Some QAnon followers lose hope after Inauguration  —  Some QAnon conspiracy theorists, in public and private internet forums and chat rooms, were despondent Wednesday as their prophecy of an Inauguration Day coup to keep Donald Trump in power failed again as President Joe Biden was sworn into office.

‘A Total Failure’: The Proud Boys Now Mock Trump  —  Members of the far-right group, who were among Donald Trump's staunchest fans, are calling him “weak,” in a sign of fraying support.  —  After the presidential election last year, the Proud Boys, a far-right group, declared its undying loyalty to President Trump.

Avril Haines confirmed as director of national intelligence  —  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 …

A look inside Biden's Oval Office  —  President Biden has filled the Oval Office with images of American leaders and icons, focusing the room around massive portrait of Franklin Delano Roosevelt that hangs across from the Resolute Desk.  It is a clear nod to a president who helped …

Biden Moves to Oust Top Labor Board Attorney Robb  —  Listen  —  The new Biden administration has asked for the resignation of the National Labor Relations Board's general counsel, Trump-appointee Peter Robb, according to four people familiar with the decision.

Writing a speech for Biden can be hell.  And that was before the inaugural.  —  Joe Biden paces as he dictates long portions of his speeches to aides, spinning out thoughts that quickly pile into six, seven or eight paragraphs of copy, only to later be scrapped.

FACT SHEET: President-elect Biden's Day One Executive Actions Deliver Relief for Families Across America Amid Converging Crises  —  Actions Address the COVID-19 Pandemic, Provide Economic Relief, Tackle Climate Change, and Advance Racial Equity  —  Today, hours after taking the oath of office …

Trump Departs Vowing,'We Will Be Back in Some Form'  —  Defeated and twice impeached, the 45th president used his farewell remarks before a sparse crowd to brag about his record and wish luck to the incoming administration.  —  JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. — President Donald J …

Amazon Offers To Help Biden Administration With Vaccine Effort After Sitting On The Sidelines For A Month  —  Amazon offered to help the Biden administration on Wednesday, shortly after President Joe Biden was sworn into office, with efforts to distribute the coronavirus vaccine …

‘Really quite shocking’: Inside the ugly transition at the Pentagon  —  The Pentagon blocked members of President Joe Biden's incoming administration from gaining access to critical information about current operations, including the troop drawdown in Afghanistan, upcoming special operations missions …

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Announces Sanctions on Pompeo and Others  —  Over the past few years, some anti-China politicians in the United States, out of their selfish political interests and prejudice and hatred against China and showing no regard for the interests of the Chinese and American people …

In hidden message on White House website, Biden calls for coders  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The recently updated website for President Joe Biden's White House carried an invitation for tech specialists savvy enough to find it.  —  Hidden in the HTML code on www.whitehouse.gov was an invitation …

Witless Ape Rides Helicopter  —  Goodbye to Donald J. Trump, the man who wanted to be Conrad Hilton but turned out to be Paris Hilton.  —  W  —  ell, that sucked.  —  Memo to MAGA and all its myriad fellow-travelers: Maybe Death of a Salesman as presented by Leni Riefenstahl …

Statement from the Press Secretary Regarding Executive Grants of Clemency  —  President Donald J. Trump granted pardons to 73 individuals and commuted the sentences of an additional 70 individuals.  —  Todd Boulanger - President Trump granted a full pardon to Todd Boulanger.

Biden is ending Trump's travel ban  —  It's the beginning of the end for Trump's immigration policies.  —  On his first day in office, President Joe Biden is beginning the immense task of dismantling former President Donald Trump's nativist legacy on immigration, issuing an executive order …

Twitter Locks Out Chinese Embassy in U.S. Over Post on Uighurs  — Account locked after tweet violated ‘dehumanization’ policy  — Chinese embassy hasn't posted anything new since Jan. 8  —  Twitter Inc. has locked the official account for the Chinese Embassy to the U.S. after a post …

Kayleigh McEnany's cowardly exit  —  Seventeenth in an occasional series on White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, to prove the impossibility of speaking for President Trump.  —  The last time White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany appeared before the assembled press in the briefing room, she was well organized, as usual.

Updated: Vatican intervened to spike US bishops' Biden statement release  —  A Pillar Post special edition  —  The U.S. bishops' conference held back a statement on incoming President Joe Biden Wednesday morning, after officials from the Vatican Secretariat of State intervened before the statement could be released.

Trump extended Secret Service protection to his adult children and three top officials as he left office  —  In the days before he left office, President Donald Trump instructed that his family get the best security available in the world for the next six months, at no cost — the protection of the U.S. Secret Service.

Romney: Founders didn't intend pardons to be used for ‘cronies’  —  Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) on Wednesday called for reforming the use of the president's pardon power after former President Trump granted clemency to 143 individuals as his final act of office, including Steve Bannon …

Biden swears in staffers and appointees — and threatens to fire anyone who is disrespectful  —  President Joe Biden swore in dozens of appointees and staffers on Wednesday evening, urging them to treat one another with respect or else “I will fire you on the spot.”

Reacting to the inauguration, Rush Limbaugh suggests Biden had “not legitimately won it”  —  Limbaugh also repeats conspiracy theory that “maybe 80 million people” voted for Donald Trump.  (The real number was 74 million.)  —  Limbaugh claimed that Democrats were “able to lie to themselves, they're able to tell themselves stories.”

Feds Bust Conspiracy-Addled Pickup Artist Who Allegedly Brought Guns to D.C. Riot  —  Samuel Fisher was allegedly arrested on the Upper East Side Wednesday morning with an arsenal of ammunition, two machetes, and an American flag.  —  A New York City pickup artist accused of bringing firearms to Washington …

Calls grow for Gwinnett elections board chair to resign  —  Fifteen members of the Gwinnett County legislative delegation and 17 other groups have called on the chair of the county's elections board to resign.  —  The moves come after Alice O'Lenick, a Republican appointee …