Politics and views in the United States.

President Donald Trump signs the Laken Riley Act. The administration ends temporary protected status for Venezuelan migrants. And the White House rescinds a memo freezing federal aid, but causes confusion and chaos.

TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to 2025 Talks, where we're following our democracy in historic times.

We also want to thank President Trump for the promises he made to us.

He said he would secure our borders and that he would never forget about Lakin.

And he hasn't.

He's a man of his word.

Allison Phillips is the mother of Lakin Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student killed by a Venezuelan migrant last year while jogging on the University of Georgia campus.

President Donald Trump signed the Lakin Riley Act Wednesday, giving federal authorities more power to detain and deport illegal immigrants accused of even small crimes.

Trump says he plans to send up to 30,000 immigrants to Guantanamo Bay as part of his mass deportations.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem says they need places to hold the people they will detain.

It's something that the White House is working on to use resources that we currently have there at Guantanamo Bay.

So we'll go through the process.

The worst of the worst is where that could be utilized.

So that potential is there.

We know we need the infrastructure.

The White House also ended a Biden-era 18-month extension of temporary protected status for Venezuelans.

The move revokes the work authorization for hundreds of thousands and makes them susceptible for deportation.

Under immediate bipartisan backlash, the Trump administration has reversed a Monday memo freezing trillions in federal grants and loans.

The White House insists the freeze is still in effect, provoking added confusion.

Taylor Ucker-Lauterman with the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence says the funds for domestic violence groups mean life or death for survivors.

Whether there is a federal funding freeze or it is rescinded, this still causes challenges to providing crisis services to survivors.

Our time right now is focused on making Plan B and Plan C, but for this week, the services are truly being impacted and interrupted.

The Senate is confirming former New York Congressman Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.

He's expected to roll back environmental regulations and relax seasonal restrictions on gasoline sales.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune says Zeldin should support biofuels.

And I'm encouraged that Mr. Zeldin is willing to work with Congress on President Trump's promise of year-round E15 sales.

Restoring energy dominance will require an all-of-the-above approach.

Trump's pick for U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. got tough questions in his first confirmation hearing.

Senators asked Kennedy about being an outspoken vaccine skeptic.

Kennedy insisted he isn't a conspiracy theorist and says he supports the current childhood vaccination schedule.

In his sentencing hearing, former Democratic New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez asked the court for mercy, citing his years of public service.

But the U.S. District Judge gave the disgraced senator more than a decade in prison for bribery and corruption.

I'm Alex Gonzalez for Pacifica Network and Public News Service.

Find our trust syndicators at publicnewsservice.org.