While the governor seeks federal assistance to help recover from the continuing fires, he and other state leaders have said they oppose Trump’s immigration actions.
SMART TAKE with NewsNation’s BLAKE BURMAN The Pentagon is sending an additional 1,500 troops to the Southern border as President Trump builds out his immigration policies.
“The Laken Riley Act will now go to President Trump’s desk for him to sign into law,” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.)
Meanwhile, Trump is expected to attend the House Republican retreat at Trump National Doral in Florida on Monday.
THE CLOSER Take Our Morning Report Quiz And finally … It’s Thursday, which means it’s time for this week’s Morning Report Quiz!
The issue for today:.
Trump launches his border offensive.
As he leads the Pentagon, Hegseth gains momentum.
Following the president’s two-step tariff policy.
Regarding the war in Ukraine, Trump threatens Putin.
In order to support federal, state, and local law enforcement officials who are retaliating against migrants whom he refers to as “invading” the United States, President Trump on Wednesday directed active-duty troops to the southern border.
According to the administration, 1,500 troops will be the first force sent in as military airlift support for the Department of Homeland Security to deport over 5,000 undocumented immigrants who are being held in San Diego, California. and El Paso, Texas.
In subsequent missions, that initial troop size could increase to up to 10,000 active-duty military personnel, a defense official told reporters.
In an interview with Fox News on Wednesday in primetime, Trump used a false statistic to attack the Biden administration’s immigration policies and support his border blitz. He asserted that no nation had ever permitted 21 million inhabitants to enter over a three-year span.
His claim is unsupported. FactCheck.org published comprehensive data last year that shows that while the Biden administration’s raw immigration numbers were high (5 million migrant encounters compared to 1.4 million under Trump during comparable time frames in their respective terms), the percentages of migrants removed from the United States fell. S. . were comparable under each president: 51 percent under Biden and 47 percent removed during Trump’s first term.
The Hill: The president’s interview with Fox News on Wednesday: Five things to remember.
CNN: Verifying the administration’s interview with the president.
It is anticipated that the deployment of troops on domestic territory in response to the president’s declaration of a national security emergency will lead to constitutional and legal challenges as well as requests for legislative action from Congress.
A majority of last year’s registered voters largely agreed with Trump and his border security advisers that they are acting quickly to undo President Biden’s immigration policies. However, Trump has entered politically uncharted territory with his shift from his first-term focus on building a border wall to raids and roundups, followed by “mass deportations” and the impending battle to remove the Constitution’s protection for birthright citizenship.
In a Tuesday interview with CNN, White House immigration adviser Tom Homan stated, “We’re going to close that border right now and solve this issue.”. The president has made this clear. Threats to public safety will be our main focus, but we must go find [those migrants] in sanctuary cities where we are not permitted to detain them. “.”.
Trump and his supporters claim they will track down, arrest, and deport millions of Americans. S. who lack legal status, regardless of whether they have a criminal conviction or not. They also promise to locate people without legal status in their homes, places of employment, schools, and places of worship. Additionally, the administration wants to prevent illegal migrants and asylum seekers from traveling to the border to apply for U.S. S. entry.
A directive has been issued to the Justice Department and federal prosecutors to look into state or local officials who refuse to implement the administration’s immigration policies. Justice headquarters must be notified if federal prosecutors decide not to pursue immigration violations. Furthermore, over 10,400 refugees from around the globe who were enrolled in a legitimate travel program to the US had their flights canceled, and the U.S. S. The Trump administration shut down the program with immediate effect.
Trump has not committed to meeting with Democratic critic Gov. In the air tour of the California wildfire disaster region near Los Angeles on Friday. Gavin Newsom. . The governor and other state leaders have stated their opposition to Trump’s immigration policies, even as they look to the federal government for aid in recovering from the ongoing fires.
Sen. The Hill. The R-Ala, Katie Britt. posted a statistic from the administration on social media stating that 308 illegal immigrants were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on the president’s second day in office. Based on the latest available data, that represents a slight increase over the average daily arrests reported by ICE in September.
ICE released images to Fox News of 460 people it claimed to have arrested for crimes in seven states over a 33-hour period starting in January, including alleged male migrant criminals. 21.
Focus shifts to the Hill’s Niall Stanage in the Memo: Trump 2.0.
Take a smart approach with Blake Burman of NewsNation.
The Pentagon is expanding President Trump’s immigration policies by deploying an extra 1,500 troops to the southern border.
I asked President Alina Habba, who serves as his counselor, if that figure could go as high as 10,000.
“I wouldn’t be shocked if there were that many. “Anything is necessary to repair the harm that has been done,” Habba remarked. “We need to do a lot of cleaning. “”.
The president thinks that his election victory was largely due to border repairs. Furthermore, it’s evident that Trump is only getting started on Day 4 of his presidency.
On weeknights, Burman hosts “The Hill” on NewsNation at 6 p.m. and 5 p.m. Nexstar Media Group is the owner of both The Hill and NewsNation.
TODAY: 3 THINGS TO KNOW.
▪ In a region already hit by devastating wildfires this month, firefighters battled through the night to put out a fire in northern Los Angeles County, reigniting fears of death and destruction.
▪ In an attempt to replace federal civil servants with political allies, Trump’s team fired career staff from the National Security Council from the White House on Wednesday. This move was replicated throughout the government. Never give us a call. You will receive a call from us.
Hollywood is now willing to collaborate with Trump. The industry is accustomed to reversing allegiances: “They still need to make money.”. “.”.
Taking the lead for the day.
CONGRESS: In what is likely to be Trump’s first legislative win since taking office again, the House passed the Laken Riley Act on Wednesday, delivering the immigration-related bill to his desk. By a vote of 263-156, the chamber approved the bill. The legislation was approved by 46 Democrats and all current Republicans. Two days after the measure was approved by the Senate in a bipartisan 64-35 vote, it was passed by the House.
The bill, which is anticipated to be signed by Trump, is the first to be passed in his second administration on immigration and the border, issues that he and Republicans prioritized during the campaign.
According to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La), “President Trump will now sign the Laken Riley Act into law.”. ) posted on the social media site X following the vote. Criminal foreign nationals must be arrested, deported, and never permitted to return to our nation. The people of the United States deserve and demand safety and security. “.”.
Trump met with three moderate House Republicans on Wednesday at the White House. This is the latest meeting between the president and various GOP factions as the lower house gets ready to pass his legislative agenda with its slim majority. Representatives. Don Bacon (R-Neb. Mike Lawler (R-N. Yep. (R-Pa.) and Brian Fitzpatrick. The meeting was attended by representatives of the districts that former Vice President Kamala Harris won in November.
It is anticipated that Trump will attend Monday’s House Republican retreat at Trump National Doral in Florida. At a critical juncture, Republicans are formulating their plans for a budget reconciliation bill, or bills, and Trump is attending the annual House retreat. The ultimate plan is still in the air.
House Democrats are attacking Trump for granting pardons to violent felons who attacked the U.S. A. Capitol is now going further with those criticisms, urging Congress to limit the clemency powers for future presidents.
▪ The Hill: House Oversight and Accountability Democrats are using Chairman James Comer’s (R-Ky) previous ethics bill as leverage to draw attention to possible conflicts of interest under Trump. brought up during his inquiry into former President Biden.
Johnson will form a new select subcommittee to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot — and probably delve into the passed Jan. The six-member select committee, headed by Rep. Thompson, Bennie (D-Miss. ), followed by Rep. Cheney, Liz (R-Wyo. ).
As the Senate attempts to sort through Trump’s deluge of executive orders, Republicans are already identifying some issues with the widely distributed directives that will take weeks or months to resolve. According to Alexander Bolton of The Hill, Trump has, for instance, ordered significantly increased drilling in Alaska while simultaneously freezing hiring at the Bureau of Land Management, which will unavoidably delay permitting. Furthermore, Trump has opposed the idea of advancing a separate border security bill early in the reconciliation process to fund those priorities, even though it will be difficult, if not impossible, to implement his border security orders without significant funding increases for ICE and CBP. GOP senators believe Trump’s plan to restrict birthright citizenship will have a difficult legal battle.
According to a senior Republican aide, “some of it is not helpful.” He said that Trump’s team could have waited until some of his nominees passed Senate committees before taking actions that were likely to provoke legislative pushback, or they could have given more information about the orders’ scope.
CABINET PICKS: Despite a new report exposing allegations of abusive behavior by the nominee, Senate Republicans are reportedly not deterred from moving forward with Pete Hegseth’s nomination to head the Pentagon. Despite Democratic efforts to postpone final passage, The Hill’s Al Weaver reports that the Senate will hold an initial procedural vote on the nomination today.
As the clock ticked away on Hegseth’s nomination, Danielle Hegseth, the former wife of Pete Hegseth’s brother, dropped her affidavit. According to Danielle Hegseth, Samantha Hegseth, his second wife, was subjected to such abuse by the Pentagon nominee that she occasionally hid in a closet and made a plan in case she “needed to get away” from him. The allegations were denied by Hegseth’s lawyer.
Democrats slammed the brakes on Trump’s other nominees, including his choice to head the CIA, John Ratcliffe, shortly after the announcement of the allegations. However, it looks like Republicans have enough votes to support Hegseth and the others.
It seems like a stretch to me. It appears desperate to me. Sen said, “I think it probably helps Pete a little bit if the best they can do is the ex-wife of a brother, not even the sister of the ex-wife.”. Cramer, Kevin (R-N. D. ), a senator from the Senate Armed Services Committee, who on Monday moved Hegseth to a party-line floor vote. Hearsay from a third party that hasn’t been confirmed by the ex-wife herself. Like everything else so far, it appears to be a smear campaign. “.”.
▪ The Hill: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is under growing pressure. as senators from both sides of the aisle are squeezed by critics. An organization started by former Vice President Mike Pence and liberal advocates are among the bipartisan critics who contend the nominee to head the Department of Health and Human Services is unfit to serve.
▪ Bloomberg Government: RFK Jr. will be confirmed by the Senate Finance Committee. January. 29.
▪ Axios: RFK Jr. according to financial disclosure forms, received $326,000 from Children’s Health Defense, an anti-vaccine organization, and a $100,000 licensing fee for the use of the Make America Healthy Again brand.
WHERE AND WHEN.
At 10:00 a.m., the House meets. A.
The Senate convenes at 10:00 a.m. M.
The president is anticipated to use video to address participants at the Davos World Economic Forum in Switzerland.
LOOK IN.
There is still much rhetoric surrounding Trump’s trade agenda, leaving businesses, industry leaders, and international trading partners in the dark. The Hill’s Tobias Burns tried to resolve the situation by sorting through five major questions.
There is also an unknown: Which White House economic advisers and members of Trump’s Cabinet will shape the administration’s trade policy and manage the president’s beliefs that tariffs benefit the United States? S. . large sticks and generate substantial income?
In a first-day memo on trade policy, Trump instructs federal agencies to research U.S. S. trade between the United States and China, as well as to review the revised North American Free Trade Agreement. S. both Mexico and Canada. He refrained from enacting new import taxes, though.
Trump then pledged to impose 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada starting in February. 1, and suggested a potential 10% tax on Chinese goods. That would represent a significant decrease from Trump’s previous tariff rhetoric, which raised the figure as high as 60 and 100 percent.
POLITICS: Representative… Mace, Nancy (R-S. A. In an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday, the House member since 2021 stated that she is thinking about running for governor of South Carolina and will make a decision shortly. When she questioned Rep.’s permitted use of the Capitol restroom in November, she created a stir. McBride, Sarah (D-Del…). The first member of Congress to be openly transgender.
▪ The Hill: The U.S. is the target of progressive ire. S. . “oligarchy,”. “”.
▪ The Hill: Every Trump-related topic is being “sniped” by Democrats.
The Minnesota State House is in the midst of a partisan impasse.
COURTS: In written remarks, judges addressed Trump’s pardons and the dismissal of Justice Department charges against defendants in the January cases. 6, 2021, insurrection, observed facts and evidence that were brought before the court and led to convictions. “The facts of what transpired on January will remain unchanged even if charges are dropped, convictions are overturned, or sentences are commuted. 6, 2021,” wrote Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of the Federal District Court. “Thousands of contemporaneous videos, trial transcripts, jury verdicts, and judicial opinions that objectively analyze and recount the evidence preserve what happened that day for future generations.”. “”.
The Hill: A federal judge rejected a former senator’s request on Wednesday. And Bob Menendez’s (D-N. J. . bid to have his corruption conviction overturned and to be given a fresh trial.
Supreme Court: When an officer shot and killed 24-year-old Ashtian Barnes in 2016, a routine traffic stop in Texas quickly turned deadly. On Monday, the Supreme Court considered whether or not the courts ought to look into every detail of the traffic stop.
EXTREMELY.
RUSSIA AND UKRAINE: Putin has stated that he would end the war in Ukraine as a top priority in his first days in office, and Trump is trying to pressure him to agree to a deal. Just over 48 hours after taking office again, Trump has criticized Putin for “destroying his country” with the nearly three-year conflict and threatened to impose harsher sanctions on Russia and those who support it if a deal is not reached soon.
Trump wrote on Truth Social, “Let’s end this war that would never have begun if I were president. We can do it the easy way or the hard way, and the easy way is always better.”.
Trump’s posts are an initial attempt to demonstrate that his “peace through strength” strategy can put an end to the largest land war in Europe in nearly a century.
After three years of fighting, Ukrainians are becoming more receptive to talks for an early conclusion to the conflict. Furthermore, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed optimism that Trump’s decisiveness might change the course of the conflict.
“He can make a big difference in this war.”. He can help us stop Putin, or more accurately, he can stop Putin. “He can accomplish this,” Zelensky stated.
Each side lays out its stance ahead of the anticipated Trump-Putin call, according to The Washington Post.
▪ Reuters: As Trump works to end the war in Ukraine, Putin has become more and more alarmed about the wartime economic distortions in Russia.
▪ The Wall Street Journal: The world’s elite at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, claim to be prepared for Trump’s second term.
GAZA CEASEFIRE: In response to a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas militants, Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Middle East envoy, confirmed on Wednesday that he would be traveling with a group of “outside overseers” to provide security in and around Gaza. Witkoff’s remarks on Fox News seemed to be the first official confirmation of the intention to send outside inspectors, including a U.S. A. availability.
Last week, after months of U.S. mediation, Israel and Hamas reached a multi-phase ceasefire and hostage-release agreement. A. Egypt, Qatar, etc.
▪ The Associated Press: The dealmakers had to overcome the deep mistrust of the enemies in order to secure the ceasefire in Gaza.
CNN: Following fifteen months of conflict, Gaza is a nightmare. An illustration of ground-level life.
▪ NPR: Gaza’s reconstruction will be a huge undertaking. Keep in mind these five points.
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: Late Monday, Trump signed an executive order stripping the U.S. S. . from the World Health Agency. Months before the end of his first term, Trump attempted to withdraw the nation from the public health organization for the second time.
Apparently, the U. S. is more likely to finish its withdrawal this time around, making it one of the select few nations to do so in the approximately 80-year history of the organization. However, there has been some discussion regarding whether Trump would require congressional approval to withdraw from the WHO, and it is currently unclear what the decision might mean for the United States’ future. S. . the World Health Organization and worldwide public health.
Ashish Jha, the dean of Brown University School of Public Health and a former COVID-19 response coordinator for the White House, stated that there is simply a lack of clarity regarding this issue. We are in uncharted territory, which contributes to it. In recent memory, nothing comparable to this has occurred. “”.
The Hill: Trump’s threats to retake the Panama Canal have prompted the Panamanian government to formally express concerns to the UN, stating that any use of force would be against the law.
A VIEW.
The reason behind tech billionaires kissing Trump’s ring is explained by Matt K. Lewis, a contributor to The Hill’s opinions.
The New York Times guest essayist Ana Raquel Minian wrote, “America is a nation of immigrants that has not lived up to its promise.”.
THE CLOSER.
Take the Quiz on Our Morning Report.
And lastly … Thursday marks the start of this week’s Morning Report Quiz! We’re looking forward to your astute guesses regarding names in the news as we consider some recent headlines.
How do wildfires in California acquire names like “Friars,” “Lilac,” and “Nuns”?
decision of the State Office of Emergency Services.
The on-scene fire official rapidly selects a nearby spot, like a road.
The identifiers created by local TV news organizations are simply memorable.
U. A. Seasonally prepared lists are used by the National Interagency Fire Center.
Suddenly, a huge body of water is poised for a U-turn. A. A change in name?
River Mississippi.
The Okeechobee Lake.
the Mexican Gulf.
Clinton Lake.
What U. S. recently prevailed in a legal dispute involving a well-known brand’s name with an Australian company?
UGGG.
Campbell’s Company.
Netflix.
A jockey.
From Comcast’s NBCUniversal, a new independent cable network company has emerged.