Laken Riley Act primed to give Trump early win
|
THE SENATE ON FRIDAY voted to advance an immigration bill championed by President-elect Trump, setting him up for an early legislative victory for a key issue he campaigned on. The Laken Riley Act, named after the Georgia nursing student killed by an immigrant living in the country illegally and with a criminal record, advanced in a bipartisan 61-35 tally, with senators moving to end debate and tee up a final vote. The bill would require immigrants in the country illegally that are accused of theft-related crimes to be detained as their cases move through the courts. Ten Democrats — most from purple states — joined all Republicans in getting the bill past the filibuster. The Democrats who voted yes: Sens. Ruben Gallego (Ariz.), Mark Kelly (Ariz.), Jon Ossoff (Ga.), Gary Peters (Mich.), Jacky Rosen (Nev.), Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.), Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.), Maggie Hassan (N.H.), Mark Warner (Va.) and Elissa Slotkin (Mich.). A version of the bill already passed the House, but it still must be sent back to the lower chamber for another vote because it was amended by the Senate. Final passage is expected early next week, and then it's off to Trump's desk. |
INAUGURATION WEEKEND IS HERE |
The nation will fixate on Washington, D.C., over this long holiday weekend, as Trump prepares to be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States. There will be parties, official events, high-level meetings, parades and protests. Officials are scrambling to address the practical and symbolic concerns around the inauguration. A brutal cold front is slamming the East Coast, bringing the lowest temperatures in 40 years for Inauguration Day. Trump announced one major change this afternoon: The inauguration will be moved indoors due to the dangerously low temperatures. Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance will be sworn in inside the Capitol Rotunda, rather than on the west front of the Capitol. Lawmakers and luminaries will still have a spot inside to watch the ceremony, but for most people who wanted to catch a glimpse of the ceremony outside, the inauguration tickets are now "commemorative." "I don't want to see people hurt, or injured, in any way," Trump posted on TruthSocial. "It is dangerous conditions for the tens of thousands of Law Enforcement, First Responders, Police K9s and even horses, and hundreds of thousands of supporters that will be outside for many hours on the 20th (In any event, if you decide to come, dress warmly!)." Safety concerns are top of mind as hundreds of thousands are expected to descend on the nation's capital, including foreign leaders, corporate executives, supporters and demonstrators. Permitted protests, such as the People's March scheduled for Saturday, will be allowed. But the city will look like a police state at times, with maximum security enforcement after the two assassination attempts against Trump last year and the New Year's Day terror attack in New Orleans. Trump has won the battle of the flags, with the American flag temporarily being raised after former President Jimmy Carter's death late last year. Flags are typically flown at half-mast for 30 days after a former president dies, but the House opted to raise them for Monday's inauguration. Flags at the U.S. Capitol will be flown at full-staff when Trump is sworn in for the second time, The Hill's Niall Stanage reports. |
PRESIDENTS, EXECS AND CELEBS FLOOD THE CITY |
All of the living current and former presidents will be on hand, gathering for a second time in less than a month after they sat side-by-side at Carter's funeral. President Biden and former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton will sit near Trump. Former first lady Michelle Obama is a notable absence, as is former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). An influential tech contingent will be on hand, underscoring the rightward shift of Silicon Valley, which had fashioned itself as part of the resistance to Trump's first term. Tesla founder Elon Musk, Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman will attend. Chinese President Xi Jinping will not attend, but he's sending a special representative. Trump and Xi spoke on Friday, discussing the fate of TikTok and trade issues, among other things. There will be performances by Carrie Underwood, Village People, Kid Rock and Billy Ray Cyrus. Country music star Jason Aldean will perform at the Liberty Ball. American tenor Christopher Macchio will sing the National Anthem. The Hill's Cate Martel writes: "Hollywood and celebrity A-listers did everything in their power to stop Donald Trump from returning to the White House last year, bringing to the campaign trail megastars including Taylor Swift, George Clooney, Beyonce, Katy Perry and Oprah, among others. They failed. But, unlike in 2017, there are early signs that celebs may be willing to warm to President-elect Trump." |
TRUMP'S WORK BEGINS MONDAY |
Trump will be sworn in at noon Monday. The tenor of his speech will be telling, after his first inaugural address intoned darkly about "American carnage." Former President George W. Bush reportedly left the dais in 2017 after the inauguration and commented, "that was some weird s—-." Trump will immediately get down to the business of governing. Executive orders are expected to come fast and furious Monday afternoon, with actions expected around pardons for the Jan. 6 rioters, mass deportations, birthright citizenship, transgender athlete bans, cryptocurrency and more. |
💡Perspectives: • The Hill: Trump's TikTok argument puts his ego above the law. • Sam Harris: The trouble with Elon Musk. • The Hill: Democrats need a plan for fixing the government. • The Hill: Jack Smith's report and what might have been. |
|
|
Welcome to Evening Report! I'm Jonathan Easley, catching you up from the afternoon and what's coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here. |
|
|
- The Israeli security Cabinet recommended moving forward with the ceasefire Deal with Hamas, increasing the likelihood it will take affect Sunday. The Hill's Laura Kelly outlines how that will work.
Los Angeles sees a light at the end of the tunnel in the fight against the wildfires that have devastated the city. Firefighters boosted containment of the Palisades and Eaton fires during a break in the winds. North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein (D) asked FEMA for an extension on funding to support temporary shelters for residents that lost their homes due to damage from Hurricane Helene.
CNN lost a defamation trial to U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young. CNN will pay an initial $5 million, although that doesn't include punitive damages, which could push the amount much higher.
|
© Jacquelyn Martin, Associated Press |
TikTok's future in Trump's hands
|
The Supreme Court unanimously upheld a law requiring TikTok's China-based parent company to divest its holdings of the social media app or face a ban set to take place Sunday. President Biden, who signed the law, says he will not enforce the ban. Some lawmakers, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), are getting cold feet over the disruption it would cause the creator-influencer industry. The White House says it will allow President-elect Trump to determine whether he intends to enforce the law. Trump has signaled that he wants to save the app, despite his tough talk on China and concerns that the social media app's Chinese owners are using it to harvest American data and sow social divisions. "The Supreme Court decision was expected, and everyone must respect it," Trump said on TruthSocial. "My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I must have time to review the situation. Stay tuned!" Trump discussed the matter with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, who will attend Trump's inauguration this weekend, posted a video publicly thanking Trump for his commitment to "find a solution." |
Noem grilled on immigration at confirmation hearing
|
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R), President-elect Trump's pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), was grilled by a Senate panel on Friday about how she'd enact Trump's immigration policies. As DHS secretary, Noem will have wide-ranging authority over border security and Trump's promises to deport millions in the country illegally. There are questions about the division of labor between Noem and Tom Homan, who Trump tapped to be his border czar. Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) pushed for answers on that front. "Just point blank…who's going to be in charge of the border?" Kim asked. "The president will be in charge of the border," Noem responded. There are still no scheduled confirmation hearings for several of Trump's most controversial nominees, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Health and Human Services, Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence and Kash Patel to lead the Federal Bureau of Investigation. |
The Hill's Julia Mueller and Caroline Vakil report: • Vivek Ramaswamy, the co-chair of Trump's new "Department of Government Efficiency," plans to run for governor of Ohio in 2026.
• Current Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) is expected to tap state Lt. Gov. Jon Husted (R) to replace Vice President-elect JD Vance in the Senate. |
NewsNation's "The Hill Sunday": Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Ted Budd (R-N.C.). Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.). CNN's "State of the Union": Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.). NBC's "Meet the Press": Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.). |
President Biden's decades-long career in Washington will come to an end Monday. The president made several last-minute moves before President-elect Trump takes over: • Biden asserted the Equal Rights Amendment, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, is part of the Constitution, arguing it had met the criteria to be added as the 28th Amendment. However, Biden is not going to direct the archivist to add it to the Constitution. • Biden commuted the sentences of nearly 2,500 people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses. • The administration finalized a massive loan to electric vehicle maker Rivian. • The Biden administration announced its final round of student debt relief. • The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services selected 15 more drugs for Medicare price negotiation, announcing the selection two weeks ahead of schedule. The weight loss drug Ozempic is among them. |
💡Perspectives: • The Liberal Patriot: Where have all the young Democrats gone? • The Hill: The left's mangled guardrails. • Newsweek: Will Biden's approval rating ever rebound? • MSNBC: Latest DNC chair candidate shakes up the race. |
|
|
400 N Capitol Street NW Suite 650, Washington, DC 20001 |
© 1998 - 2025 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. |
|
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment