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:
The Progressive Pulse, Axios, NBC News, Reuters, CNN, The Verge, Vox, New York Post, HuffPost, The Federalist, The Daily Beast, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, Breitbart, CNBC, Washington Times, Business Insider, Gothamist, The Gateway Pundit, The Independent, Florida Politics, Washingtonian, USA Today, The Colorado Sun, The Daily Caller, Daily Kos, iPolitics, Law & Crime, CBS Baltimore, Mashable, Mediaite, Metro.co.uk, Variety, Al Jazeera, Althouse, ProFootballTalk, UPI, Gizmodo, The Week, TechCrunch, CBS Detroit, KRON4, CBS Dallas / Fort Worth, The Wrap, Reason, HBCU Gameday, Bloomberg, TalkLeft, New York Times, CBS Chicago 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:
Mediaite, CNN, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, The Independent, Breitbart, The Week, The Guardian, Axios, Washington Times and The Wrap
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 — President Trump on Tuesday granted clemency to 143 people, using a final act of presidential power to extend mercy to former White House strategist Stephen K. Bannon, well-connected celebrities and nonviolent drug offenders …
Discussion:
Politico, Vanity Fair, Talking Points Memo, Outside the Beltway, Slate, STEPHANIE MILLER SHOW, ABC News and Common Dreams
New York Times:
With Hours Left in Office, Trump Grants Clemency to Bannon and Other Allies
With Hours Left in Office, Trump Grants Clemency to Bannon and Other Allies
Discussion:
Washington Post, Reuters, New York Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, TheBlaze, Japan Times, NBC News, Defense One, HuffPost, Raw Story, The Daily Caller, CBS Baltimore and Deseret News
NBC News:
Full list of Trump's last-minute pardons and commuted sentences
Full list of Trump's last-minute pardons and commuted sentences
Discussion:
Forbes, Crooks and Liars, Conservative News Today, Townhall and Deadline
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:
Vox, Washington Examiner, New York Times, New York Times, HotAir, The Guardian, The Independent, Chicago Sun-Times, CNBC, The Daily Caller and CBS Boston
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Amanda Arnold / The Cut:
Our Vice-President Is a Black Woman — For the first time in the history of the country, the vice president of the United States is a Black woman. Today, Kamala Harris was officially sworn in to occupy the nation's second-highest office, becoming the first woman, who is also Black and South Asian, to do so.
Discussion:
BuzzFeed News, Fox News and Bloomberg
Quint Forgey / Politico:
Biden pledges to steady the nation: ‘My whole soul is in this’ — Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on Wednesday, delivering an inaugural address that preached unity among fellow Americans as the answer to an unprecedented series of national crises.
Discussion:
New York Times, ABC News and Axios
Natasha Korecki / Politico:
Writing a speech for Biden can be hell. And that was before the inaugural.
Writing a speech for Biden can be hell. And that was before the inaugural.
Discussion:
National Review, RedState and Power Line
Brett Samuels / The Hill:
Biden sworn in as nation's 46th president
Biden sworn in as nation's 46th president
Discussion:
Florida Politics and The Gateway Pundit
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
Peter Baker / New York Times:
Inauguration Live Updates: Trump Leaves White House as Biden Prepares to Assume the Presidency
Inauguration Live Updates: Trump Leaves White House as Biden Prepares to Assume the Presidency
Discussion:
Vox, BuzzFeed News, STEPHANIE MILLER SHOW, Wall Street Journal, The Hill, ABC News, The Stranger, HotAir, Breitbart, GovExec.com, NBC News, Talking Points Memo and Denver Post
Allyson Waller / New York Times:
Joe Biden's Family Bible Has a Long History
Joe Biden's Family Bible Has a Long History
Discussion:
The Hill, NPR, The Daily Caller and Mercury News
ABC News:
Unity themes will get early tests in flurry of Biden actions: The Note
Unity themes will get early tests in flurry of Biden actions: The Note
Discussion:
Politico, Washington Examiner, Washington Post, Axios, Vox, National Review, Wired, The Dispatch, USA Today, NBC News, CBS News, WHYY, NPR, Poynter, New York Times, Balloon Juice, Crooks and Liars, Daily News, Washington Times and Political Wire
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, Fox News, HotAir, Patterico's Pontifications, Sputnik News, Big League Politics, Raw Story, Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, Metro.co.uk, HuffPost, TheBlaze, The Sun, Business Insider, Summit News, Washington Times, The Hill, UPROXX, Mediaite, The Daily Beast, The National Pulse and The Daily Caller
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Wall Street Journal:
Trump Faces Uncertain Future as He Leaves White House
Trump Faces Uncertain Future as He Leaves White House
Discussion:
Washington Post, Washington Examiner, Breitbart and HotAir
Blake Montgomery / The Daily Beast:
Trump Discussed Forming ‘Patriot Party’ and Ditching GOP in Final Days: WSJ
Trump Discussed Forming ‘Patriot Party’ and Ditching GOP in Final Days: WSJ
Discussion:
Florida Politics, Sputnik News and The Daily Beast
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, The Texas Tribune, GovExec.com, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Examiner, Daily Kos, Sputnik News, Al Jazeera, Cyprus Mail, Complex and Axios
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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 Examiner, Washington Post, Townhall, The White House, TheBlaze, Common Dreams, WTOP and UPI
Kate Bennett / CNN:
Melania Trump outsourced writing her own ‘thank you’ notes to the White House residence staff
Melania Trump outsourced writing her own ‘thank you’ notes to the White House residence staff
Discussion:
Fox News, Business Insider, Vanity Fair, The Independent, The Week, The Intellectualist, New York Times, Raw Story and Mediaite
Alayna Treene / Axios:
Trump departs on final Air Force One flight — President Trump and his family took off on Air Force One at 9 a.m. on Wednesday morning for the final time en route to Florida. — The big picture: Trump's final hours as president were punctuated by his decisions to snub his successor's inauguration …
Discussion:
ABC News, HuffPost, Washington Examiner, NPR, Metro.co.uk, Forbes, Washington Times, NBC News, The Week, Breitbart and UPI
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Asawin Suebsaeng / The Daily Beast:
Trump's Parting Words to U.S.: ‘Have a Nice Life. See You Soon’ — “We were not a regular administration,” Trump said. — Donald Trump is finally gone. For the time being, at least. — After a half-decade of dominating the news cycles and American and global politics …
Discussion:
CBS News, The Hill, Washington Post, Reuters, Associated Press, The Independent, Variety, ABC News, Al Jazeera, Common Dreams, Real America's Voice and Vox
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.
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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
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:
Washington Examiner, Forbes, The Hill, ABC7, KIFI-TV, POLITICUSUSA, The Week and CNN
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:
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, Vox, Breitbart, Associated Press and The Federalist
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:
Axios, Bloomberg, Townhall and Talking Points Memo
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 …
Susan B. Glasser / New Yorker:
Obituary for a Failed Presidency — One last Letter from Trump's Washington. — Susan B. Glasser's column will continue as Letter from Biden's Washington. Sign up for her newsletter to get her stories delivered to your in-box every week. — Precisely at noon on Wednesday …
Discussion:
The Nation, Bloomberg, Common Dreams, IJR, Power Line, Raw Story and Business Insider
Jim Small / Arizona Mirror:
Biggs and Gosar sought pardons for Capitol riot, but won't get them: report — Arizona Republican Congressmen Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar have asked President Donald Trump to preemptively pardon them for their roles in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, but the president has no plans to do so, CNN reported Tuesday.
Discussion:
Business Insider, Raw Story, NBC News, Conservative News Today, New York Times, The Stranger and Shadowproof
Politico:
‘Like a Ghost’ in the White House: The Last Days of the Trump Presidency — During his last days in the White House, Donald Trump spent a lot of time thinking about the one and only election he ever lost, plotting every way he could to try to change the results. — He thought about when to leave Washington.
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:
Defense One and Raw Story
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, NBC News, Center for Public Integrity, New Republic and BuzzFeed News
Adam Serwer / The Atlantic:
An Incompetent Authoritarian Is Still a Catastrophe — So what if he was bad at it? — The five years of the Trump era—which began with his descent down the gilded escalator in Trump Tower in 2015 and are ending with a massive military presence in the nation's capital to protect the transfer …