Category: Joe Biden

Avril Haines confirmed as director of national intelligence

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Avril Haines was quickly confirmed by the Senate on Wednesday as the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) in a vote of 84-10. 

Why it matters: Haines is the first of President Biden’s nominees to receive a full Senate confirmation and will be the first woman to serve as DNI. She’s previously served as CIA deputy director from 2013 to 2015 and deputy national security adviser from 2015 to 2017.

Pres. Biden’s Inaugural Address

Inaugural Address by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
As Prepared for Delivery
The United States Capitol
January 20, 2021

Chief Justice Roberts, Vice President Harris, Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, Leader McConnell, Vice President Pence, distinguished guests, and my fellow Americans. 

This is America’s day.

This is democracy’s day. 

A day of history and hope.

Of renewal and resolve.

Continue reading “Pres. Biden’s Inaugural Address”

Acting Defense secretary says ‘no intelligence’ indicating insider threat to inauguration

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Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller said Monday that while law enforcement officials are vetting National Guard troops stationed in the nation’s capital, authorities have “no intelligence indicating an insider threat” to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration this week.

“As is normal for military support to large security events, the Department will vet National Guardsmen who are in Washington, D.C.,” Miller said in a statement.“While we have no intelligence indicating an insider threat, we are leaving no stone unturned in securing the capital.” 

“This type of vetting often takes place by law enforcement for significant security events. However, in this case the scope of military participation is unique,” Miller continued. Continue reading.

Joe Biden sworn in as 46th president of the United States

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Joe Biden was sworn in just before noon on Wednesday as the 46th president of the United States, in an inauguration ceremony unlike any other.

Why it matters: The 78-year-old Democrat assumes the presidency at a fraught moment for the country, which remains polarized and in the grips of a coronavirus crisis that has killed more than 400,000 Americans.

  • The inauguration took place on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, where just two weeks earlier a pro-Trump mob staged a deadly riot to disrupt the certification of Biden’s victory. Continue reading.

Kamala Harris sworn in as vice president

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In a historic inauguration, Kamala Harris was sworn in on Wednesday as the vice president of the United States.

Why it matters: Harris is the first woman, Black American and Indian American to serve as vice president in U.S. history. In addition to serving as Biden’s No. 2, she will act as a critical tie-breaking vote in the 50-50 Senate.

Details: Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina Supreme Court justice, administered the oath of office to Harris using a bible once belonging to Thurgood Marshall, the first Black Supreme Court justice. Continue reading.

For Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a speaking role in Biden’s inauguration

As top Democrat on Senate Rules Committee, Minnesota’s Klobuchar to be front and center at inauguration. 

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar plans to use her time on the national stage during the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden to remind Americans after an extraordinary two weeks in Washington that democracy cannot be taken for granted.

“It’s on all of us to cherish it and to pass it on to the next generation,” Klobuchar said Tuesday, about 24 hours before her prominent speaking slot in the inaugural ceremony. “It is on all of us to take up its torch.”

As the ranking Democrat and soon-to-be chairwoman of the Senate Rules Committee, Klobuchar ended up as the lead Senate Democrat on the congressional planning committee for the inaugural ceremonies at the U.S. Capitol. Continue reading.

Republicans call for unity but won’t acknowledge Biden won fairly

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The call for unity came from one of President Trump’s most loyal supporters in Congress, nearly a week after a pro-Trump mob rampaged the U.S. Capitol in a riot that left five people dead.

“What happened at the Capitol on January 6 was as wrong as wrong can be,” Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) told colleagues during a virtual committee meeting about Democrats’ demands that Trump be removed from office. Now was the time for “healing,” and in Jordan’s opinion, that meant allowing the president to finish out his term.

The committee chairman, Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), pressed him on one point. Hadn’t Jordan and more than 140 other Republicans given oxygen to the false conspiracy theory pushed by Trump that motivated the Capitol rioters — that the election had somehow been stolen — when they had voted to object to certifying the electoral college results? Continue reading.

FBI screens U.S. troops for possible insider threats ahead of inauguration

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U.S. defense officials say the federal government is conducting insider-threat screening on the 25,000 National Guard troops who have begun flowing into the nation’s capital to secure the inauguration, as concerns intensify about extremism in the ranks.

The extra precaution comes after a number of pro-Trump rioters involved in storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 turned out to have military ties, raising questions about extremist sentiment within the armed forces. Dozens of peopleon a terrorist watch list were in Washington as the deadly riot unfolded.

A U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive preparations, said the Army is working with the FBI to vet all service members supporting the inauguration. The Army maintains awareness of threats but does not collect domestic intelligence itself, the official said. It was not immediately clear how extensive the FBI vetting of the military personnel would be. Continue reading.

Republicans call for unity but won’t acknowledge Biden won fairly

Washington Post logo

The call for unity came from one of President Trump’s most loyal supporters in Congress, nearly a week after a pro-Trump mob rampaged the U.S. Capitol in a riot that left five people dead.

“What happened at the Capitol on January 6 was as wrong as wrong can be,” Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) told colleagues during a virtual committee meeting about Democrats’ demands that Trump be removed from office. Now was the time for “healing,” and in Jordan’s opinion, that meant allowing the president to finish out his term.

The committee chairman, Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), pressed him on one point. Hadn’t Jordan and more than 140 other Republicans given oxygen to the false conspiracy theory pushed by Trump that motivated the Capitol rioters — that the election had somehow been stolen — when they had voted to object to certifying the electoral college results? Continue reading.