Top Items:
The White House:
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.
Discussion:
USA Today, NBC News, New York Times, The Progressive Pulse, Detroit Free Press, Reuters, Breitbart, Axios, CNN, The Verge, Law & Crime, New York Post, Wall Street Journal, The Daily Beast, The Federalist, Vox, Los Angeles Times, CNBC, KIFI-TV, Business Insider, Gothamist, The Independent, Rolling Stone, Florida Politics, TheBlaze, Washington Times, The Colorado Sun, The Daily Caller, Daily Kos, HuffPost, iPolitics, Mashable, The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite, Washingtonian, CBS Detroit, Al Jazeera, Metro.co.uk, Variety, CBS Baltimore, Althouse, KRON4, ProFootballTalk, UPI, Gizmodo, The Week, TechCrunch, emptywheel, The Wrap, Reason, HBCU Gameday, Bloomberg, CBS Chicago, TalkLeft and The Marshall Project, more at Techmeme »
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Maggie Haberman / New York Times:
With hours left in office, Trump pardons Bannon. — President Trump has granted clemency to Stephen K. Bannon, the former White House chief strategist who was charged with defrauding people who supported building a border wall that Mr. Trump supported, White House officials said.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Mediaite, CNN, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, The Independent, Breitbart, The Week, The Guardian, Axios, Washington Times and The Wrap
Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
Trump's swampiest pardons, ranked — President Trump came into office pledging to drain the swamp. He exits having extracted a bunch of allies who were neck-deep in the muck from it. — As I've regularly noted with Trump's pardons, it's not unheard-of for a president to pardon an ally.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo and Politico
Andrew Weissmann / Just Security:
Gaps in Trump's Pardons: How the Biden Administration Can Still Pursue Justice — Former President Donald Trump issued numerous pardons and commutations to friends, family and associates, as well as felons who engaged in heinous crimes involving war crimes, murder, political corruption, and civil rights violations.
Grant Stern / Byline Times:
Still Faces ‘We Build the Wall’ State Investigation — Joe Biden's presidency has just begun and the Donald Trump era has just come to an end - with its chief enabler the recipient of a last-minute pardon for federal felony charges. But new reporting shows that Steve Bannon is still staring …
Discussion:
Law & Crime and Crooks and Liars
Washington Post:
Trump grants clemency to 143 people in late-night pardon blast
Trump grants clemency to 143 people in late-night pardon blast
Discussion:
Politico, Vanity Fair, Outside the Beltway, STEPHANIE MILLER SHOW, ABC News, Slate, Talking Points Memo and Common Dreams
Washington Post:
Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th president, pleads for unity in inaugural address to a divided nation — Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was sworn in Wednesday as the 46th president of the United States, pledging to unite the country and confront an array of convulsing challenges dividing a fractured nation.
Discussion:
ABC News, Washington Examiner, The Hill, Vox, New York Times, New York Times, Politico, Foreign Policy, HotAir, The Guardian, The Independent, Chicago Sun-Times, CNBC and The Daily Caller
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Amanda Arnold / The Cut:
Our Vice-President Is a Black Woman
Our Vice-President Is a Black Woman
Discussion:
HuffPost, BuzzFeed News, Fox News, Bloomberg and KTLA
Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
Joe Biden's inauguration speech transcript
Joe Biden's inauguration speech transcript
Discussion:
The Hill, East Bay Times, Associated Press, USA Today, CNN, Vox, KFOR-TV, HotAir, UPROXX, americamagazine.org, The National Interest and NBC Boston
Quint Forgey / Politico:
Biden pledges to steady the nation: ‘My whole soul is in this’
Biden pledges to steady the nation: ‘My whole soul is in this’
Discussion:
Axios, ABC News, New York Times, Washington Examiner and Washington Post
Naomi Lim / Washington Examiner:
‘Democracy has prevailed’: Biden sworn in as 46th president
‘Democracy has prevailed’: Biden sworn in as 46th president
Discussion:
American Prospect, Associated Press, ABC News, Cyprus Mail and Tadias Magazine
NBC News:
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.
Discussion:
Media Matters for America and The Week
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Kevin Roose / New York Times:
QAnon believers struggle with inauguration. — Followers of QAnon, the pro-Trump conspiracy theory, have spent weeks anticipating that Wednesday would be the “Great Awakening” — a day, long foretold in QAnon prophecy, when top Democrats would be arrested for running a global sex trafficking ring …
Discussion:
HuffPost, The Daily Beast, Washington Post, Associated Press, Forbes and Raw Story
Andrew Restuccia / Wall Street Journal:
Trump Has Discussed Starting a New 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 …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Washington Post, The Guardian, Washington Times, The Daily Beast, Fox News, HotAir, Big League Politics, Sputnik News, Patterico's Pontifications, Raw Story, Talking Points Memo, Metro.co.uk, The Sun, HuffPost, TheBlaze, The Hill, Summit News, Mediaite, The National Pulse, UPROXX, Business Insider, Political Wire and The Daily Caller
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Anna Merlan / VICE:
Trump Fails to Ascend as God Emperor, Leaving Diehard Fans Adrift
Trump Fails to Ascend as God Emperor, Leaving Diehard Fans Adrift
Discussion:
Rolling Stone, Washington Times and Raw Story
HuffPost:
Feds Arrest Proud Boy Member Joe Biggs Over Capitol Riot — The right-wing media figure denied to FBI agents that he was involved in any planning for the attack on the Capitol, but admitted entering the building. — Federal authorities on Wednesday arrested Joe Bigs …
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Axios:
Off the rails: Inside Trump's campaign to coerce Pence into overturning the election — Beginning on election night 2020 and continuing through his final days in office, Donald Trump unraveled and dragged America with him, to the point that his followers sacked the U.S. Capitol with two weeks left in his term.
Discussion:
Politico, The Daily Beast, Fox News, Boston Herald, The Independent, Foreign Policy, Reuters and Raw Story
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Alayna Treene / Axios:
Trump departs on final Air Force One flight
Trump departs on final Air Force One flight
Discussion:
ABC News, Washington Post, Washington Examiner, Metro.co.uk, Deseret News, NBC News, Forbes, HuffPost, Washington Times, The Week, NPR, Breitbart and UPI
Asawin Suebsaeng / The Daily Beast:
Trump's Parting Words to U.S.: ‘Have a Nice Life. See You Soon’
Trump's Parting Words to U.S.: ‘Have a Nice Life. See You Soon’
Discussion:
CBS News, The Hill, Associated Press, ABC News, Variety, Al Jazeera, Washington Post, Common Dreams, The Independent, Reuters, Real America's Voice and Vox
Politico:
‘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 …
Discussion:
UPI, Defense One and Raw Story
Transition / President-Elect Joe Biden:
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 …
Discussion:
Fox News, KIFI-TV, Common Dreams, ACLU, The Texas Tribune, GovExec.com, Washington Examiner, CNN, Daily Kos, Sputnik News, Al Jazeera, Cyprus Mail, The Gateway Pundit, Axios and Complex
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Politico:
Biden plans executive action blitz for Day One
Biden plans executive action blitz for Day One
Discussion:
Washington Post, Bloomberg, CBS News, Axios, Business Insider, The Week, Vanity Fair, NPR, NBC News, The Colorado Sun, TheBlaze and The Daily Signal
Meridith McGraw / Politico:
Trump revokes rule preventing White House staff from lobbying
Trump revokes rule preventing White House staff from lobbying
Discussion:
Business Insider, Washington Post, Washington Examiner, CNN, The Federalist, The White House, Townhall, TheBlaze, WTOP, Common Dreams, Snopes.com and UPI
fmprc.gov.cn:
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 …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Axios, National Review, Forbes, Townhall, The Daily Caller, The Week, New York Post, Talking Points Memo and Raw Story
Andrew Stiles / Washington Free Beacon:
HISTORIC: Joe Biden to Be Sworn In on Jeffrey Epstein's Birthday — Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on Wednesday, bringing to a close one of the most successful administrations in American history. — In what may or may not be a coincidence …
Discussion:
Politico, Washington Examiner, Talking Points Memo, ABC News and No More Mister Nice Blog
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Erin Patterson / KUSA-TV:
‘We hope to work with you’: 17 House GOP freshmen write letter to Biden
‘We hope to work with you’: 17 House GOP freshmen write letter to Biden
Discussion:
Fox News, Associated Press, Breitbart, Vox and The Federalist
Dan Diamond / Washington Post:
Biden to ask Surgeon General Adams to resign — Ouster is regarded as a break with the Trump administration's covid-19 response, which the president-elect has called a failure — The Washington Post is providing this important information about the coronavirus for free.
Discussion:
Politico, Washington Examiner, Forbes, KIFI-TV, The Hill, POLITICUSUSA and The Week
Susan Ferrechio / Washington Examiner:
McCarthy urges Biden: ‘Pick up mantle’ from Trump successes — House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy called on President Biden to pick up on challenges “confronted” by his predecessor, now former President Donald Trump. — McCarthy, who has long supported Trump but blamed him in part …
Discussion:
Foreign Policy and Townhall
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Catherine Thorbecke / ABC News:
Powerful images symbolize an inauguration unlike any other
Powerful images symbolize an inauguration unlike any other
Discussion:
RedState, IJR and CBS Baltimore
Natasha Korecki / Politico:
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.
Discussion:
ABC News, Washington Monthly, The Rush Limbaugh Show, National Review, RedState and Power Line
The Daily Beast:
Trump Pardons Fox News Host's Ex-Husband With Minutes Left in Office — “I'm in shock. I went to bed last night having read the list assuming I wasn't getting a pardon,” Albert Pirro Jr., ex-husband of Judge Jeanine Pirro, told The Daily Beast. — President Trump had one last pardon …
Discussion:
Mediaite
Caroline Kelly / CNN:
Biden to rescind 1776 commission via executive order — (CNN)President-elect Joe Biden will issue an executive order to dissolve the 1776 commission, a panel stood up by President Donald Trump as a rebuttal to schools applying a more accurate history curriculum around slavery in the US, Biden's transition team announced Wednesday.
Discussion:
The Atlantic, TheBlaze, The Daily Caller, NBC News, New Republic, Center for Public Integrity and BuzzFeed News
Ben Makuch / VICE:
Far-Right Extremists Tell One Another to Stay Home, Fight Another Day — Troop deployments, FBI crackdowns, deplatforming, and infighting seem to have deterred a bigger turnout of the far right across the country. — TORONTO, CA — In the wake of the Capitol Hill riots …
Evie Fordham / Fox News:
Liz Cheney gets 2022 primary challenger after Trump impeachment vote — Wyoming state Sen. Anthony Bouchard throws his hat in the ring — Fox News Flash top headlines for January 20 — Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., one of the top Republicans in the House of Representatives …
Discussion:
The Hill, Washington Examiner, Forbes, Townhall, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, Breitbart, RedState and The Federalist
James Arkin / Politico:
Peters poised to lead Senate Democrats' campaign arm — A person close to the process emphasized that a final decision has not been made. — Sen. Gary Peters is a somewhat unconventional choice, coming off a challenging election. Tom Williams, Pool/Getty Images
Discussion:
Political Wire, Axios and HuffPost
Carol D. Leonnig / Washington Post:
Trump extended Secret Service protection for 13 members of his family as he left office — In the days before he left office, then-President Donald Trump instructed that his extended 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.