Incoming vice-president says people who ‘committed violence’ shouldn’t be pardoned as surveys suggest blanket pardons would be unpopular with Americans

• Vance says Trump supporters who ‘committed violence’ during Capitol attack shouldn’t be pardoned

Good morning, US politics blog readers. We’re one week out from Donald Trump’s inauguration as president, a day on which he has vowed to act like a dictator, and among the long list of things he has promised to do one his first day in office is pardon people convicted or accused of crimes over the January 6 insurrection. The few surveys done of the issue have indicated that a blanket pardon would be unpopular with Americans, and in an interview on Sunday, JD Vance seemed to walk back his boss’s pledge. “If you protested peacefully on January 6th … you should be pardoned”, the incoming vice-president told Fox News. “If you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn’t be pardoned, and there’s a little bit of a gray area there, but we’re very much committed to seeing the equal administration of law.”

For all the norms he has shattered, Trump would be far from the first American president to make big promises on the campaign trail then find reason not to keep them once he gets the job. We’ll find out what his supporters think of Vance’s comments as the day goes on.

Confirmation hearings begin this week for Trump’s cabinet nominees, with the first scheduled for Tuesday. Some nominees, such as senator Marco Rubio to lead the state department, are expected to be approved with little tension. But others, think Pete Hegseth as defense secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr as secretary of health and human services and Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence, will spark fights with Democrats.

Joe Biden is looking to make the most of his final week as president, beginning with a speech today at 2pm ET from the state department about his foreign policy legacy.

Los Angeles firefighters continue to combat blazes in and around the city, amid fears that another bout of gusty and hot weather could fuel more outbreaks. Follow our live blog for more.