We are, quite frankly, the dominant predator.”

— Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) on Fox Business, explaining his bill to give Trump congressional authority to take Greenland.

Q-A-NON-STOP BULLSHIT

Donald Trump’s sweeping pardons for January 6 rioters, even violent offenders, will embolden American extremists and right-wing militias, legal experts tell What A Day.

Donald Trump stunned the country last night by pardoning virtually all 1,500 people convicted of crimes relating to storming the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 — an act of mass political violence that resulted in five deaths. We knew he’d pardon some of them. But he even threw in violent offenders who attacked police officers. Even Vice President JD Vance, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Trump adviser Jason Miller had suggested that violent convicts shouldn’t get pardons. There’s only one person calling the shots, apparently!

“It’s a message: ‘Don't worry, I got your back. I’ll take care of you.’ And so it portends danger,” Jill Wine-Banks, one of the prosecutors during the Watergate scandal, told What A Day. “He doesn't want anyone who speaks up against him … I would say there's a risk that his people will think getting rid of Democrats is the way to go.”

The idea that the rioters are free to go “really sends a message that political violence will be not just forgiven, but encouraged as long as you are acting in service to the leader,” Barbara McQuade, former U.S. attorney general for Michigan, told What A Day. “That’s a very dangerous thing.”

It’s a message that at least one pardon-recipient heard loud and clear. “I GOT A PARDON BABY!,” the infamous QAnon Shaman, or Jake Angeli-Chansely, posted on X. “NOW I AM GONNA BUY SOME MOTHA FU*KIN GUNS!!!”

The pardons legitimize fringe groups, like the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers — and could even spark the formation of new paramilitary groups.

“They have been sort of blessed by Donald Trump,” McQuade said. “I could see other groups saying, ‘We want to be just like the Proud Boys,’ or it could be a recruiting tool… ‘Look, they are part of Trump's unofficial private army, and we want to be a part of that.’”

Trump’s loyalty to the January 6 rioters doesn’t stop at pardons. He also named Ed Martin, a conservative activist who served on the board of a group supporting the rioters, to be the acting U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C. To understand how warped this guy’s perspective on reality is, he compared the atmosphere outside the Capitol building on January 6 in a tweet to being “Like Mardi Gras in DC today: love, faith and joy.” That guy is the new top cop in D.C.!

Trump’s pardons seem likely to usher in a new era defined by lawlessness and division. “I am loath to predict the future,” Wine-Banks said. “But this has to be a warning sign, a red flag, that there needs to be preparation.”

COLD AS ICE

Donald Trump’s early focus on immigration is already taking a chilling real-life toll on places far from America’s southern border.

Take Chicago’s bustling Little Village neighborhood, a predominantly Latino area known for its taquerias and Mexican grocery stores. Unconfirmed reports of a looming immigration raid by the Trump administration have practically cleared the streets, as residents choose to lay low.

“I was walking the business corridor three days ago on Friday, and I spoke with a street vendor who said their sales were down about 60 percent,” Mike Rodriguez, a local politician, told Bloomberg. “Business was just down, people were staying home, people were worried about: one the cold, but two, they were fearful of engaging with ICE.”

Aside from Trump's numerous executive orders to curb immigration, he also removed four top immigration court officials, which could change how asylum claims are processed, according to the Washington Post. Those officials helped decide whether someone who violated immigration law should be allowed to stay in the United States.

MAGA lawmakers in Congress are also pushing forward Trump’s radical agenda. On Monday, the Senate voted to pass the Laken Riley Act, which requires ICE agents to arrest undocumented immigrants who have been charged with petty crimes, like shoplifting.

Twelve Democrats voted with Republicans on the bill. Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) explained his rationale: “I’m bringing the perspective of working class Latinos from Arizona. And that perspective, I think, has been missing,” he told Politico, citing immigration as a major reason Democrats lost the presidential election.

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WHAT ELSE?

Israel launched a “significant” military operation in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin today, killing at least nine Palestinians. This comes just one day after president Donald Trump lifted sanctions on violent ultranationalist Israeli settlers in the West Bank.

Meanwhile, Elise Stefanik, Donald Trump’s pick to be U.N. ambassador, said she believes Israel has a biblical right to the West Bank. The U.N.’s top court, on the other hand, describes the occupation as unlawful.

Trump blasted Russian President Vladimir Putin in a rare public rebuke, saying that he’s “destroying Russia” via its war in Ukraine. Hours earlier, Putin had praised Trump’s “courage” and said he secured a “convincing victory” in the presidential election.

Russian officials later warned Trump against trying to take over the Panama Canal, which he seems peculiarly serious about. Does this mean the Trump-Putin bromance will finally end? Will Trump keep sending gifts to his Kremlin sidekick? Who knows.

Instagram scrambled to fix a technical issue today which caused the word “Democrats” to be hidden in search results. Sounds fishy, right? Social media experts believe it really is just an error, but the optics, given how cozy Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has become with Trump, aren’t great!

Hamas militants have flooded the streets of Gaza after the ceasefire with Israel went into effect over the weekend, suggesting that Hamas remains in control of the territory despite Israel’s efforts to destroy the group. Hamas’s presence “highlights that Israel’s goals for the war were never achievable,” Gershon Baskin, a former Israeli hostage negotiator, told the Wall Street Journal.

Trump’s inauguration suit didn’t appear to be American-made, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) wore an $11,000 casual watch, and tech Vivek Ramaswamy “shrink-wrapped himself in a slim-fit suit out of the early 2000s.” Those are some pithy observations about yesterday’s ceremony from noted menswear expert Derek Guy, who thinks elites should be better tailored if they’re gonna run the country. We’re glaring at you, Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA).

Twenty-two Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia joined civil rights groups in filing lawsuits in federal courts to challenge Trump’s plan to end birthright citizenship, a key measure of the 14th Amendment.

The next four years are going to be a challenging and disorienting time, to say the least. Crooked will be here to help you distill what truly matters, understand what’s at stake, and figure out what we can do to make a difference. The best way to support what we do? Subscribe to Friends of the Pod. You’ll gain access to ad-free episodes, our engaged Discord community, and exclusive shows, all while supporting Crooked Media and our mission. Plus, now you can listen to episodes of Pod Save America — and Pod Save the World! — ad-free when you subscribe to Friends of the Pod on Apple Podcasts! Simply open the Apple Podcasts app and tap the subscribe button directly from the Pod Save America or Pod Save the World feed, and you’ll start your 7-day free trial.

Former President Joe Biden secured a final hostage swap before leaving office, finalizing a deal to bring home two Americans in exchange for a Taliban drug trafficker held in U.S. custody. “While it was not the deal we would have made, we’re always glad to bring Americans home,” a Trump administration told the Wall Street Journal.

A 100-year-old Navy veteran and dentist shared his thoughts on how to find meaning in life with the Washington Post. It’s all wise and heartwarming, but this was my favorite tidbit: “My advice is open your heart, open your eyes. There’s a whole world out there around you.”

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