The Trump Show, Day 2

Your unbiased daily news brief

Author

James Kratch
January 22, 2025

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Good Wednesday morning. Here is a look at the noteworthy albums celebrating their 50th anniversary in 2025. Have a great day!

In Today’s Brief

  • Gulf Coast: Winter weather

  • Turkey: Hotel fire

  • Oregon: Elections attack

  • AI: $500B investment

  • Ichiro: Cooperstown bound

... and more

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Top Tips

1) Meetings and calls

President Donald Trump saw backlash for his Jan. 6 pardons while delivering another controversial clemency decision and more on his second day in office.

  • Bipartisan outrage: Lawmakers in both parties disavowed Trump's commutations and pardons to Capitol riot convicts and defendants, including violent offenders. Even loyalists like Speaker of the House Mike Johnson signaled discomfort. But the president defended his decision while Vice President J.D. Vance -- who previously said those convicted of violent crimes did not deserve clemency -- supported Trump.

  • Another pardon: Trump commuted the life sentence of Ross Ulbricht, who founded Silk Road, a notorious site on the dark web. He had previously promised to vacate the drug trafficking and money laundering sentence if re-elected. The Supreme Court previously upheld Ulbricht's punishment, which was a cause celebre among libertarian groups.

  • Legal challenge: At least 23 Democratic-led states filed a federal lawsuit against Trump's push to end birthright citizenship through executive order. The president is seeking to re-interpret the 14th Amendment and establish limits for the children of illegal migrants and other visitors who do not have permanent status.

  • Other developments: Trump said immigration officials could conduct raids on sensitive places like churches, hospitals and schools, rescinding past guidance. He also sacked the leaders of the Coast Guard and Transportation Security Administration and ordered investigations into whether former President Joe Biden's administration unfairly prosecuted political foes. He also moved to put all federal diversity, equity and inclusion staff on paid leave with plans to lay them off.

2) A new wrinkle

Pete Hegseth's troubled Defense Secretary nomination was thrown for another loop.

  • The news: An affidavit alleging new misconduct by the ex-Fox News host emerged yesterday. Hegseth's former sister-in-law claims his second ex-wife feared for her safety during their marriage; she also said Hegseth routinely abused alcohol and made racist and sexist comments. Hegseth's attorney denied the accusations and said the woman, who is divorced from Hegseth's brother, has a vendetta against the family and opposes Trump.

  • More details: Danielle Hegseth, the sister-in-law, sat for two interviews with the FBI. She said Hegseth's ex-wife once hid from him in a closet after being threatened, but conceded she never saw him be violent. Hegseth's ex-wife denied the claim. The woman also told agents Hegseth once drunkenly received lap dances at a Minneapolis-area strip club while in his National Guard uniform and had to be carried out of the establishment.

  • Big picture: Hegseth's nomination cleared the Senate Armed Services Committee on a party-line vote and could see a floor vote as early as tomorrow. This new revelation could complicate his fraught candidacy further, as Democrats will argue it shows his background check was flawed. It also suggests Hegseth may have hid information from Republicans again. But there is no signal the four GOP votes needed to sink Hegseth exist.

3) Shaken, not stirred

So much for James Bond spending all that time at the blackjack table.

  • The news: A bill to authorize construction of a casino in a Washington suburb has passed its first legislative hurdle. A Virginia Senate subcommittee granted Fairfax County the right to propose a ballot referendum for a venue in Tysons, which is about 15 miles away from Capitol Hill.

  • The issue: Over 100 former intelligence officers and officials oppose the proposed casino. They argue it would compromise national security, creating a tempting environment ripe for exploitation by spies from adversarial nations and organized crime. 

  • Big picture: State Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, a Democrat, dismissed the pushback and the espionage fears, calling it "NIMBYism dressed up like spy warfare." There are also casinos in Maryland and West Virginia within closeproximity of the Beltway, as well as online gaming in the states.

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Quick Tips

U.S. News

  • A rare snowstorm hit the Gulf Coast, dumping almost 10 inches of snow in New Orleans. Both of Houston's major airports were closed; two people died in Austin and one person died in Georgia due to the weather (More)

  • Colorado's Supreme Court ruled five elephants cannot legally pursue release from a zoo because they are not human. The ruling follows a similar 2022 decision in a case involving an elephant at New York's Bronx Zoo (More)

  • New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy asked President Trump to review New York's congestion pricing law. The Democrat claims the national-first measure unfairly impacts his state's residents; the president has indicated he wants to address the issue (More)

World News

  • At least 76 people died in a hotel fire in Turkey. A blaze engulfed the Grand Kartal Otel ski resort, one of the country's most popular holiday destinations; at least 51 people were injured (More)

  • Greenland's prime minister is seeking a meeting with President Trump. Mute Egede said his country's citizens "do not want to be Americans," but he wants to "calmly" address Trump's claims of annexation; he also reiterated a desire to be independent of Denmark (More)

  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said 200K allied troops would be necessary to hold a ceasefire with Russia. Trump said he would sanction the Kremlin if it does not agree to negotiations to end the war (More | More)

Political News

  • A county election building in Portland was targeted by an "orchestrated" attack. Police said several hooded and masked people broke dozens of windows at the Multnomah County Elections headquarters and spray painted anti-government graffiti (More)

  • President Trump will be interviewed by Fox News' Sean Hannity today in the Oval Office, his first post-inauguration sitdown. Embattled New York City Mayor Eric Adams is expected to be interviewed by Tucker Carlson amid speculation he wants a pardon from Trump on federal corruption charges (More | More)

  • Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, a 2020 election denier, is considering a gubernatorial run. Republicans are seeking to unseat Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs in 2026 after Trump carried the swing state last fall (More)

Business & Markets

  • Major indexes closed higher yesterday as markets re-opened after the federal holiday. The Dow Jones was up over 500 points (Dow +1.24%, Nasdaq +0.64%, S&P 500 +0.88%).

  • President Trump announced a $500B artificial intelligence investment over the next four years. OpenAI, Oracle and Softbank will participate in a joint venture called Stargate; the president claimed the project will immediately create 100K new jobs (More)

  • Trump said he may hit China with a 10% tariff on Feb. 1, citing the presence of Chinese fentanyl in Canada and Mexico. He has also threatened 25% duties on those nations in an apparent effort to renegotiate continental trade agreements (More)

Entertainment & Sports

  • Ichiro Suzuki became the first Japanese-born player inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The ex-Seattle Mariners star missed a unanimous selection by one vote; former pitchers CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner were also elected to Cooperstown (More)

  • Netflix will raise prices for the first time since 2023, hiking its rates between $1-2 based on level. The streaming service said it finished last year with 302M subscribers worldwide after acquiring 19M new subs in Q4 (More)

  • Actor Ryan Gosling is reportedly in talks to star in an upcoming Star Wars film. The movie will be a standalone feature separate from the franchise's main canon; it will be helmed by Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy (More)

Quick Hitters

  • Fun Stuff: A couple accidentally blocked a penguin's path in Antarctica. The little creature was a gracious host and politely waited his turn to keep moving.

  • Take Note: If winds are calm, chimney smoke will rise in a perfectly straight line. Here is a rundown of the science behind the phenomenon.

  • Go Deep: The human hand performs thousands of complex tasks daily. Can artificial intelligence allow robotics to replicate one of the most remarkable body parts?

  • History Lesson: The federal government enacted a ban on sliced bread during World War II. It was a short-lived disaster that authorities reversed within weeks.

  • Life Hack: Driving (and owning) a car during the winter can be rough. Here are a slew of tips to make the long wait for spring less arduous.

How cartels use submarines to smuggle drugs over incredibly long distances.

Looking Ahead …

The moon is now considered a threatened cultural site. The World Monuments Fund said the commercial space industry could increase the likelihood of lunar destruction and looting.

Question of the Day

Will you buy Girl Scout cookies this year?

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Yesterday’s results:

Trivia: Who is the only known president (besides Trump) who did not put his hand on the bible during the traditional inaugural ceremony?

John Quincy Adams put his hand on a book of laws when he was sworn in as the nation’s sixth president in 1825. The other presidents known to have not used a bible while taking the oath were vice presidents who ascended to the office after the in-term death of a president.