What Stood Out in Trump’s Speech to Davos During his campaign, Donald J. Trump vowed to end the Ukraine war by Day 1 of his new term as president. Jeanna Smialek, the Brussels bureau chief for The New York Times, looks at how he described the war in an appearance at the World Economic Forum since taking office.

Trump Leaves Democrats Dazed, With Some Willing to Work With Republicans Locked out of power in Washington, the party is struggling to agree on a unified message of opposition. Some of its lawmakers are even telling Republicans they want to work together.

Musk Plan for Retooling Government Takes Shape, but Big Questions Loom The rebranding of a former White House digital office into the new Department of Government Efficiency signals its potential limits, budget experts said.

Putin Dismisses Trump’s Sanctions Threat and Repeats His Stolen Election Claim Russia’s president flattered his American counterpart as “smart” and “pragmatic,” and repeated Mr. Trump’s baseless claim that the 2020 election was stolen.

Hegseth Paid Woman Who Accused Him of Rape $50,000, Senator Says The settlement’s existence after a 2017 accusation had been documented before the defense secretary nominee’s confirmation hearing this month, but the amount had not been known publicly.

Anthony Fauci Stripped of Government Security Protection Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, who was one of the nation’s top health officials for decades, had received death threats during the coronavirus pandemic. He has hired his own security detail.

Trump Says States Should Manage Disasters. Former FEMA Leaders Agree. “I’d rather see the states take care of their own problems,” the president said. Federal emergency managers from both parties have made the same argument.

From Fires to Mudslides, Catastrophe Has Defined Newsom’s Tenure Gov. Gavin Newsom faces what may be his greatest political test and leadership challenge. He planned to greet President Trump upon his arrival in Southern California on Friday.

Trump to Visit North Carolina and California, With Disaster Aid an Open Question While he has expressed support for North Carolina residents, the president has criticized California’s Democratic leaders and threatened to withhold federal aid from the state.

Trump Pardons Anti-Abortion Activists Who Blockaded Clinic The move came ahead of the March for Life, the annual anti-abortion rally in Washington where Vice President JD Vance is expected to address attendees.

Sarah McBride, Congress’s First Transgender Member, Faces the Trump Era Representative Sarah McBride did not run for Congress emphasizing L.G.B.T.Q. issues. But since her arrival in Washington, her identity has come under attack from newly empowered Republicans.

Prosecution Seeks Pause in 9/11 Case Until Trump Administration Is in Place The new administration does not yet have a confirmed defense secretary, attorney general or solicitor general in place.

Senate Pushes Hegseth Toward Approval as G.O.P. Discounts New Allegations All but two Republicans voted to advance Pete Hegseth’s nomination as secretary of defense to a final vote, as Democrats raced to bolster fresh allegations about his personal conduct.

Kash Patel, Trump’s FBI Pick, Sees Good in QAnon and Evil in the Bureau Kash Patel’s public praise of the QAnon conspiracy theory suggests he sees its adherents more as an audience to be courted rather than an ideology to follow.

Trump Pulls the Military Back Into the Political and Culture Wars The removal of a portrait of Gen. Mark A. Milley, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, from a Pentagon hallway was among the president’s early actions.

House Passes Bill to Penalize Some Abortion Providers The measure, which would require that medical providers resuscitate infants born alive during abortions, has no path to enactment after Democrats blocked it this week.

Trump Drive to Cut Safety Net Could Hit His Voters The new administration wants to slash aid for health, food and housing, but many of those programs now reach the struggling working class he is courting.

Judge Blocks Trump’s Plan to End Birthright Citizenship A federal judge in Seattle has issued a temporary order halting the president’s plan.

Zelensky Could Face Tough Re-election Prospects, Polls Show The high popularity that the Ukrainian president had in the early days of the Russian invasion, with an approval rating of about 90 percent, has dipped badly.

John Ratcliffe Confirmed as C.I.A. Director He has offered a vision for a more aggressive spy agency, and his focus on the threat from China is widely shared by Republican and Democratic lawmakers.