An inauguration like no other: Notable moments of a momentous day
By Devan Cole and Paul LeBlanc, CNN President Joe Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday looked a bit different from past ceremonies ushering in a new administration. The day’s historic events navigated heightened security measures in Washington, DC, Covid-19 precautions and the absence of the outgoing President, the first time that’s happened in more than a century and a half. Still, the unprecedented day closed with fireworks and messages of unity and hope. Here are the highlights from the inauguration of America’s 46th president: Trump leaves the White House Though former President Donald Trump did not attend Biden’s swearing-in ceremony,
Youth poet laureate crafting ‘message of joining together’ for inauguration
By Veronica Stracqualursi, CNN Amanda Gorman was about halfway through writing the poem that she’ll deliver at President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration next week when she watched in horror the deadly siege on the US Capitol. Typically, it takes the nation’s first-ever youth poet laureate days to craft a new poem. She finished this one immediately. “It was like someone pressed the on-switch in my brain,” Gorman told CNN Friday. “I finished the rest at home that night.” Come Wednesday, Gorman will participate in a ceremony whose theme has long been billed as a call to national unity — a plea
Kamala Harris becomes Vice President of the United States
Kamala D. Harris has taken the oath of office to become vice president of the United States, becoming the first woman and the first woman of color to hold the office.
Civil rights leaders hope Biden can heal the nation through action
By Nicquel Terry Ellis, CNN When President-elect Joe Biden delivers his inauguration speech Wednesday, civil rights leaders are hoping for more than just promises, but a plan of action for racial healing. Biden will be entering the presidency at a time when the nation is divided after White rioters stormed the US Capitol on Jan. 6 in their refusal to accept President Donald Trump’s loss, and Black Lives Matter protests last summer sparked a national reckoning on racism. The frustrations on both sides of this political divide have been exacerbated by a Covid-19 pandemic that has killed people of color
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will swear in three new Democratic senators
By Alex Rogers, CNN Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is expected to swear in three new, barrier-breaking Democratic senators on Wednesday afternoon after her own inauguration, officially giving Democrats control of the Senate for the first time since they lost the chamber in the 2014 elections. Earlier this month, Georgia elected two Democrats — the Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff — to the US Senate, flipping the chamber. Warnock, the senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, and Ossoff will be joined on Wednesday by Harris’ successor, Alex Padilla, the former California secretary of state appointed to the Senate
Clyburn: House may wait until after Biden’s first 100 days to send impeachment articles to Senate
By Devan Cole and Jeff Zeleny, CNN House Majority Whip James Clyburn on Sunday said House Democrats might wait until after President-elect Joe Biden’s first 100 days in office to send anyarticles of impeachment against President Donald Trump to the Senate, a move that would give the incoming President time to tackle his agenda in Congress before the start of a time-consuming trial. “We’ll take the vote that we should take in the House, and (House Speaker Nancy Pelosi) will make the determination as to when is the best time to get that vote and get the managers appointed and
A double standard? Floyd Protests verses the Capitol Riots
By Nicole Chavez, CNN As hundreds of supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol, breaking windows and wreaking havoc, politicians and activists were among the many who drew comparisons between the police response on Wednesday to that of last year’s Black Lives Matter protests. The death of George Floyd — a Black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck — in May of 2020 prompted hundreds of protests nationwide over the summer. In many cities, including the nation’s capital, police met protesters with tear gas, violence and arrests. However, Wednesday’s protests,
Warnock’s and Ossoff’s wins signal hope and real change for some Black residents in Georgia
By Nicquel Terry Ellis, CNN As a fellow Morehouse College graduate, Patrick Delisser feels inspired by Rev. Raphael Warnock’s historic Senate victory. Delisser, a 32-year-old urgent care doctor, said Warnock embodies the will of Black men and HBCU graduates to beat the odds. “This is an exciting time, this is monumental,” said Delisser, who is also Warnock’s Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity brother. “HBCUs put us in positions that people aren’t aware of, and Warnock shows people what we can achieve.” Delisser is among the Black Georgia voters celebrating Warnock and fellow Democrat Jon Ossoff flipping two Senate seats that will