Donald Trump began his presidency with a dizzying display of force, signing a blizzard of executive orders that signaled his desire to remake American institutions while also pardoning nearly all of his supporters who rioted at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
What to know:
- Trump’s on the move: Trump will attend an interfaith prayer service before meeting with GOP leadership at the White House. His press secretary has promised a “massive infrastructure” announcement on Tuesday afternoon.
- Cabinet tracker: Sen. Marco Rubio has been sworn in as Secretary of State. Elise Stefanik and Doug Collins, Trump’s picks for United Nations ambassador and secretary of Veterans Affairs, respectively, are scheduled for confirmation hearings Tuesday. Follow the AP’s live Trump cabinet tracker.
- Trump’s Day 1 actions: Trump pardoned, commuted sentences or vowed to dismiss cases for over 1,500 people charged with crimes in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. He also sought to end birthright citizenship, delay a ban on TikTok, declare a “national emergency” at the U.S.-Mexico border, designate drug cartels as foreign terrorist groups and more.
2 min agoCabinet tracker
Collins seeks to reassure on VA privatization
By JEFF AMYShare
Collins says he supports giving veterans access to private medical care but is disavowing any intention to privatize or dismantle the existing VA health system.
“There will always be a VA health system for the veteran” Collins said. But he says the VA “exists for the veterans” and that particularly newer veterans may prefer private providers.
Democrats are urging Collins to protect the current system, saying it provides valuable expertise. But some Republicans in particular say it should be easier for veterans to access private medical care because of long distances.
4 min agoCabinet tracker
Trump’s pick for Treasury Secretary advances
By LINDSAY WHITEHURSTShare
Scott Bessent is one step closer to confirmation after a favorable committee vote.
He was approved with a bipartisan tally of 16-11. The vote clears the way for the full Senate to weigh his confirmation in the coming days.
The approval came over the protest of Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden who said, “this nominee is not square on his taxes.”
Former Trump White House strategist Steve Bannon cheered the vote, saying on his podcast that Bessent “was magnificent.”
9 min agoWhere is Trump?
President Trump, Vice President Vance and their families are leaving the prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral
10 min ago
Trump’s pick to lead Veterans Affairs says he’ll review whether the VA should provide abortions
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Former U.S. Rep. Doug Collins said he’ll reexamine whether the Department of Veterans Affairs should provide abortions, repeatedly saying in his confirmation hearing Tuesday that he believes a 1992 law bans the VA from performing abortions.
“The law specifically stated that the VA is not to be doing abortions… ,” said Collins, a former Republican congressman from Georgia. “The situation came up in 2022, in which they were told to look at a rule that would get around that. To me, it’s time for us to take a look at the rule and make sure, just as in every other area of VA life, that we’re actually doing what the law and the intent of this body is.”
The Biden administration announced in 2022 that VA facilities would provide abortion counseling and abortions to veterans when when the life or health of a pregnant veteran was endangered by a pregnancy or when a woman became pregnant because of rape or incest.
16 min agoWhere is Trump?
As the prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral neared its end, Trump joined others in singing ‘America The Beautiful’
17 min ago
The White House is celebrating the release of two Americans
By AAMER MADHANIShare
The men were freed in a swap with the Taliban brokered by Biden’s administration.
“We celebrate the release of Ryan Corbett and William McKenty who will soon reunited with their families and loved ones, and also thank the Government of Qatar for their assistance,” National Security spokesperson Brian Hughes said in a statement. “The Trump Administration will continue to demand the release of all Americans held by the Taliban, especially in light of the billions of dollars in U.S. aid they’ve received in recent years.”
The deal to free Corbett and McKenty was completed by Biden administration officials before the Democratic administration’s term ended Monday, according to a Trump administration official who was not authorized to comment publicly and requested anonymity.
The two U.S. citizens were exchanged for Taliban figure Khan Mohammed, who was serving two terms of life imprisonment in California on drug trafficking and terrorism charges.
20 min ago
Reverend asks Trump to ‘have mercy’ on LGBTQ+ people and migrants
By TIFFANY STANLEYShare
With President Trump in attendance, the Right Rev. Mariann Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington, gave a sermon focused on national unity.
She said they gathered “to pray for unity as a people and a nation — not for agreement, political or otherwise — but for the kind of unity that fosters community across diversity and division.”
She ended her sermon with a direct appeal to Trump, to have mercy on LGBTQ+ people and undocumented migrant workers: “You have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy on the people in our country who are scared now.”
Budde has criticized Trump before, rebuking his “racialized rhetoric” and blaming him for inciting violence on Jan. 6. She was “outraged” in 2020 after Trump staged an appearance in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church. He held up a Bible after the area had been cleared of peaceful protesters.
37 min agoCabinet tracker
Stefanik echoes Trump’s support for Israeli settlers in occupied West Bank
By FARNOUSH AMIRIShare
Asked by Sen. Chris Van Hollen if she agrees with far-right Israeli officials that Israel has a “biblical right” to the entire West Bank, Stefanik testified that she does. The answer, which Van Hollen said was among the rare occasions he is left surprised by nominees, adheres to Trump’s history of fervent support for Israeli settler groups in the West Bank.
Van Hollen said “it’s going to be very difficult to achieve” Trump’s plan for peace and security with a view like that.
39 min agoCabinet tracker
Senate is expected to vote Tuesday on Trump’s nomination of John Ratcliffe to lead the CIA
By DAVID KLEPPERShare
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, said Tuesday morning that lawmakers would continue to consider Trump’s nominations throughout the week, with a vote on Ratcliffe likely later in the day.
Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during Trump’s first term and would be the first person to hold that position and serve as CIA director if confirmed as expected. He’s a former federal prosecutor who emerged as a fierce Trump defender while serving as Republican congressman from Texas during Trump’s first impeachment.
At his confirmation hearing last week, Ratcliffe told lawmakers the CIA must do better when it comes to using technology like artificial intelligence and quantum computing to confront adversaries like Russia and China. He said the country must improve its intelligence capabilities while also ensuring the protection of American civil rights.
