reporters.

-ABC News’ Luke Barr and Luis Martinez

Department of Education puts people on leave over DEI-related jobs

The Department of Education has put employees who led DEI initiatives on paid administrative leave following recent directives across the government to stamp it out of the federal workforce.

“These actions are in line with President Trump’s ongoing commitment to end illegal discrimination and wasteful spending across the federal government. They are the first step in reorienting the agency toward prioritizing meaningful learning ahead of divisive ideology in our schools,” the department said in a statement.

The department did not provide the exact numbers of employees who were affected.

At least two councils within the department were dissolved: the Diversity & Inclusion Council, which has been in place since the Obama administration, and a council within the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights.

-ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett

Hegseth settled 2017 sexual assault allegation for $50K

Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon, told Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren that he paid the woman who accused him of sexual assault in 2017 $50,000 in a settlement.

The information of a subsequent settlement agreement has already been reported and made public by Hegseth’s lawyer, but the dollar amount has not been previously disclosed.

The information provided to Warren was in response to the senator’s request that sought more information about Hegseth as part of the vetting process, two sources with knowledge of the vetting told ABC News.

Hegseth’s attorney Tim Parlatore declined to comment to ABC News on the dollar figure.

-ABC News’ Katherine Faulders

Trump brushes off concerns over revoking Pompeo security protections

Trump was asked about his decision to revoke security protections for his former secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, and Iran special envoy, Brian Hook.

He brushed aside the concerns about the threats issued against the men.

“I mean there are risks to everything,” Trump said, suggesting Pompeo and Hook cannot have protection for the rest of their lives.

-ABC News’ Hannah Demissie, Kelsey Walsh and Molly Nagle

Trump says he’s ‘open’ to meeting with pardoned Jan. 6 rioters

President Donal Trump was asked by a reporter if he plans to meet at the White House with any of the Jan. 6 rioters he pardoned.

“I don’t know. I’m sure that they probably would like to,” he replied.

Trump argued he “did something important” with the pardons and contended those convicted were “treated very badly.”

“So, I’d be open to it, certainly. I don’t know of anything like that, but I think they’re going to meet in some of the Congress people, congressmen, women, want to — want to meet,” he said.

Trump said he hasn’t spoken with any of them yet.

Trump vows to appeal judge’s temporary blocking of birthright citizenship order

President Donald Trump was asked by a reporter if he had a reaction to a federal judge blocking his attempt to end birthright citizenship.

“No, obviously, we’ll appeal it,” Trump responded. “They put it before a certain judge in Seattle, I guess, right. And there’s no surprises with that judge.”

The judge, John Coughenour, was nominated to the federal bench in 1981 by then-President Ronald Reagan.

Trump signs executive order to declassify JFK, RFK and MLK assassination files

President Donald Trump just signed an executive order to declassify files relating to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“That’s a big one,” Trump said. He added that people have “been waiting for this for years.”

Trump said to give the pen he used to sign the order to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Hegseth advances to final vote despite allegations, some GOP opposition

Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, got 51 votes to advance his nomination on Thursday.

The final vote on his confirmation is expected to occur around 9 p.m. on Friday, though the timing could change.

Hegseth is Trump’s most embattled Cabinet pick so far.

He’s faced a slew of allegations, including sexual misconduct and excessive drinking — which he’s denied. Two Republican senators, both women, voted against advancing his nomination and released lengthy statements on why they are not supporting him.

Sen. Susan Collins also votes no on Pete Hegseth

Sen. Susan Collins is the second Republican senator who will not be supporting Pete Hegseth’s nomination for Secretary of Defense.

In a lengthy statement she said he “does not have the experience and perspective necessary to succeed in the job.”

She also expressed concern over Hegseth’s comments about women serving in the military.

“He and I had a candid conversation in December about his past statements and apparently evolving views. I am not convinced that his position on women serving in combat roles has changed,” she said.

Johnson signs Laken Riley Act — Trump’s 1st legislative win

House Speaker Mike Johnson held a bill signing ceremony for The Laken Riley Act, which cleared the House with bipartisan support on Wednesday.

The bill now heads to President Donald Trump’s desk to be signed into law.

“This will be the first bill signed by the president … This is the right thing to do,” Johnson said.

He added, “We have a new commander in chief, a new sheriff in town who is willing to stand for border security, safety and sovereignty of the American people.”

Vance to speak at March for Life rally with House Speaker Johnson, Majority Leader Thune

Vice President JD Vance is set to speak at the March for Life rally in Washington, D.C. on Friday. It will be his first public appearance since the inauguration, according to a press release from March for Life.

Other speakers in the lineup will be House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, among other lawmakers and activists.

Vance and President Trump ran on a staunchly anti-abortion agenda. Trump often touted the fact that his Supreme Court picks led to the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

— ABC News’ Michelle Stoddart

Key Senate Republican Lisa Murkowski a no on Pete Hegseth

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, considered a key GOP swing vote, said she will not be supporting President Donald Trump’s Pentagon pick Pete Hegseth.

“After thorough evaluation, I must conclude that I cannot in good conscience support his nomination for Secretary of Defense,” she said in a lengthy statement. “I did not make this decision lightly; I take my constitutional responsibility to provide advice and consent with the utmost seriousness.”

The Senate is expected to take a procedural vote on Hegseth’s nomination Thursday afternoon.

Judge slams Trump’s birthright citizenship order

A federal judge slammed Trump’s executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship as a “blatantly unconstitutional order.”

“I have been on the bench for over four decades. I can’t remember another case where the case presented is as clear as it is here,” U.S. District Judge John Coughenour said minutes into a hearing on a legal challenge to the action.

Coughenour later signed a temporary restraining order blocking Trump’s order.

-ABC News’ Peter Charalambous

Photos show troops preparing to deploy to southern border

The Department of Defense has released new images of Marines from Camp Pendleton in California preparing to deploy to the U.S.-Mexico border.

The White House announced Wednesday that Trump was sending 1,500 additional troops to the southern border, building off the executive actions on immigration and border security he signed on Monday.

-ABC News’ Nathan Luna

Confirmation hearing set for Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s DNI pick

Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s hearing for director of national intelligence will be held on Thursday, Jan. 30, sources told ABC News.

Gabbard’s nomination has been scrutinized over her lack of intelligence experience and her echoing of Russian disinformation.

If confirmed, Gabbard would oversee a sprawling network of 18 agencies and a $100 billion budget. She’s been making the rounds on Capitol Hill to shore up support among lawmakers.

-ABC News’ Beatrice Peterson

Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s 1st international trip will include Panama

Secretary of State Marco Rubio will take his first international trip in office next week, visiting Panama, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic, according to the State Department.

Immigration is expected to be a key focus of the Trump administration. Rubio will encourage leaders to accept more of their deported nationals.

But the stop in Panama is especially notable given President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to retake the Panama Canal.

-ABC News’ Shannon Kingston

Trump warns economic leaders: Make products in America or face tariffs

“My message to every business in the world is very simple,” Trump said as he virtually addressed the World Economic Forum.

“Come make your product in America and we will give you among the lowest taxes of any nation on earth … But if you don’t make your product in America, which is your prerogative, then very simply you will have to pay a tariff,” Trump said.

“Differing amounts but a tariff which will direct hundreds of billions of dollars and even trillions of dollars into our treasury to strengthen our economy and pay down debt,” he added.

While Trump has claimed tariffs won’t adversely impact the U.S., economists generally agree that consumers will face higher costs for goods.

Trump’s first call to a foreign leader was with Saudi crown prince

Trump’s first call with a foreign leader was with Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman Al Saudi, the White House confirmed. The conversation happened on Wednesday, with the two leaders discussing conflicts in the Middle East and economic issues.

While speaking to the World Economic Forum on Wednesday, Trump confirmed reports that Saudi Arabia is looking to invest $600 billion in the U.S. over the next four years. He said he would be asking the crown prince to “round it out to around $1 trillion.”

He then said he’d be asking the country and OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) to bring down oil prices.

“You got to bring it down, which, frankly, I’m surprised they didn’t do before the election. That didn’t show a lot of love by them not doing it,” he said. “I was a little surprised by that. If the price came down, the Russia-Ukraine war would end immediately. Right now, the price is high enough that that war will continue. You got to bring down the oil price.”

Trump slams Biden at World Economic Forum

Trump, speaking remotely to a group of public and private sector leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, slammed the Biden administration’s handling of the U.S. economy.

In what sounded like one of his 2024 campaign speeches, Trump claimed former former President Joe Biden “totally lost control” as inflation and interest rates jumped during his time in office.

Many countries across the globe, however, suffered high inflation amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Inflation in the U.S. peaked at 9% but has since cooled to 2.9%.

Trump’s schedule includes executive order signing

The White House has released an official schedule for Trump’s fourth day in office.

At 11 a.m. ET he will deliver remarks virtually to the World Economic Forum and have a panel discussion with global CEOS.

At 2:30 p.m. ET, he will have an “executive order signing” in the Oval Office. It’s not immediately clear what action he will be taking.

Later, at 3:30 p.m. ET, he will hold a call with El Savador’s President Nayib Bukele.

Lee Zeldin’s nomination to lead EPA advanced by Senate panel

Lee Zeldin’s nomination to lead the Environmental Protection Agency has been advanced in an 11-8 vote by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

Zeldin, a former congressman, emphasized accountability during his confirmation hearing.

He also said he’d potentially “claw back” funds dispersed under the Inflation Reduction Act, one of former President Joe Biden’s biggest legislative accomplishments. The law provides billions for renewable energy and combatting climate change.

-ABC News’ Kelly Livingston

Senate slated to confirm Ratcliffe, could vote on Hegseth as soon as Friday

The Senate will vote today on John Ratcliffe’s nomination to serve as director of the CIA.

If senators approve his nomination, he will be the second member of Trump’s team to be confirmed after Marco Rubio was sworn in as secretary of state earlier this week.

Later this afternoon, the Senate will take a procedural vote on Pete Hegseth’s nomination to serve as defense secretary. Only 50 votes will be needed to advance his nomination. If he gets the votes, a final confirmation vote could occur on Friday or early Saturday.

Hegseth’s nomination was advanced out of a Senate committee earlier this week on a party-line vote. New allegations have surfaced since then alleging abusive behavior, which his attorney has denied.

-ABC News’ Allison Pecorin

Trump’s order to end birthright citizenship faces 1st court test

Trump’s executive order challenging birthright citizenship will face its first legal test in a Seattle courtroom on Thursday.

A federal judge will hear a request made by four Democratic-led states to issue a temporary restraining order against the executive order signed by Trump on Day 1 that purports to limit birthright citizenship to people who have at least one parent who is a United States citizen or permanent resident.

Trump discusses TikTok, wildfires and pardons in first Oval Office interview

In his first Oval Office interview on Wednesday, President Donald Trump discussed the California wildfires, Jan. 6 pardons and TikTok.

Regarding the emergency funding that Los Angeles needs after wildfires ravaged over 40,000 acres, Trump suggested a tradeoff involving the reconciliation bill he is hoping to get through Congress.

In the Fox News interview Trump repeated claims that California Gov. Gavin Newsom could put a stop to the fires happening in Southern California by releasing water from the north and threatened to withhold aid to California unless they “let water flow.”

“I’m going to put a statement out today, I think, maybe it’s already written,” Trump said. “I said, I don’t think we should give California anything until they let water flow down into there.”

Trump continued to defend his pardoning of those convicted of assaulting police officers at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, calling the attacks “very minor incidents.”

When discussing TikTok, Trump dismissed the security concerns many have regarding the app, while questioning if it’s bad that China is spying on kids.

“We have so many things made in China. So why don’t they mention that? You know, interesting thing with TikTok, though, is you’re dealing with a lot of young people,” Trump said. “Is it that important for China to be spying on young people, on young kids watching crazy videos?”

-ABC News’ Kelsey Walsh, Fritz Farrow, Hannah Demissie

DHS allows US Marshals, other DOJ agencies to carry out immigration enforcement

The Department of Homeland Security is allowing certain law enforcement components from the Department of Justice to carry out the “functions” of an immigration officer, according to a new memo.

The memo, sent by acting DHS Secretary Benjamine Huffman, grants the DOJ agencies the “same authority already granted to the FBI,” and says that agents from those agencies can enforce immigration law.

The agencies listed in the memo are the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

DEA and ATF have had little experience historically in carrying out immigration enforcement and the U.S. Marshals have typically only been involved in cases where a migrant is being sought as a fugitive.

-ABC News’ Luke Barr

Trump officials order freeze at DOJ Civil Rights Division

Officials in the Trump Justice Department have ordered a temporary freeze on any ongoing cases being litigated by the Civil Rights Division, according to a new directive reviewed by ABC News.

The memo to the current acting head of the Civil Rights Division, Kathleen Wolfe, says that current career officials in the division must not file any new civil complaints or other civil rights-related filings in outside ongoing litigation. The memo was first reported by The Washington Post.

The memo does not detail a specific timetable for how long the freeze will last. But it comes as Trump’s nominee to lead civil rights enforcement at DOJ — conservative firebrand Harmeet Dhillon — awaits a confirmation vote in the Senate.

Dhillon has long been a vocal Trump loyalist who has brought litigation to advance Republican causes, including curtailing COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and opposing transgender-affirming care.

She is expected to reorient the civil rights division’s priorities in line with what they were in the first Trump administration, when ongoing investigations into widespread police misconduct were virtually shuttered and the department withdrew from multiple Obama-era challenges to anti-trans state laws around the country.

Wolfe was separately directed to notify Trump-appointed department leaders of any consent decrees the Biden administration reached with cities in the final 90 days leading up to the inauguration.

Following the 2024 election, now-former Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke traveled the country announcing a series of last-minute agreements with several cities’ police departments that the DOJ had investigated for potential violations of citizens’ constitutional rights.

-ABC News’ Alexander Mallin

Trump picks new Secret Service director

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday the head of his protective security detail would serve as the new director of the U.S. Secret Service.

Sean Curran, a longtime Secret Service agent, began his career with the agency in 2001 as a special agent in the Newark Field Office, previously served as assistant special agent in charge of the Presidential Protective Division and was part of Trump’s personal protective detail on July 13 when a gunman attempted to assassinate him.

“Sean is a Great Patriot, who has protected my family over the past few years, and that is why I trust him to lead the Brave Men and Women of the United States Secret Service,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

He added, “He proved his fearless courage when he risked his own life to help save mine from an assassin’s bullet in Butler, Pennsylvania. I have complete and total confidence in Sean to make the United States Secret Service stronger than ever before.”

The former director of the agency, Kimberly Cheatle, came under scrutiny over the agency’s failure to prevent the assassination attempt and later resigned.

Dems contend Trump ‘does not back the blue, he backs the coup’

In the wake of President Trump’s pardons of Jan. 6 rioters, Democrats joined with two men who were assaulted by the mob — retired U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn and Washington Metro Police Department officer Daniel Hodges — to denounce the president’s actions.

“On Monday, Donald Trump decided that he wants to whitewash history, pretend that the riot of January 6 never happened, and that it was simply a peaceful walk through the Capitol. Unfortunately for him, video and photographs don’t lie,” Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., said. “You cannot say you back the blue if you are going to let out of jail violent criminals who assaulted the blue.”

California Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell added, “Nothing erases what they did, but we should erase this concept that Donald Trump and the Republican Party have the backs of law enforcement officers. “Donald Trump does not back the blue. He backs the coup, and this action makes that absolutely clear.”

Dunn, who retired from the USCP and ran an unsuccessful bid for Congress, denounced Trump’s actions.

“The Republican Party has long claimed to be the party of law and order, back the blue, however many lawmakers’ silence and refusal to push back against Donald Trump’s actions make it incredibly hard to take that claim serious,” he said. “The winner writes history. He didn’t win. He’s not going to. I’m not going away. That’s it.”

After Republicans launched their own select subcommittee to investigate the events surrounding Jan. 6, Rep. Jason Crow, a member of the January 6 select committee who received a preemptive pardon from former President Joe Biden in the final moments of his presidency, called the newly minted panel “a farce that is intended to try to cover up their abuse of process.”

“It’s another diversion. It’s another distraction in an attempt to rewrite history, but also to confuse folks,” Crow, D-Colorado, said. “But you heard pretty clearly today that we’re not confused and we’re not distracted, nor will we be. We’re going to continue to tell the story loudly, clearly, repeatedly, about the criminality, about the abuse, not just of power, but of our law enforcement of the blue and we’re not going to stop.”

-ABC News’ John Parkinson

Federal employees told to report DEI programs

Employees across the federal government have received memos asking them to report any possible diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) programs. ABC News has learned of employees at the departments of Commerce, State and Homeland Security receiving the memos, as well as health agencies.

Trump issued an executive order after taking office ending DEI programs in the federal government.

“We are aware of efforts by some in government to disguise these programs by using coded or imprecise language,” one of the memos read. “If you are aware of a change in any contract description or personnel position description since November 5, 2024 to obscure the connection between the contract and DEIA or similar ideologies, please report all facts and circumstances to DEIAtruth@opm.gov within 10 days.”

Failure to report the information within 10 days could result in “adverse consequences,” according to the memo.

-ABC News’ MaryAlice Parks, Katherine Faulders and Luke Barr

Trump pardons 2 DC police officers convicted in man’s death

Trump on Wednesday pardoned two former Washington, D.C., police officers who were sentenced to prison for the 2020 death of a D.C. man in a police chase.

According to the Department of Justice, Terence Sutton and Andrew Zabavsky were involved in a chase after Sutton spotted a man, later identified as Karon Hylton-Brown, riding a moped on a sidewalk without a helmet and gave chase. Sutton chased Hylton-Brown into an alley, the DOJ said, and as he exited the alley on to a street, he was hit and killed by another driver.

Sutton, who was an officer, and Zabavsky, then a lieutenant, then conspired to cover up what had happened, DOJ said in a release announcing their convictions, at one point turning off their body cameras to discuss the matter.

Sutton was convicted in September 2024 of second-degree murder, conspiracy to obstruct and obstruction of justice and sentenced to 5 ½ years in prison. The same jury convicted Zabavsky of conspiracy to obstruct and obstruction of justice and he was sentenced to 4 years. Both were free on appeal.

“Well, we’re looking at two police officers, actually, that — Washington police officers — who went after an illegal. And things happened, and they ended up putting them in jail. They got five-year jail sentences. You know the case. And we’re looking at that in order to give them a — we got to give them a break,” Trump said Monday, though Hylton-Jones was not in the U.S. illegally.

-ABC News’ Molly Nagle

Waltz dismisses more than 150 national security staffers

Trump’s national security adviser Mike Waltz sent home 160 National Security Council aides while the Trump administration undergoes staffing reviews to ensure personnel support Trump’s America First agenda.

The career government employees were told on Wednesday that they are not needed to report to the White House. The council is responsible for briefing the president on national security and foreign policy advice, but insists despite staffing shakeups they have what is needed to fulfill their mission.

“National Security Advisor Mike Waltz promised and authorized a full review of NSC personnel. It is entirely appropriate for Mr. Waltz to ensure NSC personnel are committed to implementing President Trump’s America First agenda to protect our national security and wisely use the tax dollars of America’s working men and women,” NSC spokesperson Brian Hughes said in a statement.

“Since 12:01 pm on Monday personnel reviews and decisions based on the evaluations are being made,” Hughes said.

An official told ABC News, “We have dozens of people as detailees. Some have already concluded their service, some will be shortened, new detailees will be onboarded. NSC has and will continue to have what it needs to fulfill its mission in support of POTUS and his agenda. But POTUS won a historic victory with a clear mandate that the American people embraced. Ensuring the team to keep that promise is NSA Waltz’s role at NSC on behalf of President Trump.”

In a recent interview with Breitbart News, Waltz indicated that he wanted the NSC to be staffed by personnel who are “100 percent aligned with the president’s agenda.”

-ABC News’ Kelsey Walsh

Oath Keeper founder on Capitol Hill following release

Just one day after being released from prison, Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes showed up on Capitol Hill in a blue Trump hat.

Rhodes was serving an 18-year sentence for a seditious conspiracy conviction for his role in the Jan. 6 riots, but his sentence was commuted by Trump on Monday.

Rhodes told ABC News he was meeting with members of Congress, specifically Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla.

Speaker Mike Johnson told ABC News that he didn’t meet with Rhodes.

“What about it? He’s a U.S. citizen, right?” he added.

-ABC News’ Rachel Scott, Beatrice Peterson, Arthur Jones and Allison Pecorin

Kennedy’s confirmation hearing set for next Wednesday

The Senate Finance Committee announced Wednesday afternoon that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation hearing for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Jr. will be Jan. 29.

-ABC News’ Anne Falherty

White House asked about Elon Musk’s criticism of AI Stargate deal

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt brushed off Elon Musk’s comment suggesting investors don’t have the money to fund the Stargate AI project during an interview on Fox News.

“President Trump is very excited about this infrastructure announcement in the field of AI, which is of his growing United States and it needs to capitalize on it because adversaries like China are very advanced in the field,” Leavitt dodged when asked for the Trump’s reaction specifically to Musk’s comments.

Musk has repeatedly poured cold water on the $500 billion project, which Trump rolled out at the White House on Tuesday evening with fanfare.

Leavitt said that the American people should trust Trump at his word.

“So, the American people should take President Trump and the CEOs’ words for it. These investments are coming to our great country and American jobs are coming with them,” she said.

Proud Boys’ Enrique Tarrio arrives in Miami after being freed from prison

Enrique Tarrio, the former head of the Proud Boys, arrived in Florida one day after being freed from prison following Trump’s sweeping Jan. 6 pardons.

He was seen embracing supporters at Miami International Airport.

Tarrio was sentenced to 22 years for his conviction on seditious conspiracy. He’d received the longest sentence of all the convicted Jan. 6 rioters, though he was not at the Capitol that day.

In first interview as president, Trump criticizes Biden’s preemptive pardons

In a clip previewing his first sit-down interview since becoming president, Trump criticized Joe Biden’s preemptive pardons before he left the White House.

“Joe Biden ran and said he would never do preemptive pardons. It was an issue that came up when you were leaving your first time…” Fox News’ Sean Hannity began before Trump jumped in.

“Oh, he heard that I was going to do it, I didn’t want to do it. I was given the option, they said, ‘Sir, would you like to pardon everyone — including yourself?’ I said ‘I’m not going to pardon anybody. We didn’t do anything wrong.’ We had people that suffered. They’re incredible patriots. We had people that suffered. You had Bannon put in jail. You had Peter Navarro put in jail. You had people that suffered and far worse than that, they lost their fortunes and whatever their nest egg paying it to lawyers,” Trump said.

“And those people — people said — they wouldn’t have even taken, most of those people, they wouldn’t have even taken a pardon. This guy went around giving everyone pardons. And the funny thing, maybe the sad thing, is he didn’t give himself a pardon — and if you look at it, it all had to do with him,” Trump added.

The full interview is scheduled to air at 9 p.m. ET on Fox News.

-ABC News’ Michelle Stoddart

Trump ordering 1,500 troops to southern border, press secretary says

President Trump is sending 1,500 additional troops to the southern border, building off the executive actions he signed on Monday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced to reporters.

“This is something President Trump campaigned on. The American people have been waiting for such a time as this for our Department of Defense to actually take homeland security seriously. This is the number one priority of the American people and the president is already delivering on that,” she said.

“Securing the southern border and deporting illegal immigrants from this country. President Trump is sending a very strong message to people around this world: if you are thinking about breaking the laws of the United States of America you will be returned home, you will be arrested you will be prosecuted. Do not come,” she told ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce when asked what the troops will be doing and what their mission is.

– ABC News’ Mary Bruce

Murkowski says Trump’s pardons send a ‘horrible, horrible message’

Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Trump’s blanket pardons for violent Jan. 6 rioters sends a “horrible, horrible message to our law enforcement officers.”

“I think it sends a very discouraging message to the fine men and women who stand guard and are here to protect all of us, help protect the public, and so when you have blanket pardons for everyone including those who engaged in violent violent acts of destruction and harm to people and then you just blanket pardon all of them without consequence,” Murkowski said.

Murkowski issued a statement on X earlier Wednesday similarly denouncing the pardons, calling the Capitol Police officers the “backbone of Congress.”

She was one of seven Republicans who voted to convict Trump during his second impeachment trial over the riot.

-ABC News’ Allison Pecorin

Republican senators stand behind Hegseth after new allegations surface

Several GOP lawmakers are standing behind Defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth in light of new accusations of abusive behavior. The allegations came in a sworn affidavit by Hegseth’s former sister-in-law obtained by Democrats.

“My understanding is that both his wife and his — he himself said it’s not accurate. That’s what I go by,” Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, told reporters.

“His wife said it was not true. This is just the Democrats doing what they’re doing. They’re obstructing Trump putting together a team,” said Republican Sen. Rick Scott.

Meanwhile, Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia stressed the validity of the affidavit and urged his GOP colleagues to consider the severity of the allegations as they vote on what he called “probably the single most important position that the Senate has to consider in any president’s cabinet.”

-ABC News’ Isabella Murray

Elon Musk continues to undermine Trump’s AI ‘Stargate’ deal

Elon Musk is continuing to publicly criticize the artificial intelligence “Stargate” deal that Trump touted at the White House.

Musk just reshared a long post on X from a user who sharply called the venture into question. The user called the $500 billion price tag for the project “ridiculous” and said “no one should take it seriously.”

Trump rolled out the AI investment on Tuesday alongside tech CEOs who heaped praise upon him.

But overnight, Musk poured cold water on it.

“They don’t actually have the money,” Musk said, seemingly questioning the financial footing of OpenAI, one of the companies involved in the deal.

-ABC News’ Will Steakin

Senate panel advances nomination for Trump’s transportation pick

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation voted to advance the nomination of Sean Duffy to be Trump’s transportation secretary.

Duffy’s nomination was unanimously approved by the committee by a vote of 28-0.

His nomination will now advance to the Senate floor for a confirmation vote. The date and timing of the vote has not yet been determined.

Duffy is a former congressman and co-hosted “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business. When Trump tapped Duffy for the post, he said he would prioritize rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure and on eliminating DEI in certain fields.

-ABC News’ Ayesha Ali

Trumps celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary

Trump and first lady Melania Trump are celebrating a major milestone Wednesday — their 20th wedding anniversary.

Trump took to his social media platform to wish his wife a happy anniversary.

The couple was married 20 years ago in a star-studded wedding in Palm Beach, Florida. The ceremony was held at Bethesda-By-the-Sea Episcopal Church and the reception was held at Mar-a-Lago.

The guest list included Bill and Hillary Clinton, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Simon Cowell, Usher, Billy Joel and others.

— ABC News’ Hannah Demissie

House Republicans launching select committee to investigate Jan. 6

Despite Trump’s pardons of Jan. 6 rioters, House Republicans are announcing that they’re creating a new select subcommittee to continue Rep. Barry Loudermilk’s efforts to investigate the investigators, as some pundits have put it — to “bring all the facts to the American people.”

The work will fall under the jurisdiction of the House Judiciary Committee, with Loudermilk overseeing the select subcommittee.

Lawmakers who received a preemptive pardon from President Joe Biden — Sen. Adam Schiff, Reps. Jamie Raskin, Bennie Thompson and Zoe Lofgren, former Rep. Liz Cheney and other members of the Jan. 6 select committee — are sure to become a central focus of the GOP’s effort to probe “all events leading up to and after January 6.”

Earlier Wednesday, Speaker Mike Johnson strongly criticized Biden’s pardons, calling them “breathtaking” and “shocking.”

“It is disgusting to us. It probably proves the point, the suspicion that, you know, they call it the Biden crime family, if they weren’t the crime family, why do they need pardons?” Johnson said, adding that they will be “looking at it as well.”

– ABC News’ Arthur Jones II, Jay O’Brien, John Parkinson, and Lauren Peller

DOD preparing to send at least 1,000 more troops to border

According to U.S. officials, 1,000 to 1,500 additional troops are expected to be sent to the southern border, in addition to the roughly 1,500 currently there.

These additional forces will be operating under the U.S. Northern Command.

Troops have been on the border for years, and though there are only about 1,500 National Guard and reservists there now, that mission had been authorized to have up to 2,500 personnel. They serve in a support role to Homeland Security and Customs and 

Border Patrol along the border and do not carry out law enforcement duties.

-ABC News’ Matt Seyler

Biden’s letter to Trump revealed by Fox News

Fox News Senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy read aloud on-air the content of the letter left by former President Joe Biden to President Donald Trump.

“As I take leave of this sacred office I wish you and your family all the best in the next four years,” Biden wrote, according to Fox News. “The American people — and people around the world — look to this house for steadiness in the inevitable storms of history, and my prayer is that in the coming years will be a time of prosperity, peace, and grace for our nation.”

“May God bless you and guide you as He has blessed and guided our beloved country since our founding,” Biden wrote.

Trump held up the letter for reporters on Monday night as he signed executive orders in the Oval Office. He described it to reporters on Tuesday as “very nice” and that he appreciated it.

Federal DEI employees to be put on leave by 5 p.m. today

All federal employees working on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs and initiatives must be put on paid administrative leave by Wednesday at 5 p.m., according to a memo obtained by ABC News.
The decision comes as the Trump administration shuts down the relevant DEI offices and programs across the federal government.
Trump is also threatening “strong action” against DEI programs in the private sector, including possible civil compliance investigations.

Video captures JD Vance’s 1st time in Oval Office

House Speaker Mike Johnson posted a video on X of President Trump taking Vice President JD Vance into the Oval Office for the first time on Tuesday.

Trump can be seen walking ahead of Vance in the halls of the West Wing before showing him into the office. He introduced Vance to his communications adviser, Margo Martin, who was standing at the door to the Oval Office.

“Wow, this is pretty crazy,” Vance says as Johnson narrated the video. He later said it was “incredible.”

Bishop Budde defends ‘mercy’ sermon against Trump’s criticism, says she seeks ‘unity’

The Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde on Wednesday defended her sermon at a traditional inaugural prayer service on Tuesday directly calling on President Trump to show “mercy” toward immigrants and trans people.

Speaking on ABC’s “The View,” she emphasized she was seeking to create “unity” and to “counter the narrative that is so divisive and polarizing.”

“I wanted to emphasize respecting the honor and dignity of every human being, basic honesty and humility and then I also realized that unity requires a certain degree of mercy — mercy and compassion and understanding,” she said, after Trump demanded she apologize.

“I was trying to speak a truth that I felt needed to be said, but to do it as respectful and kind a way as I could,” she added. “And also to bring other voices into the conversation … voices that had not been heard in the public space for some time.”

When asked if she had an opportunity to share her thoughts one-on-one with the president, Budde said she had not been invited but would welcome the opportunity.

“I can assure him and everyone listening that I would be as respectful as I would with any person, and certainly of his office for which I have a great deal of respect, but … the invitation would have to come from him,” she said.

Trump demands Putin to ‘make a deal’ to end war

Trump has sent a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin demanding he make a deal to end the war in Ukraine.

“It’s time to ‘MAKE A DEAL.’ NO MORE LIVES SHOULD BE LOST!!!” Trump wrote in a new social media post.

Trump indicated that if a deal isn’t made quickly, he would impose high levels of taxes, tariffs, and sanctions on Russia.

“Settle now, and STOP this ridiculous War! IT’S ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE. If we don’t make a “deal,” and soon, I have no other choice but to put high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various other participating countries,” Trump said.

Trump then threatened that it can be done “the easy way, or the hard way.”

— ABC News’ Kelsey Walsh

Mike Johnson says he won’t ‘second-guess’ Trump pardons for Jan. 6 rioters

Speaker Mike Johnson said he doesn’t question Trump’s decision to pardon more than thousand people convicted in connection to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, including some violent offenders.

“The president’s made his decision, I don’t second guess those,” Johnson said at a news conference alongside House Republican leadership.

“And yes, you know, it’s kind of my ethos, my worldview, we believe in redemption, we believe in second chances,” Johnson said. “If you could — would argue that those people didn’t pay a heavy penalty having been incarcerated and all of that, that’s up to you.”

Other Republicans had mixed reactions to the news when asked by ABC News on Tuesday. Some claimed they’d “never” seen video of rioters attacking police. Others said Trump’s move was something they “just can’t agree” with

Trump OMB pick Russell Vought testifies at confirmation hearing

Russell Vought, who led the Office of Management and Budget during Trump’s first term, is facing questions from senators on the Budget Committee.

Vought was involved in Project 2025, the controversial conservative blueprint for a second Trump term that Trump tried to distance himself from while on the campaign trail.

If confirmed, Vought would see through the implementation of a Trump executive order to terminate DEI programs in the federal government.

Trump team instructs DOJ to investigate state officials who obstruct immigration enforcement efforts

A top Trump administration official sent a memo to the Justice Department workforce ordering criminal investigations into any state and local actors who may attempt to obstruct enforcement of federal immigration laws, according to a copy obtained by ABC News.

The memo further details a series of policy changes being rolled out in the department as a result of multiple executive orders signed by Trump, including the establishment of a “Sanctuary Cities Enforcement Working Group.”

As ABC News reported, multiple longtime senior level officials in DOJ’s Criminal and National Security Divisions were given an abrupt notice of their reassignment to the task force.

The move has already caused alarm among many current and former officials in the department who see it as an exodus of the department’s career “braintrust” on major national security and public corruption cases and a sign the Trump team is placing loyalty to the president’s agenda above the typical norms and expertise of officials.

-ABC News’ Alexander Mallin

ICE updates terminology from noncitizen to ‘alien’

Immigration and Customs Enforcement is updating their terminology as a result of the election.

From now on, those they are arresting will be referred to as “alien” as opposed to “noncitizen” and those in the country without authorization will be referred to as “illegal alien” according to an internal ICE memo obtained by ABC News.

“ICE employees are directed to use the lexicon consistent with the immigration and nationality act and the language historically used by the agency,” according to the memo.

The Biden administration changed the language in 2021 when former Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas issued terminology guidance. Trump’s used increasingly dark rhetoric on the campaign trail when talking about migrants, including calling some of them “animals.”

-ABC News’ Luke Barr

Refugee arrivals to US ‘suspended until further notice,’ State Department memo says

Refugee arrivals to the United States are “suspended until further notice,” as a result of the president’s executive order, a State Department memo obtained by ABC News says.

“All previously scheduled travel of refugees to the United States is being cancelled, and no new travel bookings will be made. RSCs [Resettlement Support Centers] should not request travel for any additional refugee cases at this time,” according to the memo sent on Tuesday. “Additionally, all refugee case processing and pre-departure activities are also suspended.”

A source familiar with the data says approximately 10,000 refugees had travel booked.

Refugee processing is also canceled.

– ABC’s Luke Barr

13 Senate Democrats say they’ll work with GOP on border security

Thirteen Senate Democrats sent a letter to Majority Leader John Thune committing to working with Republicans in “good faith” toward providing the necessary 60 votes in the Senate to pass certain immigration measures.

“As we have shown, Democrats and Republicans can work together on real bipartisan solutions. We can solve big challenges when we work together, and there is much work to do to improve border security, protect Dreamers and farmworkers, and fix our immigration system to better reflect the needs of our country and our modern economy,” the Democrats wrote.

The group of Democrats say common ground can be reached on “fair immigration enforcement accompanied by the necessary resources to effectively secure our border”. They also say they see a need for a “firm but fair immigration system.”

A bipartisan border bill was negotiated and unveiled during the 2024 campaign, but was effectively killed by Trump, who urged Republicans not to support it.

-ABC News’ Allison Pecorin

Musk says he was in the Oval Office for Ulbritcht pardon

Billionaire Elon Musk posted online overnight that he was present in the Oval Office when Trump signed a pardon for Ross Ulbritcht, who was serving life in prison for running the black market site Silk Road.

“I was honored to be in the Oval Office tonight when @POTUS signed this,” Musk wrote on his social platform X.

It would be the first time Musk has said he was in the Oval Office with the president since Trump returned to office.

ABC News previously reported Musk had been spotted at the White House in the West Wing.

Musk is said to have a blue badge, which is considered to be an all-access pass. He has an has office space in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building but sources told ABC News that Musk is also likely to get West Wing office space.

-ABC News’ Will Steakin and Katherine Faulders

Federal employee union sues over DOGE, pushes back on executive orders

In the hours after President Donald Trump’s second inauguration, the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union for federal employees filed a lawsuit against Trump and the Office of Management and Budget, while also calling on Congress to protect government workers’ jobs.

The lawsuit alleges that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) violates the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA).

“DOGE has already begun developing recommendations and influencing decision-making in the new administration, even though its membership lacks the fair balance required by FACA and its meetings and records are not open to public inspection in real time,” the complaint alleges.

AFGE National President Everett Kelley has also gone on the offense over Trump’s flurry of executive orders to eliminate federal telework and diversity programs, to freeze federal hiring and to re-introduce at-will employment policies that would make it easier to fire some federal employees.

Kelley asked Congress to intervene to save federal workers from being fired at will.

“AFGE will not stand idly by as a secretive group of ultra-wealthy individuals with major conflicts of interest attempt to deregulate themselves and give their own companies sweetheart government contracts while firing civil servants and dismantling the institutions designed to serve the American people,” Kelley said in a statement.

He added, “This fight is about fairness, accountability, and the integrity of our government. Federal employees are not the problem—they are the solution. They deserve to have their voices heard in decisions that affect their work, their agencies, and the public they serve.”

-ABC News’ Beatrice Peterson

Federal judge sets hearing on Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order

President Donald Trump’s controversial executive order on birthright citizenship will face its first legal test in a Seattle courtroom on Thursday morning.

U.S. District Judge John Coughenour scheduled a 10 a.m. hearing on Thursday to consider a request made by four states to issue a temporary restraining order against Trump’s executive order.

Earlier Tuesday, the attorneys generals of Arizona, Oregon, Washington and Illinois sued Trump over the order, which they said would disenfranchise more than 150,000 newborn children each year.

They described Trump’s executive order as the modern equivalent of the Supreme Court’s infamous Dred Scott decision. The 14th Amendment repudiated Scott establishing what the plaintiffs called a “bright-line and nearly universal rule” that Trump now seeks to violate.

“President Trump and the federal government now seek to impose a modern version of Dred Scott. But nothing in the Constitution grants the President, federal agencies, or anyone else authority to impose conditions on the grant of citizenship to individuals born in the United States,” their emergency motion said.

Coughenour — who was nominated to the bench by former President Ronald Reagan — will likely be the first judge to weigh in on Trump’s executive order.

-ABC News’ Laura Romero and Peter Charalambous

Federal government directed to put DEI employees on leave

All federal employees working on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs and initiatives must be put on paid administrative leave by Wednesday at 5 p.m., according to an Office of Personnel Management memo obtained by ABC News.

The decision comes as the Trump administration shuts down the relevant DEI offices and programs across the federal government.

The directive follows President Donald Trump’s signing of executive orders Monday to dismantle federal DEI programs, as part of Trump’s larger campaign vow to reverse and upend the diversity efforts across the country, in the public and private sectors.

-ABC News’ Ben Siegel

DC Police Union dismayed by Jan. 6 pardons

The Washington, D.C., Police Union, which represents officers from the Metropolitan Police Department expressed “dismay” over the recent pardons granted to those who violently attacked police officers at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

“As an organization that represents the interests of the 3,000 brave men and women who put their lives on the line every day to protect our communities, our stance is clear – anyone who assaults a law enforcement officer should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, without exception,” the union said in a statement.

“We remain steadfast in our mission to protect the rights and interests of all police officers and to ensure that justice is applied fairly and consistently,” the statement continued.

-ABC News’ Luke Barr

Trump set to meet with moderate House Republicans

President Donald Trump is set to meet with a group of moderate House Republicans on Wednesday afternoon at the White House, multiple sources told ABC News.

Some of the members who will attend include Nebraska Rep. Don Baco and New York Rep. Mike Lawler, among others.

-ABC News’ Katherine Faulders and Lauren Peller

Trump says he pardoned Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht

Trump said he signed a “full and unconditional pardon” for Ross Ulbricht, who was sentenced to life in prison in 2015 for running the black market site Silk Road.

“I just called the mother of Ross William Ulbright [sic] to let her know that in honor of her and the Libertarian Movement, which supported me so strongly, it was my pleasure to have just signed a full and unconditional pardon of her son, Ross,” Trump said on Truth Social. “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. He was given two life sentences, plus 40 years. Ridiculous!”

Ulbricht, who ran Silk Road between January 2011 and October 2013, was found guilty of allowing users to buy illegal drugs, guns and other unlawful goods anonymously. Prosecutors said the narcotics distributed through the site, which the FBI called the”Amazon of illegal drugs,” were linked to the deaths of at least six people.

Trump looking at whether to ‘turn off the tap’ on weapons to Ukraine

When asked whether he will “turn off the tap” when it comes to sending weapons to Ukraine, Trump told reporters Tuesday that he is “looking at that.”

“We’re talking to Zelenskyy. We’re going to be talking with President Putin very soon, and we’ll see what, how it all happens,” Trump said during a briefing in the Roosevelt Room.

Trump added that the European Union should be supporting Ukraine more, saying the war affects them more than the United States.

-ABC News’ Hannah Demissie

Kash Patel hearing tentatively scheduled for Jan. 29

The Senate Judiciary Committee has tentatively scheduled a confirmation hearing for Kash Patel, Trump’s nominee to be the FBI director, on Jan. 29, committee ranking member Dick Durbin, D-Ill., told reporters Tuesday.

Durbin stressed he will not be voting to advance Patel’s nomination following an in-person meeting with the nominee and a reading of his book, “Government Gangsters.”

“After meeting with him and doing this study, I’ve come to the conclusion that Kash Patel has neither the experience, the judgment or the temperament to serve as head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to take on this awesome responsibility to keep America safe,” Durbin said.

Durbin said he was also concerned with Patel’s recounting of Jan. 6 during their meeting.

“His description of what happened in this Capitol building on Jan. 6 defies reality. I tried to pin him down on some of the things he said,” Durbin said, noting that after Trump’s pardons of the rioters on Monday, he didn’t know if the FBI would continue to track and monitor them — particularly the ones who were recently released.

“He calls it a haphazard riot. What the hell is a haphazard riot? That’s how he describes Jan. 6,” Durbin said. “I said I was here. … Unfortunately for the law enforcement, there were a lot of injuries and some death.”

-ABC News’ Isabella Murray

Trump says he’ll impose tariffs on the European Union

During his AI infrastructure announcement, Trump threatened to impose tariffs on the European Union, as he has done with Canada, China and Mexico.

“It’s not just China. China is an abuser, but the European Union is very, very bad to us,” Trump told reporters after the announcement. “They treat us very, very badly. They don’t take our cars. They don’t take our cars at all. They don’t take our farm products. Essentially, they don’t take very much. We have a $350 billion deficit with the European Union.”

“They treat us very, very badly, so they’re going to be in for tariffs.”

Trump says looking at Feb. 1 date for tariffs

Trump said he is eyeing Feb. 1 as the date to start implementing his tariffs on China and Mexico.

Trump defends pardoning Jan. 6 convicts

Trump was asked about pardoning the Jan. 6 rioters during a news conference Tuesday and dodged a question about pardoning violent Jan. 6 convicts, including one who admitted to attacking an officer.

The president dodged the question, claiming he would look into it, before changing the subject to murders around the country that he claimed yielded no arrests.

He repeated his claim that the people pardoned were unjustly prosecuted, including the head of the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers.

“The cases that we looked at, these were people that actually love our country, so we thought a pardon would be appropriate,” he said.

Trump was asked about the pardons again, as well as Vice President J.D. Vance’s statement last week in which he opposed pardoning rioters who assaulted officers, but the president again claimed the rioters were unfavorably treated.

CEOs tout ‘Stargate’ joint AI infrastructure project with Trump

SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Oracle’s Larry Ellison joined President Donald Trump at the White House to tout the $500 billion investment in the “Stargate” venture.

“We will immediately start deploying $100 million … because of your success,” Son said.

The businessmen said they plan on using artificial intelligence for various projects, including medical research.

“I’m thrilled we get to do this in the United States of America,” Altman said.

Trump said he will be helping “a lot through emergency declarations because we have an emergency — we have to get this stuff built.”

Trump meets with GOP leadership

The meeting between President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune started around 3:20 p.m. ET in the Oval Office, according to the White House.

Trump is still expected to take more executive actions on Tuesday, as well as make an infrastructure announcement.

Tech billionaires to visit White House, per source

SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Oracle’s Larry Ellison are expected to be at the White House Tuesday afternoon, according to a source familiar with the matter.

President Trump is set to announce $500 billion in private sector investment to build artificial intelligence infrastructure. It’s a joint venture of three companies — OpenAI, Softbank and Oracle — collectively called Stargate.

Last month, Trump announced with SoftBank’s Son in Mar-a-Lago that SoftBank would invest $100 billion in US projects over the next four years, creating 100,000 jobs. Those investments will focus on infrastructure that supports AI, including data centers, energy generation, and chips, according to a source.

The new announcement Tuesday has “overlap” with SoftBank’s previous commitment of $100 billion, according to a source, who clarifies that this is not an entirely separate commitment.

– ABC’s Selina Wang

Trump’s 1st sit-down interview will air on Wednesday

President Donald Trump’s first sit-down interview of his second term will be with Fox’s Sean Hannity in the Oval Office.

It will air on Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET, the network announced.

During the interview, Trump will “discuss the executive orders he’s signed thus far, his first 100 days in office and news of the day,” according to the release from the news channel.

During his first term, Trump sat down with ABC News’ David Muir for his first interview. That interview took place just five days after he was sworn into office in 2017.

-ABC News’ Michelle Stoddart

Trump’s tariff plans are still taking shape, despite pledges for Day 1 action

Tariffs were not in the executive orders Trump signed on Monday night and he suggested he’s still undecided on how far they might go — which investors are reading as a good sign, reflected by the rallying market on Tuesday.

Trump said he was now targeting Feb. 1 as a potential target date for tariffs to take effect against Mexico and Canada, which he said could be as high as 25%. He said any plans for blanket tariffs are “not ready” just yet.

Trump has a history of using the threat of tariffs as a governing style.

Urging Mexico to crack down on border crossings in 2019, Trump threatened to slap a tariff on the country within 10 days through the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) but relented after Mexico committed to specific measures.

-ABC’s Cheyenne Haslett and Elizabeth Schulze

Capitol Police chief sends internal memo praising officers after Biden, Trump pardons

Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger sent an internal memo praising officers following the pardons made by President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden. The memo was obtained by ABC News Senior Political Correspondent Rachel Scott.

Manger said that “when there is no price to pay for violence against law enforcement, it sends a message that politics matter more than our first responders.”

Manger cited the pardons from Trump for Jan. 6 rioters and from Biden for commuting the sentence of Leonard Peltier, a man convicted of the murder of two FBI agents in 1975.

“Police willingly put themselves in harm’s way to protect our communities. When people attack law enforcement officers, the criminals should be met with consequences, condemnation and accountability,” Manger said.

DOGE gets official government website

The page currently consists of a simple landing page displaying a logo featuring the iconic Shiba Inus from the original “doge” meme.

The official page comes after President Donald Trump’s executive order on Monday night creating the now solely Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency. The order notably stated that the U.S. Digital Service (USDS) will be renamed the U.S. DOGE Service and placed under the Executive Office of the President.

DOGE will terminate on July 4, 2026, as Musk has previously detailed, and each agency in the Trump admin must create a DOGE Team, according to the order.

– ABC’s Will Steakin

Trump to meet with Republican leaders at White House

House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune will meet with President Donald Trump at the White House at 2 p.m., sources told ABC News.

At 3 p.m. ET, other GOP leaders from both chambers — including Steve Scalise, Lisa McClain and John Barrasso — will meet with Trump as well at the White House, sources said.

The White House has not yet formally released a schedule for Trump.

-ABC’s Katherine Faulders, Rachel Scott, Lauren Peller and Allison Pecorin

Trump’s 1st executive orders quickly face lawsuits

Eighteen states and the city of San Francisco filed a lawsuit challenging the president’s executive order to cut off birthright citizenship Tuesday, calling it a “flagrantly unlawful attempt to strip hundreds of thousands American-born children of their citizenship based on their parentage.”

The lawsuit accused Trump of seeking to eliminate a “well-established and longstanding Constitutional principle” by executive fiat.

A union representing thousands of federal employees also sued the Trump administration Monday evening over an executive order that makes it easier to fire career government employees, alleging the directive would violate the due process rights of its members.

“The Policy/Career Executive Order directs agencies to move numerous employees into a new excepted service category with the goal that many would then be fired,” the lawsuit alleged.

– ABC News’ Aaron Katersky and Peter Charalambous

Coast Guard commandant fired in part over DEI efforts: Source

Admiral Linda Fagan, who served as the Coast Guard Commandant and was the first woman to lead a U.S. armed forces branch, was “relieved of her duties” by Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Benjamine Huffman.

A source with knowledge of the decision said Fagan was fired in part because of her Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts in the Coast Guard.

“She has served a long and illustrious career and I thank her for her service,” according to a memo to the workforce obtained by ABC News.

Admiral Kevin Lunday is now acting commandant.

Trump promised to go after who he called “woke” generals in the military during his 2024 campaign. His nominee for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has said he will follow through on that issue.

-ABC’s Luke Barr

Reverend urges Trump to have ‘mercy’ on LGBTQ community, migrants

The Rt. Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, during the prayer service at Washington National Cathedral, directed a message for President Donald Trump, who was seated in the front row.

“Let me make one final plea. Mr. President, millions have put their trust in you. And as you said, you have felt the providential hand of our loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now,” she said.

Budde said there are LGBTQ citizens of all political creeds who now ‘fear for their lives.” She also referenced migrants who may not be in the U.S. legally but are devoted neighbors, workers and parents.

“Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger, for we were all once strangers in this land,” she said.

Stefanik backs US withdrawing from WHO, pushes for UN reform

Rep. Elise Stefanik is facing senators for her confirmation hearing to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

The ideological divide between Republicans and Democrats over the utility of global organizations has taken center stage. Stefanik zeroed in on reform.

“Our tax dollars should not be complicit in propping up entities that are counter to American interests, antisemitic or engaging in fraud, corruption, or terrorism,” she said. “We must invest in programs to strengthen our national security and deliver results to increase the efficacy of U.N. programs. We must drive reform.”

She also defended Trump’s decision to withdraw from another global body: the World Health Organization.

“I support President Trump’s decision to walk away from WHO,” she said, arguing it had “failed on a global stage in the Covid pandemic for all the world to see, and instead spewed CCP talking points that I believe led to not only false information, but dangerous and deadly information across the globe.”

As Trump attends service, Episcopal Church leaders express concern about immigration actions

Episcopal Church leaders on Tuesday released a letter urging Trump to “exercise mercy” in his approach to immigration policy.

While the service Trump is currently attending incorporates many faiths, the National Cathedral itself is part of the Episcopal Diocese in Washington.

“Even as we gave thanks for a peaceful transfer of power, we learned from news reports that the new presidential administration has issued a series of executive orders that are a harbinger of President Trump’s pledge to deport undocumented immigrants at a historic scale, restrict asylum, and direct other immigration actions,” the church leaders wrote in a letter.

“We read this news with concern and urge our new president and congressional leaders to exercise mercy and compassion, especially toward law-abiding, long-term members of our congregations and communities; parents and children who are under threat of separation in the name of immigration enforcement; and women and children who are vulnerable to abuse in detention and who fear reporting abuse to law enforcement.”

Trump and Vance attend interfaith prayer service

President Trump and Vice President Vance are attending an interfaith prayer service at Washington National Cathedral.

It’s the first public appearance for Trump since Monday night’s inaugural festivities.

First lady Melania Trump, second lady Usha Vance and Trump’s children are there as well.

House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republican Rep. Mike Lawler are some of the lawmakers in attendance.

Trudeau responds to Trump tariff threats

Standing alongside his cabinet ministers, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed President Trump’s proposed tariffs, stating firmly that if the U.S. proceeds with the measure, Canada will not hesitate to respond in kind.

“Everything is on the table,” Trudeau said adding, “We are prepared for every possible scenario.”

ABC News’ Aleem Agha

‘For us and the whole world, it is still the Gulf of Mexico’: Mexican president

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum responded to Trump’s various decrees issued after the inauguration in a point-by-point statement.

Sheinbaum said Trump’s decrees concerning the emergency zone of the southern border and the Migrant Protection Protocols were no different than the orders made during Trump’s first term.

“We will always act in the defence of our independence, the defense of our fellow nationals living in the U.S. We act within the framework of our constitution and laws. We always act with a cool head,” she said in her statement.

Sheinbaum however pushed back on Trump’s decree to rename the Gulf of Mexico.

“For us and the whole world, it is still the Gulf of Mexico,” she said.

-ABC News’ Anne Laurent and Will Gretsky

Rubio promises State Department will focus on making America ‘stronger,’ safer,’ and ‘more prosperous’

After being sworn in as the nation’s 72nd secretary of state, Marco Rubio promised that every action taken by the department would be determined by the answer to three questions: “Does it make us stronger? Does it make us safer? And does it make us more prosperous?”

Rubio gave remarks in Spanish as well, giving thanks to God, his family present and not present, including his parents, who he said came to the U.S. in 1956 — and that the purpose of their lives was that their children could realize dreams not possible for them.

“It’s an incredible honor to be the secretary of state of the most powerful, best country in the world,” he continued in Spanish, giving thanks to Trump for the opportunity.

Rubio also echoed themes from Trump’s inaugural address and reiterated the president’s agenda.

“As far as the task ahead, President Trump was elected to keep promises. And he is going to keep those promises. And his primary promise when it comes to foreign policy is that the priority of the United States Department of State will be the United States. It will be furthering the national interest of this country,” Rubio said.

– ABC News’ Shannon Kingston

Confirmation hearing begins for Trump’s VA pick

Doug Collins, Trump’s choice to lead the Veterans Affairs Department, will face questions from lawmakers as his confirmation hearing gets underway.

Collins, a former congressman, is a Navy veteran who currently serves as a chaplain in the U.S. Air Force Reserve Command.

He was the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee during Trump’s first impeachment, and had defended the president.

Rubio is sworn in by JD Vance as secretary of state

After being unanimously confirmed by the Senate on Monday night, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was officially sworn in by Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday morning.

Rubio joined ABC’s “Good Morning America” ahead of the ceremony, where he discussed Trump’s pardons for Jan. 6 rioters, TikTok and the Russia-Ukraine war.

Rubio sidestepped directly weighing on the pardons, saying his “focus needs to be 100% on how I interact with our counterparts, our adversaries, our potential enemies around the world to keep this country safe, to make it prosperous.”

When asked about Trump’s campaign pledge to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine on Day 1, Rubio contended the matter is more complex and that negotiations would not be played out in public.

“Look this is a complex, tragic conflict, one that was started by Vladimir Putin that’s inflicted a tremendous amount of damage on Ukraine and also on Russia, I would argue, but also on the stability of Europe,” Rubio said. “So the only way to solve these things, we got to get back to pragmatism, but we also get back to seriousness here, and that is the hard work of diplomacy. The U.S. has a role to play here. We’ve been supportive of Ukraine, but this conflict has to end.”

White House signals Trump will make announcement on infrastructure

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said this morning that Trump will be making a a major announcement on infrastructure at 4 p.m. ET.

“I can confirm that the American people won’t be hearing from me today,” she wrote, indicating she would not hold a press briefing. “They’ll be hearing from the leader of the free world,” Leavitt said during an appearance on “Fox & Friends.”

“Once again, President Trump will be speaking to the press later this afternoon at the White House, and we will have a big infrastructure announcement,” she added.

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(LOS ANGELES) — As the Eaton Fire ravaged part of Los Angeles, Galen Buckwalter said he had no choice but to ride his wheelchair through the dark roads of his Sierra Madre neighborhood — after the city was left without power.

The streets were sprinkled with branches and debris, the wind howling and thick clouds of smoke approaching behind him, he said, but he tried to remain calm and focused with just one goal in mind: make it out of the evacuation zone.

Buckwalter, who’s 68 and quadriplegic, relies on his powerchair to move around and be independent. He has a customized van, outfitted to load and fit his wheelchair, but on the day he needed to evacuate the van was getting repaired at a shop nearby.

The Eaton Fire that began on Jan. 7, north of Pasadena, destroyed or damaged more than 10,000 structures, burned through 14,000 acres, and took the lives of 28 people, including several who had disabilities or mobility issues.

“It was gutting to read that,” Buckwalter told ABC News. “I can’t imagine what their final moments were like, and to personalize that — what would it have been like if, say, my powerchair failed? Or if I wasn’t able to evacuate at all?”

More likely to be left behind

According to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the death rate among people with disabilities during disasters tends to be two to four times higher than among the general population.

People with disabilities are more likely to be left behind in emergency responses, the group said. For Buckwalter, the Eaton Fire brought to light the vast differences between disabled and non-disabled individuals face during a disaster.

“When anyone is disaster-planning, you focus on things like your support network, what your evacuation plan is, food, clothing or shoes,” said TJ Hill, executive director of the Disability Community Resource Center in Los Angeles. “But people with disabilities have additional things to be considered, such as their transportation needs and alternatives, or medication-planning.”

Buckwalter’s wife and primary caregiver, Deborah Buckwalter, 72, said she had much to consider when packing their “go bag.” She needed to make sure her husband had medications and bowel management devices, she said.

Most importantly, with the van in the shop, they had to figure out an alternative method of transportation — to escape.

Buckwalter’s power chair weighs about 400 pounds. he said it’s not something his wife or even two strong people can haul into the trunk of a car.

He thought about ordering an Uber Wav — a wheelchair-accessible vehicle — he said, but no Ubers were allowed in the evacuation zones. Buckwalter is paralyzed from the chest down; if he left his power chair and used a regular wheelchair, he would lose his independence and mobility. At that time, he didn’t even know when he would make it back home.

“I tell people I am a semi-digital human, my chair is a part of me. As for my van, everyone relies on a vehicle in L.A., and I rely on my vehicle,” he said. “Independently evacuating is not possible, that is the nature of disability, that you need assistance.”

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(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump will tour damage on Friday caused by wildfires in Los Angeles on Friday as he continues to feud with California Gov. Gavin Newsom over his handling of the disaster and federal aid.

Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Wednesday that he was going to Los Angeles after stopping in North Carolina, which was hit by Hurricane Helene in September.

“I’m stopping in North Carolina, first up, because those people were treated very badly by Democrats and I’m stopping there,” Trump told Hannity. “We’re going to get that thing straightened out because they’re still suffering from a hurricane from months ago. And then, I’m going to then — I’m going to go to California.

Trump’s White House schedule had not been announced as of Thursday night. Newsom told reporters on Thursday that he would be at the airport to welcome the president.

Trump has come down hard and joined some Republican congressional leaders to attach conditions to federal disaster funding to changes in its water policies and forest management.

“I don’t think we should give California anything until they let water flow down,” the president told Hannity.

California officials have repeatedly refuted Trump’s assertions.

Trump’s claims that measures to protect the delta smelt, an endangered fish, upstate affected L.A.’s water supply is false, according to Ashley Overhouse, a California water policy adviser for the nonprofit conservation organization Defenders of Wildlife.

Overhouse told ABC News that even the most protective regulations for delta smelt, during former President Barack Obama’s administration, accounted for only about 1.2% of additional outflow.

On Thursday, the House passed the Fix Our Forests Act, a bipartisan measure that’s intended to help prevent catastrophic wildfires and provide proper forest management as California continues.

The bill provides fire departments information about how much and when they will get reimbursed for wildfire costs, supports post-fire recovery activities, assesses and helps better predict fires in high-risk areas and states through data, expedites environmental reviews to reduce planning times and costs for critical forest management and establishes an interagency center to help state and local governments.

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