Tuesday, January 25, 2025

​ January 21, 2025 Good morning, Welcome to the news for independent thinkers ​ Trump's First Day . . . ​ Trump reverses Biden's woke policies, bolsters energy production, pardons Jan. 6 defendants . . . Many of the core policies and practices of the Biden administration were halted Monday with the stroke of President Trump's pen as he began implementing his agenda with a record number of Day 1 executive actions. Mr. Trump didn't wait until he arrived at the White House to reverse Mr. Biden's policies. He brought a folder of executive orders and signed nine at Capital One Arena, where he met with supporters and watched the inaugural parade diverted inside because of frigid temperatures. "We are restoring control of our government to the people," Mr. Trump told a roaring crowd. Washington Times​ ​ Trump signs TikTok executive order to give parent company lifeline . . . President Trump threw TikTok a lifeline Monday night, giving the popular app's parent company 75 more days to find a buyer for the platform. The 78-year-old argued during a conversation with reporters in the Oval Office that the US should "get half" of TikTok, before caveating that some percentage of that could be from the private sector. Beijing-based ByteDance had a Jan. 19 deadline to sell off the platform due to national security concerns. New York Post ​ ​ ​Trump order seeks end to birthright citizenship in US​ ​ ​Trump plans with 'broad investigation' into Biden admin's censorship of free speech and 'weaponization' of the law​ ​ ​Trump repeals rule allowing transgender troops to serve in military​ ​ ​Trump scraps Biden drilling, electric vehicle and climate policies in bid to lower prices​ ​ ​Trump imposes federal government hiring freeze, orders workers back to office​ ​ Musk responds to backlash over gesture at Trump rally . . . Musk thanked the crowd for "making it happen", before placing his right hand over his heart and then thrusting the same arm out into air straight ahead of him. He then turned and repeated the action for those sitting behind him. Many on X, the social medial platform he owns, have likened the gesture to a Nazi salute. In response, Musk posted on X: "Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The 'everyone is Hitler' attack is sooo tired." BBC​ ​ ​ ​Billionaires, tech titans, presidents: A guide to who stood where at Trump's inauguration​ ​ ​Donald Trump and Melania hit three inaugural balls in one night​ ​ Carrie Underwood triumphs at Trump inauguration after musical mishap . . . For a fleeting moment, an instrumental track played before cutting out. Underwood, positioned in front of former President Biden, quickly ascertained that something was awry, leaving her to improvise. Video circulating online shows the country star speaking with someone on the production team saying, "I can just sing it." Fox News​ ​ ​ Barron Trump's mysterious comment to Joe Biden at dad Donald's inauguration raises questions . . . In the clip, Barron was seen grabbing Biden's hand before he leaned in and appeared to whisper something in the departing commander in chief's ear. While the Delaware native had a smile on his face before his interaction with Barron, after the teen made his mystery comment, Biden's happy expression was replaced with a solemn look - and people on the web have been dying to know what he said. Daily Mail​ ​Protesters Limp Through Washington as Only a Few Hundred Show Up To Resist Trump Politics Senate Passes Laken Riley Act With Support From Democrats . . . An amended version of the Laken Riley Act passed through the Senate Monday night with bipartisan support in a vote of 64 to 35. "We are a proud nation of immigrants. The bill, named after Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, who was murdered by an illegal alien from Venezuela in February 2024, requires Immigration and Customs Enforcement to arrest and detain illegal aliens charged with theft. The bill also gives states permission to sue federal officials who fail to enforce immigration laws. Daily Signal ​ Senate Advances Pete Hegseth's Nomination To Become Defense Secretary . . . Pete Hegseth, who is President Donald Trump's nominee to be secretary of defense, cleared a key hurdle on Monday in his endeavor to be confirmed by the Senate. The Armed Services Committee voted 14-13 along party lines to send Hegseth's nomination to the full Senate after his confirmation hearing took place last week. Daily Wire​ ​ Senate Confirms Rubio in 99 to 0 Vote, Cementing Trump's First Official Cabinet Member . . . The Senate overwhelmingly confirmed Marco Rubio as America's new secretary of state on Monday evening, fast-tracking the now-former Florida senator through a confirmation process in which he gained broad backing from lawmakers in both parties. Senators voted to confirm Rubio, who was first elected to represent the Sunshine State in the upper chamber in 2011, in a 99 to 0 vote. Washington Free Beacon​ ​ Biden gives preemptive pardons to his family . . . In his last moments in office, President Biden issued a flurry of preemptive pardons for younger brother James Biden and other family members as well as former chief medical adviser to the president, Anthony Fauci and others he feared his successor, President Trump, will target. Mr. Biden issued the pardons as he entered the Capitol to attend Mr. Trump's swearing-in ceremony, and they marked the last public acts of his presidency. Mr. Biden said the pardons were justified in the face of political retribution by the new Trump administration, particularly in the case of the sweeping preemptive pardons of his family. Washington Times​ National Security Trump pulls security clearance of 51 national security officials . . . President Donald Trump pulled the security clearances of more than 50 national security officials who said Hunter Biden's laptop had "all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation." A total of 51 former national security officials released a public letter in 2020 claiming that even though the laptop did not have "any evidence of Russian involvement," it looked like a "Russian information operation." Fox News​ ​ US trades Taliban prisoner for two American detainees . . . Two Americans held by the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan have been exchanged for an Afghan imprisoned in the US on drug trafficking and terrorism charges. The news emerged after Ryan Corbett and William Wallace McKenty were freed. The Afghan, Khan Mohmmad, had been serving a life sentence in a federal prison in California on drug trafficking and terrorism charges. BBC​ ​ Russia's Putin discusses 'multipolar global order' with China's Xi hours after Trump inauguration . . . Russian President Vladimir Putin had a call Tuesday with Chinese President Xi Jinping, emphasizing the two countries' close ties, a day after Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th U.S. president. The two leaders have developed strong personal links that helped bring relations between Moscow and Beijing, growing even closer after Putin sent troops into Ukraine in 2022. Associated Press​ ​ Authorities say a US border patrol agent was fatally shot in Vermont . . . A U.S. Border Patrol agent was fatally shot Monday on a highway in northern Vermont south of the Canadian border, authorities said. The death was confirmed by the FBI and Benjamine Huffman, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security in Washington. In a statement, the FBI said that in addition to the agent, a suspect in the shooting was killed and a second suspect was injured and taken into custody during the encounter on Interstate 91 in Coventry, about 20 miles from the Canadian border. Associated Press​ International Hamas Is Effectively Back in Control in Gaza . . . After Israeli troops stood down when a cease-fire came into effect in the Gaza Strip, Hamas began sending thousands of its forces onto the streets to establish control. The deployment—envisioned by the agreement that pauses the fighting while the combatants exchange hostages for prisoners—highlights how the U.S.-designated terrorist group remains the dominant power in the territory. Israel hasn't been able to destroy the group or empower an alternative. Wall Street Journal​ You should also know FBI Agents Association 'Outraged' by Biden Granting Clemency to Leonard Peltier . . . The FBI Agents Association expressed outrage after now-former President Joe Biden granted clemency to Native American activist Leonard Peltier, who was convicted of killing two FBI agents. The former president issued a number of pardons and sentence commutations in his final moments in the Oval Office this week, chief among them being Leonard Peltier, who was convicted in 1975. Breitbart​ ​ Ohio State wins 1st national title since 2014, outlasting Notre Dame 34-23 in CFP championship game . . . The pass seemed to hang up there forever. Did it feel like seven weeks? Did it feel like 10 years? What a great debate for Ohio State fans to have forever. When that teardrop of a throw from Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard on third-and-11 finally landed, light as a feather, in the hands of receiver Jeremiah Smith late in the fourth quarter Monday, Ohio State had locked up what would be a 34-23 victory over Notre Dame for its sixth national title and first in a decade. Associated Press​ Guilty Pleasures Turkish woman establishes world record for watermelons crushed with thighs . . . A Turkish woman who squashed five watermelons within a 60-second timeframe, using only her thighs, has set a world record. Guiness World Records shared a video Friday of Gozde Dogan completing the challenge. The clip shows Dogan sitting between two rows of watermelons, grabbing them one at a time, crushing them, and then cleaning the mess before continuing. UPI​ ​ ​ Help CTTN reach more people by forwarding it to your family and friends! 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