President Trump fulfilled a campaign promise to Libertarian supporters on his second day back in office by pardoning the former creator and owner of an underground e-commerce website known for drug trafficking.

Ross Ulbricht, also known as “Dread Pirate Roberts,” operated the anonymous digital marketplace known as Silk Road between 2011 and 2013, when law enforcement shut the site down and arrested him at a California public library.

“I just called the mother of Ross William Ulbricht to let her know that in honor of her and the Libertarian Movement, which supported me so strongly, it was my pleasure to have just signed a full and unconditional pardon of her son, Ross,” Trump posted to his Truth Social site on Tuesday. “The scum that worked to convict him were some of the same lunatics who were involved in the modern day weaponization of government against me. He was given two life sentences, plus 40 years. Ridiculous!”

At the time of his sentencing in San Francisco in 2015, Ulbricht was 31 years old. He was convicted of distributing narcotics, engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, conspiring to commit computer hacking, and conspiring to create fake identities and launder money. He was sentenced to life in prison.

Meanwhile, the Justice Department pursued charges against Ulbricht’s compatriots who claimed to have committed five murders on his behalf, though the government could never prove those murders actually took place.

In an indictment, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara described Silk Road as a meeting place for criminals hoping to “buy and sell illegal drugs and other illicit goods and services anonymously and outside the reach of law enforcement.”

He also described it as “the most sophisticated and extensive criminal marketplace on the internet” at the time. He alleged Ulbricht made tens of millions of dollars through the site. Law enforcement went to great lengths to investigate and apprehend Ulbricht and his supporters, including by infiltrating the site and seizing a server in Iceland.

Ulbricht’s early writings on the ideas behind Silk Road emphasized his desire to create a free and anonymous marketplace, to “use economic theory as a means to abolish the use of coercion and aggression amongst mankind,” according to a public LinkedIn post. In order to access the site, users had to use anonymity software called Tor and pay with Bitcoin, a cryptocurrency whose transactions are all recorded online.

Those principles are aligned with the Libertarian political philosophy, which generally advocates for the protection of individual liberties.

Libertarian activists have supported Ulbricht’s release for years, organizing around the banner “Free Ross” and painting Ulbricht as a young, “peace-loving” former Eagle Scout who made mistakes, rather than “a dangerous kingpin,” according to his supporters’ webpage. They argue his life sentence is an example of government overreach.

President Trump has been amenable to Libertarian concerns. He promised to commute Ulbricht’s sentence during the Libertarian National Convention in Washington in May of 2024, and has gotten close to so-called “techno libertarians,” like Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Trump has also publicly promised to make the United States the “crypto capital of the planet,” propping up prominent Bitcoin users and supporters.

Ulbricht, for his part, took to social media to celebrate Trump’s election victory and remind him of his promise. One week after the election, he wrote on X that he “can finally see the light of freedom at the end of the tunnel.”

Copyright 2025 NPR

COLUMBIA, S.C. (Jan. 21, 2025) – For the second consecutive week, a member of the South Carolina Track & Field team will be taking home some hardware. This time, freshman runner Josiah Wrice has earned the honor of the SEC Men’s Freshman of the Week, as announced by the league office on Tuesday afternoon.

Wrice ran in his first collegiate 400m race at the Corky Classic this weekend and finished fourth overall with a time of 46.38. His 400m debut ranks sixth in the NCAA and sixth all-time in Gamecock Indoor Track & Field history. The freshman then opened the 4x400m for South Carolina on Saturday afternoon, aiding the Gamecocks in a fourth-place finish with a season-best time of 3:07.46. His opening 400m split of 46.29 helped South Carolina run the fifth fastest time in the country.

Wrice and the Gamecocks will be back in action at the Ted Nelson Invite this weekend in College Station, Texas. The two-day meet will begin on Friday afternoon.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – First Alert Weather Days continue for the coldest air of the season and a chance of snow later today.

First Alert Headlines

• First Alert Weather Day: Watching the potential for snow showers in the Midlands starting this afternoon.
• First Alert Weather Days: Wednesday and Thursday remain bitterly cold across South Carolina.

First Alert Summary

Good morning! Dangerously cold temperatures and wind chills remain in effect, which is why the National Weather Service has kept us under a Cold Weather Advisory. Wind chills will stay in the teens through lunchtime. High temperatures today will barely climb above freezing.

Snow showers are likely to return to the Midlands starting this afternoon. The best chance at steady snow will occur this evening and tonight, from about 6 to 10 PM. By 2 AM, the rest of the Midlands will dry out as our storm system moves farther offshore.

In anticipation of snow accumulations, the National Weather Service has added Clarendon, Calhoun, Orangeburg and Aiken Counties into a Winter Storm Warning. These are communities where the highest totals of snowfall are likely to occur.

For the rest of the Midlands, a Winter Weather Advisory has been issued. While accumulations will be a little lower in these towns, enough snowfall is expected to cause travel concerns, especially on back roads and around bridges/overpasses.

Even though we’re dry with sunshine Wednesday morning, First Alert Weather Days will remain in effect. Lows will drop into the teens Wednesday, with highs barely climbing above-freezing. Once again, lows will drop into the teens Thursday morning, meaning additional freezing will occur.

First Alert Forecast

Today (First Alert Weather Day): Cloudy skies, with a few snow showers late in the day. Chance of snow 40%. Highs in the mid-30s.

Tonight (First Alert Weather Day): Scattered snow showers, mainly before Midnight. Chance of snow 60%. Lows in the low-20s.

Wednesday (First Alert Weather Day): A frigid morning with temperatures barely above-freezing in the afternoon. Highs in the mid-30s.

Thursday (First Alert Weather Day): After a bitter cold morning in the teens, highs will rebound to around 40 degrees under mostly cloudy skies.

Friday: Skies clearing to sunshine. Highs in the mid-40s.

Saturday: A few clouds throughout the day. Highs around 50 degrees.

Sunday: Increasing clouds during the afternoon. Highs in the mid-50s.

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