Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Wake-Up Confidential: Biden Inaugurated Today

Newsday 1/20/21

President-elect Joe Biden will be inaugurated at 12 noon today, bringing Donald Trump's presidency to a close. His day will begin with a morning church service at St. Matthew's Cathedral, joined by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and their spouses, and, at his invitation, by the top four congressional leaders of both parties. He will sworn in at the west front of the U.S. Capitol, but without cheering supporters looking on from the National Mall because of the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, inaugural organizers installed 200,000 U.S., state and territorial flags on the Mall, representing the Americans who couldn’t be there.




After their swearing-in Biden, Harris and their spouses will travel to Arlington National Cemetery along with former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama and their spouses to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. There won't be a traditional inaugural parade because of the pandemic. Instead, there will be a virtual, livestreamed parade with events from around the country, as Biden and Harris get a presidential escort to the White House that will include the University of Delaware Drumline and the Howard University Drumline from Biden and Harris' alma maters, and representatives of every branch of the military, including the U.S. Army Band, a Joint Service Honor Guard, and the Commander-in-Chief’s Guard and Fife and Drum Corps. There also won't be any traditional inaugural balls in the evening because of the pandemic. Instead, a televised, hour-long show calling Celebrating America will air, during which both Biden and Harris will speak.

Memorial for Coronavirus Victims:


On the eve of his inauguration, Trump and Harris led a sunset ceremony yesterday in front of the Lincoln Memorial in honor of the 400,000 Americans who have been killed by the coronavirus. Speaking briefly, Biden said, "To heal we must remember." Then as four hundred lights representing those lost to the virus lit up behind him around the Reflecting Pool, Biden said, "Between sundown and dusk, let us shine the lights into the darkness . . . and remember all who we lost." Harris spoke about collective mourning and memory, saying, "For many months we have grieved by ourselves. Tonight, we grieve and begin healing together."

➤WTH?


Trump Video and Departure:

The White House released a farewell video from Trump yesterday on his last full day in office. In it, he touted his administration's accomplishments, saying, "I did not seek the path that would get the least criticism. I took on the tough battles, the hardest fights, the most difficult choices because that’s what you elected me to do." Trump extended "best wishes" and "luck" to the incoming administration. He stated, "This week we inaugurate a new administration and pray for its success in keeping America safe and prosperous." However, he didn't mention Biden's name. Trump also indicated he doesn't plan to fade away, saying, "I want you to know that the movement we started is only just beginning.'

Breaking with more than 150 years of tradition, Trump won’t be present for his successor's inauguration. Instead, he will leave the White House in the morning and fly to his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida. He'll be leaving from Joint Base Andrews, where a military-style ceremony requested by Trump will be held at 8 a.m.

➤TRUMP GRANTS CLEMENCY TO 143, INCLUDING BANNON PARDON: President Trump granted clemency to 143 people in the final hours of his presidency early this morning, 73 pardons and 70 commutations, including a pardon for Steve Bannon, his former chief strategist. Not on the list were pardons for Trump himself, his family members, or his attorney, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Bannon's pardon ends a prosecution that was still months away from trial in which he was charged with defrauding thousands of investors who believed their money would be used to help build Trump's border wall. Other allies of Trump and his family given pardons included Republican fundraiser Elliot Broidy, who pled guilty in a secret lobbying campaign to influence the administration for a foreign billionaire in exchange for millions of dollars, and former New York Observer editor Ken Kurson, a friend of Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, who was charged with cyberstalking three people and harassing two others during his divorce.


Others granted clemency included: rappers Lil Wayne, on a gun possession charge, and Kodak Black, also on a weapons charge; conservative operative Paul Erickson on wire fraud and money laundering charges; former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, convicted of racketeering, extortion and filing false tax returns; and developer and venture capitalist Bob Zangrillo, who was charged in the college admission scandal. Beyond these high-profile names, most of the pardons and commutations were given to people whose cases had been pushed by criminal justice reform advocates. Trump had previously pardoned other associates and supporters, including his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort; longtime friend and adviser Roger Stone, his former national security adviser Michael Flynn, and Kushner's father, Charles Kushner. 


➤U.S. PASSES 400,000 CORONAVIRUS DEATHS: The U.S. passed 400,000 coronavirus deaths on Tuesday, nearly equal to the number of Americans who die each year from strokes, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, flu and pneumonia combined, according to AP, which notes the pace of deaths is on track to surpass the number of Americans killed in World War Two by the end of the week. The U.S. accounts for nearly 20 percent of worldwide deaths from the virus, far more than any other country. 


➤MCCONNELL CONTENDS TRUMP 'PROVOKED' CAPITOL ATTACK: Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said as the Senate reconvened yesterday for the first time since certifying President-elect Joe Biden's election win in the hours after the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol that the assault was, quote, "provoked" by President Trump and others who wanted to overturn the election results. McConnell said of those who mounted the attack, "The mob was fed lies. They were provoked by the president and other powerful people, and they tried to use fear and violence to stop a specific proceeding of the first branch of the federal government which they did not like." The House impeached Trump last week, accusing him of inciting insurrection for the attack. McConnell has not said how he will vote when the Senate holds the trial, but some Senate Republicans have challenged the legal ability to convict a president after they've left office.

➤ARMY SOLDIER ARRESTED IN ALLEGED PLOT TO BLOW UP 9/11 MEMORIAL, OTHER LANDMARKS: A U.S. Army private was arrested Tuesday (January 19th) on terrorism charges after he allegedly spoke online about plots to blow up the 9/11 Memorial in New York as well as other landmarks, and attack U.S. soldiers in the Middle East. Twenty-year-old Cole James Bridges believed he was communicating online with the Islamic State (ISIS) group about the plots, but it was a member of the FBI. He reportedly expressed frustration with the military and said he wanted to help ISIS. He's being held of charges of attempted material support of a terrorist organization and attempted murder of a military member. Bridges was arrested in Georgia, where he was with the Third Infantry Division out of Fort Stewart.

➤POLL: AMERICANS WEIGH-IN ON BIG TECH IN WAKE OF CAPITOL ATTACK: A new Harris Poll survey asked Americans about the actions Big Tech companies like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have taken to deal with violent threats, hate speech and conspiracy theories on their platforms in the wake of the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. More than one-third, 37 percent, said they approve of the companies' crackdown on potentially harmful or dangerous content, 28 percent said they've gone too far, and 23 percent said they haven't gone far enough. Older Americans were more likely to say the tech companies have gone too far than younger Americans, and 51 percent of Democrats said the companies are doing a good job compared to 25 percent of Republicans. Just under one-third overall, 32 percent agreed that: "We are entering a period where Big Tech has too much power to censor voices they do not like."

➤READY TO BE A NEAR-BILLIONAIRE?:  The Mega Millions jackpot didn't have a winner again last night for its $865 million drawing, and that means the next drawing two days from now on Friday will be near $1 billion, with a projected jackpot of $970 million. That would be the third largest jackpot in U.S. lottery history. If you don't want to wait until Friday, tonight's Powerball jackpot is also a huge one, projected to be $730 million, the sixth largest in U.S. history and fourth largest in Powerball history. There hasn't been a winner of either Mega Millions or Powerball since September. The largest prize in U.S. lottery history was a $1.58 billion Powerball jackpot split by three winners in 2016. 

➤HOW GETTING DRESSED UP (OR NOT) TO SIT AT HOME ALL DAY AFFECTS YOUR MOOD: Most of us have spent nearly a year sheltering in place, and as a result, many of us have ditched jeans for sweatpants. But psychologists believe that even when nobody else will see us, how we dress has the power to influence our mental health as well as our general productivity. And the actual impact of getting dressed up or down varies from person to person. Tracy Thomas is a psychologist and says putting effort into your appearance, even the tiniest bit, is “one of the most important things people can do for their emotional, mental, and psychological health.” She says daily grooming rituals are a sign of “celebrating life,” and says these little celebrations are especially important right now. Licensed clinical psychologist Sheva Assar adds, “If we’re wearing athleisure when working out, going to brunch, outside and when working, it could potentially impact our ability to transition into work mode when we’re wanting to focus on work. So what we’re wearing helps us in making those transitions.” The experts add that creative types in particular might feel the emotional benefits of their wardrobe more than non-creative people. The final piece of advice: pick clothing and grooming practices that make you feel the most confident and comfortable.
 

➤MISSOURI WAS REPORTEDLY THE MOST-STRESSED STATE IN 2020:  Missouri might have been the most stressed-out state for 2020. OnePoll conducted a poll of over 12,500 Americans on behalf of Natrol Relaxia, and found those from Missouri were most worried about their finances, the coronavirus pandemic, and current events in 2020. Missourians even spent three hours and 18 minutes worrying about stressful situations in their lives on average per day. Mississippi was dubbed the second most-stressed state, with residents spending three hours and 12 minutes of each day worrying, followed by West Virginia (three hours and 6 minutes), and then Georgia, Louisiana and Vermont all tied for fourth most-stressed. The least stressed state of 2020 was Iowa. Collectively, 72 percent of Americans said that they found 2020 to be the most stressful year of their lives, and 57 percent went as far as to say they think they are more stressed than they have ever been.

➤DELTA CEO SAYS AIRLINE WILL PERMANENTLY BAN PASSENGERS ‘WHO REFUSE TO DISPLAY BASIC CIVILITY’: The CEO of Delta Air Lines says the carrier will permanently ban passengers who disrespect fellow customers or crew members. CEO Ed Bastian noted in a memo sent to employees on Friday that the airline has already added over 800 people to its no-fly list for refusing to wear mandatory face masks during travel, along with the new company policy. He wrote in part, “Please know that respect and civility to others on our planes, at our airports, in our workplaces and in our society—even when we have differences of opinion—have always been a requirement for our people and our customers. Those who refuse to display basic civility to our people or their fellow travelers are not welcome on Delta.”

⚾REPORTS: SPRINGER AGREES TO SIX-YEAR, $150 MILLION DEAL WITH BLUE JAYS: Outfielder George Springer has agreed to a six-year, $150 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, according to media reports last night. The deal would be the largest in team history. The 31-year-old Springer is a three-time All-Star who spent his entire seven-season career with the Houston Astros. He was the World Series MVP when the Astros beat the L.A. Dodgers for the championship in 2017.

⚾METS FIRE GM PORTER OVER EXPLICIT TEXTS TO FEMALE REPORTER: The New York Mets fired general manager Jared Porter Tuesday over uninvited sexually explicit texts he sent to a female reporter in 2016 when he was with the Chicago Cubs. The Mets had hired the 41-year-old just over one month ago. ESPN reported the story late Monday, saying some of the texts included explicit images. The woman wasn't identified in the report, but ESPN said she was a foreign correspondent who'd come to the U.S. to cover the MLB. Porter had been senior VP and assistant general manager with the Arizona Diamondbacks for the past four seasons before being hired by the Mets.

🏒NHL'S CAROLINA-NASHVILLE GAME POSTPONED: The NHL postponed last night's scheduled game between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Nashville Predators due to coronavirus concerns. The NHL didn't specify which team's issues led to the postponement, but four Hurricanes players were added to the Covid-19 list yesterday. The NHL already postponed the start of the Dallas Stars’ season after six players and two staff members tested positive for the virus. The season started last week, but Dallas isn't scheduled to play its first game until Friday.

🏌WOODS HAD RECENT BACK SURGERY, HIS FIFTH: Tiger Woods disclosed yesterday (January 19th) that he recently had his fifth back surgery and won't play in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines next week, or the Genesis Invitational in mid-February at Riviera. Woods underwent microdiscetomy surgery to remove a pressurized disc fragment that was causing him nerve pain. Doctors said the operation was successful and predict he'll have a full recovery.


⚾HALL OF FAME PITCHER DON SUTTON DEAD AT 75: Hall of Fame pitcher Don Sutton died Tuesday (January 19th) after a long battle with cancer. He was 75. The four-time All-Star pitched for five teams, but 16 of his 23 seasons were with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Sutton is seventh on the career strikeouts list, and only Cy Young and Nolan Ryan had more starts. He had 10 or more wins in every season but two, and one 20-win season. Sutton became a broadcaster after his playing days ended, most of that career with the Atlanta Braves.

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