The Full Belmonte, 1/23-24/2025
Washington Attorney General Nick Brown called Trump’s executive order ‘unconstitutional and un-American.’
PHOTO: LINDSEY WASSON/ASSOCIATED PRESS
“Judge blocks Trump order on birthright citizenship: A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to end the granting of American citizenship to children born to foreigners in the U.S. During a hearing today in Seattle, U.S. District Judge John Coughenour issued a temporary restraining order preventing Trump from carrying out his order aimed at ending birthright citizenship. ‘This is a blatantly unconstitutional order,’ Coughenour said in court.” [POLITICO]
Trump shuts off access to asylum, plans to send 10,000 troops to border
(Anna Watts for The Post)
By Nick Miroff, Dan Lamothe, Maria Sacchetti and Marianne LeVine
Read more at Washington Post
Two Republican senators said they opposed the nomination of Pete Hegseth for defense secretary.
“Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine cited the former Fox News host’s lack of experience and his perspectives. The moves inject new drama into what was expected to be a nail-biter of a vote tomorrow over Trump’s pick. Republicans control the Senate, 53-47. If Democrats unite against Hegseth, he can’t afford more than three ‘no’ votes from the GOP.” [Wall Street Journal]
Ruth Fremson/The New York Times
Senate Pushes Hegseth Toward Approval as G.O.P. Discounts New Allegations
“All but two Republicans voted to advance Pete Hegseth’s nomination as secretary of defense, clearing the final hurdle to a confirmation vote now expected on Friday evening, as Democrats raced to bolster fresh allegations about his personal conduct.”
Read more. at New York Times
Trump moves to close down Pentagon office focused on the prevention of civilian deaths resulting from U.S. military activity
“The Civilian Protection Center of Excellence, a small directorate established by Congress to help the military limit unintended civilian harm in conflict zones, is under scrutiny from the new administration. The Department of the Army, where the center is housed, is drafting a proposal to defund and potentially ‘disestablish’ the office, according to people familiar with the matter and an internal document reviewed by The Post.”
Read the story at Washington Post
Senate panel advances Turner for HUD on party-line vote
“The Senate Banking Committee voted 13-11, along party lines, on Thursday to advance Scott Turner’s nomination to be secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, with Democrats voting no over concerns about Turner’s unfinished FBI background check.
If confirmed by the full Senate, the NFL veteran and former developer would run a department with a $70 billion budget and roughly 8,000 employees at a time when housing has risen to the forefront politically after costs soared in the wake of the pandemic.
Turner told the committee during his confirmation hearing last week that ‘HUD is failing at its most basic mission,’ pointing to the high cost of housing and a recent surge in homelessness. But he offered few specifics on how he would turn things around, saying he wanted first to take stock of which programs are working and which aren’t.”
Read the latest at POLITICO
Jamie Kelter Davis for The New York Times
Trump Revokes Security Detail for Pompeo and Others Despite Iranian Threats
“The move came despite warnings from the Biden administration that President Trump’s former secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, and a former top aide, Brian Hook, faced ongoing threats from Iran because of actions they took during Trump’s first term.”
Read more at New York Times
Trump orders release of secret JFK, RFK and MLK documents
READ FULL STORY→ USA Today
Trump CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed by Senate
READ FULL STORY→ USA Today
Johnson aide advised against subpoena of Jan. 6 witness Cassidy Hutchinson to prevent release of ‘sexual texts’ lawmakers sent her
“An aide to House Speaker Mike Johnson advised Republican colleagues against subpoenaing Hutchinson, a former White House aide, as part of their investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack to prevent the release of sexually explicit texts that lawmakers told the office they sent her, according to written correspondence reviewed by The Washington Post and a person familiar with the effort.”
Read more at Washington Post
Bipartisan funding negotiations begin in Congress ahead of March shutdown cliff
“Republican funding leaders have made an opening offer to Democrats as the two parties launch negotiations toward a deal to fund the government before the mid-March shutdown deadline.
Congress’ top appropriators gathered privately Thursday evening in the Capitol for an hour-long ‘four corners’ meeting — the first concrete step toward a bipartisan funding agreement as Republican leaders begin to embrace the idea of a cross-party accord that funds the government and raises the debt limit, while also potentially boosting disaster aid and border security funding. The beginning of negotiations follows months of inaction on a bipartisan government funding plan, after lawmakers first punted beyond the October start of the fiscal year and then again resorted to a stopgap measure in December, pushing the spending cliff into the first months of the new Trump administration.
Leaving the meeting, the House’s top Democratic appropriator, Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, said the four lawmakers hope to strike a ‘topline’ agreement by month’s end — just over a week away — to set overall totals for the military and non-defense programs, as well as rules for policy add-ons. That expedited timeline comes as government funding runs out on March 14 and it usually takes at least a month for lawmakers to close out negotiations on the dozen appropriations bills once an overarching agreement is struck.”
Read the latest at POLITICO
What to know about President Donald Trump's order targeting the rights of transgender people
“An executive order President Donald Trump signed on his first day back in office calls for the federal government to define sex as only male or female and for that to be reflected on official documents such as passports and policies such as federal prison assignments. Many of the provisions are likely to be challenged in court.” Read More at AP News
“The Anti-Defamation League condemned Elon Musk for making a series of Nazi-related jokes on X, calling it ‘inappropriate and offensive to make light’ of the ‘singularly evil’ Holocaust. Just days earlier, the ADL had defended Musk over an awkward hand gesture during an inauguration event that drew comparisons to a Nazi salute. Go deeper.” [Axios]
“Senate Judiciary chair launches investigation into New Orleans, Las Vegas attacks: Senators are launching an inquiry into the New Year’s Day attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas. Senate Judiciary Committee chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations chair Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) have asked the FBI and the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, Defense and FBI for more information about the perpetrators of both attacks.” [POLITICO]
Kristi Noem's immigration rhetoric overlooks stark economic realities in her own state
“Gov. Kristi Noem’s heated rhetoric on immigration belies a stark economic reality in her own state: With unemployment at 1.9% — the lowest in the country — South Dakota faces an acute labor shortage and has grown increasingly dependent on the same migrants she may be tasked with deporting as President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security.” Read More at AP News
INTERNATIONAL
Teen who killed 3 girls at Taylor Swift-themed dance class in England sentenced to over 50 years
“A teenager who stabbed three young girls to death at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in England was sentenced Thursday to more than 50 years in prison for what a judge called ‘the most extreme, shocking and exceptionally serious crime.’” Read More at AP News
Path to Accountability
Taliban security personnel stand guard as an Afghan burqa-clad woman (right) walks along a street in Badakhshan province, Afghanistan, on Feb. 26, 2024.Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty Images
“International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor Karim Khan announced on Thursday that he was seeking arrest warrants for two top Taliban leaders. Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani are accused of being ‘criminally responsible for persecuting Afghan girls and women’ as well as those who do not follow the Taliban’s gender norms and those who are perceived to be allies of these individuals.
Khan alleges that these crimes were committed from at least Aug. 15, 2021—when the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan—to the present day. Those who oppose the Taliban’s gender rules have been ‘brutally repressed,’ including via ‘murder, imprisonment, torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence, enforced disappearance, and other inhumane acts,’ Khan added.
Since coming to power, the Taliban have systematically cracked down on women’s rights, including banning women from attending universities, closing secondary schools and beauty salons, requiring women to wear burqas, and criminalizing the act of women speaking in public. Last month, the Taliban ordered that all new buildings must be constructed so that women cannot be seen through the windows and all existing buildings with windows that overlook places where women usually convene must be walled or covered up. These places include kitchens, courtyards, and wells.
‘This is the Taliban 2.0: an enterprise virtually indistinguishable from the original, under which Afghanistan became a failed state that threatened regional and international security in the late 1990s,’ Kelley E. Currie and Amy K. Mitchell argued in Foreign Policy in 2022.
This is the first time that ICC prosecutors have publicly sought arrest warrants in relation to potential war crimes in Afghanistan. Now, a three-judge panel must determine whether to issue the warrants; this process usually takes around three months. If the court rules in favor, then it is up to individual member states to carry out the arrests as the ICC has no enforcement mechanism. Khan said his office plans to seek arrest warrants for other senior Taliban officials in the near future. The Taliban have not issued a comment over the ICC announcement.
‘With no justice in sight in Afghanistan, the warrant requests offer an essential pathway to a measure of accountability,’ said Liz Evenson, the international justice director at Human Rights Watch.
No country formally recognizes the Taliban; however, several nations (including Russia, China, and Pakistan) have established diplomatic relations with the group. A prisoner swap on Tuesday between the United States and the Taliban has the Afghan rulers hoping that a ‘normalization’ of ties with Washington is in the works, though such a shift remains unlikely.” [Foreign Policy]
“Davos warnings. Foreign leaders used the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday to caution against a Russian victory over Ukraine. NATO chief Mark Rutte warned on the summit’s sidelines that such an outcome would undermine the dissuasive force of the world’s largest military alliance and result in a loss of credibility that could cost NATO trillions of dollars in industrial production to reverse.
‘We have to change the trajectory of the war,’ Rutte said, urging NATO members to bolster their military aid to Ukraine. At the same time, he acknowledged that ‘Ukraine is closer to Europe than to the U.S.’ and therefore European countries should bear the highest financial burden.
Rutte’s comments appear to be an effort to appease newly inaugurated U.S. President Donald Trump, who has suggested freezing U.S. aid to Ukraine and called for Europe to bear more of the cost of Ukraine’s defense. At a virtual address to the forum on Thursday, Trump reiterated these concerns as well as warned of steep tariffs against the European Union to address a trade deficit.
Having previously criticized the failure of some NATO members to meet the alliance’s minimum defense spending requirement of 2 percent of GDP, Trump said he now wants NATO countries to spend 5 percent of their GDP on defense. The United States spent 2.7 percent of its GDP on defense in 2024, according to the U.S. Defense Department.” [Foreign Policy]
Why Netanyahu's political future is as fragile as the ceasefire
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-line coalition partners have threatened to topple the government if he does not resume Israel’s war in Gaza when a six-week ceasefire with Hamas expires. That could leave Netanyahu torn between his allies at home and a U.S. president who says he wants to end the region’s wars.” Read More at AP News
“Rainbow celebrations. Thailand on Thursday became the first Southeast Asian country to hold legal same-sex weddings. More than 1,000 couples filed marriage registrations, and a luxury retail mall in Bangkok held a mass wedding ceremony to mark the historic event.
‘Equal marriage has truly become possible with the power of all,’ former Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on Thursday. Srettha was premier when the legislation passed last June, which introduced an amendment to a Thai civil code that changed the words ‘husband’ and ‘wife’ to ‘spouse.’ This allowed same-sex couples to receive full legal, financial, and medical rights, including the ability to adopt children.” [Foreign Policy]
“Investment promise. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told Trump on Wednesday that he wants to broaden trade and investment with the United States to the tune of $600 billion over the next four years. The pledge comes just days after the new U.S. president said he would consider making Saudi Arabia the destination of his first foreign trip in return for substantial monetary promises.
According to a White House readout of the call, the two leaders also ‘discussed efforts to bring stability to the Middle East’ as well as ‘trade and other opportunities to increase the mutual prosperity’ of the two countries. At the World Economic Forum on Thursday, Trump said he planned to ask Riyadh and other OPEC members to ‘bring down the cost of oil.’
In recent years, the United States has decreased its dependence on Saudi oil. However, the kingdom remains the world’s biggest oil exporter, and the two countries maintain close trading partnerships for U.S.-made weapons and defense systems.” [Foreign Policy]
“Thousands of botany enthusiasts flocked to a greenhouse in Sydney’s Botanic Gardens on Thursday to witness the unfurling of “Putricia,” a flower that emits a pungent odor akin to rotting garbage when it blooms. This is the first time that the Indonesia-native plant, which blooms once every few years for just 24 hours, has bloomed at the garden in 15 years. The endangered plant’s scientific name is Amorphophallus titanum, which translates as ‘large, misshapen penis,’ and it’s known in Indonesia as bunga bangkai, or ‘corpse flower,’ but the one in Sydney has (understandably) been more affectionately nicknamed Putricia—a portmanteau of “putrid” and “Patricia.”” [Foreign Policy]
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
Purdue Pharma’s Sacklers struck a new agreement to settle mass opioid litigation for $6.5 billion.
“The drugmaker will make a $900 million one-time payment on top of that, the New York attorney general said. The settlement reopens a path to ending Purdue’s chapter 11 case, the longest and costliest corporate bankruptcy stemming from the U.S. opioid epidemic. Purdue introduced OxyContin in the 1990s and filed for chapter 11 in 2019.” [Wall Street Journal]
Trump's pitch to globalists
President Trump addresses the World Economic Forum in Davos by videoconference today. Photo: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP
“DAVOS, Switzerland — In his first major speech since the inauguration, President Trump said he'd mandate the Fed lower interest rates imminently — a threat that could undermine the central bank's political independence, Axios Macro co-author Courtenay Brown writes.
Speaking virtually today to the World Economic Forum, Trump re-upped the pressure he placed on the Fed during his first term, which was unusual for a president.
He criticized former President Biden.
He called his first few days in office ‘nothing less than a revolution of common sense.’
Trump also outlined some of his goals for his term, Axios' Ivana Saric writes:
Ask Saudi Arabia and OPEC to ‘bring down the cost of oil.’ He said that once oil prices begin falling, he'll ‘demand that interest rates drop immediately.’
Ask NATO members to raise their defense spending to 5% of their GDP. Just over half of NATO members currently meet the 2% spending target.
Lower the corporate tax rate to 15% — from the current 21% — for companies that ‘make your product in the U.S.’
Meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin soon to discuss a peace deal with Ukraine.” [Axios]
America's ‘uncorked’ economy
Brian Moynihan is interviewed in Davos today by Axios' Courtenay Brown and Mike Allen. Photo: Mood Studios AG for Axios
“DAVOS, Switzerland — Brian Moynihan, chair and CEO of Bank of America, embraced the business optimism that ran rampant at the World Economic Forum this week — with the prospect of reduced regulation energizing attendees.
Inflation and interest rate decreases were getting ‘overwhelmed’ by new rules from the Biden administration, Moynihan told Axios' Courtenay Brown and Mike Allen during an onstage conversation.
‘The question is: How much does [deregulation] uncork in the United States, and how much was being held back?’ Moynihan said.
Moynihan, who this month started his 15th year as BofA CEO, said negative economic effects of President Trump's proposed tariffs could be offset by the new regulatory regime.
That's so long as those tariffs are in the 10-15% range, he added.” [Axios]
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TECH
The deep-sea battle over the world’s data cables is heating up.
“A Russian spy ship that the U.K. defense secretary said was spotted in its waters this week points to continuing worries over the safety of undersea cables that link the global economy. Undersea cables’ length and remote location leaves them vulnerable to sabotage. The Russian Embassy in the U.K. denied any wrongdoing. Since the full-blown war in Ukraine began, Moscow is suspected of being increasingly willing to rip these cables up to destabilize its opponents.” [Wall Street Journal]
Inside TikTok's frantic scramble to halt the ban in the U.S.
“The China-based company said it would ‘go dark’ unless the outgoing administration assured the app's service providers they would not be punished under the ban-or-sale law. The White House demurred, calling it a ‘stunt,’ and the app went offline for 14 hours — until Donald Trump said he would act fast to give it a reprieve.”
Read more at Washington Post
HEALTH AND MEDICINE
By Joanne Kenen
Donald Trump's nominee to be Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert Kennedy Jr. waits to enter a meeting with Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) on Capitol Hill on January 9, 2025 in Washington, DC. | Jon Cherry/Getty Images
“HHS HOT SEAT — At his Senate confirmation hearings next week, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, will get plenty of scrutiny for his anti-vaccination activism (and recent attempts to distance himself from it). Ditto for his finances and potential conflicts of interest, which intersect with his vaccine stances.
But the HHS secretary has a really big job, with an expansive mandate that reaches well beyond vaccines.
The department touches on abortion policy and substance abuse treatment and global health and climate change and medical privacy and health care costs. It oversees — along with its Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services — the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, Medicare and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. And the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and many smaller agencies fall under its purview.
Then, there’s Kennedy’s personal health protocols that are ripe for questioning — he has said he takes supplements by the ‘fistful’ without knowing what they do. To date, though, arguments over vaccines have crowded much of that out.
So Nightly asked health and public health leaders — what questions do they want senators to ask Kennedy at the hearings?
Responses have been lightly edited.
Tom Frieden, President and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives and former Centers for Disease Control director.
‘President Trump announced on the first day of his presidency his intent to withdraw from the WHO. Through WHO governance and World Health Assembly resolutions, the U.S. has enormous influence over global health policy that applies to all countries, including those countries with which the United States does not have productive (or in some cases any) bilateral relations. What is your strategy for ensuring we can protect Americans from global health threats that do not respect borders if the U.S. separates itself from the international health community?
You have discussed addressing America’s unhealthy food systems, which contribute to chronic diseases, which you say you want to combat. Will you commit to promoting and implementing evidence-based measures, such as mandatory sodium reduction targets set by the FDA, even in the face of industry opposition and lawsuits?’
Dave Chokshi, former New York City health commissioner, chair of the Common Health Coalition and a practicing primary care physician.
‘Someone needs to pin him down on whether or not he believes that germs cause disease. The germ theory of disease was established in the late 19th century and all first year medical students are well-versed in it. Does he believe in it?
Medicaid should also be the focus because that’s where there’s going to be the most policy foment in a Trump administration. What does he believe about work requirements, about whether the F map [the federal share of costs] should be lowered? About whether there should be block grants?’
Sherry Glied, a health economist who served under George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and who is now dean of the NYU Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.
‘The ‘healing farms’ for substance abusers [that Kennedy has praised] cost $10,000 a month [per person]. Is Congress going to spend $120,000 a year for people who use heroin?
The HHS Secretary doesn’t run the other health agencies but what is your experience of getting all of these different agencies to work together? Your job is to actually create a coherent whole out of a bunch of unrelated parts. What’s your vision?’
Peter Lurie, the head of the Center for Science in the Public Interest and the former FDA associate commissioner for public health strategy and analysis.
‘Have you communicated your intention for NIH to ‘give … infectious diseases a break … for about eight years’ to the relevant pathogens [like the virus that causes bird flu] so they know not to attack during that period?
Drugs come to market on the basis of controlled, clinical trials, while the FDA doesn’t even know what dietary supplements are on the market, much less whether there is any substantiation for the claims they make. Such clinical trials have also disproven the effectiveness of ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19. Please explain the analytical approach that has led you to conclude that vitamins, ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine are effective for COVID-19 but that Ozempic, backed by clinical trials showing reductions in weight, cardiovascular disease and total mortality, is being sold by pharmaceutical companies ‘counting on selling it to Americans because we’re so stupid and so addicted to drugs.’’
Georges C. Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association.
‘Does he believe in preventing diseases, and if so should the administration support the preventative health services task force [at the center of the latest court battle over the Affordable Care Act]?
Should women have control over their own bodies?’
Andrea Baccarelli, dean of the faculty, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
‘Dietary supplements are a huge business, largely unregulated. How would you ensure that science informs policy around supplement manufacture and marketing?
How will you balance the right to free speech against the reality that all people, but especially those facing a serious illness, are vulnerable to manipulation by individuals peddling harmful or ineffective ‘cures’?’” [POLITICO]
MEDIA
“AP says it will use ‘Mount McKinley’ — but not ‘Gulf of America’: The Associated Press says it will recognize President Donald Trump’s plans to change the name of Alaska’s Mount Denali to Mount McKinley — but stops short of switching up the Gulf of Mexico. Trump signed an executive order Monday to change the name of North America’s tallest mountain — and the AP agreed that as president, he has ‘the authority to change federal geographical names within the country.’ It’s been called Denali since 2015, when former President Barack Obama changed it to match the traditions of Alaska Natives and their ancient Athabaskan name for the peak. It was originally designated Mount McKinley in 1917, honoring the legacy of William McKinley, the 25th president of the United States.” [POLITICO]
“CNN laid off around 200 people — 6% of the workforce — in the network's latest expected round of cuts, CEO Mark Thompson announced. The company plans to invest more heavily in digital, including a cross-device streaming strategy, and will be posting new positions, Axios' Sara Fischer reports.” [Axios]
SPORTS
Lawsuit accuses Mariano Rivera, wife of covering up child sexual abuse
“Hall of Fame pitcher Mariano Rivera and his wife deny allegations they ‘intimidated’ a minor.”
READ FULL STORY→ USA Today
ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
Oscar nominees out
Zoe Saldaña (left) and Karla Sofía Gascón in "Emilia Pérez." Photo: Shanna Besson/Netflix via AP
“‘Emilia Perez’ swept up Oscar nominations, announced today, with a total of 13.
The movie is about a Mexican cartel leader who undergoes gender affirmation surgery to become a woman.
Other top nominees included ‘Anora,’ ‘The Brutalist,’ ‘A Complete Unknown’ and ‘Wicked.’
Snub to know: Nicole Kidman for Best Actress in ‘Babygirl.’ Come on!
Full list of nominees.” [Axios]