Trump 2nd term live updates: Trump vows to fight for abortion restrictions in March for Life remarks

The White House is touting a major Trump announcement on infrastructure.

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Last updated: Friday, January 24, 2025 2:28PM PST
National Guard receives order to assist US-Mexico border
The National Guard has over 1,600 Guardsmen at the Southern border.

President Donald Trump has kicked off his second term with a flurry of executive actions on immigration, the economy, DEI and more.

In his first trip since becoming president, Trump on Friday surveyed hurricane damage recovery in North Carolina and is set to visit Los Angeles to witness the devastation from the wildfires.

Meanwhile, the president's attempt to end birthright citizenship faced its first legal test. A federal judge has temporarily blocked the order, calling it unconstitutional.

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Jan 22, 2025, 8:43 AM PST

Mike Johnson says he won't 'second-guess' Trump pardons for Jan. 6 rioters

Speaker Mike Johnson said he doesn't question Trump's decision to pardon more than thousand people convicted in connection to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, including some violent offenders.

"The president's made his decision, I don't second guess those," Johnson said at a news conference alongside House Republican leadership.

President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson, his wife Kelly Johnson, after the 60th Presidential Inauguration, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson, his wife Kelly Johnson, after the 60th Presidential Inauguration, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

"And yes, you know, it's kind of my ethos, my worldview, we believe in redemption, we believe in second chances," Johnson said. "If you could -- would argue that those people didn't pay a heavy penalty having been incarcerated and all of that, that's up to you."

Other Republicans had mixed reactions to the news when asked by ABC News on Tuesday. Some claimed they'd "never" seen video of rioters attacking police. Others said Trump's move was something they "just can't agree" with.

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Jan 22, 2025, 8:22 AM PST

Trump OMB pick Russell Vought testifies at confirmation hearing

Russell Vought, who led the Office of Management and Budget during Trump's first term, is facing questions from senators on the Budget Committee.

Vought was involved in Project 2025, the controversial conservative blueprint for a second Trump term that Trump tried to distance himself from while on the campaign trail.

Russell Vought, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be Director, Office of Management and Budget, during a hearing on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in Washington.
Russell Vought, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be Director, Office of Management and Budget, during a hearing on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, in Washington.

If confirmed, Vought would see through the implementation of a Trump executive order to terminate DEI programs in the federal government.

ByAlexander Mallin ABCNews logo
Jan 22, 2025, 8:14 AM PST

Trump team instructs DOJ to investigate state officials who obstruct immigration enforcement efforts

A top Trump administration official sent a memo to the Justice Department workforce ordering criminal investigations into any state and local actors who may attempt to obstruct enforcement of federal immigration laws, according to a copy obtained by ABC News.

The memo further details a series of policy changes being rolled out in the department as a result of multiple executive orders signed by Trump, including the establishment of a "Sanctuary Cities Enforcement Working Group."

As ABC News reported, multiple longtime senior level officials in DOJ's Criminal and National Security Divisions were given an abrupt notice of their reassignment to the task force.

The move has already caused alarm among many current and former officials in the department who see it as an exodus of the department's career "braintrust" on major national security and public corruption cases and a sign the Trump team is placing loyalty to the president's agenda above the typical norms and expertise of officials.

ByLuke Barr ABCNews logo
Jan 22, 2025, 8:09 AM PST

ICE updates terminology from noncitizen to 'alien'

Immigration and Customs Enforcement is updating its terminology as a result of the election.

From now on, those they are arresting will be referred to as "alien" as opposed to "noncitizen" and those in the country without authorization will be referred to as "illegal alien" according to an internal ICE memo obtained by ABC News.

"ICE employees are directed to use the lexicon consistent with the immigration and nationality act and the language historically used by the agency," according to the memo.

The Biden administration changed the language in 2021 when former Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas issued terminology guidance. Trump's used increasingly dark rhetoric on the campaign trail when talking about migrants, including calling some of them "animals."