The Morning: Trump’s pardons

Plus, the war in Ukraine, a winter storm and the nerd Super Bowl.

View in browser|nytimes.com January 22, 2025 By German Lopez Good morning. We're covering Trump's Jan. 6 pardons — as well as the war in Ukraine, a winter storm and the nerd Super Bowl. The New York Times Rewriting Jan. 6 Before Inauguration Day, Donald Trump's allies indicated that he'd limit clemency for Jan. 6 defendants to nonviolent offenders. "If you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn't be pardoned," JD Vance said this month. But President Trump's pardons and commutations, signed on Monday, include people who assaulted police officers with baseball bats and chemical sprays. They include those who plotted to use violence to stop the peaceful transfer of power. Judges sentenced some of the defendants to prison for decades — a sign of their crimes' severity. Trump thought his supporters had been unfairly persecuted. His pardons reflect that view. "To have done anything less would have been an admission that there was something wrong with what his supporters did on Jan. 6," my colleagues Jonathan Swan, Maggie Haberman and Alan Feuer wrote. Today's newsletter focuses on some of the Jan. 6 defendants and the crimes for which they now have impunity. The offenders Trump gave clemency to more than 1,500 people who participated in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Prosecutors had video and photographic evidence of their crimes. The offenders include: Stewart Rhodes and his far-right militia group, the Oath Keepers, helped orchestrate the riot. He and his followers said over text messages beforehand that Chinese agents had infiltrated the U.S. government and that Joe Biden might cede control of the country to the United Nations. Prosecutors said Rhodes had placed a "quick reaction force" of heavily armed Oath Keepers in a Virginia hotel — to rush into Washington with their weapons if called upon. A jury convicted him of seditious conspiracy, which requires proof of violent force against the government. A judge sentenced him to 18 years in prison. Julian Khater blasted chemical spray at a group of officers as the mob overran the police on the west side of the Capitol. One of the officers, Brian Sicknick, died the next day. A judge sentenced Khater to nearly seven years in prison. Albuquerque Cosper Head grabbed Officer Michael Fanone around the neck and told a crowd, "I got one!" Head then dragged Fanone down the Capitol steps and into the mob. Rioters beat, kicked and shot Fanone with a stun gun. A judge sentenced Head to seven and a half years in prison. Daniel Rodriguez fired the stun gun at Fanone's neck, twice. He also sprayed a fire extinguisher at the police and shoved a wooden pole at a line of officers. A judge called him a "one-man army of hate" and sentenced him to more than 12 years in prison. David Dempsey punched and kicked police officers and attacked them with a flagpole, crutches, broken pieces of furniture and pepper spray. A judge sentenced him to 20 years in prison. Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the far-right Proud Boys, helped plan the attack. (He was not actually at the riot; officers arrested him days earlier for setting fire to a church's Black Lives Matter banner.) A jury convicted him of seditious conspiracy, and a judge sentenced him to 22 years in prison. My colleague Alan Feuer detailed the defendants' crimes, and the type of clemency they received, in this article. Some of the Jan. 6 defendants have shown no remorse. Days before his sentencing, Rhodes falsely claimed that the 2020 election was fraudulent and that the government was "coming after those on the political right." At a court hearing, he declared, "I am a political prisoner." Undeterred Trump won't be able to act as unilaterally in many other areas as he did with these pardons. The president's pardon powers are unique in that they are virtually unchecked by the Constitution. The same is not true for immigration, taxes, health care, tariffs or other topics that interest Trump. Congress, state governments and the courts will get a say — and they might not want to go as far as the president does. Yet Trump's blanket clemency previews an important aspect of his second term: He feels unbound this time around. He believes that the public is behind his agenda, and he's ready to push it by any means he can. More coverage "It's a miscarriage of justice": Many of the officers injured in the Jan. 6 riot said they felt betrayed. A few Republicans in Congress also criticized Trump's pardons. "I just can't agree," Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina said. Trump also pardoned Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the online drug marketplace Silk Road. Ulbricht, a Bitcoin pioneer, is a cult hero in the cryptocurrency world. THE LATEST NEWS Trump's Picks Marco Rubio and JD Vance Doug Mills/The New York Times Marco Rubio, the first member of Trump's cabinet to be approved, was sworn in as secretary of state. The former sister-in-law of Pete Hegseth, Trump's pick for defense secretary, told senators that Hegseth had been abusive to his ex-wife. Trump is moving quickly to appoint new leaders at U.S. attorney's offices, a sign of how important prosecutors will be for his administration's plans. More on the Administration The Trump administration fired the head of the Coast Guard, Adm. Linda Fagan, and said she had not done enough to stop drugs crossing the border. She was the first woman to lead a branch of the armed forces. Trump ordered federal agencies to place diversity, equity and inclusion officials on paid leave and to plan layoffs. He revoked Secret Service protection for John Bolton, his former national security adviser. Bolton said the U.S. had granted him security for life because Iran sought to kill him. Trump said he would impose a 10 percent tariff on Chinese imports from Feb. 1, describing the move as a response to fentanyl exports from China. The Trump administration, working with OpenAI, SoftBank and Oracle, will invest at least $100 billion in A.I. infrastructure. Trump's blizzard of executive orders asserts a muscular vision of presidential power, Charlie Savage writes. The president has promised to plant the American flag on Mars. That may be possible, but he left the specifics unclear. Immigration The Trump administration expanded immigration agents' powers, allowing them to quickly deport certain undocumented immigrants. Attorneys general from 22 states sued to block Trump's order attempting to limit birthright citizenship. Trump's citizenship order conflicts with most scholars' reading of the 14th Amendment, though at least one federal judge has appeared open to his interpretation. The order would also affect babies born to legal immigrants on student and work visas. At an inaugural prayer service, an Episcopal bishop asked Trump to show mercy to immigrants and L.G.B.T. children. The Trump and Vance families whispered and shook their heads. War in Ukraine Trump, who often praises Vladimir Putin, said Putin was "destroying Russia" by waging war in Ukraine. Ukraine detained three military commanders it blames for losing territory. "It feels like they specifically came here to die": North Korean troops fighting alongside Russia use distinctive tactics with little room for retreat. Winter Storm In New Orleans.  Kathleen Flynn for The New York Times A winter storm broke snowfall records across the Gulf Coast, where snow is so rare that most cities don't own plows. Officials said the storm had killed at least 10 people and caused hundreds of car crashes. Airlines canceled thousands of flights. In cities like Houston and New Orleans, many residents spent the day reveling in the most snow they had ever seen. Frosty beaches and a snowball fight in the in the French Quarter: See photos from across the region. California Fires The worst of the winds in Southern California is over, but the high risk of fire will persist across Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. Forecasters expect rain this weekend. It may help contain the fires, but rain on burned land can also bring landslides. The 17 people who died in the Eaton fire lived in an area where evacuation orders came hours later than elsewhere. Other Big Stories Israel launched a military operation in Jenin, a city in the Israeli-occupied West Bank that is considered a hub of militancy. Shortly before the operation, Trump rescinded sanctions on Jewish settlers, and Jewish extremists attacked Palestinian villages. A fire at a ski resort hotel in Turkey killed at least 76 people. The cause was unclear. Prince Harry reached a settlement with Rupert Murdoch's British tabloids over accusations of unlawful information gathering. "It took us a few minutes to accept that this pile of rubble was our home": Here's what one family found returning to their neighborhood in Gaza. More than a century after the Tulsa Race Massacre, the city is still debating what it owes to the victims' descendants. Opinions America has never been the nation of immigrants it was promised to be. It could still be, Ana Raquel Minian writes. "I understand now that I cannot be in control": Jake Halpern interviewed his mother-in-law about what she's gained and lost with brain cancer. Here are columns by M. Gessen on Ukraine and Trump and Thomas Edsall on the conservative movement's success. Receive free access to handpicked articles via text message. Now you can get Times journalism sent right to your phone. Each article will be accessible for 30 days. Sign up now MORNING READS In Las Vegas.  Mikayla Whitmore for The New York Times Nerd Super Bowl: At a Las Vegas arena, 12 finance guys competed for the title of world's best spreadsheeter. Special signs: Human families share inside jokes and gestures. Chimp families do, too. Ask Well: "Are dental X-rays safe?" Lives Lived: Jules Feiffer took delight in skewering politics, relationships and human nature in his Village Voice comic strip, but his creative instincts could not be confined to one medium. He died at 95. SPORTS M.L.B.: Ichiro Suzuki was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He was one shy of a unanimous vote. See the list of this year's inductees. Women's soccer: Chelsea agreed to pay $1 million to acquire Naomi Girma from the San Diego Wave, the first time a female soccer player has fetched seven figures on the transfer market. ARTS AND IDEAS Photo illustration by Christina Lee When Alex Park, a writer in California, is looking for an authentic experience on vacation, he turns to an unlikely location: a fast-food restaurant. Inside a KFC or a McDonald's, one can glimpse everyday life and chat with local residents. More on culture Olympic medals designed by LVMH for the Paris Games are already deteriorating. Ronny Chieng of "The Daily Show" joked about Trump's executive orders. "If you could put anything in front of him yesterday, he would have signed it," he said. "Melania, now's your chance to update the prenup." THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Linda Xiao for The New York Times Bake a moist applesauce coffee cake with a generous layer of crumble. Try a nonstick pan. Monitor your blood pressure at home. GAMES Here is today's Spelling Bee. Yesterday's pangram was flapping. And here are today's Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. — German Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for the Morning newsletter from The New York Times, or as part of your New York Times account. To stop receiving The Morning, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. 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