A new American chapter, Trump’s pardons and executive orders, and border crackdown
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From this moment on, America's decline is over. A second Trump era has begun, and the new U.S. president is wasting no time imposing his will on the government. We'll unpack his initial executive orders and pardons. Plus, we're at the U.S.-Mexico border to gauge the immediate impact of Trump's return. It's Tuesday, January 21st.

This is Reuters World News, bringing you everything you need to know from the front lines in 10 minutes every weekday. I'm Jonah Green in New York. And I'm Tara Oaks in Liverpool. Hey, I'm Ryan Reynolds. Recently, I asked Mint Mobile's legal team if big wireless companies are allowed to raise prices due to inflation. They said yes. And then when I asked if raising prices technically violates those onerous two-year contracts, they said, what the f*** are you talking about, you insane Hollywood a**hole?

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And our golden age has just begun. — An emboldened Donald Trump has reclaimed the presidency, promising a crackdown on illegal immigration and portraying himself as a savior chosen by God to rescue a faltering nation. — My life was saved for a reason. I was saved by God to make America great again.

Much of Trump's rhetoric mirrored his words from when he was first sworn in as president, speaking about a country with a failing economy and cities torn apart by crime.

The 78-year-old Trump is the first felon to occupy the White House, and he portrayed himself as a victim of a weaponized justice system under Democratic former President Joe Biden. Jeff Mason covers the White House. One of the themes was sort of painting himself as a savior. He also was

was certainly very critical of the previous administration. Now former President Biden and former Vice President Harris were sitting behind him, and he was talking very negatively about the last four years. So what did these speeches tell us about what we should expect from the next four years? Well, it certainly shows that President Trump hasn't changed in terms of his predilection to talk and to list grievances and to air those grievances. The

And there's a broad list from domestic issues and what he believes was the persecution that he faced as president and after his first term as president to economic issues. He talked in the Oval a lot about tariffs and wanting to start tariffs on Canada and Mexico in February.

and generally saying that the U.S. isn't treated well by any country. But grievance is definitely a theme and was a theme in his first presidency. And to your question, I think it will be a theme in his second term as well. The swearing-in ceremony took place indoors this year in the Capitol Rotunda, which four years ago was invaded by a mob of Trump supporters.

Once in the Oval Office... So this is a big one. ...Trump pardoned 1,500 of those rioters. We hope they come out tonight, frankly. Releases of his supporters have already started. Stuart Rhodes, the former leader of the Oath Keepers militia who had his 18-year prison sentence commuted, was released early after midnight. Among those due to be released are leaders of the far-right Proud Boys organization, including some who were convicted of seditious conspiracy.

About 40 men wearing Proud Boys insignia traded insults with protesters on the streets of Washington during Trump's inauguration. The pardon was just one of a swathe of executive orders Trump signed on Monday. Among them, he targeted illegal immigration, slashed environmental regulations, ordered the withdrawal from the Paris Climate Treaty and the World Health Organization.

Trump also declared Mexican drug cartels terrorist organizations and didn't rule out a military intervention. Would you think about ordering U.S. special forces into Mexico to take them out? Could happen. Stranger things have happened. Graham's lettering covers politics in Washington. So, Graham, how does it work? Are these first day orders now the law of the land?

It really varies. A number are essentially publicity stunts, or at least they're more statements of principle than anything concrete. Changing the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, certainly he can direct the geological survey to start calling it

the Gulf of America. However, it's pretty unlikely that it would come to be known that way by foreign nations and international entities. There are a number of actions, however, including really his most consequential, that are frankly on pretty shaky legal ground. The most eye-catching example is birthright citizenship. Most people believe that the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution basically grants Americans citizenship upon birth here. We could see a pretty significant

battle on that front. So as we mentioned, Trump has kicked off his long-promised immigration crackdown, declaring illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border a national emergency.

In several cities along the border, the impact of Trump's return began taking effect almost immediately. Migrants like Margaret Tinoco from Colombia, who are trying to enter the U.S. legally, arrived for their appointments at border crossings, but were turned back by authorities.

She says everything is falling apart, and she's worried about what will happen to her on the streets.

Ted Hessen covers immigration. The program was known as CBP-1, and it's an app that allows migrants who are already in Mexico to basically schedule a time to come to a legal border crossing and present themselves and request asylum. So we saw within minutes of Trump taking office that U.S. border authorities had shut the program down

and that people who were waiting in Mexico saw that their appointments were cancelled, and they were just stunned by that change. There was no explanation, and in many cases they weren't sure what they would do next. Some coming from countries like Venezuela or Cuba, going back to their home country didn't seem like an option, and it just wasn't clear what the next steps would be. And so U.S. Customs and Border Protection has estimated

that there were some 280,000 people in Mexico who were logging into the app on a regular basis. And the question now is going to be, what do they do next? Do they try and cross illegally? Do they come to a legal border crossing and try and request asylum there? And what will happen in that circumstance? Or do they need to either stay in Mexico or look for another country to seek refuge in? And it may be a tumultuous few weeks as migrants who are there sort out what the next steps will be.

Over on markets, everything that investors had suspected about another Donald Trump presidency has proven true in the first hours of day one. Currency traders in particular were left with a case of whiplash. A lack of tariff threats in Trump's inauguration speech was taken as a green light to sell the dollar.

Then hours later, the new U.S. president surprised with plans for 25% levies on Canada and Mexico from February 1. The Canadian dollar and peso then plummeted. Before leaving office, President Joe Biden issued preemptive pardons for people that Trump has targeted for retaliation. Included in the list are several of Biden's family members and members of the committee that investigated January 6th.

Trump on Monday condemned the move. And a possible pass-fool, TikTok. Trump has signed an executive order delaying the ban on the app for 75 days. Elon Musk's hand gesture at Trump's inauguration parade has drawn online comparisons to a Nazi salute. Thank you for making it happen. Thank you.

But the Anti-Defamation League, which is a leading tracker of anti-Semitism, says dumping his hand over his heart while extending his right arm out emphatically at an upward angle looked more like a moment of enthusiasm. Musk has dismissed criticism of the hand gesture as a "tired attack." Russian President Vladimir Putin has held a video call with Chinese President Xi Jinping in which he proposed further developing their strategic partnership.

The call, where Putin waved at Xi and addressed him as "dear friend," took place just hours after Trump's swearing-in. Palestinians are searching for thousands of Gazans believed to be buried under rubble. The debris is thought to be contaminated with asbestos, which is complicating the efforts. A UN report estimates that rebuilding Gaza's shattered homes could take at least until 2040.

And Prince Harry's lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch's British newspaper group heads to trial today. He's suing over alleged illegal activities carried out by journalists and private investigators. The publisher has always rejected claims of unlawful activities at his papers.

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And for today's recommended read, all the very latest developments from the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos. There's a link to our live coverage in the pod description. For more on any of the stories from today, check out Reuters.com or the Reuters app. Don't forget to follow us on your favorite podcast player. We'll be back tomorrow with our daily headline show.