Speaker Johnson Pushes for Budget Vote

The Senate’s Plan B is in place. Now it’s up to Speaker Mike Johnson to deliver on Plan A – the “one big, beautiful bill” he’s been promising for weeks. Correspondent Bernie Bennett reports.

VERBATIM:
Speaking at an event held by Americans for Prosperity, Johnson stressed the importance of moving the “one, big beautiful bill” the House is pursuing so that a swath of 2017 tax cuts don’t expire without an extension.

The Rules Committee meets Monday to ready the House GOP budget plan for the floor as a group of holdouts concerned about deep cuts to Medicaid and other safety-net programs raise increasingly sharp concerns.

It amounts to a key inflection point for President Donald Trump’s domestic policy agenda, and GOP senators – who muscled through their own two-bill legislative blueprint early Friday morning – are eagerly watching to see if Johnson can finally unify his conference and move forward with his own plan.

Senate Budget Chair Lindsey Graham says If Johnson can pull it together, “I will be his biggest fan.”

Bernie Bennett in Washington.

Voters Support Trump’s Deportation Plan

Voters strongly favor President Donald Trump’s plan to apprehend and deport illegal aliens. More from reporter Bernie Bennett.

VERBATIM: The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 62% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of the Trump administration’s program to find and deport immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally, including 41% who Strongly Approve. Thirty-six percent (36%) disapprove, including 22% who Strongly Disapprove.

The survey of 1,188 U.S. Likely Voters was conducted on February 16-18, 2025 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.

Bernie Bennett reporting.

Trump Transgender Policies Challenged in Court

Two Trump administration executive orders targeting the rights of transgender and nonbinary people are facing fresh court challenges. Reporter Bernie Bennett has more.

VERBATIM: Three Democratic states sued Friday over the order to ban federal funding for gender-affirming care for transgender people under 19. It’s at least the second challenge to the policy that was put forth late last month.
Trump signed an executive order last month directing federally run insurance programs, including Medicaid and TRICARE for military families, to exclude coverage for such care. It also calls on the Department of Justice to pursue litigation and legislation to oppose it.
Trump also signed an executive order on Wednesday intended to ban transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports.
Bernie Bennett reporting

President Trump Fires the Board of the Kennedy Center

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump said Friday that he is firing members of the board of trustees for the Kennedy Center and naming himself chairman. Details from Correspondent Bernie Bennett.

VERBATIM: The President also indicated that he will use the post to dictate programming at one of the nation’s premier cultural institutions.
Trump wrote on social media Friday that “At my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., GREAT AGAIN.” He says the current chairman, philanthropist David Rubenstein, is among those who “do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture.”
He says, “We will soon announce a new Board, with an amazing Chairman, DONALD J. TRUMP!”
Bernie Bennett in Washington.

Hamas Releases Three Hostages

Hamas has freed three hostages as part of the ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip. Bernie Bennett has this report.

VERBATIM: Two released hostages, Ofer Kalderon and Yarden Bibas, arrived in Israel and were on their way to an initial reception point. Along the road leading to the military base, small groups of supporters waited for the convoys waving Israeli flags.
Later Saturday, American-Israeli Keith Siegel was handed over to the Red Cross.
The six-week phase one truce calls for the release of 33 hostages and nearly 2,000 prisoners, as well as the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza and an increase in humanitarian aid to the devastated territory.
Bernie Bennett reporting.

Trump Rates High in Presidential Tracking Poll

President Trump’s approval rating i son the rise. Correspondent Bernie Bennett has this report.

VERBATIM:
The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Friday shows that 52% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance. Forty-five percent (45%) disapprove.

The latest figures include 39% who Strongly Approve of the job Trump is doing and 37% who Strongly Disapprove. This gives him a Presidential Approval Index rating of +2.

On January 23rd, he held a total approval rating of 56% and disapproval rating of 40% with an approval index of +6. Forty percent strongly approved and 34% strongly disapproved.

Bernie Bennett reporting.

USAID Pauses Aid to Foreign Countries

WASHINGTON (AP) – Trump administration changes have upended the U.S. agency charged with providing humanitarian aid to countries overseas. Correspondent Bernie Bennett reports.

VERBATIM: Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the pause, saying “the U.S. government is not a charity.”
Current and former officials at the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development say they were invited to submit requests to exempt certain programs from the freeze, which President Donald Trump imposed Jan. 20 and the State Department detailed how to execute on Jan. 24.
Three days later, at least 56 senior career USAID staffers were abruptly placed on administrative leave.

Bernie Bennett, Washington.

DEI in Higher Education

Around the United States, colleges and universities are cautiously navigating the Trump administration’s crackdown on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

OUT CUE: Correspondent Bernie Bennett reporting.

VERBATIM: Schools are reassessing programs, courses, and job titles that could run afoul of President Donald Trump’s recent executive orders. As they figure out how to adapt, some schools are staying quiet out of uncertainty or fear. Others have vowed to stand firm.
Trump has said DEI amounts to discrimination. To get colleges to shutter diversity programs, he said during the campaign he would “advance a measure to have them fined up to the entire amount of their endowment.”

Ramaswamy eyes run for Ohio Governor

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Fresh off of his unexpected departure from President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, Vivek Ramaswamy has set his sights on becoming governor of Ohio, his home state.

He’s lined up strategists and plans to announce his run as soon as this week. Ramaswamy will try to follow the paths of Vice President JD Vance and Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno. Those political newcomers won Senate seats with the help of Trump’s endorsement. Ramaswamy’s plans have complicated things for a deep bench of veteran Republican politicians who also may aspire to succeed term-limited Gov. Mike DeWine.

Trump Reverses Biden’s “Climate Justice” Policies

President Trump is reversing his predecessor’s efforts to clean up areas hardest hit by pollution from heavy industry, ports and roadways.

President Trump eliminated the “Justice 40” initiative the Biden Administration created which required 40% of the benefits from certain environmental programs go to hard-hit communities.

He disbanded a team of White House advisors who focus on the issue. It’s part of a spate of early executive orders that align with Trump’s campaign pledge to slash regulations and eliminate an emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion. The new administration actions end a short-lived federal embrace of environmental justice.

Senate Closing in on Noem Confirmation Vote

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Senate is heading towards a vote on confirming South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as homeland security secretary. Correspondent Bernie Bennett has more on this story.

VERBATIM: It would place her at the head of a sprawling agency that will be essential to both national security and President Donald Trump’s plans to squash illegal immigration.
Republicans were determined to barrel through on Noem’s confirmation, threatening to keep the Senate working through the weekend to install Trump’s national security Cabinet officials.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth won confirmation Friday night, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe were already in place.
Bernie Bennett in Washington.

U.N. Suspends Travel Into Yemen

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – The United Nations on Friday suspended all travel into areas held by Yemen’s Houthi rebels after seven more of their staff were detained by the rebels. More on this from reporter Bernie Bennett.

VERBATIM: The statement comes after the Houthis have detained U.N. staffers, as well as individuals associated with the once-open U.S. Embassy in Sanaa and aid groups.
The Houthis did not immediately acknowledge the U.N.’s decision. However, it comes as they have tried to deescalate their attacks on shipping and Israel after a ceasefire was reached in the Israel-Hamas war.
Before Friday, the U.N. had a total of 16 Yemeni staff in Houthi detention. Staffers found seven others had been taken and halted their work, which provides food, medicine and other aid to the impoverished nation.
Bernie Bennett reporting.

Trump Declares Emergency at the Border with Mexico

President Donald Trump has declared a national emergency on the border with Mexico, saying “America’s sovereignty is under attack.” Details on this from Correspondent Bernie Bennett.

VERBATIM: Active-duty military arrived Thursday in San Diego and El Paso, Texas. It comes at a moment of relative calm after unprecedented turmoil. Arrests for illegal border crossings plummeted more than 80% to about 47,000 in December.
That was down from an all-time high of 250,000 the same period a year earlier. Arrests fell by about half when Mexican authorities increased enforcement within their own borders a year ago. And they plummeted by about half again when former President Joe Biden introduced severe asylum restrictions.
Bernie Bennett reporting.

Oath Keepers Founder is Banned from Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON (AP) – A federal judge on Friday barred Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes from entering Washington without the court’s approval after President Donald Trump commuted Rhodes’s 18-year prison sentence in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Reporter Bernie Bennett has details.

VERBATIM: U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, who oversaw the seditious conspiracy trial of Rhodes and other Oath Keepers, issued the order two days after Rhodes visited Capitol Hill, where he met with at least one lawmaker, chatted with others and defended his actions the day of the attack.

Mehta’s order applies to seven other defendants who were charged in one of the most serious conspiracy cases brought by the Justice Department over the attack. The order also prohibits them from entering the Capitol building or surrounding grounds without the court’s permission.

Bernie Bennett reporting.

Pete Hegseth Is Confirmed as Secretary of Defense

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Senate confirmed Pete Hegseth as the nation’s defense secretary in a dramatic late-night vote. More details from Correspondent Bernie Bennett.

VERBATIM:
Republicans pushed back questions about Hegseth’s qualifications amid allegations of heavy drinking and aggressive behavior. Vice President JD Vance was on hand to cast the tie-breaking vote.

TRUMP CABINET-HEGSETH-vance-a-11-FRIpm (:11) “applause fades”

The Republican senators prioritized the former Fox News host and combat veteran’s vow to create a “warrior culture” at the Pentagon.

Confirming Hegseth rounds out President Donald Trump’s top national security Cabinet officials.

Bernie Bennett, Washington

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Inauguration 2025: Vance Swearing In

Sen. JD Vance is sworn in as the nation’s 50th Vice President before President-elect Donald Trump becomes the 47th President. Former Vice President Kamala Harris and the Second Gentlemen welcomed incoming Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha to the Naval Observatory ahead of his swearing in at the U.S. Capitol. They took pictures before heading to the Capitol Rotunda where he was sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. At 40, Vance is the youngest Vice President since Richard Nixon.

Inauguration 2025: Martin Luther King Day

For the third time in U.S. history, Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Inauguration Day will both be held collectively. Correspondent Bernie Bennett has the story.

VERBATIM:

The overlap is set for Monday when former president Donald Trump will return to the White House for a second term as President Joe Biden leaves office. Due to calendar quirks, the two significant US days will not coincide again for another 28 years.

Presidential inaugurations have been scheduled for Jan. 20 since 32nd President Franklin Roosevelt took office in 1937.

MLK Day and Inauguration Day have only coincided twice before in U.S. history: the 1997 second inauguration of Bill Clinton and the 2013 second inauguration of Barack Obama.

Bernie Bennett for Inauguration 2025.

Inauguration 2025: Foreign Guests

For the first time in U.S. history, a president-elect will welcome foreign leaders for one of the most American political traditions – the peaceful transfer of power. This story from Correspondent Bernie Bennett.

VERBATIM:

This Inauguration will make history for the many foreign heads of state in attendance.

President-elect Donald Trump invited Chinese President Xi Jinping and conservative world leaders such as Argentine President Javier Milei and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni. Both leaders are expected. Xi sent his vice president as his representative.

The offices of Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa and Paraguayan President Santiago Peña have said they were invited to the inauguration and planned to attend.

Bernie Bennett for Inauguration 2025.

House Inauguration Day Schedule

The House of Representatives is scheduled to meet on Inauguration Day to begin approving the agenda of President-elect Trump. Details on this from Correspondent Bernie Bennett.

VERBATIM:

The next meeting of the House is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. today, Monday, January 20, 2025. Majority Leader Steve Scalise posted the agenda for the week, following the Inauguration of Donald Trump of the 47th President.

Legislative priorities include protecting U.S. borders, improving forest management and restoring American forest health, requiring medical care for born-alive abortion survivors and providing aid to communities affected by wildfires in California. The President-elect has said he will visit California on Friday.

Bernie Bennett for Inauguration 2025.

Inauguration 2025: Protocols

As the Capitol prepares to host the 60th Inaugural, protocols must be observed by those visitors allowed to attend. Correspondent Bernie Bennett has details.

VERBATIM:

On Monday, January 20, 2025, the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies will host the 60th Inauguration of the President-elect and the Vice-President-elect in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol.

Ticketed guests are encouraged to arrive early and use public transportation to ensure they will be in place by the time the Inaugural Ceremonies begin at 11:30 a.m.

Ticketed guests should be aware of safety guidelines determined by the U.S. Capitol Police. To protect the safety and well-being of attendees, many items will not be permitted on the Capitol Grounds. A complete list of items and safety protocols can be found at w-w-w dot u-s-c-p dot gov.

Bernie Bennett for Inauguration 2025.

Inauguration 2025: Protection

According to D.C. police, early 4,000 officers from law enforcement agencies nationwide were sworn in Sunday to help support security for the 60th Presidential Inauguration.

Inauguration 2025: Trump in Washington

WASHINGTON (AP) – Donald Trump is returning to Washington to kick off days of pageantry to herald his second inauguration as president. Correspondent Bernie Bennett has details.

High Hopes for 2025

Although 2024 didn’t rate very high in most Americans’ estimation, a new poll suggests that a majority expect much better in 2025. Details on this from reporter Bernie Bennett.

VERBATIM: The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that just five percent (5%) of American Adults rate 2024 one of the best years ever. Eleven percent (11%) think it was an excellent year and 20% rate 2024 a good year. However, 34% of Americans give 2024 a poor rating. The 36% who rate 2024 at least a good year is slightly up from last year, when 34% said the same about 2023.

Bernie Bennett reporting.

Holocaust Survivor Slams Harris for Fascist Rhetoric

WASHINGTON – Republican Leaders in Congress aren’t the only ones taking issue with Vice President Harris’ comparison of Former President Trump to Adolf Hitler.

VERBATIM: A video message from Jerry Wartski, a 94-year-old survivor of Auschwitz and the Nazi death marches was trending over X on Friday, in which Wartski made it very clear what he thinks of Harris’ narrative.

He wrote, “Adolph Hitler invaded Poland when I was nine-years-old. “He murdered my parents and most of our family. I know more about Hitler than Kamala will ever know in a thousand lifetimes. For her to accuse President Trump of being like Hitler is the worst thing I’ve ever heard in my 75 years of living in the United States.”

Bernie Bennett, Washington.