5 years ago Klobuchar: ‘This is the day when our democracy…goes forward’ By Laura Santhanam For more than two centuries, Americans have gathered to recognize the transition in presidential leadership, said Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who called on all Americans to “rededicate ourselves to the cause” of the nation’s democracy during today’s inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. She said if people had “become too jaded” and lost appreciation for the significance of American democracy, the Jan. 6 mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol “awakened in us our responsibilities” to be vigilant and protect the country’s form of government. “This is the day when our democracy picks itself up, brushes off the dust and does what America always does — goes forward.”
5 years ago A light snow is now falling at the Capitol By Vanessa Dennis A light snow is now falling at the Capitol. (!?) — Lisa Desjardins (@LisaDNews) January 20, 2021 Follow @LisaDNews
5 years ago Trump has landed in Florida By Laura Santhanam Donald Trump is on the way to his Mar-a-Lago resort instead of the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. Trump is the first president since Andrew Johnson in 1869 to refuse to attend the ceremony of his successor.
5 years ago Biden expected to sign a slew of executive actions today, Yamiche Alcindor reports By Lynsey Jeffery In one of his first acts as president, Joe Biden is expected to sign 17 more executive actions, largely overturning policies of the Trump administration. The orders will include revoking Trump-era rollbacks on environmental protections, rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement and extending economic coronavirus relief measures, PBS NewsHour’s White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor reports.
5 years ago Expect a message of unity in Biden’s inaugural address By Candice Norwood The inauguration theme, “America United,” is a particularly heavy undertaking for a nation rocked by a year of turmoil. Uniting and healing the country has been a core focus for Biden, and a successful inaugural address will aim to assure Americans that the country will make it through this challenging period, said Jeffrey Engel, director of the Center for Presidential History with Southern Methodist University. “It takes two things to be a truly great president. The first is the ability and the second is you have to govern during a moment of great crisis,” Engel said, citing the legacies of George Washington as the first president, Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War and Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Great Depression.
5 years ago Security precautions set ‘somber tone’ By Laura Santhanam “Instead of hundreds of thousands of people, what we see are hundreds of thousands of flags,” NewsHour correspondent Amna Nawaz tells Judy Woodruff. Few members of the public are watching the ceremony in person, compared to previous inaugurations, Nawaz said. Meanwhile, a vast network of about 25,000 National Guard troops, concrete barricades, fences topped with razor wire and checkpoints have been put in place to secure the U.S. Capitol and National Mall.
5 years ago Pence attends Biden inauguration after Trump snubs tradition By Laura Santhanam Vice President Mike Pence is attending the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, despite the fact that President Donald Trump snubbed the event, flying instead to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, early Wednesday. Trump is the first president since 1869 to refuse to attend the inauguration of his successor.
5 years ago President Trump will be the first outgoing president in more than 150 years to skip inauguration By Lynsey Jeffery The last president to do so was Andrew Johnson, who did not attend the inauguration of Ulysses S. Grant in 1869. Johnson rose to the presidency following Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, and, like Trump, was impeached by the House of Representatives and acquitted by the Senate during a time of bitter partisan division.
5 years ago Biden, Harris arrive at Capitol for inauguration By Associated Press President-elect Joe Biden has arrived at the U.S. Capitol ahead of his inauguration as the United States’ 46th president. Biden and his wife, Jill, arrived at the complex on Wednesday morning, about 90 minutes before his noon swearing-in ceremony. They were accompanied by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and her husband, Douglas Emhoff, and were greeted by U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. The president-elect’s motorcade wound its way through a mostly deserted Washington following a morning church service at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle. Streets that would typically be lined with thousands of inaugural onlookers were ringed instead with a massive security presence to include military vehicles and armed troops. About 25,000 National Guard members have been dispatched to Washington following the violent melee at the U.S. Capitol two weeks ago. Biden paused to wave from the Capitol steps before entering the building.
5 years ago Watch Inauguration Day coverage live on the PBS NewsHour By Lynsey Jeffery The PBS NewsHour begins its live anchored coverage of Joe Biden’s Inauguration at 10:30 a.m. ET. Hosted by Judy Woodruff, our coverage will include the event’s key moments, reporting from our team of correspondents in the field, and in-depth analysis of what this historic day means for the nation as it grapples with deep political division and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.