Trump executive orders; Jan. 6 pardons; Immigration : NPR

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Today’s top stories

Today marks President Trump’s first full day at the White House. After being sworn in as the 47th president of the United States, he wasted no time undoing policies former President Joe Biden implemented. Here are some of the key orders Trump signed or signaled yesterday.

• 🎧 Trump took a big step toward his goal of overhauling the federal government, NPR’s Franco Ordoñez tells Up First. He signed an order reclassifying thousands of career civil servants so they can be more easily fired and replaced, but that’s likely to face legal challenges. Trump revoked nearly 80 executive actions taken by the Biden administration on issues like climate, energy and diversity programs. Though a number of orders Trump wants to put in place are expected to be challenged in court, he and his team have made it clear they’re willing to be creative when interpreting and applying old laws to fulfill his agenda, Ordoñez says.
• ➡️ Trump pledged a “golden age” for the U.S. during his second inaugural address. Here are four takeaways from the speech.
• ➡️ See photos from the thousands who gathered in Washington, D.C., for the inauguration and the several balls Trump attended.

Immigration is a focal point of Trump’s first moves as president and a key part of his campaign message and rise to power. Yesterday evening, he signed a handful of actions tied to immigration and rescinding some Biden administration policies on asylum and the border. Some of these moves push the bounds of the law and the Constitution.

• 🎧 Trump signed executive actions aimed at some of his boldest promises, including reinterpreting the 14th Amendment to mean those born in the U.S. don’t get automatic citizenship, NPR’s Ximena Bustillo says. He has brought back the construction of the border wall and a pause on refugee resettlement. He also shut down the CPB One app, which allowed migrants to schedule appointments at ports of entry.
• ➡️ Last night, the Senate passed the Laken Riley Act, which would mandate federal detention for immigrants residing in the U.S. illegally if they are accused of crimes. The bill is expected to be Trump’s first piece of legislation signed into law this term.

Trump issued pardons and commutations to every defendant charged and convicted in connection to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. He said he “fully” pardoned 1,500 people and commuted six sentences. That includes people convicted of assaulting police on that day with bats, poles, pepper spray and other weapons. Over 140 officers sustained injuries, including crushed spinal discs, traumatic brain injuries and a heart attack.

• 🎧 “The headline here is everyone charged in connection with Jan. 6, whether they pleaded guilty or lost at trial, whether they assaulted cops or not, whether they were found to be violent extremists or not, they are all getting relief from Trump,” NPR’s Tom Dreisbach says. Members of the incoming administration said this would not happen. Vice President JD Vance told Fox News this month that people who assaulted police shouldn’t be pardoned. Trump has essentially undone the largest single criminal investigation in the history of the Justice Department, Dreisbach adds. Counterterrorism experts tell Dreisbach there is a concern that this is an endorsement of political violence by Trump’s administration, as long as it is against his opponents.

Today’s listen

Steve Bannon, the former White House chief strategist and host of the WarRoom podcast, is celebrating President Trump’s return to power as a devoted supporter. Simultaneously, he is debating the role tech billionaires are playing in the new administration. Bannon says he is part of a populist revolution. Yet, yesterday’s inauguration attendees included three of the richest and most influential men in the world: Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk. Bannon sat down with Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep to talk about everything from the billionaires’ role in the administration to visas and immigration. Listen to what he had to say.

Deep dive

When the FDA announced a ban on food dye Red No. 3 last week, the agency pointed to a law that says a food additive may not be authorized if it has been found to cause cancer. Research has shown that Red No. 3 can cause cancer in laboratory rats when exposed to high levels. Some evidence also shows these synthetic dyes can negatively affect children’s behavior and mental health. Here are some things for parents to consider when navigating food:

• 🍬 If the food is bright cherry red, that’s the first clue the product could contain Red No. 3. Still, it is good to look at the ingredient labels.
• 🍬 Over 3,000 consumer products contain Red No. 3, according to a list compiled by the Environmental Working Group. This includes fruit cocktails, flavored milk, cake mixes and candy.
• 🍬 Manufacturers must eliminate Red No. 3 from their products by January 2027. Consumer groups are concerned that some companies may substitute it with Red No. 40, which has been associated with behavioral issues in children.

3 things to know before you go

1. More than 20 years ago, Virginia Squier brought her 8-year-old daughter Chambers on a trip to England that she was chaperoning. While at a train station, Chambers boarded a train without her. A man on the train witnessed this and stepped in to help reunite them. The unsung hero’s help taught Squier to be a more accepting person.
2. Cecile Richards, the longtime activist for women’s rights and former head of Planned Parenthood, died yesterday. In a January 2024 Instagram post, Richards described going through a whirlwind of treatments for cancer.
3. Key Texas legislators say they intend to pass a law mandating public schools to display the Ten Commandments in their classrooms. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick named it one of the leading conservative priorities.

This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.