President Joe Biden's first calls to foreign leaders went to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador at a strained moment for the U.S. relationship with its North American neighbors. Mexico's president said Saturday that Biden told him the U.S. would send $4 billion to help development in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala — nations whose hardships have spawned tides of migration through Mexico toward the United States. López Obrador, who spoke Friday with Biden by phone, said the two discussed immigration and the need to address the root causes of why people migrate.
Rioters who stormed the Capitol Building may not face criminal charges if they did not act violently, a report says. Federal law enforcement officials are reportedly debating not pressing charges against some of the pro-Trump mob to prevent hundreds of cases swamping the court system. No final decision has made on the non-charging of individuals who took part in the 6 January pro-Trump violence, according to the Washington Post.
A billion-dollar Mega Millions jackpot that has been building for four months will be up for grabs on Friday, available to whoever can beat the one-in-302 million odds. "We generally see a lot of the sales occur on the day of the drawings," Mega Millions spokesman Seth Elkin, of the Maryland State Lottery and Gaming Control Agency, said by telephone. The selection of the six numbers will be the 37th semi-weekly drawing since the last grand prize winner was picked on Sept. 15, the longest jackpot dry spell Mega Millions has ever had, Elkin said.
President Biden has issued another two executive orders aimed at the coronavirus pandemic's economic fallout. Millions of Americans have claimed unemployment insurance as they lost their jobs amid the pandemic, not to mention thousands of noncitizen workers who haven't been eligible for the benefits. Biden is pushing Congress to pass another $1.9 trillion stimulus program, but took initial and immediate relief steps Friday with another round of executive orders.
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.
The materials and colors took center stage,” said David Lucas when it came to the design of the home. Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
The Judge highlights the agenda of the new Biden presidency
The Biden administration has already set itself on a collision course with Saudi Arabia after its director of National Intelligence vowed to declassify a report on the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. The push to release the intelligence community's assessment of the murder of the dissident journalist, which is believed to implicate Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has the potential to trigger a major fallout with the kingdom. Avril Haines, who was confirmed in her new role on Thursday, told Congress “we will follow the law” regarding the report, referring to the Trump administration's refusal to release the full version for US House representatives.
Iran urged new U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday to "choose a better path" by returning to a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and global powers, but said the opportunity would be lost if Washington insists on further Iranian concessions up front. Under Biden's predecessor Donald Trump, Washington withdrew from the deal - designed to stop Iran developing a nuclear weapon - and bolstered sanctions in a bid to force Tehran into talks on a broader agreement that also addressed its ballistic missile program and support for proxies around the Middle East.
Authorities say two deputies were sent to a neighborhood in Springfield, Michigan on January 2 after a call about a suspicious person possibly soliciting. A 10-minute video recording shows La'Ron Marshall was going door-to-door collecting signatures to form a tenant organization when police arrested him. "We hold all Calhoun County sheriff deputies to a high standard," said Sheriff Steve Hinkley in a statement video.
Amanda Gorman, the inaugural poet who read “The Hill We Climb” at President Joe Biden's swearing-in, has a new job offer. Morgan State University President David Wilson offered the 22-year-old Harvard graduate a role at the historically Black university, tweeting on Wednesday (20 January), “Ms. Gorman, I need you as our Poet-in-Residence at the National Treasure, â ¦@MorganStateU.
A man known as the "Q Shaman" who stormed the Capitol says he feels "duped" after Trump didn't pardon him. Jacob A. Chansley was arrested and charged earlier this month in connection with the Capitol riots. A far-right Arizona conspiracy theorist known as "QAnon Shaman," who stormed the Capitol in a fur headdress with horns, says he feels "duped" by Trump after the former president didn't pardon him, his lawyer has said.
The White House press secretary has responded to criticism from the public that Joe Biden's plan to administer 100 million vaccines in 100 days was not enough, at a time when Covid-19 surges through the US. “Our objective in setting that bold goal … is to set our own markers but also set markers for the American people,” Jen Psaki said on Good Morning America on Friday. Mr Biden unveiled his national Covid-19 plan on Thursday, which included how his administration intended to get 100 million vaccines into the arms of Americans within 100 days.
To the editor: Mitch McConnell must be auditioning for a late-night comedy show. That is the only reasonable explanation for the Senate minority leader's request to delay former President Trump's impeachment trial by saying, "It is absolutely imperative that we do not allow a half-baked process to short-circuit the due process that former President Trump deserves, or damage the Senate or the presidency." McConnell is the same man who wouldn't allow any testimony at Trump's first impeachment trial, evidence that could well have resulted in Trump's earlier removal from office and prevented the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Pfizer will ship fewer COVID-19 vaccine vials to the US after extra doses were discovered. The company has pushed the FDA to formally acknowledge the extra doses found in each vial. Last month, pharmacists across the US found a pleasant surprise when they discovered that the vials of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine contained extra doses.
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.
An Orthodox priest has claimed that he has been suspended by his diocese for three months and faces a “possible defrocking” after travelling to Washington, DC, to attend the “Stop the Steal” rally prior to the Capitol riots on 6 January. Reverend Mark Hodges, who is a “supply priest” at Paul the Apostle Orthodox Church in Dayton, Ohio, was “suspended from all priestly functions” from 12 January, according to the website of the Orthodox Church in America's Diocese of the Midwest. Mr Hodges told the Dayton Daily News that he travelled to Washington, DC, on 6 January for the “Stop the Steal” rally that was organised by supporters of then president Donald Trump.
A Texas doctor was fired and charged after being accused of stealing a vial of the COVID-19 vaccine. The District Attorney said the vial contained nine doses of the vaccine. Gokal's attorney told CNN that the vile was due to expire and would have gone to waste.
But a majority of Americans who depend on food stamps have no choice but to shop in person because the federal government only allows online shopping with SNAP benefits in limited circumstances in 47 states. For those who are able to shop on the web, the costs can be shocking for families who barely have enough to eat in part because SNAP benefits cannot be used to pay for delivery fees or tips. "Groceries have just gone up dramatically, your milk, your eggs," said Wilt.
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.
A former president of Estonia has compared Donald Trump Jr to an “exceptionally small-brained fish” in response to a wild attempt to talk up his father on Twitter. Following his father's departure from office on Wednesday, Mr Trump Jr took to Twitter on Friday in an attempt to shore up his presidential legacy. “Donald Trump is the first president in modern history[sic] did not start a new war,” he tweeted.
Santa Anita had its first racing fatality on its main dirt track in more than a year on Saturday when Scat's Choice broke down during a six-furlong race for 3-year-old fillies. Jockey Kent Desormeaux was thrown from the horse and was moving all extremities after the fall. However, Desormeaux was complaining of hip pain and was taken to Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena for further evaluation.
Republican Sen. Tom Cotton's past characterization of his military service is drawing scrutiny from critics. A recent Salon report resurfaced a longtime debate over military titles. Democratic Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado, a US Army veteran, took note of the debate said that the "truth matters."
Brendan Smialowski is the photographer behind Sen. Bernie Sanders' now-famous Inauguration Day moment. Smialowski told Rolling Stone that he happened to spot Sanders sitting alone and took two pictures. At President Joe Biden's Inauguration Day ceremony, Agence France-Presse photographer Brendan Smialowski snapped two pictures of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders taking a seat distanced from other people.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top disease expert, said he was "blocked" under the Trump administration from going on MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow" show. "I've been wanting to come on your show for months and months," Fauci told Maddow Friday. Fauci has openly expressed his feelings about working under Biden compared to when he previously worked on the coronavirus task force under Trump.
“By encouraging this act of terror on our capital, Trump’s legacy is destroyed.”
“Both backers and critics of Trump agreed that he remade the federal judiciary — a change that will impact America for decades.”
“He was largely responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans who did not need to die.”
“I do know what the future should hold for this country. That is to say, a policy of Trumpism without Trump.”
“It will be decades before the consequences of his tenure are fully known.”