Trump's First Week: Flood the Zone
Plus, Rubio suspends foreign aid, Trump purges Inspectors General and pardons more criminals, all things ICE raids, and SCOTUS takes up religious school case
Trump's First Week: Flood the Zone
Trump’s first week was a firehose of scorched earth power grabbing and cruelty. I managed to highlight all 48 executive orders in my last post and have been scrambling to catch up with covering the aftermath since.
Because there’s a LOT (as you’ll see below) and I would like to catch up as best I can, I will keep this upfront short. There’s a lot going on in the courts outside of Trump, especially in Minnesota and North Carolina. There’s also some action in Congress, which deserves close attention. And I am here to stay on top of the things that get lost in Trump pilfering our attention. All of this will be in the next post.
That’s all for now! The top news in brief from Trump’s first week is below.
-Stephanie
Headlines
The chaos is the point
Marco Rubio enforced Trump’s executive order to halt U.S. Foreign Aid
On Friday, Trump’s freshly minted Secretary of State Marco Rubio blindly followed orders to immediately pause U.S. foreign aid for at least 90 days. The two countries exempt from this order are Israel and Egypt—two countries with close ties to Donald Trump, the latter which gave Trump $10M in 2016. Rubio also approved exemptions for emergency food assistance and administrative expenses necessary for previously allocated assistance. Also “temporarily” exempt are the salaries of direct-hire employees and locally employed staff. What’s not exempt are the salaries of contractors at the global health bureau of USAID. This, plus the U.S. aggressive bullying of Latin American allies, will make Rubio’s first overseas trip to Central America and the Dominican Republic not awkward at all.
The freeze also applies to funding the bipartisan President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which was created by President George W. Bush in 2003. The successful program provides HIV/AIDS medications for over 20.6M people and offers testing and education to prevent the spread of the disease. Unless Rubio issues an exemption for the program, it faces at least a 3 month suspension in operations.
Another consequence of the suspension order is U.S. military aid to Lebanon. Before leaving the White House, the Biden administration diverted tens of millions of dollars in U.S. military aid from Egypt to Lebanon. Because this reappropriation of funds had not been finalized before the suspension, that aid may never be sent to Lebanon.
Trump purges 15 independent Inspector Generals to shield regime from accountability
On Day 5 of Trump’s term, Trump purged multiple independent inspectors general via a late Friday night email sent by Sergio Gor, a Trump Super PAC operative and director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office. The emails sent only to the targeted federal watchdogs provided no sufficient explanation for their immediate terminations. The notice also violates federal law requiring a 30-day notification to Congress in advance of a federal watchdog’s removal.
The targeted IG’s were part of the Departments of State, Agriculture, Interior, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Education, Energy, Labor, and Defense, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Small Business Administration. Many were appointed by Trump and at least one, Sean O’Donnell at the EPA, was a close ally. A number of the targeted IG’s plan to take legal action and show up for work anyway, including Cardell Richardson Sr. at the State Department and Hannibal “Mike” Ware at the SBA and chairman of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE).
A tale of two federal courts with opposing views on law
SCOTUS agrees to hear case on public-funded Catholic charter school
On Friday, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a bid led by 2 Catholic dioceses and the Alliance Defending Freedom to reinterpret the U.S. Constitution in a way that would enable the church to siphon taxpayer money from public schools and earmark it for a planned Catholic charter school in Oklahoma. In other words, the church is asking the high court to reverse the separation of church and state and, coincidentally, prove how comically fictitious Originalism is. The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that public funding of the religious charter school would violate the First Amendment and blocked the establishment. But the state charter school board, the church and its supportive dark money networks, and the GOP appealed. And they did so knowing that the church estimated its new religious charter school would cost Oklahomans $25.7M in its first 5 years.
Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself from the case without explanation. But, given Barrett’s close friend and former Notre Dame Law School colleague, Nicole Garnett, is involved in the case and the law school represents the charter school at the center of the case, it makes sense she would recuse. What’s not surprising is Justice Clarence Thomas refusing to recuse from another case that presents a conflict of interest. Garnett is a former law clerk of Thomas.
Judge blocks Trump’s unlawful attempt to override the U.S. Constitution
On Thursday, a Reagan-appointed federal judge temporarily blocked Trump's executive order that directed the government to violate the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. During a hearing on the issue, U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour criticized the attorney arguing in support of Trump’s lawless EO seeking to revoke birthright citizenship. He stated, "I've been on the bench for four decades [and] I can't remember another case where the question presented is as clear as this one is." He made it clear that Trump's order is "blatantly unconstitutional." The Trump regime is committed to appealing the order as numerous other lawsuits by multiple states are being considered.
Trump pardons more repeat criminals
Trump DOJ to end prosecutions for women’s healthcare terrorists
On Day 4 of Trump’s term, acting Attorney General James McHenry ordered the DOJ to curb federal prosecutions under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act and to dismiss 3 existing cases pursued under the 1994 civil rights law in Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The law prohibits the use of force and physical obstruction at reproductive health centers that interfere with a person’s ability to seek healthcare services or with the clinic’s ability to provide services. Reuters obtained the memo issued by Chad Mizelle, a Federalist Society hack and chief of staff to the acting AG, which described the cases as a “weaponization of law enforcement” and that future cases brought under the law would only be permitted in “extraordinary circumstances.”
That same day, Trump pardoned 23 women’s reproductive healthcare terrorists who were convicted in 5 separate federal cases. 6 terrorists were convicted in 2022 for conspiracy to disrupt services at a clinic in Tennessee of which 4 were sentenced in July 2024. The majority of the 6 are repeat offenders who had also been convicted for violating the FACE Act in other jurisdictions, including twice in Michigan where 8 terrorists were convicted in February 2023 and 7 in August 2024. In addition, 5 terrorists were convicted in August 2023 for the same conspiracy and forced entry into a clinic in Washington, D.C.
Trump declares war on Immigrants
Trump abruptly suspends previously approved refugee resettlements
On Day 3 of his term, Trump canceled travel plans for more than 10,000 refugees who were previously approved to resettle in the United States. This is an escalation from Trump’s Day 1 executive order suspending the refugee resettlement program beginning this week—a reinstated order from his first term that suspended the program and largely reduced the approval rate. The vetting process can take years and is far more comprehensive than the Visa process, which means that thousands of refugees fleeing war and persecution, including 1,600 Afghans who assisted the U.S. military war effort and relatives of active-duty members, are now stranded and at risk.
GOP-controlled House passes immigration detention bill that excludes funding
On Day 3 of Trump’s term, the GOP-controlled House passed a politicized bill known as the Laken Riley Act by a vote of 263-156 with the help of 46 spineless Democrats. The bill, which includes language lifted from Trump’s Day 1 executive orders criminalizing immigration, weaponizes low-level crimes such as shoplifting, burglary, and theft to entrap immigrants (and people of color) for detainment and deportation. Despite its intention to empower Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Congress did not earmark funding to support the law’s enforcement. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) estimated the law will cost $26.9B in the first year alone. I wonder what DOGE thinks about this price tag.
Once Trump signs it into law, federal authorities will be required to detain any undocumented or suspected immigrant arrested or charged with such crimes, as well as those alleged to have assaulted a law enforcement officer or committed a violent crime. State attorneys general will also have the authority to sue federal authorities for failures or decisions related to immigration enforcement that financially or otherwise harmed their states.
Pentagon prepares elite warfighting troops for deployment at U.S.-Mexico border
On Friday, the Pentagon issued a memo ordering more than 5,000 troops from elite warfighting units, including the 82nd Airborne Division and the 10th Mountain Division, to prepare for deployment at the U.S.-Mexico border. It also suggested that the Defense Department would use bases to detain immigrants and send Army Stryker 8-wheeled armored vehicles and helicopters. In addition, the Pentagon directed a 10-day halt on DOD social media account content unrelated to saber-rattling activity at the southern border.
This follows a Jan. 21 internal Customs and Border Protection memo that CBS News obtained revealing that as many as 10,000 soldiers would report to the region. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated on Wednesday that 2,500 National Guard and Reserve forces were already stationed along the border. DOD officials also confirmed active-duty troops were stationed at the border on Wednesday and that more were ready for deployment, including 2,000 Marines and specialists in supply, logistics, security, and communications, as well as intelligence analysts.
Trump backs off imposing tariffs and sanctions on Colombia
Late Sunday, Trump backed down on his threats to impose immediate 25% tariffs and hefty sanctions on Colombia after the third-largest U.S. trading partner in Latin America agreed to some terms for accepting U.S. deportations. Trump immediately claimed total victory, but Colombian President Gustavo Petro refused to allow U.S. military aircraft into the country and facilitated a “dignified return” for 110 Colombian nationals by sending a plane to San Diego, CA. Trump’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio may have walked back Trump’s threats to impose a travel ban, revoke visas for Colombian officials, and more. But he issued an immediate suspension of visa processing at the U.S. embassy in Colombia’s capital, Bogota.
Trump’s mistreatment of foreign nationals as part of his regime’s deportation policy has drawn ire from other close U.S. allies in Latin America. Mexico denied U.S. military aircraft carrying Mexican and foreign nationals to land, but has allowed government-chartered commercial planes. Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum has also implemented a deportee-support program called “Mexico embraces you” — a unified message and policy that leaders across the region are making clear. Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva also dispatched an Air Force plane to rescue 88 foreign nationals at an unscheduled stop on Saturday after it was reported that U.S. authorities handcuffed them and used an aircraft without air conditioning. On Monday, the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the U.S. Ambassador to Brazil, Gabriel Escobar, to warn the U.S. to not mistreat deportees again. Guatemala is so far the only country that has allowed U.S. military planes carring deported nationals.
Trump administration imposes daily ICE arrest quotas as agents invade Chicago
On Saturday, ICE officials implemented daily arrest quotas for agents that must surpass 1,200-1,500 arrests per day. Trump has ordered that each field office is required to reach 75 arrests per day and operations must continue 24/7, no exceptions. He has also instructed senior officials to take punitive measures on managers who’s teams do not meet the minimum daily quota. The morale will surely never drop in these conditions!
On Sunday, Trump’s state sponsored people hunters across federal law enforcement agencies began invading the largest U.S. metropolitan cities and U.S. territories, terrorizing communities to arrest roughly 1,000 individuals. ICE agents are coordinating with the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and U.S. Marshals Service to target “public safety and national security threats” in Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Newark (where ICE arrested a military veteran and questioned their military credentials), Phoenix, San Diego, Seattle, as well as Puerto Rico this week. As of Tueday afternoon, ICE claims to have made 4,829 arrests since Jan. 20. The regime has told the press more cities will be targeted next week, including an “enhanced target” on the Denver and Aurora, Colorado areas.
Senate Confirmation Watch
Senate confirms 4 Trump Cabinet nominees in Week 1
Shortly after Trump reoccupied the White House on Monday, the Senate unanimously confirmed former Florida Senator Marco Rubio as Secretary of State.
In a 74-25 vote on Thursday, the Senate confirmed Trump’s former Director of National Intelligence and former Texas Congressman John Ratcliffe as CIA Director. 20 Democrats voted in favor of his confirmation, including Sens. Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Corey Booker (D-NY), Chris Coons (D-DE), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jackie Rosen (D-NV), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Mark Warner (D-VA), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI). Independent Sen. from Maine, Angus King, also voted in favor.
In a tie-breaking vote by VP JD Vance late Friday evening, the Senate confirmed Fox News spox Pete Hegseth as Defense Secretary. The only Republican Senators to vote no were Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Lisa Murkoswski (R-AK), and Susan Collins (R-ME). Note that McConnell’s rejection rings hollow as he voted to advance Hegseth’s nomination out of committee on Thursday. Also, during Trump’s first term, Betsy DeVos became the first cabinet nominee in U.S. history needing a VP tie-breaking vote. Hegseth is now the second.
In a 59-34 vote on Saturday, the Senate confirmed former GOP South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. 7 Democrats voted in favor of her confirmation, including Sens. John Fetterman (D-PA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI).
Trump’s Retribution Tour
Trump’s executive order revoking security clearances expands
After revoking security details and clearances for his former national security advisor John Bolton and former special envoy to Iran, Brian Hook, Trump did the same for his former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday and chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci on Thursday. Dr. Fauci immediately hired a private security team. Note that these latest rescinded government security protections are part of Trump’s Day 1 executive orders.
House Speaker Mike Johnson assists Trump with retaliating against Liz Cheney
On Thursday, the Washington Post reported that House Speaker Mike Johnson intervened in the House Administration Committee’s investigation into the J6 committee and is helping Trump weaponize the Legislative branch to retaliate against former Rep. Liz Cheney. Republicans aimed to subpoena former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson as they tried to spin a narrative that Cheney coerced testimony from her by corresponding with her without Hutchinson’s lawyer’s knowledge. But, Johnson directed an aide to intervene when he became aware that multiple Republican lawmakers sexually harrassed Hutchinson. The aide advised committee chair Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA) in June to not issue a subpoena as doing so risked evidence of text messages by GOP lawmakers becoming public.
But Johnson only delayed the effort to get to Cheney to offset political backlash leading into the election. On Wednesday, he moved the subcommittee to operate within the House Judiciary Committee so the GOP can renew its sham investigation. Loudermilk also acknowledged to the press on Monday that Trump personally asked him to continue investigating Cheney.