From CNN, I'm Charlie Driever with the five things you need to know for Wednesday, January 22nd. Migrants on the southern border are saying they're stranded, with no money or any idea what to do next, after President Donald Trump shut down a border app. Until Trump's inauguration on Monday, migrants seeking asylum had the option to make an appointment to make their case. This Venezuelan migrant told CNN he's waited on the US Mexico border for nine months, so he could enter the US legally.
But if we know the quenta, so in the end, all the effort, all my time, my journey, everything I did, what I risked my children for, will be for nothing. Meanwhile, in the US, Trump has given permission for ICE to arrest people in and near churches and schools, a U-turn on a longstanding policy to avoid so-called sensitive areas. But some communities are fighting back against the Trump administration's migrant crackdown, like in Denver, where a hotline has been set up to report ICE rates. Donald Trump's decision to pardon hundreds of January six protesters is dividing Republicans.
The American people have chose to move on. It was surprising to me that it was a blanket pardon. I think we need to continue to be able to say we are a party of law and order, and that is incredibly important to me, and we're protecting the folks who are protecting us. The deck is clear now.
Can we just stop talking about January six? Many expected the president to issue pardons for January six protesters, but some Republican senators had hoped that he would do so only for nonviolent offenders. But when Trump signed the executive order on his first day in office on Monday, he also included those charged and convicted of crimes against police officers. Senator Tom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, said he quote, just can't agree.
That police officer is good to change the assault and there's no consequence, so I mean, it's pretty straightforward to me. The dangerous cold in the swath of the US has turned to deadly. At least nine people are believed to have died from the dangerously low temperatures gripping much of the country. The rare winter storm comes as over 20 million people in several southern states are under winter weather alerts, but the bulk of the snowfall will move off the coast by late morning.
It's a once-in-a-generation winter storm wreaking havoc on the Gulf Coast, a region not used to this kind of winter weather, with temperatures falling 20 to 30 degrees below normal across the country recently from the northern to the southern border. Officials in affected southern states are warning people to stay off the roads, several inches of snow have fallen in some areas. Federal agents are investigating after a US Border Patrol agent was shot and killed earlier this week. An FBI spokesperson tells CNN that it happened on a highway in Vermont close to the US-Canadian border, saying another person was also killed in the shooting, later identifying them as a German national in the US on a visa.
A police association has identified the officer as 44-year-old David Mailant. Speaking to CNN affiliate WCAG, state Senator Russ Ingalls called the shooting senseless. These are our friends, our neighbors, and it's just a tragedy. It really is a tragedy.
An important phone call between Russian and Chinese presidents soon after Trump takes office. That's next. Just hours after Trump's inauguration, Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke over a phone call. That was Xi, while Putin said that strengthening ties would play a major role in stabilizing international affairs.
Both leaders are also keen to improve their diplomatic ties with the US under the new administration, and Trump appears to like the sound of this. Although he's made it clear that Russia's war on Ukraine and China's support of this war puts the US's relationship with both countries at serious risk. That's all for now. Our next episode drops at 9am Eastern.