memeorandum: Don't Be Shocked. Don't Be Awed. — Welcome to Inauguration Day. We'll be here for the next four years

12:05 PM ET, January 20, 2025

Top Items:

Trump executive order will attempt to end birthright citizenship — The incoming president plans to take at least 10 actions related to the border or immigration, including ramping up deportations and suspending refugee resettlement. — The U.S. government will no longer recognize …

Discussion: New York Times, NBC News, Joe.My.God., The Independent, DNyuz, E&E News and Washington Examiner

New York Times:

Here Are Trump's Expected Executive Orders — The incoming president's team said he would take unilateral action on a variety of fronts during his first hours in office, including 10 executive orders cracking down on immigration and immigrants. — President-elect Donald J. Trump on Monday …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The Hill, NBC News, CNN, The Daily Signal, Townhall, Washington Times, DNyuz, NPR, Punchbowl News, Iowa Capital Dispatch, ABC News, E&E News, USA Today, The Gateway Pundit, NOTUS and Politico

Emily Yoffe / The Free Press:

EXCLUSIVE: Trump's Day One Executive Order on ‘Male and Female’ — The White House strikes out at gender ideology and pronouns. Also: ends housing of biological men in women's prisons; self-ID on passports; and more. — Toward the end of the 2024 presidential campaign …

Alex Leary / Wall Street Journal:

Trump to Call for ‘Revolution of Common Sense’ in Inaugural Address — In his speech, excerpts of which were shared with The Wall Street Journal, the incoming president will proclaim a ‘new era of national success’ — WASHINGTON—President-elect Donald Trump will call for a …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, USA Today, The Post Millennial, 19FortyFive, The Daily Caller, Washington Post, The Hill, Daily Mail, Fortune, Twitchy, The Independent, Axios and Al Jazeera

Seb Starcevic / Politico:

‘Disgrace’: Pope Francis revives feud with Trump just before inauguration — Pope Francis blasted Donald Trump's plans to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, calling the United States president-elect's proposal a “disgrace.” — “If true, this will be a disgrace …

Discussion: CNN, Breitbart, The Hill, DCReport.org, Washington Times, RNS, America Magazine, Daily Mail, Reuters and Washington Examiner

Noah Berlatsky / Public Notice:

Trump's honeymoon won't last — This is a very bleak moment for the United States and the world. — Donald Trump takes office today promising to immediately start in on a litany of human rights abuses and other efforts to harm marginalized people. He's promised a sweeping assault …

Discussion: Fox News

Noah Weiland / New York Times:
Live Updates: Trump Plans to Sign ‘Close to 100’ Executive Orders

Discussion: The Hill, Associated Press, Business Insider, Washington Post, Washington Times, Daily Mail and Twitchy

Fox News:
Trump to take more than 200 executive actions on day one

Discussion: ABC News, USA Today, The Gateway Pundit, New Republic, Mediaite, The Hill, The Post Millennial, Twitchy, Louder With Crowder, Townhall, New York Post, Washington Examiner, HuffPost, The Independent, RedState and DNyuz

Mike Allen / Axios: Day 1: Trump to revoke security clearances of 51 former intelligence officials

Matthew Yglesias / Slow Boring:
Nobody knows what Trump is going to do

Discussion: Politico

Associated Press:
Trump returning to power after unprecedented comeback, emboldened to reshape American institutions

Discussion: The Hill, Associated Press, RedState, Taipei Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, Daily Mail, Jewish Insider, Bloomberg, Boston Herald, Mercury News and Politico

Wall Street Journal:
Trump to Lay Out Trade Vision—but Won't Impose New Tariffs Yet

Discussion: Politico, Reuters, Bloomberg, Global News, City A.M., The Federalist, DNyuz, The Hill and East Asia Forum

David Propper / New York Post:
Trump to suspend security clearances of 51 intelligence officials who falsely implied Hunter Biden laptop was Russian fake

Discussion: American Greatness, The Gateway Pundit, Fox News, RedState, Daily Mail and The Post Millennial

Bloomberg:
Trump Plans to Declare National Emergency at US Border

Discussion: CBS News, New York Post, Fox News, NBC News, Reuters, Scripps News, GovExec.com, NewsNation, Michigan Advance, The Dispatch and HuffPost

Peter Baker / New York Times:

Biden in Final Hours Pardons Cheney, Fauci and Milley to Thwart Reprisals — Acting on the day he leaves office, President Biden used his executive clemency power to protect people targeted by his incoming successor, Donald J. Trump, who has vowed “retribution.”

Discussion: NBC News, NPR, Vanity Fair, USA Today, Hollywood Life, Townhall, New York Daily News, Instapundit, emptywheel, The Guardian, DNyuz, Semafor and Grabien

Associated Press:

Biden pardons Fauci and Milley in an effort to guard against potential ‘revenge’ by Trump — President Joe Biden on Monday pardoned Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired Gen. Mark Milley and members of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, in an extraordinary use …

William Kristol / The Bulwark:

Don't Be Shocked. Don't Be Awed. — Welcome to Inauguration Day. We'll be here for the next four years—at least. If you've been reading Morning Shots for a while but haven't joined Bulwark+ yet, today's the day. — If you join Bulwark+ today, you'll get 60 days free to try it out.

The White House:
Statement from President Joe Biden

Discussion: Mediaite, UPI, Ars Technica, JURIST, Twitchy, it's so dumb it's brilliant! and The Gateway Pundit

Davis Winkie / USA Today:
Gen. Mark Milley ‘deeply grateful’ for Biden pardon on morning of Trump's inauguration

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

Fox News:
GOP lawmakers pledge to investigate Biden's last-minute pardons: ‘Call them all before Congress’

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Townhall, Talking Points Memo, IJR and Twitchy

Anders Hagstrom / Fox News:
Biden pardons Mark Milley, Anthony Fauci, J6 committee members

Discussion: American Thinker, The Hill, Washington Examiner, The Gateway Pundit, acecomments.mu.nu, American Greatness, DNyuz and Althouse

Alexandra Hutzler / ABC News:
Biden preemptively pardons Anthony Fauci, Mark Milley and Jan. 6 committee members

Discussion: Associated Press, CNN, The Daily Sceptic and Twitchy

Washington Post:
Biden preemptively pardons Milley, Fauci, Jan. 6 panel members

Discussion: New York Times, CBS News, Twitchy and Daily Mail

Ella Lee / The Hill:
Biden pardons Fauci, Jan. 6 committee ahead of Trump inauguration

Discussion: Fox News, Townhall, Raw Story and IJR

Peter Baker / New York Times:
Trump Vowed to End the Ukraine War Before Taking Office. The War Rages On.

Discussion: Reuters and Al Jazeera

Shefali Luthra / The 19th:

Cecile Richards, former Planned Parenthood president and feminist activist, has died — Richards died Monday of an aggressive brain cancer. She was 67. — Cecile Richards, the former president of Planned Parenthood and feminist activist, died Monday of an aggressive brain cancer, her family confirmed in a statement.

Discussion: CBS News, Scripps News, The Texas Tribune, Daily Caller News Foundation, DNyuz, The Barbed Wire and WSVN-TV

Sarah McCammon / NPR:

Former head of Planned Parenthood Cecile Richards has died — Cecile Richards, a prominent advocate for women's rights and other progressive causes, died Monday. In a statement, her family confirmed her death, saying she passed away at home, “surrounded by family and her ever-loyal dog, Ollie.”

Discussion: HuffPost, New York Daily News, Raw Story, Civil Discourse … and LifeNews.com

Remy Tumin / New York Times:
Cecile Richards, Former Planned Parenthood President, Dies at 67

Discussion: Mother Jones and DNyuz

Jeff Stein / Washington Post:

Elon Musk's DOGE to be sued within minutes of Trump inauguration — The legal status of Musk's government waste panel will be challenged in federal court almost as soon as the president-elect is sworn in.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, USA Today, Forbes, The Post Millennial, Mediaite, Politico, The Guardian, Joe.My.God. and Raw Story

David Folkenflik / NPR:
News site focused on Elon Musk to launch

Discussion: The Hill and City A.M.

CBS News:
Vivek Ramaswamy expected to depart DOGE

The White House:

Statement from President Joe Biden — I am issuing pardons to Gerald G. Lundergan and Ernest William Cromartie. I am also commuting the life sentence imposed on Leonard Peltier so that he serves the remainder of his sentence in home confinement. — My family has been subjected …

Discussion: USA Today, Axios, CNBC, RedState and The Post Millennial

Jennifer Bendery / HuffPost:

Joe Biden Grants Clemency To Leonard Peltier — The ailing Native American rights activist has been in prison for nearly 50 years after the U.S. government lied to put him there. — LOADING — WASHINGTON ― With literally minutes left in his presidency, Joe Biden on Monday granted clemency …

Billy Bambrough / Forbes:

It's ‘Just Begun’—Trump Meme Coin Suddenly Crashes Back As Melania Coin Shock Hits Crypto — Crypto markets have been rocked by the launch of an “official” Donald Trump memecoin this weekend—with traders braced for more mayhem this coming week. — Unlock over $3,000 in NFT, web3 and crypto perks — Apply now!

The Contrarian:

Heather Cox Richardson & Jen Rubin in conversation — Two of the boldest, most powerful voices of our time—a historian and a journalist—discuss the precedent for arriving at this day and where we go from here — Heather Cox Richardson is a professor of American history and a prolific author.