Trump Returns To Office In Whirlwind Fashion

Good Tuesday morning. A French man bequeathed $10M to a small village he had never visited in his will. Why? Because they shared a name. Have a great day.

In Today’s Brief

• Border Patrol: Vermont incident

• Colombia: Rebel attacks

• Rubio: Rubber stamp

• Apple: Belgian investigation

• Ohio State: National champions

... and more

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Top Tips

1) Sworn in

President Donald Trump took the oath of office yesterday, becoming the nation's 47th Commander-in-Chief and the second to hold the office in non-consecutive terms as what is expected to be four more norm-shattering years began in earnest.

• The speech: Trump said "the golden age of America begins right now" during his inaugural address, delivered inside the Capitol Rotunda due to extreme weather in Washington. His remarks were policy-heavy; the president criticized the outgoing Biden Administration and pledged to follow through on major campaign promises.

• The crowd: A slew of tech CEOs -- Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Apple's Tim Cook, Tesla's Elon Musk, Google's Sundar Pichai, TikTok's Shou Chew and Meta's Mark Zuckerberg -- were in attendance. As were foreign leaders like Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Argentine President Javier Milei, celebrities like Joe Rogan and former presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, as well as now-former President Joe Biden and now-former Vice President Kamala Harris. Ex-Vice President Mike Pence also attended.

• The scene: First Lady Melania Trump's boater-style hat sent the internet into a tizzy, as did the outfit worn by actress Lauren Sanchez, Bezos' fiancee. Trump also made headlines for taking the oath without placing his hand on a bible; it was unclear if it was intentional. His wife held two next to him during the ceremony.

2) Fast start

Trump issued a flurry of Day 1 executive orders, many of which are controversial and/or of questionable constitutionality.

• Immigration moves: Trump took several actions aimed at his top campaign issue, including declaring a national emergency at the border with Mexico and shutting down an app used to allow migrants to enter the country legally. But his bid to end birthright citizenship via a reinterpretation of the 14th Amendment was met with significant criticism and immediate legal challenges.

• TikTok watch: Trump gave the social media platform a 75-day reprieve, ordering the Department of Justice to refrain from enforcing the national ban law. But the president was non-committal and somewhat coy about the app's future. He conceded national security concerns presented by Chinese parent company ByteDance and reiterated a desire for a joint venture with 50% U.S. ownership. Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, a Republican, said he does not believe Trump has the authority to delay a law already in effect.

• The tariffs: Trump did not follow through on sweeping trade measures. But he said he may hit Canada and Mexico with 25% tariffs by Feb. 1. He did not set a timeline for promised tariffs against China, but also said he could punish Beijing with them if the Chinese government does not cooperate on the TikTok front.

• Other notes: Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Paris climate agreement (again) and ordered an exit from the World Health Organization. He also ordered federal employees to return to work and carved away at their employment protections, ended electric vehicle mandates, declared a national energy emergency and vowed to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs while establishing the government should only recognize the male and female genders. He also said the U.S. will retake the Panama Canal and renamed the “Gulf of America” and said Alaska’s Mount Denali should revert to Mount McKinley.

3) Pardon process

America had two presidents yesterday, remember, and both made controversial clemency decisions.

• Unprecedented move: Biden granted preemptive pardons to high-profile individuals considered political opponents of Trump and potential prosecution targets. Among them: Dr. Anthony Fauci, Gen. Mark Milley, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and the legislators who investigated the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

• Key context: Biden said he acted to protect public servants and the pardons should not be considered acknowledgments or admissions of wrongdoing. But accepting a pardon typically requires a concession of guilt. The pardon power has never been used in this way before. While former President Richard Nixon was pardoned in 1974 without being charged with a crime, he had resigned to avoid impeachment and was under investigation.

• Family matters: Biden also issued blanket pardons to his siblings and a brother-in-law after previously doing so for Hunter Biden, his son. The pardons were also presented as preemptive measures. But James Biden, the ex-president's brother, has reportedly been the subject of at least two federal probes in recent years.

• Capitol pass: Trump then granted clemency to over 1.5K people charged or convicted of crimes during the Capitol riot and ordered about 450 pending cases dismissed. He pardoned non-violent offenders and commuted the sentences of some violent offenders, as well as Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the extremist Oath Keepers, and ex-Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio. Trump's decisions effectively closed the book on the incident; he said he did so to begin "national reconciliation."

Quick Tips

U.S. News

• A U.S. Border Patrol officer was shot and killed in Vermont on Interstate 91 near the Canadian border. Officials said another "subject" died in the incident; a third person was wounded and taken into custody (More)

• Abortion access and women's rights activist Cecile Richards died at 67. The former Planned Parenthood president was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2023; she was the daughter of late former Texas Gov. Ann Richards (More)

• Two missing Ohio children have been located safe in Iceland, roughly three months after disappearing. The U.S. Marshals Service said their mother stopped taking mental health medication and took them to Europe; she is now hospitalized (More)

World News

• A wave of guerrilla attacks in Colombia has killed over 100 people. Peace talks between the government and the rebel National Liberation Army have faltered; President Gustavo Petro plans to declare a state of emergency (More)

• Canada's New Democratic Party will vote non-confidence in the government at the earliest possible time. Leader Jagmeet Singh plans to help trigger a snap election regardless of the Liberal Party pick to succeed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (More)

• China carried out executions over a pair of unrelated mass casualty events last November. A man who killed 35 people in a car-ramming incident in Zhuhai and a man who killed eight in a stabbing at a vocational school near Shanghai were put to death (More)

Political News

• Florida Sen. Marco Rubio was approved as Secretary of State by a 99-0 Senate vote. Ashley Moody, the state's Attorney General, was already appointed to fill his vacant upper chamber seat by Gov. Ron DeSantis (More)

• Elon Musk made a pair of controversial gestures during an inauguration event speech that some argued resembled a Nazi or fascist salute. The Anti-Defamation League defended the Tesla billionaire, calling his action "an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm" (More)

• Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman said he will not join the GOP. The Democrat had sparked speculation after recently visiting with President Trump at Mar-a-Lago; he is also an outspoken supporter of Israel and has worked on bipartisan bills (More)

Business & Markets

• Markets were closed yesterday due to the federal holiday. They will reopen today; major index futures were relatively flat last night (More)

• Apple faces a criminal probe in Belgium. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has accused the tech giant of a "massive laundering and greenwashing operation" to source minerals supplied by armed groups committing atrocities; DRC also filed pending complaints in France (More)

• Electric vehicle startup Canoo filed for bankruptcy. The Texas-based automaker opted for Chapter 7 liquidation, citing failed talks to land an Energy Department loan similar to the one awarded to rival Rivian (More)

Entertainment & Sports

• Ohio State held off Notre Dame to win the national championship and cap the first 12-team College Football Playoff. It is the Buckeyes' first title since 2014; the Fighting Irish were seeking their first crown since 1988 (More)

• Television actor Francisco San Martin died of suicide at 39. He had stints on Days of Our Lives, The Bold and the Beautiful and Jane the Virgin (More)

• Black Eyed Peas' upcoming Las Vegas residency was canceled due to unspecified "current circumstances." The 15-show Planet Hollywood residency was dogged by rumors of slow ticket sales before its Feb. 15 debut (More)

Quick Hitters

• Fun Stuff: It is Girl Scout Cookie Season again. Here is one person's rankings of the various treats. Do you agree?

• Lucky Break: An Australian woman's car keys got swept out to sea during a visit to a Perth beach. They then miraculously washed back ashore 10 minutes later.

• Go Deep: Pokemon is a fun pastime for most players. But this 17-year-old from Chile is an acclaimed world championwhose talents earned him face time with a head of state.

• Take Note: If your food falls on the floor, don't eat it. Scientists say the "five-second rule" is bunk and does not protect you from bacteria.

• Life Hack: A TikTok content creator believes she knows the key to being a good mother-in-law. But her insights could apply to all of us.

Watch This

Everyone is talking about the Arctic region these days. Here is a look at why.

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Looking Ahead …

The Earth may be creating a new ocean that will split Eastern Africa from the rest of the continent. We’ll know for sure in 10M or so years.

Question of the Day — Tuesday Trivia

Yesterday’s results:

Do you own a telescope?

• No (80%)

• Yes (20%)