Trump did ‘more harm than expected’ to transition, says senator close to president

Senator Chris Coons has said that Donald Trump and “his team caused more harm than expected” during the transition period after Joe Biden's transition team was not permitted access. The revelation came during an interview on MSNBC during which the Democratic senator was asked for his opinion on the flurry of executive actions passed by the president since Wednesday. Senator Coons, who holds Mr Biden's old seat and has known the president for 30 years, said the president had been thoroughly preparing since he won the election in November.

U.S. carrier group enters South China Sea amid Taiwan tensions

A U.S. aircraft carrier group led by the USS Theodore Roosevelt has entered the South China Sea to promote "freedom of the seas", the U.S. military said on Sunday, at a time when tensions between China and Taiwan have raised concern in Washington. U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement the strike group entered the South China Sea on Saturday, the same day Taiwan reported a large incursion of Chinese bombers and fighter jets into its air defence identification zone in the vicinity of the Pratas Islands.

US reaffirms Taiwan support after China sends warplanes

The U.S. has reaffirmed its support for Taiwan following China's dispatch of warplanes near the island in an apparent attempt to intimidate its democratic government and test the resolve of the new American presidential administration. The U.S. State Department on Saturday said it was concerned by China's "pattern of ongoing attempts to intimidate its neighbors, including Taiwan.” “We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan's democratically elected representatives," Ned Price, a spokesman for the department, said in the statement.

Bishops Go to War Over Biden as Second Catholic President Splits the Church

ROME—If you look closely at President Joe Biden's credenza in his first Oval Office photo op, there is a carefully placed shot of the then-vice president shaking hands with Pope Francis after he was inaugurated as pope in 2013. Biden flew to Rome for the papal ceremony—and has regularly quoted the pontiff on the campaign trail, especially on race and economic disparities. Many among the most conservative anti-Francis Catholic commentators have gone so far as to say Biden is complicit in the further destruction of the Catholic Church, but the Vatican is not likely to comment on matters seen as political.

The Bidens were reportedly left waiting outside the White House on Inauguration Day because Trump sent the staff home

Biden reportedly wasn't greeted by White House staff on Inauguration Day because Trump sent them home. Trump reportedly sent the butlers home so "there would be no-one to help the Bidens when they arrived." Chief usher Timothy Harleth left his role before the Bidens arrived at the White House.

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  For Biden, pandemic safety starts at home: In the White House

  Yahoo News
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  Bidens left stuck outside White House on Inauguration Day after ‘petty’ final Trump act

  The Independent

Supporters' words may haunt Trump at impeachment trial

The words of Donald Trump supporters who are accused of participating in the deadly U.S. Capitol riot may end up being used against him in his Senate impeachment trial as he faces the charge of inciting a violent insurrection. At least five supporters facing federal charges have suggested they were taking orders from the then-president when they marched on Capitol Hill on Jan. 6 to challenge the certification of Joe Biden's election win. Jacob Chansley, the Arizona man photographed on the dais in the Senate who was shirtless and wore face paint and a furry hat with horns, has similarly pointed a finger at Trump.

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  Trump's Second Impeachment Trial To Begin In February

  HuffPost
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  Senate to receive impeachment article Monday

  Associated Press Videos

National Guard: President Biden apologises over troops sleeping in car park

US President Joe Biden has apologised after some members of the National Guard stationed at the Capitol were pictured sleeping in a car park. Mr Biden called the chief of the National Guard Bureau on Friday to apologise and ask what could be done, according to US media reports. First Lady Jill Biden also visited some of the troops to thank them personally, bringing biscuits from the White House as a gift.

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  First Lady brings cookies to National Guard

  Associated Press Videos
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  NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn't happen last week

  Associated Press

Man who punched cop during Capitol riot has brother in Secret Service who is friends with Michelle Obama, the Huffington Post has revealed

Scott Kevin Fairlamb, 43, of Stockholm, New Jersey, was arrested on five charges on January 22. Preston Fairlamb III led Michelle Obama's service detail while she was First Lady. The son of a police officer who punched a cop during the Capitol riots also has a brother in the Secret Service who Michelle Obama previously described as a "real friend," the Huffington Post found.

Protests against Israeli PM Netanyahu continue nationwide

Over a thousand protesters gathered in Jerusalem on Saturday for weekly demonstrations demanding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu step down over corruption charges, as smaller protests were staged at intersections and bridges across the country. The protests have taken place each week since last summer, primarily at a Jerusalem square near Netanyahu's official residence, and continued despite lower turnout in the cold winter nights. In March, Israel will hold its fourth national election in less than two years, and Netanyahu is facing further challenges from defectors within his Likud party.

Washington gets whiplash in shift from Trump to Biden

White House events have carefully calibrated themes. Washington is suffering whiplash — or enjoying it, depending on whom you ask — as President Biden takes over from former President Trump, a transition that stands as one of the starkest contrasts in U.S. political history. Before the election, Trump mocked his opponent as "Sleepy Joe."

Lucas Interior Embraces Color to Modernize Palm Springs Spanish Revival Home

The materials and colors took center stage,” said David Lucas when it came to the design of the home. Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest

Arab Spring exiles look back 10 years after Egypt uprising

The Egyptians who took to the streets on Jan. 25, 2011, knew what they were doing. Police forces backed off, and within days, former President Hosni Mubarak agreed to demands to step down. A decade later, thousands are estimated to have fled abroad to escape the government of President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi that is considered even more oppressive.

Arizona Republicans censure Cindy McCain, GOP governor

Arizona Republicans voted Saturday to censure Cindy McCain and two prominent GOP members who have found themselves crosswise with former President Donald Trump. The censures of Sen. John McCain's widow, former Sen. Jeff Flake and Gov. Doug Ducey are merely symbolic. But they show the party's foot soldiers are focused on enforcing loyalty to Trump, even in the wake of an election that saw Arizona inch away from its staunchly Republican roots.

Turkey hopes Mediterranean talks can calm choppy waters with EU

After a five-year hiatus marked by grievances over their rival claims to Mediterranean waters, Turkey resumes talks with Greece on Monday in the first test of its hopes to reverse deteriorating relations with the European Union. While diplomats say that rebuilding trust will be a hard slog, the talks follow Turkey's decision to stop its search for gas in disputed waters which angered Greece and Cyprus and a cooling of rhetoric around Ankara's wider disputes with the EU. They could also pave the way for an imminent visit to Turkey by EU leaders.

Biden apologizes to National Guard chief after 5,000 soldiers had to reportedly sleep in a DC parking garage with only one bathroom

President Joe Biden called the National Guard's chief on Friday to issue an apology. National Guard members were forced to vacate the Capitol on Thursday, according to Politico. President Joe Biden has called the chief of the National Guard Bureau to apologize after images circulated online of troops sleeping in a parking garage.

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  Guard in DC forced to sleep in garages, sparking outcry

  Associated Press
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  Outrage after National Guard stationed in DC forced to sleep in parking garage

  FOX News Videos

Trump and Justice Dept. Lawyer Said to Have Plotted to Oust Acting Attorney General

The Justice Department's top leaders listened in stunned silence this month: One of their peers, they were told, had devised a plan with President Donald Trump to oust Jeffrey Rosen as acting attorney general and wield the department's power to force Georgia state lawmakers to overturn its presidential election results. The unassuming lawyer who worked on the plan, Jeffrey Clark, had been devising ways to cast doubt on the election results and to bolster Trump's continuing legal battles and the pressure on Georgia politicians. Because Rosen had refused the president's entreaties to carry out those plans, Trump was about to decide whether to fire Rosen and replace him with Clark.

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  Trump Plotted With Loyalist To Oust Acting AG In Bid To Steal Georgia Election: Report

  HuffPost
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  Plan to oust acting attorney general seen as Trump White House 'in a nutshell'

  The Week

Kyle Rittenhouse's bond conditions modified after prosecutors said he was seen using white power hand symbols with Proud Boys members at a bar

The terms of Kyle Rittenhouse's bond were modified after he was seen at a bar with his mother and members of the far-right Proud Boys, according to FOX 6. Kenosha County prosecutors previously requested to adjust his bond conditions after being spotted using white power associated hand symbols and drinking beers following his release. Rittenhouse,18, is the gunman associated with the deaths of two people and injuring another during a Jacob Blake protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin last summer.

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  Judge: Kenosha shooter can't associate with supremacists

  Associated Press
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  Kenosha killing suspect Rittenhouse's bond terms changed after bar visit

  NBC News

Dems Urged Not to ‘Waste a Second’ Negotiating as Republicans Back Away From COVID Relief

Democrats are facing new objections from Republicans over the Biden administration's COVID-19 relief package, a maddening reality that has set off alarm bells among progressives who fear hard-fought issues could be left on the chopping block. While President Joe Biden has long touted a working ability to inspire bipartisanship, some on the party's left wing are already warning against spending too much time trying to negotiate with the GOP, citing double control in the House and Senate and playing up the importance of providing fast monetary relief to Americans during the pandemic. “Democrats need to just plow ahead,” said Larry Cohen, chairman of Our Revolution, a grassroots network that supported Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-VT) presidential bids.

US America's Cup challenger: heart still beats after capsize

American Magic's race boat Patriot might have been battered and broken when it capsized at speed during the America's Cup challenger series in Auckland, but skipper Terry Hutchinson says its proud heart is still beating. The United States team remains in a race against time to repair Patriot, to make it fighting fit in time to face Italy's Luna Rossa in the semifinal of the Prada Cup series beginning Friday. Hutchinson is fully confident Patriot will be at the start line and as good as new after tireless efforts from American Magic's shore team and help from America's Cup defender Team New Zealand.

Dominion Voting Systems files $1.3B defamation suit against ex-Trump lawyer Sidney Powell

Dominion Voting Systems filed a defamation lawsuit against attorney Sidney Powell over her claims that the company, which manufactured electronic voting machines used by some districts in the 2020 election, changed votes for President Donald Trump to votes for President-elect Joe Biden. Powell's wide-ranging conspiracy theory variously implicated Dominion, deceased Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, the CIA and Chinese communists in a plot to rig the election against Trump. But federal and state judges repeatedly rejected, sometimes derisively, her efforts to prove her assertions in court.

Elon Musk's SpaceX reportedly plans to drill near a Texas launchpad for natural gas

Elon Musk, who recently relocated to Texas, now reportedly has plans to to drill for natural gas there, too. SpaceX, Musk's space company, is looking to drill wells close to the company's Boca Chica, Texas, launchpad, according to Bloomberg. The site in Boca Chica previously hosted prototype launches for the company.

Republican governors are ordering their National Guard troops home from DC amid backlash over members resting in a parking garage

Several Republican governors said they're ordering their National Guard members to return home from DC, amid reports that the Guardsmen have endured poor conditions. The governors of Florida, Montana, New Hampshire, and Texas have recently complained about the way the troops were treated. Over 20,000 Guardsmen were sent to Washington, DC, following the US Capitol insurrection on January 6 and ahead of President Joe Biden's inauguration.

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  Guard in DC forced to sleep in garages, sparking outcry

  Associated Press
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  New Hampshire governor orders National Guard troops to return home from DC

  FOX News Videos

Team UK edges Luna Rossa to win AmCup Challenger series

Forced to sail mostly on guesswork after a technical glitch, Britain's INEOS Team UK broke the magical 50-knot barrier in beating Italy's Luna Rossa by 33 seconds on Saturday in the final round-robin race of the America's Cup challenger series at Auckland, New Zealand. In doing so Team UK, which had been a lame duck due to equipment and systems issues in pre-Christmas racing, retained its unbeaten record after five races in the Prada Cup challengers series to qualify automatically for the final. When the boats came together on opposing gybes near the bottom of the last leg — Team UK on port and Luna Rossa with the right of way on starboard — Britannia slid just across the bow of Luna Rossa; only meters separated the yachts.

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  No British bust: Team UK into America's Cup challenger final

  Associated Press
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  Ben Ainslie puts in 'best race' of his career as Ineos Team UK make final of Prada Cup

  The Telegraph

Giuliani admits his associate asked for a fee of $20,000 a day to help Trump overturn the election, but says he didn't know about it

After months of denial, Giuliani admitted his associate requested a daily $20,000 fee to help Trump. Giuliani said he represented Trump out of a sense of commitment and didn't expect to be paid. After months of denials, former President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, conceded that one of his associates asked campaign officials for a $20,000 daily fee to help Trump after his election loss, according to a New York Times report.