Principals

1. Actual Dem ‘disarray’
2. Reconciliation retreat
3. Trump’s first travel day
4. Trump on global stage
5. Cabinet assembles
6. NM Dem’s Senate play

PDB: Trump softens on China?

Data on US home sales, consumer sentiment to be released … Bank of Japan hikes rates … NYT: Trump moves to expel migrants Biden allowed in temporarily

Dems divided on Trump resistance

Democrats are starting to get their fighting swagger back in the wake of President Trump’s swearing-in, fueled by his pardons of Jan. 6 rioters and his selection of nominees like Pete Hegseth. Yet it’s not quite clear which wing of the party is leading the way, and Democrats are divided on tactics and how much to collaborate with Republicans. “We’re obviously in a bit of disarray,” one Democratic senator told Semafor’s Burgess Everett. Some of the party’s Trump 1.0 stars are still in very influential spots, but it’s worth keeping an eye on newer senators who are trying to thread the needle: They may hate Trump’s pardons, but that doesn’t mean they’ll vote against all of his nominees or all GOP legislation. “I’m going to stand up against this guy when he does stupid stuff,” Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., said.

Republicans wrangle with agenda

House Republicans are jetting to Trump’s Doral resort next week for a retreat, hoping to finalize their “one big, beautiful bill.” But Speaker Mike Johnson’s April deadline for final passage looks increasingly difficult, as the scope of the bill is still up in the air. “We will walk out of there with the rudimentary plan, with the building blocks, to put the plan all together. The final decision of whether it’s one or two bills will not be made at this retreat,” Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., who can’t make it due to a scheduling conflict, told Semafor. This week, committee chairs outlined spending cut proposals, an incremental move in a complicated process Republicans hope to complete in the first 100 days of Trump’s presidency. “Eventually, somebody’s got to call a play,” Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., told Semafor.

— Kadia Goba

Trump heads on first US trip of second term

Trump is heading to North Carolina, California, and Nevada today in his first trip of his second term. He’s beginning the day in North Carolina, which was hit by Hurricane Helene in September. Trump is also going to California to review the devastating wildfire damage, a stop that could inflame his existing feud with Gov. Gavin Newsom. Trump told Sean Hannity on Fox News Wednesday that he’s not sure whether he’ll meet Newsom, though the California Democrat said he will be there to greet the president. Trump and other Republicans have threatened to impose conditions on fire aid to California, and Newsom, a Democratic rising star, will need to tread carefully. The big travel day ends in Nevada; Trump said that trip has been scheduled to “thank them for the vote.”

— Shelby Talcott

Trump storms Davos

Trump used his virtual appearance at the World Economic Forum to put allies, adversaries, and global business leaders on notice. Trump told businesses to make their products in the US or face tariffs, pressured OPEC to bring down oil costs, and demanded NATO members increase defense spending. And he chastised the head of Bank of America, Brian Moynihan, for allegedly blocking conservatives, which the bank denies. The broadside against Moynihan (and also, JPMorgan) was met with stunned laughter, according to Semafor’s Ben Smith, who was in Davos for Trump’s address. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Trump is right to push NATO countries to spend more on defense, though his 5% of GDP target is highly unlikely (the US currently does not meet it). It’s “unrealistic for many that already spend too little or on the lower end,” one European official told Semafor.

— Morgan Chalfant

Senate moves on Trump nominees

Trump’s Cabinet is gradually coming together. The Senate approved John Ratcliffe to be CIA director in a bipartisan 74-25 vote, making him the second top official after Secretary of State Marco Rubio to be confirmed. The upper chamber also cleared a key hurdle to advance Pete Hegseth’s nomination to head the Pentagon, despite Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski voting no, meaning he’s teed up for a final vote later today. The Senate may work through the weekend to confirm Kristi Noem for Homeland Security, Scott Bessent for Treasury, and Sean Duffy for Transportation — but keep an eye out for a voting agreement that avoids that, just in case. The more difficult battles will be next week, when Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Tulsi Gabbard (perhaps Trump’s shakiest nominee) and Kash Patel sit for their confirmation hearings.

Heinrich passes on governor run

Sen. Martin Heinrich was strongly considering entering the governor’s race in New Mexico, but he told Semafor’s Burgess Everett that he’s staying put in the Senate. The third-term Democrat recently ascended to the top Democratic slot on the Senate’s energy committee, where he hopes to work conservative Utah Sen. Mike Lee on apolitical areas of energy policy. And despite a tiff with Lee over the committee’s consideration of Trump’s Interior and Energy nominees, Heinrich ended up backing both, in part because his state needs a relationship with them. The analytical Heinrich forecasts it won’t be too long before Democrats retake the majority, making him chairman: “A Republican member that will remain nameless said to me recently: ‘Don’t worry; in six months, we’ll screw it up,’” he said. “It may take a couple cycles, but we’ll get back.”

To really see where the media is heading, you need to follow the money. On this week’s episode of Mixed Signals, co-hosts Ben Smith and Max Tani bring on the CMO of Verizon and former Twitter CMO, Leslie Berland, to talk about how creators have changed marketing and what she thinks is coming next. They also dive into how social media has rewired the minds of those who built it and how advertisers stay relevant without crossing into cringe territory.

Blindspot: Abortion and texts

Stories that are being largely ignored by either left-leaning or right-leaning outlets, curated with help from our partners at Ground News.

What the Left isn’t reading: President Trump recorded a video message that will be played at the annual anti-abortion March for Life later today, while Vice President JD Vance will attend the event in person.

What the Right isn’t reading: An aide to House Speaker Mike Johnson told Republicans not to subpoena former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson “in an effort to prevent the release of sexually explicit texts that lawmakers sent her,” The Washington Post reported.

Beltway Newsletters

Punchbowl News: House GOP committee chairs pitched options for spending cuts to pay for Republicans’ reconciliation package in a private meeting this week, including slashing student loan programs, Medicaid cuts, and imposing new immigration-related fees.

Playbook: The big question looming over President Trump’s California visit today is which version of him will show up — “the one who delights in trolling Gov. Gavin Newsom, or the one who looks to marquee media events as rare opportunities to burnish his image and rise above the fray?” One sign it might be the latter: Trump invited Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., to accompany him.

WaPo: The president of a Mike Pence-aligned group says Republicans won’t fall in line behind Trump forever.

Axios: Trump’s early actions and statements signal he’s taking a “more restrained” approach to China.

White House

• President Trump signed an executive order declassifying records related to the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr., and another pardoning anti-abortion activists involved in a 2020 blockade of a Washington abortion clinic.
• Trump said he would “rather not” impose tariffs on China during an interview with Fox News.

Congress

• The House passed legislation that could result in penalties for some doctors who perform abortions, but the bill faces little chance of passing the Senate after Democrats blocked it earlier this week.
• Vulnerable House Republicans warned their leaders against pursuing Obamacare cuts to offset a border and tax bill. — Politico

Outside the Beltway

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio instructed the State Department to suspend passport applications from anyone requesting an “X” sex marker or a change of sex markers. — Guardian

Business

• UnitedHealthcare named a new CEO.

Economy

• President Trump said during his virtual Davos address that he would “demand that interest rates drop immediately,” a shot across the bow at the Federal Reserve.
• US mortgage rates declined.

Courts

• A federal judge in Seattle temporarily blocked President Trump’s executive order aiming to end birthright citizenship, calling it “blatantly unconstitutional.”
• The District of Columbia was in the coalition that sued over Trump’s birthright citizenship order, but didn’t advertise it. — WaPo

National Security

• President Trump revoked security protection for former officials Mike Pompeo and Brian Hook, despite the Biden administration briefing the incoming team about the continued threats to their lives posed by Iran. — NYT
• A man was let into the US Capitol complex carrying a gun earlier this week. — ABC

Foreign Policy

• Marco Rubio is traveling to Panama as part of a broader Latin America trip next week.
• The Army is working on plans to dismantle the Civilian Protection Center of Excellence, the Pentagon office in charge of reducing civilian casualties in wartime. — WaPo

Health

• All health agency communications and meetings have been paused until Feb. 1, per a new HHS memo. — WaPo

Climate

• Michael Bloomberg’s philanthropic arm plans to cover the cost of the US contribution to the UN’s climate budget, following President Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris climate accord.

Media

• CNN is laying off employees in its television division and adding new digital jobs as part of a shift at the network designed to keep up with the digital age. — NYT
• Ursula Perano is leaving Politico to report on Senate leadership for NOTUS, the outlet announced this morning.

Principals Team

Edited by Morgan Chalfant, deputy Washington editor

With help from Elana Schor, senior Washington editor

Contact our reporters:

Burgess Everett, Kadia Goba, Shelby Talcott, David Weigel

John Kennedy is a Republican senator from Louisiana.

After a 12-hour hiatus, TikTok is back online for its US users, but there’s a perceived shift in what they are now seeing, Semafor’s Rachyl Jones reported.

Shortly after creators regained access on Sunday, they began posting videos complaining that their recommendations algorithm felt different. They weren’t seeing the kinds of videos that would typically be suggested to them, they said, and some US users claimed their primary feed, search function, and comments were being censored.