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| THE BIG STORY
President Biden’s first day in office
Shortly before Joe Biden was sworn in as president, Kamala Harris made history as the first woman to be vice president.
Then, in his inaugural address, President Biden pleaded with America. “Let’s end this uncivil war,” he urged. The speech emphasized themes of unity, while being very aware that he was speaking from the site of recent violence.
Biden told Americans that “we have much to do in this winter of peril and significant possibilities, much to repair, much to restore, much to heal, much to build, and much to gain.”
The purpose of the speech was clear: to calm tensions, set a hopeful tone, and convince Americans that some kind of unity is possible, despite the Capitol attack and the years of division and hate groups incited by his predecessor. Here’s the full text of the speech.
Then… Biden got to work.
After taking the oath of office, Biden signed a number of executive orders to undo a number Donald Trump’s policies.
👉 Biden directed the US to rejoin the Paris climate agreement. This means the US will officially return to the commitment of limiting warming below 2 degrees Celsius.
👉 The president repealed Trump’s travel bans, and wants to undo the “harm” they’ve caused.
👉 The Biden administration immediately rescinded a Trump executive order that made nearly every undocumented immigrant a priority for arrest.
👉 Biden also ordered a 100-day pause on many deportations. It’s a monumental shift to the Department of Homeland Security’s approach to immigration enforcement.
Vibe shift: Biden swore in hundreds of appointees on a Zoom call with a big warning — the president told the appointees that if he sees or hears them being disrespectful to their colleagues, he'll fire them on the spot.
What’s next?
The president’s day 2 executive orders will make the federal government finally take responsibility for COVID-19. The orders are designed to give the government a greater role in ending the pandemic. President Joe Biden delivers his inaugural address at the US Capitol on Jan. 20. Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images STAYING ON TOP OF THIS
Highlights from Joe Biden’s Inauguration
The inauguration itself is a big spectacle that generates a lot of buzz. Biden’s day may have been scaled down, but there were still plenty of big moments:
➡️ Eugene Goodman, the heroic officer who defended the Capitol from a violent mob, escorted Vice President Kamala Harris.
➡️ Amanda Gorman made her mark as the youngest inaugural poet in history, and won everyone over with her powerful poem. Here’s the poem in its entirety.
➡️ Lady Gaga performed the national anthem, and inspired extraordinary memes. Somehow, Jennifer Lopez worked “Let’s Get Loud” into her performance.
➡️ Kamala Harris and Michelle Obama fist-bumped, and the subtle moment was a highlight for a lot of people.
Rob Carr / Getty Images SNAPSHOTS
People are sharing photos of the Black women and girls in their lives watching Kamala Harris become VP. The photos are so lovely and emotional.
Mitch McConnell no longer controls the Senate after Georgia’s Democratic Senators were sworn in. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock officially give Democrats tiebreaking power in the Senate. Sen. Alex Padilla was also sworn in to Vice President Kamala Harris’s seat.
The first White House briefing of the Biden presidency was extremely mild. White House press secretary Jen Psaki's first briefing was respectful, thorough, and relatively newsless. So: the opposite of Trump-era briefings.
Carole Baskin is thrilled Joe Exotic didn’t get a Trump pardon. Joe Exotic’s lawyers were so confident he would be on Trump's pardon list they even hired a limo to pick him up from prison in Texas. THEN NOTHING HAPPENED
QAnon faithful believed Biden would never be president. Now they’re shocked, heartbroken, and angry.
People who are entangled in the QAnon mass delusion were anticipating that Biden’s inauguration would bring the military arrest of the new president and his Democratic co-conspirators, sweeping Donald Trump back into power. Finally, the plan was coming to fruition.
In message boards, they shared their excitement. Some talked about being up all night because they were too excited to fall asleep. “President Trump would never quit and abandon us to a commie administration. Not gonna happen,” wrote one person.
But as Biden was sworn in, and not arrested, the mood on QAnon message boards changed to anger and despair. “There isn’t a word to describe the depression and disappointment I feel right now,” wrote one person.
Some said they will continue believing in Q because they don’t know what else to do. Read Paul McLeod’s roundup of the QAnon universe’s reaction to the inauguration. BERNIE IS ONCE AGAIN TRENDING
Bernie Sanders became a meme because he came to the inauguration dressed so practically
Ok, yes, the outfits at the inauguration were excellent. But there was one outfit that became immediately iconic, capturing the hearts of the internet.
Sen. Bernie Sanders showed up dressed down and extremely mindful of the freezing weather. He wore a winter coat and signature wool Vermont mittens — and came carrying a manila folder?
People joked that he had errands to run after, and was just waiting for this whole hoopla to be over. The memes, the memes!! So good! Wishing you a morning full of accomplishment and hope, Elamin P.S. If you like this newsletter, help keep our reporting free for all. Support BuzzFeed News by becoming a member here. (Monthly memberships are available worldwide). 📝 This letter was edited and brought to you by Brandon Hardin and BuzzFeed News. You can always reach us here. Show privacy notice and cookie policy.
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