Trump inauguration moved indoors amid record-breaking cold as list of Democrats skipping event grows: Live updates

The inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance will be moved indoors to the Capitol Rotunda on Monday because frigid temperatures are expected in the nation’s capital.

It’s set to be the coldest inauguration day in four decades.

“I have ordered the Inauguration Address, in addition to prayers and other speeches, to be delivered in the United States Capitol Rotunda, as was used by Ronald Reagan in 1985, also because of very cold weather,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Friday.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who has overseen a number of January 6 cases, said during a sentencing hearing Friday that her recent visit to the Capitol served as a reminder that “people came in and desecrated that beautiful space,” Politico reported.

This comes as South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem – Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security and best known for bragging about shooting dead her dog Cricket in her memoir – dodged questions by senators at her confirmation hearing on Friday on whether she would dare stand up to the president-elect if he threatened to withhold federal disaster relief funding from blue states.

Meanwhile, the number of Democrats who have reportedly said they will skip the inauguration, continues to grow.

Key Points

• Trump to head indoors for inauguration bucking outdoor ceremony to avoid frigid temps

• List of Democrats not attending Monday’s ceremony grows

• Kristi Noem’s grilled on whether she would stand up to Donald Trump at Senate confirmation hearing

• Trump reveals Xi Jinping call

• Supreme Court upholds TikTok ban

A Tesla Cybertruck joyride with Elon Musk’s biggest fans

14:45 , Oliver O’Connell

Josh Marcus writes:

The days leading up to Donald Trump’s inauguration, which featured multiple terrorist attacks and apocalyptic wildfires across Los Angeles, won’t be remembered as an especially hopeful time.

However, there’s still plenty to look forward to with the growth of artificial intelligence in the coming years, according to Joe Jefferson, president of the Tesla Owners Club of NorCal-Reno.

Last month, we cruised through traffic in Los Gatos, California, in the custom white and carbon-fiber interior of his all-black Tesla Cybertruck, letting the EV’s Full Self-Driving mode handle the controls.

Continue reading…

A Tesla Cybertruck joyride with Elon Musk’s biggest fans

Obama pushed Chuck Schumer to convince Biden to drop out, citing his own ‘frigid relationship’ with the president

14:00 , Justin Baragona

Following last June’s disastrous debate performance by President Joe Biden, Barack Obama urged then-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to be the bearer of bad news and convince Biden to drop out of the race, saying his own “fragile relationship” with the president prevented him from being the “best messenger.”

According to a deep-dive investigation by The New York Times, which was adapted from an upcoming book by reporters Annie Karni and Luke Broadwater, Schumer sat down with Biden in the president’s Delaware house last summer and told him he’d “go down in American history as one of the darkest figures” if he stayed in and lost to Donald Trump.

“The roughly 45-minute conversation, which took place on a screened-in porch overlooking a pond, was more pointed and emotional than previously known, and helps to explain how Mr. Biden came to the decision just over a week later to end his campaign,” the Times reported.

Read more:

Obama pushed Chuck Schumer to convince Biden to drop out

Fox News pundit says Kristi Noem is ‘so hot’ that shooting her puppy won’t impact cabinet appointment chances

13:30 , Mike Bedigan

A Fox News pundit has claimed that South Dakota governor Kristi Noem is “so hot” that the fact that she executed her own puppy would not make a difference on whether or not she was appointed to head up the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

In a crude and, at times, outright misogynistic tirade, Greg Gutfeld praised Donald Trump’s cabinet picks for being in “great shape,” while slamming liberals as “fat, out of shape losers.”

Read more here:

Fox News pundit says Kristi Noem is ‘so hot’ that shooting her puppy doesn’t matter

‘People came in and desecrated that beautiful space’

13:00 , Gustaf Kilander

On Monday, Trump will be inaugurated in the Capitol Rotunda, where his supporters laid siege to the Congress just four years previously.

On Friday, one of the participants in the riot, Brian Kelly, was sentenced to 10 days in prison by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, according to Politico.

“I only wish the rest of the country could see some of the things I see,” she said before handing down the sentence.

“This may be, based on what happens outside these courthouse walls, the last one of these. I don’t know,” she added.

Chutkan noted she had never been to the Capitol before paying her respects during the lying-in-state of President Jimmy Carter. After overseeing a number of January 6 cases, she said the visit was a reminder that “people came in and desecrated that beautiful space.”

From criminal sentencing to inauguration: Timeline of Trump’s dramatic return to White House

12:00 , Gustaf Kilander

With just a week left until President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, his inaugural committee has shared the schedule for all the events leading up to the swearing-in of the 47th president.

Trump has overcome impeachments, indictments, assassination attempts, and unforced errors on the campaign trail that would have dealt severe blows to most other political candidates.

During the two months since Trump won the election, states and Congress have certified the results, a new Congress has convened, and Trump has been sentenced in his hush-money case.

These are all the key dates from Trump’s election victory until he becomes the next president.

Timeline of events – from Trump winning the election to becoming the 47th president

Who is Christopher Macchio, the singer performing the national anthem at Trump’s inauguration?

11:00 , Gustaf.Kilander

As President-elect Donald Trump takes the oath of office once again at his second Inauguration ceremony on January 20, he will be serenaded by a host of performers, including Christopher Macchio, who will sing the national anthem.

Macchio, 46, a classical-crossover vocalist from New York City, takes on the honor from Lady Gaga, who performed the national anthem at President Joe Biden’s 2021 swearing-in ceremony.

The time before that, former America’s Got Talent contestant Jackie Evancho performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Trump’s 2017 inauguration.

This won’t be Macchio’s first time performing for the President-elect. He previously joined Trump at the Republican’s infamous October 2024 Madison Square Garden rally, where he delivered a powerful rendition of Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York.” He also sang at Trump’s second Butler, Pennsylvania rally, as well as the 2020 GOP convention.

Who is Christopher Macchio?

Who is Christopher Macchio, the singer performing at Trump’s inauguration?

Who is performing at Trump’s inauguration?

10:00 , Katie Hawkinson, Kevin E G Perry

Donald Trump will be inaugurated as the 47th president of the United States on January 20.

At the ceremony in Washington, D.C. on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance will take the oath of office and assume their positions in the White House.

However, the inauguration ceremony will be more than just a swearing-in — Trump’s team has just released the schedule of events, revealing those who will perform at the event, The Spectator World reports.

Here’s what you need to know about the line-up for Trump and Vances’ inauguration:

Who is performing at Trump’s inauguration?

What’s next for Joe and Jill Biden?

09:00 , Ariana Baio

President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden are leaving the White House on January 20, marking the end of the president’s 50 years in politics.

But Biden, 82, insists he’s not quite ready to retreat into a slow retirement just yet. In interviews, the president has indicated he’s still got work to do to improve Americans’ lives. Jill Biden, 73, has similarly dedicated her life to others through education, but she has kept quiet about her next chapter after the White House.

What is certain is that Bidens will almost certainly return to their homes in Wilmington and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where they spend time with family.

Here is what else could be in store for Joe and Jill Biden.

What’s next for Joe and Jill Biden?

Who pays for the presidential inauguration? These are some of the major donors

08:00 , Gustaf Kilander

The fundraising for the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump has beaten all records, gathering an unprecedented $170 million.

Tech executives and big donors have donated massive sums of money to curry favor with the incoming president. The donations are usually spent on events surrounding the inauguration, such as the oath of office ceremony, a parade, and several inaugural balls.

The fundraising sum was initially reported Wednesday by The New York Times.

Federal Election Commission records reveal that President Joe Biden brought in $62 million for his inauguration four years ago. When Trump was inaugurated in 2016, the donations also set a record then as he collected more than $106 million.

Read more:

Who pays for the presidential inauguration? These are some of the major donors

Trump to head indoors for inauguration bucking outdoor ceremony to avoid frigid temps

07:00 , Kelly Rissman

The cold weather has thrown President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration into chaos, as Monday’s ceremony will be moved inside due to frigid temperatures.

High temperatures are expected to be in the low 20s in the nation’s capital on Monday. It’s projected to be the coldest inauguration in 40 years, when Ronald Reagan’s swearing-in ceremony was also moved indoors.

“I have ordered the Inauguration Address, in addition to prayers and other speeches, to be delivered in the United States Capitol Rotunda, as was used by Ronald Reagan in 1985, also because of very cold weather,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Friday.

Read more:

Trump to head indoors for inauguration bucking outdoor ceremony to avoid frigid temps

Kristi Noem won’t say if she would withhold disaster aid if Trump asks: ‘Leadership has consequences’

06:00 , Alex Woodward

Donald Trump’s nominee for Homeland Security would not explicitly commit to refusing his “hypothetical” command to withhold disaster aid when pressed during her Senate confirmation hearing on Friday.

If confirmed, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem will lead the third-largest cabinet-level department, which includes immigration authorities and emergency response agencies like FEMA.

Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal repeatedly asked whether she would ever withhold aid approved by Congress from states led by his political opponents, pointing to his recent statements about California officials while a series of fires across Los Angeles County torched thousands of acres and killed at least 27 people.

Read more:

Kristi Noem won’t say if she would withhold disaster aid if Trump asks

Fox News pundit says Kristi Noem is ‘so hot’ that shooting her puppy won’t impact cabinet appointment chances

05:30 , Mike Bedigan

A Fox News pundit has claimed that South Dakota governor Kristi Noem is “so hot” that the fact that she executed her own puppy would not make a difference on whether or not she was appointed to head up the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

In a crude and, at times, outright misogynistic tirade, Greg Gutfeld praised Donald Trump’s cabinet picks for being in “great shape,” while slamming liberals as “fat, out of shape losers.”

Read more here:

Fox News pundit says Kristi Noem is ‘so hot’ that shooting her puppy doesn’t matter

CBO projects U.S. debt to grow $23.9 trillion in 10 years, not including costs of extending tax cuts

05:00 , Josh Boak

The national debt is slated to rise by $23.9 trillion over the next decade, a sum that does not include trillions of dollars in additional tax cuts being championed by President-elect Donald Trump.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released its 10-year budget outlook on Friday that showed a slightly brighter picture as higher taxable incomes will relieve some pressure on the rising national debt. Still, annual budget deficits are expected to be equal to 6.1% of U.S. gross domestic product in 2035, which the CBO noted is “significantly more than the 3.8 percent that deficits have averaged over the past 50 years.”

The analysis paints a difficult picture for an incoming Republican administration bent on cutting taxes in ways that further widen deficits unless they’re also paired with major spending cuts. Trump’s proposed extension of his 2017 tax cuts that are set to expire after this year along with new cuts could easily exceed $4 trillion and his nominee to be treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, warned Thursday that the economy could crash without them.

Read more:

CBO projects U.S. debt to grow $23.9 trillion in 10 years, not including costs of extending tax cuts

Trump’s first major deportation operation will hit Chicago, says report

04:30 , Mike Bedigan

The Trump administration is reportedly planning to begin its promised campaign of unprecedented mass deportations with a series of raids in Chicago.

The raids will begin the day after the Republican is inaugurated, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Josh Marcus has more:

Trump’s first major deportation operation will hit Chicago, says report

Kristi Noem wants to shrink cyber agency that pushed back on Trump 2020 election conspiracies

04:00 , Josh Marcus

Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security wants to rein in a cybersecurity agency that took a high-profile public stand and refuted the Republican’s false claims of a compromised 2020 election.

During a confirmation hearing on Friday, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem told the Senate the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) had “gotten far off mission” and “needs to be much more effective, smaller, more nimble to really fulfill their mission.”

CISA has long been a target of conservatives, who criticized the agency’s past work liaising with social media companies about hoaxes and disinformation.

Read more:

Kristi Noem wants to slash cyber agency that pushed back on Trump 2020 conspiracies

WATCH: Doug Ford takes swipe at Donald Trump with ‘Canada is not for sale’ hat

03:15 , Gustaf Kilander

List of Democrats not attending Trump inauguration grows

02:50 , Mike Bedigan

The list of Democrats who have announced they will not attend Donald Trump’s inauguration continues to grow:

While it isn’t mandatory for members of Congress to attend the inauguration, such high numbers are unusual. Those who have reportedly said they will not attend (so far) are:

• Former First Lady Michelle Obama

• Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

• Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman

• Rep. Adam Smith

• Rep. Deborah Ross

• Rep. Donald Beyer

• Rep. Steve Cohen

• Rep. Kweisi Mfume

• Rep. Jasmine Crockett

• Rep. Sean Casten

• Rep. Delia Ramirez

• Rep. Ilhan Omar

• Rep. Judy Chu

• Rep-elect. Lateefah Simon

• Rep. Veronica Escobar

‘First buddy’ Elon Musk is set to speak at Trump’s pre-inauguration rally. Here’s who will join

02:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Elon Musk is set to speak at President-elect Donald Trump’s Washington, D.C., rally on Sunday alongside Hulk Hogan and Dana White, according to NBC News.

Trump family members will also speak at the rally at Capital One Arena — which is set to begin at 3 p.m. on Sunday — in between performances by Kid Rock, Billy Ray Cyrus, and the Village People. Anuel AA, a singer and rapper from Puerto Rico, will also speak at the event.

Musk spent more than $250 million to elect Trump last year. Not long after he won the election, Trump named Musk as one of the co-leaders of an outside advisory panel called the Department of Government Efficiency — DOGE. The committee will work on aggressively cutting government spending and the size of the federal workforce.

Read more:

Elon Musk is set to speak at Trump’s pre-inauguration rally. Here’s who will join

VOICES: Trump can lay claim to the ceasefire in Gaza – doing the same in Ukraine will be much harder

01:45 , Sam Kiley

When outgoing president Joe Biden was asked if he or Donald Trump deserved credit for the Gaza ceasefire deal struck in Qatar he shot back: “Is that a joke?” It wasn’t. Trump’s claim of having secured the “EPIC” deal was comic, but his contribution was real.

Biden’s team worked in tandem with Trump’s incoming administration – and his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff – to deliver the agreement which had taken many months to thrash out.

It was no accident that it was struck in the dying days of the Biden years, less than a week before Trump was due to move back into the White House. Israel’s prime minister knew that involving Trump would set him up to warm relations with the 47th president.

Hamas knows he’ll always be an enemy, but one who might actually make good on a threat to “rain hell” on the movement if no deal was made.

Read more:

Trump can claim peace in Gaza – doing the same Ukraine will be much harder

How TikTok grew from a fun app for teens into a potential national security threat

01:00 , David Hamilton

If it feels like TikTok has been around forever, that’s probably because it has, at least if you’re measuring via internet time. What’s now in question is whether it will be around much longer and, if so, in what form?

Starting in 2017, when the Chinese social video app merged with its competitor Musical.ly, TikTok has grown from a niche teen app into a global trendsetter. While, of course, also emerging as a potential national security threat, according to U.S. officials.

On April 24, President Joe Biden signed legislation requiring TikTok parent ByteDance to sell to a U.S. owner within a year or to shut down. TikTok and its China-based parent company, ByteDance, filed a lawsuit against the U.S., claiming the security concerns were overblown and the law should be struck down because it violates the First Amendment.

The Supreme Court on Friday unanimously upheld the federal law banning TikTok beginning Jan. 19 unless it’s sold by ByteDance.

Here’s how TikTok came to this juncture:

How TikTok grew from a fun app for teens into a potential national security threat

Trump blasts FBI’s now-shuttered DEI office and hints at an investigation ahead of White House return

00:15 , Gustaf Kilander

President-elect Donald Elect Donald Trump has indicated that he may order an investigation of the FBI’s shuttered Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

“We demand that the FBI preserve and retain all records, documents, and information on the now closing DEI Office—Never should have been opened and, if it was, should have closed long ago,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday. “Why is it that they’re closing one day before the Inauguration of a new Administration? The reason is, CORRUPTION!”

The office was closed last month, following Trump’s November election win.

“In recent weeks, the FBI took steps to close the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI), effective by December 2024,” the FBI told Fox News Digital Thursday.

Read more:

Trump blasts FBI DEI office and hints at an investigation ahead of White House return

Obama pushed Chuck Schumer to convince Biden to drop out, citing his own ‘frigid relationship’ with the president

Friday 17 January 2025 23:30 , Justin Baragona

Following last June’s disastrous debate performance by President Joe Biden, Barack Obama urged then-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to be the bearer of bad news and convince Biden to drop out of the race, saying his own “fragile relationship” with the president prevented him from being the “best messenger.”

According to a deep-dive investigation by The New York Times, which was adapted from an upcoming book by reporters Annie Karni and Luke Broadwater, Schumer sat down with Biden in the president’s Delaware house last summer and told him he’d “go down in American history as one of the darkest figures” if he stayed in and lost to Donald Trump.

“The roughly 45-minute conversation, which took place on a screened-in porch overlooking a pond, was more pointed and emotional than previously known, and helps to explain how Mr. Biden came to the decision just over a week later to end his campaign,” the Times reported.

Read more:

Obama pushed Chuck Schumer to convince Biden to drop out

Eight years ago 500,000 marched in DC against Trump. He has returned and so has the protest – just on a smaller scale

Friday 17 January 2025 22:45 , Kelly Rissman

It’s been 8 years since nearly half a million demonstrators descended on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to protest Donald Trump’s presidency on his first full day in office.

The inaugural Women’s March at the time was the largest single-day protest in U.S. history. Many sported pink knit “pussyhats,” a reference to Trump’s own words in the 2005 Access Hollywood tape, in which he bragged about “grabbing [women] by the pussy.”

“We are the popular vote!” some chanted, a reminder that he hadn’t captured the hearts of the majority of Americans, having lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by nearly 3 million votes.

“Welcome to your first day, we will not go away!” other marchers promised.

Read more:

Eight years after the Women’s March, a new protest is planned for Trump’s return

Debt and deficits are set to reach record levels, Congressional Budget Office projects

Friday 17 January 2025 22:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Debt and deficits are set to reach record levels, the Congressional Budget Office projected Friday.

The federal government will spend $2.7 trillion more than it collects by 2035, the office indicated.

That kind of borrowing means that the total debt held by the American people will reach $52 trillion — 118.5 percent of the U.S. economic output.

During his confirmation hearing this week, Trump’s Treasury Secretary nominee, Scott Bessent, said he’s “concerned, because several times the Treasury of the United States has been called upon to save the nation.”

“Whether it was the Civil War, the Great Depression, World War II or the recent covid epidemic, Treasury — along with the full government and Congress — has used its borrowing capacity to save the union, to save the world and to save the American people,” he added, according to The Washington Post. “What we currently have now, we would be hard-pressed to do the same.”

Sen. Bill Cassidy announces support for Hegseth

Friday 17 January 2025 21:40 , Gustaf Kilander

Sen. Bill Cassidy announced his support for Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense.

“The President’s pick for Secretary of Defense, Mr. Hegseth, has impressive academic qualifications, conducted himself very well in the Senate Armed Services hearing, and has a commendable record of service in uniform. He assured me he will surround himself with a strong support team,” said Cassidy. “I will vote for his confirmation.”

‘Majority of ticketed guests will not be able to attend’ inauguration ‘in person’

Friday 17 January 2025 21:20 , Gustaf Kilander

The majority of ticketed guests will not be able to attend the inauguration in person, according to a notice just sent to the hill.

“The House Sergeant at Arms (SAA) has been informed by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC) that the 60th Inaugural Ceremonies will be held inside the U.S. Capitol,” the notice said, according to Punchbowl News. “As a result, the majority of ticketed guests will not be able to attend the ceremonies in person, although offices are welcome to distribute tickets to constituents in the manner they think best, if they would like to do so.”

“It is our understanding from the JCCIC that all Members of Congress will be invited to the indoor ceremony,” the notice added. “With the exception of tickets in sections three (3) and four (4), House Members of JCCIC recommend that your offices relay to constituents that their tickets will be commemorative. A decision on the seating of ticket sections three (3) and four (4) is still in development by JCCIC.”

Biden sets record and commutes sentences of 2,500 non-violent drug offenders in final days as president

Friday 17 January 2025 21:20 , Josh Marcus

President Biden will commute the sentences of roughly 2,500 people convicted of non-violent drug offenses, the White House announced on Friday.

“This action is an important step toward righting historic wrongs, correcting sentencing disparities, and providing deserving individuals the opportunity to return to their families and communities after spending far too much time behind bars,” Biden said in a statement. “I am proud of my record on clemency and will continue to review additional commutations and pardons.”

The announcement, coupled with Biden’s decision last month to commute the sentences of about 1,500 people put on home confinement during the Covid pandemic, means the Democrat has issued the most individual pardons and commutations of any president, according to The Associated Press.

Read more:

Biden commutes sentences of 2,500 non-violent drug offenders in final days in office

WATCH: Kristi Noem Pressed On Role Of Trump Border Czar Tom Homan

Friday 17 January 2025 21:00 , Gustaf Kilander

‘People came in and desecrated that beautiful space’

Friday 17 January 2025 20:40 , Gustaf Kilander

On Monday, Trump will be inaugurated in the Capitol Rotunda, where his supporters laid siege to the Congress just four years previously.

On Friday, one of the participants in the riot, Brian Kelly, was sentenced to 10 days in prison by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, according to Politico.

“I only wish the rest of the country could see some of the things I see,” she said before handing down the sentence.

“This may be, based on what happens outside these courthouse walls, the last one of these. I don’t know,” she added.

Chutkan noted she had never been to the Capitol before paying her respects during the lying-in-state of President Jimmy Carter. After overseeing a number of January 6 cases, she said the visit was a reminder that “people came in and desecrated that beautiful space.”

Rapper Nelly to perform at a Donald Trump’s inaugural ball

Friday 17 January 2025 20:20 , Kaleigh Werner

Rapper Nelly is set to perform at the Inaugural Liberty Ball on January 20 with Donald Trump in attendance.

According to sources close to the event planning, the 50-year-old artist will join the Village People and country star Jason Aldean as the entertainment for the night, CBS reported.

Nelly previously confessed he didn’t care for Trump in 2017 amid his first term. “You know the thing about Donald Trump is that I liked Donald Trump, I did, I just don’t like Donald Trump as my president,” he told Page Six at the time. “He doesn’t surprise me as a person, he surprises me as a president because you don’t expect certain things, certain attitudes.”

Read more:

Rapper Nelly to perform at a Donald Trump’s inaugural ball

Trump sticking with fire-ravaged Los Angeles for Olympics despite calls from GOP to move it to a red-state

Friday 17 January 2025 20:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Donald Trump has vowed to keep the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, despite calls from Republicans to move the games to a red state in the wake of the city’s devastating wildfires.

The president-elect promised to make the competition “the greatest Games” and said that they were “more important than ever to LA,” as city authorities continue to deal with the fallout from the blazes, which have so far claimed the lives of at least 25 people across southern California.

“These are America’s Olympics,” Trump said, according to Casey Wasserman, chairman of the LA 2028 organizing committee, who met with the president-elect at Mar-a-Lago on Wednesday.

Wesserman told Axios that Trump had added: “These are more important than ever to LA and I’m going to be supportive in every way possible to make them the greatest Games.”

Mike Bedigan has more.

Trump sticking with LA for Olympics despite calls from GOP to move to a red-state

Tim Walz mocks Trump for moving inauguration indoors

Friday 17 January 2025 19:40 , Gustaf Kilander

‘The Equal Rights Amendment belongs in our Constitution,’ Harris says

Friday 17 January 2025 19:20 , Alex Woodward

Senator Kristen Gillibrand, who launched a one-woman lobbying effort to convince Joe Biden to get the Equal Rights Amendment into the Constitution, told reporters Friday that the president’s announcement today “superseded” the national archivist, which is responsible for physically amending it.

“The only thing we have to do now is enforce what is the 28th amendment to the constitution,” she said.

The archivist’s role is a “ministerial” one, and “she has no constitutional role and no right to insert herself into the constitutional process.”

“He has just done her job for her. He is her boss,” she said. “He issued the statement that it is the law of the land … He’s done it for her.”

Vice President Kamala Harris

Georgia Court of Appeals reject attempt by Fulton prosecutors to restore counts removed from indictment against Trump and others

Friday 17 January 2025 19:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Trump’s DOGE co-chair Vivek Ramaswamy reportedly announcing campaign for Ohio governor

Friday 17 January 2025 18:40 , Alex Woodward

Vivek Ramaswamy, the billionaire biotech entrepreneur joining Elon Musk to recommend drastic cuts to federal spending in Donald Trump’s administration, reportedly plans to run for governor of Ohio.

Ramaswamy — who was reportedly considering a run for J.D. Vance’s open U.S. Senate seat, with Trump’s encouragement — is expected to announce a campaign to replace the state’s term-limited Republican Governor Mike DeWine, according toThe Washington Post.

On Friday, DeWine is expected to tap the state’s Lt. Gov Jon Husted to fill the vacant Senate seat, after Vance’s resignation to serve as vice president under Trump.

Read more:

DOGE co-chair Vivek Ramaswamy reportedly announcing campaign for Ohio governor

Ohio Governor announces Lt Gov Jon Husted as Vance replacement in Senate

Friday 17 January 2025 18:29 , Gustaf Kilander

Kevin McCarthy: John Fetterman should be next Democrat leader

Friday 17 January 2025 18:20 , Joe Sommerlad

The former House speaker has noted the Pennsylvania senator’s slight shuffle to the right in recent months and thinks he might have a future in politics.

In other Republicans-on-television news, Markwayne Mullin continues to suggest that mere character defects and personal failings are no reason to write off Trump’s cabinet picks, which is a new one.

Watch: Ontario Premier Doug Ford takes swipe at Trump with ‘Canada is not for sale’

Friday 17 January 2025 18:00 , Joe Sommerlad

CNN reportedly looking to bury Jim Acosta in graveyard shift to ‘throw a bone to Trump’

Friday 17 January 2025 17:40 , Joe Sommerlad

One of the network’s most popular news anchors has reportedly been approached by bosses about moving his weekday show from its current mid-morning perch to the graveyard midnight shift, apparently to appease the president-elect.

Justin Baragona has the story.

CNN looking to bury Jim Acosta in graveyard shift to ‘throw a bone to Trump’

How Team Trump feels about Michelle Obama avoiding Trump’s inauguration

Friday 17 January 2025 17:20 , Joe Sommerlad

Kid Rock, for one, has been gloating.

Here’s Kelly Rissman on how the rest of Trumpworld has reacted to the former first lady’s snub.

How Team Trump feels about Michelle Obama avoiding Trump’s inauguration

Trump to head indoors for inauguration bucking outdoor ceremony to avoid frigid temps

Friday 17 January 2025 17:07 , Kelly Rissman

The cold weather has thrown President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration into chaos, as the ceremony will be moved inside Monday due to temperatures forecast to be below-freezing, the president-elect said.

“I have ordered the Inauguration Address, in addition to prayers and other speeches, to be delivered in the United States Capitol Rotunda, as was used by Ronald Reagan in 1985, also because of very cold weather,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Friday.

High temperatures are expected to be in the low 20s in the nation’s capital on Monday.

Read more:

Trump to head indoors for inauguration bucking outdoor ceremony to avoid frigid temps

Trump announces that inauguration will be moved indoors

Friday 17 January 2025 17:06 , Gustaf Kilander

Donald Trump on Truth Social

Watch: Preparations underway at the White House ahead of Trump’s inauguration

Friday 17 January 2025 17:00 , Joe Sommerlad

We’re hearing that talks are underway about moving Monday’s swearing-in ceremony indoors, such are the freezing temperatures set to hit DC, although nothing has yet been decided for certain.

For now, here’s the scene on the ground.

Preparations underway at The White House ahead of Trump’s inauguration

Noem’s Senate confirmation hearing hearing wraps up

Friday 17 January 2025 16:40 , Joe Sommerlad

That’s all folks from Kristi Noem in the Senate, with Chairman Paul gavelling proceedings to a close.

The session’s key line of questioning came from Democrats Richard Blumenthal and later Elissa Slotkin, as they pushed Noem on whether she, unlike Trump, could keep politics out of her decision-making, without yielding a very definite answer from the candidate.

Trump on Supreme Court TikTok ruling: ‘I must have time to review the situation’

Friday 17 January 2025 16:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s the latest from the president-elect, effectively calling for more time to tackle the issue.

Noem succeeding Mayorkas would be ‘greatest upgrade in history’

Friday 17 January 2025 16:20 , Joe Sommerlad

The governor’s Senate confirmation hearing in front of Rand Paul’s committee is still ongoing and has taken in everything from the mysterious drones over New Jersey to the dangers of remote working.

There has also been plenty of backslapping and compliments flying, with none oilier than this offered by freshman Ohio Republican Senator Bernie Moreno, who told Noem that her replacing Alejandro Mayorkas would be the “greatest upgrade in history”.

“When Mayorkas was confirmed, every single Democrat voted to confirm him, and six Republicans joined,” Moreno tutted with disgust.

“If we get to the vote, hopefully, chairman, we could do that Monday because we cannot wait one single day without you being in charge of that department.

“We should have 100 percent, 100 senators vote for your confirmation. This will be the litmus test in my mind as to whether we have a Democrat party that’s actually serious about doing bipartisan things like securing this country.”

Ohio Governor set to announce pick for JD Vance’s Senate seat

Friday 17 January 2025 16:10 , Joe Sommerlad

Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted appears to be Mike DeWine’s choice to succeed the Vice President-elect in the Senate, according to NBC News.

There will be a 1pm ET (6pm GMT) press conference with DeWine at which that will be confirmed.

We’ll bring you the latest on that as it happens.

Donald Trump Jr announces father’s new Secret Service pick

Friday 17 January 2025 15:55 , Joe Sommerlad

The president-elect himself hasn’t posted anything on this yet so appears to have been scooped by his own son.

Watch: ‘The southern border is not secure’, says Noem

Friday 17 January 2025 15:45 , Joe Sommerlad

This was the governor’s big line a short while earlier, given in response to a lay-up from Missouri Republican Josh Hawley.

Hawley called the incumbent secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas a “disgrace” and called Noem’s honesty “refreshing”.

The same exchange also saw her back the return of the “Remain in Mexico” policy.

Noem asked whether she will actually be in charge of the border

Friday 17 January 2025 15:35 , Joe Sommerlad

New Jersey Democrat Andy Kim asks the governor who will really be in charge of border security under the incoming administration.

She answers that Trump will, given that it is a national security concern.

Kim then raises conflicting comments made on the issue by the president-elect and by his border czar Tom Homan, each indicating that they will be taking charge, prompting the senator to say he is concerned that the Department of Homeland Security will not be “empowered” and imply that confusion could reign.

Biden claims Equal Rights Amendment is ‘law of the land’ after decades-long ratification fight

Friday 17 January 2025 15:25 , Joe Sommerlad

Joe Biden is claiming to recognize a new constitutional amendment to enshrine protections against sex discrimination, but it’s unclear whether the president intends to take any action to publish it before Donald Trump enters office.

Biden’s statement is just a statement and not an order, proclamation or other presidential action and it carries absolutely zero legal force, as abortion rights advocates and LGBT+ civil rights groups demand urgent protections with just days before Trump returns to the White House.

A senior administration official refused to say whether there had been any communications with the National Archivist’s office during a briefing early on Monday and repeatedly demurred when asked about the meaning or effect of the president’s statement.

The Equal Rights Amendment was passed by Congress in the 1970s and gradually, over decades, approved by enough states to make it the 28th Amendment. But that ratification effort blew past the deadline, so it was never officially published.

Alex Woodward has this report.

Biden claims Equal Rights Amendment is ‘law of the land’ after decades-long fight

Democrat presses Noem on whether she would stand up to Trump on disaster relief

Friday 17 January 2025 15:15 , Joe Sommerlad

Back at the Senate, Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal has been pushing the South Dakota Governor, who would be responsible for FEMA if she were made Homeland Security Secretary, to say she would stand up to the president-elect if he threatened to withhold federal disaster relief funding from blue states, as he has often done in the past.

She is careful to say only that she would follow the rule of law in such a situation but adds that “leadership has consequences”, ostensibly a dig at Governor Gavin Newsom’s liberal California.

Breaking: US Supreme Court upholds TikTok ban

Friday 17 January 2025 15:11 , Joe Sommerlad

As things stand, that means the popular social video app will be shut down in the United States on Sunday.

Here’s the very latest from Ariana Baio.

Supreme Court backs TikTok ban: App set to shut down Sunday

Noem talks north and south borders and rebukes cyber security agency for going ‘off mission’

Friday 17 January 2025 15:05 , Joe Sommerlad

Kristi Noem has promised not to neglect America’s northern border, given all the focus on the south, commenting:

“I think there’s been some universal concern from some of the committee members that as we focus on the southern border, and what we’re seeing as far as the invasion there and the amount of people crossing, that the northern border would lose focus, but that will not happen.

“The number one threat to our homeland security is the southern border.”

Asked about the threat posed by domestic terrorism, Noem warns that “homegrown terrorism is on the rise”.

“We see more and more incidents of people that are US citizens, that have become radicalized, and knowing when people are leaving the country and coming back and changes to their behaviors and what their actions are is critically important.

“So the resources that the Department of Homeland Security has needs to be utilized as far as identifying those threats and being proactive to prevent them, but also protecting civil rights and liberties in that process.”

Asked about cyberattacks, she says the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) “has gotten far off mission”.

“The mission of it is to hunt and harden. It’s to find those bad actors and help work with local and state infrastructure, critical infrastructure entities, so that they can help them be prepared for such cyberattacks, and that they can make sure that they’re hardening their systems to protect them in the future, recognizing the vulnerabilities that they have. This has gotten far off mission.”

Noem pledges to keep Americans ‘safe and secure’

Friday 17 January 2025 14:55 , Joe Sommerlad

Back to the South Dakota Governor, who had this to say in her opening remarks a short while ago:

“Securing our homeland is a serious, sacred trust that must be relentlessly pursued and can never be taken for granted

“Being safe within our borders is an American right, yet Americans feel less safe than they have in decades.

“For the first time in 30 years, more than 40 percent of Americans are afraid to walk alone at night within a mile of their home.

“President-Elect Trump is going to change that.”

She also touted her own record in the governor’s mansion:

“I have led South Dakota for the last six years with a focus every day on making our state safer, stronger, and freer.

“I have focused every day on making the best decisions not just for right now, but for generations to come.

“I have overseen a state budget of over $7bn and a state employee workforce of more than 13,000, including more than 7,000 reporting to the governor.

“I have addressed important issues like cybersecurity, human trafficking, drug interdiction, and natural disasters – the same challenges facing so many of you here and the people you represent back at home.”

Trump reveals he spoke to Xi Jinping this morning

Friday 17 January 2025 14:45 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s the latest from the president-elect on Truth Social, who says he spoke to his Chinese counterpart on Friday morning to discuss “trade, Fentanyl, TikTok, and many other subjects”:

In pictures: Noem arrives for Senate confirmation hearing

Friday 17 January 2025 14:30 , Joe Sommerlad

The South Dakota Governor has heard a series of flattering testimonies to her character from various silver-haired Republican senators and is now delivering her opening statement, expressing her belief in the importance of collaboration between agencies in the interests of keeping America safe.

Here she is a short while ago arriving for the hearing.

Louisiana Governor urges Senate to approve Noem to allay security concerns over Super Bowl and Mardi Gras

Friday 17 January 2025 14:15 , Joe Sommerlad

Jeff Landry has warned the Senate not to delay in appointing South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to lead the Department of Homeland Security – her confirmation hearing is happening right now – because doing otherwise could have an adverse impact on security arrangements for two major events taking place in the coming weeks in New Orleans, which is still recovering from the terror attack of New Year’s Day.

Noem confirmation hearing delay ‘could harm Super Bowl and Mardi Gras security’

Live: Trump’s Homeland Security pick Kristi Noem faces confirmation hearing

Friday 17 January 2025 14:01 , Joe Sommerlad

Ron DeSantis says Trump told him that inflation wasn’t top voting issue

Friday 17 January 2025 13:30 , Joe Sommerlad

The Florida Governor has claimed that during a round of golf with Trump, the president-elect told him that inflation wasn’t really the issue that got him elected.

“He told me, he said, ‘Listen, I know inflation is a big deal but…’, the number one reason why he got elected, he said, was because of the immigration and the border issue,” DeSantis said on The Dana Show hosted by Dana Loesch.

Trump nevertheless campaigned on bringing inflation down and anger at the rising cost of everyday goods was a major reason why many Americans voted for him in the 2024 election, at least according to the polling.

Gustaf Kilander has more.

DeSantis says Trump told him that inflation wasn’t the top issue that got him elected

Rudy Giuliani settles with defamed election workers after blowing off property seizure trial

Friday 17 January 2025 13:00 , Joe Sommerlad

“America’s mayor” was nowhere to be seen when his trial in a federal courtroom in Manhattan was scheduled to begin on Thursday morning.

Four hours later, with a post on social media, Giuliani celebrated a settlement in a long-running legal battle for control of his properties and assets.

Alex Woodward reports from the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse in Lower Manhattan.

Rudy Giuliani settles with defamed election workers after blowing off trial

Democrat brands Trump ‘alter ego for speaker’ after Intelligence Committee chair ousted

Friday 17 January 2025 12:30 , Joe Sommerlad

California Senator Adam Schiff, absolutely loathed by Trump, has mocked House Speaker Mike Johnson for taking orders from the president-elect after Republican tearaway Mike Turner was dropped from the chairmanship of the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday, allegedly on the orange one’s say-so.

His House colleague Jaime Raskin had a similar assessment to offer:

Here’s more on the removal of Turner.

Was Mike Turner removed from the House Intelligence Committee to appease Trump?

Analysis: Will Trump save TikTok from Joe Biden? He’s going to try

Friday 17 January 2025 12:00 , Joe Sommerlad

The president-elect sees halting the bipartisan ban on the social video app as an easy way to show he’s delivering results.

He’s probably right, says John Bowden.

Will Donald Trump save TikTok from Joe Biden? He’s going to try

Inside DC’s insane Trump inauguration parties, featuring everyone from Snoop Dogg to Joe Rogan

Friday 17 January 2025 11:30 , Joe Sommerlad

America’s elite will descend on Washington, DC, this weekend to ring in the second Trump era by attending a series of lavish and exclusive inaugural parties.

Some of the biggest names in tech and finance will be at the celebrations happening across the city this weekend and next week when the president-elect will be sworn in.

Rhian Lubin has the lowdown.

Snoop Dogg performance to Joe Rogan brunch: Inside DC’s Trump inauguration parties

New York City mayor to pay court to Trump at Mar-a-Lago

Friday 17 January 2025 11:00 , Joe Sommerlad

The president-elect will reportedly be hosting Eric Adams at his Florida lair today, with the Mayor’s Office saying they will discuss ways to move the city and country forward.

However, it should also be noted that Adams is under federal indictment and that Trump has expressed sympathy for him as a fellow sufferer and promised to look into the possibility of issuing a presidential pardon.