Number 45: The businessman, billionaire, reality-show host, self-promoter, and manic tweeter Donald Trump is set to be sworn in at 11: 30 this morning as the 45^th president of the United States.

Trump and his staff have promised a philosophical inauguration speech intended to unite the country at a time when it is nearly as divided and bitter as it has ever been. Sixty-five congressional Democrats are skipping the inauguration in protest.

Trump is expected, shortly after the ceremonies and parade down Pennsylvania Ave., to begin issuing executive orders to repeal the actions of the Obama administration and set the path of his own. The Reuters news agency reports that Trump will issue an order to begin building his wall on the border with Mexico and to execute a federal hiring freeze. Reuters also says Trump will repeal an order protecting children brought into the country illegally.

Trump is free to take some big actions on his own. He can approve the disputed Keystone XL Pipeline from Canada to the Gulf and name a Supreme Court nominee to replace Antonin Scalia.  But he needs Congress to approve his wall, repeal Obamacare, cut taxes while building the military and embarking on an ambitious rebuilding of the national grid of roads, bridges, air terminals and more.

Many of Trump’s campaign promises are in conflict with each other — raising spending while lowering taxes — and possibly in conflict with Congress.

Never mind that for now. He will dance tonight at three balls with the lovely Melania.

The Russian Connection: Even as Trump takes the oath, US intelligence and law enforcement agencies are investigating possible connections and communications between Trump associates and Russia. They’re examining intercepted communications while looking into the dealings of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, businessman and adviser Carter Page, and Roger Stone, a longtime Republican operative.

Advice and Consent: Steven Mnuchin, Trump’s nominee to be Secretary of the Treasury, neglected to reveal $100 million in assets on his financial disclosure form and failed to mention that he’s a director of an investment fund located in the Cayman Islands, a haven for dodging taxes. Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee said the omissions made him unfit for confirmation. In his defense Mnuchin said, “I think as you all can appreciate, filling out these government forms is quite complicated.” — The President-elect said, in impromptu remarks, “I tell you what, one thing we’ve learned, we have by far the highest IQ of any Cabinet ever assembled.” — Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who once ran for president saying the Department of Energy should be abolished, admitted before a senate panel that once he learned what DOE actually does, and that he’s been named to run it, he’s in favor of keeping it. DOE’s in charge of nuclear energy, nuclear weapons, and fighting climate change, which Perry now kind of, sort of admits is actually happening, but he won’t attribute it all tok human activity. — Despite the flaws of some of the cabinet candidates, Trump aide Kellyanne Conway called their senatorial grilling, “a show trial.”

World: As many as 30 people are dead in a fire that caused the collapse of a 17-story building that was one of Tehran’s first high-rise buildings. Firefighters were working a fire in the upper floors when the Plasco building collapsed on live television. — Rescuers are still trying to find survivors inside an Italian alpine hotel buried by an avalanche. At least 30 people are missing and hopes are dimming for finding them alive.

Legal Immigrant: The wily Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman has been extradited to the United States where he’s wanted for drug trafficking and other charges in Chicago, Brooklyn and other cities.

The murderous leader of the Sinaloa Cartel escaped a maximum-security prison in 2015 through a precision-built tunnel equipped with a motorcycle on tracks. It was a stunning stunt pulled off by his lieutenants. He was recaptured a year ago.

Big Bet: The Oakland Raiders yesterday filed paperwork with the NFL to move the popular Bay Area football team to Las Vegas. They want to build a $1.9 billion stadium, which better be air conditioned.

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