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President Donald Trump has directed his administration to revive a migrant detention facility at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Station in Cuba to hold detained migrants while they await deportation.
“Today I‘m also signing an executive order to instruct the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to begin preparing the 30,000-person migrant facility at Guantanamo Bay,” Trump declared while signing the Laken Riley Act into law.
Earlier, Robert F Kennedy Jr was the latest controversial cabinet pick to be grilled by Senators over his nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
The 71-year-old declared war on chronic illness, refuted anti-vaxxer claims, and said he would follow Trump’s lead on abortion despite once being pro-choice. There were tense moments when Democrats read out conspiracy-laden statements he had made in the past including about AIDS and Covid-19.
Tomorrow he will go before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.
Meanwhile, the White House has abruptly rescinded a directive that threatened to freeze billions of dollars in federal assistance following a federal judge’s decision that temporarily blocked the administration from freezing funds across government agencies.
Watch: Whoopi Goldberg describes Trump’s presidency as ‘reality show’
The View’s Whoopi Goldberg describes Trump’s presidency in two words
Whoopi Goldberg described Donald Trump’s presidency as a “reality show” as The View host showed support to Selena Gomez. The View panelists discussed a video posted by the actress, in which she sobbed on camera saying: “All my people are being attacked, and children”, in relation to Trump’s immigration crackdown. The singer then deleted her emotional post about the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants. The View host weighed in on the response from Trump border Czar Tom Homan. Goldberg, who has previously clashed with Trump, said: “It’s now a reality show, this is the new reality show.”
Oliver O’Connell29 January 2025 22:30
Senate confirms Zeldin to lead Environmental Protection Agency

The Republican-controlled Senate has confirmed Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. It’s a key role to help President Donald Trump fulfill his pledge to roll back major environmental regulations, including those aimed at slowing climate change and encouraging use of electric vehicles.
The vote was 56-42 in Zeldin’s favor.
Zeldin, a former Republican congressman from New York, is a longtime Trump ally. He has pledged to be a good steward of the environment and support career staff at EPA, but has declined to commit to specific policies. Trump led efforts to dismantle more than 100 environmental protections during his first term and has promised to do so again.
Oliver O’Connell29 January 2025 22:27
Trump sign order banning ‘indoctrination’ in schools
Donald Trump has signed a new executive order on “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling” which orders the creation of an “Ending Indoctrination Strategy” within 90 days and outlines threats to federal funding.
It also re-establishes “the President’s Advisory 1776 Commission” to promote “patriotic education.”
(i) an accurate, honest, unifying, inspiring, and ennobling characterization of America’s founding and foundational principles;
(ii) a clear examination of how the United States has admirably grown closer to its noble principles throughout its history;
(iii) the concept that commitment to America’s aspirations is beneficial and justified; and
(iv) the concept that celebration of America’s greatness and history is proper.
Alex Woodward29 January 2025 22:10
Trump signs order for Guantanamo Bay detention facility
President Donald Trump has signed the expected executive order, titled: “Expanding Migrant Operations Center at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay to Full Capacity”
I hereby direct the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security to take all appropriate actions to expand the Migrant Operations Center at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay to full capacity to provide additional detention space for high-priority criminal aliens unlawfully present in the United States, and to address attendant immigration enforcement needs identified by the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security.
This memorandum is issued in order to halt the border invasion, dismantle criminal cartels, and restore national sovereignty.
This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
Oliver O’Connell29 January 2025 22:03
Vogue faces backlash over ruthless takedown of Melania Trump portrait
The official image, printed in black-and-white and shot by Belgian photographer Régine Mahaux, features the 54-year-old woman standing over a reflective desk while dressed in a finely-tailored Dolce & Gabbana tuxedo jacket, an unbuttoned white undershirt, and suit pants.
According to Vogue, the entire shot — clothing, set, and pose included — looked as if it were taken for her husband President Donald Trump’s former reality show, which ran from 2004 to 2017.
Oliver O’Connell29 January 2025 22:00
BREAKING: Meta to pay President Trump $25 million as settlement for suspending his Facebook accounts
Mike Bedigan is following this developing story…
Oliver O’Connell29 January 2025 21:53
Noem and Homan spoke with reporters about the Guantanamo migrant facility

Sec. of Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem and border czar Tom Homan spoke with press on the North Driveway of the White House and answered questions about President Donald Trump’s announcement about a migrant facility at Guantanamo Bay.
Homan said: “What you probably don’t know, is there’s already a migrant center there, it’s been there for decades. So we’re just going to expand upon that existing migrant center.”
He added that ICE would run it. “ICE has the highest detention standards in the industry,” he said, whether federal, state, or local. “So every facility, including GITMO will have the highest standards.”
Noem said this is something the White House is working on, “to use resources that we currently have.”
“We’re going after these guys,” she added.
“We’re already doing it,” Noem said. “We’re building it out.”
In answer to a question about civilian oversight, Noem said “Civilian oversight would be the same as current civilian oversight in federal government today.”
“We had an election in November that clearly says the American people don’t want these criminal and dangerous individuals on our streets anymore,” she said.
“The law applies to everybody” — American citizens, people who come to the country illegally, Noem said. “You will be held accountable for breaking our laws.”
Both referred to Guantanamo Bay as being for “the worst of the worst.”
On the cost, Noem said they were working on it with reconciliation and congressional appropriators.
Oliver O’Connell29 January 2025 21:37
Pundits weigh in on Karoline Leavitt’s debut
Political pundits have weighed in on Trump’s new White House press secretary hire following her first official press debut on Tuesday.
Karoline Leavitt, a 27-year-old mother of one, and the youngest press secretary to take up the role in White House history made her first official statements to the media Tuesday, giving the rundown on everything from Trump’s staunch immigration policies to Biden’s presidency.
Madeline Sherratt reports.
Oliver O’Connell29 January 2025 21:30
Trump administration aims for ‘at least’ 75 arrests every day at each ICE field office
The Trump administration has reportedly ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials to make “at least” 75 arrests every day at each of the agency’s 25 field offices.
Senior ICE officials have been told by President Donald Trump’s team to aggressively ramp up their efforts from a few hundred every day to at least 1,200 to 1,500 nationally as the administration carries out his anti-immigration agenda, according to the Washington Post.
Oliver O’Connell29 January 2025 21:15
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