DailyWorld News - The First International Newspaper From India https://dailyworld.in/ Mon, 07 Sep 2026 15:30:04 +0530 en https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/democrats-fight-off-challenge-to-trump-trial-may-lack-votes-to-convict-98289.html By Arul Louis New York Jan 27 Five Republicans joined Democrats to fight off a challenge to the impeachment trial of former US President Donald Trump voting down a fellowRepublicans attempt to block it but the vote also showed that the attempt to convict him could fail The Senate voted 55 to 45 on Tuesday in the body evenly divided between the parties to quash the attempt to stop Trumps second impeachment trial on constitutional grounds Even though the vote was successful it was 12 short of the 67 votes the twothirds majority showing that Democrats may not have the votes they would need to eventually convict Trump That will make the trial set to begin in the week of February 8 a symbolic attempt at punishing Trump for the riot by his supporters rather than convict and ban him from ever running for office as the Democrats want Trump was acquitted at his trial last year because the Democrats couldnt get the twothirds majority The impeachment a charge sheet for a judicialstyle trial by the Senate that was voted by the House of Representatives accuses Trump of inciting an insurrection when he spoke at a rally of his supporters before a section of them stormed the Capitol on January 6 while Congress was ratifying the electoral college votes electing Joe Biden as president Republican Senator Rand Paul who mounted the challenge asserted that under the constitution only a person holding an office could be impeached and since Trump was now a private citizen he couldnt be Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer a Democrat dismissed his argument asserting that constitutional text precedent and basic common sense dictate the trial is legal Paul said that the impeachment was dead on arrival because even though his attempt was defeated the Democrats could muster only a simple majority and not twothirds Speaking to reporters he ruled out any more Republicans switching sides asking If you voted that it was unconstitutional how in the world would you ever vote to convict somebody for this Reflecting the polarisation in the nation Paul in the Senate called the Democrats angry unhinged partisans deranged One of the five Republicans who voted with the Democrats was a former presidential candidate Mitt Romney with whom Trump had tangled often and insulted If the vote to dismiss Pauls challenge had been strictly along party lines at 5050 Vice President Kamala Harris who is also the president of the Senate would have had to come in to cast the tiebreaking vote President Pro Tempore of the Senate Patrick Leahy who has been presiding over the impeachment trial took ill later in the evening and was hospitalised The 80yearold has been in the Senate for 46 years making him the longestserving Democrat Since Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts declined to preside over the Senate trial as he had at the first impeachment of Trump last year Leahy was tapped for the job Earlier on Tuesday the senators were sworn in as jurors for the trial of Trump and summons were formally made for Trump The nearly twoweek period before the trial resumes gives Trump time to prepare his defence and for the Senate to continue with the confirmation of Bidens top officials Arul Louis can be reached at arulliansin and followed on Twitter at arulouis IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/democrats-fight-off-challenge-to-trump-trial-may-lack-votes-to-convict-98289.html Wed, 27 Jan 2021 17:05:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/trump-worst-president-ever-banner-flown-near-mar-a-lago-97877.html Miami Jan 25 A banner with with the words Trump worst President ever was reportedly flown by a plane near the former US leaders MaraLago resort in Florida according to a media report A Twitter user uploaded a video on Sunday in which the banner can be seen trailing behind a plane the New York Daily News report said The user posted another picture in which a separate banner is seen with the word Trump you pathetic loser go back to Moscow the report added Donald Trumps tumultuous four year in office came to an end on January 20 when Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the US Trump and former First Lady Melania Trump did not attend the ceremony and instead flew to Miami IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/trump-worst-president-ever-banner-flown-near-mar-a-lago-97877.html Tue, 26 Jan 2021 03:25:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/see-you-at-your-trial-big-decision-looms-for-kamala-harris-on-trump-impeachment-trial-97666.html By Nikhila Natarajan New York Jan 25 Impeachment politics is moving fast Americas political pundits are all over the map on whether US Vice President Kamala Harris should should not or could preside over the impeachment trial of former US president Donald Trump who is currently in Florida licking his wounds and lawyering up The Constitution is clear that the US chief justice must preside over the impeachment trial of a president But when it comes to the trial of an expresident the answers are split wide open If Roberts does recuse himself it will be up to Harris to make the decision The sitting Vice President presides over the Senate Harris became Vice President after shuttering her own presidential campaign She is likely to run for the White House in 2024 Would this not be a conflict of interest for this potential candidate to preside over a trial whose critical function is to bar a past president from running again Alan Dershowitz professor emeritus at Harvard Law School and former Trump impeachment lawyer writes in The Hill Trump has been impeached by the House on a single charge of inciting an insurrection on January 6 the day the US Congress gathered at the Capitol to certify Bidens election Opening arguments in Trumps Senate impeachment trial will begin the week of February 8 Back in December 2019 Kamala Harris had tweeted Dont worry Mr President Ill see you at your trial in response to a Trump tweet after her presidential campaign folded up Turns out that exact decision is now looming in front of Vice President Harris not Senator Harris who sent that tweet flying We have still not heard from chief justice Roberts the issue is without precedent and law professors are all in on it Broadly there are three choices Justice Roberts or Kamala Harris or Senator Patrick Leahy a Democrat from Vermont who is the Senates president pro tem Law experts explain that the main reason the Constitution specifies the chief justice run a sitting Presidents trial is because the person who presides over the Senate is the vice president who would take over the presidency if the president is convicted But in this case since Trump is out of office Harris and Biden stay put The Senate Impeachment Court of Vice President Harris screams a headline in National Review There Andrew McCarthy writes Unlike an incumbent Presidents impeachment trial a Senate trial of former President Trump would present no conflict of interest for the current vice president Trump is out of office Were he convicted it would have no effect on Vice President Kamala Harris President Biden would remain president John Roberts shouldnt preside over impeachment trial Nor should Kamala Harris runs an opinion column headline in The Boston Globe Bruce Ackerman law professor at Yale explains that in contrast to Roberts Harris has gained her position as a result of the very election that Trump is condemning as rigged referring to the November 2020 election that Biden won It would be even more inappropriate for the evidence submitted by Trumps lawyers to be judged by a triumphant member of the Biden team Whenever she disqualified their socalled evidence as factfree it will become that much harder for Biden to succeed in bringing all Americans together said Ackerman in the context of Bidens messaging on unity at a time of multiple crises The White House has punted on the question of the trials mechanics insisting that the star cast can walk and chew gum at the same time and can move forward with the business of the American people Harris told NPR with a laugh We know how to multitask Theres a reason that word exists in the English language Nikhila Natarajan can be reached at nikhilanatarajangmailcom IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/see-you-at-your-trial-big-decision-looms-for-kamala-harris-on-trump-impeachment-trial-97666.html Mon, 25 Jan 2021 13:27:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/former-nikki-haley-lawyer-to-defend-donald-trump-in-impeachment-trial-97667.html By Nikhila Natarajan New York Jan 25 A lawyer who helped clear Indian American Republican politician Nikki Haley of ethics charges nearly a decade ago is the man in charge of defending Donald Trump in his upcoming Senate impeachment trial With talk of a possible Nikki Haley Kamala Harris contest in 2024 already swirling the latest developments offer an interesting wrinkle Both Haley and Harris are Indian American and their political aspirations are no secret Harris settled into VP mode after shutting down her 2020 presidential campaign Haley did not run in 2020 but is very much in the mix for 2024 Back in 2012 Butch Bowers represented thenGovernor Nikki Haley in an ethics hearing over allegations that she engaged in illegal lobbying on behalf of her employers while she was a state representative Haley was cleared of wrongdoing Bowers is a South Carolina elections and ethics lawyer and he now plunges into the defence of Trump in an impeachment trial based on a single article incitement of insurrection The accusations revolve around how Trump incited a mob of thousands of his supporters to storm the US Capitol on January 6 Trumps first impeachment trial in 2020 starred Alan Dershowitz Jay Sekulow and Kenneth Starr Trumps usual legal allies have passed on Round Two Without the trappings of power Trumps 2021 legal arsenal is looking starkly different Trump is the only President in Americas history to be impeached twice If convicted he could be barred from holding public office again dashing his hopes of a 2024 run Opening arguments in Trumps Senate impeachment trial begin the week of February 8 Nikhila Natarajan can be reached at nikhilanatarajangmailcom IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/former-nikki-haley-lawyer-to-defend-donald-trump-in-impeachment-trial-97667.html Mon, 25 Jan 2021 13:39:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/moon-rock-now-on-display-in-oval-office-of-white-house-97030.html Washington Jan 22 NASA has loaned a Moon rock for display in the Oval Office of the White House at the request of the Joe Biden administration The Moon rock now sits in the Oval Office in symbolic recognition of earlier generations ambitions and accomplishments and support for Americas current Moon to Mars exploration approach The Lunar Sample 76015143 is from the Lunar Sample Laboratory Facility at NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston the US space agency said on Thursday Apollo 17 astronaut Ronald Evans and moonwalkers Harrison Schmitt and Eugene Cernan the last humans to set foot on the Moon chipped this sample from a large boulder at the base of the North Massif in the TaurusLittrow Valley 3km from the Lunar Module according to the inscription on the display case This 332 gram piece of the Moon which was collected in 1972 is a 39billionyearold sample formed during the last large impact event on the nearside of the Moon the Imbrium Impact Basin which is 1145 km in diameter NASA plans to land the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024 NASA chief Jim Bridenstine officially stepped down from his role as the administrator of the US space agency as Biden took the presidents office President Biden is expected to pick a woman to fill the NASA administrator role which has only been occupied by men since the agencys founding in 1958 Biden was swornin as President and Kamala Harris as Vice President of the US on Wednesday IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/moon-rock-now-on-display-in-oval-office-of-white-house-97030.html Sat, 23 Jan 2021 01:35:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/us-house-to-deliver-trump-impeachment-to-senate-on-jan-25-97071.html Washington Jan 23 US Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer said on Friday that the House will deliver the impeachment article against former President Donald Trump to the upper chamber on Monday January 25 triggering preparations for a trial that could start as early as next week Make no mistake a trial will be held in the United States Senate and there will be a vote whether to convict the President Ive spoken to Speaker Pelosi who informed me that the articles will be delivered to the Senate on Monday Schumer said from the Senate floor It will be a full trial Schumer said Mitch McConnell the Senate Republican leader proposed on Thursday that Trumps impeachment trial be delayed until midFebruary so as to give him enough time to prepare a defence the Xinhua news agency reported Schumers announcement puts a new deadline for the Senate leaders to reach a stalled agreement over the Senates powersharing as the impeachment logistics are part of a broader negotiation including topics like the filibuster said a report Schumer said on Friday that McConnells insistence the Senates organising resolution include a provision protecting the filibuster was unacceptable and it wont be accepted Earlier this month McConnell told Republican senators that under the Senates impeachment rules a trial is required to begin the day after the House managers present the articles of impeachment to the upper chamber The Democratscontrolled House voted to impeach Trump over incitement of insurrection in a 232197 vote on January 13 making him the first President to be impeached twice The impeachment resolution cited Trumps speech to supporters on January 6 that was followed by some of the crowd breaching the Capitol building to interrupt Congress certification of the 2020 election results as evidence of his incitement of insurrection IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/us-house-to-deliver-trump-impeachment-to-senate-on-jan-25-97071.html Sat, 23 Jan 2021 07:11:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/us-senate-panel-okays-yellens-nomination-as-treasury-secy-97073.html Washington Jan 23 The US Senate Finance Committee on Friday unanimously approved President Joe Bidens nomination of former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen to be the next US Treasury Secretary The Senate panel approved Yellens nomination by a vote of 260 sending it to the full Senate for final confirmation the Xinhua news agency reported I hope that President Biden realises that the treatment of Dr Yellens nomination in this Committee signals interest by me and my Republican colleagues in working cooperatively and in a bipartisan way Chuck Grassley an Iowa Republican and chairman of the Senate Finance Committee said We want to work on policy issues to help all Americans and are not interested in cancerous culture wars that serve only to divide the country Grassley said Yellen a 74yearold wellregarded economist is not expected to face any serious opposition from US senators As I noted earlier her nomination triggered the most favourable reaction to any I can remember economists politicians and market participants Mohamed A ElErian Chief Economic Advisor at Allianz tweeted on Friday At a confirmation hearing on Tuesday Yellen urged US Congress to act big with a new Covid19 relief package as the economic recovery is losing momentum amid surging coronavirus cases Economists dont always agree but I think there is a consensus now Without further action we risk a longer more painful recession now and longterm scarring of the economy later Yellen said Biden last week unveiled a 19 trillion Covid19 relief proposal which draws opposition from a growing number of congressional Republicans Its unclear whether the Biden administration would secure enough votes for a new massive relief package If confirmed by the full Senate Yellen would be the first woman to serve as US Treasury Secretary in the departments 231 years of history She would also be the first person to have served as Treasury Secretary chair of the Council of Economic Advisors and chair of the Federal Reserve IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/us-senate-panel-okays-yellens-nomination-as-treasury-secy-97073.html Sat, 23 Jan 2021 07:33:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/trumps-second-impeachment-trial-to-start-in-february-97082.html By Arul Louis New York Jan 23 The second impeachment trial of former US President Donald Trump will begin in the second week of February although the process for it will start next week when the document with the charges will be received by the Senate and the Senators will be sworn in as jurors Senate Democratic Party Leader Chuck Schumer announced the schedule on Friday night after he reached a deal with the Republicans who wanted a twoweek delay in starting the trial to give Trump to prepare his defence He said that Speaker Nancy Pelosi will deliver the Articles of Impeachment as the chargesheet voted by the House of Representatives is known to the Senate on Monday and the Senators will be swornin as jurors the next day but the trial itself will not start till two weeks later Make no mistake a trial will be held in the US Senate and there will be a vote whether to convict the President Schumer said Impeachment is the framing of charges against an official by the House which then holds a judicialstyle trial with senators as the jury Twothirds of them 67 members in the 100member Senate will have to vote to convict Last year the Senate could not convict him at his first impeachment Trump has been accused of inciting an insurrection the January 6 storming of the Capitol building while Congress was in the middle of counting the electoral college votes from the November 3 2020 election and ratifying the election of Joe Biden as President and Kamala Harris as Vice President The delay in starting the trial also helps Biden who wants his cabinet and other senior officials confirmed by the Senate and move forward his agenda to deal with the Covid19 crisis and its economic fallout The more time we have to get up and running to meet these crises the better he said Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell who made the deal for the delayed start of the trial said that the impeachment was carried out in a fast and minimal process in the House The sequel cannot be an insufficient senate process that denies former President Trump his due process or damages the Senate or the presidency itself By agreeing to the delay Schumer has undercut this argument and shortcircuited an excuse that some Republicans may want to use The Senate is divided equally with each party having 50 members and the Democrats will have to get 17 Republicans to defect on the issue to get the twothirds majority to convict Trump McConnell and some Republicans have blamed Trump for the riot which left five people dead including a police officer McConnell said in the Senate on Tuesday that they were provoked by the president and other powerful people and they tried to use fear and violence to stop a function of the Congress But he has not indicated how he would vote on the impeachment There have also been questions whether a president who is out of office could be impeached Schumer said Ive heard some of my Republican colleagues argue that his trial would be unconstitutional because Donald Trump is no longer in office The argument has been roundly repudiated debunked by hundreds of constitutional scholars left right and centre and defies basic common sense It makes no sense whatsoever that a predator could commit a heinous crime against our country and then be permitted to resign so as to avoid accountability and a vote to disbar them from future office Trumps famous last words before boarding the Air Force One for the final flight to Florida was we will be back in some form The aim of the impeachment would be to block Trump from running for office again Arul Louis can be reached at arulliansin and followed on Twitter at arulouis IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/trumps-second-impeachment-trial-to-start-in-february-97082.html Sat, 23 Jan 2021 08:49:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/biden-signs-executive-orders-to-expand-food-stamps-up-federal-pay-97085.html Washington Jan 23 US President Joe Biden has signed two executive orders one to expand food assistance to lowincome Americans and the other to raise minimum wage to 15 for federal employees We need to tackle the growing hunger crisis in American Xinhua news agency quoted Biden as saying before signing the orders on Friday He noted that one in seven households in America more than one in five Black and Latino households in America report they do not have enough food to eat That includes 30 million adults and as many as 12 million children the President continued With the signing of one of the executive orders the Department of Agriculture will consider taking immediate steps to make it easier for the hardest hit families to enrol and claim more generous benefits in the critical food and nutrition assistance areas he said The order would also increase PandemicEBT an electronic debit card program for students who would have qualified for free or reducedprice meals at school The second order Biden signed is to improve collecting bargaining power and protections for federal workers and direct the Office of Personnel Management to develop recommendations to increase the minimum wage for federal employees to 15 per hour Biden also highlighted the need for the Congress to roll out more sweeping aid saying that the 19 trillion American Rescue Plan he proposed last week has gained support from bipartisan economists and Wall Street analysts The package includes over 400 billion to combat the pandemic directly such as more funding for testing and vaccine distribution roughly 1 trillion in direct relief to households and over 400 billion for hardhit small businesses and communities We cannot will not let people go hungry We cannot let people get evicted because of nothing they did themselves We cannot watch people lose their jobs We have to act Biden said We must act decisively and boldly to grow the economy The bottom line is this were in a national emergency Weve got to act like were in a national emergency he added IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/biden-signs-executive-orders-to-expand-food-stamps-up-federal-pay-97085.html Sat, 23 Jan 2021 09:21:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/biden-vows-to-work-with-canada-during-call-with-trudeau-97089.html WashingtonOttawa Jan 23 In his first phone call with a foreign leader since he became the 46th US President Joe Biden has pledged to work with Canada while speaking with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Taking to Twitter after the call on Friday Trudeau said When it comes to ending the pandemic growing the middle class fighting climate change and creating good jobs for people on both sides of the border POTUS JoeBiden and I know theres a lot of work to do together and no time to waste On our call today we spoke about these and other issues and agreed to work shoulder to shoulder to address them I also congratulated POTUS JoeBiden on his inauguration Talk again soon Joe Speaking to CBC News a senior Canadian government official said that the conversation between the two leaders during the 30minute phone call was warm friendly and collegial Many of the priorities are aligned Hes Biden got a good rapport with us and wants to work with us as we do with him the official said According to a statement issued by Trudeaus Office the President and the Prime Ministers discussion included wide ranging topics like the response against the raging Covid19 pandemic economic recovery climate change continental security working with Indigenous peoples and international relations Biden and Trudeau have also agreed to meet next month the statement said without providing other details like the date and venue The phone call took place two days after Biden signed an executive order to revoke the existing presidential permit for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline project which would carry oil from Canada to the American Gulf Coast In response Trudeau had said that we are disappointed but acknowledge the Presidents decision to fulfil his election campaign promise on Keystone XL The senior government official told CBC News that during Fridays call Biden acknowledged the hardship the decision would create in Canada but defended his decision by saying he was making good on a campaign promise and restoring a decision made by the former Barack Obama administration According to the statement two leaders also discussed another potential area of conflict the Presidents commitment to including Buy American provisions that privilege American companies in future infrastructure spending plans Reflecting on the extraordinary and deeply interconnected economic relationship between the two countries and with a view to promoting and protecting it the Prime Minister and President agreed to consult closely to avoid measures that may constrain bilateral trade supply chains and economic growth it added IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/biden-vows-to-work-with-canada-during-call-with-trudeau-97089.html Sat, 23 Jan 2021 09:50:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/now-us-democrats-go-after-facebook-twitter-youtube-96918.html San Francisco Jan 22 In a bid to combat the spread of misinformation in the wake of January 6 Capitol Hill riots several Democratic lawmakers have sent letters to Facebook Twitter and YouTube directing them to make sweeping changes to stop the radicalisation of their platforms Only hours after gaining full control of Congress Representatives Anna Eshoo California and Tom Malinowski New Jersey along with several other members sent out letters to the CEOs of the three tech giants The horrific damage to our democracy wrought on January 6 demonstrated how these social media platforms played a role in radicalising and emboldening terrorists to attack our Capitol Eshoo said in a statement on Thursday These American companies must fundamentally rethink algorithmic systems that are at odds with democracy According to The Verge Facebook and YouTube declined to comment and a Twitter spokesperson said they had received the letter and planned to respond The lawmakers accused the companies of using certain product features and algorithms that boost content that evokes extreme emotions as a means of increasing engagement pointing out specific features they want to see changed on each platform House Oversight Chair Carolyn Maloney has also called on FBI Director Chris Wray to open a probe into Parler a conservative platform now banned on various platforms following the proCapitol attack I am going to get to the bottom of who owns and funds social media platforms like Parler that condone and create violence Maloney told the Washington Post Last week Googleowned YouTube which is yet to permanently ban former President Donald Trump removed a new video from his account for violating the content policies YouTube has also indefinitely disabled comments on Trumps videos due to ongoing concerns about violence Twitter has banned Trump from its platform citing risk of further incitement of violence Facebook initially prevented Trump from posting to Facebook and Instagram for 24 hours before CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced to indefinitely suspend his account till January 20 which is still on IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/now-us-democrats-go-after-facebook-twitter-youtube-96918.html Fri, 22 Jan 2021 16:53:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/trump-leaves-washington-anti-climactically-as-not-regular-administration-ends-96743.html By Arul Louis New York Jan 20 Uttering what could be the epitaph for his years in the White House We were not a regular administration President Donald Trump left Washington on Wednesday to face an abyss of uncertainty His departure was anticlimactic after some media and pundits speculated that he would not leave the citadel of American power and would have to be forced out He ultimately accepted the results of the November election after questioning it even two weeks ago Hours before his term ends Trump left the White House on the presidential helicopter Marine One to nearby Joint Base Andrews to board Air Force One jumbo jet for the last time as President and head to Florida his new home He has an impeachment hanging over him for his alleged role in instigating an insurrection when his supporters attacked Congress on January 6 Trump is boycotting the inauguration of Presidentelect Joe Biden in a break with about 150 years of tradition I wish the new administration great luck and great success I think theyll have great success They have the foundation to do something really spectacular he said before boarding the plane He repeated his campaign line sarcastically I hope they dont raise your taxes Trump said in one of his only references to Biden But if you do I told you so However he is reported to have followed the tradition of presidents leaving a secret letter for their successors Trump who had been a resident of New York City a bastion of the Democratic Party has shifted his residence to Florida a Republicanfriendly state and will stay at his estate in MaraLago He left a Washington that was turned into an armed camp after the January 6 attack on Congress as it prepared for the swearingin of Biden and Kamala Harris as Vice President For the riot the House of Representatives has impeached him voted a charge sheet for a judicialstyle trial by the Senate Arul Louis can be reached at arulliansin and followed on Twitter at arulouis IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/trump-leaves-washington-anti-climactically-as-not-regular-administration-ends-96743.html Fri, 22 Jan 2021 00:27:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/your-time-obama-congratulates-biden-96744.html Washington Jan 20 Former US President Barack Obama on Wednesday congratulated his former deputy Joe Biden who is also set to take over the top post in a few hours Congratulations to my friend President JoeBiden This is your time Obama tweeted attaching a photo of them walking out of the Oval Office together Obama will join former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W Bush at Bidens inauguration while outgoing President Donald Trump has already left Washington this morning IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/your-time-obama-congratulates-biden-96744.html Fri, 22 Jan 2021 00:34:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/bidens-top-congress-leaders-attend-mass-ahead-of-inauguration-96749.html Washington Jan 20 Joe Biden who will become the second Catholic to be the US President after John F Kennedy attended mass at the Cathedral of St Matthew the Apostle on Wednesday ahead of his inauguration In a show of unity the Bidens and Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff were joined by Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell House of Representatives Republican leader Kevin McCarthy as well a Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democrat leader Chuck Schumer Through all the activity of this wonderful day we quiet ourselves and ground ourselves the priest said at the Mass IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/bidens-top-congress-leaders-attend-mass-ahead-of-inauguration-96749.html Fri, 22 Jan 2021 01:05:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/kamala-harris-chooses-royal-blue-outfit-by-black-designers-96753.html By Nikhila Natarajan New York Jan 20 Kamala Harris has chosen to wear an azure and navy blue outfit designed by African American designers for her historic inauguration as the countrys first woman Vice President Harris is wearing Christopher John Rogers and Sergio Hudson according to chatter filtering from her aides Rogers a New York City resident is a young Black designer from Baton Rouge Sergio is Black designer from South Carolina Two hours after Donald Trump lifted off from the lawns of White House the world got its first look at Americas new political leadership in a single frame at the US Capitol the location of the inauguration ceremony Joe Biden and his wife Jill and Vice Presidentelect Kamala Harris and her husband Douglas Emhoff arrived at the complex about 90 minutes before the noon swearingin ceremony Incoming First Lady Jill Biden is dressed in shades of olympic and sapphire blue Bidens motorcade wound its way through deserted Washington streets to reach the Capitol after a morning church service at the Cathedral of St Matthew the Apostle About 25000 National Guard members are guarding every aspect of Inauguration Day Security has been stepped up to unprecedented levels for this event which has been foreshadowed by a violent storming of the US Capitol by Trump supporters on January 6 IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/kamala-harris-chooses-royal-blue-outfit-by-black-designers-96753.html Fri, 22 Jan 2021 01:39:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/gaga-j-lo-springsteen-hollywood-royalty-in-full-force-at-biden-harris-inauguration-96531.html By Nikhila Natarajan New York Jan 20 Hollywood Alisters missing from Donald Trumps entry to the White House four years ago are all in for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris The whos who of live entertainment has descended on Fortress Washington taking forward a tradition that began in the 1940s and repurposing it for global audiences online in the middle of the coronavirus pandemics winter surge in the US Lady Gaga will be singing the national anthem on Wednesday on the West Front of the Capitol where exactly a fortnight ago a violent proTrump mob stormed the building in a stunning bid overturn the election results Jennifer Lopez and Garth Brooks will also headline the musical elements of a historic afternoon The evening features Tom Hanks hosting a special 90 minute prime time programme Celebrating America which takes the place of the official inaugural balls and mixes in stories of ordinary Americans going about their lives during a pandemic After opening remarks from Biden and Harris the spotlight shifts to Ant Clemons Jon Bon Jovi Foo Fighters John Legend Eva Longoria Demi Lovato Bruce Springsteen Justin Timberlake and Kerry Washington It wont be all music though Hosts Kerry Washington and Eva Longoria will be joined by basketball legend Kareem AbdulJabbar celebrity chef Jose Andres also a close friend of Kamala Harris and Kim Ng the first female general manager in Major League Baseball history The backdrop for the celebrations will be like no other in the countrys inauguration history Washington DC looks like an armed encampment more than 25000 troops are on the ready tanks and prefabricated concrete blocks provide extra security and wire mesh fencing and barbed wire is everywhere IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/gaga-j-lo-springsteen-hollywood-royalty-in-full-force-at-biden-harris-inauguration-96531.html Thu, 21 Jan 2021 09:38:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/trump-who-joe-biden-and-kamala-harris-inauguration-day-highlights-96540.html Washington President Joe Biden signs three documents including an inauguration declaration cabinet nominations and subcabinet nominations in the Presidents Room at the US Capitol after the inauguration ceremony Wednesday Jan 20 2021 at the US Capitol in Washington Vice President Kamala Harris watches at right PTI By Nikhila Natarajan New York Jan 21 In the span of about about 120 minutes between the hours of 1030 am and 1230 pm on Wednesday the rituals of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris inauguration and the smiles all around even among Bidens opponents marked a remarkable shift for American politics Hours earlier Donald Trump left the White House four years after his American carnage speech and by noon it was a return to traditions smashed by Trumpism Taken together Lady Gagas rendition of the national anthem via a golden mic and Jennifer Lopezs medley of This Land is Your Land and America the Beautiful spoke to a very unTrumpian vision of America barely two weeks after white supremacists stormed the US Capitol Trump critics and supporters milled around exchanging fist bumps and smiles from behind their masks Mike Pence was seated next to Kamala Harris and seemed very much at home in a crowd that seemed relieved about putting the violent insurrection of January 6 behind Garth Brooks who sang Amazing Grace at the ceremony asked the small crowd in front of him to sing along As faint voices lifted into the cold winter air you could sense something was changing in Washington We saw it too when leaders of the Congress escorted the new president and vice president around the halls of Congress stopping at artefacts of interest or consequence extending the small and big courtesies that transfer of power has come to symbolize Barack Obama gave Biden and Harris fistbumps before their big moments today young poet Amanda Gorman stunned the audience with powerful imagery inspired by Hamilton scripture Kennedy and Martin Luther King Obamas Amen at the end of Brooks rendition of Amazing Grace was heard above the ambient noise Pence shook hands with plenty of Democrats including Hillary Clinton The Black police officer who diverted the proTrump mob away to give Senators time to find safe spaces during the insurrection on January 6 escorted Harris as she walked into the Capitol Building At 1236 came Bidens first POTUS tweet 12 days after Trump was banned from the same platform and the split screen was complete There is no time to waste when it comes to tackling the crises we face Thats why today I am heading to the Oval Office to get right to work delivering bold action and immediate relief for American families IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/trump-who-joe-biden-and-kamala-harris-inauguration-day-highlights-96540.html Thu, 21 Jan 2021 10:27:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/harris-biden-take-over-leadership-of-fractured-us-with-call-for-unity-96548.html ARLINGTON President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala salute at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington Va Wednesday Jan 21 2021 PTI By Arul Louis New York Jan 21 Kamala Devi Harris made history at the stroke of noon on Wednesday becoming the first vice president of Indian descent and Joseph Robinette Biden made a call for unity as he became president of a nation in the throes of a devastating Covid19 pandemic and the raging fire of national division The daughter of Shyamala Gopalan became the first Indian American the first woman and the first African American vice president putting her a heartbeat away from the presidency Biden declared after being swearingin Democracy has prevailed And to the world he said We will engage with the world again we will not lead merely by the example of our power but by the power of our example Symbolically Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor the first Latina to serve on the court gave her the oath of office before Biden Her husband Doug Emhoff held two bibles on which she swore one of them that belonged to Regina Helton whom she has called her second mother and another to Thurgood Marshall the first African American supreme court justice Biden in his speech noted that 108 years ago protesters had stood there to block women from demanding the right to vote and said And today we mark the swearing of the first woman in American history elected to national office Vice President Kamala Harris Next Biden swore on a hefty family bible that his wife Jill Biden held Chief Justice John Roberts gave him the oath of office The transfer of power went off peacefully as they assumed the presidency and vice presidency as mandated by the Constitution without the feared disruptions Soon after the ceremony Biden went into the presidents office in the Capitol to sign a series of orders nominating key members of his cabinet Donald Trump who boycotted the ceremony had already left Washington for his new home in Florida Two weeks after a mob of Trump supporters had attacked the Capitol they stood on its west frontage to be swornin The 25000 National Guard called in to protect them ceremony outnumbered the guests Unlike in the past people were kept away because of the Covid19 crisis and security considerations A carefully controlled guest list of a few hundred that included former Presidents Barack Obama and George W Bush former Vice President Mike Pence and other luminaries were at hand The national anthem was sung by Lady Gaga a pop singer and the national pledge of alliance was recited by a woman firefighter who also displayed it in sign language Senator Amy Klobuchar who had been one of the rivals of Biden for the Democratic Party nomination acted as the emcee for the ceremony Bidens speech was put together by a team led by Vinay Reddy his director of speechwriting Few people in our nations history have been more challenged or found a time more challenging or difficult than the time were in now Biden said focusing on the Covid19 pandemic and the raging disunity marked by the riot at that very spot We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue rural versus urban conservative versus liberal We can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts he said I promise you I will fight as hard for those who did not support me as for those who did he said Recalling Abraham Lincolns speech when he made the proclamation abolishing slavery Biden said Today on this January day my whole soul is in this bringing America together uniting our people uniting our nation He also quoted Augustine a saint in my church who wrote that a people was a multitude defined by the common objects of their love and asked What are the common objects we as Americans love that define us as Americans Biden and Harris are to visit the tomb of the Unknown Soldier and after that they will be led in a formal procession to the White House There Biden will sign a series of executive orders mostly to reverse Trumps actions They are expected to include rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement Arul Louis can be reached at arulliansin and followed on Twitter at arulouis IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/harris-biden-take-over-leadership-of-fractured-us-with-call-for-unity-96548.html Thu, 21 Jan 2021 11:07:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/letters-to-kamala-pour-in-harris-says-they-fuel-her-with-hope-96554.html By Nikhila Natarajan New York Jan 20 I have been waiting for a girl vice president sinceforever girl scout Amelia Phillips tells Kamala Harris in a handwritten note Another child has drawn a dog in red ink to keep you company yet another has sketched Harris standing in front of the Capitol the scene of the deadly attack by a proTrump mob on January 6 Harris smiles as she reads from the first rush of letters tumbling into the Biden Inaugural Committees inbox in response to the Letters to Kamala digital campaign Our young leaders fuel me with hope for a better tomorrow Harris posted on her social channels hours before she takes over as Americas first woman Vice President From pleas for racial equality to simple words of praise and awe or just sketches of Harris a sampling of the letters floating online offer glimpses into the ways that young people are processing the historic nature of Harris barrier shattering political rise I cannot believe youre of Indian descent just like me writes a girl who signs off as Sahana Reading it out in a short video is a little Indian girl dressed in a traditional Indian orange dress Heres my dog to keep you company reads the last line of Sahanas letter Aww thats so great That dog looks really lovely and so comforting Thank you Sahana says Harris Theres no last date At least not just yet so kids can continue sending letters to lettersbideninauguralorg or post them online with the hashtag LetterstoKamala IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/letters-to-kamala-pour-in-harris-says-they-fuel-her-with-hope-96554.html Thu, 21 Jan 2021 11:18:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/china-slams-trump-for-worsening-ties-destroying-many-rules-96641.html Beijing Jan 20 Slamming the outgoing US President Donald Trump staterun media outlet Global Times citing Chinese experts said on Wednesday that the changes that he has made to the ChinaUS relations and international relations have been largely negative and destructive and his governance has caused unprecedented and irreversible consequences Thousands of Chinese netizens commented and interacted with a Global Times post that asked them to describe the outgoing US president and his contentious tenure The most common words and phrases mentioned include destruction dishonest selfish populism McCarthyism unilateralism protectionism antiglobalisation untrustworthy messy crazy arrogant uncertainty lowcredit funny laughable gravedigger of US hegemony and enemy to proUS sycophants Chinese experts said it is unlikely many will make many compliments or positive comments regarding Trump whether in China or in the US Many who commented on the Global Times post mentioned the word destruction in connection with Trump as he has destroyed and broken many established rules constructions agreements deals and ties with other countries and especially he has damaged the soft power and image of the US He just uncovered the dark side of democracy in capitalist countries for us So the sacred presidential election is actually full of fraud and cheating posted one user Another commented Why didnt they let him be reelected Then he can probably become the last president of the US According to Chinese experts Trump further divided American grass roots and establishment elites failed to realise the promise of getting manufacturing industry back to the US from overseas caused posttraumatic stress disorder to USled alliances and made ChinaUS ties worsen to the brink of a new cold war despite the administration launching no war Li Haidong a professor at the Institute of International Relations of China Foreign Affairs University summarised the Trump administration as one of subversive destruction in general and fundamental regress when it comes to ChinaUS ties He has blocked the trend toward integration between China and the US turning the certainties of both countries into uncertainty Li said The images that have most stuck in the minds of Chinese people are when he hyped Sinophobia and racism during the Covid19 pandemic He sought to assign blame and stigmatise China on almost everything to cover his failed governance and he launched a trade war to the detriment of not only Chinese firms but also American interests the report said During his presidency ChinaUS ties reached the lowest point in modern history Any worse situation would be unimaginable so this could be good news for the future because no matter what changes Biden is to make they will at least be better than Trumps policies Lu Xiang a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing told the Global Times IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/china-slams-trump-for-worsening-ties-destroying-many-rules-96641.html Thu, 21 Jan 2021 16:45:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/biden-will-continue-with-trumps-china-policy-kurien-96661.html Thiruvananthapuram Jan 20 Fr Alexander Kurien was appointed as the Deputy Associate Administrator a member of the US government Senior Executive Services SES I for the Office of GovernmentWide Policy in September 2014 He is responsible for developing and implementing effective governmentwide policies and guidance to provide a structured framework for agencies to achieve economical and effective management processes for government asset Kurien joined the US Department of State in 1998 as the Director of the Office of Strategic Planning of all United States Government Embassies and Consulates across the world He has travelled to 147 countries He has served five US Presidents and he spoke to IANS on the current transition of power in the United States Q What will be the key areas of focus for the Biden administration A The newly elected US President Joe Biden is facing a global health crisis and worsening economic conditions in the US He is swiftly pushing forward a legislative package aimed at coronavirus recovery and a burst of executive orders designed to signal an immediate break from President Trump President Biden is planning to return the United States to the Paris climate accords and repeal the ban on US entry for citizens of some majorityMuslim countries The new president will launch a 10day governing sprint that will include executive actions to help schools reopen expand coronavirus testing and establish clearer public health standards President Biden will take action  not just to reverse the gravest damages of the Trump administration  but also to start moving our country forward Biden frequently talks about the need to use the first 100 days which have typically been a honeymoon period for new presidents to make significant progress on the challenges facing the country Based on my years of expertise in Washington I expect the pace of change to be fast at the beginning with early activity in the form of presidential directives approximately 10 plus executive orders to be signed on January 20 right after the inauguration and significant leadership turnover at most federal agencies launching the Biden administrations policy agenda focused on Covid19 the economy climate change and racial inequality With the latest election wins in Georgia the US Senate is evenly split 5050 between Democratic and Republican senators Vice President Kamala Harris will cast any tiebreaking votes With this Democrats will have control of the White House House of Representatives and Senate  for the first time since President Barack Obamas first term This is going to significantly assist President Biden and Vice President Harris to expeditiously implement their administrations priorities and changes to their foreign policies Q What will be the key priorities of the new US President A On COVID19 free testing for Americans rampedup personal protective equipment PPE production while ensuring future American manufacturing of PPE and equitable vaccination Controlling the pandemic and mitigating its accompanying economic fallout are the top priorities for the new administration and the rest of Bidens policy and governing agenda will ultimately depend on whether the country can successfully emerge from the health and economic impacts of the virus President Biden will formalise the formation of the transitions COVID19 advisory board a team of leading public health experts who will advise and inform his administrations response My office will be assisting the President in legally formalizing this advisory board Biden is expected to push for Congressional action on additional stimulus in the amount of 19 trillion to provide relief or other response legislation related to the COVID19 pandemic But any loftier initiatives will have to be put on hold more than 400000 people in the US have died and unless the virus is slowed down through various actions the death toll is expected to reach 1 million by January 2022 from coronavirus with nearly 11 million Americans receiving unemployment benefits The plan includes 400 billion plus to be used for the vaccines to slow the virus spread and reopening schools 20 billion toward a national vaccination program 50 billion for testing and contact tracing and 30 billion for supplies and protective equipment He is also seeking money to provide paid sick leave to encourage people to stay home if they are feeling ill and he called for hiring 100000 public health workers nearly tripling the current number President Biden believes that climate change is the number one issue facing humanity Biden may call for a clean energy revolution that would reach a 100 per cent clean energy economy and netzero emissions no later than 2050 Biden supports the pursuit of new technologies to benefit the environment and create American jobs improve the nations infrastructure and allow the US to export technologies His action will most probably include 1 Rejoin the Paris climate accord and urge its signers to increase their domestic climate targets 2 Call to move to 100 per cent clean energy and zeroemission vehicles in the federal transportation fleet 3 Roll back Trump executive orders such as those permitting new coal leases on public lands eliminating flood standards for federal infrastructure projects On immigration President Biden is expected to announce a legislation package to provide a path to citizenship for millions of immigrants in the United States illegally This really does represent a historic shift from Trumps antiimmigrant agenda that recognises that all of the undocumented immigrants that are currently in the United States should be placed on a path to citizenship President Biden will liberalise immigration to the US welcoming immigrants This could be gamechanging for IndianAmericans who have been disproportionately affected by Trumps H1B visa ban and Green Card suspension At present the total annual cap on Green Cards available for Indians is 20000 leading to wait times that stretch across decades Q What will be President Bidens policy towards China A The new President is likely to continue a tough on China policy It is possible that President Biden could seek a more multilateral approach to confronting China but the overall tone and direction of China policy is not expected to change Tariffs nearshoring and strict limitations on outbound and inbound investments particularly around critical supply chains and technology will likely continue for the near term We expect continued advancement of policies that focus on US capital market access and investor protection This includes scrutiny of Chinese companies listed in the US and the financing of US economic activity domestically in addition to the technology and data controls mentioned above Racial equity Police violence COVID19 and climate change are all lifeanddeath issues which have a grave disparate impact on people of color There are undoubtedly racist policies which facilitate these racial impacts and that need to be replaced with antiracist policies Ensuring access for people of colour to jobs homeownership higher education retirement savings and other necessities Q What will be the new US President and his teams moves towards India A Although President Donald Trump deeply damaged the United States at home and many of its interests abroad USIndia relations surprisingly thrived during his tenure While India suffered some economic pain bilateral strategic ties prospered as Trumps administration gave India pride of place in US national security thinking offered it previously unavailable advanced military equipment and supported it comprehensively in its crises with Pakistan and China President Bidens approach to USIndia trade disputes is unclear India seeks reinstatement of its privileged access as a developing country to the US market Vice President Kamala Harris being the first woman as well as the first AsianAfricanAmerican VicePresident will make a positive impact on the USIndian partnership Indias strong alliance with United States is really based on bipartisan support Former President Barack Obama and Biden clearly values a strong IndiaUS strategic partnership Biden promised that he will stand with India and confronting the threats it faces in its own region and along its borders expanding greater twoway trade that opens markets and grows the middle class in both our countries taking on big global challenges together like climate change and global health security and strengthening our democracies where diversity is our mutual strength Q After President Bush and President Clinton US policies toward Pakistan has been one of lovehateYour comment A This is pure speculation on my part Post 911 Pakistan became an important ally of the US in the war on terror receiving military and civilian aid But the alliance has since soured with Washington repeatedly accusing Pakistan of supporting and harboring terrorists and with Islamabad cozying up with Beijing in recent years Pakistan can anticipate some relief when it comes to aid money that President Donald Trump suspended in 2018 over Islamabads failure to take action against militant groups Pakistan can also expect to have more functioning coordinated and enhanced cooperation on military training programmes under Biden Islamabad can expect to get appreciation from the Biden administration for its cooperation in the Afghan peace process It is likely that Pakistan will attempt to keep the Afghan peace process at the forefront of its cooperation with the US under Biden Q All said and done Donald Trump will go down in history as the only US president who did not send his troops to any foreign land Will there be a reversal A The US has about 3000 troops in Iraq to fend off terrorist threats like ISIS protect American facilities including its embassy and more Former President Barack Obama also moved to end US involvement there in 2011 but challenges like the rise of ISIS and continued antiUS activities by Iranianbacked militias in the country kept the US militarily engaged President Trump clearly took actions to reduce the US presence in Iraq and Afghanistan President Trump did not end any wars but he has moved on from the endlesswars mindset President Biden seems to have come closer to Trumps view on this Its past time to end the forever wars which have cost us untold blood and treasure and staying entrenched in unwinnable conflicts drains our capacity to lead on other issues that require our attention and it prevents us from rebuilding the other instruments of American power President Biden said in early 2020 Q You are a priest and a high ranking US official How are you juggling both the jobs What was your experience in having served five US Presidents A I am a senior priest of the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church Indian Orthodox Church and hail from Pallipad Kerala I came to the US as a young immigrant after high school at the age of 16 I am leading a wellbalanced spiritual and secular life In addition to the daytoday priestly responsibilities I began my journey in the private sector as a senior management consultant for 14 years before joining the US Department of State as the Director of the Office of Strategic Planning the first person of Indian origin to ever sit in the chair from 1978 to 2014 IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/biden-will-continue-with-trumps-china-policy-kurien-96661.html Thu, 21 Jan 2021 18:22:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/us-president-joe-bidens-inaugural-address-full-transcript-96696.html Harare Burial of Dr Ellen Gwaradzimba who died of COVID19 at the Heroes Acre in Harare Thursday Jan 21 2021 Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa who presided over the burial called the pandemic evil and urged people to wear masks practice social distancing and sanitize as cases across the country increased amid a fragile health system PTI New York Jan 21 Below is the full text of US President Joe Bidens inaugural address after he was sworn in as the countrys 46th president Chief Justice Roberts Vice President Harris Speaker Pelosi Leader Schumer Leader McConnell Vice President Pence distinguished guests and my fellow Americans This is Americas day This is democracys day A day of history and hope Of renewal and resolve Through a crucible for the ages America has been tested anew and America has risen to the challenge Today we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate but of a cause the cause of democracy The will of the people has been heard and the will of the people has been heeded We have learned again that democracy is precious Democracy is fragile And at this hour my friends democracy has prevailed So now on this hallowed ground where just days ago violence sought to shake this Capitols very foundation we come together as one nation under God indivisible to carry out the peaceful transfer of power as we have for more than two centuries We look ahead in our uniquely American way restless bold optimistic and set our sights on the nation we know we can be and we must be I thank my predecessors of both parties for their presence here I thank them from the bottom of my heart You know the resilience of our Constitution and the strength of our nation As does President Carter who I spoke to last night but who cannot be with us today but whom we salute for his lifetime of service I have just taken the sacred oath each of these patriots took an oath first sworn by George Washington But the American story depends not on any one of us not on some of us but on all of us On We the People who seek a more perfect Union This is a great nation and we are a good people Over the centuries through storm and strife in peace and in war we have come so far But we still have far to go We will press forward with speed and urgency for we have much to do in this winter of peril and possibility Much to repair Much to restore Much to heal Much to build And much to gain Few periods in our nations history have been more challenging or difficult than the one were in now A onceinacentury virus silently stalks the country Its taken as many lives in one year as America lost in all of World War II Millions of jobs have been lost Hundreds of thousands of businesses closed A cry for racial justice some 400 years in the making moves us The dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer A cry for survival comes from the planet itself A cry that cant be any more desperate or any more clear And now a rise in political extremism white supremacy domestic terrorism that we must confront and we will defeat To overcome these challenges to restore the soul and to secure the future of America requires more than words It requires that most elusive of things in a democracy Unity Unity In another January in Washington on New Years Day 1863 Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation When he put pen to paper the President said If my name ever goes down into history it will be for this act and my whole soul is in it My whole soul is in it Today on this January day my whole soul is in this Bringing America together Uniting our people And uniting our nation I ask every American to join me in this cause Uniting to fight the common foes we face Anger resentment hatred Extremism lawlessness violence Disease joblessness hopelessness With unity we can do great things Important things We can right wrongs We can put people to work in good jobs We can teach our children in safe schools We can overcome this deadly virus We can reward work rebuild the middle class and make health care secure for all We can deliver racial justice We can make America once again the leading force for good in the world I know speaking of unity can sound to some like a foolish fantasy I know the forces that divide us are deep and they are real But I also know they are not new Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we are all created equal and the harsh ugly reality that racism nativism fear and demonization have long torn us apart The battle is perennial Victory is never assured Through the Civil War the Great Depression World War 911 through struggle sacrifice and setbacks our better angels have always prevailed In each of these moments enough of us came together to carry all of us forward And we can do so now History faith and reason show the way the way of unity We can see each other not as adversaries but as neighbors We can treat each other with dignity and respect We can join forces stop the shouting and lower the temperature For without unity there is no peace only bitterness and fury No progress only exhausting outrage No nation only a state of chaos This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge and unity is the path forward And we must meet this moment as the United States of America If we do that I guarantee you we will not fail We have never ever ever failed in America when we have acted together And so today at this time and in this place let us start afresh All of us Let us listen to one another Hear one another See one another Show respect to one another Politics need not be a raging fire destroying everything in its path Every disagreement doesnt have to be a cause for total war And we must reject a culture in which facts themselves are manipulated and even manufactured My fellow Americans we have to be different than this America has to be better than this And I believe America is better than this Just look around Here we stand in the shadow of a Capitol dome that was completed amid the Civil War when the Union itself hung in the balance Yet we endured and we prevailed Here we stand looking out to the great Mall where Dr King spoke of his dream Here we stand where 108 years ago at another inaugural thousands of protestors tried to block brave women from marching for the right to vote Today we mark the swearingin of the first woman in American history elected to national office Vice President Kamala Harris Dont tell me things cant change Here we stand across the Potomac from Arlington National Cemetery where heroes who gave the last full measure of devotion rest in eternal peace And here we stand just days after a riotous mob thought they could use violence to silence the will of the people to stop the work of our democracy and to drive us from this sacred ground That did not happen It will never happen Not today Not tomorrow Not ever To all those who supported our campaign I am humbled by the faith you have placed in us To all those who did not support us let me say this Hear me out as we move forward Take a measure of me and my heart And if you still disagree so be it Thats democracy Thats America The right to dissent peaceably within the guardrails of our Republic is perhaps our nations greatest strength Yet hear me clearly Disagreement must not lead to disunion And I pledge this to you I will be a President for all Americans I will fight as hard for those who did not support me as for those who did Many centuries ago Saint Augustine a saint of my church wrote that a people was a multitude defined by the common objects of their love What are the common objects we love that define us as Americans I think I know Opportunity Security Liberty Dignity Respect Honor And yes the truth Recent weeks and months have taught us a painful lesson There is truth and there are lies Lies told for power and for profit And each of us has a duty and responsibility as citizens as Americans and especially as leaders leaders who have pledged to honor our Constitution and protect our nation to defend the truth and to defeat the lies I understand that many Americans view the future with some fear and trepidation I understand they worry about their jobs about taking care of their families about what comes next I get it But the answer is not to turn inward to retreat into competing factions distrusting those who dont look like you do or worship the way you do or dont get their news from the same sources you do We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue rural versus urban conservative versus liberal We can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts If we show a little tolerance and humility If were willing to stand in the other persons shoes just for a moment Because here is the thing about life There is no accounting for what fate will deal you There are some days when we need a hand There are other days when were called on to lend one That is how we must be with one another And if we are this way our country will be stronger more prosperous more ready for the future My fellow Americans in the work ahead of us we will need each other We will need all our strength to persevere through this dark winter We are entering what may well be the toughest and deadliest period of the virus We must set aside the politics and finally face this pandemic as one nation I promise you this as the Bible says weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning We will get through this together The world is watching today So here is my message to those beyond our borders America has been tested and we have come out stronger for it We will repair our alliances and engage with the world once again Not to meet yesterdays challenges but todays and tomorrows We will lead not merely by the example of our power but by the power of our example We will be a strong and trusted partner for peace progress and security We have been through so much in this nation And in my first act as President I would like to ask you to join me in a moment of silent prayer to remember all those we lost this past year to the pandemic To those 400000 fellow Americans mothers and fathers husbands and wives sons and daughters friends neighbours and coworkers We will honor them by becoming the people and nation we know we can and should be Let us say a silent prayer for those who lost their lives for those they left behind and for our country Amen This is a time of testing We face an attack on democracy and on truth A raging virus Growing inequity The sting of systemic racism A climate in crisis Americas role in the world Any one of these would be enough to challenge us in profound ways But the fact is we face them all at once presenting this nation with the gravest of responsibilities Now we must step up All of us It is a time for boldness for there is so much to do And this is certain We will be judged you and I for how we resolve the cascading crises of our era Will we rise to the occasion Will we master this rare and difficult hour Will we meet our obligations and pass along a new and better world for our children I believe we must and I believe we will And when we do we will write the next chapter in the American story Its a story that might sound something like a song that means a lot to me Its called American Anthem and there is one verse stands out for me The work and prayers of centuries have brought us to this day What shall be our legacy What will our children say Let me know in my heart When my days are through America America I gave my best to you Let us add our own work and prayers to the unfolding story of our nation If we do this then when our days are through our children and our childrens children will say of us they gave their best They did their duty They healed a broken land My fellow Americans I close today where I began with a sacred oath Before God and all of you I give you my word I will always level with you I will defend the Constitution I will defend our democracy I will defend America I will give my all in your service thinking not of power but of possibilities Not of personal interest but of the public good And together we shall write an American story of hope not fear Of unity not division Of light not darkness An American story of decency and dignity Of love and of healing Of greatness and of goodness May this be the story that guides us The story that inspires us The story that tells ages yet to come that we answered the call of history We met the moment That democracy and hope truth and justice did not die on our watch but thrived That our America secured liberty at home and stood once again as a beacon to the world That is what we owe our forebearers one another and generations to follow So with purpose and resolve we turn to the tasks of our time Sustained by faith Driven by conviction And devoted to one another and to this country we love with all our hearts May God bless America and may God protect our troops Thank you America IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/us-president-joe-bidens-inaugural-address-full-transcript-96696.html Thu, 21 Jan 2021 19:48:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/trump-pardons-former-google-engineer-anthony-levandowski-96708.html San Francisco Jan 20 Outgoing US President Donald Trump on Wednesday granted a full pardon to former Google engineer Anthony Levandowski who was convicted of stealing trade secrets Levandowski worked for Googles selfdriving car unit which is now called Waymo He later founded a selfdriving truck company called Otto that was acquired by Uber The engineer was among 73 individuals who were granted pardon by Trump who also commuted the sentences of an additional 70 individuals My family and I are grateful for the opportunity to move forward and thankful to the President and others who supported and advocated on my behalf Levandowski said in a tweet on Wednesday In August last year Levandowski was sentenced to 18 months in prison for stealing trade secrets US District Judge in San Francisco William Alsup said that home confinement would give a green light to every future brilliant engineer to steal trade secrets Prison time is the answer to that according to a report in TechCrunch Levandowski also agreed to pay 75649922 in restitution to Googles selfdriving car unit Waymo and a fine of 95000 said the report However the selfdriving car engineer never began his sentence as Alsup allowed it to be delayed indefinitely citing the Covid19 pandemic The Verge reported According to a statement from the White House Levandowskis pardon was supported by several people from the tech industry including controversial billionaire investor Peter Thiel Thiel Capital COO Blake Masters Hollywood agent and Palantir advisor Michael Ovitz and Oculus and Anduril founder Palmer Luckey Notably his sentencing judge called him a brilliant groundbreaking engineer that our country needs said the statement adding that Levandowski has paid a significant price for his actions and plans to devote his talents to advance the public good The case dates back to 2017 when Uber and Alphabet Googles parent company locked horns with each other over the latters accusation on the ridehailing app of stealing its selfdriving technology Waymo filed a lawsuit against Uber in 2017 alleging that the stolen information became the technological basis for Ubers selfdriving cars According to the lawsuit Levandowski who earlier headed its selfdriving car project downloaded around 14000 files from his companyissued computer containing trade secrets related to Waymos LIDAR technology circuit board designs and testing documentation The company also alleged that Levandowski tried to remove traces of those actions by reformatting his laptop Levandowski joined Uber after his stint at Google where he shepherded the companys own selfdriving car programme Uber had fired him in 2017 over this case Googles parent company Alphabet and Uber agreed on a settlement in 2018 over trade secret theft claims But Levandowski filed a lawsuit to demand 41 billion from Uber in relation to its acquisition of his previous selfdriving truck startup Otto TechCrunch reported IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/trump-pardons-former-google-engineer-anthony-levandowski-96708.html Thu, 21 Jan 2021 20:26:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/trump-leaves-biden-a-note-in-white-house-96722.html Washington Jan 20 Outgoing US President Donald Trump who has not even once referred to his successor Joe Biden by name despite belatedly accepting his accession and will not be present at his inauguration on Wednesday has however not abandoned one tradition of a presidential transition Trump has left Biden a note the BBC reported citing a White House spokesman The contents were not known yet Outgoing presidents usually write a letter with their best wishes and advice for their successor in the Oval Office Till the last it was not known if Trump who had made much of the note left for him by Barack Obama would follow suit It also came to light that outgoing First Lady Melania Trump who also broke with tradition in not inviting her successor for a personal tour of the White House residential area has also left a short note for Jill Biden IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/trump-leaves-biden-a-note-in-white-house-96722.html Thu, 21 Jan 2021 21:36:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/as-asians-celebrate-harris-says-shell-ensure-a-pathway-for-community-96300.html By Arul Louis New York Jan 20 On the eve of her taking over as the pathbreaking first vice president of Asian descent Kamala Harris assured her fellow Americans from the continent celebrating her victory that she will ensure a pathway is open for the community and that is a lesson she learnt from her mother She said at a celebration by Asian Americans on Tuesday My mother Shyamala Gopalan arrived in the United States from India she raised my sister Maya and me to know that though we may be the first we should not be the last And Ive carried that lesson with me throughout my career The Asian American Pacific Islander AAPI Ball is one of the traditional galas held around the inauguration ceremony and this years events were held virtually because of the COVID19 pandemic The Asian Ball held a special significance for the community this time as one of their own was becoming the vice president the second most powerful position in the nation Americans of Asian origin expressed their joy and congratulated the community for contributing to her election Performances and speeches by Asian American entertainers were the highlight of the event which also featured members of Congress and community leaders Harris said Your continued faith in me has brought me to this moment When I accepted the nomination to be your vice president I did so fully committed to realising the vision of a stronger more united America that provides an opportunity for all The panAsian event on the theme Breaking Barrier was sponsored by Indian American Impact Fund better known as just IMPACT which aims to produce more political leaders from the community and RUN AAPI a youth organisation IMPACT cofounder Raj Goyal was jubilant about the rapid rise of someone with Indian heritage to be the vice president He said We never knew how quickly we may see a desi at the national level When I was elected to the Kansas legislature in 2006 it was unimaginable Weve come so far in such a short period of time The other cofounder Deepak Raj said that Harris had been at the founding of IMPACT and has been a trailbazer for the community Usually people wear formal clothing like tuxedos and gowns or national dresses but everyone was dressed informally for the virtual event Hollywood actor Kal Penn joked I dont know how everybody else is dressed since we cant really see each other until we see each other But I am wearing a hoodie I just want everybody to know that this is my tuxedo for 2021 for the inaugural When my parents came here didnt really see folks who look like us on TV or in sports or in politics he said Therefore Harris election has been an emotional moment and theres been a lot of good cry You know what I mean Like a lot of good inspirational cries he said Hip hop artiste Raja Kumari performed a number that melded rap and hiphop with taals and swaras Bangladeshi American singer Ari Afsar who performed in the hit Broadway musical Hamilton also sang The founder of Indiaspora an international community network MR Rangaswamy said he had met her when she was the San Franciso public prosecutor and seen her grow from strength to strength and now she is going to be the new vice president in a historic administration Neera Tanden who will be a member of the cabinet as the director of the Office of Management and Budget said For many in our community there is so much to be proud of Not only can we celebrate an incredibly diverse cabinet but we can also celebrate the fact that we have the first vice presidentelect who is from Asian descent I am incredibly proud to serve alongside Kamala Harris IMPACT Executive Director Nei Makhija said Our community turned out in record numbers We really made our voices heard And we changed the course of history with BidenHarris election He said the Asian members of Congress at the event who included those of Indian Chinese and Korean descent are some of our luminaries they are role models They showed us the meaning of service Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi echoed the communitys excitement at the election of Harris Representative Ro Khanna said I cant stress what an amazing moment this is for our community and frankly for a multiracial democracy in America Representative Pramila Jayapal said that she was excited to see the first woman the first South Asian American and the first black American to ever be elected to this position of public trust The work of Asians who contributed to the BidenHarris election though financial contributions helping with the campaign and going house to house to ask for votes was mentioned by Representative Ami Bera I am so grateful that we got this right said Hollywood actress Sheetal Seth about the election of Harris and Biden TV actor Sendhil Ramamurthy said We made a difference as he recalled the campaign work of the Asian community to get the votes out Pakistani American comedianactor Kumail Nanjiani said that after the alienation felt by people like him and his family finally his mother feels proud to call America home Im excited to see if it shows that people who look like me and my family who sound like me and my family who have names like me and my family that America is our home because the new administration sees us as belonging here too he added Arul Louis can be reached at arulliansin and followed on Twitter at arulouis IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/as-asians-celebrate-harris-says-shell-ensure-a-pathway-for-community-96300.html Wed, 20 Jan 2021 15:40:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/trump-leaves-white-house-for-the-last-time-96368.html Washington President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump stop to talk with the media as they walk to board Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House Wednesday Jan 20 2021 in Washington Trump is en route to his MaraLago Florida Resort PTI Washington Jan 20 US President Donald Trump who is breaking with a centuryold tradition by skipping the inauguration of his successor Joe Biden left the White House for the last time early on Wednesday morning Accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump the outgoing President whose term ends at 12 noon US time flew from the White House lawn on a presidential chopper Marine One to the Joint Base Andrews where a small farewell ceremony has been planned before he uses the presidential jet for one final time to fly home to Floridas Palm Beach He paused to speak to a small group of reporters before boarding the chopper Invitations have been sent to several Trump aides present and former to attend the farewell ceremony with each guest allowed to bring five guests in a bid to gather a sizeable crowd However with the list comprising many with whom the parting had been acrimonious it seemed not much attention had been given to vetting it Several people said to be invited had expressed their reluctance to attend the event Top leaders including Vice President Mike Pence and leaders of the Republican Party in the Congress were also slated to give the event a miss They are supposed to join Biden at the Cathedral of St Matthew the Apostle for morning mass IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/trump-leaves-white-house-for-the-last-time-96368.html Wed, 20 Jan 2021 19:32:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/blinken-indicates-us-to-continue-backing-india-against-china-incursions-96369.html By Arul Louis New York Jan 20 Anthony Blinken who is Presidentelect Joe Bidens nominee to be the secretary of state has indicated that the US would continue to back India against challenges to its sovereignty from China and work with it in the fight against terrorism Speaking at the confirmation hearings before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday Blinken said that cooperation in defence equipment and information sharing that had deepened under former President Barack Obama had been carried forward by Trumps administration including its concept of IndoPacific and to make sure we were working with India so that no country in the region including China could challenge its sovereignty and also working with it on concerns that we share about terrorism He made the comment when asked by Republican Senator Mitt Romney about Chinas recent clashes with India Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has given strong support to India against China following the deadly clashes between the two neighbours along the Line of Actual Control in the Ladakh area last year The US will stand with the people of India as they confront threats to their sovereignty and to their liberty Pompeo said in New Delhi during a visit for the 22 meeting of the heads of defence and foreign relations of the two countries Im glad to say that the US and India are taking steps to strengthen our cooperation against all manner of threats and not just those posed by the CCP Chinese Communist Party he added China figured prominently in the marathon hearings held before Biden takes office on Wednesday in order to speed up the confirmation process There is no doubt that it poses the most significant challenge of any nation to US interests and there are rising adversarial aspects to the relationship Blinken said He gave credit to President Donald Trump for recognising the China challenge even though he disagreed with how he went about it I also believe that President Trump was right in taking a tougher approach to China he said About the future of relations with India Blinken said that he expected it to grow boosted by cooperation on climate change an issue that is a priority for the new administration Blinken referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modis programmes for renewable energy he said I think theres a very strong potential for our countries to work together in that area Biden has put a premium in battling climate change and has said that one of his first acts will be to have the US rejoin the Paris climate change accord from which President Donald Trump withdrew He said that Indias greenhouse gas emissions could catch up with China in the coming decades and therefore cooperation on climate change was a necessity Arul Louis can be reached at arulliansin and followed on Twitter at arulouis IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/blinken-indicates-us-to-continue-backing-india-against-china-incursions-96369.html Wed, 20 Jan 2021 19:35:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/incredible-four-years-says-trump-before-flying-off-96386.html Washington Presidentelect Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden attend Mass at the Cathedral of St Matthew the Apostle during Inauguration Day ceremonies Wednesday Jan 20 2021 in Washington PTI Washington Jan 20 Outgoing US President Donald Trump who is breaking with an over centuryandahalf old tradition by skipping the inauguration of his successor sought to list the achievements of his tenure before leaving the US capital on Wednesday This has been an incredible four years he said at a small farewell event at Joint Base Andrews attended by family members and close aides before using the presidential jet for one final time to fly home to Floridas Palm Beach He then invited First Lady Melania Trump to speak Being your First Lady was my greatest honour Thank you for your love and your support You will be in my thoughts and prayers God bless you all God bless your families And God bless this beautiful nation Thank you she said in her brief remarks Taking back the mike Trump listed his achievements I hope they dont raise your taxes but if they do I told you so he said Trump also dwelt on the coronavirus pandemic which blighted his last few months in office We did something that is a medical miracle and that is the vaccine he said Terming the virus again as the China virus and a horrible thing he extended great love to the families who have suffered greatly Trump also had a word for his family People have no idea how hard this family worked They could have had a much easier life but they just did a fantastic job he said He also called his wife a woman of great grace and beauty and dignity who was so popular with the people Addressing his supporters Trump asserted that he will always fight for you and will be watching and listening We will be back in some form he said Trump also wished the new administration great success for the future but did not address incoming President Joe Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris by name The Trumps left the White House for the last time early on Wednesday morning hours before Biden and Harris were to be swornin Accompanied by the First Lady Trump whose term ends at 12 noon US time flew from the White House lawn on a presidential chopper Marine One to the Joint Base Andrews He paused to speak to a small group of reporters before boarding the chopper Invitations had been sent to several Trump aides present and former to attend the farewell ceremony with each guest allowed to bring five guests in a bid to gather a sizeable crowd However with the list comprising many with whom the parting had been acrimonious it seemed not much attention had been given to vetting it Several people said to be invited had expressed their reluctance to attend the event Top leaders including Vice President Mike Pence and leaders of the Republican Party in the Congress also gave the event a miss They are supposed to join Biden at the Cathedral of St Matthew the Apostle for morning mass IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/incredible-four-years-says-trump-before-flying-off-96386.html Wed, 20 Jan 2021 20:17:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/kamala-harris-rocks-purple-outfit-emhoff-in-ralph-lauren-suit-96423.html WashingtonFormer President Barack Obama greets Vice Presidentelect Kamala Harris ahead of Presidentelect Joe Bidens inauguration Wednesday Jan 20 2021 at the US Capitol in Washington PTI By Nikhila Natarajan New York Jan 20 Kamala Harris is rocking a deep purple outfit designed by African American designers for her historic inauguration as the countrys first woman Vice President Presidentelect Joe Biden and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff are both dressed in Ralph Lauren suits Harris is wearing Christopher John Rogers and Sergio Hudson according to chatter filtering from her aides Rogers a New York City resident is a young Black designer from Baton Rouge Sergio is Black designer from South Carolina Both Rogers and Hudson have dressed former First Lady Michelle Obama and Beyonce Two hours after Donald Trump lifted off from the lawns of White House the world got its first look at Americas new political leadership in a single frame at the US Capitol the location of the inauguration ceremony This is the exact spot where a proTrump mob stormed the Capitol on January 6 in a bid to overturn the election results from November 2020 Joe Biden and his wife Jill and Vice Presidentelect Harris and her husband arrived at the complex about 90 minutes before the noon swearingin ceremony Incoming First Lady Jill Biden is dressed in shades of olympic and sapphire blue Bidens motorcade wound its way through deserted Washington streets to reach the Capitol after a morning church service at the Cathedral of St Matthew the Apostle About 25000 National Guard members are guarding every aspect of Inauguration Day Security has been stepped up to unprecedented levels for this event after the violent storming of the US Capitol Biden takes the oath of office at noon Wednesday to becomeAthe 46th President of the United States He takes over at a time of multiple crises hammering a deeply divided nation IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/kamala-harris-rocks-purple-outfit-emhoff-in-ralph-lauren-suit-96423.html Wed, 20 Jan 2021 22:16:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/bidens-oath-in-a-fortress-decline-of-the-american-empire-96444.html WashingtonPresidentelect Joe Biden arrives to be sworn in as 46th president of the United States during the 59th Presidential Inauguration at the US Capitol in Washington Wednesday Jan 20 2021 PTI By Aarti Tikoo Singh New Delhi Jan 20 More than 25000 troops guarding the Capitol Hill in Washington DC for the oath taking ceremony of 78yearold Presidentelect Joe Biden is in many ways symptomatic of the decline of the American empire Till four years ago the superpower US took pride in its democracy and despite assaults like 911 it did not feel as threatened But today Biden and his team who are to assume office later on Wednesday will be taking oath under unprecedented security in the capital city that looks like a fortress The ceremony has been scaled down and made out of bounds for the general public with tall iron barricades erected in the Capitol Hill area This security arrangement has been made in view of the January 6 mob violence by the supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump who stormed the Capitol to protest against the alleged fraud in the Presidential elections Despite the outrage against Trump on media and predictions of the US political pundits and pollsters that Team Biden will sweep the polls around 75 million Americans voted for Trump The irregularities in the voting and counting process left over 77 per cent of Republicans believing that there was major fraud in the 2020 elections as per a recent survey The vicious election campaign and the subsequent developments demonstrate that the US is completely polarised today in ways different than it used to be in the past In preTrump America politics often revolved around the government taxes abortion guns and economy Even as these issues remain identity politics and culture wars have taken the centre stage in American politics The Left in the US sees both wealthy and working class traditionalists as White bigoted supremacists racists and Islamophobes The Right on the other hand sees the Left as amoral crony capitalists with enormous influence and power over media academics promoting woke culture against Christian values The reasons for this unprecedented polarisation are the overwhelming and exceptional power the ruling elite groups enjoy in the US Thanks to these groups in the last three decades after the disintegration of the Soviet Union the US found itself outsourcing jobs and living off cheap Chinese imports while spending trillions of dollars on wars in the Middle East and Afghanistan The US appeared like a war machine feeding on the Third World As a result the working classes hit by globalisation the families of the US soldiers killed in wars and the Christian traditionalists looked down upon by liberals assumed critical mass They all found themselves in agreement with Trumps inwardlooking vision to Make America Great Again In the last four years as Trump fulfilled his poll promises one after another by turning protectionist he reduced Americas interventionism considerably The US establishmentinstitutions media and technology which remain in the grip of the powerful elite groups believe that the American withdrawal from the world is an indicator of Americas decline But this view does not address the internal corrosion of the US system caused by the exorbitant influence the powerful lobbies wielded in the last 30 years Instead it seems to indicate that the US empire thrives only on the chaos and unrest in the rest of the world using its interventionist policies Holders of this opinion pushed back against Trumps vision No other American President got as much bad press and open defiance from both the state and nonstate institutions within the US as Trump did Yet the close contest in the Presidential elections demonstrated that his supporters remained unaffected by the amplified voices That they stormed the Capitol Hill and resorted to violence not only undermined American democracy but also the legitimacy of the empire which the Biden administration resolves to rebuild No empire can flourish without social cohesion internal peace and soft power The fact that Bidens oath ceremony is taking place under intense security because of the fear of violence from one section of the society shows that something is terribly broken in the United States of America IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/bidens-oath-in-a-fortress-decline-of-the-american-empire-96444.html Wed, 20 Jan 2021 23:02:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/greet-new-us-prez-biden-via-snapchat-lens-from-home-96249.html San Francisco Jan 20 The Joe Biden team has launched a Snapchat lens that will virtually take users to the Capitol Hill as the new US president is swornin on Wednesday The Snapchat lens will also play a message from Biden addressing Snapchatters Hey Snapchat Its me Joe Welcome to inauguration Once the inaugural lens is selected in the Snapchat reel users can take a selfie in front of the Capitol as confetti falls from above reports The Verge If users flip the camera around theyll be greeted by a Biden Jumbotron in front of a crowd of inauguration attendees The lens will also direct users to a live stream of the inauguration event This years inauguration has allowed us to create new innovative and creative tools for Americans across the country to participate in inaugural traditions and ceremonies while staying home to keep everyone safe said Christian Tom digital director for the presidential inaugural committee We are excited for Presidentelect Biden to share his message around unifying the country with folks on Snapchat and invite them to be a part of this historic inaugural Tom was quoted as saying The inauguration Snapchat lens builds on the Augmented Reality AR technology Bidens campaign used last year for the voting process We hope this tool will bring the inaugural experience to young Americans wherever they are and share it with their friends and families Tom said IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/greet-new-us-prez-biden-via-snapchat-lens-from-home-96249.html Wed, 20 Jan 2021 12:16:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/the-kamala-harris-persona-decoded-in-her-fight-song-work-that-95829.html By Nikhila Natarajan New York Jan 18 When Kamala Harris walks out on stage you can almost hear the familiar sounds of Mary J Bliges girl power anthem Work That which tops the US Vice Presidentelects 46song playlist on Spotify The scrappy cando spirit of the songs lyrics have foretold some of Harris runaway hits from the 2020 election campaign and serve as proxy for the America of possibilities that Presidentelect Joe Biden and Harris have pitched as their comeback theme Harris I eat no for breakfast remark during an ask me anything session on social media echoes the combative mood of let em get mad They gonna hate anyway Dont you get that Just because the length of your hair aint long And they often criticize you for your skin tone Wanna hold your head high Cause youre a pretty woman Read the book of my life And see Ive overcome it sings Blige Harris victory lap singled out girl children around the world urging them to dream with ambition She promised While I may be the first woman in this office I will not be the last  because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities The parallels go beyond Harris Her mother Shyamala Gopalans audacious journey is reflected in the music that Harris has come to love Bliges repeated notes of Work that thing out Work that thing out Work what you got is equally the tale of Gopalans life in Oakland California from where Harris historic campaign was first launched Back in 1958 Gopalan came to the US as a 19yearold clutching a scholarship and her dream to become a cancer researcher Such is Gopalans sway over Kamalas life and work that there is rarely a public event where the Vice Presidentelect does not invoke her mothers memory Bliges Dont worry bout whos saying what Its gonna be fine Work what you got is as much an ode to Gopalans determination to break into the US higher education circuit with whatever tools she had Gopalan was enrolled in a course she didnt particularly fancy Home Science and wanted to study biochemistry Work what you got is the thing she did landed a scholarship at one of Californias finest schools and offered it as a fait accompli to her father For every Blige line like this I hear you been running From the beautiful queen That you could be becoming we discover Harris prose with a rhyming quality that often approaches music Sample this My sister Maya and I were raised by a strong mother My mother taught us the importance of a good education She taught us the good oldfashioned value of hard work She taught us dont let anyone tell you who you are You tell them who you are She taught us not only to dream but to do She taught us to believe in our power to right what is wrong And she was the kind of parent who if you came home complaining about something shed say Well what are you gonna do about it So I decided to run for President of the US After the collapse of her own presidential run when Harris rose again as Bidens running mate she finally hit what her walkon song calls the runway stride And keep going urges Blige Harris eggs us on Dream with ambition lead with conviction and see yourself in a way that others might not see you simply because theyve never seen it before And we will applaud you every step of the way IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/the-kamala-harris-persona-decoded-in-her-fight-song-work-that-95829.html Tue, 19 Jan 2021 00:02:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/kamala-harris-the-inveterate-traveller-has-arrived-95834.html By Nikhila Natarajan New York Jan 18 Oakland California Urbana Champaign Illinois Berkeley Quebec Canada Washington DC California once again and now the White House When Kamala Harris finally pitches tent in the countrys most powerful political office it will be the culmination of long road trips and wild rides from coast to coast in America and a significant sojourn in Canada a stint that the US Vice President prefers to relegate mostly to a footnote I was 12 years old and the thought of moving away from sunny California in February in the middle of the school year to a Frenchspeaking foreign city covered in 12 feet of snow was distressing Harris writes in her memoir The Truths We Hold Harris arrival as Americas first ever woman Vice President is a story of wheels whirring pausing and setting off in new directions First her parents came in search of academic achievement and then Harris took the scenic route in search of her political north star A very vivid memory of my childhood was the Mayflower truck she told journalist Dana Goodyear during a 2019 interview Mayflower is one of the largest fullservice moving companies in America and handles longdistance moves within the US and internationally We moved a lot Harris told Goodyear But Harris shuttling between American cities almost pales before the travels of a journeywoman who came before her Shyamala Gopalan When Gopalan came to America in Fall 1958 she was all of 19 and the first in her immediate family to ever travel overseas to study at a university shed never seen in a country shed never visited as Harris explains in her 2019 memoir Gopalan spent months doggedly chasing a scholarship that would clinch the deal for her At the time British rule in India had ended barely a decade ago Donald Harris made a similar journey a couple of years after Shyamala Gopalan did The couple met in 1961 married in 1963 and through it all their activist spirit was such that they were constantly on the move even locally Kamala Harris alludes to this in her book and in her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention and possibly in many speeches yet to come As she explains it even her parents growing affection for each other is framed against an idea gathering momentum They fell in love in that most American way while marching together for justice in the civil rights movement of the 1960s So too Kamalas initiation into ferment in the public square that later bloomed into her own political candidacy In the streets of Oakland and Berkeley I got a strollerseye view of people getting into what the great John Lewis called good trouble she said while accepting her nomination on the Joe Biden ticket in August 2020 For most part Kamala Harris story has been that of an inveterate traveller most often pictured with a Goyard tote When her motorcade rolls into the view on January 20 it will be the ultimate tribute to two other audacious voyages that began in Madras now Chennai and Browns Town Jamaica about 60 years ago IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/kamala-harris-the-inveterate-traveller-has-arrived-95834.html Tue, 19 Jan 2021 00:41:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/peta-india-organises-vegan-celebration-in-kamala-harris-ancestral-village-95849.html Chennai Jan 18 Residents of Thulasendrapuram village in Tamil Nadu are enjoying a vegan celebration ahead of Kamala Harris inauguration as the next US Vice President on Wednesday Harris maternal family hails from this village which has witnessed nonstrop celebrations ever since she made US history as the first woman the first person of Indian descent and also the first woman of colour to be elected Vice President People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals PETA India has sent baskets of vegan biryani and Proteiz chunks from GoodDot flavoured oat milk from Good Mylk vegan sweets and other tasty goodies to every family in Thulasendrapuram where Harris grandfather was born The village panchayat and its volunteers are delivering the baskets on PETA Indias behalf PETA India is delighted to help Thulasendrapuram celebrate the milestone of Vice Presidentelect Harriss inauguration with vegan goodies especially since she has sponsored and supported so much legislation in the US against cruelty to animals says PETA India spokesperson Radhika Suryavanshi Vegan food save animals lives help preserve the planet and safeguard human health so everyone wins PETA Indias support for vegan eating is based on the premise that it spares animals from suffering and a terrifying bloody death in todays meat egg and dairy industries Harris has spoken in favour of encouraging healthy eating habits among Americans and being aware of the effects of eating habits on the environment IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/peta-india-organises-vegan-celebration-in-kamala-harris-ancestral-village-95849.html Tue, 19 Jan 2021 02:19:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/fearful-washington-hunkers-down-fire-disrupts-inauguration-rehearsal-95872.html By Arul Louis New York Jan 19 The Capitol area of Washington hunkering down under a pall of fear was put in a lockdown on Monday when a fire broke out in a camp of homeless people near the site of Wednesdays inauguration of Joe Biden as president and Kamala Harris as vice president A rehearsal for the inauguration the swearingin ceremony was disrupted when the fire and explosions happened but it was not found to be a security threat as only propane tanks at the camp exploded from the accidental fire Neither Biden nor Harris was at the rehearsal The military band and others participating in the rehearsal were ordered to take shelter in a secure area The lockdown was lifted after the fire was not considered a threat by officials The heart of the city looks like an armed camp with about 15000 National Guard troops deployed in response to the storming of the Capitol by some of President Donald Trumps supporters on January 6 and the breakdown of security About 10000 more are expected The Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI has warned of threats from extremists to Washington and state capitals around the country before and during the inauguration The presence of some police and other security personnel as well as several exservice personnel at the attack on Congress has raised fears that the troops deployed for inaugural security may themselves be a security threat The FBI and other agencies have been vetting the National Guard at the request of the Defence Department National Guard Commanding General William Walker told Fox News TV the vetting was a matter of abundance of caution being carried out to make sure that we have the right people in the security bubble None of the attacks riots or large protests that had been anticipated during the weekend or on Monday the public holiday celebrating the birthday of civil rights leader Martin Luther King have materialised But the fears of attacks or disruptions for the inauguration persist The January 6 riots took place after Trump addressed a rally urging his supporters to protest the election of Biden which he said was the result of massive fraud About 50 legal challenged by him and his supporters to the election have been thrown out by courts Many of his supporters marched to the Capitol which houses Congress just as the Senate and the House of Representatives were in the process of ratifying the votes of the electoral college electing Biden A section of the rioters overwhelmed security and rushed inside the Capitol building entering the Senate chamber and the office of Speaker Nancy Pelosi while members of Congress were evacuated to safety Five people including a police officer died during the riot and a nationwide hunt is on for those who entered the Capitol and several have already been arrested The House impeached Trump on Wednesday charging him with inciting an insurrection and threatening democracy Under the impeachment process the Senate is to hold a judicialstyle trial of Trump with the senators acting as jurors Arul Louis can be reached at arulliansin and followed on Twitter at arulouis IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/fearful-washington-hunkers-down-fire-disrupts-inauguration-rehearsal-95872.html Tue, 19 Jan 2021 05:36:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/melania-trump-asks-to-choose-love-over-hatred-in-farewell-speech-95902.html Washington Jan 19 With just one day left for Joe Biden to be inaugurated as the 46th President of the US outgoing First Lady Melania Trump bode farewell to the nation asking every American to always choose love over hatred peace over violence and others before yourself She made the remarks in a six and a halfminute video message posted on the White House website on Monday night Trump begins her message by saying that it had been the greatest honour of my life to serve as First Lady of the United States The past four years have been unforgettable As outgoing President Donald and I conclude our time in the White House I think of all the people I have taken home in my heart and their incredible stories of love patriotism and determination she says To every service member and to our incredible military families You are heroes and you will always be in my thoughts and prayers I think of all the members of law enforcement who greet us wherever we go At every hour of every day they stand guard to keep our communities safe and we are forever in their debt Trump adds Regarding the raging coronavirus pandemic Trump urges all Americans to use caution and common sense to protect the vulnerable as millions of vaccines are now being delivered I thank all the nurses doctors healthcare professionals manufacturing workers truck drivers and so many others who are working to save lives As First Lady Trump had launched the Be Best initiative and according to her it has concentrated on three pillars wellbeing online safety and opioid abuse In a few short years I have raised awareness of how to keep children safe online we have made incredible progress on our nations drug epidemic and how it impacts the lives of newborns and families and we have given a voice to our most vulnerable children in the foster care system Internationally Be Best has evolved into a platform that encourages world leaders to discuss issues impacting the lives of children and allows them to share solutions It has been an honour to represent the American people abroad she says In conclusion Trump asks the people to focus on what unites us To rise above what divides us To always choose love over hatred peace over violence and others before yourself to all the people of this country You will be in my heart forever Thank you God bless you and God bless the United States of America IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/melania-trump-asks-to-choose-love-over-hatred-in-farewell-speech-95902.html Tue, 19 Jan 2021 10:31:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/kamala-harris-resigns-from-senate-ahead-of-inauguration-95921.html Washington Jan 19 Ahead of her inauguration as the 49th Vice President of the US on Wednesday Kamala Harris has formally resigned from the Senate After she takes over as Vice President Harris will preside over the upper chamber of Congress Xinhua news agency Thus as I leave the United States Senate this is not goodbye This is hello Harris wrote in an oped in the San Francisco Chronicle issued on Monday indicating that in her capacity as the Vice President she will also become the President of the Senate As I resign from the Senate I am preparing to take an oath that would have me preside over it she said The Democratic Party will gain control of the Senate later this month when Georgias Democratic senatorselect Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock are sworn in The Democratic and Republican parties will each hold 50 seats in the chamber with Harris having the power to cast the tiebreaking vote which she said in the oped she is not willing to use unless necessary Since our nations founding only 268 tiebreaking votes have been cast by a Vice President I intend to work tirelessly as your Vice President including if necessary fulfilling this Constitutional duty she wrote At the same time it is my hope that rather than come to the point of a tie the Senate will instead find common ground and do the work of the American people Before being elected to the Senate in the 2016 California Senate election Harris the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants was the Attorney General of California a post she held after completing her tenure as District Attorney of San Francisco On Wednesday Harris will create history by becoming the first female Vice President of the country and also the first woman of colour the first AfricanAmerican and first IndianAmerican to assume the office IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/kamala-harris-resigns-from-senate-ahead-of-inauguration-95921.html Tue, 19 Jan 2021 11:51:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/in-saga-of-immigration-indians-travel-from-exclusion-to-vice-presidency-95983.html Iran In this photo released Tuesday Jan 19 2021 by the Iranian Army paratroopers parachute during a military drill Iran has recently stepped up military drills as part of an effort to pressure Presidentelect Joe Biden to rejoin the multinational accord meant to contain IranÄôs nuclear program President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the accord in 2018 PTI By Arul Louis New York Jan 19 The first Indian recorded to have reached the shores of the US is a man from Madras now Chennai the area from where the family of Shyamala Gopalan mother of Vice Presidentelect Kamala Harris hails From the time of his long journey on a sailing ship in 1790 to now when Gopalans daughter is going to be Vice President it is also a long political journey for Indians in the US In that period Indians have been excluded as immigrants given and refused citizenship and faced discrimination but they have also gained political rights been elected to offices from local councils to governorships and the Vice Presidency headed some of the largest companies won Nobel prizes and led universities Along the way they have become the ethnic group with the highest income and educational attainment making up a little over 1 per cent of the US population and becoming one of the fastest growing A wave of Indians most of them Sikhs came to the US many via Canada to work on the railroads lumber mills and farms at the beginning of the last century They along with other Asians like the Chinese were subjected to racial attacks culminating in the Immigration Act of 1917 that banned immigration from most of Asia An 18th century law limited citizenship to free White persons but for a while after 1910 some Indians were allowed by courts to get citizenship because they were considered members of the Caucasian race That ended in 1923 when Bhagat Singh Thind who had served in the US Army was denied citizenship and the Supreme up ruled that though they may be Caucasians Indians are not considered White The citizenship granted to many Indians was also revoked while they were allowed to stay on in a nationality limbo But Thind regained citizenship in 1935 when a new law granted it to all former service personnel regardless of ethnicity Meanwhile many Indians came to the US to study or for business or as religious teachers and some stayed on One of them was Dalip Singh Saund who came to do his PhD at the University of California Berkeley A 1946 law set an annual immigration quota of 100 for Indians with a path to citizenship and Saund became a citizen Later he made history as the first IndianAmerican elected to the US House of Representatives in 1956 and won reelection twice On the heels of the civil rights movement in the 1960s that brought attention to inherent racism in the US system a 1965 law overhauled the immigration machinery and all countries except the neighbours were given an annual quota of 20000 immigrants opening the way for Indian immigration People with higher education and occupations received preference for the visa and tens of thousands of Indian professionals like doctors came from India and others studying here received their Green Cards or immigration visas They were followed by thousands of relatives allowed under the system The next big wave of Indians came in the late 1990s when there was a great need for computer professionals to fix the Y2K bug a computer glitch that was expected to strike hundreds of thousands of computer programmes and systems when the new millennium started The gateway for most of them was the H1B temporary work visa and having established their credentials in technology more Indians flowed in to work in the technology sectors on those visas While tens of thousands went on to get their Green Cards and eventually citizenship many thousands of H1B visaholders are left hanging because the immigration quota is overburdened Gaining from the educational infrastructure of their country Indians were able to take advantage of the educational and job preferences in the immigration system and this is reflected in the communitys profile The story of Indians in America is one of selection While this is true for all immigrants those from India stand out for the degree of selection on human capital relative to both the destination country and the country of origin according to The Other One Per cent a landmark study of Indian immigration by three academics Now there are about 4 million Indians in the US making up about 12 per cent of the population according to the Census Bureau Seventytwo per cent of Indian immigrants have a Bachelors or a higher degree compared to 32 per cent for all Americans and Indians had a median annual household income of 100000 nearly twice that of all American households according to the Pew Research which studies demographic trends Thats a far cry from when they were mostly labourers and farmers There are three areas where Indians touch the lives of a broad swath of Americans and their presence is felt medicine academia and hospitality industry In medicine they are at the forefront of fighting Covid19 pandemic as doctors and nurses and as experts like Surgeon Generalnominee Vivek Murthy directly framing policy or making analysis and developing solutions or as scientists working on vaccines and cures Indian doctors numbering over 80000 make up about 8 per cent of all the physicians in the US and there are also 40000 Indians doing their residency or studying to be doctors One in every sixth or seventh patient is seen by an Indian doctor according to Suresh Reddy President of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin AAPI In addition there are tens of thousands of nurses of Indian origin Another area is academics where almost every institution of higher learning has Indians on the faculty and most Americans who have been through college could recall at least one Indian teacher At Harvard Universitys Business School Srikant Datar is succeeding Nitin Nohria as the dean Madhav Rajan is the dean at another top tier institution Chicago Universitys Booth School of Business The Ivy League Harvard College is headed by Rakesh Khurana Three Indian academics at US universities have won Nobel Prizes Hargobind Khurana for medicine Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar for physics and Abhijit Bannerjee in Economics Manjul Bhargava and Akshay Venkatesh have won the Fields Medal for Mathematics Indians also dominate the hospitality industry which has a high level of interaction with the public One in two US hotels are owned by the members of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association representing Indians in this sector and which has over 19500 members IndianAmericans have been a driving force in Silicon Valley the worlds technology engine Three of the largest technology companies are headed by IndianAmericans Sundar Pichai at Google Satya Nadella at Microsoft and Arvind Krishna at IBM Indians have also been entrepreneurs in technology and other fields A pioneer in the tech sector is Vinod Khosla who was a founder of SunMicro Systems He went on to become a venture capitalist helping seed ventures According to a report by the National Foundation for Economic Policy more than half of the Unicorn companies those with valuations of over 1 billion before going public had at least only Indian as a founder It is estimated that over 200000 Indians work in Silicon Valley Decades before Silicon Valley became the centre of technology innovation Amar Bose as a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor developed the highend audio systems that bear his name and founded the company in the 1960s to market and market them Indians who are or were high profile CEOs include Niraj Shah of Wayfair Indira Nooyi of PepsiCo Ajay Banga of MasterCard Rakesh Gangawal of US Airways IndianAmerican entrepreneurial experience is widely varied The stories of Silicon Valley and the Gujarati motel owners are well known But there are also gas station owners taxi drivers comic book aficionados and more Sanjoy Chakravorty Divesh Kapur and Nirvikar Singh write in their book The Other One Per cent Indian children have excelled in science competitions and the Spelling Bee where they had a monopoly for nearly ten years Five IndianAmericans have won the Pulitzer prizes for journalism Gobind Behari Lal and Geeta Anand for fiction Jhumpa Lahiri nonfiction Siddhartha Mukherjee and poetry Vijay Seshadri Indians have also made their mark in the legal field Sri Srinivasan is the chief judge of the federal court of appeals for the District of Columbia the most important court after the Supreme Court for which he was once considered in the running Vanita Gupta has been nominated by Presidentelect Joe Biden to be the associate attorney general She became a legendary figure when as a newly graduated lawyer she won the release of 38 people most of them African Americans who had been wrongly convicted by allWhite juries on drug charges in a Texas town and also got them 6 million in compensation Neal Katyal a prominent legal scholar served as the acting solicitor general in former President Barack Obamas administration IndianAmericans have also made their mark in the government Nikki Haley became the first Indian to be a member of the US cabinet when outgoing President Donald Trump appointed her as the Permanent Representative to the UN with cabinet rank Several other Indians who have held in several influential posts in Trumps administration are Seema Verma as the head of Medicare and Medicaid the government health insurance programmes for seniors and the poor Ajit Pai as the head of the Federal Communications Commission Manisha Singh as assistant secretary of state and Raj Shah as his deputy press secretary Now Biden and Harris have named at least to 21 IndianAmericans to key positions starting with Neera Tandon who will be the cabinet rank director of the Office of Management and Budget Those on the White House staff include Vinay Reddy director of speechwriting Vedant Patel assistant press secretary and Neha Gupta associate counsel and Reema Shah deputy associate counsel Former Presidents George W Bush and Bill Clinton also had Indians in important posts in their administrations IndianAmericans have been active in politics for several decades although after the election of Saund there was a long hiatus till 2004 when Bobby Jindal was elected to the House of Representatives Meanwhile Indians were working at the state level with Kanak Dutta launching the drive in the early 1980s by running for the Democratic Party nomination for New Jersey State Assembly although she failed Kumar Barve was elected to the Maryland State Assembly in 1991 and Upendra Chivkula to the New Jersey Assembly in 2001 Two Indians Bobby Jindal in Louisiana and Nikki Haley in South Carolina were elected governors Their elections ran counter to stereotypes  both were Republicans elected by a preponderance of White voters in conservative southern states Jindal was elected to the House of Representatives 2004 45 years after Saund He has been followed by three Democrats Ami Bera in 2010 and Raja Krishnamoorthi Pramila Jayapal and Ro Khanna in 2017 Harris was elected to the Senate in 2017 after having served as Californias attorney general By the end of the 1990s Indian Americans had become active participants in American domestic politics making financial contributions in proportion to their share of the population according to The Other One Per cent The IndiaUS nuclear agreement that allowed India to overcome the stigma of the nuclear tests and able to acquire nuclear materials and equipment showed the political organisation of the IndianAmerican community that had been taking place over the years as Indians raised funds for politicians actively participated in campaigns and set up their own political education and action groups That was the acid test of the communitys lobbying power according to the book It also signalled the political maturing of the IndianAmerican community as a lobbying group The identity of the man from Madras who visited Salem Massachusetts is recorded in the diary of a clergyman William Bentley who seems to describe what appears to be meeting between the man from India and an American Indian He does not give his name but describes him and identifies the sea captain Gibaut whom he accompanied according to a diary excerpt in a book on counselling IndianAmericans by Varughese Jacob Arul Louis can be reached at arulliansin and followed on Twitter at arulouis IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/in-saga-of-immigration-indians-travel-from-exclusion-to-vice-presidency-95983.html Tue, 19 Jan 2021 15:11:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/profile-biden-elected-to-heal-nation-tortured-by-great-divide-95757.html By Arul Louis New York Jan 18 Joseph Robinette Biden Jr becomes the American President after being elected as the last hope of his Democratic Party to lead and heal the nation tortured by the great ideological divide with his reconciliatory touch Thirtytwo years after he first reached for the presidency on Wednesday he will become President by default a consensus candidate around whom the Democratic Party factions coalesced as the best bet to unseat President Donald Trump perhaps for the very qualities his air of uninspired stolidity his moderation and his role as a Washington insider that had held him back but now a winning contrast to Trump And the old stalwarts of the prepopulist Republican Party have also reluctantly backed him for these very characteristics When the Covid19 pandemic struck in the middle of the Democratic Party process of selecting its candidate to oppose Trump the rivals dropped out and rallied around him in what amounted to a nomination by acclamation When Bidene first ran for the partys nomination in 1988 he said It is an exciting and dangerous time for this generation of Americans has the opportunity so rarely granted to others by fate and history We literally have the chance to shape the future The opportunity that eluded him then is now his only the time is more dangerous the pandemic the economic crisis racial and ideological distrust and months of violence on all sides capped by extremist supporters of Trump storming Congress It will call on his skills in being able to reach across to foes and rivals for a consensus An example of how he can put aside differences is him picking Kamala Harris to be his Vice President after she had viciously attacked him when she was a rival for the Democratic presidential nomination causing a drop in his support for a while As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee he had pushed for ending sanctions against India for its 1998 nuclear test and worked with Congressional nonproliferation hawks and sceptics across party lines to get the landmark IndiaUS Civil Nuclear Agreement approved by Congress in 2008 That recognised India as a nuclear in practical terms effectively ending its international isolation over the tests Biden has been making conciliatory speeches since his election and said last week Unity is not some pieinthesky dream Its a practical step to get any of the things we have to get done as a country get done together He not only has to reach out to the 468 per cent of the voters who backed outgoing President Donald Trump but he also has to hold on to the strident left wing of his party Joe Biden as he prefers to be known to fit his everyman persona comes from modest circumstances His father who had once been well off slipped economically when he was laid off from his job in Pennsylvania where Biden was born and moved to Delaware to work as a used car salesman initially facing economic difficulties In his acceptance speech at the Democratic Party Convention last year he recalled his father telling the thirdgrader about the move I remember my dad coming up the stairs in my grandpops house where we were living sitting at the end of my bed and saying Joey Im going to have to leave for a while For a while the family stayed with his grandparents as his father struggled to establish himself in Delaware and reunited with his family That experience is imprinted on his social and economic outlook Of his familys working class heritage he once said Im the first Biden in a thousand generations to get a college and a graduate degree He also worked as a truck driver to help pay his way through college A striver he overcame a stuttering problem by reciting poetry to become a public speaker Biden turned 78 on November 20 2020 and as the 46th President will be the oldest person to assume the American presidency He has been preparing for job through his 47 years in politics with ideological shifts and by building bridges and networks even as he faced political failures and tragedies in his personal life Biden served eight years as Vice President with former President Barack Obama bringing the wisdom of experience and the practicality of getting things done in Congress and internationally while getting handson experience in the ways of the White House His political career began when he was elected as a young lawyer to the Newcastle County Council in 1970 and two years later he ran successfully for the Senate In the first run for the 1988 presidential nomination after 16 years on the Senate Biden made several exaggerated or false claims during his campaign about his education and involvement in the civil rights movement and withdrew when they were exposed His fathers advice saw him through that and more stumbles on the way to the presidency My own father had always said the measure of a man wasnt how many times or how hard he got knocked down but how fast he got back up Biden picked himself up and served 20 more years in the Senate heading the Foreign Relations and Judiciary Committees In 2008 he lost the last presidential nomination bid to Obama who invited him to be his Vice President He passed up on the 2016 election deferring to the Democratic Party establishment that backed Hillary Clinton Less polarising than her he could have been a stronger candidate against Trump In his run for the party nomination last year he suffered initial losses in the intraparty elections ending up fifth in New Hampshire and fourth in Iowa both considered bellwether states and second in Nevada nearly getting written off But he turned things around and scored victories At the personal level he suffered a tragedy in 2015 when his son and political heir apparent Beau Biden who had been elected the attorney general of Delaware died of brain cancer Beau Biden who had served in Iraq as an Army officer was the survivor of another tragedy that struck the family in 1972 just as Joe Biden was about to start his Senate career as a 29yearold Joe Bidens first wife Neilla and their sons Beau Hunter and daughter Amy were in an automobile accident Neilla and Amy died while the sons were hospitalised with severe injuries Recalling his despair after the losses Joe Biden wrote There were moments when the pain cut through like a shard of broken glass As a widower he married Jill Tracy Jacobs in 1977 and they have daughter Ashley Blazer who is a social worker Jill Biden who has a PhD is an English professor at Northern Virginia Community College and will continue to work She helped him emerge out of the depths of sorrow after the family tragedy and has been politically involved and campaigned for him during the recent election His other son Hunter Biden was the catalyst for the first impeachment of Trump Removed from the Navy because of alleged drug use and having no experience in the energy sector or in Ukraine he was appointed to the board of directors of a Ukrainian gas company with salary of about 50000 per month A prosecutor looking into the company was fired at Joe Bidens behest Trump was charged with misusing his office by withholding aid to Ukraine in order to get its government to investigate it The Senate acquitted Trump Hunter Biden was in another controversy over a deal with a Chinese company to invest about 12 billion He has since withdrawn from it He recently acknowledged that his tax matters were being investigated by the federal government Joe Biden suffered two brain aneurysms and underwent separate surgeries for them and also had a pulmonary embolism in 1988 putting him out of action for about half the year Bidens family is mostly of Irish descent and he will be the second Catholic after John F Kennedy to become President in a nation where all the others have been Protestant Christians There may be an Indian connection in his lineage He has spoken at least twice of having heard that an ancestor may have lived in Mumbai in the 18th century as an East India Company employee but has not confirmed it After a bachelors degree from Delaware University he received a law degree from Syracuse University in New York State and briefly practiced law privately and as a public defender the lawyer for the poor He had several stumbles during his political career but his views and policies have evolved Along with many rightwing and racist politicians he opposed the school desegregation plan known as busing that involved transporting children across de facto local racial lines of separation to schools in other areas to end racial exclusivity of schools During a Democratic Party presidential debate Harris criticised him over this and pointed out that she was one of the Black children transported by bus to break down racial segregation Biden supported the Iraq War over false claims that it had weapons of mass destruction but said during the campaign he said that he had opposed from the beginning He later admitted that he misspoke He has repeatedly defended his vote for the war but also said it was a mistake Biden was one of the promoters of the controversial Crime Control Act which ended up disproportionately hurting African Americans and while it was being debated he talked of predators and young people born out of wedlock without parents without supervision without any structure without any conscience developing seen as a coded criticism of the community He later backtracked on the support for the law and has said during his campaign that was a mistake too Biden is gaffeprone and his advisers and handlers keep him to scripted speeches and limit his media interactions Arul Louis can be reached at arulliansin and followed on Twitter at arulouis IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/profile-biden-elected-to-heal-nation-tortured-by-great-divide-95757.html Mon, 18 Jan 2021 18:50:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/roll-call-indian-names-bloom-in-white-house-power-circle-95762.html By Nikhila Natarajan New York Jan 18 Kamala Devi Harris Vivek Murthy Gautam Raghavan Mala Adiga Vinay Reddy Bharat Ramamurti Neera Tanden Celine Gounder Atul Gawande are some of the Indian names that are blooming more now than at any other time in the innermost circles of the White House and that too within weeks after the MyNameIs blowback to Republicans mangling of US Vice Presidentelect Kamala Harris first name during the 2020 campaign Till date nearly two dozen IndianAmericans have been appointed or nominated to high powered positions on the BidenHarris Ateam KAHmahlah KahMAHlah Kamalamalamala I dont know Whatever Republican Senator David Perdue an ally of outgoing President Donald Trump mocked as crowds of Trump fans erupted in laughter ahead of a super spreadertype rally in Macon before the November 3 2020 election As Perdue made a spectacle of himself little did he or Trump know that two dozen Indian names would make it to the whos who of the 2021 White House or that the blowback to the Senators comments would lead to record fundraising in Georgia a whopping 18 million in 48 hours where two Senate races were still to be decided By January 6 the day a violent proTrump mob attacked the Capitol building in Washington DC Harris Democratic party colleagues had won both the Georgia Senate seats Americas balance of power had been transformed When Harris and Presidentelect Joe Biden take their oaths to lead America they also herald the arrival to the White House of IndianAmerican success stories across a wide arc of subject matter expertise including medicine economics digital communications and storytelling Theres nothing remotely American about the lions share of these names Gautam Raghavan Vivek Murthy Mala Adiga Vinay Reddy Bharat Ramamurthi Neera Tanden Celine Gounder Their Indianness is total its for the white Americans to go figure that Murthy is Moorthee and not Mirthy that the second syllable in Gautam is tham as in thump and not tam as in TimTam and so on KHarris has spent a lot of time explaining her name to America First my name is pronounced commala like the punctuation mark It means lotus flower which is a symbol of significance in Indian culture A lotus grows underwater its flower rising above the surface while its roots are planted firmly in the river bottom she wrote in her memoir The Truths We Hold During the campaign that became a GIF a video a meme and every kind of cultural insert on the internet When Shyamala Gopalan Harris chose to name her first born Kamala it was intentional and carefully thought through A culture that worships goddesses produces strong women she explained to the Los Angeles Times in 2004 when Kamala Harris was 40 Kamala is one of the 108 names of Goddess Lakshmi bestower of wealth prosperity and fortune in Indian Hindu culture In a recent conversation with IANS political science professor and founder of AAPI Data Karthick Ramakrishnan pointed to the very particular Tamil Brahmin experience that Kamala Harris emerges from But what was interesting was that she was not trying to pander to speak about some kind of generic IndianAmerican or South Asian American experience She was talking about her relationship with her mother and our ancestors relatives in India And I think that came off as very authentic for a lot of people During the Democratic National Convention in August 2020 Kamala Harris introduced herself to America in those very terms Theres another woman whose name isnt known whose story isnt shared Another woman whose shoulders I stand on And thats my motherShyamala Gopalan Harris In parallel though the US is no stranger to name changes as a method of cultural assimilation The quest for Americansounding or whitesounding names has been a tradition in immigrant communities in the US from the time the first outsiders arrived on Ellis Island In fact the first of Trumps family in the US was a Drumpf the outgoing US Ppresidents grandfather Friedrich Drumpf came here as a 16yearold Yet the roll call of two dozen Indian names headlining wave upon wave of White House appointees and nominees seems to be pointing in a new direction a return to roots in a foreign field Anyone who bet that mocking the name Kamala was a good idea in the year 2020 has gone broke IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/roll-call-indian-names-bloom-in-white-house-power-circle-95762.html Mon, 18 Jan 2021 19:04:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/the-return-of-first-pets-major-and-champ-biden-maybe-a-cat-too-95803.html By Nikhila Natarajan New York Jan 18 On January 20 presidential pooches Champ and Major Biden will mark the return of First Pets to the White House after four years of outgoing President Donald Trumps petfree reign A cat is also said to be in the running to join the furry sidekicks German shepherds Major and Champ will be rolling in with the Bidens as they move into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington DC on Inauguration Day Major is 2 Champ 12 He thinks hes Secret Service and he is Presidentelect Joe Biden likes to say about Champ a Washington insider by now The Bidens got Champ from a Pennsylvania breeder in late 2008 postelection The new pup was named Champ on Christmas Day after the word Bidens father used to help his son recover from hard knocks while growing up Major joined the Biden family in 2018 10 years after Champ He was rescued with the help of the Delaware Humane Association DHA and will be the first shelter dog to be called First Dog Major got an early shot at the spotlight when his playdate with Biden ended with his master suffering a hairline fracture on his right foot Champs a veteran at headline hunting When Biden was Vice President he used to hand out Champ soft toys to kids he met as part of his official tours Before Biden Barack Obama was the most recent president to have pets on campus Obama rewarded his children with two Portuguese water dogs Bo and Sunny after his inauguration Bo was a gift from Senator Ted Kennedy Presidential pooches have done more than just good PR for their famous masters Former President George Bushs English Springer Spaniel Millie is the author of a dogobiography called Millies Book President Harry Truman famously said that if you want a friend in Washington get a dog Many Presidents have taken him up on that advice The first President Bush once said There is nothing like the unconditional love of a dog to help you get through the rough spots Before 2017 every single first family for over 100 years had an animal member Trump was one of only four Presidents who left the First Pet slot vacant On this Vice President Mike Pence broke with Trump The Pences had a rabbit and a cat at the start of term and added two puppies and a beehive during their stint at One Observatory Circle the new home of Vice Presidentelect Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/the-return-of-first-pets-major-and-champ-biden-maybe-a-cat-too-95803.html Mon, 18 Jan 2021 21:27:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/doug-emhoff-kamalas-ultimate-hype-man-95804.html By Nikhila Natarajan New York Jan 18 In a December 2020 dispatch Oprah Magazine described Americas first tobe Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff as the ultimate hypeman we all deserve in a partner going by the way he gushes about wife Kamala Harris barrier shattering career Even when hes not gushing Emhoff in his new role will be a barrier breaker Presidentelect Joe Biden touched on the subject briefly when he named Harris to be his Vice President pick but his remarks were about the technicalities of the fact that Emhoff will be the first Second Gentleman America has ever known But theres that other thing Emhoff brings into sharp focus a certain warmth that he shares with Harris that both of them feel comfortable enough to share plenty of it in public domain Take Emhoffs picture post from November 7 2020 So proud of you with two hearts and two American flags accompanying an image of him hugging Harris against the backdrop of rolling green meadow Or him holding up a tee saying Madam Vice President at a wayside store in Washington DC Everyone gets that its all great PR too but it is also true that we didnt see much of this candid vibe the last four years The signs are clear well be getting a lot of it the next four Emhoff will also be the first Jewish person to be a Second or First Spouse Harris and Emhoff will be the first interracial couple in either the President or Vice President spot and Emhoff like Jill Biden will be teaching while Harris works the Vice President beat Emhoff kicks off with lectures on Entertainment Law Disputes in the upcoming spring semester at Georgetown University Additionally Emhoff will serve as a Distinguished Fellow at Georgetown Laws Institute for Technology Law and Policy Well before the 2020 election Emhoff announced that he was leaving behind a partnership at the international law firm DLA Piper His bio on the law firms site describes him as someone who is equally good at litigating highstakes cases in the public glare or acting as a trusted advisor behind the scenes Its the latter role that Emhoff will now settle into Emhoff has already won adulation for saying the simplest things about supporting rather than advising Harris about taking pride in her achievements and jumping right in when trolls otherwise people of colour or minorities When the online attack mob came for Jill Biden insisting that she must drop her Dr prefix heres what Emhoff had to say Dr Biden earned her degrees through hard work and pure grit She is an inspiration to me to her students and to Americans across this country This story would never have been written about a man All the signs already exist that Emhoff is going to be Harris top cheerleader Proud husband to Kamala Harris is his chosen escalator pitch In the process of turning the spotlight on his wife Emhoff has already begin normalising the idea that being respectful to womens careers and lives is an act of strength IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/doug-emhoff-kamalas-ultimate-hype-man-95804.html Mon, 18 Jan 2021 21:38:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/trump-joins-tiny-club-of-inauguration-day-absentees-95805.html By Nikhila Natarajan New York Jan 18 Outgoing US President Donald Trump joins a select club of American Presidents who will sit out their successors inauguration but within that cohort he will be alone in his attempt to incite a violent mob to storm the US Capitol and the only American President ever to be impeached twice Back in 1801 John Adams boarded a stagecoach and rode out of Washington DC hours before Thomas Jefferson was to be sworn in as the countrys third president Adams did not attend In 1829 after a bitterly fought election rife with personal insults John Quincy Adams boycotted Andrew Jacksons swearing in ceremony When Jacksons wife died before the inauguration the future president blamed his opponent for sparking slanderinduced stress In 1869 Johnson absented himself from the inauguration of Ulysses S Grant and stayed back in the White House signing last minute legislation Grant on his part refused to ride with Johnson from the White House to the Capitol for the ceremony Richard Nixon took off in a helicopter from the lawns of the White House before Gerald Fords swearingin The circumstances around the event were rather muted and did not have the pomp and circumstance that is a signature of Inauguration Day Awash in the Watergate scandal Nixon handed in his resignation letter and Ford took his oath of office in the White House There is broad consensus among presidential historians that a President showing up on Inauguration Day is primarily about the optics theres nothing in the Constitution that mandates a president check off this box Trumps absence does not land as any surprise considering that he has refused to accept the election results and incited an entire army of his supporters to stop the steal by attacking the Capitol and trying to stop the certification of Presidentelect Joe Bidens win Biden said he was happy to have Trump stay away When Vice Presidentelect Kamala Harris gets those questions she usually brushes it aside with a smirk or a laugh Dont worry Mr President Ill see you at your trial Harris jabbed more than a year ago to a snarky Trump tweet when the second impeachment wasnt anywhere on the horizon Turns out she was almost spot on IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/trump-joins-tiny-club-of-inauguration-day-absentees-95805.html Mon, 18 Jan 2021 21:49:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/from-shyamala-gopalan-to-kamala-devi-harris-a-timeline-of-two-audacious-journeys-95812.html By Nikhila Natarajan New York Jan 18 When Kamala Harris takes the oath as the next US Vice President on Wednesday it will be a moment without equal in the countrys history Harris will be the first Indian and Black American first woman and first woman of colour to ever win the election to Americas highest political office Her journey was made possible by another audacious traveller her mother Shyamala Gopalan who arrived in America as a 19yearold in 1958 on an academic scholarship Below is a timeline that traces the two womens paths starting with Gopalans arrival in America that finally culminated in Harris barrier shattering triumph 1958 Shyamala Gopalan wins the Hilgard scholarship to study at University of California Berkeley 1960 Shyamala Gopalan finishes her Masters degree at the University of California Berkeley 1962 Shyamala Gopalan meets Donald Harris her future husband who was speaking at a meeting of the Afro American Association July 5 1963 Shyamala Gopalan marries Donald Harris 1964 Shyamala Gopalan earns a PhD in nutrition and endocrinology at UC Berkeley Oct 20 1964 Kamala Harris is born at the Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Oakland California 1966 Shyamala Gopalan and Donald Harris move to Urbana Champaign Donald Harris begins teaching economics at the University of Illinois Jan 30 1967 Kamala Harris sister Maya is born 1970 Shyamala Gopalan moves back from Illinois to Berkeley The relationship between Gopalan and Donald Harris goes downhill 1971 Shyamala Gopalan and Donald Harris divorce 1976 Shyamala moves with her girls to Montreal Canada She begins teaching at McGill University and doing research at the Jewish General Hospital 1981 Kamala Harris graduates from Westmount High School Montreal 1982 Kamala Harris joins Howard University a legendary historically Black university in Washington DC not far from the White House 1986 Kamala Harris earns undergraduate degree in political science Howard University 1989 Kamala earns a law degree from Hastings College 1990 Kamala Harris begins working as deputy district attorney in Oakland California She works here for 8 years 2010 Kamala Harris is elected attorney general of California becoming the first woman and the first Indian and Black American to hold the post Feb 11 2009 Shyamala Gopalan Harris passes away after battling cancer She was 70 2012 Harris delivers a speech at the Democratic National Convention raising her profile Aug 22 2014 Harris marries Doug Emhoff in Santa Barbara California Kamalas sister Maya Harris officiates 2016 Kamala Harris is elected to the US Senate from California after defeating Loretta Sanchez She replaces retiring Senator Barbara Boxer Jan 8 2019 Harris memoir The Truths We Hold An American Journey is published Jan 21 2019 Harris launches her presidential run with an announcement on Good Morning America Dec 3 2019 Citing lack of funds Harris shutters her presidential campaign Aug 11 2020 Joe Biden announces Kamala Harris as his running mate on the presidential ticket Nov 7 2020 US networks call the US 2020 elections for the Joe Biden and Kamala Harris ticket Nov 7 2020 On a chilly Fall evening Kamala Harris delivers a rousing victory speech taking the stage before Presidentelect Joe Biden Jan 20 2021 Kamala Harris will take her oath as Americas first ever woman Vice President She will be the first woman of colour first Indian and Black American to ever hold this position IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/from-shyamala-gopalan-to-kamala-devi-harris-a-timeline-of-two-audacious-journeys-95812.html Mon, 18 Jan 2021 22:26:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/fbi-probing-if-foreign-actors-funded-capitol-riots-report-95565.html Washington Jan 17 The Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI has launched a probe to find out if any foreign actors including governments and groups funded the rioters who attacked the US Capitol building in Washington DC on January 6 according to a news report published on Sunday The NBC News report which cited a former and current FBI official said the agency is examining payments of 500000 in bitcoin apparently by a French national to key figures and groups in the altright before the riot The officials told NBC News that tose payments were documented and posted online last week by a company that analyses cryptocurrency transfers Last week a joint warning issued by the FBI Department of Homeland Security DHS and other security agencies said that since the riot staged by supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump Russian Iranian and Chinese influence actors have seized the opportunity to amplify narratives in furtherance of their policy interest amid the presidential transition The current FBI official told NBC News that the agency did not necessarily suspect Russian involvement in the bitcoin transfers which appear to have been made by a French computer programmer who died by suicide on December 8 2020 after triggering the transfers The FBI and the DHS are yet to comment on the NBC News report which comes as federal law enforcement are trying to track down and charge members of the mob involved in the January 6 riots Last week Michael Sherwin acting US attorney for DC had said that officials were treating the investigation just like a significant international counterterrorism or counterintelligence operation The attack on the Capitol building on January 6 took place while Congress was in session considering the ratification of the electoral college votes electing Joe Biden as President and Kamala Harris as Vice President Earlier that day outside the Capitol Trump addressed his supporters during which called for patriots to take a stand against the 2020 election results Five people including a police officer were killed during the riots The Federal Bureau of Investigation has issued a warning about plans of armed protests from January 16 through January 20 at all the 50 state capitols and from January 17 through January 20 the day of the inauguration at the Capitol in Washington DC Up to 25000 National Guard members have been authorised by the Pentagon for Washington DC more than the amount of the troops currently stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan combined IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/fbi-probing-if-foreign-actors-funded-capitol-riots-report-95565.html Mon, 18 Jan 2021 04:05:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/from-madras-to-the-white-house-idlis-come-full-circle-95825.html By Nikhila Natarajan New York Jan 18 When was the last time we took the names of fluffy white idlis sambar okra fry and the White House in the same sentence On January 20 well get there Seen through a culinary perspective the travels of US Vice Presidentelect Kamala Harris mother Shyamala Gopalan from Madras now Chennai and father Donald Harris from Jamaica nearly 60 years ago set in motion a blended kitchen culture that Kamala Harris brings with her to the Vice Presidents home in Washington DC With it come idlis sambar okra roast chicken tuna melt sandwiches and a Veep whos an unapologetic food connoisseur for Kamala Harris the act of cooking is meditative and joyful in equal measure Kamala Harris writes in her memoir My mother cooked like a scientist She describes the giant Chinesestyle cleaver that she chopped with and a cupboard full of spices and loved that okra could be soul food or Indian food depending on what spices you chose As a young girl Harris began by loving okra either fried to a crisp with a seasoning of oil and mustard seeds or floating in tamarind stew in her mothers kitchen in a yellow stucco house in Oakland California Later among a diverse group of friends and family came new ways to cook the vegetable and an appreciation for soul food a term that swept into Americas collective vocabulary right around the time that Harris parents met and later married In an ask me anything session on Twitter Kamala talks about how idlis with like really good sambar are among her favourite South Indian foods Harris recalls how her mother during trips to India sparked a love for good idli Harris is both indulgent and minimal depending on the context The idli fits neatly within that construct its survivalist cuisine or heavenly depending on your approach Idli is a traditional fermented rice and black grambased food which originated in South India and makes an important contribution to diet as a source of protein calories and vitamins especially B complex vitamins The idli and its cousin the dosa are as much about Shyamala Gopalans roots as they are about Kamala Harris Long before the Kamala connection transported Chennais Besant Nagar into international fame the neighbourhood has been a goto for the citys prime real estate the softest idlis and famous Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Ganesha the elephant headed god of good luck and Lakshmi the goddess of wealth from where Kamala gets her first name The location of Kamala Harris grandfather home in Chennai in Besant Nagar is dotted with plenty of big and small idli shops with Murugan Idli being among the most popular An idli is an idli wherever you go soft round white and fluffy but like Kamala Harris says with like really good sambar is the secret In Indian homes this round white rice cake is staple fare its available for a few rupees at food carts on street corners its the first thing that goes on the stove in millions of Indian homes every morning its now firmly on the alltime favourites menu of the first Indian American Vice President of the US Plenty from Kamala Harris network have vouched for the straight A student quality she brings to almost everything she does She took it seriously when her mother told her not to do anything halfassed In the kitchen too her joy and involvement with the particulars of what she puts on the table has served to define Indian Americanness in more granular terms the way things show up in recipes Its no longer generic curry or Indian food The idli has come full circle IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/from-madras-to-the-white-house-idlis-come-full-circle-95825.html Mon, 18 Jan 2021 23:24:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/kamala-harris-new-home-one-observatory-circle-a-brief-political-history-95675.html Lumajang Hot lava flows from the crater of Mount Semeru as its activity continues in this photo taken with slow shutter speed in Lumajang East Java Indonesia late Sunday Jan 17 2021 The highest volcano on Indonesias most densely populated island of Java spewed hot clouds as far away as 45 kilometers nearly 3 miles on Saturday There were no immediate evacuations but the National Disaster Mitigation Agency warned people who live in the villages on the slopes of the 3676meter 12060foothigh mountain to be vigilant in looking for signs of danger PTI By Nikhila Natarajan New York Jan 18 On January 20 2021 when US Vice Presidentelect Kamala Harris moves into the One Observatory Circle in Washington DC she will be bookending a remarkable chapter in American history that began with the first ever occupant of this very address back in the late 70s Walter Mondale the first ever Vice President to live in One Observatory Circle in 1977 would later become the first ever US presidential candidate to nominate a woman as his running mate and that happened in 1984 Mondale launched what he called a powerful signal to Americans announcing Geraldine Ferraro as his running mate in the 1984 presidential campaign There are no doors we cannot unlock We will place no limits on achievement If we can do this we can do anything Ferraro said during her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention striking the notes that Harris would later frame in her 2020 hit album Mondale lost that election in a landslide winning only 13 electoral votes to Reagans 525 but he set in motion the ingredients of a slow shattering of the glass ceiling that Harris finally cracked in 2020 Harris is the first Indian and Black American and the first woman to win election to Americas highest political office Harris earliest memories of political contests began in a yellow stucco house in Oakland California back during the Civil Rights protests in the early 60s Harris new home in Washington DC will be a stark departure from her earlier digs One Observatory Circle is a 19th century Queen Anne style house on the grounds of the US Naval Observatory located about 25 miles north of the White House Built in 1893 the Vice Presidents residence features nearly 10000 square feet of builtup space across three floors Congress first greenlighted this as the official residence of the Vice President in 1974 which incidentally was right around the time of the first ever female presidential run in Americas political history Just two years earlier in 1972 Shirley Chisholm was the first woman to run for the Democratic presidential nomination and the first Black candidate to run for a major partys nomination Harris almost never fails to mention Chisholm who was also Caribbean American her father was from Guyana her mother from Barbados Her mother is another constant feature of her speeches the woman who taught her kids dont take s from anybody Harris has consistently framed her triumph as one that brings smoother journeys to little girls dreaming big Like she said on the night of November 7 2020 While I may be the first woman in this office I will not be the last because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities Little girls will be able to see that for real around noon on January 20 2021 IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/kamala-harris-new-home-one-observatory-circle-a-brief-political-history-95675.html Mon, 18 Jan 2021 14:10:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/73-drop-in-election-misinformation-since-trump-ban-report-95680.html San Francisco Jan 18 The social media ban on outgoing US President Donald Trump has resulted in a massive 73 per cent drop in online misinformation about election fraud a new report has revealed The research by the San Franciscobased analytics firm Zignal Labs found that conversations about election fraud dropped from 25 million mentions to 688000 mentions across several social media sites in the week after Trump was banned on Twitter on January 8 Trump and his supporters have also lost accounts on Facebook Instagram Snapchat Twitch Spotify Shopify and other social media platforms According to The Washington Post the findings highlight how falsehoods flow across social media sites Zignal found that the use of hashtags affiliated with the January 6 Capitol riot also dipped considerably Mentions of the hashtag FightforTrump which was widely deployed across Facebook Instagram Twitter and other social media services in the week before the rally dropped 95 pe rcent HoldTheLine and the term March for Trump also fell more than 95 per cent the report said on Sunday Trumps ban was followed by Twitter removing more than 70000 accounts affiliated with the QAnon ideology which played a key role in Capitol chaos Together those actions will likely significantly reduce the amount of online misinformation in the near term Kate Starbird disinformation researcher at the University of Washington was quoted as saying Banned on various social media platforms Trump has been releasing tweetlike statements through the White House press office Trump considered opening an account on farright conservative platform Parler but it has been off the grid after Amazon stopped its web hosting Amazon said it is troubled by repeated policy violations by Parler The company noted that it cannot provide services to a customer that is unable to effectively identify and remove content that encourages or incites violence against others Google and Apple have removed Parler from their respective app stores after they found that Parler did not take stronger action to remove posts that sought to incite ongoing violence in the US IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/73-drop-in-election-misinformation-since-trump-ban-report-95680.html Mon, 18 Jan 2021 14:32:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/kamalas-way-charts-an-engaging-journey-from-california-to-washington-95499.html By Vishnu Makhijani New Delhi Jan 17 Just how did the daughter of two immigrants in segregated California became one of this countrys most effective power players Through the human touch by turning defeat into victory and most of all by doing things her way a timely biography of Kamala Harris the US Vice Presidentelect says Harris entered the Democratic presidential nomination race fully intending to win To do that she had to defeat the front runner That she fell short can be attributed to missteps by her and by factors beyond her control But though her campaign sputtered and halted before the first votes were cast Harris left a big impression Something about her always cuts through That is Kamala Harriss way longtime Los Angeles Times reporter Dan Morain writes in Kamalas Way  An American Life Simon Schuster It was that something that made Presidentelect Joe Biden pick Harris as his running mate in November 3 2020 US Presidential election and together they carved out an impressive victory against incumbent Donald Trump  which didnt come without its major hiccups Relying on his four decades of chronicling Californias policy politics and justicerelated issues Morain takes readers through Harriss career from its beginnings handling child molestation cases and homicides for the Alameda County District Attorneys office her years in the San Francisco District Attorneys Office her relationship as a 29yearold with the most powerful man in the state married Assembly Speaker Willie Brown a relationship that would prove lifechanging her audacious embrace of the littleknown Barack Obama and the sharp elbows she deployed to make it to the US Senate In 34 chapters Morain analyses her failure as a presidential candidate and the behindthescenes campaign she waged to land the Vice President spot And along the way Morain paints a vivid picture of her family values and priorities as well as the missteps risks and bold moves shes made on her way to the top To explain just how difficult the path was Morain guides the reader through the minefield of California politics It is impossible to understand Harris without understanding the unique contradictions of Californias politics There are many Californias Some parts of the state are as conservative as the reddest parts of the nation Others are among the nations most liberal To leave a mark on its history as Harris has a politician must know how to navigate among all of these Her ascentis largely due to her talent at doing just that But most of all you have to understand Californias particularly contradictory record on race  a record that Harris would come to know intimately from the day she was born Morain writes Thus what is altogether remarkable is the humility that Harris retained in charting her way Sample this Beth Foster Gayle had just gotten up and was making coffee at her DC home on the morning of October 25 2020 bracing herself for the day ahead It was the second anniversary of the death of her husband Tyronne Gayle Harriss first Senate press secretary Such days bring with them hard happy and sad memories Her phone buzzed with a text It was from the Democratic vice presidential nominee from somewhere on the campaign trail Kamala Harris wanted to pass along what she had seen at the rally in Jacksonville Tyronnes hometown Someone held a sign that read DO IT FOR TYRONNE In other words the person holding the sign wanted Harris to win the election for the young man who died too soon Harris wanted Beth to know that someone else was remembering Tyronne The gesture brightened the start of the rough anniversary and it reflected a fact of Kamala Harris that few people would ever see She could be tough often too tough with those around her In her climb she had left people behind feeling used and she left work undone as she moved fast from one important job to the next But she also took time to show she cared and to display that alltoorare quality empathy On this day she knew one person would be feeling pain and she wanted to let that person know someone was thinking of her It was Kamala Harriss way Morain writes This is a truly mustread biography of the first Black woman to be elected Vice President of the US Vishnu Makhijani can be reached at vishnumakhijaniiansin IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/kamalas-way-charts-an-engaging-journey-from-california-to-washington-95499.html Sun, 17 Jan 2021 20:13:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/criminal-charges-for-lawmakers-who-helped-capitol-riot-pelosi-95302.html Washington Jan 16 Nancy Pelosi Speaker of the US House of Representatives has suggested that any lawmaker found to have assisted in the January 6 storming of the Capitol in Washington DC should face criminal charges We must trust each other respect the people who sent us here We must also have the truth and that will be looked into The Hill news website quoted Pelosi as saying to reporters on Friday in the Capitol If in fact it is found that members of Congress were accomplices to this insurrection if they aided and abetted the crime there may have to be actions taken beyond the Congress in terms of prosecution for that she added Pelosis remarks came as several Democrats have already expressed their suspicions that some Republican lawmakers might have helped the rioters ahead of the chaos On Wednesday a group of Democrats wrote a letter to Capitol Police chief and the acting sergeantsatarms in both chambers urging probes into suspicious behaviour and access facilitated by some Republican lawmakers on January 5 the day before the attack on the Capitol The Hill news website reported Members of the group that attacked the Capitol seemed to have an unusually detailed knowledge of the layout of the Capitol Complex The presence of these groups within the Capitol Complex was indeed suspicious Given the events of January 6 the ties between these groups inside the Capitol Complex and the attacks on the Capitol need to be investigated the letter read The attack on the Capitol building on January 6 which took place while Congress was in session considering the ratification of the electoral college votes electing Joe Biden as President and Kamala Harris as Vice President Earlier that day outside the Capitol Trump addressed his supporters during which called for patriots to take a stand against the 2020 election results Five people including a police officer were killed during the riots The Federal Bureau of Investigation has issued a warning about plans of armed protests from January 16 through January 20 at all the 50 state capitols and from January 17 through January 20 the day of the inauguration at the Capitol in Washington DC At least 20000 National Guard troops are expected to be deployed in Washington DC IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/criminal-charges-for-lawmakers-who-helped-capitol-riot-pelosi-95302.html Sun, 17 Jan 2021 03:07:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/the-turbulent-presidency-13-books-on-the-trump-era-95346.html By Vikas Datta New Delhi Jan 17 Donald Trump began and served his term as US President amid controversy polarisation and general ignorance He is set to leave office under the shadow of an unprecedented second impeachment with the country reeling under a devastating pandemic its society bitterly divided and its international credibility at its lowest ebb What do we make of it While posterity will hold the final judgement on his epoch with Trumpism set to outlast its founder as his large number of unwavering supporters attests the tenure of Trump has inspired more than a fair deal of works covering its various facets If journalism is the first draft of history contemporary accounts whatever the orientation outlook or objective of their writers offer a more detailed and nuanced look It is also ironic that a man who as per his close advisors is not at all fond of reading including the policy briefs that are part of his job should trigger a veritable avalanche of books While those keeping track will have their own preferred reads these dozenodd works may be helpful for those seeking an overview of his emergence victory and rather chaotic term characterised by a high turnover of top officials a string of gaffes and estrangement of allies as the whole milieu that enabled his rise How the Hell Did This Happen A Cautionary Tale of American Democracy 2017 by libertarian PJ ORourke is a good start Combining his articles on the 2016 campaign trail with more analytical pieces on the rise of populist leaders and the growing disenchantment with the traditional political elite it culminates with an uproarious glossary of political punditspeak Its tenor viciously satirical but humorous can be made out by quips like America is experiencing the most severe outbreak of mass psychosis since the Salem witch trials of 1692 and observations on the business acumen of Trump As Trump prepared for office his and his close circles stunning ignorance and disdain of the complexities of the presidential transition not to mention the federal governments functioning painfully became obvious Financial journalist and author Michael Lewis The Fifth Risk 2018 uses the cases of the incoming administrations attitude to the staffing of vital but low glamour Departments of Energy Agriculture and Commerce to show how much For example we learn in Department of Agriculture jobs the Trump team had inserted a longhaul truck driver a clerk at ATT a gascompany meter reader a countryclub cabana attendant a Republican National Committee intern and the owner of a scentedcandle company with skills like pleasant demeanor listed in their resumes There is much more However the gold standard for the internal workings of the Trump administration would be legendary journalist Bob Woodwards meticulously researched and engrossed Fear Trump in the White House 2018 and then Rage 2020 which unlike the first draws on interviews with Trump himself Woodward who has written accounts of every Presidential administration since George Bush senior begins the first showing how Trumps key aides go to the extent of removing documents awaiting his signature from his desk in their scramble to forestall the potentially ominous consequences of the impetuous decisions of their politically immature enormously ignorant but immensely egoistic boss Both go on to chronicle the dysfunctional atmosphere the pettiness the oneway loyalty demanded by the President the rapid turnover of top officials and aides the scandals the inconsistent and rapid reverses of policy Trumps manipulation by authoritarian leaders and worse While Rage also chronicles Trumps handling of the Covid threat and racial unrest it is Fear whose ending gives Trumps besetting flaw which a lawyer ending his relationship cant bring himself to say out loud to Trump Youre a fing liar A possible third volume covering the last few months of the Trump presidency will be eagerly awaited More in this vein are journalist Michael Wolffs Fire and Fury Inside the Trump White House 2018 and Siege Trump Under Fire 2019 while two insider accounts are Trumps former National Security Advisor John Boltons The Room Where It Happened A White House Memoir 2020 and former political aide Omarosa Manigault Newmans Unhinged An Insiders Account of the Trump White House 2018 A damning account by a family member is niece and clinical psychologist Mary L Trumps Too Much and Never Enough How My Family Created the Worlds Most Dangerous Man 2020 On more psychological underpinnings of the phenomenon psychiatrist Allen Frances in his Twilight of American Sanity 2017 argues that the triumph of Trump represents the ascendancy of some of humans worst traits bolstered by some lessthanwholesome features that are particularly American For those who want a more succinct account there is Carlos Lozadas What Were We Thinking A Brief Intellectual History of the Trump Era 2020 which deals with many of these and others on the subject and their limitations A totally different side can be found in The Beautiful Poetry of Donald Trump 2017 where Rob Sears combines Trumps tweets including those longdeleted and quotes including from the preinternet era to fashion Trumps verse across various styles from couplets I use both iPhone and SamsungA great leader has to be flexible to quatrains like I am the best I predicted Apples stock would fallI will build a great great wallI build buildings that are 94 stories tallMy hands are they small and more There is also fiction Howard Jacobsons Pussy 2017 purports to be the fable of Prince Fracassus the heir apparent to the Duchy of Origen of goldengated skyscrapers and casinos but there is no confusion who it actually refers to he emerges as a beast whose face was as the face of a spoiled childand was given unto him a mouth speaking foolish things but yet is given power and worshipped by the people As they later wonder why they realise that he arose from their own hearts and once out will never be persuaded to go back Fiction always trumps fact Vikas Datta can be contacted at vikasdiansin IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/the-turbulent-presidency-13-books-on-the-trump-era-95346.html Sun, 17 Jan 2021 10:04:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/armed-man-arrested-at-security-checkpoint-near-us-capitol-95373.html WashingtonA flag is at half staff in honor of the officer who was killed in the Capitol riot as a House Office Building is seen through razor wire and and an antiscaling security fencing Saturday Jan 16 2021 in Washington as security is increased ahead of the inauguration of Presidentelect Joe Biden and Vice Presidentelect Kamala Harris PTI Washington Jan 17 The US Capitol Police USCP has arrested a man when he tried to cross a checkpoint near the Capitol building in Washington DC armed with a loaded gun and more than 500 rounds of ammunition according to media reported Identified as Wesley Allen Beeler from Front Royal Virginia the man told police he was carrying a Glock semiautomatic pistol which was later discovered to have been loaded with 17 rounds of ammunition and a round chamber ready to fire Xinhua news agency quoted a CNN report citing a source familiar with the case as saying on Saturday Beeler was stopped at a checkpoint at North Capitol and E Street NE just north of the building according to the report He also had what was described as a fake credential for Wednesdays inauguration event for Presidentelect Joe Biden Police later recovered the pistol as well as 509 rounds of ammunition shotgun shells and a magazine for the handgun CNN said citing an incident report from the DC Metropolitan Police Department Beeler was arrested for possession of an unregistered firearm and possession of unregistered ammunition among other offenses The arrest came amid heightened security measures in the national capital ahead of the inauguration Up to 25000 National Guard members have been authorised by the Pentagon for the city more than the amount of the troops currently stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan combined Every state territory and the District of Columbia will have National Guard men and women supporting the inauguration the National Guard Bureau said in a statement on Friday The Federal Bureau of Investigation has issued a warning about plans of armed protests from January 16 through January 20 at all the 50 state capitols and from January 17 through January 20 the day of the inauguration at the Capitol in Washington DC The heightened security arrangements come in the wake of the attack on the Capitol building on January 6 which took place while Congress was in session considering the ratification of the electoral college votes electing Biden as President and Kamala Harris as Vice President Earlier that day outside the Capitol Trump addressed his supporters during which called for patriots to take a stand against the 2020 election results Five people including a police officer were killed during the riots IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/armed-man-arrested-at-security-checkpoint-near-us-capitol-95373.html Sun, 17 Jan 2021 12:19:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/biden-releases-plan-for-first-10-days-to-untrump-us-95445.html By Arul Louis New York Jan 17 US Presidentelect Joe Biden has announced a masterplan for his first 10 days in office to unTrump the country and focus on the battle against Covid19 the economy and immigration His Chief of Staff Ron Klain sent a memo to the senior staff giving details of the plan to undo outgoing President Donald Trumps legacy in many areas and it was released by the transition office to the media on Sunday Presidentelect Biden will take action not just to reverse the gravest damages of the Trump administration but also to start moving our country forward wrote Klain whose job is roughly the equivalent of a cabinet secretary On the immigration front the memo said that Biden on Wednesday his first day in office send an immigration bill It did not give details but said that Biden would fulfil his promises to restore dignity to the system In his platform the Presidentelect said that he would work with Congress to reform the work visa system the H1B visas to allow those on the visas to switch jobs but at the same time require employers to prove the need them and pay fair wages at prevailing rates and ensure the right of all workers to join a union while sustaining higher wages for American and foreign workers Another promise to legalise 11 million illegal immigrants 500000 of them Indians according to his manifesto and about 650000 young people who were brought into the US illegally was laid out in his platform This would not apply to those who are legally in the country Klain said that Biden would try to fulfil campaign promises through dozens of executive orders presidential memoranda and directives to cabinet agencies effectively bypassing Congress and speeding up implementation Democrats had criticised Trump for resorting to executive orders to avoid Congress and mindful of this Klain said that Bidens actions would be based on wellfounded legal theory One of the first things Biden would do on taking office would be to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement that Trump pulled out of he said To fight the raging coronavirus pandemic Biden would make it compuslory to wear masks on federal property and on planes trains and buses travelling between states While some Trump supporters have made a political issue of not wearing masks many people of all political persuasions flout the mask rules laid out by transportation companies On the second day Klain said Biden will take several executive actions on the Covid19 front to safely reopen schools and businesses expand testing and establish clear public health standards Biden has already announced an ambitious plan to vaccinate 100 million people in the first 100 days in office An important action to be taken later during Bidens first 10 days is actually an affirmation of Trumps policy of ensuring priority for Americanmade products Its importance was brought home during the pandemic when the US found it was relying on foreign suppliers mainly Chinese for essential materials and equipment as a result of policies promoted by Biden in his earlier political roles The Presidentelect will fulfil his promises to strengthen Buy American provisions so the future of America is made in America the memo said In his manifesto Biden spoke of standing up to China on trade another Trump policy If the US uses taxpayer dollars to buy American and spark American innovation stand up to the Chinese governments abuses many of the products that are being made abroad could be made here today the manifesto added Arul Louis can be reached at arulliansin and followed on Twitter at arulouis IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/biden-releases-plan-for-first-10-days-to-untrump-us-95445.html Sun, 17 Jan 2021 17:19:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/biden-unveils-19tn-relief-proposal-95072.html Washington Jan 15 US Presidentelect Joe Biden has unveiled a 19 trillion Covid19 relief bill which includes another round of direct payments to individuals aid for state and local governments increased unemployment benefits as well as more funding for testing and vaccine distribution Calling the recently approved 900 billion bipartisan relief package an important first step Biden said in a speech in Wilmington Delaware on Thursday night that we need more action more bipartisanship and we need to move fast Xinhua news agency reported Just as we are in the midst of a dark winter of this pandemic as cases hospitalisations and deaths spike at record levels there is real pain overwhelming the real economy the presidentelect said in the speech to the nation Bidens proposal includes direct payments of 1400 per person for working families which is on top of the 600 checks approved in the 900 billion relief package bringing the total relief to 2000 It would boost federal unemployment benefits to 400 per week up from the 300 per week approved in the 900 billion package and extend the measure through the end of September 2020 The proposal also includes 350 billion in state and local government aid a measure that has been sought by Democrats for months but has been rejected by Republicans in previous rounds of relief negotiations I know what I just described does not come cheaply but failure to do so will cost us dearly Biden said But the consensus among leading economists is we simply cannot afford not to do it The nearly 2 trillion price tag will likely draw backlash from some Republican Senators who have aimed to hold down the overall cost of further Covid19 economic relief especially after Decembers 900 billion bill IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/biden-unveils-19tn-relief-proposal-95072.html Sat, 16 Jan 2021 01:49:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/biden-appoints-sameera-fazili-to-national-economic-council-95102.html New York Jan 16 Sameera Fazili who traces her familys roots to Kashmir is among the latest wave of Indian American nominees to be named to US president Joe Bidens Ateam Fazili has been appointed as Deputy Director National Economic Council Days before the new administration takes over Fazilis profile made it to the landing page of the White House Senior Staff on the Biden transition website She joins more than a dozen Indian Americans nominated or appointed to senior level positions in the incoming administration Earlier this week Bidens transition team put out a thick paragraph introducing Fazili and her professional work prior to joining the Biden team Fazili was at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta where she served as the Director of Engagement for Community and Economic Development In the ObamaBiden Administration Fazili served as a senior policy advisor on the White Houses National Economic Council and as a senior advisor at the US Treasury Department in both Domestic Finance and International Affairs Prior to that she was a clinical lecturer of law at Yale Law School Originally from Buffalo she now lives in Georgia with her husband and three children Fazili is a graduate of Yale Law School and Harvard College Sameera Fazili is the daughter of a Kashmirborn doctor couple Muhammad Yusuf Fazili and Rafiqa Fazili originally from the Gojwara area IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/biden-appoints-sameera-fazili-to-national-economic-council-95102.html Sat, 16 Jan 2021 06:26:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/trump-to-fly-to-florida-shortly-before-bidens-inauguration-95118.html Washington Jan 16 US President Donald Trump will leave Washington DC on the morning of January 20 shortly before Presidentelect Joe Bidens inauguration with a grand ceremony being planned for his departure according to media reports In a report published on Friday the Associated Press cited people familiar with the plan as saying the farewell ceremony to be held in Joint Base Andrews in Maryland will probably feature the reception Trump used to get as President during state visits abroad complete with a red carpet colour guard military band and even a 21gun salute reports Xinhua news agency Flying in Air Force One for the last time the President will go to his MaraLago estate in Florida where he will reportedly live his postpresidential life What was revealed in the latest report verified previous ones saying that in doing so Trump wanted to create a splitscreen effect to turn audiences attention away from Bidens swearingin ceremony A formal announcement of Trumps plan is yet to be made official Trump has said he will not attend Bidens inauguration which the latter responded by saying its a good thing Vice President Mike Pence however plans to attend the inauguration a move Biden has welcomed Pence on Friday spoke with Vice Presidentelect Kamala Harris via telephone and pledged assistance IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/trump-to-fly-to-florida-shortly-before-bidens-inauguration-95118.html Sat, 16 Jan 2021 09:35:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/pence-harris-speak-on-phone-before-inauguration-95155.html Washington Jan 16 Outgoing US Vice President Mike Pence spoke with Vice Presidentelect Kamala Harris on the phone during which the former offered his assistance with the latters inauguration on January 20 according to informed sources Fridays conversation marked the first time Pence and Harris spoke after their debate i October 2020 The Hill news website reported While outgoing President Donald Trump announced that he will not attend Presidentelect Joe Biden and Harris inauguration on January 20 Pence will attend the ceremony Trump has not spoken to Biden since the results of the 2020 presidential election were announced For the first time last week Trump only said that there will be a smooth orderly and seamless transition Besides the call on Friday Pence attended the funeral of a late pilot Chuck and he will deliver addresses on Saturday and Sunday in California and New York respectively Pence and Harris conversation came over a week after the attack on the Capitol building on January 6 which took place while Congress was in session considering the ratification of the electoral college votes electing Biden as President and Kamala Harris as Vice President Earlier that day outside the Capitol Trump addressed his supporters during which called for patriots to take a stand against the 2020 election results Five people including a police officer were killed during the riots The Federal Bureau of Investigation has issued a warning about plans of armed protests from January 16 through January 20 at all the 50 state capitols and from January 17 through January 20 the day of the inauguration at the Capitol in Washington DC At least 20000 National Guard troops are expected to be deployed in Washington DC IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/pence-harris-speak-on-phone-before-inauguration-95155.html Sat, 16 Jan 2021 12:26:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/us-justice-department-watchdog-launches-probe-into-capitol-riot-95194.html Washington Jan 16 The US Department of Justices DOJ Office of the Inspector General announced that it will launch an investigation into violent protests staged by supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump at the Capitol building on January 6 The Office said in a statement on Friday that it will initiate a review to examine the role and activity of DOJ and its components in preparing for and responding to the events at the US Capitol on January 6 2021 Xinhua news agency reported The investigation will be led by Inspector General Michael Horowitz It will involve efforts from the Department of Defense the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of the Interior and assess whether information of potential violence was shared by the DOJ to other agencies including the Capitol Police which was criticised for insufficient preparation for the riot that left five people including a Capitol Police officer dead The probe will also assess whether there are any weaknesses in DOJ protocols policies or procedures that adversely affected the ability of DOJ or its components to prepare effectively for and respond to the events at the US Capitol on January 6 the statement said The Washington Post first reported on Tuesday that the Federal Bureau of Investigations FBI office in Norfolk Virginia explicitly warned of violent extremists planning a war in Washington DC on January 6 to stop the certification of Presidentelect Joe Bidens election victory at Congress The warning was issued on January 5 contradicting a senior officials declaration the bureau had no intelligence of harmful conducts by supporters of President Donald Trump in advance the Post said As of 5 January 2021 FBI Norfolk received information indicating calls for violence in response to unlawful lockdowns to begin on 6 January 2021 in Washington DC the Post cited the document as saying An online thread discussed specific calls for violence to include stating Be ready to fight Congress needs to hear glass breaking doors being kicked in and blood from their BLM and Pantifa slave soldiers being spilled Get violent Stop calling this a march or rally or a protest Go there ready for war We get our President or we die Nothing else will achieve this goal the newspaper report added FBI Director Christopher Wray said Thursday in his first public appearance since the riot that his agency has identified over 200 suspects and that more than 100 arrests have been made to date The FBI has issued a warning about plans of armed protests from January 16 through January 20 at all the 50 state capitols and from January 17 through January 20 the day of the inauguration at the Capitol in Washington DC At least 20000 National Guard troops are expected to be deployed in Washington DC IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/us-justice-department-watchdog-launches-probe-into-capitol-riot-95194.html Sat, 16 Jan 2021 16:23:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/move-to-impeach-trump-again-what-to-watch-how-to-track-94745.html By Nikhila Natarajan New York Jan 13 The Democraticcontrolled House of Representatives is moving to impeach outgoing US President Donald Trump for the second time in his tenure within the span of 12 months Thats happening on Wednesday and heres how the day is likely to shape up give or take some time delays and twists But first a slice of history If the momentum holds and Trump does end up getting impeached it will be for the first time in the countrys 244year history that a sitting US President gets impeached for a second time It is already the fourth time a President is facing impeachment proceedings and Trump accounts for 50 per cent of that total The other two US presidents on that list Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton The big difference between Trumps last impeachment and this one is that the ground has opened underneath the Republican after the attack on the US Capitol after Senate control evaporated but not necessarily in that order Unlike the last time Trump was impeached when no House Republicans supported charges against him the Republican support for impeaching Trump this time is growing by the hour The House convenes at 9 am Washington time for initial debate Around noon is when the action will really begin spiraling into another orbit Expect two hours of debate on the single article of impeachment incitement of insurrection followed by the big one House impeachment vote likely late afternoon The vote is likely to take less than an hour House Democrats are confident they have the votes to impeach even as more Republicans abandon Trump Next up the Senate After four long years of enabling Trump Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell is said to be pleased about impeachment because it will be easier to distance the party from Trump No matter what happens there everything that is going on signals a stunning end for the Trump era in the White House This excerpt from the impeachment article against Trump says it all President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government He threatened the integrity of the democratic system interfered with the peaceful transition of power and imperiled a coequal branch of Government He thereby betrayed his trust as President to the manifest injury of the people of the United States IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/move-to-impeach-trump-again-what-to-watch-how-to-track-94745.html Fri, 15 Jan 2021 01:59:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/garima-verma-named-digital-director-for-jill-biden-94783.html By Arul Louis New York Jan 15 A media strategist Garima Verma has been named the digital director for Jill Biden who will become the First Lady next week Making the announcement about Verma and other additions to her staff Presidentelect Joe Biden wife Jill Biden said Together we will work to open the White House in new inclusive and innovative ways reflecting more fully the distinct beauty of all our communities cultures and traditions On Jill Bidens staff Verma will be joining Mala Adiga who was appointed the policy director The presidents spouse has a large staff and an office because of the extensive social life and work on chosen public causes One of Jill Bidens causes is helping military service members their families and exservicemembers That programme will be run through a relaunched Joining Forces a nationwide effort that had been started by her and former First Lady Michelle Obama Jill Biden has said that she will continue teaching English and writing as a professor at the Northern Virginia Community College making the first First Lady to continue to hold a job outside the White House She had taught there while she was the Second Lady having maintained an independent career Kamala Harriss husband Dough Emhoff the first man to be the Second Spouse the title now made genderneutral has said that he will give up his job as an entertainment lawyer and instead teach at Georgetown Universitys law school Verma who was born in India worked for the BidenHarris campaign as an audience development and content strategist and before that volunteered with campaigns content team designing graphics She worked earlier marketing films at Paramount Pictures and television shows at The Walt Disney Companys ABC Network and media agency Horizon Media Verma is the latest of many Indian Americans named to positions in the administration of Biden who will take over as president and Kamala Harris as vice president next Wednesday include Neera Tanden who will be the director of the Office of Management and Budget with cabinet rank and Vivek Murthy the Surgeon General both of whom will have to be confirmed in their positions by the Senate and Vedant Patel to be his assistant press secretary Vinay Reddy to be the director of speechwriting and Gautam Raghavan to be the deputy director of the Office of Presidential Personnel Among others are Atul Gawande and Celine Gounder members of the COVID19 task force Bharat Ramamurti deputy director of the National Economic Council Sabrina Singh deputy press secretary for Harris and Maju Varghese executive director of their inauguration the swearingin ceremony and the festivities around it At the powerful National Security Council the nominees are Tarun Chhabra senior director for technology and national security Sumona Guha senior director for South Asia and Shanthi Kalathil coordinator for Democracy and Human Rights Arul Louis can be reached at arulliansin and followed on Twitter at arulouis IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/garima-verma-named-digital-director-for-jill-biden-94783.html Fri, 15 Jan 2021 07:55:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/new-mexico-declares-state-of-emergency-due-to-riot-threat-94803.html Santa Fe Jan 15 Michelle Lujan Grisham Governor of the US state of New Mexico has declared a state of emergency due to the ongoing and pervasive threat of riots and insurrection in the wake of the January 6 Capitol violence in Washington DC a local media report said According to the report published on Thursday by the Albuquerque Journal the executive order referenced the events of January 6 when supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building in Washington DC reports Xinhua news agency There is credible intelligence that threats of similar riots exist and are likely at the capitol buildings and other prominent government buildings in all 50 states either before or on January 20 2021 to coincide with the inauguration of PresidentElect Joseph R Biden and Vice PresidentElect Kamala D Harris said the executive order The executive order allows the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to coordinate any requests for assistance determined by the governors office This Emergency requires immediate action to preserve the peace health and safety and the public property of the people of the state of New Mexico it added The state of emergency will go into effect on Saturday and last through the day the Governors Authorized Representative determines to be the end of the emergency period According to local media a fence has been erected around a portion of the Roundhouse building in the state capitol of Santa Fe Officials also plan to add more fence and increase security in the coming days IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/new-mexico-declares-state-of-emergency-due-to-riot-threat-94803.html Fri, 15 Jan 2021 10:28:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/bidens-sunday-inauguration-rehearsal-postponed-report-94971.html Washington Jan 15 US Presidentelect Joe Bidens inauguration rehearsal which was to take place on Sunday has been postponed due to security concerns according to a news report In the wake of the deadly January 6 riots staged by supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump at the Capitol building in Washington DC the Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI has issued a warning about plans of armed protests from January 16 through January 20 at all the 50 state capitols and from January 17 through January 20 the day of the inauguration at the Capitol in Washington DC The Politico news report published on Thursday night cited two sources as saying that the rehearsal will not take place on Monday January 18 According to the sources Bidens team has also canceled an Amtrak trip from Wilmington to Washington planned for Monday because of heightened security concerns However neither the transition team nor the presidential inaugural committee Secret Service and the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies have commented on the development The Politico news report came a day after the Presidentelect received a briefing from senior officials at the FBI the US Secret Service and key members of his national security team On Wednesday the Secret Service began imposing special security measures for the inauguration The Hill news website reported At least 20000 National Guard troops are expected to be deployed in Washington DC The attack on the Capitol building took place on January 6 while Congress was in session considering the ratification of the electoral college votes electing Biden as President and Kamala Harris as Vice President Five people including a police officer were killed during the riots IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/bidens-sunday-inauguration-rehearsal-postponed-report-94971.html Fri, 15 Jan 2021 17:26:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/trump-denounces-violence-after-second-house-impeachment-94723.html Washington Workers put up bunting on a press riser for the upcoming inauguration of PresidentElect Biden and Vice PresidentElect Kamala Harris on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House Thursday Jan 14 2021 in Washington PTI By Arul Louis New York Jan 14 After the US House of Representatives made history impeaching him for a second time outgoing President Donald Trump has finally denounced unequivocally the January 6 Capitol violence by his supporters as he faces a Senate trial and legal action when he leaves office in six days The House on Wednesday charged him with incitement to insurrection in connection with the attack on the Capitol and said in its impeachment that he will remain a threat to national security democracy and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office The impeachment was approved by 232 votes 10 Republicans joining the entire Democratic contingent of 222 with 197 Republicans voting against it and four not voting Trump was impeached for the first time in 2019 charged with abuse of power but acquitted in the Senate trial in 2020 He is the only American President to be impeached twice The impeachment followed Vice President Mike Pence ignoring a resolution passed by the House on Tuesday night demanding that he assume the presdiency by invoking Article 25 of the Constitution that would allow him and a majority of the cabinet to declare Trump unfit to continue as President Around the time House Speaker Nancy Pelosi signed the articles of impeachment Trump released a video in which he said I want to be very clear I unequivocally condemn the violence that we saw last week Banned from social media his video was posted on a White House Twitter account In a break from his MAGA Make America Great Again followers he said Those who engaged in the attacks last week will be brought to justice No true supporter of mine could ever threaten or harass their fellow Americans Although the word impeachment has a forbidding tone it is only the framing of a chargesheet for a judicialstyle trial by the Senate with Senators taking the place of a jury Two thirds of the 100member body that will be evenly divided between the two parties will have to vote to convict him which means 17 Republicans will have to cross the party divide Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell who has control of the chamber till January 19 has refused to reconvene it till that day a day before Trumps term ends It will not be possible to hold a trial on single day and it will be the responsibility of Vice Presidentelect Kamala Harris who will be the president of the Senate and Chuck Schumer the Democratic party leader to try Trump who will be out of office Biden who needs to get his key cabinet members and other officials confirmed said I hope that the Senate leadership will find a way to deal with their Constitutional responsibilities on impeachment while also working on the other urgent business of this nation Recognising the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach the Presidentelect said It was a bipartisan vote cast by members who followed the Constitution and their conscience Besides the symbolic value of the impeachment and trial if Trump is convicted Democrats hope he could be barred from running for office in the future He must go declared Pelosi who has been a long target of personal attacks and taunts by Trump and found vindication in the impeachment during the debate on impachment Making her case Pelosi quoted the Bible and late Presidents Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy She called Trump a clear and present danger to the nation responsible for the day of fire when his supporters stormed the Capitol while it was in the process of ratifying the election of Biden as President and Harris as Vice President On January 6 the protesters breached the Senate doors and occupied her office leaving five people one of them a police officer dead Supporting the impeachment Democrat Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi recalled his parents immigration when he was an infant from India to an America that as a democracy is the beacon of hope for all the world He said When Donald Trump told rioters to go to the capitol and quoteunquote fight like hell he incited an attack on the Capitol and the ideals comprising the American dream Im voting for impeachment because I know were still the country my parents believed in and I will fight like hell for it The Republican dissent was led by Liz Cheney the daughter of Dick Cheney who was George W Bushs vice president Trump had disparaged her and her father The Republicans did not allocate time for her to speak during the impeachment debate and a Democrat had her statement introduced into the House record The President of the United States summoned this mob assembled the mob and lit the flame of this attack her statement said adding There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution Democrat after Democrat took the House floor to denounce Trump their nemesis of four years and more calling him a tyrant a white supremacist insurrectionistinchief and other epithets While all the Republicans condemned the attack on the Capitol and put a distance between them and the rioters they opposed the impeachment on the grounds that it was rushed and did not follow procedures as the Democrats tried to ram it through in a single day Republican Jim Jordan accused the Democrats of having double standards in questioning the legality of Trumps 2016 election but accusing the Republicans of trying to overturn the election when they raised questions about the 2020 election One Republican said that hate speech and threats were emanating from the opponents of Trump also and mentioned former Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai being called a dirty Indian and his family threatened with violence Pat Fallon said that when burning and looting were carried out during the antipolice demonstrations following the extrajudicial killing of an AfricaNAmerican man there was no condemnation from the Democrat who encouraged the protests Guy Lorin Reschenthaler said that the impeachment will further divide the already fractured nation Steve Scalise who had been shot in 2017 by a Democratic Party supporter who tried to attack a group of about 30 Republican members of Congress said Ive seen the evil of political violence firsthand and it needs to stop But all of us need to be unequivocal calling it out when we see it not just when it comes from the other side of the aisle Arul Louis can be reached at arulliansin and followed on Twitter at arulouis IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/trump-denounces-violence-after-second-house-impeachment-94723.html Thu, 14 Jan 2021 23:13:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/trump-denies-stoking-violence-attacks-impeachment-move-94211.html WashingtonRep Jim Jordan ROhio an ally of President Donald Trump center testifies to the House Rules Committee as the panel considers a resolution calling on Vice President Mike Pence to activate the 25th Amendment to declare Trump incapable of executing the duties of his office at the Capitol in Washington Tuesday Jan 12 2021 House Speaker Nancy Pelosi DCalif is calling for swift congressional action to rein in President Donald Trump after inciting last weeks deadly assault on the US Capitol PTI Washington Jan 12 Outgoing US President Donald Trump who is facing the prospect of an unprecedented second impeachment following the storming of the US Capitol last week on Tuesday denied that he had any role to play in inciting the violence We want no violence he told reporters as he left the White House for a trip to Texas to visit a section of the border wall adding Never violence absolutely no violence Trump condemned the Democrats latest effort to impeach him as continuation of the greatest witch hunt in the history of politics the BBC reported I think its causing tremendous danger to this country and its causing tremendous anger he added Speaking to reporters at the Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland before his flight Trump again sought to refute the charge that his speech at a rally of supporters had caused the attack on the Capitol when a joint session was underway to certify the Electoral College victory of Presidentelect Joe Biden and Vice Presidentelect Kamala Harris If you read my speech and many people have done it and Ive seen it both in the papers and in the media on television its been analysed and people thought that what I said was totally appropriate he said Trump also claimed that other people including politicians at a high level have said that the Black Lives Matter protests and riots last year after the death of George Floyd in police custody were a bigger problem than the Washington incident He also alleged that his suspension from social media platforms was causing anger IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/trump-denies-stoking-violence-attacks-impeachment-move-94211.html Wed, 13 Jan 2021 10:58:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/stunning-revelations-from-first-fbi-briefing-after-us-capitol-attack-94372.html By Nikhila Natarajan New York Jan 13 Less than a week after a deadly January 6 attack on the US Capitol by a pro Trump mob the Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI is already poring over 100000 pieces of digital media to piece together the blow by blow of the mayhem which killed 5 people including a police officer The US Justice Department has created a strike force to examine the possibility of sedition charges which could carry up to 20 years in prison Officials are examining money flow and movement leading up to the attack As stunning new evidence continues to trickle in the FBI has already opened 170 cases and is following thousands of witnesses in what it calls a probe of unprecedented scope and scale The acting US Attorney for the District of Columbia Michael Sherwin briefed the nation for the first time since the January 6 attack His remarks offer the most substantial details yet on what exactly happened at around noon on the day that Congress had gathered to certify the election of Joe Biden as US presidentelect Excerpts from the briefing tell us exactly where things stand barely a week from Inauguration Day which now has the most heightened security cover in the history of political transitions in America Below are direct quotes from Sherwins remarks which explain the sheer scale of what much of the world saw on screens We have already opened more than 170 subject files meaning these individuals have been identified as potential persons that committed crimes on the Capitol grounds inside and outside Of those 170 cases that have already been opened and I anticipate thats going to grow to the hundreds in the next coming weeks weve already charged over 70 cases and again that number I suspect is going to grow into the hundreds The range of criminal conduct is really I think again unmatched in any type of scenario that weve seen the FBI or the DOJ were looking at everything from simple trespass to theft of mail to theft of digital devices with inside the Capitol to assault on local officers federal officers both outside and inside the Capitol to the theft of potential national security information or national defense information to felony murder and even civil rights excessive force investigation so just the gamut of cases and criminal conduct were looking at is really mind blowing The scope and scale of this investigation in these cases are really unprecedented not only in FBI history but probably DOJ history in which essentially the capital grounds outside and inside are essentially a crime scene and scale in which we have literally thousands of potential witnesses and a scenario in which were going to have hundreds of criminal cases Just to frame things the enormity of this investigation is going to take a lot of work and a lot of effort and this is not going to be solved overnight Its not going to be solved within the coming weeks its not going to be solved within the coming months This is going to be a long term investigationeveryone is in for the long haul Since our call for tips videos and pictures We have received more than 100000 pieces of digital media which is absolutely fantastic And we are scouring every one for investigative and intelligence leads I want to stress that the FBI has a long memory Our partners are on the streets investigating leads not only here in the DC area but also across the country through the FBIs 56 field offices Agents from our local field offices will be knocking on your door if we find out that you are part of the criminal activity at the Capitol When criminal conduct occurs we try to obviously charge people as soon as possible So when these actors left the Capitol the marching orders by federal law enforcement was to find and charge these individuals as fast as possible So we look for the most simple charge we could file as quick as possible This is only the beginning So after these criminal charges are filed that allows law enforcement across the United States to arrest people from Dallas to Arkansas to Nashville to Cleveland to Jacksonville thats whats happened over the past several days Its really quite incredible Now after those charges are filed then we have the ability to then indict these individuals on more significant charges and thats exactly what has happened IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/stunning-revelations-from-first-fbi-briefing-after-us-capitol-attack-94372.html Wed, 13 Jan 2021 18:50:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/pence-refuses-to-oust-unrepentant-trump-sets-stage-for-impeachment-94396.html Washington Hundreds of National Guard troops hold inside the Capitol Visitors Center to reinforce security at the Capitol in Washington Wednesday Jan 13 2021 The House of Representatives is pursuing an article of impeachment against President Donald Trump for his role in inciting an angry mob to storm the Capitol last week PTI By Arul Louis New York Jan 13 The stage has been set for the second impeachment of US President Donald Trump after Vice President Mike Pence refused take over as president by ousting him in what would amount to a constitutionally sanctioned coup and the House of Representatives passed a resolution demanding him to act Pence who met Trump on Tuesday wrote to Speaker Nancy Pelosi that he will not accept her request to remove Trump through a constitutional move flouting her 24hour notice for him to comply or have Trump impeached The House is expected to take up the impeachment of Trump on Wednesday as Pence and the cabinet are unlikely to abide by its resolution and agree to act under the 25th Amendment to the Constitution that empowers him and a majority to shunt Trump out of the White House by declaring him unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office Trump meanwhile was unrepentant for the storming of the Capitol by his backers that he is accused of inciting and told reporters This impeachment is causing tremendous anger and youre doing it and its really a terrible thing that they are doing The draft of the impeachment of Trump has the single charge of inciting violence against the government of the United States for his role in the storming of the Capitol by his supporters who overcame the security and muscled themselves into the Senate chamber from where Pence had to be taken away by security to a safe zone and into the office Pelosi Trump telling his supporters we fight we fight like hell before asking them to go to Congress is cited as words of incitement Trump had asserted that the election was a fraud sent his supporters over the Capitol last Wednesday while Congress was in the process of ratifying the electoral college votes electing Biden after his legal challenges had failed Five people including a police officer died in the rioting Support for Trump appears to be eroding in his party with The New York Times reporting that Republican leader in the Senate Mitch McConnell is pleased about the impeachment according to unnamed sources familiar with his thinking The newspaper said that according to the sources he believed that the measure would exorcise him from the Republican Party but there was no clear indication if he would actually support it when it reaches the Senate He will control the Senate till January 20 when Vice Presidentelect Kamala Harris becomes it presiding officer with a casting and the two newly elected Republicans have taken their seats in a body that will be evenly divided between the two parties Despite the word having a menacing ring to it an impeachment is only the framing of charges of by the House for a judicialstyle trial in the Senate with the Senators acting as jurors A twothirds majority of the Senate 67 members will have to vote to convict Trumps impeachment failed in 2019 in the Republicancontrolled Senate Seventeen Republicans will have to switch sides and vote to convict him which seems unlikely as of now although some are likely to back it The House vote on the resolution asking Pence to to declare President Donald J Trump incapable of executing the duties of his office and to immediately exercise powers as acting President passed with 220 votes with only one Republican joining the Democrats and 205 Republicans voting against it But Politico an outlet with deep Congressional coverage reported that at least 12 Republicans were expected to vote for impeachment when it comes up on Wednesday According to reports many more are willing to support a censure of Trump which Pelosi has ruled out Biden who seemed to have had reservations about an impeachment trial in the Senate interfering with confirmation of members of his cabinet and other key officials seems to be veering around to the idea of holding it He said that that it was possible for the Senate to try Trump and also to carry on with other business by dividing its time each day The House voted the resolution after Pence wrote to Pelosi in reply to her demands I will not now yield to efforts in the House of Representatives to play political games at a time so serious in the life of our nation I urge you and every member of Congress to avoid actions that would further divide and inflame the passions of the moment he said The Federal Bureau of Investigation has issued a warning about violence breaking out across the nation next Wednesday when Biden and Harris will be swornin and take over the nations leadership It said that it had information that extremist groups were planning armed protests from the weekend through Wednesday It added that they also planned to attack government offices around the country if Trump were removed through the 25th Amendment About 15000 armed National Guard troops are to be deployed around Washington to ward off possible attacks Arul Louis can be reached at arulliansin and followed on Twitter at arulouis IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/pence-refuses-to-oust-unrepentant-trump-sets-stage-for-impeachment-94396.html Wed, 13 Jan 2021 20:22:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/youtube-deletes-new-trump-video-suspends-fresh-uploads-94420.html San Francisco Jan 13 Googleowned YouTube which is yet to permanently ban the outgoing US President Donald Trump has removed a new video from his account for violating the content policies The company has also issued a strike against his account meaning he cannot upload new videos or livestream content for at least a week After careful review and in light of concerns about the ongoing potential for violence we removed new content uploaded to the Donald J Trump channel and issued a strike for violating our policies for inciting violence YouTube says in a statement to The Verge As a result in accordance with our longstanding strikes system the channel is now prevented from uploading new videos or live streams for a minimum of seven days which may be extended it said on Tuesday YouTube has also indefinitely disabled comments on Trumps videos due to ongoing concerns about violence Earlier YouTube removed one of Trumps videos that addressed a mob attack on the Capitol Twitter has banned Trump from its platform citing risk of further incitement of violence The Twitter ban came after a proTrump mob stormed the US Capitol hoping to stop the certification of Joe Bidens election victory Facebook initially prevented Trump from posting to Facebook and Instagram for 24 hours before CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced to indefinitely suspend his account till January 20 On Twitter Trumps handle is now almost empty white canvas frozen at 51 followed accounts 887 million followers and two words on the centre of screen saying Account suspended IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/youtube-deletes-new-trump-video-suspends-fresh-uploads-94420.html Wed, 13 Jan 2021 22:57:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/house-of-representatives-launches-impeachment-process-against-trump-94423.html Washington Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi of Calif arrives at the House chamber at the Capitol in Washington Wednesday Jan 13 2021 as the House of Representatives pursues an article of impeachment against President Donald Trump for his role in inciting an angry mob to storm the Capitol last week PTI By Arul Louis New York Jan 13 As US Vice President Mike Pence continued to defy calls to oust President Donald Trump the House of Representatives launched the impeachment process on Wednesday With only seven days left for him in office Democrats raced against time to impeach Trump on charges of inciting the storming of the Capitol last Wednesday dispensing usual procedures to try to vote on the articles of impeachment by afternoon Trump has been unrepentant about the riot that resulted in the deaths of five people including one police officer after his rally of supporters against the election of Joe Biden as President and Kamala Harris as Vice President alleging fraud in the voting Late Tuesday night the House passed a resolution demanding that Pence assume the presidency by invoking Article 25 of the Constitution that allows him acting with a majority of the cabinet to remove Trump Even before the House voted the resolution Pence wrote to Speaker Nancy Pelosi I will not now yield to efforts in the House of Representatives to play political games at a time so serious in the life of our nation I urge you and every member of Congress to avoid actions that would further divide and inflame the passions of the moment he said Despite the word having a menacing ring to it an impeachment is only the framing of charges of by the House for a judicialstyle trial in the Senate with the Senators acting as jurors A twothirds majority of the Senate 67 members will have to vote to convict Trumps impeachment failed in 2019 in the Republicancontrolled Senate To convict and throw his out of office 17 Republican Senators will have to vote for it If after impeachment is passed by the House the Senate trial stretches beyond next Wednesday when Trump will be out of office and a conviction if it comes about may only have the effect of preventing him from running for office in future besides being a ringing condemnation To speed up the impeachment process most Representatives gave short speeches of one to two minutes with Democrats recalling the horror of the riot that reached into the Senate chamber and the Speakers Office and asserting that Trump incited an insurrection Democrat Jim McGovern said What Trump did fill me with rage We were terrorised Words have consequences and ignoring words also have consequences he said referring to Trumps statements at a rally last Wednesday that turned into the riot The draft of the impeachment of Trump has the single charge of inciting violence against the government of the United States for his role in the storming of the Capitol by his supporters who overcame the security and muscled themselves into the Senate chamber from where Pence had to be taken away by security to a safe zone and into the office of Pelosi Trump telling his supporters we fight we fight like hell before telling them to go to Congress is cited as words of incitement The Republicans arguments against the impeachment was to raise procedural questions and assert that it would divide an already polarised nation further Republican Representative Tom Cole said the House should does not rush to judgment and should look for ways to unite the country when the new President takes over An impeachment of Trump failed in 2019 when the Senate failed to convict him After the experiences of last week the Capitol building was ringed with high security with National Guard troops deployed at entrances to the Capitol Arul Louis can be reached at arulliansin and followed on Twitter at arulouis IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/house-of-representatives-launches-impeachment-process-against-trump-94423.html Wed, 13 Jan 2021 23:09:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/us-capitol-police-probing-officers-over-riot-94194.html Washington Jan 12 The US Capitol Police USCP has confirmed that it was investigating some officers over their actions during the January 6 riot at the Capitol building staged by supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump In a statement issued on Monday Acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman said The Department has been actively reviewing video and other open source materials of some USCP officers and officials that appear to be in violation of Department regulations and policies Our Office of Professional Responsibility will investigate these behaviours for disciplinary action up to and including termination Several USCP officers have already been suspended pending the outcome of their investigations Pittman added that the probe against the unprecedented violence was continuing in collaboration with numerous law enforcement agencies The USCP along with its law enforcement partners are aggressively working to identify and arrest those involved in the destruction of property at the US Capitol Complex It is our intention to prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law the police chief added in the statement In the statement the Acting Police Chief said she wanted to extend my gratitude for the kind words and prayers received in response to the deaths of USCP officers Brian Sicknick and Howard Liebengood According to a report in The Hill news website Pittman became the Acting Chief on January 8 after his predecessor Steven Sund announced his resignation amid pressure in the wake of the riot The attack on the Capitol building took place on January 6 while Congress was in session considering the ratification of the electoral college votes electing Joe Biden as President and Kamala Harris as Vice President Before the violence Trump who has claimed that their election was invalid because there was massive fraud told a rally of his supporters before the Congress session began to go there A section of his supporters stormed the Capital and invaded the Senate chamber and the offices of the Speaker and others bring the session to a halt and evacuating the legislators to safe places Five people including a police officer were killed during the riots Meanwhile the Federal Bureau of Investigation has warned about plans of armed protests from January 16 through January 20 at all the 50 state capitols and from January 17 through January 20 at the US Capitol in Washington DC IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/us-capitol-police-probing-officers-over-riot-94194.html Wed, 13 Jan 2021 09:38:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/democrats-launch-2-pronged-attack-in-congress-to-oust-trump-93844.html By Arul Louis New York Jan 12 Democrats launched on Monday a twopronged attack on US President Donald Trump to remove him from office by starting the process of impeachment and by introducing a resolution in the House of Representatives demanding that Vice President Mike Pence oust him by exercising his Constitutional authority Republicans blocked a resolution demanding that Pence and the cabinet remove Trump from office and the Democrats responded by introducing the article of impeachment against the President for his alleged role in the storming of Congress by his supporters last week that left a police officer and four others dead The Presidents threat to America is urgent and so too will be our action Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Monday Pelosi had given Pence a 24hour ultimatum on Sunday to act on the Constitutions 25th Amendment that empowers him and a majority of the cabinet to remove Trump by declaring him unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office At the brief session of the House of Representatives on Monday the resolution needed to be accepted unanimously but a Republican objected necessitating a formal vote which could take place as early as Tuesday Meanwhile acting on the ultimatum Democrats retaliated by introducing an article of impeachment charging Trump with inciting violence against the government of the United States through his actions mobilising his supporters against the election of Joe Biden as President and Kamala Harris as Vice President and asking them to go to Congress The move to impeach Trump has the support of more than 218 Democrat members of the 435member House ensure its passage This will be the second impeachment of Trump The last one 2019 failed because the Republicancontrolled Senate refused to convict him There is a sense of urgency to act because Trumps term is ending in nine days and the leader of the Democratic Party majority in the House Steny Hoyer said a vote may be possible on Wednesday He explained the dual track action of pursuing the 25th Amendment and impeachment Because the timeframe is so short and the need is so immediate and an emergency we will also proceed on a parallel path He dismissed concerns about timing of impeachment Whether impeachment can pass the United States Senate is not the issue Biden has declared Trump unfit to continue as president but has not called for impeaching him citing the tight timeframe If there were six months left we should be doing everything to get him out of office like impeaching him again trying to evoke the 25th Amendment but now he said he was focused on getting our agenda moving as quickly as we can An impeachment is only the framing of charges of by the House which can be rushed through by the Democratcontrolled body but Trump will have to be put on trial before the Senate in a judicialstyle procedure with the Senators acting as jurors One of the reasons Biden does not endorse an impeachment is because he will have to get his cabinet members approved by the Senate quickly and if when it reconvenes on January 19 it is caught up in holding the trial after the impeachment the confirmation of his nominees will be held up Democratic Partys whip in the House James Clyburn left the timeline open while speaking during a CNN programme on Sunday He said the impeachment could take place at a later date after giving Biden time to get his administration off the ground But now it appears that Democrats will continue with the impeachment Pence and the cabinet have shown no public interest in invoking the 25th Amendment Two members of the cabinet Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao resigned last week Two others Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin were reported to have discussed invoking the 25th Amendment The attack on the Capitol building took place while Congress was in session considering the ratification of the electoral college votes electing Biden as President and Kamala Harris as Vice President Trump who has claimed that their election was invalid because there was massive fraud told a rally of his supporters before the Congress session began to go there A section of his supporters stormed the Capital and invaded the Senate chamber and the offices of the speaker and others bring the session to a halt and evacuating the legislators to safe places Undeterred Congress met later and put its seal on the election of Biden and Harris Arul Louis can be reached at arulliansin and followed on Twitter at arulouis IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/democrats-launch-2-pronged-attack-in-congress-to-oust-trump-93844.html Tue, 12 Jan 2021 06:21:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/kamala-harris-vogue-cover-sparks-online-stir-93853.html By Nikhila Natarajan New York Jan 12 US vice president elect Kamala Harriss team is unhappy about the picture of the countrys soon to be second in command which turned up on the cover of the latest Vogue magazine Harris wore a powder blue suit for her cover shoot but the Vogue cover features Harris in a more casual dark pantsuit and her well loved Converse sneakers She is framed against the backdrop of heavy silken drapes in pink and leaf green a nod to the VP elects college sorority colours A Harris team member speaking on background explained that they didnt know about the image switch until the photographs were leaked over the weekend There was no official comment from Harris office In a statement Vogue said it went ahead with the more informal image of Harris for the cover because the photo captured her authentic approachable nature which we feel is one of the hallmarks of the BidenHarris administration In both the images taken by Black photographer Tyler Mitchell Harris is standing with her hands crossed looking straight into the camera and smiling Mitchell posted just one of the covers to Instagram the one of Harris in a blue suit Reactions are pouring in online Critics are hitting the choice of the casual picture on the cover of the fashion bible as washed out poor quality too familiar The cover did not give Kamala D Harris due respect It was overly familiar It was a cover image that in effect called Harris by her first name without invitation wrote Washington Post columnist Robin Givhan In using the more informal image for the print edition of the magazine Vogue robbed Harris of her roses For Harris immediate circle of family its all good whether in pink or blue Sobbing Harris niece Meena Harris tweeted in a photo tweet with the Vogue cover and a screenshot of a text excerpt from the cover story Harris is set to be sworn in as vice president on January 20 She will be the first ever Indian and Black American and first woman of colour to take oath as the countrys vice president IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/kamala-harris-vogue-cover-sparks-online-stir-93853.html Tue, 12 Jan 2021 07:50:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/pink-or-blue-casual-or-formal-vogue-goes-rogue-with-kamala-harris-cover-picture-93856.html By Nikhila Natarajan New York Jan 12 US vice president elect Kamala Harris cover photograph on the latest edition of Vogue has lit up the internet with duelling interpretations of how she is represented even as Harris own team is said to be less than thrilled about the way things turned out Harris wore a powder blue Michael Kors pantsuit for her cover shoot but the Vogue cover features Harris in a more casual dark pantsuit and her well loved Converse sneakers She is framed against the backdrop of heavy silken drapes in pink and leaf green a nod to the VP elects college sorority colours The Vogue team points out that the casual picture featuring Harris in a Donald Deal blazer styling choices that were her own are a tribute to a formative chapter of Harriss life her time as a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incs Alpha chapter at Howard University Harris team members who were involved in the logistics of the photo shoot speaking on background explained that they didnt know about the image switch until the photographs were leaked over the weekend There was no official comment from Harris office In a short article that introduces the cover photograph Vogue explains that the concept was to honour Harris college days and the powerful women who comprise the ranks of sororities like Alpha Kappa Alpha In a statement Vogue said it went ahead with the more informal image of Harris for the cover because the photo captured her authentic approachable nature which we feel is one of the hallmarks of the BidenHarris administration In both the images taken by Black photographer Tyler Mitchell Harris is standing with her hands crossed looking straight into the camera and smiling Mitchell posted just one of the covers to Instagram the one of Harris in a blue suit Some critics have hit the choice of the casual picture on the cover of the fashion bible as washed out poor quality too familiar The cover did not give Kamala D Harris due respect It was overly familiar It was a cover image that in effect called Harris by her first name without invitation wrote Washington Post columnist Robin Givhan In using the more informal image for the print edition of the magazine Vogue robbed Harris of her roses For Harris immediate circle of family its all good whether in pink or blue Sobbing Harris niece Meena Harris tweeted in a photo tweet with the Vogue cover and a screenshot of a text excerpt from the cover story Harris is set to be sworn in as vice president on January 20 She will be the first ever Indian and Black American and first woman of colour to take oath as the countrys vice president IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/pink-or-blue-casual-or-formal-vogue-goes-rogue-with-kamala-harris-cover-picture-93856.html Tue, 12 Jan 2021 08:20:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/fb-google-microsoft-halt-political-contributions-after-capitol-riot-93872.html San Francisco Jan 12 Facebook Google and Microsoft have announced that they were freezing political contributions from their political action committees PAC in the wake of the January 6 riot in the US Capitol by President Donald Trumps supporters Following last weeks awful violence in DC we are pausing all of our PAC contributions for at least the current quarter while we review our policies Xinhua news agency quoted Facebook spokesman Andy Stone as saying in a statement on Monday Alphabet Incs Google said it would pause contributions from its PAC We have frozen all NetPAC political contributions while we review and reassess its policies following last weeks deeply troubling events a Google spokesperson said Microsoft said the company is halting its political spending until after it assesses the implications of last weeks events The PAC regularly pauses its donations in the first quarter of a new Congress but it will take additional steps this year to consider these recent events and consult with employees the company said in a statement Also on Monday night Amazon announced that it will pause donations from its PAC to lawmakers who voted against the certification of the presidential election results We intend to discuss our concerns directly with those Members we have previously supported and will evaluate their responses as we consider future PAC contributions an Amazon spokeswoman said in a statement The attack on the Capitol building took place on January 6 while Congress was in session considering the ratification of the electoral college votes electing Joe Biden as President and Kamala Harris as Vice President Before the violence Trump who has claimed that their election was invalid because there was massive fraud told a rally of his supporters before the Congress session began to go there A section of his supporters stormed the Capital and invaded the Senate chamber and the offices of the Speaker and others bring the session to a halt and evacuating the legislators to safe places Five people including a police officer were killed during the riots Congress met later and put its seal on the election of Biden and Harris who will be swornin on January 20 IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/fb-google-microsoft-halt-political-contributions-after-capitol-riot-93872.html Tue, 12 Jan 2021 10:06:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/trump-approves-emergency-declaration-for-washington-dc-93904.html Washington Jan 12 US President Donald Trump has approved an emergency declaration for Washington DC through January 24 covering the date of Presidentelect Joe Bidens inauguration on January 20 Today President Donald J Trump declared that an emergency exists in the District of Columbia and ordered Federal assistance to supplement the Districts response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from the 59th Presidential Inauguration from January 11 to January 24 2021 the Office of the White House Press Secretary said in a statement late Monday The emergency declaration authorised the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate resources with state and local authorities and came as Washington braced for heightened possibility of violence in the leadup to and during Bidens inauguration The declaration was in response to a letter sent to Trump on Sunday by Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser who had already declared a 15day public emergency for the capital city shortly after proTrump demonstrators stormed the Capitol on January 6 In light of the attack on the Capitol and intelligence suggesting further violence is likely during the Inaugural period my administration has reevaluated our preparedness posture for the Inauguration including requesting the extension of DC National Guard support through January 24 2021 Bowser wrote in the letter I have determined that the plans and resources previously assigned to the Inauguration are insufficient to establish a safe and secure environment as a direct result of the insurrectionist actions that occurred on January 6 Based on recent events and intelligence assessments we must prepare for large groups of trained and armed extremists to come to Washington DC the Mayor added On Monday Bowser was joined by Virginia Governor Ralph Northam and Maryland Governor Larry Hogan in urging people to stay away from inaugural events citing last weeks violent insurrection as well as the ongoing and deadly Covid19 pandemic The Federal Bureau of Investigation has warned about plans of armed protests from January 16 through January 20 at all the 50 state capitols and from January 17 through January 20 at the US Capitol in Washington DC IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/trump-approves-emergency-declaration-for-washington-dc-93904.html Tue, 12 Jan 2021 12:02:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/oust-trump-or-well-impeach-pelosi-serves-notice-to-pence-93737.html Kathmandu Proking supporters are stopped by riot police as they march demanding reinstating monarchy that was abolished more than a decade ago in Kathmandu Nepal Monday Jan11 2021 Mondays protest was the latest antigovernment protest against Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli who has been facing street demonstrations against him from a splinter faction of his own Communist party and more from opposition political groups for dissolving parliament Nepals centuriesold monarchy was abolished in 2008 by the parliament and replaced by a republic where the president was elected as the head of state PTI By Arul Louis New York Jan 11 US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi has served a notice to Vice President Mike Pence and the cabinet that they should oust President Donald Trump using their constitutional powers within 24 hours or she will begin impeachment proceedings in the fallout from storming of the Capitol by his supporters last week She wrote to her Democratic Party Congressional colleagues on Sunday that the House of Representatives will take up a resolution demanding that Pence invoke the Constitutions 25th Amendment that allows him and a majority of the cabinet to remove Trump by declaring him unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office In protecting our Constitution and our Democracy we will act with urgency because this President represents an imminent threat to both she said Pelosi said the resolution would ask the Vice President and the cabinet to declare him incapable of executing the duties of his office and then have Pence immediately exercise powers as acting President The House is not in session Monday and therefore it can pass immediately only if no member objects which is unlikely A vote would then have to be taken on Tuesday or Wednesday when the Democratmajority House can get back in session to get it passed Pelosi gave Pence 24 hours to respond and warned that if didnt she would begin impeachment proceedings An impeachment the second for Trump in over a year seems very likely as Pence has not shown any indication that he would initiate steps to remove him Two members of the cabinet Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao resigned from the cabinet last week With only nine days left for Trumps term to end there is no way for him to be impeached and convicted by the Senate within that time for his ouster The impeachment is seen partly symbolic and partly a step to keep Trump from running for office again The attack on the Capitol building took place on January 6 while Congress was in session considering the ratification of the electoral college votes electing Joe Biden as President and Kamala Harris as Vice President Before the violence Trump who has claimed that their election was invalid because there was massive fraud told a rally of his supporters before the Congress session began to go there A section of his supporters stormed the Capital and invaded the Senate chamber and the offices of the speaker and others bring the session to a halt and evacuating the legislators to safe places Five people including a police officer were killed during the riots Congress met later and put its seal on the election of Biden and Harris who will be swornin on January 20 Pelosi and other leaders including some Republicans have accused Trump of inciting the mob attack on Congress imperilling the democratic process Biden has declared Trump unfit to continue as president but has not called for impeaching him citing the tight timeframe If there were six months left we should be doing everything to get him out of office like impeaching him again trying to evoke the 25th Amendment but now he said he was focused on getting our agenda moving as quickly as we can An impeachment is only the framing of charges of by the House which can be rushed through by the Democratcontrolled body But Trump will have to be put on trial before the Senate in a judicialstyle procedure with the Senators acting as jurors One of the reasons Biden does not back an impeachment is because he will have to get his cabinet members approved by the Senate quickly and if it is caught up in holding the trial after the impeachment when it reconvenes on January 19 the confirmation of his nominees will be held up The Democratic Partys whip in the House James Clyburn left the timeline open while speaking during a CNN programme on Sunday He said the impeachment could take place at a later date after giving Biden time to get his administration off the ground Pelosi has asked the top military leader Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley about steps to prevent Trump from accessing the code for launching nuclear weapons or starting new conflicts Trump was impeached in 2019 but he was acquitted by the Senate which had a Republican majority Arul Louis can be reached at arulliansin and followed on Twitter at arulouis IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/oust-trump-or-well-impeach-pelosi-serves-notice-to-pence-93737.html Mon, 11 Jan 2021 18:45:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/house-democrats-to-introduce-article-of-impeachment-against-trump-93557.html Washington Jan 10 US House Democrats are set to introduce an article of impeachment against outgoing President Donald Trump on Monday over the deadly January 6 Capitol unrest California Congressman Ted Lieu a Democratic member of the House Judiciary Committee tweeted on Saturday that the article of impeachment which has so far had 180 cosponsors will be brought forward during Mondays pro forma session in the lower chamber reports Xinhua news agency Lieu Congressmen David Cicilline from Rhode Island and Jamie Raskin from Maryland wrote the article of impeachment seeking to remove Trump for incitement of insurrection at the Capitol Thousands of Trumps supporters overwhelmed police and violently breached the Capitol on January 6 when Congress was certifying Presidentelect Joe Bidens victory in November 3 2020 presidential election The chaos and violence forced a lockdown on the Capitol grounds and left five people dead including a police officer and dozens of others injured Trump addressed a rally outside the White House shortly before the deadly violence unfolded on Capitol Hill urging his supporters to march toward the building deemed as the citadel of American democracy to encourage Republican lawmakers to contest the Electoral College results as he had refused to acknowledge their legitimacy with unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud As of Saturday US prosecutors have filed 17 cases in federal district court and 40 others in the District of Columbia Superior Court for a variety of offenses ranging from assaulting police officers to entering restricted areas of the Capitol stealing federal property and threatening lawmakers House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has publicly expressed support for initiating proceedings to impeach Trump for a second time in just over a year The House led by Democrats impeached Trump in 2019 after an inquiry triggered by a whistleblower complaint that raised concerns about the White Houses interactions with Ukraine The Republicanled Senate later acquitted the President allowing him to continue holding office The US Constitution provides that the House of Representatives shall have the sole Power of Impeachment and that the Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments Through the impeachment process Congress charges and then tries an official of the federal government for Treason Bribery or other high Crimes and Misdemeanours The definition of high Crimes and Misdemeanours is not specified in the Constitution and has long been subject to debate Conviction can only happen in the Senate and requires at least twothirds of its members or 67 Senators to vote in favor of at least one article of impeachment after a trial No sitting US President has ever been removed from office by Congress through impeachment Senate Republicans have been divided over the impeachment push Senator Pat Toomey a Pennsylvania Republican set to retire in 2022 told Fox News on Saturday that he believes Trump has committed impeachable offenses by inciting violence at the Capitol However Toomey pointed out that he doesnt know whether it is possible or practical to move ahead with impeachment proceedings since Trump only has 11 days left in office before Biden is sworn in on January 20 Im not sure its desirable to attempt to force him out what a day or two or three prior to the day on which hes going to be finished anyway he explained So Im not clear thats the best path forward Senator Lindsey Graham a South Carolina Republican and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee tweeted on Friday that any attempt to impeach President Trump would not only be unsuccessful in the Senate but would be a dangerous precedent for the future of the presidency Im convinced impeachment under these circumstances will further divide the country and erode the institution of the presidency itself Graham wrote It will take both parties to heal the nation Outgoing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell a Kentucky Republican has reportedly circulated to colleagues a memo outlining procedures for holding another trial for Trump in the upper chamber if the House impeaches him again The Senate is currently in recess until January 19 a day before the end of Trumps presidency and impeachment trial proceedings cannot begin before then unless all 100 Senators consent to an early return a scenario which is unlikely to happen Trump has announced he will not be attending Bidens inauguration the first outgoing US President to skip his successors swearingin in over 150 years Vice President Mike Pence reportedly will attend the event on Capitol Hill at the invitation of Biden A day after the unprecedented violence Congress affirmed the 2020 Electoral College votes in which Biden won 306 versus 232 for Trump It takes at least 270 electoral votes to win the White House Biden also won the popular votes by 7 million and more than 4 percentage points Shortly after the congressional certification of Bidens victory Trump acknowledged defeat and promised to ensure a smooth orderly and seamless transition of power IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/house-democrats-to-introduce-article-of-impeachment-against-trump-93557.html Mon, 11 Jan 2021 08:18:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/ready-to-start-2nd-impeachment-proceedings-against-trump-pelosi-93583.html Los AngelesThis Sunday Jan 10 2021 image from a video released by Arnold Schwarzenegger shows former Republican California governor delivering a public message at his home in Los Angeles Schwarzenegger compared the mob that stormed the US Capitol to the Nazis and called President Donald Trump a failed leader who will go down in history as the worst president ever PTI Washington Jan 11 US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that Democrats are ready to start impeachment proceedings against outgoing President Donald Trump for a second time in just over a year In a letter to her colleagues sent on Sunday Pelosi said the House Democrats will introduce a resolution on Monday urging Vice President Mike Pence to convene and mobilise the Cabinet to activate the 25th Amendment to declare the President incapable of executing the duties of his office after which Pence would immediately exercise powers as acting President Xinhua news agency reported We are calling on the Vice President to respond within 24 hours Pelosi wrote in her letter Next we will proceed with bringing impeachment legislation to the Floor The announcement came as Trump is facing fierce bipartisan criticism for his role the violent January 6 demonstrations on the Capitol Hill that led to at least five deaths and dozens of injuries following a chaotic breach of the historic building when Congress was certifying Presidentelect Joe Bidens victory in the 2020 White House race Trump addressed a rally outside the White House shortly before the deadly violence unfolded urging his supporters to march toward the landmark to encourage Republican lawmakers to contest the Electoral College results as he had refused to acknowledge their legitimacy with unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud House Democrats have announced they planned to bring forward at least one article of impeachment against Trump this week accusing him of incitement of insurrection at the Capitol Meanwhile several Republicans have joined Democrats in calling upon the President to resign over the Capitol violence The US Constitution provides that the House shall have the sole Power of Impeachment and that the Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments Through the impeachment process Congress charges and then tries an official of the federal government for Treason Bribery or other high Crimes and Misdemeanours Conviction can only happen in the Senate and requires at least twothirds of its members or 67 Senators to vote in favour of at least one article of impeachment after a trial The chamber could try the impeachment of an official after he or she leaves office legal experts said The House led by Democrats impeached Trump in December 2019 after an inquiry triggered by a whistleblower complaint that raised concerns about the White Houses interactions with Ukraine The Republicanled Senate later acquitted the President allowing him to continue holding office No US president has ever been removed from office via impeachment by Congress nor has the House impeached any President more than once On January 7 Congress affirmed the 2020 Electoral College votes in which Biden won 306 versus 232 for Trump It takes at least 270 electoral votes to win the White House Biden also won the popular votes by 7 million and more than 4 percentage points After the congressional certification of Bidens victory Trump acknowledged defeat and promised to ensure a smooth orderly and seamless transition of power IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/ready-to-start-2nd-impeachment-proceedings-against-trump-pelosi-93583.html Mon, 11 Jan 2021 10:33:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/washington-tightens-security-measures-for-legislative-session-93349.html Washington Jan 9 Washington Governor Jay Inslee said that the US state was tightening measures to ensure the safety and security of Washingtonians legislators state employees and the buildings of the Capitol Campus as the Legislature is set to convene the 2021 session on January 11 As legislators begin their work on behalf of the people of the state of Washington we must do whatever we can to ensure that they can do that work without fear intimidation or harassment Xinhua news agency quoted Inslee as saying in a statement on Friday The actions we saw in both Washington DC and Olympia earlier this week were completely unacceptable and will not be repeated in our state capital again he said in a statement According to the statement Inslee has activated the Washington State National Guard to be in Olympia in coordination with the Washington State Patrol and local law enforcement That included up to 750 members of the Guard and a large number of Washington State Patrol troopers in addition to the regular Capitol Campus security contingent Inslee said that the state would not tolerate any actions that could result in harm mayhem or interruption of the function of democratic institutions We sincerely hope for peaceful actions but if that does not happen we will be prepared he said The Governors announcement came two days after protesters in support of outgoing President Donald Trumps futile efforts to reject the 2020 presidential election results breached the Capitol on Wednesday afternoon when Congress met to affirm Presidentelect Joe Bidens Electoral College victory Chaos and violence forced an hourslong lockdown on the Capitol grounds At least five people lost their lives in the violence IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/washington-tightens-security-measures-for-legislative-session-93349.html Sun, 10 Jan 2021 12:24:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/crowd-storming-capitol-to-have-public-health-consequences-93367.html Washington Jan 9 A US health official said that the violent storming of the Capitol by a largely maskless crowd earlier this week in the midst of the raging Covid19 pandemic will have public health consequences I do think you have to anticipate that this is another surge event You had largely unmasked individuals in a nondistanced fashion who were all through the Capitol Xinhua news agency quoted Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield as saying to the McClatchy news organisation in an interview on Friday Thousands of supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump overwhelmed police and breached the Capitol on Wednesday in a chaotic and violent situation that left five people dead and dozens of others injured Redfield said these individuals all are going in cars and trains and planes going home all across the country right now So I do think this is an event that will probably lead to a significant spreading event This is an event that is going to have public health consequences he added The US currently the hardest hit country in the world is still witnessing un unabated increase in the number of new Covid19 cases deaths as well as hospitalisations As of Saturday the US has so recorded 21857293 coronavirus cases and 368736 deaths according to the latest figures by the Johns Hopkins University We havent hit the peak of the current surge Redfield told McClatchy Were going to continue to see mortality in the 25005000 a day range This is going to continue to get worse through January and probably parts of February before we really start to turn the corner Presidentelect Joe Biden said on Friday that the US remains in this dark winter of the pandemic while lashing out at the Trump administrations vaccine rollout The vaccines give us hope but their rollout has been a travesty he said Acting US Secretary of Defence Christopher Miller also said on Friday that 1 million vaccines were distributed across the country on that day bringing the total number of doses distributed to 22 million IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/crowd-storming-capitol-to-have-public-health-consequences-93367.html Sun, 10 Jan 2021 13:44:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/pelosi-wants-trump-barred-from-access-to-nuclear-codes-starting-wars-93196.html By Arul Louis New York Jan 9 In an unprecedented action Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said that she has asked the Pentagon about steps to prevent an unhinged President Donald Trump from accessing nuclear weapons launch codes or starting wars amid growing call for him to quit or be removed from office Two members of his cabinet had reportedly begun informal consultations on ousting him using a constitutional provision with only 12 days left for him to leave office Pelosis call to the US militarys top general was revealed in a letter she wrote on Friday to fellow Democrats in the House of Representatives increasing pressure on Trump Vice President Mike Pence and the cabinet to act She wrote This morning I spoke to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley to discuss available precautions for preventing an unstable president from initiating military hostilities or accessing the launch codes and ordering a nuclear strike It is significant that Pelosi bypassed the civilian leadership of the Defence Department and reached out to the career generals because of Trump politicising defence He fired Defence Secretary Mark Esper in November after the election Esper joined nine other former defence secretaries in writing an open letter asking the military not to any action that could lead to overturning the result of the election The department does not have a defence secretary confirmed by the Senate but is headed by an acting secretary Christopher Miller She had earlier served notice on Pence that he should start constitutional action to remove Trump from office or she would start impeachment proceedings Several media have reported quoting unnamed sources that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin have held informal consultations on invoking Article 25 of the Constitution to get Trump out of the White House Under Article 25 of the Constitution the vice president and a majority of the cabinet can declare the president unfit to continue in his office and remove him Democratic Party Senate leader Chuck Schumer and Republican Party House member Adam Kinzinger have joined Pelosi in asking for action under Article 25 A second member of Trumps cabinet Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has resigned saying I believe we each have a moral obligation to exercise good judgment Another cabinet member Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao had also quit She is the wife of Mitch McConnell the Republican Party leader in the Senate who has also criticised Trumps conduct saying his questioning of the election result could send democracy into a death spiral Questions have been raised after the attack on Congress by Trumps supporters on Wednesday after he told them at a rally on Wednesday to go to Congress which was to meet in a joint session to ratify the election of Joe Biden as president and Kamala Harris as vice president A protester and a police officer were killed when the protesters stormed the Capitol the building that houses Congress Short of calling for Trumps removal several Republic Party leaders have condemned his role in the attack on the Capitol He lit the flame Senator Liz Cheney said on Fox News TV The president incited the mob the president addressed the mob Pelosi said in her letter The situation of this unhinged President could not be more dangerous and we must do everything that we can to protect the American people from his unbalanced assault on our country and our democracy Arul Louis can be reached at arulliansin and followed on Twitter at arulouis IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/pelosi-wants-trump-barred-from-access-to-nuclear-codes-starting-wars-93196.html Sat, 09 Jan 2021 20:49:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/twitter-bans-trump-citing-risk-of-incitement-of-violence-93207.html By Nikhila Natarajan New York Jan 9 Social media giant Twitter announced that it is banning US President Donald Trump from its platform citing risk of further incitement of violence The Twitter ban comes two days after a proTrump mob stormed the US Capitol hoping to stop the certification of Joe Bidens election victory On Twitter Donald Trumps handle is now an almost empty white canvas frozen at 51 followed accounts 887 million followers and two words on the center of screen saying Account suspended After close review of recent Tweets from the realDonaldTrump account and the context around them a specifically how they are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter a we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence Twitter said in a statement In an overview Twitter called out two of Trump tweets from January 8 and then went on to explain the context of the ban The first tweet The 75000000 great American Patriots who voted for me AMERICA FIRST and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN will have a GIANT VOICE long into the future They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way shape or form The second tweet To all of those who have asked I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th Twitter explains that both these tweets need to be seen in the context of broader events in the country and the ways in which the Presidents statements can be mobilized by different audiences including to incite violence as well as in the context of the pattern of behaviour from this account in recent weeksa Twitter justified the Trump ban saying its language went against our Glorification of Violence policy Twitter reportedly picked up chatter on its platform of another possible attack being planned on the Capitol later this month days before Inauguration day on January 20 Late January 6 Trump was locked out of his account for 12 hours after a violent mob loyal to him stormed the US Capitol to try to stop Congress from certifying Presidentelect Joe Bidens victory On the same afternoon Trump posted a video on Twitter calling his supporters very special people Five people including a Capitol Police officer are reported dead after the violence on January 6 IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/twitter-bans-trump-citing-risk-of-incitement-of-violence-93207.html Sat, 09 Jan 2021 22:39:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/twitter-permanently-suspends-donald-trump-handle-93057.html USA This Friday Jan 8 2021 image shows the suspended Twitter account of President Donald Trump On Friday the social media company permanently suspended Trump from its platform citing risk of further incitement of violence PTI By Nikhila Natarajan New York Jan 9 Social media giant Twitter announced that it is banning US President Donald Trump from its platform citing risk of further incitement of violence On Twitter Donald Trumps handle is now an empty white page frozen with 51 followed accounts and 887 million followers and two words on the center of screen saying Account suspended After close review of recent Tweets from the realDonaldTrump account and the context around them a specifically how they are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter a we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence Twitter said in a statement Late January 6 Trump was locked out of his account for 12 hours after a violent mob loyal to him stormed the US Capitol to try to stop Congress from certifying Presidentelect Joe Bidens victory On the same afternoon Trump posted a video on Twitter calling his supporters very special people Five people including a Capitol Police officer are reported dead after the violence on January 6 IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/twitter-permanently-suspends-donald-trump-handle-93057.html Sat, 09 Jan 2021 10:08:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/injured-us-capitol-police-officer-dies-93071.html Washington Jan 8 The US Capitol Police USCP has confirmed that an officer who was wounded during the violent protests that rocked Washington DC has succumbed to his injuries Brian D Sicknick was responding to the riots on Wednesday at the US Capitol and was injured while physically engaging with protesters Xinhua news agency quoted the USCP as saying in a statement issued on Thursday night He returned to his division office and collapsed the statement added Sicknicks death will be investigated by the Metropolitan Police Departments Homicide Branch USCP and our federal partners it added Earlier on Thursday US media reports had said that a USCP officer died from Wednesdays violent riots at the Capitol building taking the total death toll of the violence to five However the USCP then denied the reports noting that although some officers were injured and hospitalised yesterday no USCP officers have passed away Protesters in support of President Donald Trumps futile efforts to reject the 2020 presidential election results breached the Capitol on Wednesday afternoon when Congress met to affirm Presidentelect Joe Bidens Electoral College victory Chaos and violence forced an hourslong lockdown on the Capitol grounds IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/injured-us-capitol-police-officer-dies-93071.html Sat, 09 Jan 2021 10:46:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/us-capitol-attack-shows-impact-of-hatred-by-political-leaders-92933.html Geneva Jan 8 Michelle Bachelet the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said that the violent assault on the US Capitol showed the destructive impact of hatred by political leaders We are deeply troubled by Wednesdays attack on the US Capitol which demonstrated clearly the destructive impact of sustained deliberate distortion of facts and incitement to violence and hatred by political leaders Xinhua news agency quoted Bachelet as saying in a statement issued on Thursday evening Allegations of electoral fraud have been invoked to try to undermine the right to political participation We are encouraged to see that the process has continued in spite of serious attempts to disrupt it she added In her statement the UN rights chief called on leaders from across the political spectrum including the President of the United States to disavow false and dangerous narratives and encourage their supporters to do so as well Bachelet also said that her office noted with dismay the serious threats and destruction of property faced by media professionals during the protests saying that she supports calls from many quarters for a thorough investigation into the events On Wednesday afternoon the US Capitol witnessed what many called a dark chapter in history as protesters stormed the building clashed with security officers and forced the evacuation of lawmakers who were in the midst of a session to certify Presidentelect Joe Bidens victory in the 2020 election Four people including a woman died in the clash according to police IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/us-capitol-attack-shows-impact-of-hatred-by-political-leaders-92933.html Fri, 08 Jan 2021 21:19:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/us-transportation-secy-resigns-in-protest-over-capitol-violence-92940.html Washington Jan 8 US Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao has announced her resignation in protest over the chaos and violence that rocked Capitol Hill With her resignation announced on Thursday Chao who is the wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell became the first member of outgoing President Donald Trumps cabinet to step down in the wake of Wednesdays protests Xinhua news agency reported In a letter to her colleagues at the Department of Transportation Chao said her resignation will take effect on January 11 Yesterday our country experienced a traumatic and entirely avoidable event as supporters of the President stormed the Capitol building following a rally he addressed As Im sure is the case with many of you it has deeply troubled me in a way that I simply cannot set aside It has been the honour of a lifetime to serve the US Department of Transportation she added in the letter Chao also mentioned that we will help my announced successor South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg with taking on the responsibility of running this wonderful department The 67yearold has served as Transportation Secretary since 2017 She was previously the Labour Secretary under former President George W Bush from 2001 to 2009 Protesters in support of Trumps futile efforts to reject the 2020 presidential election results breached the Capitol on Wednesday afternoon when Congress met to affirm Presidentelect Joe Bidens Electoral College victory Chaos and violence forced an hourslong lockdown on the Capitol grounds which also left four people dead with multiple injuries and dozens of arrests Trump has been roundly criticised for inciting the unrest with unproven claims that the election was fraudulent IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/us-transportation-secy-resigns-in-protest-over-capitol-violence-92940.html Fri, 08 Jan 2021 22:08:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/guterres-saddened-by-violence-in-washington-92747.html United Nations Jan 7 UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres was saddened by the unprecedented violence and chaos at the US Capitol building in Washington as Congress was preparing to certify Presidentelect Joe Bidens Electoral College win The SecretaryGeneral is saddened by the events at the US Capitol in Washington DC on Wednesday In such circumstances it is important that political leaders impress on their followers the need to refrain from violence as well as to respect democratic processes and the rule of law Xinhua news agency quoted the UN chiefs spokesman Stephane Dujarric as saying in a statement Supporters of sitting President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol on Wednesday afternoon forcing proceedings to count Electoral College votes cast in the November 3 2020 presidential election to halt Lawmakers had to be evacuated from the House and the Senate and the Capitol was vandalised At least four people have been 52 arrested and 14 police officers injured as a result of the violence IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/guterres-saddened-by-violence-in-washington-92747.html Fri, 08 Jan 2021 02:20:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/3-white-house-aides-resign-after-capitol-violence-92751.html Washington Jan 7 Three White House aides including First Lady Melania Trumps chief of staff Stephanie Grisham have resigned from their posts in the wake of the violent protests that rocked Washington DC Grisham submitted her resignation Wednesday afternoon effective immediately reports Xinhua news agency In a statement posted on Twitter early Thursday Grisham said It has been an honour to serve the country in the White House I am very proud to have been a part of FLOTUS MELANIATRUMP mission to help children everywhere and proud of the many accomplishments of this Administration Signing off now you can find me at OMGrisham Grisham was one of the longestserving Trump administration officials previously serving as White House Communications Director and Press Secretary The second aide who resigned was White House Social Secretary Anna Cristina Niceta an administration official confirmed to CNN According to the CNN Niceta served as the administrations sole Social Secretary assuming the post in February 2017 The third aide who also resigned on Wednesday was White House press aide Sarah Matthews In a statement Matthews said she was deeply disturbed by what I saw today adding that our nation needs a peaceful transfer of power Thousands of President Donald Trumps supporters assembled in Washington DC earlier on Wednesday as the Congress convened in a joint session to certify Presidentelect Joe Bidens victory But both the House and the Senate which were separately debating an objection to the counting of Arizonas electoral votes had to recess and evacuate after the protesters breached the Capitol Confrontations between law enforcement officers and the protesters have inflicted injuries on both sides At least four people have been 52 arrested and 14 police officers injured as a result of the violence IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/3-white-house-aides-resign-after-capitol-violence-92751.html Fri, 08 Jan 2021 02:59:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/us-congress-affirms-bidens-electoral-college-victory-over-trump-92756.html Washington Jan 7 The counting of Vermonts three electoral votes has placed US Presidentelect Joe Biden and Vice Presidentelect Kamala Harris over the 270threshold needed to win the American presidency On Wednesday night after violent protests rocked Washington DC the Senate and House rejected objections to throw out Georgia and Pennsylvanias electoral votes for Biden Republicans also objected to Arizona Nevada and Michigans electoral votes but the motions failed before they reached debate The certification comes after thousands of Trump supporters assembled in Washington DC earlier on Wednesday as the Congress convened in a joint session to certify Bidens victory But both the House and the Senate which were separately debating an objection to the counting of Arizonas electoral votes had to recess and evacuate after the protesters breached the Capitol Confrontations between law enforcement officers and the protesters have inflicted injuries on both sides At least four people have been 52 arrested and 14 police officers injured as a result of the violence IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/us-congress-affirms-bidens-electoral-college-victory-over-trump-92756.html Fri, 08 Jan 2021 03:25:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/congress-affirms-bidens-win-over-trump-after-capitol-chaos-92762.html Washington Jan 7 Hours after unprecedented violence and chaos rocked Washington DC the US Congress on Thursday morning affirmed Presidentelect Joe Bidens Electoral College victory over sitting President Donald Trump At about 4 am Vice President Mike Pence announced before a joint session of Congress that Biden and Vice Presidentelect Kamala Harris had won 306 votes over his and Trumps 232 The Hill news website reported Pences announcement came after lawmakers formally tabulated each states Electoral College votes a final step before Biden will be inaugurated as the countrys 46th President The joint session commenced on Wednesday after thousands of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building deemed as the citadel of American democracy on Wednesday afternoon forcing proceedings to count Electoral College votes cast in the November 3 2020 presidential election to halt Lawmakers had to be evacuated from the House and the Senate and the Capitol was vandalised One of the rioters who broke into the Senate chamber sat in the chair on the dais reserved for the presiding officer while yelling in support of Trump Another swung from the base of the visitors gallery while a third was seen with his feet propped up on a desk in Pelosis office At least four people have been 52 arrested and 14 police officers injured as a result of the violence Addressing the Senate floor before the confirmation Representative Liz Cheney the thirdranking House Republican said There is no question that the President formed the mob the president incited the mob the president addressed the mob He lit the flame While presiding over the House floor House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said We must and we will show to the country and indeed to the world  that we will not be diverted from our duty that we will respect our responsibility to the Constitution and to the American people Following the resumption of the proceedings Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said The US Senate will not be intimidated We will not be kept out of this chamber by thugs mobs or threats We will not bow to lawlessness or intimidation Trump has refused to accept the results of the November 2020 election claiming that he defeated through widespread fraud even after more than 50 legal challenges were thrown out by courts at different levels He called a rally of supporters before Congress was to hold its joint session to tally the results and declared that he would never concede his defeat to Biden and unleashed a wave of anger saying This year they rigged an election They rigged it like theyve never rigged an election before And then he exhorted them After this were going to walk down there to the Capitol and we are going to cheer on our brave senators and Congressmen and women who object to Bidens election IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/congress-affirms-bidens-win-over-trump-after-capitol-chaos-92762.html Fri, 08 Jan 2021 04:08:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/public-emergency-extended-in-washington-dc-for-15-days-92782.html Washington Jan 7 Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the extension of a public emergency in the American capital to 15 days imposed in the wake of the violent Capitol protests until the day after Presidentelect Joe Bidens inauguration on January 20 The mayors latest order followed a citywide curfew from Wednesday night to Thursday morning in response to the Capitol chaos reports Xinhua news agency Today First Amendment protests turned violent Many persons came to the District armed and for the purpose of engaging in violence and destruction and have engaged in violence and destruction Bowser said in a statement on Wednesday night They have fired chemical irritants bricks bottles and guns They have breached the security of the Capitol and their destructive and riotous behaviour has the potential to spread beyond the Capitol Their motivation is ongoing she said Accusing President Donald Trump of continuing to fan rage and violence by contending that the presidential election was invalid Bowser said Persons are dissatisfied with judicial rulings and the findings of State Boards of Elections and some persons can be expected to continue their violent protests through the inauguration On Wednesday afternoon Trump supporters pushed through barriers at the Capitol building interrupting the certification of the 2020 electoral votes and forcing an immediate lockdown and evacuation Confrontations between law enforcement officers and protesters have caused injuries from both sides At least four people have died around the Capitol area the police said adding that 52 people were arrested and 14 police officers sustained injuries IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/public-emergency-extended-in-washington-dc-for-15-days-92782.html Fri, 08 Jan 2021 06:35:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/trump-offers-orderly-transition-after-congress-confirms-election-of-biden-harris-92801.html By Arul Louis New York Jan 7 Fighting off the mob onslaught on democracy the US Congress on Thursday confirmed the election of Joe Biden as President and Kamala Harris as Vice President officially bringing to a close the tumultuous challenges to their election from President Donald Trump and his supporters Isolated even in his party except for diehard supporters Trump now offered a peaceful transition Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election and the facts bear me out nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th he said in a statement The joint session of the Senate and the House of Representatives put its seal on the 306 electoral college votes for Biden and Harris after going through the constitutional formality of tallying the votes The process was horrifyingly interrupted by an invasion of the Capitol the domed building housing Congress by a violent mob of Trumps supporters leaving a woman killed by gunfire inside The world watched aghast as scenes of mobs rushing in to the Capitol scaling the walls and taking over the Senate chamber played on TV Trump refused to accept the verdict of the electoral college which gave him only 232 votes and claimed that widespread fraud robbed him of victory even after more than 50 cases by him and his supporters were thrown out by courts Republican Partys leader in the Senate Mitch McConnell warned that our democracy would enter a death spiral if elections were to be upended by rumours Speaker Nancy Pelosi currently the highestranking Democrat warned To those who engaged in the gleeful desecration of this our temple of democracy American democracy justice will be done Before Congress met for its joint session Trump spoke to a rally of his supporters declaring he would never concede defeat to Biden after a stolen election And then he exhorted them After this were going to walk down there to the Capitol and we are going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women who object to Bidens election Thousands shouting Trump and USA USA marched to the Capitol launching their assault after joint session adjourned following objections against Arizonas electoral college votes and the Senate and the House began to meet separately to consider the issue They overwhelmed the police that was prepared for terrorist attacks but not a mob invasion and stormed the Capitol crashing into the Senate sending Vice President Mike Pence and others scrambling to a secure area The Democratic Partys leader in the Senate Chuck Schumer held Trump personally responsible for the for the violence He said the mob was in good part President Trumps doing incited by his words his lies A move to impeach him 13 days before his term ends has come up Representative Pramila Jayapal called for his impeachment and Representative Ilhan Omar prepared the documents for it tweeting We cant allow him to remain in office its a matter of preserving our republic Should the move get the approval of the Democratic Party leadership it will go through Congress as the Democrats now control both the House and Senate Meanwhile talk surfaced of invoking Article 25 of the Constitution to remove him from office Under the article a majority of the cabinet and the Vice President can remove the president if they consider him incapable of fulfilling the responsibilities in this case mental instability Representative Charlie Crist tweeted The 25th Amendment allows for the removal of a President Its time to remove the President Describing his experience during the siege Democratic Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi tweeted Im sheltering safely on the Capitol grounds as were witnessing the current acts of mob destruction and violence which followed the Presidents urging and his refusal to accept the result of our fair democratic election even as the courts and senior Republican leaders have Jayapal was trapped in the House gallery and she recounted on CBS TV how she and a few colleagues could not leave the area while they heard shouts and gunshots outside On the House floor she said that she saw Pelosi being taken out and the security barricading the doors from outside Officials said that a 35woman protester was killed when Capitol police opened fire and three protesters died of medical causes during the attack on the Capitol Biden demanded that Trump go on national television to ask his supporters to end the siege and withdraw from the Capitol President Trump step up he said Shortly afterwards Trump put out a video tweet asking his supporters to go home and saying that they would play in to the hands of his opponents He tweeted I am asking for everyone at the US Capitol to remain peaceful No violence Remember WE are the Party of Law Order respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue Thank you Twitter suspended his account for 12 hours because of incendiary content mixed in with the tweet Pence called in the National Guard to clear out the Capitol Joined by a Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI SWAT team they used flash grenades smoke bombs and tear gas to clear out the Capitol McConnell said defiantly We have never been deterred before well be not deterred today They tried to disrupt our democracy They failed We will not be not kept out of this chamber by thugs mobs or threats he said After the chambers were quickly cleaned and swept for explosives the House and the Senate resumed their discussion of the objection to Arizonas electoral votes and threw them out The joint session resumed and objections to the electoral votes from three states failed because no one from the Senate would back them But an objection to Pennsylvanias electoral votes was backed by one Senator Josh Hawley and the House and Senate met separately to consider them The Senate quickly disposed of it while the discussion lingered on for about two hours in the House before being voted When the joint session resumed Congress quickly approved the tallies the objections having failed giving the seal of approval to Biden and Harris taking over in 13 days And the joint session ended with a prayer by a Christian priest IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/trump-offers-orderly-transition-after-congress-confirms-election-of-biden-harris-92801.html Fri, 08 Jan 2021 09:26:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/after-mayhem-at-us-capitol-trump-finally-backs-off-92805.html By Nikhila Natarajan New York Jan 7 Were going to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue and were going to the Capitol were going to try and give our Republicans the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country Outgoing US President Donald Trump gave his diehard mob precise instructions for the wild spectacle he wanted on January 6 and they unleashed mayhem at the US Capitol with relative ease Now he is finally backing off After stewing for months over his stolen election fantasy Trump finally acknowledged his defeat in the November 2020 election and announced there would be an orderly transition on January 20th after Congress certified Presidentelect Joe Bidens victory Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election and the facts bear me out nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th Trump said in a statement posted to Twitter by his social media director Dan Scavino just before 4 am on January 7 Trumps Twitter Facebook and Instagram accounts have been muzzled for posting excusing and justifying violence While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history its only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again Trump added After Trump spent weeks spinning baseless claims that the election was stolen his supporters stormed the US Capitol Wednesday and unleashed bedlam smashing windows and forcing lawmakers into hiding for hours until the National Guard was called in These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly unfairly treated for so long Trump wrote in a message later deleted by Twitter He added Go home with love and in peace Remember this day forever After the jarring events of January 6 a wave of White House resignations have begun Stephanie Grisham the First Ladys chief of staff and Deputy National Security Adviser Matt Pottinger have quit White House Social Secretary Rickie Niceta and Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Matthews have also resigned according to reports Calls for Trumps removal are growing especially from former Republicans who worked with frenzied energy to get Biden elected Removal requires a two thirds Senate vote that means 67 Senators must vote for the move CBS is reporting that Trumps cabinet secretaries are discussing invoking the 25th Amendment to remove the president from office January 20 is not far either IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/after-mayhem-at-us-capitol-trump-finally-backs-off-92805.html Fri, 08 Jan 2021 09:41:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/obama-calls-capitol-chaos-dishonour-shame-for-us-92807.html Washington Jan 7 Former President of the United States Barack Obama has described the unprecedented chaos at the Capitol as a moment of great dishonour and shame for the nation History will rightly remember todays violence at the Capitol incited by a sitting president who has continued to baselessly lie about the outcome of a lawful election as a moment of great dishonour and shame for our nation But wed be kidding ourselves if we treated it as a total surprise Obama said in a statement posted on Twitter The ExUS President blasted the Republican Party and its accompanying media ecosystem for refusing to acknowledge this was not a particularly close election and that Presidentelect Joe Biden will be inaugurated on January 20 Their fantasy narrative has spiralled further and further from reality and it builds upon years of sown resentments he said Obama called on Republican lawmakers to choose reality and choose America or continue stoking the raging fires The former Democratic President expressed optimism over the number of Republicans who spoke out against Trump on Wednesday Their voices add to the examples of Republican state and local election officials in states like Georgia whove refused to be intimidated and have discharged their duties honourably Obama said We need more leaders like these right now and in the days weeks and months ahead as Presidentelect Biden works to restore a common purpose to our politics Its up to all of us as Americans regardless of party to support him in that goal Obamas statement came in the wake of US President Donald Trump conceding against Presidentelect Joe Biden on Thursday saying that there would be an orderly transition of power on January 20 shortly after Congress affirmed the Democrats Electoral College victory Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election and the facts bear me out nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th I have always said we would continue our fight to ensure that only legal votes were counted While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history its only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again Trump said in a statement which was posted on the social media by senior White House aide Don Scavino since Twitter and Facebook temporarily blocked the President Trumps statement came shortly after Vice President Mike Pence announced before a joint session of Congress at about 4 am on Thursday morning that Biden and Vice Presidentelect Kamala Harris had won 306 votes over his and Trumps 232 On Wednesday night lawmakers formally tabulated each states Electoral College votes a final step before Biden will be inaugurated as the countrys 46th President The joint session commenced on Wednesday after thousands of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building deemed as the citadel of American democracy on Wednesday afternoon forcing proceedings to count Electoral College votes cast in the November 3 2020 presidential election to halt Lawmakers had to be evacuated from the House and the Senate and the Capitol was vandalised One of the rioters who broke into the Senate chamber sat in the chair on the dais reserved for the presiding officer while yelling in support of Trump Another swung from the base of the visitors gallery while a third was seen with his feet propped up on a desk in Pelosis office At least four people have been killed 52 arrested and 14 police officers injured as a result of the violence Before the chaos unfolded Trump told a crowd of supporters earlier in the day that he would never concede and had put pressure on Republicans to challenge the election certification IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/obama-calls-capitol-chaos-dishonour-shame-for-us-92807.html Fri, 08 Jan 2021 09:51:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/how-did-the-pro-trump-mob-waltz-into-us-capitol-92834.html By Nikhila Natarajan New York Jan 7 They smashed windows they climbed walls they took down the American flag and replaced it with a Trump flag they brought along they sat in the Speakers chair and left a quarter on her desk After these scenes of violent protest played out at the US Capitol on January 6 a single question now hangs over it all How did the proTrump mob simply waltz in In the two decades since the 911 attacks the US Congress campus has been encircled by consecutive rings of security Protests are routine in the US Capitol but January 6 was something else At around noon a crowd waving flags and wearing red baseball hats crashed into police barricades ran up the steps to the heavy iron doors of the US Capitol and were soon marching inside the building and posing in their outlandish costumes Even for regulars at the US Congress access has a certain process and somehow Trumps mob did not seem to have much trouble gaining access Washington DC knew that protests were coming but officials here were careful not to give the place an overmilitarized look on a day when Congress was to vote to confirm the US election results In public comments after the bedlam subsided lawyers are saying the proTrump mob has provided documentation of many criminal acts to the whole world in real time Online video clips of the actual violence are very legal evidence that could be used in future prosecutions that involve trespassing on federal property intentional plot to disrupt government business grievous bodily harm or death Some of this carries substantial jail time It involves not just the people who might be caught with firearms but people who were involved in conspiring with them as part of a group action Treason is how Harvard Law professor Laurence H Tribe described the chaos These people are levying war on the United Statesa That is the Constitutions definition of TREASON Trump bears responsibility for whats going on now he posted on Twitter Everybody agrees that what happened on the grounds of the US Capitol on January 6 was a tremendous and total law enforcement failure to secure the premises for a high security event Was the Capitol Police infiltrated and compromised How was it so easy The investigations are coming IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/how-did-the-pro-trump-mob-waltz-into-us-capitol-92834.html Fri, 08 Jan 2021 12:10:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/merkel-angry-sad-over-us-capitol-chaos-92919.html Berlin Jan 8 German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her anger and sadness after supporters of US President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building in Washington DC The unsettling pictures of the riots that took place on Wednesday afternoon made her angry and also sad Xinhua news agency quoted Merkel as saying in a video statement on Thursday The Chancellor said she deeply regretted that Trump had not admitted his defeat since the November 3 2020 US presidential election Doubts about the outcome of the election were stoked and that set the atmosphere for the nights events to become possible Merkel said The chaos unfolded at the Capitol the Washington building housing Congress after Trump addressed a rally of supporters and asked them to go to Congress which was to meet to declare Joe Biden as President and Kamala Harris as Vice President The unprecedented violence caused an hourslong lockdown on the Capitol grounds and left four people dead and multiple others wounded In a statement German President FrankWalter Steinmeier on Thursday said These scenes we have seen are the result of lies and more lies of divisiveness and contempt for democracy of hatred and agitation even from the very highest levels IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/merkel-angry-sad-over-us-capitol-chaos-92919.html Fri, 08 Jan 2021 19:14:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/indian-flag-seen-at-pro-trump-rally-which-some-indian-americans-joined-92920.html By Arul Louis New York Jan 8 An Indian flag was seen amid a sea of American and Trump flags in a footage as well as images of the violent protests at the US Capitol that went viral on social media An IndianAmerican Republican political activist Vincent Xavier tweeted on Thursday pictures of the flags India South Korea and Iran at the protest The Iranian flag was from the preIslamic revolution era His tweet said American patriots Vietnamese Indian Korean Iranian origins from so many other nations races who believe massive voter fraud has happened joined rally yesterday in solidarity with Trump Peaceful protestors who were exercising our rights On his Facebook page Xavier posted a video of a person at the protest with an Indian flag Many people who commented on the post criticised him for associating India and Indians with a protest that turned violent One of the posts said It is your right to protest at Trump Rallies You have no right to carry an Indian flag at Stop the Steal Trump rally which ended in Storming the US Capitol Another picture from a Twitter user showed six people standing in front of the Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI headquarters as if posing for a picture with one of them holding what appeared to be a furled Indian flag on a pole Another person in the group held a sign that said Indian Voices for Trump and others had an American and a red Trump flag and signs that said Asian Pacific Americans for Trump and Stop the Steal a reference to the Presidents claims about election fraud The people seemed like they could be of Indian descent and some appeared to be in their 20s or 30s They could not be identified nor could it be ascertained if they even participated in the protest There was no indication on the website of Indian Voices for Trump that it backed the protests The organisation had campaigned for Trump in the runup to the election An Indianorigin journalist who works for a public radio station tweeted about the protest participation Lest you think this was an allwhite mob there are IndianAmerican supporters of the president who took part like my source Hemant a businessman from Iselin New Jersey He sounded ecstatic about todays events The journalist also posted a screenshot of an exchange with the person identified only as Hemant in which he said I am here Thousands and thousands of people are here They stormed the Capitol building I witnessed The Indian flag first surfaced in a video posted by the Alejandro Alvarez the digital editor of the Washington news radio station WTOP and was only seen among the crowd standing back from the Capitol on the street while much further ahead some people were climbing on the buildings steps The person holding the flag could not be seen in the video An IndianAmerican Attitudes Survey IAAS poll published in October 2020 showed that 22 per cent of registered voters from the community planned to vote for Trump while 72 per cent were for Democratic Party candidate Joe Biden Going by the IAAS poll the backing for Trump had increased by 6 per cent compared to his support level shown in the 2016 PostElection National Asian American Survey Arul Louis can be reached at arulliansin and followed arulouis IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/indian-flag-seen-at-pro-trump-rally-which-some-indian-americans-joined-92920.html Fri, 08 Jan 2021 19:24:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/curfew-imposed-in-washington-dc-following-chaos-92677.html Washington Jan 7 In the wake of the unprecedented chaos which unfolded in the US capital city after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building a curfew has been imposed in Washington DC In a statement late Wednesday Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said the curfew which came into effect at 6 pm would last until 6 am on Thursday morning Xinhua news agency reported The curfew however will not apply to essential workers including media professionals she said During the hours of the curfew no person other than persons designated by the Mayor shall walk bike run loiter stand or motor by car or other mode of transport upon any street alley park or other public place within the District Bowser added Earlier on Wednesday thousands of Trump supporters shouting Trump and USA USA marched to the Capitol launching their assault after the joint session adjourned following objections against Arizonas electoral college votes and the Senate and the House began to meet separately to consider the issue The mobs that overran the security and entered the Capitol crashing into the Senate chamber were repulsed by National Guard ordered in by Vice President Mike Pence and the Federal Bureau of Investigations FBI SWAT teams The unprecedented chaos also left a woman dead from gunfire IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/curfew-imposed-in-washington-dc-following-chaos-92677.html Thu, 07 Jan 2021 19:03:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/congress-adjourns-joint-session-after-trump-backers-object-to-pennsylvania-votes-92691.html Washington Jan 7 The reconvened joint session of the US Congress to count and ratify Presidentelect Joe Bidens Electoral College votes adjourned early Thursday when objections were raised by a Senator and a House of Representatives member to the ballots from Pennsylvania dashing hopes that President Donald Trumps supporters chastised by the violent attack on the Capitol would stop trying to block the process When Congress met again after the House chamber was cleaned up following the attacks earlier on Wednesday objections to three states failed when none of the Senators would sign on But surprisingly one senator Josh Hawley joined in sustaining the objection Without extended discussions the Senate quickly disposed of the objection with 92 votes against and only seven in favour The House was still dealing with the objections Under the US system an Electoral College elected by the citizens votes for the President The Electoral College met on December 14 2020 and elected Biden with 306 votes to Trumps 232 Congress has to tally the Electoral College votes and affirm the election Trump has refused to accept the Electoral College verdict asserting that the elections were rigged More than 50 cases filed by Trump and his supporters in courts at various levels were thrown out On Wednesday afternoon Trumps supporters stormed the Capitol after a fiery speech by the President at a rally egging them to march to Congress IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/congress-adjourns-joint-session-after-trump-backers-object-to-pennsylvania-votes-92691.html Thu, 07 Jan 2021 19:47:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/congress-rejects-republican-led-challenge-to-bidens-win-in-arizona-92708.html Washington Jan 7 Following the violent protests at the Capitol building the US Congress has voted to reject Republican lawmakers objection to Presidentelect Joe Bidens victory over sitting President Donald Trump in the state of Arizona The objection was overturned by the Senate in an overwhelming vote of 93 to 6 late Wednesday night reports Xinhua news agency Six Republican Senators voted for the objection The House blocked the objection in a subsequent vote of 303 to 121 The US Congress convened in a joint session earlier in the day to certify Bidens victory but both the House and the Senate which were separately debating an objection to the counting of Arizonas electoral votes had to recess and evacuate after thousands of Trump supporters breached the Capitol Confrontations between law enforcement officers and protesters have caused injuries on both sides Police of Washington DC said that four people have died in the chaos while 52 others were arrested Trump has refused to acknowledge defeat in the 2020 presidential race with Biden and has been pushing claims of a fraudulent election which have been dismissed by US courts at different levels due to a profound lack of evidence IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/congress-rejects-republican-led-challenge-to-bidens-win-in-arizona-92708.html Thu, 07 Jan 2021 21:19:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/trumps-speech-directly-caused-capitol-hill-siege-priti-patel-92663.html Kathmandu Nepalese policemen snatch a burning effigy of prime minister Khadga Prasad Oli from protesters during a protest in Kathmandu Nepal Thursday Jan 7 2021 Nepals president dissolved Parliament after the prime minister recommended the move amid an escalating feud within his Communist Party that is likely to push the Himalayan nation into a political crisis PTI London Jan 7 UK Home Secretary Priti Patel on Thursday held US President Donald Trump responsible for the awful scenes and violence at the Capitol Hill as his supporters stormed the Congress on Wednesday when a joint session was underway to certify the electoral college votes affirming the victory of Presidentelect Joe Biden He basically has made a number of comments yesterday that helped fuel that violence and he didnt actually do anything to deescalate that whatsoever what weve seen is completely unacceptable His comments directly led to the violence and so far he has failed to condemn that violence and that is completely wrong she told the BBC Patel the first Indianorigin woman to hold the post said that the scenes were awful beyond words At least four people including a woman were killed as protesters went on rampage in the US Congress building soon after Trump addressing a rally of his diehard supporters urged them to march to the Capitol to register their protests and oppose the electoral fraud in the presidential elections The US needs to move on and have the transition of power from Trump to Biden Patel added Earlier Prime Minister Boris Johnson had condemned the disgraceful scenes and called for a peaceful and orderly transfer of power IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/trumps-speech-directly-caused-capitol-hill-siege-priti-patel-92663.html Thu, 07 Jan 2021 18:18:00 +0530 https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/cong-expresses-concern-over-violence-in-washington-92664.html New Delhi Jan 7 The Congress party on Thursday expressed concern over chaos in the US capital Washington DC where a woman was killed after outgoing American President Donald Trumps supporters stormed the Capitol building disrupting the functioning of the US Congress while it was in the middle of ratifying Joe Bidens election as President Scenes from the US are deeply disturbing Democracy and freedom are the essence of Americas greatness The entire world is watching May the people of America preserve the dignity of their nation and let the democratic process prevail peacefully Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said On Wednesday Trumpbackers stormed the Capitol that houses Congress TV broadcasts showed what appeared to be flash bombs going off and smoke which may be from teargas coming out of a part of the building and some of the mob leaving the area jumping out of a window Congress leader and former Union Minister Manish Tewari said If peaceful transfer of power can be interrupted in Washington DC what is the signal being sent out to other right wing bigots around the world Mobocracy is Kosher if you lose democratically very unfortunate in what happened in USA lies a message The riot started when the US Congress was holding a joint session to ratify the electoral college votes electing Democrats Joe Biden as President and Kamala Harris as Vice President Thousands of the rioters shouting Trump and USA USA overwhelmed the police and pushed the barriers around the Capitol and rushed after the joint session adjourned for the Senate and the House of Representatives met separately to consider objections to the electoral college votes from Arizona The rioters reached all the way into the Senate chamber from where the Vice President was hustled away by the security personnel A rioter was seen on tweets sitting in the chair of the Senate president and on TV people with Trump flags and placards were shown wandering around the chamber IANS https://dailyworld.in/us-election-fracas/cong-expresses-concern-over-violence-in-washington-92664.html Thu, 07 Jan 2021 18:19:00 +0530