President Trump's improbable proposal for a U.S. takeover of Gaza prompted plenty of pushback and questions.
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He’s emboldened, he’s organized and he’s still Trump: Takeaways from the president’s opening days
By ZEKE MILLER and JOSH BOAK
Updated 10:57 AM CST, January 25, 2025
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s first week in office isn’t over yet, but already it offers signals about how his next four years in the White House may unfold.
Some takeaways from the earliest days of his second term:
He’s emboldened like never before
Within hours of being sworn in, Trump pardoned more than 1,500 people who were convicted or charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by his supporters. Those pardoned include people who attacked, bloodied and beat police officers that day. The Republican president’s decision was at odds with earlier comments by his incoming vice president, JD Vance, and other senior aides that Trump would only let off those who weren’t violent.
The pardons were the first of many moves he made in his first week to reward allies and punish critics, in both significant and subtle ways. It signaled that without the need to worry about reelection — the Constitution bars a third term — or legal consequences after the Supreme Court granted presidents expansive immunity, the new president, backed by a Republican Congress, has little to restrain him. ...
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Trump to quickly expand deportations by land and air- Washington Examiner
President Donald Trump's administration has plans to quickly expand the number of flights carrying illegal immigrants out of the country.
www.washingtonexaminer.com
Senate confirms Pete Hegseth as Trump's defense secretary in 51-50 vote
Pete Hegseth's nomination once appeared on shaky ground amid allegations that included sexual misconduct and financial mismanagement.
www.cbsnews.comHow key Republican senators are responding to Trump allies' primary threats
Allies of President Donald Trump have been quick to threaten primary challengers for Republican senators who don’t back Trump's Cabinet picks and legislative priorities.
apnews.com
How Trump used his first week to exact political retribution | CNN Politics
President Donald Trump’s termination of Dr. Anthony Fauci’s security detail was just one of the ways in which he’s used his first week in office to carry out the political retribution he vowed to unleash if voters returned him to the White House.
www.cnn.comLoyalty tests and MAGA checks: Inside the Trump White House's intense screening of job-seekers
Job-seekers hoping to join the new Trump administration are facing a series of intense loyalty tests.
apnews.com
Trump's world leaders club: who’s in and who's looking to salvage ties
President Donald Trump's second term is already bringing massive changes as global leaders, allies and adversaries alike, watch to see where they fall in the pecking order and vie for a seat at the table.
Trump leans into his pledge to eliminate taxes on tips at a Las Vegas rally
President Donald Trump is crowing about his campaign pledge to eliminate taxes on tips. But at a Las Vegas rally Saturday, he stopped well short of offering details for making the slogan a reality.
apnews.com
Army tells units to prepare for deployment to the U.S.-Mexico border
This is the latest development after President Trump declared a national emergency along the southern border and ordered the Defense Department to provide troops.
www.cbsnews.com
Mexico refuses to accept a U.S. deportation flight
The Mexican government has criticized President Donald Trump's unilateral immigration actions, and the landing would have required Mexico's assistance.
www.nbcnews.com
Trump 'border czar' says he’s 'realistic,' mass deportation plan success depends on Congress
Tom Homan spoke with ABC's Martha Raddatz for "This Week."
Democratic states weigh more support for immigrants as Trump administration cracks down
As President Donald Trump cracks down on immigration, lawmakers in some Democratic-led states are proposing new ways to resist his efforts.
apnews.com
Rubio pledges massive bounty on Taliban if more Americans are being held hostage than was disclosed - Washington Examiner
Rubio's pledge follows a prisoner exchange earlier this week between the United States and the Taliban
www.washingtonexaminer.com
Thrilled, scared and unsurprised: Americans react to Trump's first week
We spoke to 10 Americans across the political spectrum about Donald Trump's first actions as president.
www.bbc.com
Pete Hegseth is quickly sworn in as defense secretary after dramatic Senate vote
Pete Hegseth was sworn in Saturday as the nation's 29th secretary of defense, quickly joining President Trump's Cabinet after a dramatic late-night vote in the Senate installed him as the Pentagon's leader.
apnews.com
Trump fires 17 independent watchdogs at multiple agencies in late-night move
The conversations about ousting these government watchdogs began during Trump's transition back to the White House.
Trump's attempt to end birthright citizenship would overturn more than a century of precedent
U.S. President Donald Trump has said since his first administration that he wants to end birthright citizenship, a constitutional right for everyone born in the United States.
apnews.com
Trump suggests his plan for Gaza Strip is to ‘clean out the whole thing’ | CNN Politics
President Donald Trump indicated Saturday that he had spoken with the king of Jordan about potentially building housing and moving more than 1 million Palestinians from Gaza to neighboring countries, a remarkable proposal from a sitting US president.
www.cnn.com
RFK Jr.'s plan to combat addiction: 'wellness farms'
While Kennedy was still running for president, before he dropped out to join President Trump's team, the HHS Secretary nominee campaigned on implementing "an extensive plan" to treat addiction.
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Green went on to say his formal impeachment...
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