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President Trump wants to call Putin to arrange in-person talks: Report

January 20, 2025
President Donald Trump vowed to end the war in Ukraine on day one in office during his presidential campaign in 2024. That vow has since been revised to Trump’s first 100 days in office, and efforts are reportedly underway to deliver on his promise as a candidate.

What’s the latest?

CNN reported on Sunday, Jan. 19, that sources familiar with the matter told the news outlet that President Trump has directed his advisors to arrange a phone call between himself and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The ultimate goal of the phone call is to reportedly secure a face-to-face meeting between the two leaders in the hopes of negotiating an end to Russia’s more than three-year war in Ukraine through a “settlement plan.”

It’s unclear if a date for the phone call has been finalized, but Trump’s national security team reportedly began working on the efforts weeks ago, and Trump has previously said in-person talks are being arranged.

Both Switzerland and Serbia said they would be willing to host the meeting between Trump and Putin. Trump did meet with Putin during his first administration in Helsinki, Finland, and discussed a range of issues.

What’s changed?

Potential direct talks between the two global leaders are a shift from the Biden administration. President Joe Biden avoided talking directly with Putin for nearly three years, under the belief that direct dialogue would do little to end the war in Ukraine.

However, Trump is going with a different approach.

A person familiar with the plans told CNN that Trump’s view is that direct engagement with Putin is exactly what will end the war in Ukraine.

The bigger picture

As Straight Arrow News previously reported, Biden administration officials have expressed concerns that military aid to Ukraine could face an uphill battle under President Trump, which would be a sharp shift from the Biden administration that gave Ukraine billions of dollars in military aid.

Trump has yet to say what security guarantees he would be willing to give Kyiv or what role the United States could play in a post-war Ukraine rebuild.
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US, Mexican officials plan to seal secret smuggling tunnel under border

January 20, 2025
Smugglers may soon have one less way to illegally sneak people and contraband into the United States from Mexico. The Mexican army announcing it is sealing up a secret tunnel underneath the Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez and El Paso, Texas, and revealed that an investigation is underway into its construction.

What did authorities find?

Authorities said they believe the tunnel was being used by human and drug traffickers.

CBS News reported on Sunday, Jan. 19, on the Mexican side of the connection, the tunnel is about 1,000 feet long and equipped with lighting ventilation and wood reinforcements to prevent collapse.

The tunnel reportedly measures about 6 feet high and is four feet wide, which Mexico’s military says makes for easy passage of drugs and people.

The tunnel was discovered on Jan. 10 by U.S. Border Patrol agents in El Paso and is hidden in a storm sewer system between both cities.

Mexican Army officials said the tunnel’s construction may have taken up to two years and they are looking into whether any law enforcement officials were complicit in its creation.

How big is the problem?

Authorities say secret tunnel like this one that are connected to sewer systems are a common tactic among smugglers.

A former U.S. Border Patrol sector Chief told the Daily Mail that he estimates up to 240 such underground connections have existed along the U.S. southern border since 1991.

What’s the bigger picture?

The discovery of the latest underground passageway comes as President Donald Trump vows mass deportations and reportedly plans Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids as soon as Tuesday, Jan. 21.
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Biden pardoned his brother, in-laws, minutes before administration ended

January 20, 2025
Former President Joe Biden gave preemptive pardons to five members of his immediate family in the closing minutes of his administration. The pardons for his siblings and in-laws are for unspecified crimes that may have been committed, very similar to the pardon he gave his son Hunter on Dec. 1, 2024.

The announcement was released minutes before his administration ended, when he was already at the Capitol for President Donald Trump’s inauguration.

“My family has been subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt me — the worst kind of partisan politics,” Biden said in his final statement as president. “Unfortunately, I have no reason to believe these attacks will end.”

Those pardoned include Biden’s brothers James and Francis, his sister Valerie and their spouses.

Biden underscored that he believes his family did nothing wrong. He also said he believes in the rule of law and is optimistic that the strength of U.S. legal institutions will ultimately prevail over politics.

“But baseless and politically motivated investigations wreak havoc on the lives, safety and financial security of targeted individuals and their families,” Biden stated. “Even when individuals have done nothing wrong and will ultimately be exonerated, the mere fact of being investigated or prosecuted can irreparably damage their reputations and finances.”

The chairman of the House Oversight Committee responded to the pardons by saying President Biden abused his public office.

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STATEMENT ON PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN’S PREEMPTIVE PARDONS FOR THE ENTIRE BIDEN FAMILY:

“President Biden’s preemptive pardons for the Biden Crime Family serve as a confession of their corruption as they sold out the American people to enrich themselves. Our investigation…
— Rep. James Comer (@RepJamesComer) January 20, 2025

“President Biden’s preemptive pardons for the Biden Crime Family serve as a confession of their corruption as they sold out the American people to enrich themselves,” Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said in a statement. “Our investigation revealed that at least ten members of the Biden Crime Family and their associates raked in over $30 million by selling Joe Biden’s influence to corrupt foreign entities and individuals in China, Russia, Ukraine, Romania, and Kazakhstan.”

Earlier Monday, Jan. 20, Biden gave preemptive pardons to dozens of others he believed could be the target of politically motivated prosecutions.

That includes Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley and the leaders of the Jan. 6 investigative committee: Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo. According to The Associated Press, dozens of Jan. 6 committee staff members were also pardoned.
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President Trump is a crypto billionaire thanks to his latest meme coin

January 20, 2025
President Donald Trump became an overnight cryptocurrency billionaire after dispensing Trump meme coins on the Solana blockchain. The official Trump digital token exceeded a $10 billion market capitalization ahead of Trump’s inauguration on Monday, Jan. 20.

According to CoinMarketCap, if all Trump coins were in circulation, the fully diluted value would exceed $50 billion.

Despite Trump and others getting rich on the new offering, the official website warns Trump Memes are not “an investment opportunity, investment contract, or security of any type.”

“Trump Memes are intended to function as an expression of support for, and engagement with, the ideals and beliefs embodied by the symbol ‘$TRUMP,’” the website fine print reads.

It also warns the trade is not political and not affiliated with a political campaign, office or governmental agency. CIC Digital LLC, an affiliate of The Trump Organization and Fight Fight Fight LLC, collectively own 80% of the Trump Cards, according to the website GetTrumpMemes.com.

Like other cryptocurrencies, the Trump meme coin is digitally traded through a computer network, in this case, the Solana blockchain. Cryptocurrencies are seen as decentralized and an alternative to “fiat money,” national currencies like the dollar, which governments control.

$TRUMP dives as $MELANIA enters market

The Trump coin took a dive on Sunday, Jan. 19, when Trump’s wife, Melania, launched her own offering. The official MELANIA Meme had a market cap of around $1.5 billion ahead of the inauguration ceremony on Monday, Jan. 20, with each coin trading at around $8. The fully diluted value is north of $7 billion.

$MELANIA contains the same disclosures as $TRUMP: They are digital collectibles intended to function as an expression of support.

On X, Melania Trump’s tweet promoting the meme coin came with a warning from Community Notes: “Buying this token is incredibly risky and will likely result in the loss of funds.”

The ‘first cryptocurrency president’

Cryptocurrency has functioned as part of the Trump trade since Trump the candidate headlined the Bitcoin2024 conference in Nashville.

“If crypto is going to define the future, I want it to be mined, minted and made in the USA,” Trump said in his keynote speech in July 2024. “And if Bitcoin is going to the moon, as we say, is going to the moon, I want America to be the nation that leads the way, and that’s what’s going to happen.”

Crypto advocates call Trump the first Bitcoin president. Bitcoin touched higher than $108,000 early Monday morning ahead of Trump’s swearing-in. It’s a huge return from its value of less than $70,000 on Election Day in November 2024.

The first couple’s foray into meme coins is unprecedented and brings up concerns of conflict. Multiple former White House ethics lawyers have raised red flags about Trump financially benefiting from an industry he is charged with regulating.

Cryptocurrency regulation under Trump

Trump has vowed to relax the more stringent regulatory landscape on cryptocurrency taken during the Biden administration. In his first week in office, he is expected to sign an executive order creating a crypto advisory council.

Crypto advocates have long lambasted Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler for regulating most cryptocurrencies as securities. Gensler left the agency on Monday, Jan. 20.

In December, Trump tapped the more crypto-friendly Paul Atkins to chair the SEC. He was previously an SEC commissioner under President George W. Bush and co-chair of the Digital Chamber of Commerce’s Token Alliance.

Former Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chair Chris Giancarlo told Straight Arrow News, that Atkins is “an advocate for blockchain and digital assets.”
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Trump staffers told to buy legal insurance for expected investigations

January 20, 2025
Incoming Trump administration officials are being urged to buy legal insurance that would pay for a lawyer if they get wrapped up in an investigation over the next four years. According to NBC News, the Trump transition team told some staffers to price and buy professional liability insurance.

The report states former members of the administration purchased policies during Trump’s first impeachment.

“You need legal representation if you’re facing people who have the arms of the government at their disposal,” one former official told NBC. “It’s very intimidating when you don’t have people on your side to tell you what you can do and what circumstances you might be walking into.”

Another former official said not getting it, “would be reckless if you have any assets to protect — the house, college funds, whatever.”

There were multiple investigations that required Trump aides to lawyer up, including Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, the impeachment inquiry into Trump’s dealings with Ukraine and the Jan. 6 investigative committee.

Former Trump aides Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro both served time in prison for defying Congressional subpoenas related to the Jan. 6 probe. Navarro asked the judge for extra time to prepare for trial, partly due to his limited financial resources and the high cost of securing representation.

“This is going to cost a half a million dollars, from what I’m being told,” Navarro told Fox News in an interview. “I’ll be eating dog food if I stay out of jail.”

Another West Wing aide, Cassidy Hutchinson, had to find her own attorney before she testified before the Jan. 6 committee. The interview transcript revealed she approached estranged family members, including her father, to help pay her legal bills.

Attorney’s fees can be overwhelming for individuals on a government salary. In the first six months of 2022, Trump’s political committees paid $2.2 million to six law firms representing witnesses before the Jan. 6 committee.
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Trump to sign 10 executive orders on border security after inauguration: Report

January 20, 2025
Shortly after his inauguration, President Trump is expected to sign 10 executive orders focused on border security, Fox News reported. Among the orders, the newly sworn-in president will declare a national emergency to deploy U.S. troops to the southern border and direct the construction of the border wall, which was halted under President Biden.

Trump will also designate cartels, including MS-13 and the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, as foreign terrorist organizations.

Incoming White House officials say they plan to end asylum — a form of international protection granted to individuals fleeing persecution in their home countries — citing concerns that the practice is being abused by some migrants.

Fox News reported that officials also say Trump will reinstate the “Remain in Mexico” policy, officially known as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP). The policy requires migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. to wait in Mexico while their asylum cases are processed, rather than staying in the U.S. during legal proceedings.

Trump’s executive orders are set to reverse several Biden-era border policies, including the use of the CBP One app, which allows migrants to seek asylum in the United States.

Nearly 1.5 million migrants were allowed entry into the country through the app, according to Fox News.

Additionally, Trump plans to sign an order ending birthright citizenship, challenging the Constitution’s guarantee of citizenship for all individuals born on U.S. soil.

“On a prospective basis, the federal government will not recognize automatic birthright citizenship for children of illegal aliens born in the United States,” a Trump White House official said during a call with reporters on the morning of Monday, Jan. 20.

Since winning the November election, Trump has maintained that he has a “mandate” from the American people to secure the border. He stated on Sunday, Jan. 19, during a pre-inauguration dinner, that he would be signing nearly 100 executive orders within hours of taking office.

On Monday, Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum rejected the “Remain in Mexico” policy, and announced that her government is developing new strategies to counter Trump’s mass deportation plan.
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Top Taliban official tells leader there’s ‘no excuse’ for female education ban

January 20, 2025
One of the Taliban’s top officials is urging the head of the terror group, which now controls Afghanistan in the wake of the United States’ withdrawal, to scrap its education ban for Afghan women and girls. The country’s deputy minister of foreign affairs shared a video on his official account on X, saying there’s “no excuse” for the ban, which does not allow females in Afghanistan to pursue and education after 6th grade.

“We are committing an injustice against 20 million people out of a population of 40 million, depriving them of all their rights,” Sher Abbas Stanikzai said in the video. “This is not in Islamic law, but our personal choice or nature.”

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, urged the leaders of the Islamic Emirate to open the doors of education for everyone.

Speaking at a graduation ceremony of a madrasa in Khost province, he said, "The path we are currently following stems from… pic.twitter.com/doj1AoIvT6
— TOLOnews English (@TOLONewsEnglish) January 19, 2025

Who is Sher Abbas Stanikzai?

Sher Abbas Stanikzai was once the head of the Taliban team in talks that led to the complete withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan.

This is not the first time Stanikzai has spoken out about educating females. In September 2022, a year after schools closed for girls and just months before the introduction of a university ban, he made similar remarks.

Other education bans

In September 2024, there were also reports women had been banned from medical training and courses, but the Taliban has not confirmed that. A ban like that could create further problems because, in Afghanistan, women and girls can only be treated by female doctors and health professionals.

No country recognizes the Taliban as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan, but countries like Russia and China have been building ties with them.
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Biden preemptively pardons Fauci, Milley, Jan. 6 committee members

January 20, 2025
In the final hours of his tenure, President Joe Biden issued preemptive pardons for potential targets of the Trump administration. On Monday, Jan. 20, Biden preemptively pardoned Dr. Anthony Fauci, who led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for nearly four decades — including during the COVID-19 pandemic during President-elect Donald Trump’s first administration.

He also pardoned now-retired Gen. Mark Milley, who served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during Trump’s first term, and has publicly warned he believes Trump is a fascist. Milley has also been heavily criticized by Republicans for the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

President Biden also issued preemptive pardons for members of Congress who served on the Jan. 6 Committee — including former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, who Trump has vowed retribution against.

President Joe Biden’s statement

Our nation relies on dedicated, selfless public servants every day. They are the lifeblood of our democracy.

Yet alarmingly, public servants have been subjected to ongoing threats and intimidation for faithfully discharging their duties.

In certain cases, some have even been…
— President Biden (@POTUS) January 20, 2025

In a statement, President Biden said, “Our nation relies on dedicated, selfless public servants every day. They are the lifeblood of our democracy. Yet alarmingly, public servants have been subjected to ongoing threats and intimidation for faithfully discharging their duties.”

Biden added, “These are exceptional circumstances, and I cannot in good conscience do nothing.”

Reaction from both sides of the aisle

The president also made clear the preemptive pardons are not meant to imply any wrongdoing; rather, they’re meant to provide protection for these individuals. Some Democrats argued against preemptive pardons, including Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who served on the House Jan. 6 Committee.

Some Trump supporters have also spoken out against the pardons, like Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R, who claimed in a post on X that those pardoned Monday are guilty of crimes.
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Elon Musk’s DOGE accused of violating federal transparency law

January 20, 2025
As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take the oath of office on Monday, Jan. 20, a legal battle is brewing around one of his initiatives. A public interest legal firm, National Security Counselors, will file a lawsuit against the Department of Government Efficiency, also known as DOGE.

The law firm has accused DOGE of violating federal transparency laws, according to The Washington Post. DOGE is co-led by Tesla and X owner Elon Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

What law is DOGE accused of breaking?

In a complaint obtained by the Post, the firm said the DOGE panel is breaking a 1972 law that requires advisory committees to the executive branch to follow certain rules on practices including disclosure and hiring.

Soon after the election, Trump picked Musk and Ramaswamy to lead DOGE. The department will identify government regulations and spending programs for the White House to cut.

Multiple reports state Ramaswamy is expected to step away from the task force and announce a campaign for Ohio governor as soon as the end of this month.

Ramaswamy hasn’t commented on the report.

The DOGE group has already hired dozens of employees who are working out of Musk’s SpaceX offices in Washington, D.C.

The lawsuit claims DOGE does not meet the requirements of a Federal Advisory Committee. That designation is a class of legal structure regulated to ensure the government receives transparent and balanced advice.

These groups, also called FACAs are legally mandated to have “fairly balanced” representation, keep regular minutes of meetings, allow the public to attend and file a charter with Congress, which are all actions the lawsuit said DOGE hasn’t taken.

Did Musk respond?

Musk has yet to respond to the planned lawsuit. However, he has been outspoken in the past about what he calls “lawfare.” Musk has described lawsuits designed to disrupt his companies or initiatives as politically motivated.

Supporters of DOGE, including economist Sam Hammond, told the Post, that DOGE is not a formal advisory committee but rather a strategic effort by Trump to streamline government operations.

Critics of FACA regulations say they impose restrictive requirements that are too broad.

What about other FACA cases?

In 1993, then-First Lady Hillary Clinton was accused of violating FACA regulations through her leadership of a commission chosen by President Bill Clinton to study health care reform. The accusations claimed she wasn’t an official member of the government.

The U.S. Court of Appeals ruled in her favor, exempting her.

According to the Post, the DOGE lawsuit mentions there are zero federal employees in the department or anyone who represents the perspective of federal employees.

It also states the White House should be barred from implementing DOGE’s recommendations.
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How a Vivek Ramaswamy run for Ohio governor could jeopardize DOGE

January 20, 2025
President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to co-head the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with Tesla CEO Elon Musk may have other plans. According to multiple reports, Vivek Ramaswamy is planning to step away from the task force to run for Ohio governor.

What’s happening?

CBS News reported Sunday, Jan. 19, that Ramaswamy might announce his run for Ohio governor as soon as the month’s end.

So far, Ramaswamy has not confirmed the reports.

Why does it matter?

The reports come as Musk reportedly expressed frustration with Ramaswamy over his lack of participation in brainstorming DOGE policy. DOGE is an unofficial government advisory board designed to eliminate government spending deemed wasteful.

One person close to the Trump team, who chose to remain anonymous, told CBS News: “Vivek has worn out his welcome.”

What happens now?

Ramaswamy’s potential departure from DOGE could jeopardize the task force, which aims to cut government spending by up to $2 trillion by July 2026.

Neither Musk nor Trump’s transition team officially commented on the reports of Ramaswamy’s potential exit.

What happened before this?

Ramaswamy recently met with Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who is term-limited, over the state’s U.S. Senate seat left vacant by Vice President-elect JD Vance.

However, DeWine has since said he is appointing his Lt. Gov. Jon Husted to fill the seat.

Who is Ramaswamy?

Ramaswamy ran for president during the 2024 campaign as a candidate with no previous political experience. Before he exited the race, he endorsed Trump.

He is the co-founder of a biotechnology company and attended Yale Law School with Vance.
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