Monday morning news: January 20, 2025

Inauguration » With his left hand on the Bible, Donald Trump J. Trump will raise his right hand once again this afternoon:

SOUND: [2017 oath of office]

ROBERTS: … And repeat after me. I Donald John Trump do solemnly swear.

TRUMP: I Donald John Trump do solemnly swear. [fade under and out]

And, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, just as he did eight years ago, will administer the oath of office at noon Eastern Time.

After ceremonies at the Capitol, President Trump’s motorcade will head to an arena in the nation's capital, where the traditional parade down Pennsylvania Avenue is being moved indoors due to extreme cold weather.

And finally, it’s onto the White House for inaugural ball celebrations. Those will include performances by singers Jason Aldean and Gavin DeGraw as well as The Village People …

SOUND: [Victory rally Village People]

… who also performed at Trump’s victory rally on Sunday.

Sunday rally » Trump told supporters packed into the nearly 20-thousand seat Capital One Arena in Washington that as of today:

TRUMP:  The curtain closes on four long years of American decline and we begin a brand new day of American strength and prosperity, dignity, and pride.

Also speaking Sunday was Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. He’s tasked with helping lead the independent Department of Government Efficiency. He told the crowd, “we’re looking forward to making a lot of changes.”

Executive orders, agenda » Donald Trump also promised “the most extraordinary first 100 days of any presidency in American history.”

TRUMP: Every radical  and foolish executive order of the Biden administration will be repealed within hours of when I take the oath of office.

And he is planning to issue more than a hundred executive orders of his own.

Those will include numerous actions aimed at locking down the southern border and launching a promised mass deportation of those who have entered the country illegally.

TikTok » Another executive order will be aimed at saving TikTok.

The social media app is back online in the US. It temporarily went dark over the weekend after a law took effect banning the app in the United States. But TikTok flipped the switch back on after President Trump vowed an executive order.

Trump advisor Jason Miller:

MILLER:  A lot of people are concerned about security and other measures such as that, who know that he's going to get the deal done right. So I think you should be pretty optimistic if you're a TikTok user or supporter. And if anyone can help solve it, it's President Trump.

The law required TikTok’s Chinese parent company to sell the app or face a nationwide ban. That was due to concerns over user privacy and even national security. The president’s executive order will aim to give the platform’s owners more time to find the right buyer.

Confirmations » The Senate will be voting in the coming days on President Trump’s cabinet picks. At least a handful of those votes will likely be tight. But others could cruise to confirmation, most notably, Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio.

Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine told CBS’ Face the Nation:

KAINE: He visited my office before the hearing. He did very well at the hearing. And I think we are likely to act on day one, and he’ll get a strong bipartisan vote.

Rubio could be confirmed today. And US officials say he is expected to begin international engagements this week meeting with the foreign ministers of India, Japan and Australia.

Gaza ceasefire » Three hostages released from Gaza are now in Israel in the first test of a fragile ceasefire with Hamas.

Israeli government spokesman David Mencer says President Trump has given his full backing:

MENCER:  to Israel's right to return to the fighting if Israel reaches the conclusion that the second stage of negotiations are ineffectual. Israel's government does, of course, want all stages to be, to come into effect.

The deal calls for Hamas to gradually release 33 hostages over the next six weeks. In return, Israel will release almost a thousand Palestinian prisoners, including militants and others accused of crimes.

Winter weather » A polar vortex will blast most of the country east of the Rockies this week with extreme cold.

Mark Chanard with the National Weather Service:

CHENARD: Wind chills below minus 40, um, already being observed across portions of North Dakota and Minnesota, but then wind chills, you know, as low as minus 20 spread across much of the central plains, even into the Great Lakes.

The Mid Atlantic, and the Northeast will have wind chills below zero.

It will also blanket large portions of the Eastern US with snow.

Almost half the country right now is under some kind of winter weather advisory, watch, or warning.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: the Supreme Court considers arguments for and against age verification laws. Plus, the Monday Moneybeat with economist David Bahnsen.

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