PoliticsThe IndependentTrump draws disappointing crowd at Andrews Air Force Base despite hopes of massive turnout
Donald Trump intended his final public appearance as president to be a display of vast support from a devoted mass movement – but instead, he was seen off by a thin crowd of well-wishers. The early morning ceremony, from which Mr Trump flew to Florida on Air Force One, was meant to be an upbeat send-off with a cheering throng of fans. However, in the days leading up to it, reports emerged that even Trump dissenters like former press secretary Anthony Scaramucci were receiving invitations, while others had been offered the chance to bring five guests.
U.S.The WeekFox News contributors choke up talking about the importance of Kamala Harris being the first Black woman VP
Liberal Fox News contributor Richard Fowler choked up during an appearance on the network as he marveled at the numerous glass ceilings broken by Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday. "One part [of the inauguration] that caused me to get real emotional was, we've been a country for 243 years, and in all those 243 years, we have had women citizens but we have never had a woman hold national office," Fowler said, his voice breaking as he went on. "So to see Kamala Harris put her hand on the Bible today — also being her and I are of Jamaican descent, and I just think about my grandmother and my mom and so many other women who saw this, and so many young girls who can finally believe that t...
PoliticsAssociated PressChina hits Trump officials with sanctions on their way out
China imposed sanctions on nearly 30 former Trump administration officials moments after they left office on Wednesday. In a statement released just minutes after President Joe Biden was inaugurated, Beijing slapped travel bans and business restrictions on Trump's secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, national security adviser Robert O'Brien and U.N. ambassador, Kelly Craft. Others covered by the sanctions include Trump's economic adviser Peter Navarro; his top diplomat for Asia, David Stilwell; health and human services secretary, Alex Azar; along with former national security adviser John Bolton and strategist Stephen Bannon.
PoliticsThe IndependentMichelle Obama hugs Joe Biden’s grandchildren as she arrives at inauguration
Former first lady Michelle Obama has warmly greeted members of Joe Biden's family – hugging his grandchildren as she stepped onto the inaugural platform. Ms Obama was accompanied by her husband, former president Barack Obama, and donned a bipartisan-coloured purple outfit, also one of the colours of choice for the Suffragettes. As he prepares to take the oath of office, Joe Biden was also celebrated by the former president and first lady with whom he served as vice president.
PoliticsThe TelegraphEric Trump says he will 'never forget Buckingham Palace' as family seen in tears at farewell ceremony
Eric Trump said he will "never forget Buckingham Palace" as he looked back on his father's four years in office after a tearful farewell ceremony. The president's second eldest son said it had been the honour of his life to have had a "front row seat to the most remarkable and consequential presidencies in American history". He went on to enumerate his father's achievements in office, listing his tax cuts, support for the second Amendment and Middle East peace deals.
PoliticsCBS NewsKamala Harris won't be moving into vice president's residence immediately
Vice President Kamala Harris won't immediately move into the vice president's residence at the Naval Observatory that is traditionally used by vice presidents, an aide for Harris told CBS News. Because Harris won't be staying there immediately, it will "allow for repairs to the home that are more easily conducted with the home unoccupied." Chimney liners need to be replaced and other household maintenance will be performed, now that Vice President Pence and his family have moved out.
U.S.Military.comTrump Pardons Vietnam Ace, TOPGUN Navy Legend Who Took Bribes
Former Rep. Randall "Duke" Cunningham, a Navy "TOPGUN" legend and ace fighter pilot in Vietnam who pleaded guilty to taking bribes from defense contractors, was among the 73 who received a pardon Tuesday night from President Donald Trump. The 79-year-old Cunningham, who represented California as a Republican and now lives in Arkansas, was released from prison in 2013. He served seven years for taking bribes while in office to fund an extravagant lifestyle including yachts, Persian rugs, hunting trips, a Rolls-Royce and a $2.55 million home, according to the charges against him.
U.S.NBC NewsGeorgia lawyer said he kicked in Pelosi's door, she could've been 'torn into little pieces'
A Georgia lawyer boasted that he and fellow rioters "kicked in Nancy Pelosi's office door" and the House speaker dodged being "torn into little pieces," according to a criminal complaint. William McCall Calhoun Jr., an attorney from Americus, Georgia, has been charged with entering a restricted building, violent or disorderly conduct and obstructing official proceedings of government, according to an FBI affidavit seeking his arrest. The FBI's National Threat operation Center received a tip that Calhoun documented — in words and video on social media — his role in the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol Building, according to the affidavit.
PoliticsThe WeekFox News' Chris Wallace calls Biden's speech the 'best inaugural address I ever heard'
President Biden's inaugural address has won some high praise on Fox News. Fox News anchor Chris Wallace on Wednesday praised Biden's "great" inaugural address, going as far as to deem it the best he's ever watched in his life. "I thought it was a great speech," Wallace said.
PoliticsThe IndependentTrump news - live: Romney attacks former president as children get secret service protection
Donald Trump arrived in Palm Beach, Florida, on Air Force One shortly to resume civilian life at Mar-a-Lago after departing the White House for the final time on Wednesday morning. "It was a privelege to be your president," he told the small his farewell event at Joint Base Andrews before boarding Air Force One with wife Melania for the last time. Before his term came to an official end, Trump slipped in a last-minute pardon for the husband of Fox News ally, Judge Jeanine Pirro and extended Secret Service protection for his kids, Ivanka, Don Jr and Eric and their families.
U.S.NBC News12-year-old boy swept to sea by wave in northern California
A multiagency search for a 12-year-old boy swept out to sea in northern California on Monday has been suspended, according to officials. The boy, identified by his uncle as Arunay Pruthi, was pulled into the ocean at Cowell Ranch Beach in the city of Half Moon Bay, about 25 miles south of San Francisco, on Monday, according to the Cal Fire San Mateo-Santa Cruz unit. Arunay's father and 8-year-old brother were also pulled in by the "sneaker wave," said Arunay's uncle, Arvind Pruthi, but the pair were eventually pushed back to shore after being "beaten up by waves," according to Cal Fire.
EntertainmentArchitectural DigestThe Coolest New Automotive Technology at CES 2021
Mercedes-Benz's Hyperscreen, General Motors' Bright Drop, and Jeep's Electric Wrangler were among the unveils that turned heads Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
- NewsYahoo News Video
Biden tells appointees 'I will fire you on the spot' for showing disrespect to colleagues
President Joe Biden issued a warning Wednesday to his appointees that a hostile workplace will not be allowed in his administration.
PoliticsThe WeekTrump is reportedly just going up to people and asking if they want a pardon
President Trump has spent the last few days asking his friends, aides, and associates if they would like pardons — even those who are not facing any charges, a senior administration official told The Washington Post. In one case, the official said, Trump offered a pardon to a person who declined the chance at clemency, saying they weren't in any legal trouble and hadn't committed any crimes. Trump has taken a great interest in pardoning people, the Post reports, even calling families to personally let them know he granted a pardon.
U.S.CBS News"Joe Exotic," with limo waiting outside prison, fails to get pardon
The White House released a list of 73 pardons and 70 commutations shortly before 1:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday, and Joseph Maldonado-Passage - also known as "Joe Exotic" -- was not on the list. Maldonado-Passage, who starred in Netflix's "Tiger King" documentary, is serving a 22-year sentence in a Fort Worth, Texas, federal prison for his conviction on charges that he participated in a murder-for-hire plot and violated federal wildlife laws. In asking for clemency, Maldonado-Passage submitted a handwritten letter in September, calling President Trump his hero and invoking Mr. Trump's criticism of federal investigators.
PoliticsAxiosBiden lawyers remind Kamala Harris' niece that she can't profit off aunt's name
Biden's transition team lawyers have reminded Vice President-elect Kamala Harris' niece, Meena, that she can't profit off her famous aunt's image, after she unveiled a collaboration between her company and Beats By Dre. Why it matters: Following Republican attacks, President-elect Joe Biden pledged that neither his family nor Harris' would profit from their service as president and vice president. While Meena Harris did nothing illegal, it underscored the challenge of keeping relatives in line, and of adhering to the higher ethical standards that the incoming administration has pledged.
PoliticsThe IndependentTrump extended Secret Service protection for 13 members of his family as he left office
Thirteen members of the Trump family have been handed Secret Service protection by the departing US president Donald Trump. A source told The Washington Post that Mr Trump issued a directive in his final days in office that extended security to the close family circle once he left office on Wednesday. According to the source, who spoke with anonymity, Mr Trump wanted the protection extended for every Trump family member who had been receiving the taxpayer-funded protection during his presidency.
EntertainmentLA TimesCasual Bernie Sanders goes viral as the inauguration's unexpected meme
The Vermont senator became an unexpected meme during Wednesday's festivities after being photographed appearing extremely uncomfortable and cold while in his seat ahead of the ceremony in Washington, D.C. Vice President Kamala Harris, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and inauguration performers Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez catalyzed numerous articles and tweets about their symbolic wardrobe choices for the auspicious occasion. But Sanders, a former presidential hopeful who became an important ally to President Joe Biden during the 2020 campaign, made a sartorial statement all his own. One of the IDGAF variety.
PoliticsThe IndependentBarron Trump misses out on family’s farewell to White House
Barron Trump, the only child of soon-to-be former President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump was not present as his parents left the White House for the last time. As President Trump has spent the last few days of his term in the West Wing raging about his election loss, Melania Trump has been busy mapping out her future, including finding a new school for Barron Trump in Florida, where the family will live now that they have left the White House. Melania Trump recently visited a private school in Boca Raton, north of Miami, a possible option for Barron Trump's future education, The Palm Beach Post reported.
WorldBBCKamala Harris and a 1986 snapshot of that Howard generation
It's been used a lot in telling the extraordinary story of her rise to become the first black and Asian American woman to be vice-president and the first person who attended one of America's HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) to get to such a position. But this is the story of the other women in the photograph, her two best friends - Valarie Pippen and Karen Gibbs - as well as of others who might have been milling about in the background there. This was the 1980s, when the children of America's civil rights generation came of age.
PoliticsLA TimesThree Supreme Court justices skip Biden inauguration due to coronavirus concerns
The Supreme Court's three oldest justices did not attend the Biden inauguration due to concerns regarding the coronavirus pandemic. Justices Stephen G. Breyer, 82; Clarence Thomas, 72, and Samuel A. Alito Jr., 70, did not join their colleagues at the Capitol for the historic day. "They elected not to attend the inauguration ceremony in light of the public health risks posed by the COVID pandemic," said Supreme Court spokeswoman Kathleen Arberg in an email.
PoliticsUSA TODAYDonald Trump spends final minutes in office at Mar-a-Lago, is first president to skip inauguration in more than 150 years
Outgoing President Donald Trump spent his final minutes as president at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, becoming the first president in more than 150 years to skip his successor's inauguration. "We will be back in some form," Trump told supporters at an early farewell ceremony at Joint Base Andrews that featured a 21-gun salute and a military band playing "Hail to the Chief." In a nine-minute speech on "an incredible four years," Trump recounted highlights that included the creation of the Space Force, deregulation and tax cuts.
U.S.Business InsiderThe 22-year-old accused of stealing Pelosi's laptop and planning to sell it to Russia has been given new charges that could see her jailed for 20 years
Riley June Williams is accused of stealing Nancy Pelosi's laptop and trying to sell it to Russia. The Justice Department charged her with breaking into the Capitol, and a new charge was added after a tip. The laptop's whereabouts is still unknown.
PoliticsINSIDEROn a day filled with designer clothes, Bernie Sanders wore mittens made out of old sweaters - and people loved it
A Vermont teacher gave Sanders the homemade mittens Buzzfeed News political reporter Ruby Cramer pointed out on Twitter that Jen Ellis, a teacher from Essex Junction, Vermont, gifted Sanders a pair of her sustainably-made mittens several years ago. Ellis told Vermont alt-weekly newspaper Seven Days in January 2020 that Sanders' daughter-in-law, Liza Driscoll, ran her daughter's daycare. The craftswoman had made mittens as a gift to all the teachers one year and added in an extra pair for Sanders.
PoliticsThe IndependentBiden gets controversial Trump officials to resign in first act on inauguration day
Joe Biden has asked surgeon general Jerome Adams to resign as his administration begins on Wednesday, in what has been billed as a reboot of the US government's pandemic response. Mr Adams, who has served as the surgeon general since 2017, announced his resignation at the Biden administration's request, and said it had “been the honor of my life to serve”. He and Michel Pack, the chief executive of the state-run US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), are among those Trump administration officials asked to resign by Mr Biden - with more expected to follow.
“If you’re looking to win elections, it is probably best not to urge your supporters not to vote.”
“Warnock’s portrayal of himself as a dog lover, a means of overcoming white suspicions of Black men, smacked of pure genius.”
“Trump has done damage to the Republican brand among suburban voters that goes well beyond just races where he is on the ballot.”
“Once more, Democrats must profusely thank activist Stacey Abrams.”
“Overall, demographic trends show that the state’s electorate is becoming younger and more diverse each year.”