Cut to the News
Cut through the clutter to today's top news
January 20, 2021
Good morning
Welcome to today's top news.
Leading the News . . .
Biden set to be inaugurated as 46th president under tight security . . . Joe Biden is set to become the 46th president of the U.S., assuming charge of a nation ravaged by a pandemic and shaken by the recent storming of the U.S. Capitol, where he plans to take his oath of office. The midday inauguration ceremony Wednesday will lack much of the customary pomp and circumstance due to the health and safety concerns surrounding the day.
There will neither be giant crowds nor an in-person parade or inaugural balls. Under heavy security, Mr. Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be sworn in on the west side of the Capitol during an event that will also feature Lady Gaga singing the national anthem and other musical performances. The inauguration will also mark a shift to Democratic control in Washington, with the party holding the White House and narrow majorities in the House and the Senate Wall Street Journal
Can't think of a more effective way to heal the country than have Lady Gaga sing the national anthem.
Biden is set to reverse Trump policies, restore Obama-era programs on first day . . . President-elect Joe Biden will sign 17 executive actions and orders in the first hours of his presidency on Wednesday. The moves are expected to restore a number of Obama-era policies and reverse some of what the Biden team calls "the gravest damages" of the Trump administration. Biden is expected to sign the executive actions from the Oval
Office on Wednesday afternoon after the inauguration. Fox News
Full transcript of President Trump’s farewell address to the nation. Epoch Times
US passes 400,000 coronavirus deaths . . . The United States on Tuesday passed 400,000 deaths from COVID-19, a stunning total that is only climbing as the crisis deepens. The country is now averaging more than 3,000 coronavirus deaths every day, according to Johns Hopkins University data, more than the number of people killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, and the daily death toll has been rising. The effects of a surge in
gatherings and travel over the holidays are now coming into focus.
The grim milestone of 400,000 deaths came on the last full day in office for President Trump, who has long rejected criticism of his handling of the pandemic. The Hill
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Biden’s first-100-days agenda targets executive orders . . . President-elect Joe Biden takes office this week with a far-reaching set of plans for his first 100 days as he seeks to roll back some of his Republican predecessor’s policies. Mr. Biden is planning a rush of executive actions for his first 10 days. On Inauguration Day, that includes rejoining the Paris climate accord; reversing a travel ban from several majority-Muslim and African
countries; requiring masks to be worn on federal property and during interstate travel on airlines, trains and transit systems; and extending restrictions on evictions and foreclosures. Wall Street Journal
Pence skipping Trump's farewell event to be with Biden . . . Vice President Mike Pence is not expected to attend President Trump's send-off event on Inauguration Day. Pence is planning to attend Mass with President-elect Joe Biden in the morning before they head to Biden's inauguration ceremony at the Capitol. The same is expected of congressional leaders Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin
McCarthy. Trump is set to fly out of the White House early on Inauguration Day before attending the military send-off at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland and leaving aboard Air Force One for Florida some time after 8 a.m. In a break with tradition, Trump said he will not attend the inauguration of his successor. Washington
Examiner
While the Vice President is an honorable man, having served our country well, Mike Pence is as much of a Washington establishment creature as it gets.
Kamala may preside over Trump impeachment trial . . . One of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ first tasks in her new job could be to preside over an impeachment trial of President Trump. Chief Justice John Roberts reportedly “wants no further part” in overseeing the politically charged situation after he presided over the first impeachment trial of Trump less than one year ago. White House Dossier
Biden DHS pick says Biden wants to grant US citizenship wo most illegals . . . The Biden team wants to grant citizenship rights to most illegal immigrants and to pump money into Latin America as the way to discourage illegal immigration, Alejandro Mayorkas, the pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security, told senators Tuesday. Appearing for his confirmation hearing, Mr. Mayorkas cast himself as a boundary-breaking leader ready to shake
up a department that has lacked a confirmed secretary for nearly two years. He promised an aggressive effort to overturn Trump policies focused on turning back illegal immigrants at the border and said the solution lies farther south, where nation-building in Latin America will try to keep people from leaving home in the first place. Washington Times
Making sure the Democratic Party has a steady stream of new voters.
Biden taps transgender Pennsylvania official for assistant secretary of health . . . 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. Washington Times
My kids will stick to our current pediatrician.
Biden Health pick forced nursing homes to accept COVID patients . . . Biden health nominee Rachel Levine directed Pennsylvania nursing homes to accept COVID-positive patients—even as she pulled her own mother out of a longterm-care facility over pandemic concerns. Last March, she issued a directive requiring nursing homes to take in COVID-positive patients. Trade groups warned the decision could prove costly. The American Health Care
Association said it would put "frail and older adults who reside in nursing homes at risk" and "result in more people going to the hospital and more deaths." Nearly two months after instituting the policy, Levine confirmed that she had moved her 95-year-old mother out of a longterm-care facility and into a hotel. At the time, more than two-thirds of Pennsylvania's coronavirus deaths had occurred in such facilities. Washington Free Beacon
Trump wants to create new "Patriot Party" . . . President Trump has talked in recent days with associates about forming a new political party, according to people familiar with the matter, an effort to exert continued influence after he leaves the White House.
Mr. Trump discussed the matter with several aides and other people close to him last week, the people said. The president said he would want to call the new party the “Patriot Party,” the people said. Mr. Trump has feuded in recent days with several Republican leaders including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.), who on Tuesday said Mr. Trump deserved blame for provoking the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. Polls show Mr. Trump retains strong support among rank-and-file GOP
voters. Wall Street Journal
Trump declassifies Russiagate probe documents . . . President Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered the declassification of a binder of FBI documents related to the bureau’s investigation of the Trump campaign and Russia. Trump said that he accommodated requests from the FBI to keep some of the information classified. It is unclear exactly when the documents will be released to the public. Trump said that the Justice Department provided
him with a binder full of documents on Dec. 30, 2020 that had not been previously released to Congress or the public. He said that the FBI issued a letter on Jan. 17 stating its “continued objection to any further declassification of the materials in the binder.” Daily Caller
Trump pardons Steve Bannon, nearly 150 others . . . President Trump on Tuesday night pardoned former top campaign aide and White House strategist Steve Bannon, who was arrested for an alleged scam involving private donations to build a border wall with Mexico. Bannon was among nearly 150 people who were granted clemency in the final hours of Trump’s presidency. Bannon, the nationalist firebrand who was formerly the executive chairman
of Breitbart News, had been facing a May trial on fraud and money laundering charges in Manhattan federal court. Bannon was accused of scamming $1 million from donors to the “We Build the Wall” GoFundMe campaign launched by US Air Force veteran Brian Kolfage, who lost three limbs during a 2004 bomb blast in Iraq. New York Post
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Iran's Rouhani says "ball in U.S. court" over nuclear dispute . . . Iranian President Hassan Rouhani urged the incoming U.S. administration on Wednesday to return to a 2015 nuclear agreement and lift sanctions on Tehran, while welcoming the end of “tyrant” President Donald Trump’s era. U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, who takes office on Wednesday, has said the United States will rejoin the pact, which includes restrictions on Iran’s
nuclear work, if Tehran resumes strict compliance. “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. Reuters
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Jailed Putin's critic releases investigation into Russian President's billion dollar palace . . . He may be behind bars, but the Kremlin has not succeeded in silencing Alexei Navalny. On his first full day in Moscow's Matrosskaya-Tishina prison, Mr Navalny's team have released a huge video investigation into the construction and alleged slush fund behind what is known as "Putin's palace", a £1bn private residence
on Russia's Black Sea coast. Calling it "Putin's biggest secret", Mr Navalny and his team reveal new details about the sprawling complex near the resort town of Gelendzhik which has long been rumoured to belong to the Russian president. Sky News
Macron calls on Biden to increase US military presence in Middle East . . . French President Emmanuel Macron echoed calls from other world leaders imploring President-elect Biden to increase the military presence of the United States on the world stage. Macron shared his hope that the president-elect will send additional troops to the Middle East to help in the fight against terrorism. Washington Examiner
Maybe the French could cut down on their consumption of Fois Gras and Dom Perignons and chip in some more towards their own security.
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Paycheck protection program reopens for second round of small-business loans . . . The Paycheck Protection Program, a vital lifeline that helped keep pandemic-ravaged small businesses afloat, fully reopened to all participating lenders on Tuesday after initially limiting who was eligible. In an attempt to rectify past criticisms that the program favored larger borrowers, the rescue fund – which provides forgivable
loans to businesses if they maintain their payroll – had initially only been available to first-time borrowers. The federal government also gave priority to minority-owned businesses in the program's first two days by only accepting loan applications from certain lenders that focus on underserved communities. Fox Business
Yellen-backed policies set to aid risk assets, raise longer-term worries . . . Treasury Secretary nominee Janet Yellen’s unequivocal support for a pandemic rescue plan cuts both ways for investors, fueling optimism that the rally in risk assets will continue while bolstering concerns over a massive runup in government debt. In her Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday, the former Federal Reserve chair urged lawmakers to “act big” on the
next coronavirus relief package after Biden last week outlined a $1.9 trillion stimulus proposal as part of a domestic policy agenda heavy on government spending. While the plan is expected to provide a critical boost for the coronavirus-hit economy, investors said the massive stimulus also could widen already huge deficits and drive up bond yields, while feeding a rally that some worry has already inflated bubbles in various assets. Reuters
US finance chiefs weigh how to spend vast corporate cash piles . . . US companies are sitting on trillions of dollars in cash that they borrowed to survive the coronavirus shock of 2020. The question now is what they do with all that money, especially if an economic recovery takes hold. Corporate America borrowed a record $2.5tn in the bond markets last year. Pandemic-stricken companies such as airlines and cinemas operators are still
burning through cash, hoping for a return to normal when people start travelling and socialising again. But others are in better shape. Companies in the US S&P 500 index built up an additional $1.3tn of cash on their balance sheets last year, according to data from S&P Capital IQ. Many businesses are having to decide what to do with their borrowed fortune. Financial Times
Don't we wish we had their problems?
Tysons Foods reaches more settlements in chicken price-fixing litigation . . . Tyson Foods Inc agreed to settle price-fixing litigation with two more groups of plaintiffs accusing it of illegally conspiring to inflate prices in the $65 billion chicken industry. The settlements with so-called "end-user" consumers and with more than 30 commercial purchasers were disclosed in filings on Tuesday in federal court in Chicago. Eight days
ago, Tyson agreed to settle related antitrust claims by purchasers who bought chickens directly from the Springdale, Arkansas-based company.
Tyson has also faced price-fixing claims by large restaurant and supermarket operators such as Chick-fil-A, Kroger Co and Walmart Inc. Fox Business
Trump supporter and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell says Kohl's, other retailers to stop selling his brand . . . MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, who has pushed claims of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, says several retailers will stop selling his brand's products. Lindell said he spoke to Bed Bath & Beyond and Kohl's representatives and that both said they would discontinue selling the pillows. " ... These guys don’t
understand,” Lindell said in an interview to Right Side Broadcasting Monday night. "They were good partners. In fact, I told them, 'You guys come back anytime you want.’” Lindell also told Fox 9 that Wayfair and H-E-B have severed ties with the company. USA
Today
Kohl's leadership and other corporate chiefs have no idea who their customers are.
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Fox News revamps digital unit ahead of Biden presidency . . . Fox News Digital is laying off some of its staffers in what’s being described as a post-election restructuring. The layoffs are impacting less than 20 people at Fox News digital, according to a source familiar with the situation. Politics editor Chris Stirewalt, who sat on the network’s decision desk, is reportedly one of the people being laid off, Washington Post staff writer
Sarah Ellison tweeted. Fox News’ decision desk received backlash from President Donald Trump after calling Arizona for President-elect Joe Biden during the 2020 election. As for the other layoffs, Fox News said that it is making changes “to meet the demands of his new era.” Daily Caller
Pro-gun rally proceeds peacefully despite predictions of gloom . . . A caravan demonstration held by one of Virginia's leading Second Amendment groups went off without a hitch despite dire safety warnings from opponents and targeted suspensions by tech companies. On Monday, the Virginia Citizens Defense
League (VCDL) peacefully rode through the streets of Richmond to oppose Democrats' new gun-control legislation. Joe Macenka, a spokesman for the Virginia Capitol Police, told the Washington Free Beacon the VCDL event was "nice and quiet," and there were "no issues whatsoever." The peaceful protest undercuts a narrative advanced by Democratic politicians, reporters, and gun-control advocates that Second Amendment events present an elevated risk to public safety as the country deals with the
aftermath of the Capitol riot. Washington Free Beacon
US first country to declare China engaged in genocide agains Uighurs . . . US government on Tuesday declared China’s communist government guilty of carrying out a policy of genocide and crimes against humanity for its mass repression campaign against Uighur minorities in western China. The
announcement by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was part of a string of moves by the Trump administration in its final days in power. The department also announced penalties on international shippers accused of helping Venezuela’s socialist government avoid U.S. oil sanctions, and the Treasury Department targeted a Russian construction firm helping lay the Nord Stream 2 oil pipeline to Germany. The China declaration is likely to have the biggest foreign policy impact. Washington Times
University of Wisconsin publishes reading list on 'disrupting whiteness' . . . The University of Wisconsin's library system published a reading list for students on "disrupting whiteness and white supremacy in libraries." Among the suggested readings are Ibram X. Kendi's bestseller How to Be an Antiracist
and Layla F. Saad's Me and White Supremacy, as well as several books on "decolonizing research and knowledge." The list, created by the school's "Gender and Women's Studies Library," also includes a small subsection arguing in favor of "critical librarianship," which asks librarians to analyze how they support systems of oppression. One of the suggested readings claims that white people use the concept of cuteness to make whiteness appear "harmless and universal." Another argues that libraries
should not be neutral or apolitical spaces. Washington Free Beacon
No wonder more and more young, brainwashed Americans join the ranks of Trotskyites.
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Man spends $400 to find out limping dog was imitating owner . . . A British man said he spent about $400 to have a veterinarian examine his dog's limp, but it turned out the canine was just imitating his owner, who had a broken ankle. Russell Jones of London said he noticed after his ankle was broken that his dog, Billy, was keeping one of his front paws raised while walking. Jones posted a video to Facebook
showing the dog hopping next to him as he walks with the use of crutches. Jones said he spent about $400 to have a veterinarian examine Billy and take X-rays of his apparently injured leg, but the medical professional was unable to find anything wrong. The veterinarian told Jones his dog was imitating the way he walks with his broken ankle. Jones said Billy had been limping since the day after his ankle injury. UPI
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