Dawn of a new era for US as Biden, Harris administration takes over: Highlights

Pope Francis told USPresident JoeBidenon Wednesday that he was praying that God would guide his efforts to bring reconciliation in the United States and among the nations of the world.

In a message sent shortly after the second Catholic USpresident was sworn in, Francis also said he hopedBidenwould work towards a society marked by true justice, freedom and respect for the rights and dignity of every person, especially the poor, the vulnerable and those with no voice.

. They were among the almost 75 million Americans who voted for Donald Trump and refuse to recognise JoeBiden's presidential victory as legitimate.

AFP spoke to some Trump supporters about what they think Trump will do next and what they believe life will be like under the new Democratic administration.

"When Trump was inaugurated, I was so happy," said Gia Maxson, a yoga teacher and devout Catholic from Hickory, North Carolina.

"I went to two Trump rallies. They were wonderful, uplifting, positive experiences," she added.

. Joe Biden on Wednesday became the 46th president of the United States, vowing a "new day" for the United States after four years of tumult under Donald Trump who in an extraordinary final act snubbed the inauguration.

. Now, there will be an inaugural parade, following which Biden and Harris will have a presidential escort from 15th Street to the White House including the US Army Band, a Joint Service Honor Guard and the commander in chief's Guard and Fife Drum Corps.

. Outgoing USVice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen attended the inauguration of new PresidentJoeBidenon Wednesday after skipping both a farewell ceremony for Donald Trump and the usual protocol of welcoming his successor to his home at the Naval Observatory.

Pence, whom some of Trump's supporters during the deadly Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol had threatened to hang for refusing to try to overturnBiden's Electoral College win in Congress, applauded the next vice president, Kamala Harris, as she arrived at the USCapitol. Trump skipped the inauguration.

. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi congratulated JoeBidenafter he was elected as the 46th president of the US on Wednesday.

Gandhi also congratulated Indian-origin Kamal Harris after she took oath as the 49th vice president of the US, creating history as the first female, first Black and first Indian-American to do so.

“Congratulating the USA on a new chapter of their democracy. Best wishes to PresidentBidenand Vice-President Harris,” Gandhi tweeted.

. Congratulations & best wishes to Joe Biden & Kamala Harris on being sworn in as President & Vice President of USA. India-US ties are based on many shared values & I'm sure that partnership between the two nations will get further cemented in coming years: VP M Venkaiah Naidu

. I know forces that divide us are deep & they are real. But I also know they are not new. Our history has been a constant struggle between American ideal that we're all created equal & harsh ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear, demonisation have long torn us apart: US President

. My warmest congratulations to Joe Biden on his assumption of office as President of the United States of America. I look forward to working with him to strengthen India-US strategic partnership: Prime Minister Narendra Modi

. Today, we celebrate triumph not of a candidate but of a cause, the cause of democracy. People & will of the people have been heard. We have learned again that democracy is precious, democracy is fragile & at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed: US President Joe Biden

. President Donald Trump granted a full pardon to Albert Pirro on Wednesday, according to a spokesman.

Pirro, 73, who served 11 months on a UStax fraud conviction two decades ago, previously represented Trump as a real estate lawyer and is the former husband of one of Trump's most enthusiastic supporters in the media, Jeanine Pirro of the Fox News show "Justice with Judge Jeanine." The Pirros divorced in 2013.

Reuters

. Incoming President Joe Biden on Wednesday will immediately reset the nation's response to the Covid-19 crisis after he is sworn in to lead a country reeling from its worst public health crisis in more than a century.

As part of the first sweep of executive actions, Biden will order that all federal employees wear masks and make face coverings mandatory on federal property. He will establish a new White House office to coordinate the coronavirus response and halt the withdrawal of the United States from the World Health Organization, a process initiated by the outgoing president, Donald Trump.

. This is the day our democracy picks itself up, brushes off the dust, and does what America always does: goes forward as a nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all:Klobuchar

. When President-elect Joe Biden takes the oath of office Wednesday, he is likely to place his hand on a familial artifact that has followed him throughout his 50-year political career: a hefty Bible, accented with a Celtic cross, that has been in his family since 1893.

. Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, have arrived on the Capitol platform for the inauguration.

. Kamala Harris on Wednesday opted to wear a dress designed by two Black designers for her historic inauguration as the US Vice-president.

Her husband and the Second Gentleman, Doug Emhoff was wearing a Ralph Lauren suit. In fact, the President-electJoeBidenwas also wearing a navy suit and navy overcoat by the American designer.

Harris, 56, has created history by becoming the first woman, first Black and first Indian-American vice president of the United States.

. Unlike every other first lady in American history, Jill Biden has said she will keep her full-time job. “I’m going to continue to teach,” she said in an interview in August. “It’s important — I want people to value teachers.”: NYT

. With US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on the brink of scripting history, her maternal uncle Gopalan Balachandran says he told his niece to keep doing what she does without getting bothered by others.

. The inauguration ceremony of President-elect Joe Biden features a lineup of celebrities, including Jennifer Lopez, Garth Brooks and, singing the national anthem, Lady Gaga

. Donald Trump left a letter to his successor Joe Biden before leaving the White House, spokesman Judd Deere told AFP minutes after the outgoing president's departure.

. US President Donald Trump said he will be "back in some form" before boarding Air Force One for Florida on Wednesday ahead of the inauguration of his successor, Joe Biden.

. After four years of Donald Trump and a hotly-contested election, President-elect Joe Biden, who was formerly vice-president under Barack Obama, is set to take charge as the 46th President of the United States, with his running mate Kamala Harris will take charge as the Vice President in a ceremony marked by Covid-19, an insurrection at the Capitol and a President who only reluctantly acquiesced to a transition of power.

. After four tumultuous years in the office, Donald Trump's tenure as the President of the United States is finally coming to an end. It won't be a travesty to describe his four years in the White House as extremely eventful, as Trump never failed to dish out controversial quotes.

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. The 59th presidential inauguration will be largely virtual but will still feature a number of ceremonial events and celebrations. Here’s what’s happening and how to watch from home.

. Residents of the ancestral village of Kamala Harris celebrated her inauguration as US vice president on Wednesday by setting off firecrackers and distributing food.

. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson welcomed the start of a new UK-US chapter on Wednesday under incoming US President Joe Biden, even as his predecessor Theresa May accused Johnson of “abandoning” the UK's moral leadership in the world during the tumultuous Trump era.

. Acting US Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen will step down on Wednesday after temporarily heading the Justice Department and serving as the No. 2 official since May 2019, overseeing its Big Tech probe and other wide-ranging investigations.

Rosen, 62, a former deputy transportation secretary under President Donald Trump who was sworn in as deputy attorney general in May 2019, took the reins of the Justice Department after Bill Barr announced he would step down on Dec. 23.

. "I am greatly relieved that Joe Biden will beinauguratedas president today and move into the White House," the head of state said.

"I know this feeling is shared by many people in Germany."

Steinmeier said America's institutions had proven their strength in the face of "great tests" and "hostility" during Trump's term.

Dawn of a new era for US as Biden, Harris administration takes over: Highlights

Pope tells Biden he prays God will guide reconciliation in US

'They forget that 75 million voted for him:' Trump supporters reject Biden

Joe Biden becomes 46th US president, vowing 'new day' after Trump tumult

The inaugural ceremony concluded with a benediction by Reverend Silvester Beaman

Trump's vice president Pence applauds successor at inauguration

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