Trump demands apology from bishop for asking for mercy as latest executive orders target DEI: Live updates

The now former leader of an extremist gang who was just pardoned by Trump celebrated his release from prison on Tuesday by calling conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on the show and calling for retribution.

Speaking to Jones, a Proud Boys supporter who was a key figure in planning the Jan. 6 rally, Tarrio praised Trump for freeing him and other Proud Boys members from prison.

He also expressed no regrets about the riots at the Capitol, although he previously apologized for his role in the events.

“I would like to thank President Donald J Trump once again for helping us through these difficult times and releasing me, Joe Biggs, Ethan Nordean, Zachary Rehl and Dominic Pezzola. right? And all J6ers,” he declared.

“We went through hell, and I’ll tell you, it was worth it, because what we stood for and what those guys stood for is what we fought for and what we saw yesterday on the inauguration stage.

“I can’t tell you it was easy, but I will tell you it was worth it.”

Here’s more from Justin Baragona.

Donald Trump’s administration has scrapped a longstanding policy barring federal immigration authorities from conducting sweeps at places like schools, daycare centers, hospitals, churches and other so-called “sensitive areas” as the president lays the groundwork for his “mass deportation” agenda. .

“Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest,” a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.

“The Trump administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement agencies, but trusts them to use common sense.”

For more than a decade, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents have been barred from making arrests in “sensitive” locations without the approval of senior officials.

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Benjamin Huffman’s latest directive rescinds previous guidance from the Joe Biden administration, which further established “protected areas,” including places where “children congregate, disaster or emergency relief sites, and social service facilities.”

The changes drew sharp rebukes and warnings from religious leaders, teachers’ unions, school districts and immigrant advocacy groups, with state and local leaders in so-called “sanctuary” policies pledging to defend their jurisdictions in court.

Here’s more from Alex Woodward.

Here’s how the president is throwing down the gauntlet to Vladimir Putin, warning him that he will target Russia with tariffs, taxes and sanctions if he doesn’t agree to a deal to end the war in Ukraine:

In one of the first acts of his second administration, the new president pardoned nearly all of the 1,500 people charged for their roles in the attempted uprising at the US Capitol four years ago.

Now new details are emerging that reveal the foreboding nature of the decision that led to the move.

“Trump just said, ‘Fuck him: Free them all,'” said an adviser familiar with the discussions. Axios.

Meanwhile, it’s worth noting that the aforementioned President Johnson just now made it abundantly clear that this is the president’s call and, ideally, not something he wants to be associated with:

Here Kelly Rissman with the inside story behind the highly divisive act of pardon.

The president’s first social media activity of the morning is wishing the first lady a “happy anniversary!” by, um, reposting a bunch of old pictures and fan art of his supporters in a pretty crazy way.

He also brought back this AI lion meme, because why not?

Also on MAGA social media, House Speaker Mike Johnson posted this video of Vice President Vance, jaw agape, as Trump shows him the Oval Office for the first time.

The man was sworn in as president 46 hours ago and we’re already seeing headlines like these… It’s going to be a LONG four years.

Here’s the latest on bishop-gate from James Liddell.

The president advanced his “culture wars” agenda by ordering all federal employees employed under the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) program to be placed on paid leave with the goal of their eventual termination.

It’s not yet known exactly how many people are affected by the order, but agencies have been told to put those involved on leave “immediately,” according to the executive order Trump signed Tuesday night.

Employers are advised to notify their staff by 5pm on Wednesday.

The order also requires federal agencies to submit a layoff plan for various employees by Jan. 31.

The Delaware representative, the first openly transgender person elected to Congress, rejected Trump’s anti-transgender executive order Tuesday night, which declared there are only two genders and sought to define them biologically.

Here Eric Garcia on her mocking of the wrong wording of the president’s order.

The head of Tesla, SpaceX and X was angered by the internet encyclopedia’s characterization of his aforementioned gesture and called for the site to be “de-funded”, prompting an angry response from its founder Jimmy Wales.

Here Madeline Sherratt with more.