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Biden inauguration: two troops reportedly removed from duty over far-right militia ties – live Biden inauguration: two troops reportedly removed from duty over far-right militia ties – live
(32 minutes later)
Officials discover connections to far-right militia groups, reports say – follow all the latest news on Trump’s last full day as presidentOfficials discover connections to far-right militia groups, reports say – follow all the latest news on Trump’s last full day as president
Here’s where the day stands so far:
Mitch McConnell acknowledged the violent mob that attacked the Capitol earlier this month was “provoked by the president.” The Senate Republican leader said in a floor speech this afternoon, “The mob was fed lies. They were provoked by the president and other powerful people.”
Two National Guard troops were removed from inauguration duty due to ties to far-right militia groups, according to the AP. The FBI has been vetting the thousands of National Guard troops sent to provide security for Joe Biden’s inauguration.
Today is Donald Trump’s final full day in office, and the president is expected to release a flurry of pardons before leaving the White House tomorrow.
The blog will have more coming up, so stay tuned.
Chuck Schumer, the incoming Senate majority leader, outlined the chamber’s early agenda in his floor speech moments ago.
The Democratic leader said the chamber would have to tackle three tasks simultaneously: Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, confirmation of Joe Biden’s nominees and the passage of another coronavirus relief package.
Biden has discussed the possibility of the Senate splitting up its workday, with the mornings focused on the impeachment trial and the afternoons focused on confirming his nominees.
Once the Senate receives the article of impeachment from the House, the chamber is required to start a trial to determine whether Trump should be convicted.
Chuck Schumer, the incoming Senate majority leader, condemned Donald Trump and outlined the chamber’s early agenda in a floor speech this afternoon.
The Democratic leader lamented how the Capitol is being guarded by troops today, one day before Joe Biden’s nomination, because of the violent attack on the building by a pro-Trump mob earlier this month.
“As we speak, there are more troops in and around the Capitol than there are in Afghanistan,” Schumer said.
Looking ahead to Trump’s impeachment trial, Schumer made an impassioned case for the president’s conviction. Schumer argued Trump would continue to “poison the public arena” if he was able to launch another presidential campaign.
“Donald Trump should not be eligible to run for office ever again,” Schumer said. “All of us want to put this awful chapter in our nation’s history behind us. Healing and unity will only come if there is truth and accountability.”
Schumer went on to say, “Let me be clear. There will be an impeachment trial in the US Senate.” He added, “If the president is convicted, there will be a vote on barring him from running again.”
It would take 17 Republicans, along with every Democrat in the Senate, to convict Trump.
Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican leader, acknowledged the violent mob that attacked the Capitol earlier this month was “provoked” by Donald Trump.Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican leader, acknowledged the violent mob that attacked the Capitol earlier this month was “provoked” by Donald Trump.
Speaking on the Senate floor, McConnell said, “The mob was fed lies. They were provoked by the president and other powerful people.”Speaking on the Senate floor, McConnell said, “The mob was fed lies. They were provoked by the president and other powerful people.”
McConnell applauded the Senate for reconvening to certify Joe Biden’s victory after the attack, even though several Republican senators supported objections to the electoral votes from Arizona and Georgia, which Biden won.McConnell applauded the Senate for reconvening to certify Joe Biden’s victory after the attack, even though several Republican senators supported objections to the electoral votes from Arizona and Georgia, which Biden won.
One of those Republican objectors was Ted Cruz, who was presiding over the Senate as McConnell delivered his floor speech.One of those Republican objectors was Ted Cruz, who was presiding over the Senate as McConnell delivered his floor speech.
“We stood together and said an angry mob would not get veto power over the rule of law in our nation, not even for one night,” McConnell said.“We stood together and said an angry mob would not get veto power over the rule of law in our nation, not even for one night,” McConnell said.
McConnell has signaled he is open to voting to convict Trump when the Senate takes up the article of impeachment passed by the House last week.McConnell has signaled he is open to voting to convict Trump when the Senate takes up the article of impeachment passed by the House last week.
It would take 17 Republican senators, along with every Senate Democrat, to convict Trump and block him from seeking federal office again.It would take 17 Republican senators, along with every Senate Democrat, to convict Trump and block him from seeking federal office again.
It is noon in Washington, which means there are exactly 24 hours left in Donald Trump’s presidency.It is noon in Washington, which means there are exactly 24 hours left in Donald Trump’s presidency.
Joe Biden will take the oath of office at noon tomorrow, marking the official start of his four-year term as president.Joe Biden will take the oath of office at noon tomorrow, marking the official start of his four-year term as president.
Trump is expected to have already left Washington by the time that Biden is sworn in, breaking with the tradition of outgoing presidents attending the inaugurations of their successors.Trump is expected to have already left Washington by the time that Biden is sworn in, breaking with the tradition of outgoing presidents attending the inaugurations of their successors.
The Guardian’s Sam Levine reports on the first bill Senate Democrats are introducing after flipping the chamber:The Guardian’s Sam Levine reports on the first bill Senate Democrats are introducing after flipping the chamber:
The first bill Senate Democrats will push with their new majority will include sweeping changes to America’s voting and campaign finance laws, Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader, announced Tuesday.The first bill Senate Democrats will push with their new majority will include sweeping changes to America’s voting and campaign finance laws, Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader, announced Tuesday.
The legislation echoes a bill House Democrats passed in 2019 that would, among other measures, require states to automatically register voters who interact with certain state agencies, offer same day voter registration, online voter registration, and early voting.The legislation echoes a bill House Democrats passed in 2019 that would, among other measures, require states to automatically register voters who interact with certain state agencies, offer same day voter registration, online voter registration, and early voting.
It would also place stricter limits on how states can go about removing voters from the rolls, require states to set up independent redistricting commissions to draw congressional lines, and prohibit states from disenfranchising anyone who is on parole or probation.It would also place stricter limits on how states can go about removing voters from the rolls, require states to set up independent redistricting commissions to draw congressional lines, and prohibit states from disenfranchising anyone who is on parole or probation.
The bill would amount to one of the most significant overhauls of America’s voting laws in the nation’s history. It comes weeks after Republicans attempted to throw out the results of an election in which a record number of people voted.The bill would amount to one of the most significant overhauls of America’s voting laws in the nation’s history. It comes weeks after Republicans attempted to throw out the results of an election in which a record number of people voted.
It would also set voting rules for federal elections, which Congress has the power to regulate. And like all legislation in the Senate, it needs the approval of 60 senators to survive a filibuster. There is a growing chorus of Democrats who say the party should eliminate the filibuster to allow Democrats to pass legislation with a simple majority threshold.It would also set voting rules for federal elections, which Congress has the power to regulate. And like all legislation in the Senate, it needs the approval of 60 senators to survive a filibuster. There is a growing chorus of Democrats who say the party should eliminate the filibuster to allow Democrats to pass legislation with a simple majority threshold.
On the campaign finance side, the bill would require the disclosure of donors who contribute more than $10,000 to super PACs and 501c(4) groups and require more transparency in political advertisement purchases, among other measures.On the campaign finance side, the bill would require the disclosure of donors who contribute more than $10,000 to super PACs and 501c(4) groups and require more transparency in political advertisement purchases, among other measures.
Avril Haines also told the Senate intelligence committee that she would work to complete a public threat assessment of the conspiracy movement QAnon if she is confirmed as the director of national intelligence.Avril Haines also told the Senate intelligence committee that she would work to complete a public threat assessment of the conspiracy movement QAnon if she is confirmed as the director of national intelligence.
Martin Heinrich, a Democratic senator from New Mexico, noted he requested such an assessment from the intelligence community last month but has not yet received a response.Martin Heinrich, a Democratic senator from New Mexico, noted he requested such an assessment from the intelligence community last month but has not yet received a response.
Asked if she would commit to working with the FBI and the department of homeland security to provide that assessment, Haines said she “absolutely” would.Asked if she would commit to working with the FBI and the department of homeland security to provide that assessment, Haines said she “absolutely” would.
Social media companies have worked to remove accounts spreading QAnon content since the violent attack on the Capitol earlier this month.Social media companies have worked to remove accounts spreading QAnon content since the violent attack on the Capitol earlier this month.
Avril Haines pledged to keep politics out of her leadership of the intelligence community, if she is confirmed as the next director of national intelligence.Avril Haines pledged to keep politics out of her leadership of the intelligence community, if she is confirmed as the next director of national intelligence.
“To be effective, the DNI must never shy away from speaking truth to power — even, especially, when doing so may be inconvenient or difficult,” Haines said at her confirmation hearing before the Senate intelligence committee.“To be effective, the DNI must never shy away from speaking truth to power — even, especially, when doing so may be inconvenient or difficult,” Haines said at her confirmation hearing before the Senate intelligence committee.
“To safeguard the integrity of our intelligence community, the DNI must insist that, when it comes to intelligence, there is simply no place for politics ever.”“To safeguard the integrity of our intelligence community, the DNI must insist that, when it comes to intelligence, there is simply no place for politics ever.”
If she is confirmed, Haines will be the first woman to lead the intelligence community. At her confirmation hearing, Haines was introduced by Dan Coats, who served as the first director of national intelligence under Donald Trump.If she is confirmed, Haines will be the first woman to lead the intelligence community. At her confirmation hearing, Haines was introduced by Dan Coats, who served as the first director of national intelligence under Donald Trump.
Coats said of Haines, “There’s no doubt in my mind President-Elect Biden has chosen someone who has all the capabilities, qualities, experience, and leadership to be the next director of national intelligence.”Coats said of Haines, “There’s no doubt in my mind President-Elect Biden has chosen someone who has all the capabilities, qualities, experience, and leadership to be the next director of national intelligence.”
Two National Guard members have reportedly been removed from duty protecting Joe Biden’s inauguration because of their connections to far-right militia groups.Two National Guard members have reportedly been removed from duty protecting Joe Biden’s inauguration because of their connections to far-right militia groups.
The AP reports:The AP reports:
The FBI has been vetting the thousands of National Guard troops sent to cover the inauguration due to security concerns after the violent riot at the Capitol earlier this month.The FBI has been vetting the thousands of National Guard troops sent to cover the inauguration due to security concerns after the violent riot at the Capitol earlier this month.
The mayor of New York said the city is on track to run out of coronavirus vaccine doses by Friday.The mayor of New York said the city is on track to run out of coronavirus vaccine doses by Friday.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city will start running out of vaccine doses on Thursday and will “have literally nothing left to give as of Friday”.Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city will start running out of vaccine doses on Thursday and will “have literally nothing left to give as of Friday”.
“It means if we don’t get more vaccine quickly, a new supply of vaccine, we will have to cancel appointments and no longer give shots after Thursday for the remainder of the week at a lot of our sites,” de Blasio said.“It means if we don’t get more vaccine quickly, a new supply of vaccine, we will have to cancel appointments and no longer give shots after Thursday for the remainder of the week at a lot of our sites,” de Blasio said.
The mayor noted the city distributed more than 220,000 doses last week, meaning a New Yorker was vaccinated every three seconds.The mayor noted the city distributed more than 220,000 doses last week, meaning a New Yorker was vaccinated every three seconds.
State and local leaders have been warning recently that vaccine supply is not meeting expectations. Joe Biden has promised that 100 million Americans will be vaccinated over his first 100 days in office.State and local leaders have been warning recently that vaccine supply is not meeting expectations. Joe Biden has promised that 100 million Americans will be vaccinated over his first 100 days in office.
As we keep an eye on the White House during Donald Trump’s final full day in office, there also important hearings happening on Capitol Hill today.
Five of Joe Biden’s cabinet nominees will receive confirmation hearings today, before the Senate votes on whether or not to confirm them.
Alejandro Mayorkas, who would lead the department of homeland security if confirmed, is already testifying before a Senate committee, and hearings for Janet Yellen, the treasury secretary nominee, and Avril Haines, who was nominated to serve as director of national intelligence, are also underway.
Hearings for Anthony Blinken, Biden’s nominee to lead the state department, and Lloyd Austin, who would become defense secretary if confirmed, will also take place later today.
The president-elect will host a virtual memorial service this evening to honor Americans who have died of coronavirus.
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will participate in a lighting around the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool to honor coronavirus victims. The reflecting pool will be surrounded by 400 lights, representing the nearly 400,000 Americans who have lost their lives to the virus.
Biden and Harris are expected to speak at the event. They will be joined by Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the archbishop of Washington; Yolanda Adams, a well-known gospel singer; and Lori Marie Key, from the Saint Joseph Mercy Health System in Michigan.
Some of America’s most iconic buildings, like the Empire State Building and the Seattle Space Needle, will also be lit up tonight as a tribute to coronavirus victims.
“The inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris represents the beginning of a new national journey — one that renews its commitment to honor its fallen and rise toward greater heights in their honor,” Tony Allen, the CEO of the presidential inaugural committee, said in a statement yesterday.
“In that spirit, it is important that we pay tribute to those we have lost — and their families — and come together to unite our country, contain this virus, and rebuild our nation.”
Donald Trump is hardly unique in his controversial use of presidential pardons, which have been a sometimes sordid feature of US politics for well over two centuries.
In his final hours in office, Trump is expected to pardon more than 100 people, including political allies, friends and cronies. He has already granted clemency to principal figures from his 2016 campaign.
In seeking to promote his self-interest, Trump is merely following in the footsteps of White House predecessors. Under article two of the US constitution, presidents enjoy broad and unchallengeable powers to pardon individuals for federal crimes. This right is “without limit”, the supreme court has ruled.
This is Joan Greve in Washington, taking over for Martin Belam.
Today is Donald Trump’s final full day in office, and Washington is waiting in nervous anticipation to see what he will do before leaving the White House tomorrow.
There have been reports that the president will issue a flurry of pardons and commutations before leaving office tomorrow. Trump has also reportedly considered preemptively pardoning himself to avoid prosecution after exiting the White House, but it’s unclear whether such a move would hold up in court.
The blog will be keeping an eye on that today, so stay tuned.
Chris Kenning at the Louisville Courier Journal has been interviewing Republican supporters in three rural Kentucky counties where nearly 90% voted for Trump, and has been hearing that the president’s election fraud claims have sunk lasting roots, and that Joe Biden’s appeals for national unity may face an uphill struggle. He writes:
Read more here: Louisville Courier Journal – In deepest-red corners of Kentucky, Trump’s election fraud claims sink lasting roots
Secretary of state Mike Pompeo appears to be signing off from his role on social media with typical understatement.
When Joe Biden is sworn in as president on Wednesday, he plans to trigger a range of executive orders aimed at solving two of the biggest crises facing the country: the economic downturn and the coronavirus pandemic.
The president-elect’s team has been floating its ideal scenario for how Biden’s first hundred days in office will go. That includes almost a dozen executive orders and pushing for a massive $1.9tn coronavirus and economic stimulus plan. The Biden team is also planning another proposal aimed at reinforcing the economy.
The executive orders concern fighting climate change, battling Covid, pausing payments on student loans, rejoining the Paris climate agreement, and ending the travel ban from Muslim-majority countries. He also plans to quickly take steps to change the country’s criminal justice system and expanding healthcare to low-income Americans.
“President-elect Biden is assuming the presidency in a moment of profound crisis for our nation. We face four overlapping and compounding crises: the Covid-19 crisis, the resulting economic crisis, the climate crisis, and a racial equity crisis,” Biden’s incoming chief of staff, Ron Klain, circulated in a memo the campaign released to the public over the weekend.
Klain added: “All of these crises demand urgent action. In his first 10 days in office, President-elect Biden will take decisive action to address these four crises, prevent other urgent and irreversible harms, and restore America’s place in the world.”
On immigration, Biden is aiming to end some of the hardline immigration policies of the Trump administration. He plans to unveil proposals that will offer a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, and foreign aid to countries in Central America. At the same time, however, a Biden official cautioned to NBC that did not mean the next administration would grant entry to all asylum seekers coming to the country.
In laying out his agenda, Biden has worked to frame it as more of a moment for the nation to rally and forget partisan divides. “It’s not hard to see that we’re in the middle of a once-in-several-generations economic crisis with a once-in-several-generations public health crisis,” Biden said during a press conference over the weekend.
“Unity is not some pie-in-the-sky dream, it’s a practical step to getting the things we have to get done as a country get done together.”
Read more of Daniel Strauss’ analysis here: Biden to target Covid and the economy amid stack of orders in first 100 days
Attorneys for former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder have told prosecutors that the Flint water case should be dismissed because he was charged in the wrong county.
Snyder was charged last week with two misdemeanor counts of willful neglect of duty. He was indicted by a Genesee County judge who sat as a grand juror and considered evidence presented by prosecutors.
“Neither of these allegations of non-feasance, or failure to act, occurred while the former Governor was in the City of Flint. At all times set forth in the Indictment, our client was the presiding governor of the State of Michigan with the Executive Office of the Governor located at the Romney Building in downtown Lansing,” attorney Brian Lennon said in a letter to prosecutors.
Associated Press report that the letter was attached to a request for documents and other evidence possessed by prosecutors, a typical step by the defense in a criminal case. Lennon indicated in the letter that he soon would formally ask Judge William Crawford to dismiss the case against the former Republican governor.
Snyder was one of nine people charged in a new investigation of the Flint water crisis. The catastrophe in the impoverished, majority-Black city has been described as an example of environmental injustice and racism.
The city, under Snyder-appointed emergency managers, used the Flint River for drinking water in 2014-15 without properly treating it to reduce corrosion. Lead from old pipes contaminated the system. Separately, the water was blamed by some experts for an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease, which killed at least 12 people in the area and sickened dozens more.
By the way, aside from the expected issuing of a list of pardons – including to rapper Lil Wayne – the total extent of Donald Trump’s official diary engagements for his last full day in office reads: “President Trump will work from early in the morning until late in the evening. He will make many calls and have many meetings.”
It is the same precise wording that has been used for pretty much every single day in January so far.
One problem that will immediately land in Antony Blinken’s in-tray is the US-Uganda relationship, which has been tested this week in the aftermath of last week’s Uganda’s disputed election.
Reuters report this morning that Uganda accused the US ambassador in the country of seeking to subvert the presidential election by trying to visit the main opposition candidate at his home, which has been surrounded by security forces since the vote.
Troops prevented pop star-turned-legislator Bobi Wine from leaving his house shortly after he returned from voting in Thursday’s presidential election, in which he ran against incumbent Yoweri Museveni. On Tuesday Wine said he and his wife had run out of food, and milk for her 18-month-old niece.
The US embassy said late on Monday that Ambassador Natalie Brown had been stopped from visiting Wine, who it referred to by his real name, Robert Kyagulanyi, at his residence in a suburb in the northern outskirts of the capital. The mission said Brown wanted to check on his health and safety given that he was effectively unable to leave his home.
Government spokesman Ofwono Opondo said Brown had no business visiting Wine, who the army says is being held to prevent potential unrest breaking out in the wake of the result. “What she has been trying to do blatantly is to meddle in Uganda’s internal politics, particularly elections, to subvert our elections and the will of the people,” he said. “She shouldn’t do anything outside the diplomatic norms.”
Opondo said, without providing any evidence, that Brown had a track record of causing trouble in countries where she has worked in the past. The government was watching her, he said.
The US embassy has said last week’s vote was tainted by harassment of opposition candidates, suppression of media and rights advocates and a nationwide internet shutdown. “These unlawful actions and the effective house arrest of a presidential candidate continue a worrying trend on the course of Uganda’s democracy,” it said in the statement.
The public rebuke to the United States from the Ugandan government is relatively unusual as the two nations are allies. Washington supports Ugandan soldiers serving in an African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia and has donated about $1.5 billion to Uganda’s health sector in the past three years.