it's wednesday, january 22nd, 2025. this is "cbs news mornings."

>> like a fantasy like narnia or something. it looks like a winter wonderland. >> a dangerous winter wonderland. a rare winter storm slams the deep south blanketing several states with snow. the roads treacherous, airports shut down, schools closed, leaving kids of all ages to enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime snow day. first -- >> i thought their sentences were ridiculous and excessive. these were people that actually love our country. >> defending his decision. president trump reacting to the fallout after granting clemency to the nearly 1,600 january 6th rioters including those who assaulted police officers. reaction from both sides. good morning. i'm michael george. it's been a whirlwind two days for president trump's second term in office. the white house is moving swiftly to make good on his promise to end diversity,

equality, and inclusion programs in the federal government. trump is already facing mounting legal pushback on his executive action against birth right citizenship, a right enshrined in the constitution. and an episcopal bishop confronted the president during a prayer service at washington's national cathedral asking him to have mercy on immigrants and those in the lgbtq community. cbs' jarred hill joins us from washington with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, michael. president trump came back to washington with a thoroughly planned full court press when it came to his agenda. now two days in, a couple of states looking to the legal system to play defense. >> thank you. >> reporter: this morning the trump administration is already preparing to defend one of the president's newest executive actions. tomorrow a federal judge in seattle is set to hear arguments in a challenge brought by several states against his order that seeks to deny birth right citizenship to the children of undocumented immigrants and

people here on temporary visas. >> no president can unilaterally change the constitution on a whim. >> reporter: tuesday trump issued another immigration directive, reversing a biden-era policy that banned deportation agents from making arrests at sensitive locations like schools and churches. >> we're getting them out of the country. >> reporter: his border czar says targeted enforcement is already under way. ♪ at tuesday's national prayer service, the bishop at the national cathedral made a direct plea to president trump. >> i ask you to have mercy, mr. president, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away. >> reporter: trump said the sermon didn't move him, posting overnight the bishop was, quote, nasty in tone and not compelling or smart. >> didn't think it was a good -- >> reporter: as the president works to overhaul the federal government, overnight cbs news obtained a memo directing all federal workers in roles related to diversity, equity, and inclusion to be placed on paid

leave by the end of today. on the economy, tuesday trump announced billions in private sector investments in artificial intelligence. >> it will ensure the future of technology. >> reporter: meanwhile today, more of the 1,500-plus january 6th rioters he pardoned are set to be released. and trump is also weighing a bit more on the future of tiktok. yesterday he told reporters that he's open to the idea of his adviser, elon musk, buying the app to save it from a u.s. ban. it is obviously worth noting that musk already owns x or twitter. trump has floated the idea of the u.s. government taking some stake in tiktok, as well. all of these are questions really circling around the future of this app that is hugely popular with a lot of folks. back to you. >> jarred hill in washington. thanks. president trump is defending his decision to pardon and shorten the prison sentences of those taking part in the capitol riots. some include the former leader

of the far right extremist group the proud boys, enrique tarrio, and the leader of the oathkeepers, stewart rhodes. both were released from prison. trump called many of the sentences ridiculous and excessive. the pardons, especially for those who assaulted police officers, outraged both democrats and some republicans in congress, as well as law enforcement. >> before the judge -- like president trump i'm only guilty of opposing those who are destroying our country. >> i've talked to a few officers and know of some of my leadership team has told me that there's a lot of officers that are angry, upset. and i -- i don't blame them. >> at least 140 officers were injured during the riot. and president trump's nominee for defense secretary is facing new allegations of abusive and drunken behavior. in a sworn affidavit to the

senate committee considering pete hegseth's nomination, his former sister-in-law alleges he was abusive toward his second wife, samantha. danielle hegseth who was married to hegseth's brother claimed samantha feared for her safety. a lawyer for hegseth denied the allegations. turning now to the arctic freeze affecting parts of 30 states. for the deep south, it's unprecedented with snow, ice, and even blizzard warnings stretching along the coast from texas through louisiana and into the florida panhandle. sadly, it's turned dead with at least four deaths blamed on the winter weather. governors in georgia, louisiana, mississippi, alabama, and even the sunshine state, florida, declared states of emergency. and many people who aren't used to seeing snow tried to take advantage like these surfers in florida swapping the ocean for dry land. cbs' naomi ruchim joins us now with details. you know, many of these communities have never dealt with weather like this. >> reporter: and may never

again, michael. good morning. this kind of storm is truly once in a lifetime, especially in the south which is making for some beautiful scenes of people enjoying real sticking snow for what might be their only chance ever. but these cold and wet conditions are also quite dangerous, and millions are still in the midst of it all. from texas to north florida, scenes of snow are surprising about 40 million americans. >> it's beautiful. there's just no words to describe it. snow on the beach, who would have thought? >> reporter: in gulf shores, alabama, snowy beach fronts were a first for those who came out just to witness it all. while students at the university of southern alabama went sledding. as part of more than 30 states are in the path of the frigid front, new orleans is experiencing its biggest snowfall on record. >> this is unreal. we're loving the amount of snow and it's just fun to be out here.

>> reporter: while some make memories, emergency officials are sharing warnings of slick roads and black ice, hazardous for drivers who aren't used to these conditions. >> the next 24 hours are our most dangerous. >> reporter: at least four people have died in the storm, two from the cold in austin, texas, and two others in alabama. in northern florida, a state of emergency declared with many businesses and schools closed. >> it's snowing in florida. and i want my children to be able to tell their children and their grandchildren that they were able to experience this in florida. >> reporter: parts of the panhandle saw half a foot of snow, shattering long-standing records, with one meteorologist proclaiming the storm will go down in the history books as the gulf blizzard of 2025. parts of georgia and the carolinas are also under winter weather advisories and warnings. hundreds of flights were canceled or delayed. new orleans, which tracked about nine inches of snow, hasn't seen

this much in more than 100 years. michael? >> wow, incredible. naomi ruchim in new york. thanks. red flag fire warnings have been extended through tomorrow in southern california as gusty winds return after dying down a bit yesterday. firefighters battled a nearly 40-acre brush fire near homes east of los angeles. the area could get badly needed rain this weekend to help with the wildfires, but that could also cause mudslides and toxic ash runoff. l.a. mayor karen bass ordered crews to begin preparing to shore up hillsides, reinforce roads, and install barriers to protect neighborhoods from runoff ahead of the rain. president trump will travel to los angeles friday to look at areas destroyed by the recent wildfires. to the middle east where four people were wounded in a terror attack in israel. israeli authorities say a moroccan national with an american passport went on a

stabbing rampage in tel aviv. he was shot and killed, and authorities are investigating how the suspect got into the country after being flagged by airport security a few days ago. and israel launched a significant and broad military operation in the occupied west bank city of jenin, a region not covered by the cease-fire agreement. the move comes after the security forces wrapped up its months' long operation against terror groups. the u.n. says more than 900 aid trucks entered gaza tuesday on the third day of the cease-fire. that's significantly higher than the 600 trucks called for in the deal. hamas confirms four female hostages will be freed saturday as part of the second release. there are seven women still in captivity. two are civilians including the mother of the two young bibas boys. coming up, deadly hotel fire in turkey. dozens are killed at a ski resort where the fire may have started. and burglary suspects arrested.

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clean enough for you? yeah! scrape. load. done. cascade platinum plus. at least 76 people were killed and dozens hurt in a fire at a ski resort in turkey. the fire started in the middle of the night yesterday in a 12-story wood frame hotel packed with people during a two-week winter school break. at least two victims jumped to their deaths trying to escape the flames. the fire's believed to have started in the restaurant section. nine people have been detained for questioning. an alabama fire chief was killed helping a stranded driver, and ohio burglary suspects are arrested. those are some of the headlines on the "morning newsstand." the "associated press" says four men from chile were indicted in a string of burglaries at multimillion dollar houses. it's unclear if there's a link to break-ins at famous athletes' homes. court documents say the men were arrested earlier this month in ohio after being found at an suv

with a cincinnati bengals hat and an lsu shirt. now the items are believed to have been stolen last month from a house near cincinnati on the same day bengals quarterback joe burrow's home was broken into while he was in dallas. other athletes including patrick mahomes and travis kelce have been victimized, as well. "usa today" says a georgia fire chief was shot and killed in alabama after he stopped to help a driver who hit a deer. authorities say james cauthen was trying to help a couple after their car hit a deer sunday. the couple didn't have cell service, so cauthen walked the driver to a nearby property to ask for help. investigators say the property owner opened fire, killing cauthen and wounding the driver who was armed. he shot back wounding the property owner who's now facing murder charges. and the "new york daily news" says governor kathy hochul proposed a ban on students using cellphones in schools. the plan which has to be approved by state lawmakers

would require students to give up their devices all day including during class, lunch, free periods, and in hallways. it would go into effect at the start of the next school year. hochul said limiting access to phones during school would help students focus in class and improve their mental health. ahead, planetary parade. when you can catch a rare glimpse of our neighbors in the solar system. doctor box, there were many failed attempts to fix my teeth. i retouched all my wedding photos, and it was even affecting my health. i trusted you because you specialize in dental implants. you created a permanent solution eye schedule a free consultation. at tj maxx, you can afford to turn your closet into a place of endless expression.

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saturn, jupiter, and mars, are visible with the naked eye. uranus and neptune will require a telescope to be seen. experts say it's not unusual for the planets to be aligned, but the fact that six are visible is what makes it special. back on earth, netflix is raising prices again, and european leaders are vowing to stick to the paris climate agreement. here's shanelle kaul with today's cbs "moneywatch." >> reporter: stocks surged tuesday as investors digested president trump's position on international trade. the dow gained 537 points. the nasdaq was up 126, and the s&p 500 gained 52 points. trump's promises on climate stirred up a lot of reaction at the annual world economic forum in switzerland. european leaders are concerned about the fight against global warming after trump signed an executive order directing the u.s. government to pull out of the paris climate pact again. the head of the european union's executive branch called the 2015 accord the best hope for all

humanity and vowed europe will stay the course. post-inauguration, some social media users were surprised to find themselves following president donald trump or vice president j.d. vance on facebook and instagram. a spokesperson for meta now says you likely already followed official u.s. government accounts, and those get transferred to the new administration. and it's been a good season for netflix. the streaming giant pulled in 19 million more subscribers during the quarter thanks in part to live programming. now netflix is hiking prices between $1 to $2.50 a month. that's your cbs "moneywatch" report for this wednesday. i'm shanelle kaul, cbs news, new york. up next, the latest players headed to cooperstown. next, the headed to cooperstown.

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♪ cue those trumpets as we