Author: PolitCens

Joe Biden was peacefully sworn in as America’s 46th president Wednesday. He took the oath outdoors, on a heavily guarded stage outside the US Capitol, where thousands of rioters had entered two weeks prior.  Due to the pandemic and strict security measures, attendance was severely limited. VOA’s Carolyn Presutti was in the sparse crowd to hear their thoughts about the transfer of power.  
Camera: Adam Greenbaum
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President Joe Biden signed wide-ranging executive orders Wednesday to end travel restrictions from predominantly Muslim and African countries, initiate a halt to border wall funding and strengthen protections for immigrants brought to the country illegally as children. The orders dismantled major portions of former President Donald Trump’s restrictive immigration policies.Travel restrictionsThe Biden-Harris White House reversed proclamations that barred most people from several majority Muslim and African countries to travel to the U.S. In a conference call with reporters, Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, described Trump’s policy as “nothing less than a stain on our nation” and “rooted in xenophobia and religious animus.” The former Trump White House had defended the proclamations as needed to keep America safe.Though the order says it will provide relief for families that were separated by Trump’s travel restrictions, it also calls for strengthening screening and vetting for travelers by “enhancing information sharing with foreign governments.”FILE – In this June 18, 2020, photo, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals students celebrate in front of the Supreme Court in Washington after it rejected President Donald Trump’s effort to end legal protections for young immigrants.DACABiden is “preserving and fortifying” the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which has protected from deportation hundreds of thousands of migrants brought illegally to the United States as minors. In his proclamation, Biden called on Congress to pass legislation that gives DACA recipients permanent legal status and a path to U.S. citizenship.DACA was created by the former Obama administration in 2012 and was repeatedly targeted for termination by the Trump administration. The U.S. Supreme Court ultimately preserved the program, ruling that the Trump administration had improperly sought to dismantle it.There are about 700,000 people enrolled in DACA, which still faces legal challenges.Border wallBiden has ended the national emergency declaration Trump issued to fast-track wall construction along the U.S.-Mexico border. Although Congress appropriated additional wall funding late last year, the Biden administration is expected to review construction contracts and move to halt additional border barriers.President Joe Biden gets set to sign executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, after his inauguration as the 46th U.S. president, Jan. 20, 2021.DeportationsThe new administration has paused deportations of undocumented immigrants while the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reviews enforcement priorities.Welcomed today at @DHSgov HQ as Acting Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security until Mr. Mayorkas is confirmed. Thank you to the men and women across the Department for your commitment to the DHS mission! pic.twitter.com/EOJumELq7T— David P. Pekoske (@TSA_Pekoske) January 20, 2021Alejandro Mayorkas, Biden’s pick to be DHS secretary, appeared for a Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday. Mayorkas pledged to follow U.S. immigration law in deciding whether migrants and the undocumented remain in the country.Biden’s Homeland Security Nominee Vows to Follow US Immigration LawIf confirmed, Mayorkas would be the first Latino and first immigrant to lead that Department of Homeland SecurityCensusBiden also revoked a plan to exclude undocumented immigrants from the census count used to decide each state’s representation in the House of Representatives. The new administration says it wants the Census Bureau to have the necessary time to complete “an accurate population count.”US Census Director Resigns Amid Accusations of Rushing Out DataWhistleblowers allege some Census Bureau political appointees were pushing for early release of data on undocumented immigrants in order to please President TrumpIn 2018, Trump sought to include a citizenship question in the census questionnaire but was blocked by the Supreme Court. Last year, however, the high court dismissed a challenge to the former administration’s plan to exclude the undocumented from the census tally used for congressional apportionment.Immigration legislationBiden has also unveiled a proposed eight-year path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Senator Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, has agreed to introduce the bill in Congress.4/ This plan is not only about fixing our broken immigration system but building a better one that reunites families, brings the undocumented community out of the shadows and on a path to citizenship.— Senator Bob Menendez (@SenatorMenendez) January 20, 2021The legislation would make millions of undocumented immigrants eligible for permanent U.S. residency after five years and eligible to seek citizenship three years later. The timeline would be accelerated for DACA recipients and those with Temporary Protective Status for fleeing armed conflict or natural disasters. Applicants would have to have entered the United States before January 1 of this year.
  
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Undocumented immigrants cheered President Joe Biden’s plan to provide a path to U.S. citizenship for about 11 million people without legal status, mixing hope with guarded optimism Wednesday amid a seismic shift in how the U.S. government views and treats them.The newly inaugurated president moved to reverse four years of harsh restrictions and mass deportation with a plan for sweeping legislation on citizenship. Biden also issued executive orders reversing some of former President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, such as halting work on a U.S.-Mexico border wall and lifting a travel ban on people from several predominantly Muslim countries. He also ordered his Cabinet to work to keep deportation protections for hundreds of thousands of people brought to the U.S. as children.”This sets a new narrative, moving us away from being seen as criminals and people on the public charge to opening the door for us to eventually become Americans,” said Yanira Arias, a Salvadoran immigrant with Temporary Protected Status who lives in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory.’More hopeful future’Arias is among about 400,000 people given the designation after fleeing violence or natural disasters.”It sets a more hopeful future for immigrants in the U.S., but it all depends on the Congress, especially the Senate,” Arias, a national campaign manager for the immigrant advocacy group Alianza Americas, said of the citizenship effort.Success of the legislation is far from certain in a divided Congress, where opposition is expected to be tough. The most recent immigration reform attempts on a similar scale failed — in 2007 under then-President George W. Bush and in 2013 under then-President Barack Obama.Ofelia Aguilar watches the swearing in of Joe Biden as U.S. president, Jan. 20, 2021, in Homestead, Fla. Immigrants cheered Biden’s plan to provide 11 million people without legal U.S. status a path to citizenship.Ofelia Aguilar, who watched Biden’s inaugural address on TV with four other female farmworkers in agricultural Homestead, Florida, said she nevertheless felt positive about prospects for immigration reform.”I am hopeful that he’ll give us legal status,” said Aguilar, who was pregnant and alone when she came to the U.S. from Mexico in 1993. She worked in the fields for years before starting her own business farming jicama root.”Hope has opened!” Aguilar cried out after Biden was sworn in. “So many people have suffered.”No results to dateSome of the farmworkers at the backyard gathering about 56 kilometers (35 miles) south of Miami said they were disappointed Biden didn’t mention immigration reforms in his speech.”I only have hope in God, not in presidents,” said Sofía Hernández, an agricultural worker who has lived in the U.S. without legal status since 1989. “So many have said they are going to do things, and I don’t see any results.”Hernandez came from Mexico, seeking economic opportunity. Her three children were born in the U.S., and she regularly sent money to her family back home before her parents died.”My dream is to go and see my family and come back to stay with my children,” Hernandez said.Graciela Uraga, left, a cleaning lady, and Blanca Cedillos, a nanny, react as they watch Joe Biden’s presidential inauguration from the Workers Justice Center, an immigrant rights center, Jan. 20, 2021, in Brooklyn, N.Y.In New York, Blanca Cedillos said she also was disappointed Biden did not mention immigration during the speech she watched with a half-dozen other masked immigrants at the Workers Justice Project.”I was hoping he would say something,” said Cedillos, a Salvadoran who lost her job as a nanny during the coronavirus pandemic and now gets by with a few housecleaning jobs and a weekly food box from the nonprofit that offers services to immigrants.Cedillos has lived in the U.S. without authorization for 18 years and hopes to eventually visit her four children in Central America, then return legally to the U.S.”I have told them that that trip may happen now — hopefully, if this new president gives me the opportunity,” she said.Guatemalan construction worker Gustavo Ajché, who came to the U.S. in 2004, watched the Spanish language broadcast with Cedillos.Gustavo Ajche, 38, who has three jobs, gestures after watching Joe Biden’s presidential inauguration on TV at the offices of the Workers Justice Center, Jan. 20, 2021, in Brooklyn, N.Y.”I don’t want to get too excited because I might get frustrated afterward, like has happened in the past,” Ajché said. “I have been here many years. I have paid my taxes. I am hoping something will be done.”In Phoenix, Tony Valdovinos, a local campaign consultant who was brought to the U.S. from Mexico as a small child, said he isn’t celebrating yet.He’s among those who have benefited from the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, which protects immigrants brought to the U.S. as children from deportation.”It’s hard to put your heart into it when these things have failed in the past,” Valdovinos said. “We’ve been beaten down so much.”Prior disappointmentMaria Rodriguez, executive director of the Florida Immigration Coalition in Miami, said she feels much the same way.”I’m so happy and relieved, but we are still afraid of getting our hearts broken again,” she said. “We’ve been through this so many times, but we really need to bring through a solution that goes forward.”Los Angeles janitor Anabella Aguirre wants that solution not only for herself, but for her two daughters, both DACA recipients now starting their careers.”Like thousands of mothers and fathers, I want for my daughters to have something better in this country,” Aguirre said. “We hope that today, this dawn, brings hope.”   
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There were words of welcome Wednesday from across the world for Joe Biden as he was sworn in as America’s 46th president. They were mixed with parting shots from some leaders aimed at his predecessor, Donald Trump, who left Washington hours before the swearing-in. 
  
As the inauguration has been atypical — with no crowds and the Capitol guarded by thousands of National Guardsmen — so, too, the reaction has been out of the ordinary from overseas leaders.  
  
Some European leaders who had tempestuous relations with Donald Trump did not hold back on their relief at seeing President Biden installed.  
 
“Once again, after four long years, Europe has a friend in the White House,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday. 
  
“This new dawn in America is the moment we’ve been waiting for so long. Europe is ready for a new start with our oldest and most trusted partner,” she told European lawmakers in Brussels. She said she hoped Biden would be able to repair divisions in the United States and that his inauguration would be “a message of hope for a world that is waiting for the U.S. to be back in the circle of like-minded states.”European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen addresses European lawmakers during a plenary session on the inauguration of the new U.S. president and the current political situation, at the European Parliament in Brussels, Jan. 20, 20 Europe welcomes Biden 
  
German President Frank Walter Steinmeier called Wednesday “a good day for democracy.”  
 
 “I am relieved that Joe Biden is sworn in as president today and coming into the White House. I know that this feeling is shared by many people in Germany,” he said in a statement.  
  
Steinmeier praised the strength and endurance of American democracy, saying, “In the United States, (democracy) held up against a lot of pressure. Despite internal hostility, America’s institutions have proven strong — election workers, governors, judiciary and Congress.” 
  
Other European leaders avoided referring to past difficulties and appeared to be trying to make sure they are seen as good allies for the incoming administration.  
 
“In our fight against COVID and across climate change, defense, security and in promoting and defending democracy, our goals are the same and our nations will work hand in hand to achieve them,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a statement.  
  
Johnson told the House of Commons he looked forward to welcoming the new U.S. president to Britain later this year for a G-7 summit of the world’s leading nations and for a climate conference to be held in Glasgow.  
  
Italy’s prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, was also focused on the future. 
 
“We are looking forward to the Biden presidency, with which we will start working immediately in view of our presidency of the G-20,” he told Italian lawmakers on Tuesday. “We have a strong common agenda, ranging from the effective multilateralism that we both want to see, to climate change, green and digital transition and social inclusion.” 
  
But Spain’s socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez did not mince his words about what he thinks Biden’s election win means. 
 
“The (election) victory of Biden represents the victory of democracy over the ultra-right and its three methods, the massive deception, the national division and the abuse, even violent, of democratic institutions,” he said at a public event. “Five years ago, we thought Trump was a bad joke, but five years later, we realized he jeopardized nothing less than the world’s most powerful democracy.” 
  
The Trump administration and EU leaders clashed on several issues, including international trade and climate change, a reflection of deeply different world views. FILE – A NATO and a US flag flutter in the wind outside NATO headquarters in Brussels.Reaffirming NATO ties 
 
Trump upbraided Europeans for not spending enough on their defense, an issue that’s also likely to be raised by the Biden administration, but probably more diplomatically. At times, Trump painted Europe as a foe and sometimes questioned the value of NATO, a clear break with traditional transatlantic relations since World War II.   
  
Trump’s combative style, as well, was very different from what Europeans have experienced from other post-WWII American leaders.  
 
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg tweeted congratulations to Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, adding: “Today is the start of a new chapter for the transatlantic Alliance. … A strong NATO is good for both North America and Europe.”I congratulate President @JoeBiden on his #InaugurationDay. A strong #NATO is good for both North America & Europe, as none of us can tackle the challenges we face alone. Today is the start of a new chapter & I look forward to our close cooperation! https://t.co/cUB90k7XaW— Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) January 20, 2021Biden is widely seen as the most pro-Atlanticist American president since George H.W. Bush. 
  
Two years ago, at a security conference in Munich, European leaders were tugging at Biden’s sleeves in the margins urging him to run for office. After enduring a rough-and-tough “America First” speech from then-U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, their nerves were soothed by Biden, when he quipped in his address: “This too shall pass. We will be back.”  
  
Policymakers on both sides of the Atlantic say they are now determined to repair frayed relations and to steady democracies roiled by unprecedented domestic political turmoil and challenged by authoritarian powers. 
 Asia reacts to President Biden 
  
Strengthening democracy, though, was not in the mind of China’s foreign ministry spokeswoman, Hua Chunying, who told a press briefing Wednesday: “In the past four years, the U.S. administration has made fundamental mistakes in its strategic perception of China … interfering in China’s internal affairs, suppressing and smearing China, and causing serious damage to China-U.S. relations.” 
  
She said China’s leaders hope that the Biden administration will “meet China halfway and, in the spirit of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, push China-U.S. relations back to the right track of healthy and stable development as soon as possible.” 
  
Also, in Asia, around 100 Japanese supporters of Trump took to the streets of Tokyo Wednesday, waving American and Japanese flags and unfurling banners with false claims that Trump was “the true winner” of last November’s presidential election.  
 
“We wanted to show that many people in Japan are supporting President Trump,” the organizer, Naota Kobayashi, told Reuters. “We all chanted together so that our voice can fly over the Pacific Ocean and reach the U.S.” 
  
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani focused on the 2015 nuclear deal, from which Trump withdrew the United States, saying he hoped Biden would reenter the pact and lift American sanctions imposed on Iran.  
 
“The ball is in the U.S. court now. If Washington returns to Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal, we will also fully respect our commitments under the pact,” Rouhani said in a televised Cabinet meeting. 
 US-Russia ties 
  
Reaction from Russian officials has been muted. Ahead of the inauguration, Russian leader Vladimir Putin remained silent, but Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told a press briefing that he did not foresee a change in American-Russia relations. 
  
“Nothing will change for Russia. Russia will continue to live just the way it has lived for hundreds of years, seeking good relations with the U.S.,” he told reporters. “Whether Washington has reciprocal political will for that will depend on Mr. Biden and his team.” 
 
The Kremlin-controlled daily Izvestia newspaper noted “the prospects for Russian-U.S. relations under the new U.S. leader do not encourage optimism so far.” 
  
But Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet Union’s final leader, called for Moscow and Washington to repair strained ties. 
 
“The current condition of relations between Russia and the United States is of great concern,” Gorbachev told state-run news agency TASS. “But this also means that something has to be done about it in order to normalize relations. We cannot fence ourselves off from each other.” 
  
  
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Full text of Joe Biden’s inaugural speech, released by the White House:This is democracy’s day. A day of history and hope. Of renewal and resolve. Through a crucible for the ages America has been tested anew and America has risen to the challenge. Today, we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate, but of a cause, the cause of democracy. The will of the people has been heard and the will of the people has been heeded. We have learned again that democracy is precious. Democracy is fragile. And at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed. So now, on this hallowed ground where just days ago violence sought to shake this Capitol’s very foundation, we come together as one nation, under God, indivisible, to carry out the peaceful transfer of power as we have for more than two centuries. We look ahead in our uniquely American way – restless, bold, optimistic – and set our sights on the nation we know we can be and we must be. I thank my predecessors of both parties for their presence here. I thank them from the bottom of my heart. You know the resilience of our Constitution and the strength of our nation. As does President Carter, who I spoke to last night but who cannot be with us today, but whom we salute for his lifetime of service. I have just taken the sacred oath each of these patriots took — an oath first sworn by George Washington. But the American story depends not on any one of us, not on some of us, but on all of us. On “We the People” who seek a more perfect Union. This is a great nation and we are a good people. Over the centuries through storm and strife, in peace and in war, we have come so far. But we still have far to go. We will press forward with speed and urgency, for we have much to do in this winter of peril and possibility. Much to repair. Much to restore. Much to heal. Much to build. And much to gain. Few periods in our nation’s history have been more challenging or difficult than the one we’re in now. A once-in-a-century virus silently stalks the country. It’s taken as many lives in one year as America lost in all of World War Two. Millions of jobs have been lost. Hundreds of thousands of businesses closed. A cry for racial justice some 400 years in the making moves us. The dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer. A cry for survival comes from the planet itself. A cry that can’t be any more desperate or any more clear. And now, a rise in political extremism, white supremacy, domestic terrorism that we must confront and we will defeat. To overcome these challenges – to restore the soul and to secure the future of America – requires more than words. It requires that most elusive of things in a democracy: Unity. In another January in Washington, on New Year’s Day 1863, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. When he put pen to paper, the president said, “If my name ever goes down into history it will be for this act and my whole soul is in it.”My whole soul is in it. Today, on this January day, my whole soul is in this: Bringing America together. Uniting our people. And uniting our nation. I ask every American to join me in this cause. Uniting to fight the common foes we face: Anger, resentment, hatred. Extremism, lawlessness, violence. Disease, joblessness, hopelessness. With unity we can do great things. Important things. We can right wrongs. We can put people to work in good jobs. We can teach our children in safe schools. We can overcome this deadly virus. We can reward work, rebuild the middle class, and make health care secure for all. We can deliver racial justice. We can make America, once again, the leading force for good in the world. I know speaking of unity can sound to some like a foolish fantasy. I know the forces that divide us are deep and they are real. But I also know they are not new. Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we are all created equal and the harsh, ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear, and demonization have long torn us apart. The battle is perennial. Victory is never assured. Through the Civil War, the Great Depression, World War, 9/11, through struggle, sacrifice, and setbacks, our “better angels” have always prevailed. In each of these moments, enough of us came together to carry all of us forward. And, we can do so now. History, faith, and reason show the way, the way of unity. We can see each other not as adversaries but as neighbors. We can treat each other with dignity and respect. We can join forces, stop the shouting, and lower the temperature. For without unity, there is no peace, only bitterness and fury. No progress, only exhausting outrage. No nation, only a state of chaos. This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge, and unity is the path forward. And, we must meet this moment as the United States of America. If we do that, I guarantee you, we will not fail. We have never, ever, ever failed in America when we have acted together. And so today, at this time and in this place, let us start afresh. All of us. Let us listen to one another. Hear one another. See one another. Show respect to one another. Politics need not be a raging fire destroying everything in its path. Every disagreement doesn’t have to be a cause for total war. And, we must reject a culture in which facts themselves are manipulated and even manufactured. My fellow Americans, we have to be different than this. America has to be better than this. And, I believe America is better than this. Just look around. Here we stand, in the shadow of a Capitol dome that was completed amid the Civil War, when the Union itself hung in the balance. Yet we endured and we prevailed. Here we stand looking out to the great Mall where Dr. King spoke of his dream. Here we stand, where 108 years ago at another inaugural, thousands of protestors tried to block brave women from marching for the right to vote. Today, we mark the swearing-in of the first woman in American history elected to national office – Vice President Kamala Harris. Don’t tell me things can’t change. Here we stand across the Potomac from Arlington National Cemetery, where heroes who gave the last full measure of devotion rest in eternal peace. And here we stand, just days after a riotous mob thought they could use violence to silence the will of the people, to stop the work of our democracy, and to drive us from this sacred ground. That did not happen. It will never happen. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever. To all those who supported our campaign I am humbled by the faith you have placed in us. To all those who did not support us, let me say this: Hear me out as we move forward. Take a measure of me and my heart. And if you still disagree, so be it. That’s democracy. That’s America. The right to dissent peaceably, within the guardrails of our Republic, is perhaps our nation’s greatest strength. Yet hear me clearly: Disagreement must not lead to disunion. And I pledge this to you: I will be a president for all Americans. I will fight as hard for those who did not support me as for those who did. Many centuries ago, Saint Augustine, a saint of my church, wrote that a people was a multitude defined by the common objects of their love. What are the common objects we love that define us as Americans? I think I know. Opportunity. Security. Liberty. Dignity. Respect. Honor. And, yes, the truth. Recent weeks and months have taught us a painful lesson. There is truth and there are lies. Lies told for power and for profit. And each of us has a duty and responsibility, as citizens, as Americans, and especially as leaders – leaders who have pledged to honor our Constitution and protect our nation — to defend the truth and to defeat the lies. I understand that many Americans view the future with some fear and trepidation. I understand they worry about their jobs, about taking care of their families, about what comes next. I get it. But the answer is not to turn inward, to retreat into competing factions, distrusting those who don’t look like you do, or worship the way you do, or don’t get their news from the same sources you do. We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal. We can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts. If we show a little tolerance and humility. If we’re willing to stand in the other person’s shoes just for a moment. Because here is the thing about life: There is no accounting for what fate will deal you. There are some days when we need a hand. There are other days when we’re called on to lend one. That is how we must be with one another. And, if we are this way, our country will be stronger, more prosperous, more ready for the future. My fellow Americans, in the work ahead of us, we will need each other. We will need all our strength to persevere through this dark winter. We are entering what may well be the toughest and deadliest period of the virus. We must set aside the politics and finally face this pandemic as one nation. I promise you this: as the Bible says weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning. We will get through this, together The world is watching today. So here is my message to those beyond our borders: America has been tested and we have come out stronger for it. We will repair our alliances and engage with the world once again. Not to meet yesterday’s challenges, but today’s and tomorrow’s. We will lead not merely by the example of our power but by the power of our example. We will be a strong and trusted partner for peace, progress, and security. We have been through so much in this nation. And, in my first act as president, I would like to ask you to join me in a moment of silent prayer to remember all those we lost this past year to the pandemic. To those 400,000 fellow Americans – mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, sons and daughters, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. We will honor them by becoming the people and nation we know we can and should be. Let us say a silent prayer for those who lost their lives, for those they left behind, and for our country. Amen. This is a time of testing. We face an attack on democracy and on truth. A raging virus. Growing inequity. The sting of systemic racism. A climate in crisis. America’s role in the world. Any one of these would be enough to challenge us in profound ways. But the fact is we face them all at once, presenting this nation with the gravest of responsibilities. Now we must step up. All of us. It is a time for boldness, for there is so much to do. And, this is certain. We will be judged, you and I, for how we resolve the cascading crises of our era. Will we rise to the occasion? Will we master this rare and difficult hour? Will we meet our obligations and pass along a new and better world for our children? I believe we must and I believe we will. And when we do, we will write the next chapter in the American story. It’s a story that might sound something like a song that means a lot to me. It’s called “American Anthem” and there is one verse stands out for me: “he work and prayers of centuries have brought us to this day What shall be our legacy? What will our children say?… Let me know in my heart When my days are through America America I gave my best to you.” Let us add our own work and prayers to the unfolding story of our nation. If we do this then when our days are through our children and our children’s children will say of us they gave their best. They did their duty. They healed a broken land. My fellow Americans, I close today where I began, with a sacred oath. Before God and all of you I give you my word. I will always level with you. I will defend the Constitution. I will defend our democracy. I will defend America. I will give my all in your service thinking not of power, but of possibilities. Not of personal interest, but of the public good. And together, we shall write an American story of hope, not fear. Of unity, not division. Of light, not darkness. An American story of decency and dignity. Of love and of healing. Of greatness and of goodness. May this be the story that guides us. The story that inspires us. The story that tells ages yet to come that we answered the call of history. We met the moment. That democracy and hope, truth and justice, did not die on our watch but thrived. That our America secured liberty at home and stood once again as a beacon to the world. That is what we owe our forebearers, one another, and generations to follow. So, with purpose and resolve we turn to the tasks of our time. Sustained by faith. Driven by conviction. And, devoted to one another and to this country we love with all our hearts. May God bless America and may God protect our troops. Thank you, America. 
 
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Outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump has followed a three-decade tradition of departing American leaders by leaving his successor, Democrat Joe Biden, a note in the Oval Office, the White House said Wednesday.It was not immediately known what Trump wrote.With Trump leaving Washington before the official end of his term at noon Wednesday, and skipping Biden’s inaugural ceremony, it was an open question whether Trump would adhere to the tradition started in 1989 by departing President Ronald Reagan.Trump has refused to concede the November 3 election and he and Biden have not spoken since before the vote. Even as Trump delivered brief farewell remarks at an air base outside Washington, he did not mention Biden by name.Past presidents have left their notes in the ornate Resolute Desk in the White House Oval Office, where the new chief executives have found the good wishes immediately upon starting their four-year terms.Reagan started the tradition, telling his former vice president and incoming president George H.W. Bush: “George, I treasure the memories we share and wish you all the very best. You’ll be in my prayers.”Four years later, Bush graciously offered good wishes to the Democrat who had defeated him in the November election, Bill Clinton.“Your success now is our country’s success. I am rooting hard for you,” he said.After two terms in the White House, Clinton told his successor, George W. Bush — George H.W. Bush’s son — in 2001, “You lead a proud, decent, good people. And from this day, you are president of all of us. I salute you and wish you success and much happiness.”After eight years as president, Bush offered Democrat Barack Obama his good wishes in 2009.“There will be trying moments. The critics will rage. Your ‘friends’ will disappoint you. But, you will have an Almighty God to comfort you, a family who loves you, and a country that is pulling for you, including me.”As he left office four years ago after two terms in office, Obama wished Trump well, even though he had campaigned in 2016 for Democrat Hillary Clinton.“Congratulations on a remarkable run,” Obama wrote to Trump. “Millions have placed their hopes in you, and all of us, regardless of party, should hope for expanded prosperity and security during your tenure. Michelle and I wish you and Melania the very best as you embark on this great adventure, and know that we stand ready to help in any ways which we can.”FILE – President Barack Obama shakes hands with President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Nov. 10, 2016.It was an open question in Washington whether Trump would follow suit with a note to Biden, because Trump had already said he plans to break a string of long-standing traditions linked to the peaceful transition of power in Washington.Departing presidents usually greet their successors at the White House on the morning of Inauguration Day, and they ride together to the U.S. Capitol for the new president’s inauguration ceremony.But Trump left Washington early Wednesday morning after a red-carpet, military send-off at an air base outside Washington, D.C., boarding Air Force One for the last time for a flight to his Atlantic oceanfront mansion in Florida.U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive at the Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, Jan. 20, 2021.His refusal to attend Biden’s inauguration marks the first time in 152 years that an outgoing U.S. president has skipped his successor’s swearing-in ceremony, normally a public symbol of the peaceful transfer of power in the American democracy.Trump, a real estate titan-turned-Republican politician, has made baseless claims that he was cheated out of a second term even as dozens of judges, some of them appointed by Trump, found no substantial evidence of fraud that would have upended Biden’s victory.The House of Representatives impeached Trump last week after he urged thousands of his supporters to march to the Capitol on January 6 to confront lawmakers as they certified the Electoral College vote acknowledging Biden’s win.FILE – Supporters of President Donald Trump gather outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Jan. 6, 2021.The Trump supporters stormed into the Capitol, ransacked some congressional offices and scuffled with police, mayhem that left five people dead, including a police officer whose death is being investigated as a homicide. Dozens have been arrested on various charges as the investigation continues.Trump faces a Senate trial in the coming days on a single impeachment charge — that he incited insurrection. If convicted, he could be barred from ever holding federal office again.But Trump, before boarding his flight out of Washington, said he would be “back in some form.”  
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U.S. National Guard troops, many wearing combat fatigues and some carrying weapons, are lining the streets of Washington as the United States prepares to swear in the country’s 46th president.  
 
In all, about 25,000 of the part-time troops from all 50 states, backed by a heavy police presence, have been called to duty in what has become an unprecedented show of force, meant to bolster security and repel possible violence by extremists unhappy with the outcome of the U.S. presidential election.
 
“This is a deterrent,” one official told VOA early Wednesday, hours before President-elect Joe Biden was set to take the oath of office.
 
For days, security officials have been warning of what they described as “concerning chatter” on social media, with suspected domestic extremists threatening members of Congress, or even calling for a repeat of the January 6 riot and siege of the U.S. Capitol building that left five people dead.
 
“We’re tracking calls for potential armed protests and activity leading up to the inauguration,” FBI Director Christopher Wray warned last week. “We’re concerned about the potential for violence at multiple protests and rallies planned here in (Washington).”
 
The U.S. Secret Service, normally charged with protecting the president, was more specific, raising concerns that far-right groups like the Boogaloo Boys or Proud Boys might seek to cause trouble.
 
“I don’t know if anyone has raised their hand to say, ‘We are coming. We will be there.’ but we are preparing as if they are,” Matt Miller, the agent in charge of the U.S. Secret Service Washington Field Office, told reporters.
 
Further heightening tensions, security forces responded to the U.S. Supreme Court early Wednesday after a reported bomb threat, though they quickly determined there was no actual threat.
 
Ahead of the inauguration, police and National Guard troops helped erect fencing around the Capitol complex, complete with barbed wire, to keep any would-be instigators at bay.
 
Checkpoints also went up around Washington, with the Secret Service establishing its own “Green Zone.”
 
Even those assigned to protect the Capitol have come under intense scrutiny.
 
The National Guard on Tuesday confirmed 12 of its members had been pulled from security details after increased vetting turned up questions about their behavior, and in a couple of cases, potential ties to extremist groups.
 
“We’re not taking any chances,” Chief Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman told reporters.Members of the National Guard look on as American flags decorate the “Field of Flags” at the National Mall ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration ceremony, Jan. 20, 2021, in Washington.Typically, hundreds of thousands of spectators fill up the National Mall – the landscaped park between the Capitol and the Washington Monument – on Inauguration Day. This year, about 200,000 flags representing every U.S. state and territory have been planted on the Mall in lieu of the spectators, and roughly 1,000 invited guests — mostly members of Congress and other dignitaries — will attend the swearing-in ceremony.
 
Some protesters have also shown up in Washington.
Officials said Friday that permits had been approved for two protests along Pennsylvania Avenue, which leads to the White House. But they said the protests would be limited to about 100 people, who would have to go through metal detectors and be escorted by police.Over the weekend, at least three people were arrested near security checkpoints, including a 22-year-old man carrying an unlicensed handgun and a 63-year-old unarmed woman posing as a law enforcement officer.
 
In a statement Tuesday, Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen promised the Justice Department and its partners would ensure an “orderly and peaceful transfer of power.”Moreover, he said, federal, state and local law enforcement are providing security for state capitals and government buildings in all 50 states.”The Justice Department will have no tolerance for anyone who attempts to mar the day with violence or other criminal conduct,” Rosen said. “Anyone who does that will be caught, and they will be prosecuted.”
 
The beefed-up security for Wednesday’s inauguration stands in sharp contrast to the presidential inauguration four years ago, when 8,000 National Guard troops were called in to help as Donald Trump was sworn in. 
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Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is making history as the first African American woman and first South Asian American woman to attain the second-most-powerful job in the United States, yet the campaign that brought her there was bruising at times.  Harris parlayed a career as a California prosecutor, attorney general and U.S. senator to become a top-tier contender in the Democratic race for the presidential nomination, standing out in a field of more than two dozen candidates.    She surged toward the top of the pack after a Democratic debate in June 2019 in which she confronted Joe Biden, one of the party’s long-standing leaders, about his views on race relations. Biden was stunned by the attack in which Harris criticized his opposition to federal busing policies during the 1970s and his working relationship with segregationist lawmakers. He called the attack “a mischaracterization of my position across the board.”  Harris was not able to sustain her climb to the top of the Democratic field, with her poll numbers dropping during the summer and fall of 2019, followed by a decline in donations. She dropped out of the race in December 2019 and endorsed Biden in March 2020 after it became clear he was likely to win the nomination.  Whatever animosity was generated between the two candidates on the campaign trail appeared to vanish as Biden secured the nomination and began a lengthy search for his vice presidential running mate. His selection of Harris brought new political energy to his presidential campaign and was praised by many in the Democratic Party.  FILE – Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Senator and Democratic candidate for Vice President Kamala Harris celebrate after Joe Biden accepted the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.Timeline of events    January 21, 2019: Harris announces she is running for president, one of more than two dozen Democratic candidates seeking the nomination to challenge President Donald Trump.    June 27: Harris directly challenges Biden in a Democratic debate about his views on race relations, taking command of the debate stage and propelling herself into the top presidential contenders.  December 3: Following a drop in the polls over the summer and fall and struggles to raise money, Harris drops out of the race.  March 8, 2020: Harris endorses Biden for president, saying she believes the former vice president can unify the country.    August 11: Harris is chosen as Biden’s vice presidential running mate, becoming the first African American woman and first South Asian American woman on a presidential ticket.    August 19: Harris accepts the Democratic vice presidential nomination during the party’s convention, pledging to make America more inclusive.  November 7: Biden and Harris are declared the winners of the presidential race despite unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud by President Donald Trump.    January 20, 2021: Harris is to be sworn in as vice president of the United States. 
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Donald Trump’s four-year term as U.S. president comes to a close Wednesday with a morning departure from the White House and a final flight on Air Force One to the southern state of Florida.He is set to get a sendoff ceremony with a red carpet, military band, a 21-gun salute and an unknown number of guests in attendance.U.S. President Donald Trump departs the White House on travel to Texas, in Washington, Jan. 20, 2021.Trump also listed a number of foreign policy initiatives his administration carried out, including withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal and the Paris Climate Accord, negotiating a new trade deal with neighboring Canada and Mexico, and applying tariffs on goods from China.   “We reclaimed our sovereignty by standing up for America at the United Nations and withdrawing from the one-sided global deals that never served our interests,” Trump said.  “And NATO countries are now paying hundreds of billions of dollars more than when I arrived just a few years ago. It was very unfair.” He called being president an “extraordinary privilege.” In some of his final acts in office, Trump issued pardons and sentence commutations for more than 140 people, including his former campaign chief Steve Bannon. Trump also rescinded an executive order from the early days of his term that banned officials in his administration from lobbying the government for five years after leaving those jobs, or from ever engaging in activities that would require the former official from registering as a foreign agent.  The measure was part of his pledge to “drain the swamp,” or root out corruption in Washington. 
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Joe Biden will be the new U.S. president Wednesday, with Kamala Harris becoming the first woman to serve as vice president when the two are sworn in at noon in an inauguration that has been scaled down due to the coronavirus pandemic. Absent will be the typical crowd of hundreds of thousands of people stretching from the Capitol down the National Mall. In their place, a sea of 200,000 U.S., state and territorial flags representing those who could not attend. Ahead of taking office, Biden has expressed a message of unity, and in particular the need to come together and face the challenges brought by the pandemic that has killed 400,000 people in the United States and caused economic hardship to many. “To heal, we must remember. It’s hard sometimes to remember, but that’s how we heal,” Biden said late Monday as he and Harris led a remembrance event in front of the Lincoln Memorial for those who have died.  Some 400 lights were illuminated around the Reflecting Pool.Joe Biden hosts a memorial to honor those who died from COVID-19, Jan 19, 2020.“It’s important to do that as a nation — that’s why we’re here today. From sunset until dusk, let us shine the lights in the darkness along the sacred pool of reflection and remember all who we lost,” Biden said.  He later pledged to “get right to work” after being sworn in, saying, “We don’t have a second to waste when it comes to tackling the crises we face as a nation.” Biden and his wife, Jill, and Harris along with her husband, Doug Emhoff, will begin Wednesday attending a church service at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington.  By the time the service starts, outgoing President Donald Trump is scheduled to be out of the White House on his way to his retreat in Florida.  Trump is the first U.S. leader to not attend his successor’s inauguration in more than 150 years. Outgoing Vice President Mike Pence is expected to attend, as are former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, and former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. After the inauguration ceremony, Biden and Harris are scheduled to take part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, just outside Washington. Biden, who served eight years as vice president under Obama, then plans to sign a number of executive orders and other presidential actions, and his press secretary Jen Psaki is scheduled to hold a briefing. The evening, which is typically filled with extravagant balls on inauguration day, will instead feature a television special called “Celebrating America” during which both Biden and Harris will speak.Preparations ahead of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, in Washington, Jan. 18, 2021.Others taking part in the event include musical artists Katy Perry, Luis Fonsi, Tim McGraw and Lin-Manuel Miranda, along with actors Kerry Washington and Eva Longoria, basketball star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, chef José Andrés, and Kim Ng, the first woman to be general manager of a Major League Baseball team. Authorities have boosted inauguration security with the event coming two weeks after Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in a deadly riot as they attempted to disrupt the official counting of Biden’s election win. Harris downplayed personal security concerns Monday, saying she is “very much looking forward to being sworn in.”    “I will walk there, to that moment, proudly with my head up and my shoulders back,” she told reporters.  U.S. security officials say they are taking every precaution, including FBI security screening of the 25,000 members of the National Guard assigned to Washington to protect the event.    Twelve members of the National Guard were removed from inauguration duties Tuesday — at least two were found to have anti-government sympathies, The Washington Post reported. The Post said 10 were removed for reasons that did not involve extremism.  The inaugural site is encircled in tall fencing topped with concertina wire, a much more pronounced show of security than has been common at past inaugurations.   The House of Representatives last week impeached Trump for a second time, accusing him of inciting insurrection. The start of a trial in the Senate has not been set.  If convicted, Trump, the first U.S. president to be impeached twice, could be barred from holding public office again. 
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Incoming President Joe Biden’s pick to be the next secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said his vision for restoring America’s standing abroad is leadership based on “humility and confidence.” Blinken testified in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Tuesday, as VOA’s Cindy Saine reports from Washington.Camera: Saine Skype Video interviews
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The U.S. National Guard, the part-time military service providing security for President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, has removed 12 members from security duty for the event, military officials announced Tuesday.The move underscored authorities’ resolve to secure the quadrennial ceremony amid concern over violence following the deadly January 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol by militant supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump.Chief Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman told reporters that 10 of the 12 Guardsmen were removed for “questionable behavior” unrelated to extremism that was uncovered by the FBI during its vetting of all 25,000 Guardsmen deployed in the Washington area for Wednesday’s inauguration of Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. The two others were pulled off duty after making “inappropriate” comments or texts, Hoffman said, without specifying their nature.National Guard troops reinforce the security zone on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 19, 2021, before President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th president.“We’re not asking questions of people who are flagged,” he said. “We’re, out of an abundance of caution, taking action and immediately removing them from the line of duty at the Capitol and the events taking place.”Hoffman said one of the two men who made inappropriate comments was identified by his chain of command and the other by an anonymous tipster. The Associated Press, citing two anonymous officials, reported that the two Guardsmen were removed after having been found to have ties to fringe militia groups.The development comes as tens of thousands of Guardsmen and federal agents remain on high alert in Washington in an unprecedented show of force that has transformed the nation’s capital into a veritable military fortress.The heightened security measures were put in place in response to FBI warnings about armed protests by Trump supporters in Washington and all 50 state capitals. Raising concern about a potential insider threat, several current and former military personnel have been charged in recent days in connection with the Capitol riots.However, some military officials are playing down the threat.U.S. Army Lieutenant General Daniel R. Hokanson testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing to lead the National Guard, June 18, 2020.Army General Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, told reporters, “I’m not concerned,” because only 12 of 25,000 Guardsman deployed in Washington have been flagged for removal.Hokanson confirmed a Washington Post report that the FBI had warned law enforcement agencies in recent days that far-right extremists had discussed posing as members of the National Guard in Washington.Biden’s swearing-in ceremony is set to take place shortly after noon on the West Front of the Capitol before what is likely to be the smallest inauguration audience in modern American history.Typically, hundreds of thousands of spectators fill up the National Mall — the landscaped park between the Capitol and the Washington Monument — on Inauguration Day. This year, about 200,000 flags representing every U.S. state and territory have been planted on the Mall in lieu of the spectators, and roughly 1,000 invited guests — mostly members of Congress and other dignitaries — will attend the swearing-in ceremony.Flags are placed on the National Mall, with the Washington Monument behind them, ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, in Washington, Jan. 18, 2021.Since the January 6 riots that left five people dead, the Capitol has remained closed to the public. A 7-foot fence — razor-wire and “non-scalable” — surrounds the Capitol grounds. A large swath of central Washington, including several blocks around the White House, is in lockdown with thousands of National Guard troops patrolling the deserted streets.Over the weekend, at least three people were arrested near security checkpoints, including a 22-year-old man carrying an unlicensed handgun and a 63-year-old unarmed woman posing as a law enforcement officer.Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen hold press conference at the Department of Justice in Washington, Sept. 22, 2020.As the nation remained on edge ahead of Biden’s inauguration, officials sought to reassure the public about the safety of an otherwise peaceful American democratic tradition. In a video statement, Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen said that “every level of law enforcement and the National Guard are working around the clock in Washington, D.C., to provide safety and security for Inauguration Day.”Moreover, he said, federal, state and local law enforcement are providing security for state capitals and government buildings in all 50 states.”As I’ve repeatedly said, the Justice Department will have no tolerance for anyone who attempts to mar the day with violence or other criminal conduct,” Rosen said. “Anyone who does that will be caught and they will be prosecuted.”Outgoing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, denouncing Trump for provoking the Capitol riots, said, “Tomorrow we’ll have a safe and successful inaugural right here on the West Front of the Capitol, the space that [President George H. W.] Bush 41 called democracy’s front porch.” 
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U.S. President-elect Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Pentagon warns the country is facing a series of enemies, both at home and abroad, and that it will fall, in part, to the United States military to overcome the dangers. Retired General Lloyd Austin appeared before lawmakers Tuesday and said his first priority if confirmed as the country’s next secretary of defense would be to make sure all military resources are brought to bear against the coronavirus pandemic. “The greatest challenge to our country right now … is the pandemic,” Austin told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, wearing a suit and tie instead of the Army dress uniform he wore when he testified in Congress as the commander of U.S. military forces across the Middle East and South Asia.”It’s killed over 400,000 of our American citizens. That’s just an incredible, incredible loss of life,” he said. “We have to do everything we can to break the cycle of transmission and begin to turn this thing around.” Austin did not offer specifics about how he would ramp up the Pentagon’s current efforts to distribute the coronavirus vaccines as part of what has been known as Operation Warp Speed. But he said he does believe there is more the Pentagon can do to counter what he described as the “most immediate” national security challenge. Countering extremism at home Austin spoke shortly after U.S. defense officials announced 12 National Guard troops initially assigned to help provide security for Biden’s inauguration Wednesday were removed due to extremist ties. Austin pledged to take on what he called the enemy within. “The job of the Department of Defense is to keep America safe from our enemies, but we can’t do that if some of those enemies lie with our own ranks,” he said. “This [extremism] has no place in the military of the United States of America,” Austin added, describing it as part of a broader battle. “I will fight hard to stamp out sexual assault and to rid our ranks of racists and extremists and to create a climate where everyone fit and willing has the opportunity to serve,” he told U.S. lawmakers. The 67-year-old Austin is a familiar face to many of the lawmakers who will vote on whether to confirm him, though his nomination is not without controversy.   U.S. law requires former active-duty military officers to be retired for seven years before they can serve as defense secretary – a law meant to ensure civilian control of the military.  But Austin retired just five years ago, stepping down as the leader of U.S. Central Command in 2016. Waivers have been granted just twice, most recently in 2017 for retired General Jim Mattis, who served as outgoing President Donald Trump’s first defense secretary. On Tuesday, some lawmakers, including Republican Senator Tom Cotton and Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, told Austin they would not support a waiver. Cotton went as far as to call his support of a waiver for Mattis a mistake. Austin said he understood the concerns about “having another recently retired general” take the reins at the Pentagon and promised, that if confirmed, the voices of civilian defense officials would be heard. “The safety and security of our democracy demands competent civilian control of our armed forces,” he said. “I have spent my entire life committed to that.” Like many of President-elect Biden’s Cabinet selections, Austin focused on a change in course after four years under Trump and his “America First” policy. Reaffirming alliances Austin, in particular, noted the importance of the country’s military alliances, saying that one of his first trips would be to visit Japan, South Korea and Australia, key allies in the Indo-Pacific, where competition with China is heating up.  “China is the most concerning competitor that we’re facing,” he said.  “Their goal is to be a dominant world power,” Austin added. “We have to make sure that we begin to check their aggression.” The retired general promised lawmakers a “laser-like focus” on making sure the U.S. maintains a competitive edge over the growing Chinese military, though he said to do so will require investment in new technologies, including artificial intelligence and quantum computing – areas in which China has been closing the gap. Austin said Russia, long viewed as Washington’s other key adversary in what Trump officials have described as an era of great power competition, remains a concern but not in the same way as Beijing. “Russia is also a threat but it’s in decline,” he said, warning Moscow can still do “a great deal of damage” in cyberspace, like with the SolarWinds hack, and with influence operations. @FBI has assigned initial blame on #SolarWindsHack to #Russia and “If that’s the case, I think Russia should be held accountable” per @LloydAustin “That’s my personal belief”— Jeff Seldin (@jseldin) January 19, 2021In addition to Russia and China, lawmakers questioned Austin about the incoming Biden administration’s position on Iran and talk the U.S. might seek to rejoin the so-called Iran nuclear deal. Iran – a “destabilizing element” Austin indicated any reentry to the nuclear deal would require movement by Tehran. “The preconditions for us considering to reenter into that agreement would be that Iran meet the conditions outlined in the agreement … back to where they should have been,” Austin said. And while the former CENTCOM commander said while the Trump administration’s successful efforts to help normalize ties between Israel and Arab countries in the region may be helping put additional pressure on the regime, the danger remains. “Iran continues to be a destabilizing element,” Austin told lawmakers. “[Iran] does present a threat to our partners in the region and those forces that we have stationed in the region.” As for Afghanistan, where a Trump administration drawdown has left just 2,500 U.S. troops, Austin expressed a cautious hope. “This conflict needs to come to an end. We need to see an agreement reached,” he said.  If confirmed by the Senate, the former four-star general would be the first African American to serve as defense secretary.  
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U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell contended Tuesday that outgoing President Donald Trump “provoked” thousands of his supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol on January 6 in a futile effort to block Congress from certifying that Democrat Joe Biden defeated Trump in the November election.“The mob was fed lies” that Trump had been cheated out of reelection, McConnell told the Senate a day ahead of Biden being sworn in on the steps of the Capitol as the country’s 46th president.“They were provoked by the president and other powerful people,” McConnell said in an unusual rebuke of Trump, a fellow Republican who leaves office Wednesday after a single four-year term.McConnell said the rioters, who stormed past authorities and into the Capitol building after Trump urged them at a rally to confront lawmakers about the election outcome, “tried to use fear and violence.” But he said that lawmakers refused to give them “veto power over our nation, not even for one night.”Some of the rioters vandalized the building, ransacked congressional offices and scuffled with police in the mayhem that left five people dead, including a police officer whose death is being investigated as a homicide. More than 100 rioters have been charged with various offenses and McConnell said 275 are under investigation.An explosion caused by a police munition is seen while supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump gather in front of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., Jan. 6, 2021.Law enforcement authorities eventually restored order and Congress, after hours more of debate, certified Biden’s defeat of Trump in the early hours of January 7.McConnell said he expects that the “people’s choice of their 46th president” will be affirmed with the inauguration of Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris in a peaceful ceremony at noon Wednesday, even as Trump skips the ceremony and heads instead to his Atlantic coastal mansion in Florida.A week ago, the House of Representatives impeached Trump for the second time, accusing him of inciting insurrection in the storming of the Capitol. The Democrat-controlled House accused him in late 2019 of enlisting Ukraine to dig up dirt on Biden ahead of the November election. Last February, however, the Senate acquitted him.A two-thirds vote is needed in the Senate to convict Trump on the insurrection impeachment article, but with the chamber soon to be split 50-50 between Republicans and Democrats, 17 Republicans would have to turn on Trump and join all 50 Democrats in voting for a conviction. If convicted, a simple majority vote could bar Trump from ever again holding federal office.U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi displays the signed article of impeachment against President Donald Trump in an engrossment ceremony before transmission to the Senate for trial, at the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 13, 2021.McConnell, a staunch ally of Trump over the last four years, said last week he would consider convicting Trump but had not made up his mind, although his Tuesday statement appeared to signal he holds the president responsible for the January 6 rampage.“While the press has been full of speculation,” McConnell said in a message last week to his Republican colleagues, “I have not made a final decision on how I will vote, and I intend to listen to the legal arguments when they are presented to the Senate.”No date has been set for the start of the impeachment trial, but it is expected to begin soon in the early days of the new Biden administration.  
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President-elect Joe Biden has tapped Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine to be his assistant secretary of health, leaving her poised to become the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.  
A pediatrician and former Pennsylvania physician general, Levine was appointed to her current post by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf in 2017, making her one of the few transgender people serving in elected or appointed positions nationwide. She won past confirmation by the Republican-majority Pennsylvania Senate and has emerged as the public face of the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.  
“Dr. Rachel Levine will bring the steady leadership and essential expertise we need to get people through this pandemic — no matter their zip code, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability — and meet the public health needs of our country in this critical moment and beyond,” Biden said in a statement. “She is a historic and deeply qualified choice to help lead our administration’s health efforts.”
A graduate of Harvard and of Tulane Medical School, Levine is president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. She’s written in the past on the opioid crisis, medical marijuana, adolescent medicine, eating disorders and LGBTQ medicine.
Biden and his transition team have already begun negotiating with members of Congress, promoting speedy passage of the president-elect’s $1.9 trillion plan to bring the coronavirus, which has killed nearly 400,000 people in the United States, under control. It seeks to enlist federal emergency personnel to run mass vaccination centers and provide 100 immunization shots in his administration’s first 100 days while using government spending to stimulate the pandemic-hammered economy,  
Biden also says that, in one of his first acts as president, he’ll ask Americans to wear masks for 100 days to slow the virus’ spread.  
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris called Levine “a remarkable public servant with the knowledge and experience to help us contain this pandemic, and protect and improve the health and well-being of the American people.”
Levine joins Biden’s Health and Human Services secretary nominee Xavier Becerra, a Latino politician who rose from humble beginnings to serve in Congress and as California’s attorney general.  
Businessman Jeff Zients is Biden’s coronavirus response coordinator, while Biden picked infectious-disease specialist Rochelle Walensky to run the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Vivek Murthy as surgeon general and Yale epidemiologist Marcella Nunez-Smith to head a working group to ensure fair and equitable distribution of vaccines and treatments.  
The government’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, will also work closely with the Biden administration.
A transition spokesperson also said Tuesday that Dawn O’Connell will serve as senior counselor for coronavirus response to the health and human services secretary. O’Connell most recently served as director of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and was the senior counselor and deputy chief of staff to Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell during the Obama administration.
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For three decades, each departing U.S. president has left his successor a short note wishing him well as he takes office. But whether Donald Trump will leave such a note for President-elect Joe Biden is not known.Past presidents have left their notes in the ornate Resolute Desk in the White House Oval Office, where the new chief executive will find the good wishes immediately upon starting his four-year term.Republican Ronald Reagan started the tradition in 1989. In his note, Reagan told his former vice president and incoming president George H.W. Bush: “George, I treasure the memories we share and wish you all the very best. You’ll be in my prayers.”Four years later, Bush graciously offered good wishes to the Democrat who had defeated him in the November election, Bill Clinton. “Your success now is our country’s success. I am rooting hard for you,” he said.After two terms in the White House, Clinton told his successor, George W. Bush — George H.W. Bush’s son — in 2001, “You lead a proud, decent, good people. And from this day, you are president of all of us. I salute you and wish you success and much happiness.”After eight years as president, Bush offered Democrat Barack Obama his good wishes in 2009.“There will be trying moments. The critics will rage. Your ‘friends’ will disappoint you. But, you will have an Almighty God to comfort you, a family who loves you, and a country that is pulling for you, including me.”As he left office four years ago after two terms in office, Obama wished Trump well, even though he had campaigned in 2016 for Democrat Hillary Clinton. “Congratulations on a remarkable run,” Obama wrote to Trump. “Millions have placed their hopes in you, and all of us, regardless of party, should hope for expanded prosperity and security during your tenure. Michelle and I wish you and Melania the very best as you embark on this great adventure, and know that we stand ready to help in any ways which we can.”Biden Plans Ambitious First 100-Day Agenda Covid-19 aid bill leads an agenda packed with Democratic prioritiesWhether Trump follows suit with a note to Biden is unknown, because Trump has already said he plans to break a string of long-standing traditions linked to the peaceful transition of power in Washington. Departing presidents usually greet their successors at the White House on the morning of Inauguration Day, and they ride together to the U.S. Capitol for the new president’s inauguration ceremony.But Trump said he is leaving before the inauguration for his own red-carpet, military send-off at an air base outside Washington, D.C., boarding Air Force One for the last time for a flight to his Atlantic oceanfront mansion in Florida. Biden, Harris to Honor US COVID Dead on Inauguration EveCalling event in Washington, other cities, ‘a national moment of unity’His refusal to attend Biden’s inauguration marks the first time in 160 years that an outgoing U.S. president has skipped his successor’s swearing-in ceremony, normally a public symbol of the peaceful transfer of power in the American democracy.Trump, a real estate titan-turned-Republican politician, has refused to concede he lost the November election to Biden, a Democratic fixture on the Washington political scene for nearly a half century.For several weeks, Trump has made baseless claims that he was cheated out of a second term even as dozens of judges, some of them appointed by Trump, found no substantial evidence of fraud that would have upended Biden’s victory.The House of Representatives impeached Trump last week after he urged thousands of his supporters to march to the Capitol on January 6 to confront lawmakers as they certified the Electoral College vote acknowledging Biden’s win.The Trump supporters stormed into the Capitol, ransacked some congressional offices and scuffled with police, mayhem that left five people dead, including a police officer whose death is being investigated as a homicide. Dozens have been arrested on various charges as the investigation continues.Trump faces a Senate trial on a single impeachment charge — that he incited insurrection. If convicted, he could be barred from ever holding office again.   
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Inauguration Day is also moving day at the White House. In just six hours, the departing first family is moved out and the executive mansion is cleaned and prepped for its newest residents. Aside from the precise logistics, leaving the executive residence can be a highly emotional time. VOA’s Dora Mekouar speaks with a woman who has an insider’s view of moving day at the White House.
Camera: Mike Burke
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