An earlier version of this article was first published in the On the Trail 2024 newsletter. Sign up to receive the newsletter in your inbox on Friday mornings here.

Hello, friends. We’re praying for the victims’ families after the airplane-helicopter accident in Washington this week.

Some big news — we’ve added another reporter to Deseret’s Washington bureau: Cami Mondeaux. She’s a star and will lead our coverage of Congress. More on her below.

The big idea

Trump’s three remaining headaches

For all the early fuss, Trump has had relatively little problem to date in installing his Cabinet. Gaetz-gate came and went. Pete Hegseth, perhaps the next-most controversial pick, was installed as Defense secretary this week. Marco Rubio, unsurprisingly, sailed to a unanimous confirmation vote as Secretary of State. Trump has been in office less than two weeks, and five others of his Cabinet picks — to lead Transportation, Homeland Security, Treasury, the EPA and the CIA — are all confirmed.

Now come the headaches. All three of them had confirmation hearings, simultaneously, on Thursday.

What you need to know:

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., President Trump's nominee to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services testifies during a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing for his pending confirmation on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Washington. | Rod Lamkey

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., picked to lead Health and Human Services, took flack from Democrats and Republicans alike for his stances on vaccines. Today, as my colleague Gitanjali Poonia wrote, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., repeatedly asked Kennedy to disavow his past anti-vaccine advocacy. (Cassidy was a gastroenterologist before getting into politics.)

Kennedy’s possible involvement in a major health crisis has some worried about his fitness to lead the U.S.' public health agencies. Hawaii Gov. Josh Green told me this week that he believes the 2019 Samoan measles outbreak occurred “directly because of” Kennedy’s anti-vaccine work.

Kash Patel, President Donald Trump's choice to be director of the FBI, appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. | Ben Curtis

Kash Patel, Trump’s nominee for FBI director, sat through a fiery hearing Thursday. Cami writes: “In the hourslong hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, Senate Democrats grilled Patel on a number of issues, claiming the Trump ally does not have the experience needed to lead the agency and airing concerns he would use the top agency position to exact revenge on those who have previously investigated the president.”

The hearing largely split along party lines: Democrats tore into his past statements, while Republicans ripped the accusations as unfair.

Tulsi Gabbard, President Donald Trump's choice to be the Director of National Intelligence, arrives to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee for her confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Washington. | John McDonnell

And Tulsi Gabbard, nominated to be director of national intelligence, took heat from Republicans and Democrats alike over her unwillingness to say whether Edward Snowden — the most detrimental government whistleblower in a generation — is a “traitor.” Snowden was indicted for espionage; Gabbard previously called him “brave.”

Will these three be confirmed? That’s up to the U.S. Senate. If Thursday was any indication, they each have a difficult road ahead.

Deseret’s newest

A note from Cami Mondeaux, our new congressional correspondent, who will be a frequent name in this newsletter soon:

Hi, everyone! My name is Cami Mondeaux, the newest congressional correspondent for the Deseret News.

Little bit about me: I’ve been covering Congress for the last two years, closely following the ins and outs of the House of Representatives for the Washington Examiner. But I’m deeply familiar with the Deseret News, and I actually worked just across the newsroom for KSL NewsRadio from 2019 to 2021.

As a matter of fact, my Utah ties run deep: I grew up in the Beehive State and even went to school at Westminster University. After I graduated, I moved across the country where I now chase lawmakers down hallways and report the latest developments on national news. I’m so excited to bring that perspective to the Deseret News (and thrilled my parents will be more inclined to read my stories!).

Thrilled to have Cami joining the team!

3 things to know

  • Emergency personnel continue to respond to the devastating plane-helicopter collision Wednesday in Washington. Of the 67 passengers on the two aircraft, there are no expected survivors. Trump struck a political tone in responding to the incident Thursday, suggesting diversity initiatives and Democrats could be to blame. Read more here.
  • Trump’s immigration crackdown continues. The president signed an executive order to prepare a facility for deported migrants in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. And the U.S. allies in Afghanistan, many of whom were promised visas for their service, are left abandoned by Trump’s refugee pause. Read more here.
  • House Republicans' retreat in Florida was filled with questions: both about the pending reconciliation bill, and about Trump’s pause on federal aid. Read more here.

Weekend reads

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Comments

Saturday is the looming date for Trump’s tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China. Will Trump actually impose the tariffs? Or are just part of a negotiating strategy? If it’s the latter, Trump may have found some cynical success, if last week’s caper with Colombia was any indication: Trump’s Tariff Threats Are Working — for Now (Compact)

The OMB memo that paused federal aid wasn’t just surprising to recipients of grant and funding programs across the country — it was surprising to some within the administration. The Memo That Shocked the White House (The Atlantic)

Chris Christie on public service: “When you’re in public office, you make a trade: You get influence in return for not making money. ... I think Bob Menendez concluded he could have both.” How Menendez Destroyed His Legacy With Gold Bars and a Halal Hustle (The New York Times)

BONUS: These stories will become more and more common. ‘Why him?’ Undocumented father gets swept up, turned over to ICE during operation targeting someone else in the Chicago area (Chicago Tribune)

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