It’s happening. Of all the whiplash-like changes taking place in Washington, one of the biggest is Mr. Trump’s targeting of the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The president and his allies are zeroing in on what he calls the “radical lunatics” at the agency that delivers billions of dollars annually in foreign aid. Mr. Trump says most of it is wasteful “deep state” spending and plans to shutter it. Thousands of federal employees there stand to lose their jobs.

Advocates of USAID say it has helped to save people around the world since 1961 with humanitarian aid in disaster zones and famine-stricken regions. But critics say liberals have caused the agency to stray from its mission to frivolous programs and largesse for the people who run it. Mr. Trump also is concerned that taxpayer-funded aid gets diverted to bad actors, including terrorists.

The administration quickly identified nearly $200 million in wasteful spending, including $20 million to produce an Iraqi version of Sesame Street and $8 million for federal workers to buy subscriptions to Politico Pro.

In another out-of-the-box proposal, Mr. Trump said he wants the U.S. to take over the Gaza Strip under a “long-term ownership position” to rebuild and revitalize the Palestinian territory that has been reduced to rubble by Israel’s military campaign against the Hamas terrorist group. Instead of a haven for terrorists to launch attacks against Israel, Mr. Trump envisions the seaside enclave becoming “the Riviera of the Middle East.”

But among the unanswered questions are what would happen to Gaza’s 2.2 million residents, what would be the exact role of the U.S. in rebuilding the region, and would U.S. troops be needed on the ground. Even some congressional Republicans voiced opposition, as, of course, are Palestinians.

Seeking to mollify some of those concerns, Mr. Trump later said the U.S. would take over the territory from Israel “at the conclusion of fighting” — as if there’s ever an end to the long-running hostilities in the Middle East. To some, the proposal looked like Mr. Trump is ditching his core principle of avoiding more foreign entanglements.

In another ground-shifting move, Mr. Trump’s plans to shrink the size of government include abolishing the Education Department, which spends $80 billion a year as student test scores plunge.

Democrats are opposed, of course, and hope that taxpayers won’t remember that the department has only been around since it was created by President Carter as a nod to powerful teachers’ unions.

Mr. Trump also created a task force, to be led by newly confirmed Attorney General Pam Bondi, to combat “anti-Christian bias” and create a religious freedom commission.

“The mission of this task force will be to immediately halt all forms of anti-Christian targeting and discrimination within the federal government, including at the DOJ — which was absolutely terrible — the IRS, the FBI and other agencies,” Mr. Trump said.

Cabinet takes shape. The Senate voted 54-46, largely along party lines, to confirm Ms. Bondi to run the Department of Justice. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the only Democrat to vote for her.

Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, Iowa Republican, told lawmakers on the Senate floor before the vote that Ms. Bondi, Florida’s former attorney general for eight years, is the “right choice” for the job.

“I will restore integrity to the Justice Department, and I will fight violent crime throughout this country and throughout this world and make America safe again,” Ms. Bondi said during an Oval Office ceremony.

The president called his newly minted attorney general “unbelievably fair and unbelievably good.”

“I know I’m supposed to say ’she’s going to be totally impartial with respect to Democrats,’ and I think she will be as impartial as a person can be,” he said, referring to his campaign pledge to rid the Justice Department of the unelected bureaucrats whom he said engaged in lawfare against him ahead of the 2024 election.

The Senate also confirmed Russell Vought as Mr. Trump’s director of the Office of Management and Budget over lengthy Democratic objections, on a 53-47 vote. He’s eager to carry out Mr. Trump’s orders to reduce the size of government, and Democrats say they fear him most of all. 

“Of all the harmful nominees, of all the extremists that Donald Trump has elevated, of all the hard-right ideologues who have come before the Senate, none of them hold a candle to Russell Vought,” said Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat. “He is far and away the most dangerous to the American people.”

Other key nominees, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead Health and Human Services, and Tulsi Gabbard to be director of National Intelligence, appear to be on track for confirmation.

A bipartisan group of House lawmakers wants to start reducing the nation’s debt, and any sensible person wishes them luck.

Led by Rep. Michael Cloud, Texas Republican, the lawmakers introduced legislation that would force Congress to consider interest payments on the nation’s debt before approving any new spending.

“Interest payments on our national debt have now surpassed $1 trillion for the first time — outpacing even our entire defense budget,” Mr. Cloud said. “This staggering reality is a direct consequence of Washington’s reckless spending. Yet, Congress routinely passes legislation without accounting for the full cost, misleading taxpayers about the financial burden being placed on future generations.”

Republicans plan votes to repeal at least 10 regulations implemented late in Mr. Biden’s term, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said. Their tool for doing so will be the Congressional Review Act, or CRA, a process that allows lawmakers to roll back administration regulations they oppose, but only if they act within a limited time window.

Mr. Trump made it more than two whole weeks into his new term until Democrats raised the threat of impeachment, which was some kind of sad record for the president.

Rep. Al Green, Texas Democrat, announced on the House floor that he would be bringing articles of impeachment “for dastardly deeds proposed and dastardly deeds done.” The move will go nowhere in the Republican-led Congress.

New documents are revealing the extent of the Biden administration’s “ecogrief” workshops, where employees at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service were encouraged to channel feelings of ecological anxiety into “lifesaving changes” for the planet.

The documents, obtained through an open records request, show the grief workshops were more widespread than officials initially acknowledged and agency officials considered it a “high priority.”

Courts of Democrats’ last resort. Mr. Trump’s whirlwind of executive actions is creating problems in federal courts, where judges say he has gone too fast.

A federal judge in Boston temporarily halted the president’s offer of a buyout for federal workers, about 60,000 of whom had already resigned before the court blocked the buyouts. District Judge George O’Toole ordered the administration to extend the deadline for four more days until a hearing can be held on the legality of the offer.

District Judge Loren AliKhan issued a temporary restraining order directing the White House budget office to restart the federal spending spigot after a botched attempt at a “pause.” She said the Office of Management and Budget seemed to “run roughshod” over Congress by halting grant and contract payments to outside groups that deliver government assistance.

More lawsuits are pending against a host of Mr. Trump’s early moves, including curtailing taxpayer funding for legal advice for illegal immigrants, blocking asylum claims, speeding up deportations and limiting civil service protections for some federal workers.

The Trump administration, which has embarked on a massive effort to deport illegal immigrants, filed a lawsuit challenging the sanctuary policies in Illinois and Chicago, saying they are unlawfully interfering with federal authorities’ ability to arrest and deport such migrants. Justice Department lawyers said the state and local policies “intentionally obstruct” the feds by restricting the flow of information.

“The challenged provisions of Illinois, Chicago and Cook County law have the purpose and effect of making it more difficult for, and deliberately impeding, federal immigration officers’ ability to carry out their responsibilities in those jurisdictions,” Brett Shumate, acting assistant attorney general for the Civil Division, said in the new lawsuit.

Michael McKenna questions the precedents Mr. Trump is setting with his political power.

Bob Unanue and Jorge Martinez praise Mr. Trump and his border czar, Tom Homan, for taking back the border.

Americans have had enough of DEI, argues Tim Chapman.