President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were sworn in Wednesday. The inaugural events for the 46th president of the United States come amid tight security in Washington after the riot at the U.S. Capitol and, given the coronavirus pandemic, necessitated a very different kind of ceremony.
President Biden Takes Oath of Office
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Biden's First Day As President
Just hours after he is sworn into office on Inauguration Day, President-elect Joe Biden plans to sign 17 executive actions in the Oval Office to try to hit the ground running on his top priorities — and to roll back some of President Trump's initiatives in those areas, a group of his top advisers told reporters.
Biden wants to build momentum on his plans to address the COVID-19 crisis, the economy, racial justice and climate. Among the many measures, he plans to order masks be worn on federal property, will revoke President Trump's travel ban affecting Muslim-majority nations, extend the ban on evictions and foreclosures as a result of the pandemic, and instruct agencies to conduct a baseline review of systemic inequities in their programs and policies. READ MORE of this NPR story.
Biden's Opening Bid to Congress on Immigration
President-elect Joe Biden plans to send a sweeping immigration proposal to Congress after he is sworn into office on Wednesday, a bill that would provide a path to citizenship for an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States.
The proposal would need to be approved by Congress, which balked at similar reforms proposed by former President Barack Obama in 2013. But the plan, which also would also immediately protect millions of people from being deported, marks a dramatic shift from President Trump's hardline policies that made life increasingly more difficult for people living in the country without legal status. READ MORE of this NPR story.
'We Must Remember': Biden, Harris Memorialize COVID Victims
President-elect Joe Biden addressed a grieving nation on Tuesday after the United States had earlier in the day passed 400,000 deaths.
Speaking at a service to remember Americans killed by the virus, Biden praised medical professionals for their roles in caring for the ill and their families during the pandemic.
"If there are any angels in heaven, they're all nurses. We know from our family experience what you do. The courage. The pain you absorb for others. So thank you. Thank you," Biden said at the Lincoln Memorial event. READ MORE of this NPR story.
This post was updated several times Jan. 20th with the latest on President Biden's inauguration.
