Donald Trump is expected to sign three executive orders today that would reshape the U.S. military, including possibly banning transgender service members, gutting DEI programs, and reinstating service members with backpay who were discharged for refusing to take the Covid-19 vaccine.
The orders come on the day Pete Hegseth takes up his new role as secretary of defense at the Pentagon.
On Sunday, the president touted his ability to make his political opponents “lose their mind” after striking an agreement with Colombia to accept flights of deported migrants from the U.S.
“I think Trump’s greatest superpower might be his absolutely insane ability to make everyone he has a fight with lose their mind,” the president shared on Truth Social. The post added that Colombian President Gustavo Petro was the latest person to “fall victim to that”.
Trump had threatened Colombia with “emergency 25 percent tariffs” and a number of “decisive retaliatory measures” after Petro blocked two repatriation flights from landing. As a potential trade war loomed, Petro took to X and vowed to “resist” Trump and claimed he was trying to carry out a coup by weaponizing the US’ strong economic position.
Gov. Abbott order Texas troops to help Trump admin to secure southern border
Governor Greg Abbott of Texas has directed the Texas Tactical Border Force to coordinate with the Trump Administration to secure the southern border.
The deployment consists of 400 soldiers, C-130s, and Chinook helicopters, who will be stationed in the Rio Grande Valley and departed from bases in Fort Worth and Houston this morning.
Read the governor’s full statement here:
Oliver O’Connell27 January 2025 17:49
Trump to sign order creating space-based ‘Iron Dome’ missile defense system
According to a fact sheet on the order obtained by CNN, President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order today that would begin the process of creating a “next-generation” missile defense shield for the U.S.
The order calls for an “Iron Dome” for America, borrowing the name of the vaunted short-range Israeli missile defense system that has been used for years to intercept launches from Gaza. The U.S. provided billions of dollars in funding to Iron Dome, and the U.S. Army has its own system.
“The Executive Order directs implementation of a next generation missile defense shield for the United States against ballistic, hypersonic, advanced cruise missiles, and other next generation aerial attacks,” the fact sheet states, calling such potential attacks as a “catastrophic threat.”
This order calls for an advanced space-based series of systems to detect and shoot down launches against the U.S. — something of a throwback to President Ronald Reagan’s “Star Wars” initiative from the 1980s to thwart a Soviet attack that never came to fruition.
No timeline or estimated cost is mentioned in the fact sheet.
Oliver O’Connell27 January 2025 17:38
Trump wants to make Canada part of the US. Some Canadians are interested
Holly Baxter spoke with Canadians who think Trump might have a point…
Oliver O’Connell27 January 2025 17:35
After saying he’s too busy to golf, Trump spotted on his Doral course this morning
Oliver O’Connell27 January 2025 17:30
US Air Force restores use of Tuskegee Airmen training videos
The Air Force restored the use of training material referring to the storied Tuskegee Airmen after a temporary delay to edit its courses to meet the Trump administration’s rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, the service said, resolving an issue roiling as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth began his first day at the Pentagon.
Hegseth said in a post on X on Sunday that any move to cut the training was “immediately reversed.” But the swirl of confusion reflects an ongoing struggle as leaders across the Defense Department try to purge diversity mentions from their websites and training.
Full story: Colombia backs down in face of Trump tariff threats
The White House says Colombia has agreed to President Donald Trump’s terms following a weekend dispute over deportation flights from the United States using military aircraft, averting a trade war within the first week of Trump’s presidency.
Trump threatened Colombia with “decisive retaliatory measures” including tariffs and visa sanctions after Colombia denied entry to two U.S. flights on military planes carrying people who were allegedly living in the country without legal permission.
Gustaf Kilander and Alex Woodward report.
Oliver O’Connell27 January 2025 17:02
Ahead of RFK Jr’s confirmation hearing, anti-vaccine bills pop up across the US
Lawmakers aim to potentially resurrect or create new religious exemptions from immunization mandates, establish state-level vaccine injury databases or dictate what providers must tell patients about the shots.
RFK Jr., a known vaccine-sceptic, faces his confirmation hearing on Wednesday.
Andrew Georgeson reports.
Oliver O’Connell27 January 2025 16:55
Trump administration ends parole programs for immigrants, report says
The Trump administration has directed officials to stop allowing immigrants into the U.S. through parole programs and to stop extending their status if that is how they came into the country, per an internal Department of Homeland Security memo obtained by CBS News.
This will impact Ukrainians with U.S. sponsors who fled the war in their home country, as well as Afghan evacuees and others.
Oliver O’Connell27 January 2025 16:50
