Wednesday, January 22, 2025

Washingto

January 22, 2025

Good morning,

Welcome to the news for independent thinkers

Leading the News . . .

Trump's blanket Jan. 6 pardons stun Republicans on Capitol Hill . . . Trump's action, which defied assurances from his allies that he would examine convictions on a case-by-case basis and not grant clemency to people who committed violence, divided GOP senators and overshadowed talk about his first-100-days agenda. GOP lawmakers are largely willing to overlook the hundreds of people who entered the Capitol illegally four years ago, which disrupted the certification of former President Biden's victory by several hours, but pardoning people who assaulted Capitol Police, causing dozens of injuries, was hard to swallow. The Hill

Politics

Scrapping 'Bidenbucks,' Trump Pulls Federal Government Out of Election Meddling . . . The "Bidenbucks" executive order directing federal agencies to boost voter participation has gone the way of the Biden administration. President Donald Trump eliminated Executive Order 14019, which President Joe Biden signed in March 2021, calling for federal agencies to partner with private "voter-advocacy groups" and to develop "strategic plans." The Daily Signal

John Bolton Stripped of Secret Service Detail After Being Stripped of Security Clearance

'DOGE' revamp empowers Musk as frictions spur Ramaswamy's exit . . . The new structure — which has DOGE taking over the U.S. Digital Service, part of the Executive Office of the President — emerged after months of behind-the-scenes maneuvering between Musk and fellow billionaire entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, the DOGE co-leader who will depart to run for governor of Ohio. Deep philosophical differences over how the panel should operate helped spur Ramaswamy to leave, according to more than a half-dozen people with knowledge of the situation, many of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private conversations. Washington Post

The Rise of Young Republicans on America's College Campuses . . . Supporters of the new president on campus say they now feel more comfortable acknowledging one another in public. And membership at long-moribund college Republican clubs around the country is up. Driving the momentum is a cohort of outspoken conservative men. Some trade crypto and are members of fraternities. But many are more in line with traditional conservatives; they are religious and eschew college sweats for ties and blazers. Wall Street Journal

Trump demands apology from bishop who asked him to 'have mercy' on transgender kids, immigrants . . . President Trump early Wednesday morning slammed the reverend at a National Cathedral prayer service for the inauguration who called on him to have mercy on transgender children and immigrant families. Trump, in a lengthy post on Truth Social, called Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde's remarks "nasty" and not smart. There are gay, lesbian, transgender children, Democratic, Republican, independent families — some who fear for their lives," she said. Budde also told Trump that people in our country are scared of his presidency and that "the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals." The Hill

Maybe she has an opinion on whether there should be one or two reconciliation bills as well. That will be Trump's last appearance at our "national" church.

Culture

Inside State-Run 'Bias-Response Hotlines,' Where Fellow Citizens Can Report Your 'Offensive Joke' . . . Staffed by "trauma-informed operators" and overseen by the Oregon Department of Justice, the hotline, which receives thousands of calls a year, doesn't just solicit reports of hate crimes and hiring discrimination. It also asks for reports of "bias incidents"—cases of "non-criminal" expression that are motivated, "in part," by prejudice or hate. Oregonians are encouraged to report their fellow citizens for things like "creating racist images," "mocking someone with a disability," and "sharing offensive 'jokes' about someone's identity." Washington Free Beacon

Were Harris elected, the demands to spy on your neighbors may have reached Sovietesque heights.

Layoffs loom as Trump administration orders federal DEI workers on leave . . . President Donald Trump's administration took aim at government DEI programs, ordering federal diversity, equity and inclusion employees to be placed on leave no later than Wednesday and for DEI offices to be closed down, according to a memorandum sent Tuesday by the Office of Personnel Management. The directive will eventually lead to these employees being laid off or reassigned, and followed executive orders on Monday in which Trump directed an end to what he called "radical and wasteful" federal government DEI programs. Washington Post

Trump State Department Tells Embassies and Outposts: Fly Stars and Stripes Only—No More Pride or BLM Flags

Trump pardons founder of drug marketplace whose case was championed by libertarians . . . President Donald Trump on Tuesday granted a pardon to Ross William Ulbricht, the imprisoned creator of a dark web marketplace for drugs and other illicit products whose case had become a cause célèbre for libertarians and crypto enthusiasts. Trump explicitly tied his decision to free Ulbricht, who is serving a life sentence, to the support his campaign drew from people who viewed the Silk Road founder as a pioneer and victim of government persecution. Politico

National Security

'Terror threat to America is alive and persistent' — New House GOP report warns of jihadist danger . . . National security defenses are in a "state of disrepair," and the rapid rise in extremist cases across the U.S. underscores the vulnerabilities of the homeland, House Republicans warned in a major report. The Homeland Security Committee's "Terror Threat Snapshot" offers a chilling breakdown of the jihadi dangers. The document also outlines the extent of domestic security challenges confronting President Trump and his team. Washington Times

Biden let them in across the southern border. Trump will have to deal with the consequences, and Democrats will try to blame him for the inevitable attack.

Trump tech agenda begins with $500B private AI plan and cuts to regulation . . . President Donald Trump set about defining his new administration's technology policy Tuesday, hosting industry CEOs at the White House to announce a massive private-sector investment in infrastructure for artificial intelligence that could reach $500 billion. The announcement came after Trump on his Inauguration Day rescinded a sweeping 2023 executive order on AI from his predecessor Joe Biden that introduced regulations on companies developing AI intended to prevent the technology causing harm. Washington Post

Are we sure AI is gonna play nice once it can outwit us?

International

Freed Israeli hostages say they were held in UN camp . . . Hostages Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher, who were released from Hamas custody on Sunday, reported that they had been held in a U.N. refugee camp at some point during their captivity, according to Israel's Channel 13. The revelation is the latest blow to the position of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, which has faced attacks against its credibility throughout the war in Gaza. Washington Examiner

How Javier Milei's Tough Remake of Argentina Made Him a MAGA Hero . . . Argentina has so far cut more than 900 regulations, Milei said Monday after attending Trump's inauguration. Milei slashed real public spending by 30% and fired 36,000 public workers. He shut down the Ministry of Women, Genders and Diversity, halted most public works, sharply curbed pensions and sliced subsidies that, among other things, provided Argentines with nearly free electricity. Wall Street Journal

Iraqi lawmakers pass a bill that critics say legalizes child marriage . . . Iraqi law currently sets 18 as the minimum age of marriage in most cases. The changes passed Tuesday would let clerics rule according to their interpretation of Islamic law, which some interpret to allow marriage of girls in their early teens — or as young as 9 under the Jaafari school of Islamic law followed by many Shiite religious authorities in Iraq.

Money

$TRUMP Is Already Worth Billions . . . Just days ahead of his return to the White House, President Trump and his wife Melania launched a pair of meme coins that have skyrocketed in value and earned them billions of dollars, at least on paper. Dubbed $TRUMP and $MELANIA, the tokens are a type of cryptocurrency that doesn't serve any economic purpose and whose value is based largely on the popularity of internet memes. The market cap of the $TRUMP token stood at about $9 billion as of 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday; $MELANIA hovered around $810 million. Wall Street Journal

You should also know

Winter storm that dropped record-breaking snow in New Orleans spreads into Florida and the Carolinas . . . A major winter storm that slammed Texas and blanketed the northern Gulf Coast with record-breaking snow moved east Wednesday, spreading heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain across parts of the Florida Panhandle, Georgia and eastern Carolinas. The weather warning areas included big cities like Jacksonville, Florida, which is expected to see snow, sleet and accumulating ice into Wednesday. Associated Press

Barron Trump's tailor spills . . . Nathan Pearce, CEO of the exclusive luxury clothing outfitter Pearce Bespoke, personally saw to the making of the suits for the 18-year-old Barron. "He's a super-bright kid. He's well beyond his years in terms of experience, knowledge, history. He's just fascinating to talk to," Pearce told WWD of President Trump's youngest son. "You know what is another word I would say about [Barron]? Hospitable. He is down-to-earth, nice as can be and hospitable," Pearce said, adding, "I've thoroughly enjoyed getting to know him over the last one or two years." New York Post

Guilty Pleasures

Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg caught leering at Bezos's fiance . . . Donald Trump's inauguration as the 47th President of the United States may be a star studded affair, but Mark Zuckerberg was seemingly unable to tear his eyes away from Lauren Sanchez's chest. Eagle-eyed viewers took to social media to accuse the Meta CEO of repeatedly staring at the 55-year-old's chest, as they sat in the Capitol Rotunda ahead of the swearing-in ceremony. Daily Mail