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A stack of Kuwait Times newspapers with a picture from Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony. Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat/AFP via Getty Images

It’s Tuesday, the traditional day for elections and for our pause-and-consider newsletter on politics and policy. We think of it as a mini-magazine in your inbox.

TRUMP’S EXECUTIVE ACTIONS SO FAR
By Lisa Desjardins, @LisaDNews ([link removed])
Correspondent

The second Trump administration began with a hefty Day 1, rolling out dozens of executive actions.

It is a blizzard of decrees, which we read through overnight.

A few are operation matters. Trump made his nominee list official, organized his National Security Council ([link removed]) , and allowed his chief counsel to give temporary clearances ([link removed]) to a list of people.

Most of these are aimed at direct changes in the policy and operations of the United States. One of the largest executive orders rescinds a whopping 78 Biden policies. ([link removed])

Several are expected to draw quick court challenges. And many do not provide details for how these will be administered. But Trump is quickly acting to set up his agenda.

As a reminder: There are different kinds of actions a president can take, including executive orders, proclamations and memorandums. Here’s a quick refresher ([link removed]) before we get started.

Here are some initial highlights.

Border
* Declared a national emergency ([link removed]) at the southern border
* Directed the U.S. military to prioritize missions around sealing and protecting the U.S. border ([link removed])
* A series of changes to secure the border: ([link removed]) constructing more barriers, relaunching “Remain in Mexico,” ending use of the CBP One app for asylum seekers and others, ending parole for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezualans
* Ordered Homeland Security to set up more detention facilities ([link removed]) for migrants and establish “Homeland Security Task Forces” in every state to focus on gangs, cartels, and trafficking of drugs and migrants
* Directed agencies to look into potential travel bans ([link removed]) within 60 days
* Declared an “invasion” ([link removed]) at the southern border. This directs that entry by undocumented migrants will be blocked
* Designated cartels as foreign terrorist organizations ([link removed])

Immigration
* Beginning in 30 days, Trump plans to end birthright citizenship. ([link removed]) (Several states have already filed lawsuits ([link removed]) challenging the order)
* Beginning Jan. 27, the U.S. Refugees Admissions Program will be suspended ([link removed]) and placed under review

Federal workers and buildings
* Ends work from home. ([link removed]) Requires federal workers to be in the office full time “as soon as practicable”
* Set a hiring freeze ([link removed]) for all vacant positions, with the exception of immigration enforcement, national security or public safety
* Reclassified thousands of workers ([link removed]) as political hires, making them easier to fire and hire
* Directed the firing and replacing of current boards ([link removed]) that oversee senior career workers
* Froze the issuing ([link removed]) of all new regulations until a Trump appointee arrives to review
* Some 52 former national security officials will lose their clearances ([link removed])
* New federal buildings must follow traditional, classical architecture. ([link removed]) The president should be notified of any other designs
* Flags must fly at full staff ([link removed]) on Inauguration Day.


Department of Justice
* TikTok ban will not be enforced ([link removed]) for 75 days.
* Pardons and commutations ([link removed]) granted for nearly every Jan.6 defendant, including most of those convicted of harming police officers. Directs the attorney general to dismiss all pending indictments
* Directs the DOJ to pursue the death penalty ([link removed]) in some specific cases.

We'll keep reporting on Trump's actions, on air and online. Find our latest political coverage here. ([link removed])
More on the Trump administration’s first week from our coverage:
* Watch: Trump returns to office and kickstarts an ambitious and controversial agenda. ([link removed])
* One Big Question: How is a presidential executive action different from a law? A legal expert explains. ([link removed])
* A Direct Plea: At an interfaith prayer service Tuesday, a reverend urged Trump to “have mercy” on LGBTQ+ kids and immigrants. ([link removed])
* Perspectives: Former NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on how the world is responding to Trump’s return. ([link removed])

AN UPDATE ON CONFIRMATION HEARINGS
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The U.S. Senate continues with its confirmation hearings this week.
By Joshua Barajas
Senior Editor, Digital

By Erica R. Hendry
Senior Managing Editor, Digital

Hours after President Donald Trump delivered his inaugural address, the Senate unanimously confirmed the first of his Cabinet nominees: Marco Rubio as secretary of state.

In his first remarks ([link removed]) as the nation’s new top diplomat Tuesday, Rubio said Trump’s foreign policy goals are “centered on one thing, and that is the advancement of our national interest.”

While Trump makes his first moves, issuing a flurry of executive orders ([link removed]) , the Republican-controlled Senate will continue to question the president’s Cabinet picks.

Here’s a look at some of the major hearings so far this week and what’s ahead.

Elise Stefanik, nominee for ambassador to the United Nations

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Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

Stefanik, a loyal Trump ally and the chair of the House Republican Conference, has called for a “complete reassessment” of the U.S. funding ([link removed]) for the U.N. She focused on that mission during her time with senators Tuesday.

“The purpose of the United Nations is to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations based on the shared respect for the principle of equal rights, solve international problems and harmonize the actions of nations in the attainment of common ends,” Stefanik said. “The U.N. has not lived up to this founding mission, and we must demand better.”

On fighting China’s influence. Stefanik said the U.S. should work to strengthen its relationships ([link removed]) with partners and allies “to ensure that [China] is not able to make inroads at the most senior levels of these technical organizations, and of agencies across the U.N. writ large.”

On efforts to defund U.N. Palestinian relief agency, or UNRWA. Stefanik said that she “fully supports” the U.S. ending funding ([link removed]) for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East, the largest humanitarian aid organization in Gaza. Israel accused the organization of employing members of Hamas. A number of countries paused funding to the organization as a result. President Joe Biden signed a military funding bill last year that barred funding the agency for one year. UNRWA announced in August that it had fired nine employees ([link removed]) who had potential involvement in the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks on Israel. Stefanik said the U.S. “should never tolerate any U.S. taxpayer funds going towards terrorism.”

On the question of Israeli and Palestinian rights. Stefanik said that while Palestinian people deserve human rights, Israel has a biblical right to the West Bank. ([link removed]) She did not answer whether the Palestinian people have the right to self-determination.

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Watch the clip in the player above.

"I think it's a disgrace that Hamas and Hezbollah have stripped human rights of the Palestinian people and we need to ensure that we are standing up for human rights and that Israel is standing up for human rights," Stefanik said.

Doug Collins, nominee for secretary of Veterans Affairs

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Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images

Collins, a one-time Congressman from Georgia and a colonel and chaplain in the U.S. Air Force Reserve Command, showed his dog tags ([link removed]) in his opening remarks Tuesday. He said, if confirmed, “the VA will be my mission,” ensuring that his fellow veterans would get the care they need.

Access to care and benefits was a major concern for senators on both sides of the aisle, whether it was supporting members of the military in their transitions to civilian life ([link removed]) or abortion access for women veterans. ([link removed]) And when it came to veterans benefits, Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, was more blunt. He warned Collins against using artificial intelligence to determine the benefits veterans have earned.

“Capisce?” ([link removed]) he told Collins.

(Collins didn’t want to take AI completely “off the table.”)

A hiring freeze of federal workers. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., was worried that this executive action ([link removed]) from Trump could be interpreted to affect all kinds of workers — doctors, nurses, crisis line workers among them — who don’t disperse benefits to veterans but provide crucial care.

“No one on the veteran health care side is gonna miss their health care provider because of this new hiring freeze,” Collins assured the senator. “The president is doing a prudent step as he comes into office to make sure we have a good handle on what we got and going forward.”

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Watch the clip in the player above.

Concerns about reducing staff bubbled up in the hearing because senators wanted to make sure veterans benefits weren’t greatly affected. Trump announced a new Department of Government Efficiency, which now has a government website. ([link removed])

The VA, “frankly, is a target-rich environment for cost-cutters,” Blumenthal said.

Hannah Grabenstein, general assignment reporter, digital, and Molly Finnegan, deputy managing editor, contributed reporting.
More on Trump’s Cabinet from our coverage:
* Who’s who? A list of every major Trump Cabinet pick ([link removed]) and their backgrounds.
* Read: What Americans think about Hegseth, Rubio, Musk and RFK Jr., some of Trump’s most controversial picks. ([link removed])
* Mark Your Calendars: Confirmation hearings for President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks continue. Here’s the full schedule. ([link removed])

THIS WEEK’S TRIVIA QUESTION
By Erica R. Hendry
Senior Managing Editor, Digital

Cabinet nominees face a tough confirmation process. But the vast majority win approval from the Senate and go on to serve in their positions.

At least a dozen nominees have withdrawn from the process in the last 25 years, including one in this administration ([link removed]) , but it’s relatively rare for a nominee to be outright rejected by the Senate. Only nine nominees have met this fate.

Our question: Under which president was a Cabinet nominee last rejected by the Senate?

Send your answers to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) or tweet using #PoliticsTrivia. The first correct answers will earn a shout-out next week.

Last week, we asked: How many Cabinet officials were approved by the Senate on Jan. 20, 2017, the first day of Trump’s first term?

The answer: Two. ([link removed]) That would be John Kelly for homeland security secretary and Jim Mattis for defense secretary.

Congratulations to our winners: Dave Pasley and Bob Schmid!

Thank you all for reading and watching. We’ll drop into your inbox next week.
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