Former US President Donald Trump pardoned an engineer who has stolen Google's trade secrets on his final day as the president. Adam Lewandowski the engineer had pled guilty to stealing secrets from Google's self-driving car program. Trump granted Lewandowski a full pardon.

Lewandowski was a founding member of "Chauffeur" an autonomous vehicle project of Google.

Several years later Levandowski began thinking of leaving Google for another self-driving endeavor that was eventually named "Otto," the plea deal said.

He began negotiations with Uber to invest in or buy Otto while he was at Google. Lewandowski admitted to have downloaded whole series of documents few years before resigning in January 2016.

"Prior to my departure, I downloaded thousands of files related to Project Chauffeur," Levandowski said in court documents when the plea deal was reached last year.

Levandowski was sentenced to prison for theft of trade secrets. Prosecutors dropped other charges filed against him in the deal that avoided a trial, the court filing showed.

"Mr. Levandowski has paid a significant price for his actions and plans to devote his talents to advance the public good," read a statement from the outgoing president's press secretary that summarized 73 last-minute pardons granted by Trump.

(With agency inputs)

Former US President Donald Trump pardoned an engineer who has stolen Google's trade secrets on his final day as the president. Adam Lewandowski the engineer had pled guilty to stealing secrets from Google's self-driving car program.

Former US President Donald Trump pardoned an engineer who has stolen Google's trade secrets on his final day as the president. Adam Lewandowski the engineer had pled guilty to stealing secrets from Google's self-driving car program. Trump granted Lewandowski a full pardon. Lewandowski was a founding member of "Chauffeur" an autonomous vehicle project of Google. Several years later Levandowski began thinking of leaving Google for another self-driving endeavor that was eventually named "Otto," the plea deal said. He began negotiations with Uber to invest in or buy Otto while he was at Google. Lewandowski admitted to have downloaded whole series of documents few years before resigning in January 2016. "Prior to my departure, I downloaded thousands of files related to Project Chauffeur," Levandowski said in court documents when the plea deal was reached last year. Levandowski was sentenced to prison for theft of trade secrets. Prosecutors dropped other charges filed against him in the deal that avoided a trial, the court filing showed. "Mr. Levandowski has paid a significant price for his actions and plans to devote his talents to advance the public good," read a statement from the outgoing president's press secretary that summarized 73 last-minute pardons granted by Trump. (With agency inputs)

On last day as US President, Trump pardons engineer who stole Google secrets

Donald Trump left the White House for the last time as US President on Wednesday hours before President-elect Joe Biden was inaugurated. Trump, accompanied by his wife Melania left White House in Marine One helicopter at 1300 GMT (6.30 pm IST). They went to Joint Air Force Base Andrews for a send-off ceremony. It was a quiet exit for a Trump who was very vocal in person as well as on his now-suspended Twitter account. Top Republican leaders like Vice-President Mike Pence were not there to see Trump off. Donald Trump has still not conceded defeat to President-elect Joe Biden

At Joint Air Force Base Andrews, Donald Trump made his last address as President of the USA in a campaign-style speech with several hundred supporters present.

"This has been an incredible four years," he said during his address.

"We've accomplished so much together," he said. "I will always fight for you.

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<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/joe-biden-inauguration-2021-how-to-watch-us-oath-taking-ceremony-live-online-358052">Want to watch Inauguration ceremony LIVE? Click Here</a>

Significantly, Trump said that he "will be back"

"We will be back in some form," said Trump during his address. There are speculations that he will try to win the Oval Office back from Joe Biden in US Presidential Election 2024

Trump did not address Joe Biden by name but said he wishes the new administration "great luck and great success."

After his short address, Donald and Melania Trump boarded the Air Force One and left for his resort in Florida. Although Trump left a letter for Joe Biden, he became the first sitting US President since 1869 to skip inauguration ceremony of his successor. Trump also carries the tag of being the only US President in history to be impeached twice.

Donald Trump left the White House for the last time as US President on Wednesday hours before President-elect Joe Biden was inaugurated. Trump, accompanied by his wife Melania left White House in Marine One helicopter at 1300 GMT (6.

Donald Trump left the White House for the last time as US President on Wednesday hours before President-elect Joe Biden was inaugurated. Trump, accompanied by his wife Melania left White House in Marine One helicopter at 1300 GMT (6.30 pm IST). They went to Joint Air Force Base Andrews for a send-off ceremony. It was a quiet exit for a Trump who was very vocal in person as well as on his now-suspended Twitter account. Top Republican leaders like Vice-President Mike Pence were not there to see Trump off. Donald Trump has still not conceded defeat to President-elect Joe Biden At Joint Air Force Base Andrews, Donald Trump made his last address as President of the USA in a campaign-style speech with several hundred supporters present. "This has been an incredible four years," he said during his address. "We've accomplished so much together," he said. "I will always fight for you. Catch LIVE updates here Want to watch Inauguration ceremony LIVE? Click Here Significantly, Trump said that he "will be back" "We will be back in some form," said Trump during his address. There are speculations that he will try to win the Oval Office back from Joe Biden in US Presidential Election 2024 Trump did not address Joe Biden by name but said he wishes the new administration "great luck and great success." After his short address, Donald and Melania Trump boarded the Air Force One and left for his resort in Florida. Although Trump left a letter for Joe Biden, he became the first sitting US President since 1869 to skip inauguration ceremony of his successor. Trump also carries the tag of being the only US President in history to be impeached twice.

'Will be back', says Donald Trump in his last speech as US President

Just hours after US President Trump lifted the travel ban for those arriving from Europe and Brazil from January 26, the incoming <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/joe-biden-set-to-talk-about-unity-in-his-inaugural-speech-amid-backdrop-of-riots-357548">Biden</a> administration dismissed the idea declaring that "this is not the time to be lifting restrictions on international travel".

Watch:

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Trump while announcing the new guideline, the US president said: "This action is the best way to continue protecting Americans from COVID-19 while enabling travel to resume safely." The White House declared that the ban will be in place for China and Iran.

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With the pandemic worsening, and more contagious variants emerging around the world, this is not the time to be lifting restrictions on international travel.
— Jen Psaki (@jrpsaki) <a href="https://twitter.com/jrpsaki/status/1351322381118271497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had earlier said that air passengers arriving in the US would have to show negative COVID-19 test. The CDC had said that travellers should get tested again three to five days after arrival and stay home for at least seven days.

Jen Psaki, Biden's press secretary issued a statement saying: "On the advice of our medical team, the Administration does not intend to lift these restrictions on 1/26, in fact, we plan to strengthen public health measures around international travel in order to further mitigate the spread of COVID-19."

President-elect Joe <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/20-indian-americans-who-are-chosen-by-biden-administration-to-rebuild-america-357567">Biden </a>is set to take the oath on January 20 as the next president of America. Trump has said he will not attend the inauguration becoming the first outgoing president in 152 years not to join his successor at the inauguration ceremony.

Trump had refused to accept Biden's victory and had not conceded defeat accusing the Democrats of voter fraud without basis.&nbsp;

Just hours after US President Trump lifted the travel ban for those arriving from Europe and Brazil from January 26, the incoming Biden administration dismissed the idea declaring that "this is not the time to be lifting restrictions on international travel".

Just hours after US President Trump lifted the travel ban for those arriving from Europe and Brazil from January 26, the incoming Biden administration dismissed the idea declaring that "this is not the time to be lifting restrictions on international travel". Watch: Trump while announcing the new guideline, the US president said: "This action is the best way to continue protecting Americans from COVID-19 while enabling travel to resume safely." The White House declared that the ban will be in place for China and Iran. With the pandemic worsening, and more contagious variants emerging around the world, this is not the time to be lifting restrictions on international travel. — Jen Psaki (@jrpsaki) January 19, 2021 × Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had earlier said that air passengers arriving in the US would have to show negative COVID-19 test. The CDC had said that travellers should get tested again three to five days after arrival and stay home for at least seven days. Jen Psaki, Biden's press secretary issued a statement saying: "On the advice of our medical team, the Administration does not intend to lift these restrictions on 1/26, in fact, we plan to strengthen public health measures around international travel in order to further mitigate the spread of COVID-19." President-elect Joe Biden is set to take the oath on January 20 as the next president of America. Trump has said he will not attend the inauguration becoming the first outgoing president in 152 years not to join his successor at the inauguration ceremony. Trump had refused to accept Biden's victory and had not conceded defeat accusing the Democrats of voter fraud without basis.

US will not lift travel bans, says Biden's team after Trump's order

American carnage: Rise and fall of Trump in Washington

Throughout four years of scandals and investigations, President Donald Trump has maintained an approval rating that rarely budged from a 10-point band between 35% and 45%. Nothing he could say, do or tweet appeared to dramatically change public opinion of him.

But the events of Jan. 6 — when a violent mob of Trump supporters incited by the president stormed the Capitol — appear to have damaged him in his final days in office in a way that finally moved the needle.

Trump is set to depart office Wednesday with an approval rating of 29%, the lowest of his presidency, according to a new poll from the Pew Research Center.

About 75% of the public said Trump bore some responsibility for the violence and destruction of Jan. 6, which put the lives of the vice president and members of Congress at risk and resulted in five deaths, according to the survey.

And his behavior since the election — a period during which he has repeatedly tried to contest his loss, relied on conspiracy theorists for advice, encouraged supporters who do not view President-elect Joe Biden as legitimate, and refused to concede — has cost Trump support even with those individuals who have loyally supported him until now.

According to Pew, the share of his supporters who described his conduct as “poor” has doubled, from 10% to 20%, over the past two months.

Biden, in contrast, has benefited from how he has handled the transition period. About 64% of voters said they had a positive opinion of his conduct since the November election. The majority of voters said they also approved of his Cabinet selections.

Trump’s polling while in office has been surprisingly stagnant, despite regular eruptions from the president. He was the only president in the history of Gallup’s polling who never earned the support of a majority of Americans for even one day of his term. But he also held onto his durable base, who appeared willing to overlook any behavior they did not approve of, or any promises that Trump never followed through on.

That group now appears to have shrunk, although Trump still has some stalwart supporters who believe the conspiracy theories he has encouraged about election fraud. About 34% of respondents said they believed that Trump was “definitely” or “probably” the rightful election winner.

Trump’s advisers have tried to play up that base of loyal support to him, noting that there are “welcome home” events planned for his arrival in Florida on Wednesday. They have also planned an upbeat send-off Wednesday morning to commemorate his final departure from Washington as president, aboard Air Force One.

But whatever show of support he sees on his way out will belie the reality of his situation.

Not only has he made history as the first president to be impeached twice. But he appears to be on track to leave office with the lowest approval rating of any modern-day president.

Throughout four years of scandals and investigations, President Donald Trump has maintained an approval rating that rarely budged from a 10-point band between 35% and 45%.

Throughout four years of scandals and investigations, President Donald Trump has maintained an approval rating that rarely budged from a 10-point band between 35% and 45%. Nothing he could say, do or tweet appeared to dramatically change public opinion of him. But the events of Jan. 6 — when a violent mob of Trump supporters incited by the president stormed the Capitol — appear to have damaged him in his final days in office in a way that finally moved the needle. Trump is set to depart office Wednesday with an approval rating of 29%, the lowest of his presidency, according to a new poll from the Pew Research Center. About 75% of the public said Trump bore some responsibility for the violence and destruction of Jan. 6, which put the lives of the vice president and members of Congress at risk and resulted in five deaths, according to the survey. And his behavior since the election — a period during which he has repeatedly tried to contest his loss, relied on conspiracy theorists for advice, encouraged supporters who do not view President-elect Joe Biden as legitimate, and refused to concede — has cost Trump support even with those individuals who have loyally supported him until now. According to Pew, the share of his supporters who described his conduct as “poor” has doubled, from 10% to 20%, over the past two months. Biden, in contrast, has benefited from how he has handled the transition period. About 64% of voters said they had a positive opinion of his conduct since the November election. The majority of voters said they also approved of his Cabinet selections. Trump’s polling while in office has been surprisingly stagnant, despite regular eruptions from the president. He was the only president in the history of Gallup’s polling who never earned the support of a majority of Americans for even one day of his term. But he also held onto his durable base, who appeared willing to overlook any behavior they did not approve of, or any promises that Trump never followed through on. That group now appears to have shrunk, although Trump still has some stalwart supporters who believe the conspiracy theories he has encouraged about election fraud. About 34% of respondents said they believed that Trump was “definitely” or “probably” the rightful election winner. Trump’s advisers have tried to play up that base of loyal support to him, noting that there are “welcome home” events planned for his arrival in Florida on Wednesday. They have also planned an upbeat send-off Wednesday morning to commemorate his final departure from Washington as president, aboard Air Force One. But whatever show of support he sees on his way out will belie the reality of his situation. Not only has he made history as the first president to be impeached twice. But he appears to be on track to leave office with the lowest approval rating of any modern-day president.

Trump will leave office with the worst approval rating of his presidency

Few presidents have exploited the theatrical grandeur of the job quite as enthusiastically or as cynically as Donald Trump, from his proliferating forests of flags to his gilding of the Oval Office. Few have been as strategic about the power of caricature or had such a complicit wife and court to bolster the spectacle. As a group, they tapped into the dregs of “Dynasty” and “The Bonfire of the Vanities” past that sits nestled in our lizard brains. For four years, we parsed soap opera chic instead of “The West Wing.” The visuals demanded attention, just like the tweets.

But while we will not have that final photo-op closure as the outgoing first family welcomes the new residents to the White House — that norm, like so many others, has been trampled — the Trumps leave behind a legacy of image-making and manipulation that will be as much a reference for political pundits and style strategists as that of the Reagans, the Kennedys and the Obamas.

The political costume department of our collective imagination will never be the same.

There was a reason the president complained, publicly, about Vogue never giving his wife Melania a cover (at least not after he entered politics). A reason he complained, too, about designers vociferously announcing early in his term that they would not dress the first lady. (Who cares? The Trumps could always buy the stuff.) A reason he and his family built chunks of their empire on the wardrobe of ersatz aspiration. They understood the mythmaking power of appearance and how it sends tendrils of connection to us all.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-to-leave-washington-on-morning-of-bidens-inauguration-357019" hreflang="en">Trump to leave Washington on morning of Biden’s inauguration</a>

There was no better example than Trump himself. He didn’t just sell his own merch; he wore it. Except, that is, for the oversize suits, which matched the overlong ties (if they were Scotch-taped together, who cared; they looked good from the outside) and became symbols of the overwhelming ego. Those were Brioni.

His willingness to make himself into an orange-tinted, vanilla-custard-combover meme invited mockery — until some realized that, silly as the president’s appearance may have seemed, it was also, in its singularity and consistency, unforgettable. As Doug Mills, a photographer for The New York Times who has covered every president since Ronald Reagan, said, the result was “iconic.”

Adding to the effect was Melania Trump, his ornamental equal, able to manipulate public perception strategically on her own. And cast in the supporting roles were, first and foremost, Ivanka and Jared, the effective prom king and queen, skin and hair and teeth polished to an impenetrable sheen. Arrayed beside them, like a Foxified Greek chorus, Tiffany Trump, Lara Trump, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Hope Hicks and Kayleigh McEnany. Plus Don Jr. and Eric.

They were embodiments of the president’s ideas of outmoded gender norms and what it meant to “dress like a woman” — and as a man for that matter — in matching red, white and blue Chiara Boni wrap dresses and pumps, false eyelashes batting against their cheeks, carefully tended locks blowing in the breeze, artfully cultivated stubble like an advertisement for masculinity from the school of Axe body spray.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/amid-security-concerns-joe-bidens-inauguration-rehearsal-postponed-356952" hreflang="en">Amid security concerns, Joe Biden's inauguration rehearsal postponed</a>

Donald Trump is vacating office with the look, if not his reputation, intact, although increasingly it has taken on a whole new cast. What was once seen, on screens and in many the mind’s eye, as the brazen self-branding and narcissism of a reality TV star looks more like simple mendacity. From the beginning, Trump’s appearance was a sham. We should have known that such artifice was as much a part of his moral makeup as his cosmetic kit, and there was more to come. It was always part of the picture.

When Clothes Speak

The scene was set even before Trump entered the White House, when Melania Trump wore a fuchsia pussy-bow Gucci blouse to watch her husband debate Hillary Clinton just days after The Washington Post released the now notorious “Access Hollywood” audio tape. Immediately the gleeful speculation started: She was trolling her husband. She was using clothes to send a message.

If it wasn’t the message we expect potential first ladies to send through fashion — that would be about political outreach and economic boosterism, not marital discord — still, it seemed like a message of some sort, suggesting that Melania Trump was attuned to the tools of her potential job.

Besides, if it wasn’t a message, what was it? A wardrobe coincidence? Could such willful disregard of external perception be possible for a woman who had been a model? Or was it all meta-commentary on our own expectations of first ladies? Who, exactly, was she toying with?

She remained enigmatically silent, and thus began a popular addiction to reading her clothes for clues.

Next up was the inauguration, when Donald Trump wore a Brooks Brothers overcoat like so many presidents before him: Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy and Barack Obama. Beside him, his wife wore a powder blue Ralph Lauren suit and matching gloves, her hair in a decorous twist. The reference was also Kennedy: Jacqueline. The designer was American. The interpretation was positive. Her husband said he wanted to bolster Made in America. Both were wearing his words on their back.

That lasted a hot second — until Melania Trump chose a black Dolce &amp; Gabbana jacket for her official portrait.

It was one thing when she wore a Dolce lace mantilla to meet the pope on her first international tour; one thing even when she wore the label’s $51,000 floral jacket at the G-7 summit in Sicily; one thing to choose an Italian luxury brand — even one run by designers known for their own egregious comments on weight, sexuality, ethnicity — while making appearances in Italy. (That could be spun as local outreach.)

It was another thing entirely to choose that brand for the photo that would adorn the East Wing website for an entire term. That was more like a riposte to first lady tradition and a statement of intent: I will not be forced into the mold that was made for me.

And so it went.

For every New Look Dior red suit Trump wore to accompany her husband on his state visit in France, for every brand worn to flirt with diplomatic dress, there was a completely unrelated brand worn to reassert the primacy of her own taste, as opposed to any political exigency. For every Burberry shirt and Michael Kors skirt worn to deplane in England and gesture to the special relationship between the United States and Britain, a moment like the pith helmet in Kenya, a colonial costume that seemed like an affront. For every pro-mask PSA, a let-them-eat-cake moment like the spike heels she wore when she left the White House to visit the post-Hurricane Harvey, Texas disaster scene.

Her brand was glamour, of the most inaccessible, resting-on-a-pedestal, celluloid kind; her aesthetic, overwhelmingly armored or royal. (She famously wore her coats like a coronation robe, draped elegantly over her shoulders.). Her wardrobe was like a stroll down the stores of Fifth Avenue, from Trump Tower to Saks via Dior, Givenchy, Chanel, Celine, Dolce &amp; Gabbana and Gucci. It was as if the American dream had been redefined as a closet stuffed full of European luxury labels.

But whatever the names inside, the waists were often tightly belted, the suits military, the gowns caped, the hats throwing shade. By the time the Republican National Convention rolled around in August, the images had reached their apogee in the Army-green Alexander McQueen suit Trump wore for her speech, and the fluorescent lime Valentino dress she wore to watch her husband accept his party’s presidential nomination for the second time, trains flying out from each shoulder like wings.

In between there were choices that seemed calculated to disrupt: the white suit Trump wore to the State of the Union in 2018, just after the Stormy Daniels scandal, when such a style had become the uniform of the Trump resistance; the “I really don’t care, do u?” jacket worn on a trip to the southern border that practically broke the internet with a scrawl that seemed like a middle finger to the watching world. But perhaps the final Trump Christmas card was most revealing.

Featuring the first couple in matching tuxedos, it suggested: We’re in this together and always have been. (That’s what Trump’s former best friend Stephanie Winston Wolkoff kept saying, too, after she published a tell-all on her own traumatic experience with the first family.) Even if the conspiracy theorists who thought the portrait had been Photoshopped were right.

Maybe especially if the conspiracy theorists were right.

All the President’s Profiting

Now the Trumps are expected to fall back to Florida, with the gold-plated environs of Mar-a-Lago as their empire in exile. They still have their trademarks, and a potential consumer base clutching their MAGA hats, even as the real estate and hospitality industries begin to publicly distance themselves from the family name, as some financial institutions and major companies disavow the president’s actions, and Donald Trump is shut out of social media. Television and talk radio may be their natural habitats — but then, so is fashion.

This emperor will likely don some new clothes.

The president did cut the ribbon on the Louis Vuitton factory in Texas. Vuitton is owned by LVMH, which now owns Tiffany, which is snuggled up in the shadow of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue. The group, the largest luxury conglomerate in the world, has not commented on the riots in Washington. Indeed, Shopify aside, the industry is one of the few major business sectors that has remained notably silent on the subject of the president, despite some designers having been so vocal four years ago.

And the Trumps haven’t exactly made a secret of their vision when it comes to product potential.

Remember the libel lawsuit Melania Trump filed in 2017 against the Daily Mail? In the suit, her lawyers argued that an article it published insinuating that her modeling career had involved more than just posing had endangered her potential to “launch a broad-based commercial line in multiple product categories,” thanks to her position as “one of the most photographed women in the world.” (The allegations were retracted, an apology was issued, and a settlement was made.)

At the time, her office said she had no such plans to use her “position for profit.” But when she is no longer in that position, it’s not hard to imagine the potential (particularly for someone who once upon a time had a QVC jewelry line). After all, some of the categories the lawsuit mentioned include “apparel, accessories, shoes, jewelry, cosmetics, hair care, skin care and fragrance.” A coffee-table book is apparently already being considered, the better to memorialize (and monetize) her style.

Ivanka Trump, of course, has her own history with fashion, having effectively begun her time as her father’s surrogate while doubling as her company’s own best model in ladder-climbing sheath dresses, statement bangles, and Cinderella court shoes. Her business may have been dissolved after the blowback about her using her position for profit — not to mention her let-them-eat-cake evening gown Instagram shots — but it could easily return.

Meantime, her increasingly unshaven brothers have also increasingly positioned themselves as the avatars of the hunter-gatherer set.

The Trumps may be leaving the White House, but their personal brands will live on, even with the shine tarnished, the substance beneath revealed as fool’s gold. It is up to us whether we buy them.

Few presidents have exploited the theatrical grandeur of the job quite as enthusiastically or as cynically as Donald Trump, from his proliferating forests of flags to his gilding of the Oval Office.

Few presidents have exploited the theatrical grandeur of the job quite as enthusiastically or as cynically as Donald Trump, from his proliferating forests of flags to his gilding of the Oval Office. Few have been as strategic about the power of caricature or had such a complicit wife and court to bolster the spectacle. As a group, they tapped into the dregs of “Dynasty” and “The Bonfire of the Vanities” past that sits nestled in our lizard brains. For four years, we parsed soap opera chic instead of “The West Wing.” The visuals demanded attention, just like the tweets. But while we will not have that final photo-op closure as the outgoing first family welcomes the new residents to the White House — that norm, like so many others, has been trampled — the Trumps leave behind a legacy of image-making and manipulation that will be as much a reference for political pundits and style strategists as that of the Reagans, the Kennedys and the Obamas. The political costume department of our collective imagination will never be the same. There was a reason the president complained, publicly, about Vogue never giving his wife Melania a cover (at least not after he entered politics). A reason he complained, too, about designers vociferously announcing early in his term that they would not dress the first lady. (Who cares? The Trumps could always buy the stuff.) A reason he and his family built chunks of their empire on the wardrobe of ersatz aspiration. They understood the mythmaking power of appearance and how it sends tendrils of connection to us all. Also read| Trump to leave Washington on morning of Biden’s inauguration There was no better example than Trump himself. He didn’t just sell his own merch; he wore it. Except, that is, for the oversize suits, which matched the overlong ties (if they were Scotch-taped together, who cared; they looked good from the outside) and became symbols of the overwhelming ego. Those were Brioni. His willingness to make himself into an orange-tinted, vanilla-custard-combover meme invited mockery — until some realized that, silly as the president’s appearance may have seemed, it was also, in its singularity and consistency, unforgettable. As Doug Mills, a photographer for The New York Times who has covered every president since Ronald Reagan, said, the result was “iconic.” Adding to the effect was Melania Trump, his ornamental equal, able to manipulate public perception strategically on her own. And cast in the supporting roles were, first and foremost, Ivanka and Jared, the effective prom king and queen, skin and hair and teeth polished to an impenetrable sheen. Arrayed beside them, like a Foxified Greek chorus, Tiffany Trump, Lara Trump, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Hope Hicks and Kayleigh McEnany. Plus Don Jr. and Eric. They were embodiments of the president’s ideas of outmoded gender norms and what it meant to “dress like a woman” — and as a man for that matter — in matching red, white and blue Chiara Boni wrap dresses and pumps, false eyelashes batting against their cheeks, carefully tended locks blowing in the breeze, artfully cultivated stubble like an advertisement for masculinity from the school of Axe body spray. Also read| Amid security concerns, Joe Biden's inauguration rehearsal postponed Donald Trump is vacating office with the look, if not his reputation, intact, although increasingly it has taken on a whole new cast. What was once seen, on screens and in many the mind’s eye, as the brazen self-branding and narcissism of a reality TV star looks more like simple mendacity. From the beginning, Trump’s appearance was a sham. We should have known that such artifice was as much a part of his moral makeup as his cosmetic kit, and there was more to come. It was always part of the picture. When Clothes Speak The scene was set even before Trump entered the White House, when Melania Trump wore a fuchsia pussy-bow Gucci blouse to watch her husband debate Hillary Clinton just days after The Washington Post released the now notorious “Access Hollywood” audio tape. Immediately the gleeful speculation started: She was trolling her husband. She was using clothes to send a message. If it wasn’t the message we expect potential first ladies to send through fashion — that would be about political outreach and economic boosterism, not marital discord — still, it seemed like a message of some sort, suggesting that Melania Trump was attuned to the tools of her potential job. Besides, if it wasn’t a message, what was it? A wardrobe coincidence? Could such willful disregard of external perception be possible for a woman who had been a model? Or was it all meta-commentary on our own expectations of first ladies? Who, exactly, was she toying with? She remained enigmatically silent, and thus began a popular addiction to reading her clothes for clues. Next up was the inauguration, when Donald Trump wore a Brooks Brothers overcoat like so many presidents before him: Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy and Barack Obama. Beside him, his wife wore a powder blue Ralph Lauren suit and matching gloves, her hair in a decorous twist. The reference was also Kennedy: Jacqueline. The designer was American. The interpretation was positive. Her husband said he wanted to bolster Made in America. Both were wearing his words on their back. That lasted a hot second — until Melania Trump chose a black Dolce & Gabbana jacket for her official portrait. It was one thing when she wore a Dolce lace mantilla to meet the pope on her first international tour; one thing even when she wore the label’s $51,000 floral jacket at the G-7 summit in Sicily; one thing to choose an Italian luxury brand — even one run by designers known for their own egregious comments on weight, sexuality, ethnicity — while making appearances in Italy. (That could be spun as local outreach.) It was another thing entirely to choose that brand for the photo that would adorn the East Wing website for an entire term. That was more like a riposte to first lady tradition and a statement of intent: I will not be forced into the mold that was made for me. And so it went. For every New Look Dior red suit Trump wore to accompany her husband on his state visit in France, for every brand worn to flirt with diplomatic dress, there was a completely unrelated brand worn to reassert the primacy of her own taste, as opposed to any political exigency. For every Burberry shirt and Michael Kors skirt worn to deplane in England and gesture to the special relationship between the United States and Britain, a moment like the pith helmet in Kenya, a colonial costume that seemed like an affront. For every pro-mask PSA, a let-them-eat-cake moment like the spike heels she wore when she left the White House to visit the post-Hurricane Harvey, Texas disaster scene. Her brand was glamour, of the most inaccessible, resting-on-a-pedestal, celluloid kind; her aesthetic, overwhelmingly armored or royal. (She famously wore her coats like a coronation robe, draped elegantly over her shoulders.). Her wardrobe was like a stroll down the stores of Fifth Avenue, from Trump Tower to Saks via Dior, Givenchy, Chanel, Celine, Dolce & Gabbana and Gucci. It was as if the American dream had been redefined as a closet stuffed full of European luxury labels. But whatever the names inside, the waists were often tightly belted, the suits military, the gowns caped, the hats throwing shade. By the time the Republican National Convention rolled around in August, the images had reached their apogee in the Army-green Alexander McQueen suit Trump wore for her speech, and the fluorescent lime Valentino dress she wore to watch her husband accept his party’s presidential nomination for the second time, trains flying out from each shoulder like wings. In between there were choices that seemed calculated to disrupt: the white suit Trump wore to the State of the Union in 2018, just after the Stormy Daniels scandal, when such a style had become the uniform of the Trump resistance; the “I really don’t care, do u?” jacket worn on a trip to the southern border that practically broke the internet with a scrawl that seemed like a middle finger to the watching world. But perhaps the final Trump Christmas card was most revealing. Featuring the first couple in matching tuxedos, it suggested: We’re in this together and always have been. (That’s what Trump’s former best friend Stephanie Winston Wolkoff kept saying, too, after she published a tell-all on her own traumatic experience with the first family.) Even if the conspiracy theorists who thought the portrait had been Photoshopped were right. Maybe especially if the conspiracy theorists were right. All the President’s Profiting Now the Trumps are expected to fall back to Florida, with the gold-plated environs of Mar-a-Lago as their empire in exile. They still have their trademarks, and a potential consumer base clutching their MAGA hats, even as the real estate and hospitality industries begin to publicly distance themselves from the family name, as some financial institutions and major companies disavow the president’s actions, and Donald Trump is shut out of social media. Television and talk radio may be their natural habitats — but then, so is fashion. This emperor will likely don some new clothes. The president did cut the ribbon on the Louis Vuitton factory in Texas. Vuitton is owned by LVMH, which now owns Tiffany, which is snuggled up in the shadow of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue. The group, the largest luxury conglomerate in the world, has not commented on the riots in Washington. Indeed, Shopify aside, the industry is one of the few major business sectors that has remained notably silent on the subject of the president, despite some designers having been so vocal four years ago. And the Trumps haven’t exactly made a secret of their vision when it comes to product potential. Remember the libel lawsuit Melania Trump filed in 2017 against the Daily Mail? In the suit, her lawyers argued that an article it published insinuating that her modeling career had involved more than just posing had endangered her potential to “launch a broad-based commercial line in multiple product categories,” thanks to her position as “one of the most photographed women in the world.” (The allegations were retracted, an apology was issued, and a settlement was made.) At the time, her office said she had no such plans to use her “position for profit.” But when she is no longer in that position, it’s not hard to imagine the potential (particularly for someone who once upon a time had a QVC jewelry line). After all, some of the categories the lawsuit mentioned include “apparel, accessories, shoes, jewelry, cosmetics, hair care, skin care and fragrance.” A coffee-table book is apparently already being considered, the better to memorialize (and monetize) her style. Ivanka Trump, of course, has her own history with fashion, having effectively begun her time as her father’s surrogate while doubling as her company’s own best model in ladder-climbing sheath dresses, statement bangles, and Cinderella court shoes. Her business may have been dissolved after the blowback about her using her position for profit — not to mention her let-them-eat-cake evening gown Instagram shots — but it could easily return. Meantime, her increasingly unshaven brothers have also increasingly positioned themselves as the avatars of the hunter-gatherer set. The Trumps may be leaving the White House, but their personal brands will live on, even with the shine tarnished, the substance beneath revealed as fool’s gold. It is up to us whether we buy them.

A farewell to the Trump aesthetic

Top government scientists at the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could face reassignment every five years under a new regulation the Trump administration issued Friday evening, a move that surprised health officials across the government.

The rule, which the Department of Health and Human Services described in a news release as an effort to “increase professional development opportunities” and “harmonize HR practices,” was summarized in more blunt terms in the document’s file name: “term limits.”

Under the rule, more than a dozen senior officials could lose their positions as soon as this year — including a key regulator at the FDA responsible for evaluating COVID-19 drugs. Altogether, around 60 top government health officials would be subject to new employment reviews under the policy.

Although the regulation may well be reversed by the Biden administration, it is a parting shot in the Trump administration’s consistent efforts to give political appointees more sway over policy.

Because the rule, which was first reported to be under consideration by Politico, concerns the agency’s practice and procedure, it is not subject to normal rules of notice and comment, making it easier to change than other regulations. It is expected to be published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, the day before the Trump administration ends. It would not take effect for another 30 days, providing a window for preemptive reversal.

Top officials at the FDA, the CDC and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services were caught off guard by the last-minute move. Agency heads at the National Institutes of Health are already subject to such five-year reviews, under legislation passed by Congress in 2016, a policy that was broadly criticized.

Dr. Stephen M. Hahn, the FDA commissioner, said in an interview Friday that the new rule could be perceived as threatening. He said recently that he was open to the agency being moved out of HHS and becoming independent.

“The implications of term limits could have a serious and far-reaching public health impact, affecting industry, patient groups, stakeholders,” he said Friday. “It needs a very vigorous discussion informed by all points of view. That didn’t happen here.”

Hahn said the rule meant that a career official “might be willing to do the bidding of an administration knowing his job is on the line in five years.”

“It’s fundamentally different than academia because of the political overtones,” he said.

Seema Verma, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said her agency had been unaware of the new policy.

“We were completely blindsided by this when agencies were focused on the pandemic response, and the staff has worked tirelessly,” she said. “I think our career staff deserve better than an unvetted policy.”

Brian Harrison, the HHS chief of staff, oversaw the rule himself, in place of the department’s secretary, Alex Azar. The move was the product of a small “deregulatory group” at HHS that Harrison led this year, he said in an interview. Top health officials have grumbled about what they view as Harrison’s efforts to draw attention to his role in pursuing new rules, including using the department’s public affairs Twitter account to regularly feature graphics with his name on them commenting on new policies.

No one will lose employment as a result of the rule, he said in a conference call with reporters on Friday. Employees who might lose their roles at the top of centers, bureaus and divisions would be appointed somewhere else within their agency. Others could be renewed for additional five-year terms.

“All Americans are very familiar with having to check in with their boss,” Harrison said. “This simply institutionalizes leaders within HHS, whose boss is the secretary right now, to check in with their boss two times a decade.”

Many top health officials are hired as political appointees, meaning they frequently exit the agencies when there is a change in presidential leadership. But the new rule would affect the professional career staff, who often work in the government for decades.

Harrison said the change would help diversify the leadership ranks by making way for new employees to ascend to leadership roles. But critics of the policy say it could instead be a convenient way for political leaders to sideline senior career staff members with opposing views and could repel talented scientists considering entering government service.

The new rule is part of a broader pattern of Trump administration moves that weaken career protections for career civil servants. It’s a group that Trump and other officials have frequently derided as a “deep state” eager to undermine his agenda — a charge the president has made about FDA regulators.

Another recent executive order would strip tens of thousands of government workers of Civil Service protections, making them easier to fire.

Richard C. Loeb, a senior policy counsel at the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union representing federal workers, said the rule was a “temper tantrum on the way out of office.”

“If there’s a way they can make government employment less attractive to people, this is how to do it,” he said. “These jobs would likely go to academics who would have tenure. It will signal to them there’s no reason to take this job.”

Loeb said the employees subject to the new reviews were already subject to performance appraisals, which can be used to fire them for poor performance.

“The problem they face is that they have to document why you’re performing poorly,” he said.

Nicholas Bagley, a law professor at the University of Michigan who studies administrative law, said the policy was unlikely to survive the change in leadership.

“If the Biden administration dislikes this, they can get rid of it and probably will,” he said. “It’s not going to last.”

Top government scientists at the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could face reassignment every five years under a new regulation the Trump administration issued Friday evening, a move that surprised health officials across the government.

Top government scientists at the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could face reassignment every five years under a new regulation the Trump administration issued Friday evening, a move that surprised health officials across the government. The rule, which the Department of Health and Human Services described in a news release as an effort to “increase professional development opportunities” and “harmonize HR practices,” was summarized in more blunt terms in the document’s file name: “term limits.” Under the rule, more than a dozen senior officials could lose their positions as soon as this year — including a key regulator at the FDA responsible for evaluating COVID-19 drugs. Altogether, around 60 top government health officials would be subject to new employment reviews under the policy. Although the regulation may well be reversed by the Biden administration, it is a parting shot in the Trump administration’s consistent efforts to give political appointees more sway over policy. Because the rule, which was first reported to be under consideration by Politico, concerns the agency’s practice and procedure, it is not subject to normal rules of notice and comment, making it easier to change than other regulations. It is expected to be published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, the day before the Trump administration ends. It would not take effect for another 30 days, providing a window for preemptive reversal. Top officials at the FDA, the CDC and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services were caught off guard by the last-minute move. Agency heads at the National Institutes of Health are already subject to such five-year reviews, under legislation passed by Congress in 2016, a policy that was broadly criticized. Dr. Stephen M. Hahn, the FDA commissioner, said in an interview Friday that the new rule could be perceived as threatening. He said recently that he was open to the agency being moved out of HHS and becoming independent. “The implications of term limits could have a serious and far-reaching public health impact, affecting industry, patient groups, stakeholders,” he said Friday. “It needs a very vigorous discussion informed by all points of view. That didn’t happen here.” Hahn said the rule meant that a career official “might be willing to do the bidding of an administration knowing his job is on the line in five years.” “It’s fundamentally different than academia because of the political overtones,” he said. Seema Verma, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said her agency had been unaware of the new policy. “We were completely blindsided by this when agencies were focused on the pandemic response, and the staff has worked tirelessly,” she said. “I think our career staff deserve better than an unvetted policy.” Brian Harrison, the HHS chief of staff, oversaw the rule himself, in place of the department’s secretary, Alex Azar. The move was the product of a small “deregulatory group” at HHS that Harrison led this year, he said in an interview. Top health officials have grumbled about what they view as Harrison’s efforts to draw attention to his role in pursuing new rules, including using the department’s public affairs Twitter account to regularly feature graphics with his name on them commenting on new policies. No one will lose employment as a result of the rule, he said in a conference call with reporters on Friday. Employees who might lose their roles at the top of centers, bureaus and divisions would be appointed somewhere else within their agency. Others could be renewed for additional five-year terms. “All Americans are very familiar with having to check in with their boss,” Harrison said. “This simply institutionalizes leaders within HHS, whose boss is the secretary right now, to check in with their boss two times a decade.” Many top health officials are hired as political appointees, meaning they frequently exit the agencies when there is a change in presidential leadership. But the new rule would affect the professional career staff, who often work in the government for decades. Harrison said the change would help diversify the leadership ranks by making way for new employees to ascend to leadership roles. But critics of the policy say it could instead be a convenient way for political leaders to sideline senior career staff members with opposing views and could repel talented scientists considering entering government service. The new rule is part of a broader pattern of Trump administration moves that weaken career protections for career civil servants. It’s a group that Trump and other officials have frequently derided as a “deep state” eager to undermine his agenda — a charge the president has made about FDA regulators. Another recent executive order would strip tens of thousands of government workers of Civil Service protections, making them easier to fire. Richard C. Loeb, a senior policy counsel at the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union representing federal workers, said the rule was a “temper tantrum on the way out of office.” “If there’s a way they can make government employment less attractive to people, this is how to do it,” he said. “These jobs would likely go to academics who would have tenure. It will signal to them there’s no reason to take this job.” Loeb said the employees subject to the new reviews were already subject to performance appraisals, which can be used to fire them for poor performance. “The problem they face is that they have to document why you’re performing poorly,” he said. Nicholas Bagley, a law professor at the University of Michigan who studies administrative law, said the policy was unlikely to survive the change in leadership. “If the Biden administration dislikes this, they can get rid of it and probably will,” he said. “It’s not going to last.”

Last-minute rule seeks to impose term limits on top career health officials

A new report has sparked fresh outrage after it was revealed dozens of rioters who participated in the carnage were already on an FBI terrorist watch list by the time the riots took place.

The new information comes after it was found that a January 5 FBI report had warned that pro-Trump insurrectionists were planning to wage a "war" at the US Capitol the next day.&nbsp;

The revelation follows a Washington Post report earlier this week detailing the FBI’s failure to act aggressively on an internal intelligence report of internet discussions about plans to attack Congress, smash windows, break down doors and “get violent … go there ready for war.”

According to the FBI’s website, the watch list is a “single database that contains sensitive national security and law enforcement information concerning the identities of those who are known or reasonably suspected of being involved in terrorist activities” and is run by the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Centre, which was established after the September 11 attacks.

Meanwhile, Trump has became the only president in US history to be impeached twice after the House of Representatives brought forth an article of impeachment against him on a charge of "incitement of insurrection."&nbsp;

The riots last week have brought into sharp focus the potential dangers that lawmakers and, potentially, the next president, face from supporters of Trump, who has continued to falsely claim that he, not Biden, won the election.

Trump and his aides have been consistently making unsubstantiated claims of election frauds ever since it was clear that he was to leave office to make way for Joe Biden. Trump campaign has presented no evidence and has suffered defeats in courts across the US including in US Supreme Court.

(With agency inputs)

A new report has sparked fresh outrage after it was revealed dozens of rioters who participated in the carnage were already on an FBI terrorist watch list by the time the riots took place.

A new report has sparked fresh outrage after it was revealed dozens of rioters who participated in the carnage were already on an FBI terrorist watch list by the time the riots took place. The new information comes after it was found that a January 5 FBI report had warned that pro-Trump insurrectionists were planning to wage a "war" at the US Capitol the next day. The revelation follows a Washington Post report earlier this week detailing the FBI’s failure to act aggressively on an internal intelligence report of internet discussions about plans to attack Congress, smash windows, break down doors and “get violent … go there ready for war.” According to the FBI’s website, the watch list is a “single database that contains sensitive national security and law enforcement information concerning the identities of those who are known or reasonably suspected of being involved in terrorist activities” and is run by the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Centre, which was established after the September 11 attacks. Meanwhile, Trump has became the only president in US history to be impeached twice after the House of Representatives brought forth an article of impeachment against him on a charge of "incitement of insurrection." The riots last week have brought into sharp focus the potential dangers that lawmakers and, potentially, the next president, face from supporters of Trump, who has continued to falsely claim that he, not Biden, won the election. Trump and his aides have been consistently making unsubstantiated claims of election frauds ever since it was clear that he was to leave office to make way for Joe Biden. Trump campaign has presented no evidence and has suffered defeats in courts across the US including in US Supreme Court. (With agency inputs)

Dozens on FBI terrorist watch list came to Washington DC on day of riots

US President Donald Trump on Thursday became first president in US history to be impeached twice. US House of Representatives has charged him of 'incitement of insurrection' over the Capitol Hill violence that erupted on January 6 after Trump's address to his supporters in Washington DC. The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives voted 232-197 to impeach Trump. 10 Republican representatives broke the party line to support Trump impeachment. This the second impeachment Trump has suffered. The House had previously impeached Trump in 2019 for abuse of power. No US President has ever been removed through impeachment but such proceedings carry huge political weight and suffering impeachment twice definitely does not go down well with position any US President

What happens now?

US House of Representatives will submit the article of impeachment to US Senate. If the Senate accepts and holds Trump guilty after a trial, he may have to leave the office. Republican Party controls the Senate right now.

The Senate's Republican majority leader, Mitch McConnell, rejected Democratic calls for a quick impeachment trial, saying there was no way to conclude it before Trump leaves office. But even if he has left the White House, a Senate conviction of Trump could lead to a vote on banning him from running for office again.

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&nbsp;

In a video statement released after the vote, Trump did not mention the impeachment vote and took no responsibility for his remarks to supporters last week, but condemned the violence.

"Mob violence goes against everything I believe in and everything our movement stands for. No true supporter of mine could ever endorse political violence. No true supporter of mine could ever disrespect law and order," Trump said.

The impeachment debate

The debate over impeachment went on in the House of Representatives on Wednesday as thousands of rifle-carrying National Guard troops were stationed inside and outside the Capitol. It's the same building in which lawmakers had to crouch and hide as thousands of Trump supporters laid siege on January 6.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/along-with-trump-impeachment-biden-urges-us-senate-to-consider-other-urgent-business-356546">Along with Trump impeachment, Biden urges US Senate to consider 'other urgent business'</a>

"The president of the United States incited this insurrection, this armed rebellion against our common country," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, said on the House floor before the vote. "He must go. He is a clear and present danger to the nation that we all love."

Democratic congressman Joaquin Castro called Trump "the most dangerous man to ever occupy the Oval Office." Congresswoman Maxine Waters accused Trump of wanting civil war and fellow Democrat Jim McGovern said the president "instigated an attempted coup."

Some Republicans argued the impeachment drive was a rush to judgment that bypassed the customary deliberative process such as hearings and called on Democrats to abandon the effort for the sake of national unity and healing.

"Impeaching the president in such a short time frame would be a mistake," said Kevin McCarthy, the House's top Republican. "That doesn't mean the president is free from fault. The president bears responsibility for Wednesday's attack on Congress by mob rioters."

Trump's closest allies, such as Ohio Republican Jim Jordan, went further, accusing Democrats of recklessly acting out of pure political interest.

"This is about getting the president of the United States," said Jordan, who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Trump in a private White House ceremony this week. "It's always been about getting the president, no matter what. It's an obsession."

Ten Republicans voted to impeach, including Liz Cheney, the No. 3 House Republican.

"I am not choosing a side, I'm choosing truth," Republican Jamie Herrera Beutler said in announcing her support for impeachment, drawing applause from Democrats. "It's the only way to defeat fear."

In a break from standard procedure, Republican House leaders refrained from urging their members to vote against impeachment, calling the vote a matter of individual conscience.

(With Reuters inputs)

US President Donald Trump on Thursday became first president in US history to be impeached twice. US House of Representatives has charged him of 'incitement of insurrection' over the Capitol Hill violence that erupted on January 6 after Trump's address to his supporters in Washington DC.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday became first president in US history to be impeached twice. US House of Representatives has charged him of 'incitement of insurrection' over the Capitol Hill violence that erupted on January 6 after Trump's address to his supporters in Washington DC. The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives voted 232-197 to impeach Trump. 10 Republican representatives broke the party line to support Trump impeachment. This the second impeachment Trump has suffered. The House had previously impeached Trump in 2019 for abuse of power. No US President has ever been removed through impeachment but such proceedings carry huge political weight and suffering impeachment twice definitely does not go down well with position any US President What happens now? US House of Representatives will submit the article of impeachment to US Senate. If the Senate accepts and holds Trump guilty after a trial, he may have to leave the office. Republican Party controls the Senate right now. The Senate's Republican majority leader, Mitch McConnell, rejected Democratic calls for a quick impeachment trial, saying there was no way to conclude it before Trump leaves office. But even if he has left the White House, a Senate conviction of Trump could lead to a vote on banning him from running for office again. × In a video statement released after the vote, Trump did not mention the impeachment vote and took no responsibility for his remarks to supporters last week, but condemned the violence. "Mob violence goes against everything I believe in and everything our movement stands for. No true supporter of mine could ever endorse political violence. No true supporter of mine could ever disrespect law and order," Trump said. The impeachment debate The debate over impeachment went on in the House of Representatives on Wednesday as thousands of rifle-carrying National Guard troops were stationed inside and outside the Capitol. It's the same building in which lawmakers had to crouch and hide as thousands of Trump supporters laid siege on January 6. Also Read | Along with Trump impeachment, Biden urges US Senate to consider 'other urgent business' "The president of the United States incited this insurrection, this armed rebellion against our common country," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, said on the House floor before the vote. "He must go. He is a clear and present danger to the nation that we all love." Democratic congressman Joaquin Castro called Trump "the most dangerous man to ever occupy the Oval Office." Congresswoman Maxine Waters accused Trump of wanting civil war and fellow Democrat Jim McGovern said the president "instigated an attempted coup." Some Republicans argued the impeachment drive was a rush to judgment that bypassed the customary deliberative process such as hearings and called on Democrats to abandon the effort for the sake of national unity and healing. "Impeaching the president in such a short time frame would be a mistake," said Kevin McCarthy, the House's top Republican. "That doesn't mean the president is free from fault. The president bears responsibility for Wednesday's attack on Congress by mob rioters." Trump's closest allies, such as Ohio Republican Jim Jordan, went further, accusing Democrats of recklessly acting out of pure political interest. "This is about getting the president of the United States," said Jordan, who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Trump in a private White House ceremony this week. "It's always been about getting the president, no matter what. It's an obsession." Ten Republicans voted to impeach, including Liz Cheney, the No. 3 House Republican. "I am not choosing a side, I'm choosing truth," Republican Jamie Herrera Beutler said in announcing her support for impeachment, drawing applause from Democrats. "It's the only way to defeat fear." In a break from standard procedure, Republican House leaders refrained from urging their members to vote against impeachment, calling the vote a matter of individual conscience. (With Reuters inputs)

Donald Trump impeached again, becomes first US president to suffer impeachment twice

Snapchat on Wednesday said that it had permanently banned US President Donald Trump from the platform. Trump has faced major backlash from social media platforms after his supporters attacked Capitol Building on January 6. Facebook, Twitter and Facebook have already taken action against Trump. Snapchat opeartors felt that Trump may use the platform to cause more unrest.&nbsp;

"Last week we announced an indefinite suspension of president Trump's Snapchat account," Snapchat said in response to an AFP inquiry.

"In the interest of public safety, and based on his attempts to spread misinformation, hate speech, and incite violence, which are clear violations of our guidelines, we have made the decision to permanently terminate his account."

In addition to action from social media platforms, tech giants have already moved to ban other apps that Trump or his supporters may use to communicate.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-impeached-again-becomes-first-us-president-to-suffer-impeachment-twice-356536">Donald Trump impeached again, becomes first US president to suffer impeachment twice</a>

Google and Apple pulled Parler apps from their shops for digital content shops stating that the right-leaning social network was allowing users to promote violence.

Amazon Web Services later ousted Parler from its data-centers, essentially forcing the social network offline due to lack of hosting services.

"I do not celebrate or feel pride in our having to ban realDonaldTrump from Twitter, or how we got here," Twitter chief Jack Dorsey wrote in a tweet Wednesday.

"After a clear warning we’d take this action, we made a decision with the best information we had based on threats to physical safety both on and off Twitter."

Donald Trump became the first US president to have been impeached twice. On Thursday (January 14) US House of Representatives impeache Trump for "Incitement for insurrection"

(With AFP inputs)

Snapchat on Wednesday said that it had permanently banned US President Donald Trump from the platform. Trump has faced major backlash from social media platforms after his supporters attacked Capitol Building on January 6.

Snapchat on Wednesday said that it had permanently banned US President Donald Trump from the platform. Trump has faced major backlash from social media platforms after his supporters attacked Capitol Building on January 6. Facebook, Twitter and Facebook have already taken action against Trump. Snapchat opeartors felt that Trump may use the platform to cause more unrest. "Last week we announced an indefinite suspension of president Trump's Snapchat account," Snapchat said in response to an AFP inquiry. "In the interest of public safety, and based on his attempts to spread misinformation, hate speech, and incite violence, which are clear violations of our guidelines, we have made the decision to permanently terminate his account." In addition to action from social media platforms, tech giants have already moved to ban other apps that Trump or his supporters may use to communicate. Also Read | Donald Trump impeached again, becomes first US president to suffer impeachment twice Google and Apple pulled Parler apps from their shops for digital content shops stating that the right-leaning social network was allowing users to promote violence. Amazon Web Services later ousted Parler from its data-centers, essentially forcing the social network offline due to lack of hosting services. "I do not celebrate or feel pride in our having to ban realDonaldTrump from Twitter, or how we got here," Twitter chief Jack Dorsey wrote in a tweet Wednesday. "After a clear warning we’d take this action, we made a decision with the best information we had based on threats to physical safety both on and off Twitter." Donald Trump became the first US president to have been impeached twice. On Thursday (January 14) US House of Representatives impeache Trump for "Incitement for insurrection" (With AFP inputs)

Snapchat bans Donald Trump permanently

In yet another defense, current US President Donald Trump said that his speech before Capitol Hill violence was "totally appropriate". He was speaking with reporters before flying to Texas in order to inspect border wall with Texas. The violence at Capitol Hill saw 5 deaths and dozens of injuries.&nbsp;

"They've analyzed my speech in my words and my final paragraph, my final sentence, and everybody to the tee just thought it was totally appropriate," said Trump on Tuesday.

On January 6, Donald Trump addressed a huge crowd of supporters in Washington DC and made unsubstantiated claims of widespread fraud in US Presidential elections 2020. During his speech, he implored his supporters to "walk down to Capitol" just when the US Congress was meeting to certify Joe Biden's victory in elections.

"We're going to walk down to the Capitol, and we're going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women, and we're probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them, because you'll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength,"

Trump and his aides have been consistently making unsubstantiated claims of election frauds ever since it was clear that he was to leave office to make way for Joe Biden. Trump campaign has presented no evidence and has suffered defeats in courts across the US including in US Supreme Court.

(With agency inputs)

In yet another defense, current US President Donald Trump said that his speech before Capitol Hill violence was "totally appropriate". He was speaking with reporters before flying to Texas in order to inspect border wall with Texas.

In yet another defense, current US President Donald Trump said that his speech before Capitol Hill violence was "totally appropriate". He was speaking with reporters before flying to Texas in order to inspect border wall with Texas. The violence at Capitol Hill saw 5 deaths and dozens of injuries. "They've analyzed my speech in my words and my final paragraph, my final sentence, and everybody to the tee just thought it was totally appropriate," said Trump on Tuesday. On January 6, Donald Trump addressed a huge crowd of supporters in Washington DC and made unsubstantiated claims of widespread fraud in US Presidential elections 2020. During his speech, he implored his supporters to "walk down to Capitol" just when the US Congress was meeting to certify Joe Biden's victory in elections. "We're going to walk down to the Capitol, and we're going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women, and we're probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them, because you'll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength," Trump and his aides have been consistently making unsubstantiated claims of election frauds ever since it was clear that he was to leave office to make way for Joe Biden. Trump campaign has presented no evidence and has suffered defeats in courts across the US including in US Supreme Court. (With agency inputs)

Capitol violence: Pre-riot speech was 'totally appropriate', says Trump

Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn has slammed US President Donald Trump over the riot at the Capitol in an interview on January 7.

"Trump is a criminal, a political pyromaniac who should be sent to criminal court. He's a person who was elected democratically but who isn't interested in democracy in the slightest," Asselborn said in the interview with RTL Radio. "The 6th of January 2021 was a 9/11 attack on democracy itself, and Trump was the one who egged it on."&nbsp; 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mike-pence-rejects-invoking-25th-amendment-as-democrats-move-to-impeach-trump-356339">Also read | Mike Pence rejects invoking 25th Amendment as Democrats move to impeach Trump</a> 
 
"The people who are truly responsible are Trump and members of the GOP. People like Ted Cruz and other elected Republicans are responsible because they acted like Trump's poodles," Asselborn added.&nbsp;

The extraordinary snub of the US President came days after the storming of the US&nbsp;Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump, an unprecedented attack on American democracy that stunned many world leaders and US&nbsp;allies.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo cancelled his Europe trip at the last minute on Tuesday after Luxembourg’s foreign minister and top European Union officials declined to meet with him.

Pompeo, a close ally of Trump, had sought to meet Jean Asselborn in Luxembourg, a small but wealthy NATO ally, before meeting EU leaders and the bloc’s top diplomat in Brussels, three people close to the planning told Reuters.

But the initial plan to go to Luxembourg, which had not been officially announced, was scrapped after officials there showed reluctance to grant Pompeo appointments, a diplomatic source said. The Brussels leg was still on until the last minute.

(With inputs from agencies)

Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn has slammed US President Donald Trump over the riot at the Capitol in an interview on January 7. "Trump is a criminal, a political pyromaniac who should be sent to criminal court.

Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn has slammed US President Donald Trump over the riot at the Capitol in an interview on January 7. "Trump is a criminal, a political pyromaniac who should be sent to criminal court. He's a person who was elected democratically but who isn't interested in democracy in the slightest," Asselborn said in the interview with RTL Radio. "The 6th of January 2021 was a 9/11 attack on democracy itself, and Trump was the one who egged it on." Also read | Mike Pence rejects invoking 25th Amendment as Democrats move to impeach Trump "The people who are truly responsible are Trump and members of the GOP. People like Ted Cruz and other elected Republicans are responsible because they acted like Trump's poodles," Asselborn added. The extraordinary snub of the US President came days after the storming of the US Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump, an unprecedented attack on American democracy that stunned many world leaders and US allies. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo cancelled his Europe trip at the last minute on Tuesday after Luxembourg’s foreign minister and top European Union officials declined to meet with him. Pompeo, a close ally of Trump, had sought to meet Jean Asselborn in Luxembourg, a small but wealthy NATO ally, before meeting EU leaders and the bloc’s top diplomat in Brussels, three people close to the planning told Reuters. But the initial plan to go to Luxembourg, which had not been officially announced, was scrapped after officials there showed reluctance to grant Pompeo appointments, a diplomatic source said. The Brussels leg was still on until the last minute. (With inputs from agencies)

Trump is a 'criminal' and 'political pyromaniac who should be sent to criminal court': Luxembourg's Foreign Minister

As the House prepared to move forward Wednesday with a vote to formally charge President Donald Trump with inciting violence against the government of the United States, a small but growing number of Republicans said they support the effort.

The vote is set to come exactly one week after the U.S. Capitol was breached by an angry mob of Trump loyalists.

In 2019, not a single Republican voted in favor of impeachment. House Republican leaders have said they would not formally lobby members of the party against voting to impeach the president this time, and these are the Republicans who have said that they intend to vote for impeachment.

Rep. John Katko

Katko, of New York, was the first Republican to publicly announce that he would back the impeachment proceedings. A former federal prosecutor, Katko said he looked at the facts of the siege, which began as lawmakers were working to certify the presidential election results.

“It cannot be ignored that President Trump encouraged this insurrection — both on social media ahead of Jan. 6, and in his speech that day,” Katko said in a statement. “By deliberately promoting baseless theories suggesting the election was somehow stolen, the president created a combustible environment of misinformation, disenfranchisement, and division. When this manifested in violent acts on Jan. 6, he refused to promptly and forcefully call it off, putting countless lives in danger.”

Not holding the president accountable for his actions would be “a direct threat to the future of our democracy,” he said.

Rep. Liz Cheney

Cheney, of Wyoming, the No. 3 House Republican, said Tuesday evening that she would vote to impeach, citing the president’s role in an insurrection that caused “death and destruction in the most sacred space in our Republic.”

“The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack,” she said in a statement. “Everything that followed was his doing. None of this would have happened without the president. The president could have immediately and forcefully intervened to stop the violence. He did not. There has never been a greater betrayal by a president of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.”

Rep. Adam Kinzinger

Kinzinger, of Illinois, a frequent critic of Trump, joined his Republican colleagues on Tuesday evening, saying the nation was in uncharted waters. He said that Trump “encouraged an angry mob to storm the United States Capitol to stop the counting of electoral votes.”

“There is no doubt in my mind that the president of the United States broke his oath of office and incited this insurrection,” he said in a statement, adding that if the president’s actions “are not worthy of impeachment, then what is an impeachable offense?”

Rep. Fred Upton

Upton, of Michigan, issued a statement saying that he would vote to impeach after Trump “expressed no regrets” for what had happened at the Capitol.

“I would have preferred a bipartisan, formal censure rather than a drawn-out impeachment process,” Upton said. “I fear this will now interfere with important legislative business and a new Biden administration. But it is time to say: Enough is Enough.”

Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler

Herrera Beutler, of Washington state, said that she would vote to impeach because she believed that the president had acted in violation of his oath of office.

“I understand the argument that the best course is not to further inflame the country or alienate Republican voters,” she said. “But I am a Republican voter. I believe in our Constitution, individual liberty, free markets, charity, life, justice, peace and this exceptional country. I see that my own party will be best served when those among us choose truth.”

As the House prepared to move forward Wednesday with a vote to formally charge President Donald Trump with inciting violence against the government of the United States, a small but growing number of Republicans said they support the effort.

As the House prepared to move forward Wednesday with a vote to formally charge President Donald Trump with inciting violence against the government of the United States, a small but growing number of Republicans said they support the effort. The vote is set to come exactly one week after the U.S. Capitol was breached by an angry mob of Trump loyalists. In 2019, not a single Republican voted in favor of impeachment. House Republican leaders have said they would not formally lobby members of the party against voting to impeach the president this time, and these are the Republicans who have said that they intend to vote for impeachment. Rep. John Katko Katko, of New York, was the first Republican to publicly announce that he would back the impeachment proceedings. A former federal prosecutor, Katko said he looked at the facts of the siege, which began as lawmakers were working to certify the presidential election results. “It cannot be ignored that President Trump encouraged this insurrection — both on social media ahead of Jan. 6, and in his speech that day,” Katko said in a statement. “By deliberately promoting baseless theories suggesting the election was somehow stolen, the president created a combustible environment of misinformation, disenfranchisement, and division. When this manifested in violent acts on Jan. 6, he refused to promptly and forcefully call it off, putting countless lives in danger.” Not holding the president accountable for his actions would be “a direct threat to the future of our democracy,” he said. Rep. Liz Cheney Cheney, of Wyoming, the No. 3 House Republican, said Tuesday evening that she would vote to impeach, citing the president’s role in an insurrection that caused “death and destruction in the most sacred space in our Republic.” “The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack,” she said in a statement. “Everything that followed was his doing. None of this would have happened without the president. The president could have immediately and forcefully intervened to stop the violence. He did not. There has never been a greater betrayal by a president of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.” Rep. Adam Kinzinger Kinzinger, of Illinois, a frequent critic of Trump, joined his Republican colleagues on Tuesday evening, saying the nation was in uncharted waters. He said that Trump “encouraged an angry mob to storm the United States Capitol to stop the counting of electoral votes.” “There is no doubt in my mind that the president of the United States broke his oath of office and incited this insurrection,” he said in a statement, adding that if the president’s actions “are not worthy of impeachment, then what is an impeachable offense?” Rep. Fred Upton Upton, of Michigan, issued a statement saying that he would vote to impeach after Trump “expressed no regrets” for what had happened at the Capitol. “I would have preferred a bipartisan, formal censure rather than a drawn-out impeachment process,” Upton said. “I fear this will now interfere with important legislative business and a new Biden administration. But it is time to say: Enough is Enough.” Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler Herrera Beutler, of Washington state, said that she would vote to impeach because she believed that the president had acted in violation of his oath of office. “I understand the argument that the best course is not to further inflame the country or alienate Republican voters,” she said. “But I am a Republican voter. I believe in our Constitution, individual liberty, free markets, charity, life, justice, peace and this exceptional country. I see that my own party will be best served when those among us choose truth.”

These are the Republicans who say they support impeaching Trump

In the span of four days, President Donald Trump’s family business has lost its online store, the buzz from Trump’s promotional tweets about its luxury resorts and bragging rights as host to one of the world’s most prestigious golf tournaments.

The mob attack on Congress last week by Trump’s supporters has spurred a reckoning for the Trump Organization by businesses and institutions, at a scale far greater than his previous polarizing actions.

And the Trump brand, premised on gold-plated luxury and a super-affluent clientele, may not fully recover from the fallout of his supporters violently storming and vandalizing the U.S. Capitol, hospitality analysts say and some people close to the business acknowledge. Other companies linked with the Trumps, including Deutsche Bank, the president’s largest lender, and Signature Bank, are also seeking distance from him and his business.

The backlash is part of a broader shunning of Trump and his allies unfolding in the wake of the deadly assault on the Capitol. Schools stripped the president of honorary degrees, some prominent Republicans threatened to leave the party and the New York state Bar Association announced it had begun investigating Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, which could lead to his removal from the group.

As House Democrats introduced an article of impeachment Monday, more than a dozen big businesses vowed to withhold certain political donations. Coca-Cola said it would pause donations from its political action committee, saying in a statement that “these events will long be remembered and will factor into our future contribution decisions.” Marriott, the giant hotel chain, said it would pause donations from its political action committee “to those who voted against certification of the election,” a reference to the congressional Republicans who joined Trump’s false claims of election fraud. Morgan Stanley and AT&amp;T said they, too, would suspend contributions to those lawmakers.

The Trump Organization had already been facing considerable financial challenges. Many of its golf and resort properties had been losing money, and the pandemic had forced it to close some restaurants and bars and drastically reduce hotel occupancy, including at its hotel a few blocks from the White House. And with more than $300 million in debt coming due in the next few years that the president has personally guaranteed, there had been some urgency for the company to line up new deals.

While such an array of challenges would spell doom for just about any hospitality brand, executives of the Trump Organization said they planned on cashing in on Trump’s global fame with overseas branding deals.

“There has never been a political figure with more support or energy behind them than my father,” Eric Trump, the president’s son, who helps run the family business, said in a statement Monday.

The family is also already considering starting a media outfit that would cater to Donald Trump’s tens of millions of supporters, an effort that gained some urgency last week when Twitter and Facebook barred the president from their platforms.

“There will be no shortage of incredible opportunities in real estate and beyond,” Eric Trump said.

Before becoming president, Donald Trump had cycled through many lines of business, including casinos, an airline and reality television. Some ventures were wildly successful, while others were colossal failures. But they revealed his ability to camouflage his wares and capitalize on opportunities, even when his name appeared irreparably tarnished.

This time, the challenges are steeper. The fallout began Thursday, when e-commerce provider Shopify said it had terminated online stores affiliated with the president.

The biggest blow came Sunday, when the PGA of America announced it would strip Trump’s New Jersey golf club of a major tournament.

Trump was said to be “gutted” by the PGA decision, according to a person close to the White House, as he had worked personally for years to push the tournament executives to hold events at his courses.

In a statement that hinted at a potential legal challenge, the Trump Organization called the decision “a breach of a binding contract,” adding that “they have no right to terminate the agreement.”

The PGA Championship, scheduled for May 2022, was the ultimate golf-world trophy for the Trump brand, which over the last two decades has assembled an international collection of golf courses and resorts that now collectively represent about a third of the company’s revenue, according to the most recent financial disclosure report.

The tournament itself is not a major source of profit, but hosting an internationally recognized event is enormously valuable for marketing. It also would have bestowed greater legitimacy on Trump and his brand, which includes 16 golf clubs around the world.

“It has become clear that conducting the PGA Championship at Trump Bedminster would be detrimental to the PGA of America brand,” Jim Richerson, the PGA of America president, said in a video statement.

The loss associated with the cancellation is difficult to calculate, but it will be very large and last for years, said Jay Karen, chief executive of the National Golf Course Owners Association.

“You have millions of avid golfers who have a proverbial bucket list,” tied to major tournaments like the PGA Championship, he said. “If you had a major coming to you and it was pulled from you, that would certainly sting.”

In an email to members on Monday, the golf club said, “We have had a wonderful partnership with the PGA of America and share your disappointment on their decision.”

The damage is expected to continue as various companies and industries reassess their relationship with Trump and his family business.

Trump’s hotels, like the Trump National Doral near Miami, had already lost many of the major corporate conferences after he made disparaging remarks about Muslims and Mexicans, among others, during his first presidential campaign, and his comments after a deadly rally by white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017 suggesting that “there is blame on both sides.”

But the fallout from the attacks last week will be steeper and longer lasting, analysts and people familiar with the company said. Some members of the president’s golf clubs are reassessing whether to keep their memberships because of possible protests and vandalism, one of the people said.

David J. Sangree, a hotel industry consultant from Ohio, said that Trump’s role in the attack on the Capitol, would further undermine the company’s efforts to appeal to affluent customers who are not Trump supporters.

“This is a big negative,” Sangree said. “There’s no question they’re going to lose more events because many groups are saying, ‘We don’t want to be associated with this brand.’”

That became even clearer Monday night when New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick said he would refuse the Presidential Medal of Freedom because of the “tragic events of last week.” The president had planned to give Belichick the award Thursday.

Even plans to launch a Trump media platform will face obstacles. If Trump seeks to forge a new conservative news network, or join an existing one like OAN or Newsmax, corporate advertisers are hardly guaranteed to support him.

“There’s only so much that My Pillow guy can subsidize,” said Jon Klein, the former president of CNN U.S., referring to Mike Lindell, the chief executive of My Pillow who is an outspoken supporter of the president. “It’s suddenly a lot more daunting a proposition than it was a week ago for OAN and Newsmax.”

Instead, Trump might find more success in generating a newsletter — embedded with a link to a streaming channel — for millions of paid subscribers, said Klein, who is chairman of TAPP Media, a subscription streaming service. “He has ignited the passions of his tribe and subscription services are all about tribalism.”

After Twitter permanently suspended the president’s account Friday, he suggested he might build his own social media platform, but doing so would likely present daunting logistical and legal challenges. And whatever he seeks to create may require significant resources and possibly loans, which could be in short supply from mainstream sources.

Deutsche Bank, which has been Trump’s primary lender for two decades, has decided not to do business with Trump or his company in the future, according to a person familiar with the bank’s thinking. Trump owes Deutsche Bank more than $300 million, which is due in the next few years.

The bank has concluded that, short of forgiving the debt, it has no way to extricate itself from the Trump relationship before the loans come due.

Another longtime financial partner of the Trumps, Signature Bank, also is cutting ties. The bank — which helped Trump finance his Florida golf course and where Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter, was once a board member — issued a statement calling on Trump to resign as president “in the best interests of our nation and the American people.”

Susan Turkell, a spokeswoman for the bank, said Signature had decided that it “will not do business in the future with any members of Congress who voted to disregard the Electoral College.” Turkell said that in the wake of the riots the bank began closing Trump’s two personal accounts, which had about $5.3 million.

As his presidency ends, Trump is returning to a far different business than the one he ran when he took office.

Several hotel properties that carried his name have been erased from the portfolio, including ones in New York, Panama and Toronto. Plans for two new budget-friendly hotel lines, once a priority, have been indefinitely shelved. And a product branding windfall, which led Trump to endorse an array of items from steaks to mattresses, has dwindled.

The company also faces a criminal investigation from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, which is examining whether the president and his company committed any financial or tax crimes in recent years.

Leaving the White House, however, means that Trump will no longer face ethical restrictions like bans on international deals, potentially opening new business possibilities. The company could look for new deals in places where company executives believe Trump remains popular, such as Brazil, Argentina, Israel, Saudi Arabia and India. Trump could also hit the speaking circuit, collecting large payments for each appearance, a company executive said.

And some customers are likely to remain loyal to the existing Trump properties — particularly in red or purple states like Florida and North Carolina — no matter what the president does or says, or how many times he is impeached.

Mickael Damelincourt, the managing director at the Trump hotel in Washington, proclaimed on Twitter on Sunday that “America’s Living Room is ready for you,” as the hotel steakhouse and lobby bar aim to reopen Friday.

In Miami, at Trump National Doral, the bar was busy at happy hour Friday, as was the members-only clubhouse, with customers overheard talking both about golf games and business deals, almost none of them wearing masks.

Marion McCarthy and her husband, Donald, were having drinks there — where they have been members for decades. Dozens of other guests were arriving at the resort for the U.S. Am Tour, which drew more than 100 players, according to one scorecard, which added “Doral Amateur is SOLD OUT!!!!”

“What we are seeing is an overreaction,” Donald McCarthy said. “Once he is out of office, I think he will be able to come down here and play a little more golf.”

In the span of four days, President Donald Trump’s family business has lost its online store, the buzz from Trump’s promotional tweets about its luxury resorts and bragging rights as host to one of the world’s most prestigious golf tournaments.

In the span of four days, President Donald Trump’s family business has lost its online store, the buzz from Trump’s promotional tweets about its luxury resorts and bragging rights as host to one of the world’s most prestigious golf tournaments. The mob attack on Congress last week by Trump’s supporters has spurred a reckoning for the Trump Organization by businesses and institutions, at a scale far greater than his previous polarizing actions. And the Trump brand, premised on gold-plated luxury and a super-affluent clientele, may not fully recover from the fallout of his supporters violently storming and vandalizing the U.S. Capitol, hospitality analysts say and some people close to the business acknowledge. Other companies linked with the Trumps, including Deutsche Bank, the president’s largest lender, and Signature Bank, are also seeking distance from him and his business. The backlash is part of a broader shunning of Trump and his allies unfolding in the wake of the deadly assault on the Capitol. Schools stripped the president of honorary degrees, some prominent Republicans threatened to leave the party and the New York state Bar Association announced it had begun investigating Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, which could lead to his removal from the group. As House Democrats introduced an article of impeachment Monday, more than a dozen big businesses vowed to withhold certain political donations. Coca-Cola said it would pause donations from its political action committee, saying in a statement that “these events will long be remembered and will factor into our future contribution decisions.” Marriott, the giant hotel chain, said it would pause donations from its political action committee “to those who voted against certification of the election,” a reference to the congressional Republicans who joined Trump’s false claims of election fraud. Morgan Stanley and AT&T said they, too, would suspend contributions to those lawmakers. The Trump Organization had already been facing considerable financial challenges. Many of its golf and resort properties had been losing money, and the pandemic had forced it to close some restaurants and bars and drastically reduce hotel occupancy, including at its hotel a few blocks from the White House. And with more than $300 million in debt coming due in the next few years that the president has personally guaranteed, there had been some urgency for the company to line up new deals. While such an array of challenges would spell doom for just about any hospitality brand, executives of the Trump Organization said they planned on cashing in on Trump’s global fame with overseas branding deals. “There has never been a political figure with more support or energy behind them than my father,” Eric Trump, the president’s son, who helps run the family business, said in a statement Monday. The family is also already considering starting a media outfit that would cater to Donald Trump’s tens of millions of supporters, an effort that gained some urgency last week when Twitter and Facebook barred the president from their platforms. “There will be no shortage of incredible opportunities in real estate and beyond,” Eric Trump said. Before becoming president, Donald Trump had cycled through many lines of business, including casinos, an airline and reality television. Some ventures were wildly successful, while others were colossal failures. But they revealed his ability to camouflage his wares and capitalize on opportunities, even when his name appeared irreparably tarnished. This time, the challenges are steeper. The fallout began Thursday, when e-commerce provider Shopify said it had terminated online stores affiliated with the president. The biggest blow came Sunday, when the PGA of America announced it would strip Trump’s New Jersey golf club of a major tournament. Trump was said to be “gutted” by the PGA decision, according to a person close to the White House, as he had worked personally for years to push the tournament executives to hold events at his courses. In a statement that hinted at a potential legal challenge, the Trump Organization called the decision “a breach of a binding contract,” adding that “they have no right to terminate the agreement.” The PGA Championship, scheduled for May 2022, was the ultimate golf-world trophy for the Trump brand, which over the last two decades has assembled an international collection of golf courses and resorts that now collectively represent about a third of the company’s revenue, according to the most recent financial disclosure report. The tournament itself is not a major source of profit, but hosting an internationally recognized event is enormously valuable for marketing. It also would have bestowed greater legitimacy on Trump and his brand, which includes 16 golf clubs around the world. “It has become clear that conducting the PGA Championship at Trump Bedminster would be detrimental to the PGA of America brand,” Jim Richerson, the PGA of America president, said in a video statement. The loss associated with the cancellation is difficult to calculate, but it will be very large and last for years, said Jay Karen, chief executive of the National Golf Course Owners Association. “You have millions of avid golfers who have a proverbial bucket list,” tied to major tournaments like the PGA Championship, he said. “If you had a major coming to you and it was pulled from you, that would certainly sting.” In an email to members on Monday, the golf club said, “We have had a wonderful partnership with the PGA of America and share your disappointment on their decision.” The damage is expected to continue as various companies and industries reassess their relationship with Trump and his family business. Trump’s hotels, like the Trump National Doral near Miami, had already lost many of the major corporate conferences after he made disparaging remarks about Muslims and Mexicans, among others, during his first presidential campaign, and his comments after a deadly rally by white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017 suggesting that “there is blame on both sides.” But the fallout from the attacks last week will be steeper and longer lasting, analysts and people familiar with the company said. Some members of the president’s golf clubs are reassessing whether to keep their memberships because of possible protests and vandalism, one of the people said. David J. Sangree, a hotel industry consultant from Ohio, said that Trump’s role in the attack on the Capitol, would further undermine the company’s efforts to appeal to affluent customers who are not Trump supporters. “This is a big negative,” Sangree said. “There’s no question they’re going to lose more events because many groups are saying, ‘We don’t want to be associated with this brand.’” That became even clearer Monday night when New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick said he would refuse the Presidential Medal of Freedom because of the “tragic events of last week.” The president had planned to give Belichick the award Thursday. Even plans to launch a Trump media platform will face obstacles. If Trump seeks to forge a new conservative news network, or join an existing one like OAN or Newsmax, corporate advertisers are hardly guaranteed to support him. “There’s only so much that My Pillow guy can subsidize,” said Jon Klein, the former president of CNN U.S., referring to Mike Lindell, the chief executive of My Pillow who is an outspoken supporter of the president. “It’s suddenly a lot more daunting a proposition than it was a week ago for OAN and Newsmax.” Instead, Trump might find more success in generating a newsletter — embedded with a link to a streaming channel — for millions of paid subscribers, said Klein, who is chairman of TAPP Media, a subscription streaming service. “He has ignited the passions of his tribe and subscription services are all about tribalism.” After Twitter permanently suspended the president’s account Friday, he suggested he might build his own social media platform, but doing so would likely present daunting logistical and legal challenges. And whatever he seeks to create may require significant resources and possibly loans, which could be in short supply from mainstream sources. Deutsche Bank, which has been Trump’s primary lender for two decades, has decided not to do business with Trump or his company in the future, according to a person familiar with the bank’s thinking. Trump owes Deutsche Bank more than $300 million, which is due in the next few years. The bank has concluded that, short of forgiving the debt, it has no way to extricate itself from the Trump relationship before the loans come due. Another longtime financial partner of the Trumps, Signature Bank, also is cutting ties. The bank — which helped Trump finance his Florida golf course and where Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter, was once a board member — issued a statement calling on Trump to resign as president “in the best interests of our nation and the American people.” Susan Turkell, a spokeswoman for the bank, said Signature had decided that it “will not do business in the future with any members of Congress who voted to disregard the Electoral College.” Turkell said that in the wake of the riots the bank began closing Trump’s two personal accounts, which had about $5.3 million. As his presidency ends, Trump is returning to a far different business than the one he ran when he took office. Several hotel properties that carried his name have been erased from the portfolio, including ones in New York, Panama and Toronto. Plans for two new budget-friendly hotel lines, once a priority, have been indefinitely shelved. And a product branding windfall, which led Trump to endorse an array of items from steaks to mattresses, has dwindled. The company also faces a criminal investigation from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, which is examining whether the president and his company committed any financial or tax crimes in recent years. Leaving the White House, however, means that Trump will no longer face ethical restrictions like bans on international deals, potentially opening new business possibilities. The company could look for new deals in places where company executives believe Trump remains popular, such as Brazil, Argentina, Israel, Saudi Arabia and India. Trump could also hit the speaking circuit, collecting large payments for each appearance, a company executive said. And some customers are likely to remain loyal to the existing Trump properties — particularly in red or purple states like Florida and North Carolina — no matter what the president does or says, or how many times he is impeached. Mickael Damelincourt, the managing director at the Trump hotel in Washington, proclaimed on Twitter on Sunday that “America’s Living Room is ready for you,” as the hotel steakhouse and lobby bar aim to reopen Friday. In Miami, at Trump National Doral, the bar was busy at happy hour Friday, as was the members-only clubhouse, with customers overheard talking both about golf games and business deals, almost none of them wearing masks. Marion McCarthy and her husband, Donald, were having drinks there — where they have been members for decades. Dozens of other guests were arriving at the resort for the U.S. Am Tour, which drew more than 100 players, according to one scorecard, which added “Doral Amateur is SOLD OUT!!!!” “What we are seeing is an overreaction,” Donald McCarthy said. “Once he is out of office, I think he will be able to come down here and play a little more golf.”

An urgent reckoning for the Trump brand

US President Donald Trump is facing a lot of flak after Capitol Hill violence but a new video has surfaced that will potentially bring more criticism his way. It is being reported&nbsp;now that Trump and his family were 'partying'&nbsp;just hours before his supporters laid siege to Capitol Building.

The video has been posted by none other than Donald Trump Jr. and has since gone viral as many people are sharing it online.&nbsp;

The video was posted by Trump Jr at 11:04 pm Indian Time on January 6, this means that it was around 12:30 pm in Washington on January 6. Donald Trump addressed his supporters shortly after. The Capitol Hill violence began in earnest at 1:30 pm local time.

Donald Trump Jr has taken down this&nbsp;video from his Facebook page now.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Trump, Donald Jr, Kimberly Guilfoyle and others watching the crowd getting fired up hours before they stormed the Capitol, and dancing in enjoyment while the song Gloria is playing. Seems premeditated, no? <a href="https://t.co/E6tHufOjiN">pic.twitter.com/E6tHufOjiN</a>
— Amy Siskind 🏳️‍🌈 (@Amy_Siskind) <a href="https://twitter.com/Amy_Siskind/status/1347303958679875589?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2021</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

The violence at the Capitol Hill and storming of the Capitol Building has left USA's image as a 'beacon of democracy' in tatters. Even US allies are unable to hide their shock and authoritarian regimes across the world have happily taken potshots at America.

Normally, a state-backed gang rampage in legislature for the demand of lost election to be nullified would have had&nbsp;US diplomats marching to their laptops to draft a statement of condemnation. But after the Capitol HIll violence, US has found itself at the receiving end on the world stage.

Capitol Hill violence has also become a PR disaster for Donald Trump. He was criticised for not making an appeal for calm early enough. It was only after President-elect Joe Biden appeared on television did Trump tweet a recorded video message appealing for calm.

But even in that video, Trump said that he loved&nbsp;the protesters and they were special

US President Donald Trump is facing a lot of flak after Capitol Hill violence but a new video has surfaced that will potentially bring more criticism his way. It is being reported now that Trump and his family were 'partying' just hours before his supporters laid siege to Capitol Building.

US President Donald Trump is facing a lot of flak after Capitol Hill violence but a new video has surfaced that will potentially bring more criticism his way. It is being reported now that Trump and his family were 'partying' just hours before his supporters laid siege to Capitol Building. The video has been posted by none other than Donald Trump Jr. and has since gone viral as many people are sharing it online. The video was posted by Trump Jr at 11:04 pm Indian Time on January 6, this means that it was around 12:30 pm in Washington on January 6. Donald Trump addressed his supporters shortly after. The Capitol Hill violence began in earnest at 1:30 pm local time. Donald Trump Jr has taken down this video from his Facebook page now. Trump, Donald Jr, Kimberly Guilfoyle and others watching the crowd getting fired up hours before they stormed the Capitol, and dancing in enjoyment while the song Gloria is playing. Seems premeditated, no? pic.twitter.com/E6tHufOjiN — Amy Siskind 🏳️‍🌈 (@Amy_Siskind) January 7, 2021 × The violence at the Capitol Hill and storming of the Capitol Building has left USA's image as a 'beacon of democracy' in tatters. Even US allies are unable to hide their shock and authoritarian regimes across the world have happily taken potshots at America. Normally, a state-backed gang rampage in legislature for the demand of lost election to be nullified would have had US diplomats marching to their laptops to draft a statement of condemnation. But after the Capitol HIll violence, US has found itself at the receiving end on the world stage. Capitol Hill violence has also become a PR disaster for Donald Trump. He was criticised for not making an appeal for calm early enough. It was only after President-elect Joe Biden appeared on television did Trump tweet a recorded video message appealing for calm. But even in that video, Trump said that he loved the protesters and they were special

Video: Donald Trump was 'partying' just hours before Capitol Hill violence

Former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi on Friday said that Donald Trump's time at the White House will have an &nbsp;"ugly ending".&nbsp;

ALSO READ-&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/video-donald-trump-was-partying-just-hours-before-capitol-hill-violence-355417" hreflang="en">Video: Donald Trump was 'partying' just hours before Capitol Hill violence</a>

The Italian said "it would be unjust and uncharitable" to deny Trump's achievements as US President, notably on the economy and on foreign policy.&nbsp;

In a letter to Italian daily Il Giornale, Berlusconi said that Monday's mob attack by his supporters on the US Capitol "overshadows those achievements and will darken the historical memory of this presidency".

The 84-year-old Italian was a real estate and media mogul who reinvented himself as a conservative politician, serving three times as prime minister in the European country and his career path is often seen as a trailblazing model for Trump's.

The mob attack on Monday killed a police officer and four protesters dead. Matteo Salvini, a leader of hard-right League party and an outspoken backer of Trump, also condemned the attack.&nbsp;

"Violence is never a solution, never. Long live Freedom and Democracy, always and everywhere," Salvini tweeted, without explicitly criticising the outgoing US leader.

(Inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi on Friday said that Donald Trump's time at the White House will have an "ugly ending". ALSO READ- Video: Donald Trump was 'partying' just hours before Capitol Hill violence The Italian said "it would be unjust and uncharitable" to deny Trump's achievements as US President, notably on the economy and on foreign policy.

Former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi on Friday said that Donald Trump's time at the White House will have an "ugly ending". ALSO READ- Video: Donald Trump was 'partying' just hours before Capitol Hill violence The Italian said "it would be unjust and uncharitable" to deny Trump's achievements as US President, notably on the economy and on foreign policy. In a letter to Italian daily Il Giornale, Berlusconi said that Monday's mob attack by his supporters on the US Capitol "overshadows those achievements and will darken the historical memory of this presidency". The 84-year-old Italian was a real estate and media mogul who reinvented himself as a conservative politician, serving three times as prime minister in the European country and his career path is often seen as a trailblazing model for Trump's. The mob attack on Monday killed a police officer and four protesters dead. Matteo Salvini, a leader of hard-right League party and an outspoken backer of Trump, also condemned the attack. "Violence is never a solution, never. Long live Freedom and Democracy, always and everywhere," Salvini tweeted, without explicitly criticising the outgoing US leader. (Inputs from agencies)

Trump presidency set for an 'ugly ending', says former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi

President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a> has suggested to aides he wants to pardon himself in the final days of his presidency, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions, a move that would mark one of the most extraordinary and untested uses of presidential power in American history.

In several conversations since Election Day, Trump has told advisers that he is considering giving himself a pardon and, in other instances, asked whether he should and what the effect would be on him legally and politically, according to the two people. It was not clear whether he has broached the topic since he incited his supporters on Wednesday to storm the Capitol in a mob attack.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/rappers-lil-wayne-kodak-black-in-line-for-donald-trumps-pardons-for-these-crimes-355311" hreflang="en">Rappers Lil Wayne, Kodak Black in line for Trump's pardons for these crimes</a>

Trump has shown signs that his level of interest in pardoning himself goes beyond idle musings. He has long maintained he has the power to pardon himself and his polling of aides’ views is typically a sign that he is preparing to follow through on his aims. He has also become increasingly convinced that his perceived enemies will use the levers of law enforcement to target him after he leaves office.

No president has pardoned himself, so the legitimacy of prospective self-clemency has never been tested in the justice system and legal scholars are divided about whether the courts would recognize it. But they agree a presidential self-pardon could create a dangerous new precedent for presidents to unilaterally declare they are above the law and to insulate themselves from being held accountable for any crimes they committed in office.

A White House spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/i-hurt-for-our-country-michelle-obama-reacts-after-capitol-riots-355301">'I hurt for our country': Michelle Obama, reacts after Capitol riots</a>

Trump has considered a range of pre-emptive pardons for family, including his three oldest children — Donald Jr., Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump — Ivanka Trump’s husband, senior White House adviser Jared Kushner, and for close associates like the president’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani. Trump has expressed concerns to advisers that a Biden Justice Department might investigate all of them.

Trump, who has told advisers how much he likes having the power to issue clemency, has for weeks solicited aides and allies for suggestions on whom to pardon. He has also offered pre-emptive pardons to advisers and administration officials. Many were taken aback because they did not believe they were in legal jeopardy and that accepting his offer would be seen as an admission of guilt, according to the two people.

Presidential pardons apply only to federal law and provide no protection against state crimes. They would not apply to charges that could be brought by prosecutors in Manhattan investigating the Trump Organization’s finances.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/after-an-assault-on-all-democratic-institutions-donald-trump-attempts-coup-detat-355240" hreflang="en">After an assault on all democratic institutions, Trump attempts coup d'etat</a>

The discussions between Trump and his aides about a self-pardon came before his pressure over the weekend on Georgia officials to help him try to overturn the elections results or his incitement of the riots at the Capitol. Trump allies believe that both episodes increased Trump’s criminal exposure.

As aides urged Trump to issue a strong condemnation on Wednesday and he rejected that advice, the White House counsel, Pat A. Cipollone, warned Trump that he could face legal exposure for the riot given that he had urged his supporters to march to the Capitol and “fight” beforehand, according to people briefed on the discussion. Trump had appeared to White House aides to be enjoying watching the scenes play out on television.

Beyond that, the extent of Trump’s criminal exposure is unclear. Special counsel Robert Mueller outlined 10 instances in which Trump may have obstructed justice but declined to say whether Trump broke the law, citing legal and factual constraints of prosecuting a sitting president. Former Justice Department officials and legal experts said that several of the acts should be prosecuted.

In 2018, federal prosecutors in New York named Trump as a conspirator in an illegal campaign finance scheme.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/as-capitol-siege-sends-shockwaves-across-the-world-heres-a-timeline-of-how-it-unfolded-355224" hreflang="en">As Capitol siege sends shockwaves across world, a timeline of how it unfolded</a>

Pardons can be broad or narrowly tailored. White-collar defense lawyers said that Trump would be best served by citing specific crimes if he pardons himself, but such details could be politically damaging by suggesting that he was acknowledging he had committed those crimes.

A self-pardon would complicate the already fraught question for the Biden Justice Department about whether to investigate and ultimately prosecute Trump. Democrats and former Justice Department officials contend that if Trump pardons himself and the Justice Department declined to prosecute Trump, it will send a troubling message to Americans about the rule of law and for future presidents about their ability to flout the law.

“The Biden Justice Department will not want to acquiesce in a Trump self-pardon, which implies that the president is literally above federal law,” said Jack Goldsmith, a Harvard law professor and former top Justice Department official in the George W. Bush administration.

A self-pardon would align with Trump’s unprecedented use of the pardon power. The framers of the Constitution gave the president almost total authority to grant clemency for federal crimes, positioning the head of the executive branch as a check on the judicial branch and as someone who could dip into the justice system to show grace and mercy on the downtrodden.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/after-various-bans-donald-trump-makes-a-comeback-on-twitter-355250" hreflang="en">After various bans, Donald Trump makes a comeback on Twitter</a>

But Trump has eschewed the formal Justice Department process set up to ensure pardons are handed out fairly. Instead, he has used his pardon power unlike any other president to help allies, undermine rivals and push his own political agenda. Of the 94 pardons and commutations Trump has granted, 89% were issued to people who had a personal tie to Trump, helped him politically or whose case resonated with him, according to a tabulation by Goldsmith.

The only president to receive a pardon was Richard Nixon. A month after Nixon left office, his former vice president, Gerald Ford, pardoned him for all crimes he committed in office. The move was widely criticized at the time as allowing the presidency to hover above the law. Ford supporters later blamed the pardon for his election loss two years later, though ultimately the pardon came to be seen as a move that helped the country move on from Watergate.

Trump has maintained throughout his presidency that he has the authority to pardon himself and first discussed the possibility with aides as early as his first year in office. Those discussions began when his campaign’s ties to Russia were being scrutinized and investigators were examining whether he had obstructed justice.

Legal scholars are less certain about Trump’s declaration that he has an “absolute right” to pardon himself.

The Justice Department said in a short August 1974 opinion, just four days before Nixon resigned, that “it would seem” that presidents cannot pardon themselves “under the fundamental rule that no one may be a judge in his own case.”

But the president is not bound by those opinions, and there is nothing stopping Trump from signing a pardon for himself. The questions would be whether the Justice Department under another president would honor the pardon and set aside any potential prosecution of Trump and, if he were prosecuted, whether the judicial system would ultimately decide whether the pardon insulates Trump from facing charges.

“Only a court can invalidate a self-pardon, and it can only do so if the Biden administration brings a case against Trump,” Goldsmith said. “A Trump self-pardon would thus make it more likely the Biden team prosecutes Trump for crimes committed in office.”

Throughout Trump’s presidency, he and allies have looked to pardons as a way of helping the president protect himself in criminal investigations. During the Russia investigation, Trump and his personal lawyer John M. Dowd dangled pardons to former aides. One, his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, flouted a plea deal to work with prosecutors.

President Donald Trump has suggested to aides he wants to pardon himself in the final days of his presidency, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions, a move that would mark one of the most extraordinary and untested uses of presidential power in American history.

President Donald Trump has suggested to aides he wants to pardon himself in the final days of his presidency, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions, a move that would mark one of the most extraordinary and untested uses of presidential power in American history. In several conversations since Election Day, Trump has told advisers that he is considering giving himself a pardon and, in other instances, asked whether he should and what the effect would be on him legally and politically, according to the two people. It was not clear whether he has broached the topic since he incited his supporters on Wednesday to storm the Capitol in a mob attack. Also read| Rappers Lil Wayne, Kodak Black in line for Trump's pardons for these crimes Trump has shown signs that his level of interest in pardoning himself goes beyond idle musings. He has long maintained he has the power to pardon himself and his polling of aides’ views is typically a sign that he is preparing to follow through on his aims. He has also become increasingly convinced that his perceived enemies will use the levers of law enforcement to target him after he leaves office. No president has pardoned himself, so the legitimacy of prospective self-clemency has never been tested in the justice system and legal scholars are divided about whether the courts would recognize it. But they agree a presidential self-pardon could create a dangerous new precedent for presidents to unilaterally declare they are above the law and to insulate themselves from being held accountable for any crimes they committed in office. A White House spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. Also read| 'I hurt for our country': Michelle Obama, reacts after Capitol riots Trump has considered a range of pre-emptive pardons for family, including his three oldest children — Donald Jr., Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump — Ivanka Trump’s husband, senior White House adviser Jared Kushner, and for close associates like the president’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani. Trump has expressed concerns to advisers that a Biden Justice Department might investigate all of them. Trump, who has told advisers how much he likes having the power to issue clemency, has for weeks solicited aides and allies for suggestions on whom to pardon. He has also offered pre-emptive pardons to advisers and administration officials. Many were taken aback because they did not believe they were in legal jeopardy and that accepting his offer would be seen as an admission of guilt, according to the two people. Presidential pardons apply only to federal law and provide no protection against state crimes. They would not apply to charges that could be brought by prosecutors in Manhattan investigating the Trump Organization’s finances. Also read| After an assault on all democratic institutions, Trump attempts coup d'etat The discussions between Trump and his aides about a self-pardon came before his pressure over the weekend on Georgia officials to help him try to overturn the elections results or his incitement of the riots at the Capitol. Trump allies believe that both episodes increased Trump’s criminal exposure. As aides urged Trump to issue a strong condemnation on Wednesday and he rejected that advice, the White House counsel, Pat A. Cipollone, warned Trump that he could face legal exposure for the riot given that he had urged his supporters to march to the Capitol and “fight” beforehand, according to people briefed on the discussion. Trump had appeared to White House aides to be enjoying watching the scenes play out on television. Beyond that, the extent of Trump’s criminal exposure is unclear. Special counsel Robert Mueller outlined 10 instances in which Trump may have obstructed justice but declined to say whether Trump broke the law, citing legal and factual constraints of prosecuting a sitting president. Former Justice Department officials and legal experts said that several of the acts should be prosecuted. In 2018, federal prosecutors in New York named Trump as a conspirator in an illegal campaign finance scheme. Also read| As Capitol siege sends shockwaves across world, a timeline of how it unfolded Pardons can be broad or narrowly tailored. White-collar defense lawyers said that Trump would be best served by citing specific crimes if he pardons himself, but such details could be politically damaging by suggesting that he was acknowledging he had committed those crimes. A self-pardon would complicate the already fraught question for the Biden Justice Department about whether to investigate and ultimately prosecute Trump. Democrats and former Justice Department officials contend that if Trump pardons himself and the Justice Department declined to prosecute Trump, it will send a troubling message to Americans about the rule of law and for future presidents about their ability to flout the law. “The Biden Justice Department will not want to acquiesce in a Trump self-pardon, which implies that the president is literally above federal law,” said Jack Goldsmith, a Harvard law professor and former top Justice Department official in the George W. Bush administration. A self-pardon would align with Trump’s unprecedented use of the pardon power. The framers of the Constitution gave the president almost total authority to grant clemency for federal crimes, positioning the head of the executive branch as a check on the judicial branch and as someone who could dip into the justice system to show grace and mercy on the downtrodden. Also read| After various bans, Donald Trump makes a comeback on Twitter But Trump has eschewed the formal Justice Department process set up to ensure pardons are handed out fairly. Instead, he has used his pardon power unlike any other president to help allies, undermine rivals and push his own political agenda. Of the 94 pardons and commutations Trump has granted, 89% were issued to people who had a personal tie to Trump, helped him politically or whose case resonated with him, according to a tabulation by Goldsmith. The only president to receive a pardon was Richard Nixon. A month after Nixon left office, his former vice president, Gerald Ford, pardoned him for all crimes he committed in office. The move was widely criticized at the time as allowing the presidency to hover above the law. Ford supporters later blamed the pardon for his election loss two years later, though ultimately the pardon came to be seen as a move that helped the country move on from Watergate. Trump has maintained throughout his presidency that he has the authority to pardon himself and first discussed the possibility with aides as early as his first year in office. Those discussions began when his campaign’s ties to Russia were being scrutinized and investigators were examining whether he had obstructed justice. Legal scholars are less certain about Trump’s declaration that he has an “absolute right” to pardon himself. The Justice Department said in a short August 1974 opinion, just four days before Nixon resigned, that “it would seem” that presidents cannot pardon themselves “under the fundamental rule that no one may be a judge in his own case.” But the president is not bound by those opinions, and there is nothing stopping Trump from signing a pardon for himself. The questions would be whether the Justice Department under another president would honor the pardon and set aside any potential prosecution of Trump and, if he were prosecuted, whether the judicial system would ultimately decide whether the pardon insulates Trump from facing charges. “Only a court can invalidate a self-pardon, and it can only do so if the Biden administration brings a case against Trump,” Goldsmith said. “A Trump self-pardon would thus make it more likely the Biden team prosecutes Trump for crimes committed in office.” Throughout Trump’s presidency, he and allies have looked to pardons as a way of helping the president protect himself in criminal investigations. During the Russia investigation, Trump and his personal lawyer John M. Dowd dangled pardons to former aides. One, his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, flouted a plea deal to work with prosecutors.

Trump is said to have discussed pardoning himself

Unprecedented scenes were witnessed at Capitol Hill as hundreds of Donald Trump supporters surrounded and stormed the Capitol Building just when US lawmakers were gathered to certify Joe Biden's victory in US Presidential Elections 2020.

As Trump supporters surged through halls of the Congress, both the Houses were forced to halt proceedings. US Congress members were evacuated. Security inside the Congress had to even draw guns to deter the protesters.One protester occupied the Senate dais and yelled, "Trump won that election." Protesters overturned barricades and clashed with police as thousands descended on the Capitol grounds.

<img alt="US Capitol hill violence" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a5850403-7e80-4ba2-a668-0b5131d2c194" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/000_8YA9D3.jpg" />

Video showed protesters breaking windows and police deploying teargas inside the building. Local media reported that one person had been shot and video showed a person being wheeled from the building on a stretcher.

Vice President Mike Pence, who had presided over the joint session of Congress, had already been escorted from the Senate.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/democrats-take-control-of-us-senate-as-they-win-second-race-in-georgia-354952">Democrats take control of U.S. Senate as they win second race in Georgia</a> 
 
The chaotic scenes unfolded after Trump, who before the election refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he lost, addressed thousands of protesters, repeating unfounded claims that the contest was stolen from him due to widespread election fraud and irregularities.&nbsp;

<img alt="US Capitol hill violence" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="186b705b-69e1-486d-93b7-f2a18638f16e" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/000_8YA8P8.jpg" />

Lawmakers had been debating a last-ditch effort by pro-Trump lawmakers to challenge the results, an effort that was unlikely to succeed.

After situation at the Capitol Hill areas grew tense and violent, Washington Mayor&nbsp;Muriel Bowser ordered a citywide curfew of 6 pm local time (2300 GMT)

This is an 'insurrection': Joe Biden

US President-elect in a LIVE address to the media denounced the event as an "insurrection". He said that this was not a protest.

"I call on President Trump to go on national television now to... demand an end to this siege," Biden said. "To storm the Capitol, to smash windows, to occupy offices, the floor of the United States Senate... threatening the safety of duly elected officials? It's not a protest, it's insurrection."

He asked President Trump to "step up" to end the violence.

Shortly after his LIVE address Trump tweeted a recorded video and asked his supporters to "go home" but also said that he loved them.

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<a href="https://t.co/Pm2PKV0Fp3">pic.twitter.com/Pm2PKV0Fp3</a>
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1346928882595885058?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 6, 2021</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

Police overwhelmed

The security around the Capitol Building was beefed up anyway as the US Congress session was set to take place but sheer number of hundreds of Trump supporters overwhelmed police and other security services.

After the situation worsened, US National Guard was mobilised in Washington and neighboring states.

International condemnation

Developments at Capitol Hill drew international attention.

"Disgraceful scenes in U.S. Congress. The United States stands for democracy around the world and it is now vital that there should be a peaceful and orderly transfer of power," tweeted UK PM Boris Johnson.

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Disgraceful scenes in U.S. Congress. The United States stands for democracy around the world and it is now vital that there should be a peaceful and orderly transfer of power.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/BorisJohnson/status/1346926138057220103?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 6, 2021</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

&nbsp;French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian termed the developments "attack against&nbsp;democracy"

"The violent acts against American institutions are a grave attack against democracy. I condemn them. The American people's will and vote must be respected," he tweeted.

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The violent acts against American institutions are a grave attack against democracy. I condemn them. The American people's will and vote must be respected
— Jean-Yves Le Drian (@JY_LeDrian) <a href="https://twitter.com/JY_LeDrian/status/1346945178561609728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 6, 2021</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said that the situation in US was "shocking"

"Shocking scenes in Washington, D.C. The outcome of this democratic election must be respected," he tweeted.

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Shocking scenes in Washington, D.C. The outcome of this democratic election must be respected.
— Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) <a href="https://twitter.com/jensstoltenberg/status/1346917585535823872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 6, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Election officials of both parties and independent observers have said there was no significant fraud in the Nov. 3 contest, which Biden won by more than 7 million votes in the national popular vote.

(With agency inputs)

Unprecedented scenes were witnessed at Capitol Hill as hundreds of Donald Trump supporters surrounded and stormed the Capitol Building just when US lawmakers were gathered to certify Joe Biden's victory in US Presidential Elections 2020.

Unprecedented scenes were witnessed at Capitol Hill as hundreds of Donald Trump supporters surrounded and stormed the Capitol Building just when US lawmakers were gathered to certify Joe Biden's victory in US Presidential Elections 2020. As Trump supporters surged through halls of the Congress, both the Houses were forced to halt proceedings. US Congress members were evacuated. Security inside the Congress had to even draw guns to deter the protesters.One protester occupied the Senate dais and yelled, "Trump won that election." Protesters overturned barricades and clashed with police as thousands descended on the Capitol grounds. Video showed protesters breaking windows and police deploying teargas inside the building. Local media reported that one person had been shot and video showed a person being wheeled from the building on a stretcher. Vice President Mike Pence, who had presided over the joint session of Congress, had already been escorted from the Senate. Also Read | Democrats take control of U.S. Senate as they win second race in Georgia The chaotic scenes unfolded after Trump, who before the election refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he lost, addressed thousands of protesters, repeating unfounded claims that the contest was stolen from him due to widespread election fraud and irregularities. Lawmakers had been debating a last-ditch effort by pro-Trump lawmakers to challenge the results, an effort that was unlikely to succeed. After situation at the Capitol Hill areas grew tense and violent, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser ordered a citywide curfew of 6 pm local time (2300 GMT) This is an 'insurrection': Joe Biden US President-elect in a LIVE address to the media denounced the event as an "insurrection". He said that this was not a protest. "I call on President Trump to go on national television now to... demand an end to this siege," Biden said. "To storm the Capitol, to smash windows, to occupy offices, the floor of the United States Senate... threatening the safety of duly elected officials? It's not a protest, it's insurrection." He asked President Trump to "step up" to end the violence. Shortly after his LIVE address Trump tweeted a recorded video and asked his supporters to "go home" but also said that he loved them. pic.twitter.com/Pm2PKV0Fp3 — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2021 × Police overwhelmed The security around the Capitol Building was beefed up anyway as the US Congress session was set to take place but sheer number of hundreds of Trump supporters overwhelmed police and other security services. After the situation worsened, US National Guard was mobilised in Washington and neighboring states. International condemnation Developments at Capitol Hill drew international attention. "Disgraceful scenes in U.S. Congress. The United States stands for democracy around the world and it is now vital that there should be a peaceful and orderly transfer of power," tweeted UK PM Boris Johnson. Disgraceful scenes in U.S. Congress. The United States stands for democracy around the world and it is now vital that there should be a peaceful and orderly transfer of power. — Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) January 6, 2021 × French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian termed the developments "attack against democracy" "The violent acts against American institutions are a grave attack against democracy. I condemn them. The American people's will and vote must be respected," he tweeted. The violent acts against American institutions are a grave attack against democracy. I condemn them. The American people's will and vote must be respected — Jean-Yves Le Drian (@JY_LeDrian) January 6, 2021 × NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said that the situation in US was "shocking" "Shocking scenes in Washington, D.C. The outcome of this democratic election must be respected," he tweeted. Shocking scenes in Washington, D.C. The outcome of this democratic election must be respected. — Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) January 6, 2021 × Election officials of both parties and independent observers have said there was no significant fraud in the Nov. 3 contest, which Biden won by more than 7 million votes in the national popular vote. (With agency inputs)

Donald Trump supporters storm US Capitol building during Joe Biden certification

Terming US Presidential Election 2020 as a 'rigged election' Donald Trump said on Monday night that he would “fight like hell” to hold on to the presidency.

President Donald Trump is urging Republican voters in north Georgia to turn out and vote in Tuesday’s special election that will determine which party controls the Senate.

Speaking at a rally in Dalton, Trump said “the stakes in this election could not be higher” as he warned a boisterous crowd of several thousand supporters about Democrats winning control of the Senate.

Trump also repeated the false assertion that he won the presidential race in Georgia. Election officials from both political parties have stated publicly that the election went well and international observers confirmed there were no serious irregularities.

The president said he’s had two elections in Georgia and claims he "won both.”

Trump said Democrats won't be "taking this White House. We're gonna fight like hell, I'll tell you right now."

Electoral voters won by President-elect Biden are “not gonna take this White House!” he shouted as supporters cheered at an outdoor rally in Georgia. Trump’s announced purpose for the trip was to boost Republican Senate candidates in Tuesday’s runoff election, but he spent much of his speech complaining bitterly about his election loss — which he insists he won “by a lot.”

Earlier, in Washington, he pressed Republican lawmakers to formally object Wednesday at a joint session of Congress that is to confirm Biden’s victory in the Electoral College, itself a confirmation of Biden’s nationwide victory November 3.

(With inputs from agencies)

Terming US Presidential Election 2020 as a 'rigged election' Donald Trump said on Monday night that he would “fight like hell” to hold on to the presidency. President Donald Trump is urging Republican voters in north Georgia to turn out and vote in Tuesday’s special election that will determine which party controls the Senate.

Terming US Presidential Election 2020 as a 'rigged election' Donald Trump said on Monday night that he would “fight like hell” to hold on to the presidency. President Donald Trump is urging Republican voters in north Georgia to turn out and vote in Tuesday’s special election that will determine which party controls the Senate. Speaking at a rally in Dalton, Trump said “the stakes in this election could not be higher” as he warned a boisterous crowd of several thousand supporters about Democrats winning control of the Senate. Trump also repeated the false assertion that he won the presidential race in Georgia. Election officials from both political parties have stated publicly that the election went well and international observers confirmed there were no serious irregularities. The president said he’s had two elections in Georgia and claims he "won both.” Trump said Democrats won't be "taking this White House. We're gonna fight like hell, I'll tell you right now." Electoral voters won by President-elect Biden are “not gonna take this White House!” he shouted as supporters cheered at an outdoor rally in Georgia. Trump’s announced purpose for the trip was to boost Republican Senate candidates in Tuesday’s runoff election, but he spent much of his speech complaining bitterly about his election loss — which he insists he won “by a lot.” Earlier, in Washington, he pressed Republican lawmakers to formally object Wednesday at a joint session of Congress that is to confirm Biden’s victory in the Electoral College, itself a confirmation of Biden’s nationwide victory November 3. (With inputs from agencies)

I will 'fight like hell' to hold on to presidency: Donald Trump

The United States has approved another $290 million precision-guided bomb sale to Saudi Arabia, according to a notice to Congress released Tuesday.

The Trump administration approved selling Saudi Arabia 3,000 Boeing-made GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb I (SDB I) munitions and related equipment, according to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency notice.

The sale comes in the final days of US&nbsp;President Donald Trump’s term. President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia, the Middle East’s biggest buyer of American weapons, in a bid to pressure Riyadh to end a war in Yemen that has caused the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

"The [State Department's] Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today," the statement said on Tuesday.

The State Department said that Saudi Arabia requested to buy GBU-39 SDB I munitions with containers, support equipment and services, spare and repair parts.

The State Department said the proposed sale will help to improve "the security of a friendly country that continues to be an important force for political stability and economic growth in the Middle East."

(With inputs from agencies)

The United States has approved another $290 million precision-guided bomb sale to Saudi Arabia, according to a notice to Congress released Tuesday. The Trump administration approved selling Saudi Arabia 3,000 Boeing-made GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb I (SDB I) munitions and related equipment, according to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency notice.

The United States has approved another $290 million precision-guided bomb sale to Saudi Arabia, according to a notice to Congress released Tuesday. The Trump administration approved selling Saudi Arabia 3,000 Boeing-made GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb I (SDB I) munitions and related equipment, according to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency notice. The sale comes in the final days of US President Donald Trump’s term. President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia, the Middle East’s biggest buyer of American weapons, in a bid to pressure Riyadh to end a war in Yemen that has caused the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. "The [State Department's] Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today," the statement said on Tuesday. The State Department said that Saudi Arabia requested to buy GBU-39 SDB I munitions with containers, support equipment and services, spare and repair parts. The State Department said the proposed sale will help to improve "the security of a friendly country that continues to be an important force for political stability and economic growth in the Middle East." (With inputs from agencies)

Trump approves sale of 3,000 smart bombs worth $290 million to Saudi Arabia

The US House of Representatives dealt a blow to President Donald Trump on Monday by rejecting his veto of a defense bill, setting the stage for the Senate to deliver a humiliating first veto override in the final days of his presidency. 
 
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The Democratic-controlled House voted 322 to 87 to override Trump's veto of the $740.5 billion defense bill with 109 members of the president's own Republican Party siding with Democrats.

A similar motion will be introduced in the Republican-majority Senate, where it will also have to gain two-thirds support to override the president's veto. 
 
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In a statement released after the vote, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi slammed Trump's veto as "reckless" and called on the president to "end his eleventh-hour campaign of chaos."

The House vote came a day after Trump caved to pressure from both Republicans and Democrats and reluctantly signed a $900 billion coronavirus relief and stimulus package that he had threatened to veto.

Trump's capitulation on the Covid-19 relief bill and the looming congressional veto override are the latest signs of his waning powers as he prepares to leave the White House on January 20.

The fiscal 2021 National Defense Authorization Act was passed this month by 335 votes to 78 in the House and by 84 to 13 in the Senate.

But the NDAA was vetoed by the president because it did not repeal Section 230, a federal law that provides liability protection to internet companies.

Trump also opposed a provision that would strip several US military bases of the names of generals who fought for the secessionist, pro-slavery South in the 1861-65 Civil War.

Including the defense bill, Trump has vetoed nine bills during his four years in the White House. Congress has not previously mustered the votes needed to override any of his vetoes.

"Stop the Insanity"

For a real estate tycoon who prides himself as a master negotiator, the past few days have been an exercise in humiliation.

Trump threatened for days to not sign the Covid-19 relief and spending bill that had been hammered out by his own treasury secretary and had received broad bipartisan support in Congress.

His surprise move risked shutting down the government from Tuesday and depriving millions of Americans of economic relief badly needed during the pandemic.

He finally backed down under bipartisan pressure and signed the bill on Sunday night at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida out of the sight of television cameras.

But in an attempt to save face, Trump released a statement airing his grievances about the November 3 election and claiming that he had obtained a number of concessions on the relief bill.

Among Trump's demands was increasing direct relief payments to Americans from $600 to $2,000.

The House, in a 275 to 134 vote, approved a motion on Monday to increase the payments to $2,000 but it is likely to meet with resistance from Republicans in the Senate.

President-elect Joe Biden, asked by a reporter Monday if he favored raising the payouts to $2,000, replied, "Yes."

Biden, speaking after a briefing by his transition team on national security, also said that political appointees at the Pentagon, which Trump has packed with loyalists since the election, have refused to provide a "clear picture" on troop posture or budgeting.

"It is nothing short, in my view, of irresponsibility," Biden said in Wilmington, Delaware, warning that US adversaries could take advantage of the transition.

The strange episode over the relief package highlighted the degree to which Trump has become isolated, spending much of his time playing golf or railing on Twitter about his election loss.

In a sign of his fading influence, the Rupert Murdoch-owned New York Post, one of Trump's most ardent supporters, published an editorial late Sunday telling him to "Stop the Insanity" and acknowledge he lost the election.

"Mr. President, it's time to end this dark charade," the newspaper said.

"We understand, Mr. President, that you're angry that you lost.

"But to continue down this road is ruinous," the Post said. "If you insist on spending your final days in office threatening to burn it all down, that will be how you are remembered.

The US House of Representatives dealt a blow to President Donald Trump on Monday by rejecting his veto of a defense bill, setting the stage for the Senate to deliver a humiliating first veto override in the final days of his presidency.

The US House of Representatives dealt a blow to President Donald Trump on Monday by rejecting his veto of a defense bill, setting the stage for the Senate to deliver a humiliating first veto override in the final days of his presidency. Also read | Donald Trump signs laws to further US's support to Taiwan, Tibet; drawing China's criticism The Democratic-controlled House voted 322 to 87 to override Trump's veto of the $740.5 billion defense bill with 109 members of the president's own Republican Party siding with Democrats. A similar motion will be introduced in the Republican-majority Senate, where it will also have to gain two-thirds support to override the president's veto. Also read | US Congress passes new Tibet law on the next Dalai Lama; infuriates China In a statement released after the vote, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi slammed Trump's veto as "reckless" and called on the president to "end his eleventh-hour campaign of chaos." The House vote came a day after Trump caved to pressure from both Republicans and Democrats and reluctantly signed a $900 billion coronavirus relief and stimulus package that he had threatened to veto. Trump's capitulation on the Covid-19 relief bill and the looming congressional veto override are the latest signs of his waning powers as he prepares to leave the White House on January 20. The fiscal 2021 National Defense Authorization Act was passed this month by 335 votes to 78 in the House and by 84 to 13 in the Senate. But the NDAA was vetoed by the president because it did not repeal Section 230, a federal law that provides liability protection to internet companies. Trump also opposed a provision that would strip several US military bases of the names of generals who fought for the secessionist, pro-slavery South in the 1861-65 Civil War. Including the defense bill, Trump has vetoed nine bills during his four years in the White House. Congress has not previously mustered the votes needed to override any of his vetoes. "Stop the Insanity" For a real estate tycoon who prides himself as a master negotiator, the past few days have been an exercise in humiliation. Trump threatened for days to not sign the Covid-19 relief and spending bill that had been hammered out by his own treasury secretary and had received broad bipartisan support in Congress. His surprise move risked shutting down the government from Tuesday and depriving millions of Americans of economic relief badly needed during the pandemic. He finally backed down under bipartisan pressure and signed the bill on Sunday night at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida out of the sight of television cameras. But in an attempt to save face, Trump released a statement airing his grievances about the November 3 election and claiming that he had obtained a number of concessions on the relief bill. Among Trump's demands was increasing direct relief payments to Americans from $600 to $2,000. The House, in a 275 to 134 vote, approved a motion on Monday to increase the payments to $2,000 but it is likely to meet with resistance from Republicans in the Senate. President-elect Joe Biden, asked by a reporter Monday if he favored raising the payouts to $2,000, replied, "Yes." Biden, speaking after a briefing by his transition team on national security, also said that political appointees at the Pentagon, which Trump has packed with loyalists since the election, have refused to provide a "clear picture" on troop posture or budgeting. "It is nothing short, in my view, of irresponsibility," Biden said in Wilmington, Delaware, warning that US adversaries could take advantage of the transition. The strange episode over the relief package highlighted the degree to which Trump has become isolated, spending much of his time playing golf or railing on Twitter about his election loss. In a sign of his fading influence, the Rupert Murdoch-owned New York Post, one of Trump's most ardent supporters, published an editorial late Sunday telling him to "Stop the Insanity" and acknowledge he lost the election. "Mr. President, it's time to end this dark charade," the newspaper said. "We understand, Mr. President, that you're angry that you lost. "But to continue down this road is ruinous," the Post said. "If you insist on spending your final days in office threatening to burn it all down, that will be how you are remembered.

In blow to Trump, house votes to override veto of defense bill

President Donald Trump signed a $1.4 trillion spending bill and accompanying $900 billion economic stimulus package into law on Sunday evening, averting a Tuesday government shutdown and clearing the way for $600 stimulus checks and $300 weekly enhanced unemployment benefits after nearly a week's delay and under pressure from all sides. 
 
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The package "providing coronavirus emergency response and relief" is part of a larger spending bill that, with Trump's signature, will avoid a government shutdown on Tuesday.

"I am signing this bill to restore unemployment benefits, stop evictions, provide rental assistance, add money for PPP (Paycheck Protection Programs), return our airline workers back to work, add substantially more money for vaccine distribution, and much more," the president said in a statement from his Christmas vacation at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

The turnaround came after a day marked by calls from all sides of the political spectrum for action to avert an economic and social disaster, especially for America's vulnerable populations. 
 
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Two federal unemployment benefit programs approved in March as part of an initial Covid-19 relief plan expired at midnight on Saturday, cutting off an estimated 12 million Americans, according to The Century Foundation think tank.

The relief package, which was first passed by Congress on December 21, extends those benefits as well as others set to expire in the days ahead.

But for days, Trump had refused to put his signature on it, calling the bill a "disgrace" and catching both Democrats and Republicans off guard with his complaints, which came after months of negotiations.

Influential Republican senator Mitt Romney said he was "relieved" at the signing. "Help is now on the way to workers, families, and small businesses across the country who are desperately in need," he tweeted.

Earlier Sunday, he had urged Trump to "immediately sign or veto the COVID-19 relief package so Congress can act before it's too late."

(With inputs from agencies)

President Donald Trump signed a $1.4 trillion spending bill and accompanying $900 billion economic stimulus package into law on Sunday evening, averting a Tuesday government shutdown and clearing the way for $600 stimulus checks and $300 weekly enhanced unemployment benefits after nearly a week's delay and under pressure from all sides.

President Donald Trump signed a $1.4 trillion spending bill and accompanying $900 billion economic stimulus package into law on Sunday evening, averting a Tuesday government shutdown and clearing the way for $600 stimulus checks and $300 weekly enhanced unemployment benefits after nearly a week's delay and under pressure from all sides. Also read| Europe begins vaccine rollout as new virus strain spreads fears The package "providing coronavirus emergency response and relief" is part of a larger spending bill that, with Trump's signature, will avoid a government shutdown on Tuesday. "I am signing this bill to restore unemployment benefits, stop evictions, provide rental assistance, add money for PPP (Paycheck Protection Programs), return our airline workers back to work, add substantially more money for vaccine distribution, and much more," the president said in a statement from his Christmas vacation at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. The turnaround came after a day marked by calls from all sides of the political spectrum for action to avert an economic and social disaster, especially for America's vulnerable populations. Also read | Jordan reports two cases of new 'infectious' strain of coronavirus Two federal unemployment benefit programs approved in March as part of an initial Covid-19 relief plan expired at midnight on Saturday, cutting off an estimated 12 million Americans, according to The Century Foundation think tank. The relief package, which was first passed by Congress on December 21, extends those benefits as well as others set to expire in the days ahead. But for days, Trump had refused to put his signature on it, calling the bill a "disgrace" and catching both Democrats and Republicans off guard with his complaints, which came after months of negotiations. Influential Republican senator Mitt Romney said he was "relieved" at the signing. "Help is now on the way to workers, families, and small businesses across the country who are desperately in need," he tweeted. Earlier Sunday, he had urged Trump to "immediately sign or veto the COVID-19 relief package so Congress can act before it's too late." (With inputs from agencies)

Trump signs $900 billion Covid relief bill days after he suggested he would block it

President Donald Trump’s denunciation of the $900 billion coronavirus relief deal drove a wedge through the Republican Party on Wednesday, drawing harsh criticism from House Republicans and threatening the delivery of unemployment checks, a reprieve on evictions and direct payments to struggling Americans.

His four-minute video on Tuesday night demanding significant changes to the bill and larger direct stimulus checks also threw a wrench into his party’s push to hold the Senate with victories in two runoff races in Georgia next month. The Republican candidates he pledged to support went from campaigning on their triumphant votes for the relief bill to facing questions on Trump’s view that the measure was a “disgrace.”

Their Democratic rivals appeared to turn a liability into a political advantage 13 days before the election on Jan. 5, agreeing with the president’s demand for $2,000 direct payment checks and calling for Republicans to accede to his wish. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and top Democrats prepared to move forward on Thursday with new legislation that would provide the $2,000 checks, daring Republicans to break with the president and block passage of the bill in the House.

But the effect on struggling Americans was perhaps the most profound: With no deal signed by the president, some unemployment programs are set to run out this week, and several other critical provisions are to end this month. The uncertainty that Trump injected into the process came at a perilous moment for the economy, as consumer spending and personal incomes resumed their slides.

“Does the president realize that unemployment benefits expire the day after Christmas?” an exasperated Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va. and one of the key negotiators of the package, wrote on Twitter.

It is not clear whether Trump, who is furious at congressional Republicans who have acknowledged his election defeat, would actually veto the package. But given how late it is in the 116th Congress, even refusing to sign it could ensure that the bill dies with the Congress on Jan. 3 and must be taken up all over again next year.

The 5,593-page spending package would not only provide relief but also fund the government through September. With his threat, the president raised the prospects of a government shutdown beyond Monday and also jeopardized a promise of swift relief to millions of struggling Americans and businesses.

Trump on Wednesday also made good on his promise to veto a major defense policy bill, in part because it directed the military to strip the names of Confederate generals from bases. That sets up a showdown for next week; when the House returns on Monday for the override vote, it could also vote on another stopgap spending bill to prevent government funding from lapsing.

Before the turmoil, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had promised that $600 direct payments from the pandemic relief bill could be distributed as early as next week; that is an untenable timeline without Trump’s signature. The end to two expanded unemployment programs the day after Christmas could push nearly 5 million people into poverty virtually overnight, according to an estimate from researchers at Columbia University.

Some state labor departments — which administer both state and federal unemployment benefits — are already preparing for the end of the programs because of the delay in reaching an agreement, meaning some jobless workers may temporarily lose their benefits all the same because many states will not be able to reverse course in time to avoid a lapse in payments.

Frustration with Trump boiled over on Wednesday during a private conference call of House Republicans who had loyally stood by the president; many of them had joined a baseless lawsuit to try to overturn the results of election. Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, the Republican leader, told members that he had spoken to the president and that he had not yet committed to a veto of the bill.

But McCarthy conceded, “This bill has been tainted,” according to one person on the call.

In his videotaped statement on Tuesday, Trump accused lawmakers of putting aid for foreign governments before the needs of the American people.

Some lawmakers on the call complained about the pork projects in the spending measure; others chimed in to challenge the characterization of the projects as pork, and one longtime House Republican vented generally about voter perceptions of the package after Trump’s scathing critique.

“I don’t know if we recover from this,” said Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., according to three officials on the call. “We will have a hell of a time getting this out of people’s head.”

Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., said Trump had thrown House Republicans under the bus, according to a person on the call. In a statement afterward, Bacon said, “I stand by what I said,” adding that “the COVID supplemental is a good compromise, and the president should take it."

Focused first on the general election and then on baseless attempts to reverse its outcome, Trump has largely been sidelined from the negotiations, instead dispatching Mnuchin as his main emissary.

During a private meeting with top Republicans and top Democrats to discuss the emerging relief deal, Pelosi at one point pressed Mnuchin, on speakerphone in her conference room, four times to articulate the president’s position on direct payments. “Come on, Steven,” she said when he refused to say, according to one person familiar with the meeting, who disclosed it on the condition of anonymity.

Now, in undercutting the negotiations that Mnuchin led for the White House and throwing passage of the $2.3 trillion package into limbo with little warning to top Republicans on Capitol Hill, Trump has increased the likelihood that the party will bear the brunt of the blame for the continuing delay in providing relief to Americans.

The coronavirus relief package would provide the first significant infusion of federal aid since April, when Trump signed a $1.4 trillion government funding package. In rejecting it, the president would also derail some of his own priorities tucked into the measure, like funding for his wall at the southwestern border, funding for the Pentagon and an agreement to ban surprise medical bills, which his administration had previously urged lawmakers to pass. A number of the funding provisions Trump singled out in the catchall omnibus also aligned with requests he had made in his own budget proposal.

Republicans would again be forced to choose between their party’s leadership in Congress — McCarthy and Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who helped negotiate the final details of the stimulus deal — and a president known to savage anyone he views as disloyal.

Trump’s demands also provided a political gift to Democratic leadership, who have faced criticism for accepting a $900 billion relief package with $600 direct payments after months of pushing multiple multitrillion-dollar proposals that would have set the payments to twice that amount.

With the House set to convene on Christmas Eve in a so-called pro forma session — typically a brief meeting that requires one lawmaker to be present and lasts for a few minutes — Democrats plan to bring up a stand-alone bill that would provide for $2,000 direct payments to American families and ensure that the omnibus is signed. Should that request fail without unanimous consent, Democrats plan to formally bring the bill up for a vote on Monday, according to two people familiar with the plans.

“Just when you think you have seen it all, last night, the president said that he would possibly veto the bicameral agreement negotiated between Republicans and Democrats,” Pelosi wrote in a letter to Democratic colleagues. She noted that if Trump “truly wants to join us in $2,000 payments,” he should urge Republicans to allow the unanimous consent request to go through.

In a letter to House Republicans late Wednesday, McCarthy indicated that the party would put forward its own unanimous request to revisit the portion of the omnibus spending bill that funds the State Department and other related agencies. He charged that Democrats had “conveniently ignored the concerns expressed by the president” about those funds. (That legislation had also secured the support of 128 Republicans when it passed the House on Monday.)

But the Democratic argument could prove particularly potent in Georgia, where the Democratic challengers in the two runoff races have locked arms to call on their Republican opponents, Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, to support the $2,000 direct payments.

Jon Ossoff, Perdue’s Democratic opponent, posted to Twitter a series of memes and videos mocking the $600 payments supported by Republican leadership.

Raphael Warnock, Loeffler’s opponent, said in a statement, “As I’ve said from the start, the Senate should have acted on this months ago, and support for Georgians should have been far greater.” He continued: “Donald Trump is right, Congress should swiftly increase direct payments to $2,000. Once and for all, Sen. Loeffler should do what’s best for Georgia instead of focusing on what she can do for herself.”

But some Republicans, including the most outspoken House conservatives, are continuing to lobby Trump to veto the legislation.

“Republicans are in grave danger if they continue to do the very swamp crap the president ran against,” Rep. Chip Roy of Texas said in an interview, noting that it made it harder to run against Democrats as socialists when “establishment Republicans are passing massive spending and programs they then complain about.”

Roy said that if Trump vetoed the measure, lawmakers could devise a bill extending paycheck protection for businesses, hash out a compromise on unemployment benefits and direct payments, and pass legislation keeping the government open until the new Congress decided on spending levels next year. But few other lawmakers said they believed Congress would reconvene to craft a new measure during the holidays.

Michael Steele, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee and a critic of the president, noted that the foreign aid proposals to which the president was objecting were proposed by his own administration.

“The Republicans are getting punked again by the guy they shilled for, who does not care about their interests or any principle they stand for,” Steele said. “He made a four-minute video in the White House ranting about things his own administration did, and meanwhile some mom is trying to figure out how she can avoid eviction and get Christmas presents under the tree for her kids. That’s the heartbreaking part.”

Republicans in the two chambers were already at odds over the election results.

Many of the Senate Republicans are ready to move on from the Trump era while House Republicans, including the top leadership, signed on to a brief supporting a Texas lawsuit in hopes that the Supreme Court would overturn the results.

McConnell has tried to shut down the prospect of blocking the Electoral College results in the Senate next month, but House Republican leaders have not done anything in public to discourage hard-liners from trying such a move in the Democratic-controlled chamber. After Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the No. 2 Republican, told reporters this week that such an effort “would go down like a shot dog” in the Senate, Trump tweeted on Tuesday: “South Dakota doesn’t like weakness. He will be primaried in 2022, political career over!!!”

President Donald Trump’s denunciation of the $900 billion coronavirus relief deal drove a wedge through the Republican Party on Wednesday, drawing harsh criticism from House Republicans and threatening the delivery of unemployment checks, a reprieve on evictions and direct payments to struggling Americans.

President Donald Trump’s denunciation of the $900 billion coronavirus relief deal drove a wedge through the Republican Party on Wednesday, drawing harsh criticism from House Republicans and threatening the delivery of unemployment checks, a reprieve on evictions and direct payments to struggling Americans. His four-minute video on Tuesday night demanding significant changes to the bill and larger direct stimulus checks also threw a wrench into his party’s push to hold the Senate with victories in two runoff races in Georgia next month. The Republican candidates he pledged to support went from campaigning on their triumphant votes for the relief bill to facing questions on Trump’s view that the measure was a “disgrace.” Their Democratic rivals appeared to turn a liability into a political advantage 13 days before the election on Jan. 5, agreeing with the president’s demand for $2,000 direct payment checks and calling for Republicans to accede to his wish. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and top Democrats prepared to move forward on Thursday with new legislation that would provide the $2,000 checks, daring Republicans to break with the president and block passage of the bill in the House. But the effect on struggling Americans was perhaps the most profound: With no deal signed by the president, some unemployment programs are set to run out this week, and several other critical provisions are to end this month. The uncertainty that Trump injected into the process came at a perilous moment for the economy, as consumer spending and personal incomes resumed their slides. “Does the president realize that unemployment benefits expire the day after Christmas?” an exasperated Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va. and one of the key negotiators of the package, wrote on Twitter. It is not clear whether Trump, who is furious at congressional Republicans who have acknowledged his election defeat, would actually veto the package. But given how late it is in the 116th Congress, even refusing to sign it could ensure that the bill dies with the Congress on Jan. 3 and must be taken up all over again next year. The 5,593-page spending package would not only provide relief but also fund the government through September. With his threat, the president raised the prospects of a government shutdown beyond Monday and also jeopardized a promise of swift relief to millions of struggling Americans and businesses. Trump on Wednesday also made good on his promise to veto a major defense policy bill, in part because it directed the military to strip the names of Confederate generals from bases. That sets up a showdown for next week; when the House returns on Monday for the override vote, it could also vote on another stopgap spending bill to prevent government funding from lapsing. Before the turmoil, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had promised that $600 direct payments from the pandemic relief bill could be distributed as early as next week; that is an untenable timeline without Trump’s signature. The end to two expanded unemployment programs the day after Christmas could push nearly 5 million people into poverty virtually overnight, according to an estimate from researchers at Columbia University. Some state labor departments — which administer both state and federal unemployment benefits — are already preparing for the end of the programs because of the delay in reaching an agreement, meaning some jobless workers may temporarily lose their benefits all the same because many states will not be able to reverse course in time to avoid a lapse in payments. Frustration with Trump boiled over on Wednesday during a private conference call of House Republicans who had loyally stood by the president; many of them had joined a baseless lawsuit to try to overturn the results of election. Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, the Republican leader, told members that he had spoken to the president and that he had not yet committed to a veto of the bill. But McCarthy conceded, “This bill has been tainted,” according to one person on the call. In his videotaped statement on Tuesday, Trump accused lawmakers of putting aid for foreign governments before the needs of the American people. Some lawmakers on the call complained about the pork projects in the spending measure; others chimed in to challenge the characterization of the projects as pork, and one longtime House Republican vented generally about voter perceptions of the package after Trump’s scathing critique. “I don’t know if we recover from this,” said Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., according to three officials on the call. “We will have a hell of a time getting this out of people’s head.” Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., said Trump had thrown House Republicans under the bus, according to a person on the call. In a statement afterward, Bacon said, “I stand by what I said,” adding that “the COVID supplemental is a good compromise, and the president should take it." Focused first on the general election and then on baseless attempts to reverse its outcome, Trump has largely been sidelined from the negotiations, instead dispatching Mnuchin as his main emissary. During a private meeting with top Republicans and top Democrats to discuss the emerging relief deal, Pelosi at one point pressed Mnuchin, on speakerphone in her conference room, four times to articulate the president’s position on direct payments. “Come on, Steven,” she said when he refused to say, according to one person familiar with the meeting, who disclosed it on the condition of anonymity. Now, in undercutting the negotiations that Mnuchin led for the White House and throwing passage of the $2.3 trillion package into limbo with little warning to top Republicans on Capitol Hill, Trump has increased the likelihood that the party will bear the brunt of the blame for the continuing delay in providing relief to Americans. The coronavirus relief package would provide the first significant infusion of federal aid since April, when Trump signed a $1.4 trillion government funding package. In rejecting it, the president would also derail some of his own priorities tucked into the measure, like funding for his wall at the southwestern border, funding for the Pentagon and an agreement to ban surprise medical bills, which his administration had previously urged lawmakers to pass. A number of the funding provisions Trump singled out in the catchall omnibus also aligned with requests he had made in his own budget proposal. Republicans would again be forced to choose between their party’s leadership in Congress — McCarthy and Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who helped negotiate the final details of the stimulus deal — and a president known to savage anyone he views as disloyal. Trump’s demands also provided a political gift to Democratic leadership, who have faced criticism for accepting a $900 billion relief package with $600 direct payments after months of pushing multiple multitrillion-dollar proposals that would have set the payments to twice that amount. With the House set to convene on Christmas Eve in a so-called pro forma session — typically a brief meeting that requires one lawmaker to be present and lasts for a few minutes — Democrats plan to bring up a stand-alone bill that would provide for $2,000 direct payments to American families and ensure that the omnibus is signed. Should that request fail without unanimous consent, Democrats plan to formally bring the bill up for a vote on Monday, according to two people familiar with the plans. “Just when you think you have seen it all, last night, the president said that he would possibly veto the bicameral agreement negotiated between Republicans and Democrats,” Pelosi wrote in a letter to Democratic colleagues. She noted that if Trump “truly wants to join us in $2,000 payments,” he should urge Republicans to allow the unanimous consent request to go through. In a letter to House Republicans late Wednesday, McCarthy indicated that the party would put forward its own unanimous request to revisit the portion of the omnibus spending bill that funds the State Department and other related agencies. He charged that Democrats had “conveniently ignored the concerns expressed by the president” about those funds. (That legislation had also secured the support of 128 Republicans when it passed the House on Monday.) But the Democratic argument could prove particularly potent in Georgia, where the Democratic challengers in the two runoff races have locked arms to call on their Republican opponents, Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, to support the $2,000 direct payments. Jon Ossoff, Perdue’s Democratic opponent, posted to Twitter a series of memes and videos mocking the $600 payments supported by Republican leadership. Raphael Warnock, Loeffler’s opponent, said in a statement, “As I’ve said from the start, the Senate should have acted on this months ago, and support for Georgians should have been far greater.” He continued: “Donald Trump is right, Congress should swiftly increase direct payments to $2,000. Once and for all, Sen. Loeffler should do what’s best for Georgia instead of focusing on what she can do for herself.” But some Republicans, including the most outspoken House conservatives, are continuing to lobby Trump to veto the legislation. “Republicans are in grave danger if they continue to do the very swamp crap the president ran against,” Rep. Chip Roy of Texas said in an interview, noting that it made it harder to run against Democrats as socialists when “establishment Republicans are passing massive spending and programs they then complain about.” Roy said that if Trump vetoed the measure, lawmakers could devise a bill extending paycheck protection for businesses, hash out a compromise on unemployment benefits and direct payments, and pass legislation keeping the government open until the new Congress decided on spending levels next year. But few other lawmakers said they believed Congress would reconvene to craft a new measure during the holidays. Michael Steele, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee and a critic of the president, noted that the foreign aid proposals to which the president was objecting were proposed by his own administration. “The Republicans are getting punked again by the guy they shilled for, who does not care about their interests or any principle they stand for,” Steele said. “He made a four-minute video in the White House ranting about things his own administration did, and meanwhile some mom is trying to figure out how she can avoid eviction and get Christmas presents under the tree for her kids. That’s the heartbreaking part.” Republicans in the two chambers were already at odds over the election results. Many of the Senate Republicans are ready to move on from the Trump era while House Republicans, including the top leadership, signed on to a brief supporting a Texas lawsuit in hopes that the Supreme Court would overturn the results. McConnell has tried to shut down the prospect of blocking the Electoral College results in the Senate next month, but House Republican leaders have not done anything in public to discourage hard-liners from trying such a move in the Democratic-controlled chamber. After Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the No. 2 Republican, told reporters this week that such an effort “would go down like a shot dog” in the Senate, Trump tweeted on Tuesday: “South Dakota doesn’t like weakness. He will be primaried in 2022, political career over!!!”

Trump’s attack on Coronavirus relief divides GOP and threatens recovery

US President-elect Joe Biden said that he had not seen any evidence that cyberattack against the US was under control. He lashed out at US President Donald Trump for being reluctant to name Russia. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Attorney General William Barr have both accused Moscow.

“It is a grave risk and it continues," Biden told reporters in Wilmington, Delaware. "I see no evidence that it’s under control. I see none. Heard of none. Department won’t even brief us on many things. So I know of nothing that suggests it’s under control."

Biden faulted Trump for stripping U.S. defenses against cyberattacks, saying: "This assault happened on Donald Trump's watch, when he wasn't watching."

Trump has floated the idea on Twitter that China might be responsible for the hacking spree. Uncovered last week, it breached at least half a dozen U.S. government agencies and left thousands of American companies exposed.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-issues-series-of-pardons-including-russia-probe-figure-george-papadopoulos-351684">Trump issues series of pardons, including Russia probe figure George Papadopoulos</a>

Joe Biden has warned that the cyberattack will not go unanswered once he takes office on January 20. He said his administration will take meaningful steps to respond to the cyber breach.

The incoming White House chief of staff said on Sunday that Biden's response to the hacking campaign would go beyond sanctions. Ron Klain said Biden was mapping out ways to degrade the capacity of foreign actors to engage in cyber attacks against the United States.

Options being mulled by the Biden administration to punish Moscow for its alleged role include financial penalties and retaliatory hacks on Russian infrastructure, people familiar with the matter have told Reuters.

The Kremlin denies any role in the hacking.

"The question of the damage done remains to be determined. We have to look at, very closely, the nature of the breaches, how extensive they are, and what damage has been done," Biden said.

(With Reuters inputs)

US President-elect Joe Biden said that he had not seen any evidence that cyberattack against the US was under control. He lashed out at US President Donald Trump for being reluctant to name Russia.

US President-elect Joe Biden said that he had not seen any evidence that cyberattack against the US was under control. He lashed out at US President Donald Trump for being reluctant to name Russia. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Attorney General William Barr have both accused Moscow. “It is a grave risk and it continues," Biden told reporters in Wilmington, Delaware. "I see no evidence that it’s under control. I see none. Heard of none. Department won’t even brief us on many things. So I know of nothing that suggests it’s under control." Biden faulted Trump for stripping U.S. defenses against cyberattacks, saying: "This assault happened on Donald Trump's watch, when he wasn't watching." Trump has floated the idea on Twitter that China might be responsible for the hacking spree. Uncovered last week, it breached at least half a dozen U.S. government agencies and left thousands of American companies exposed. Also Read | Trump issues series of pardons, including Russia probe figure George Papadopoulos Joe Biden has warned that the cyberattack will not go unanswered once he takes office on January 20. He said his administration will take meaningful steps to respond to the cyber breach. The incoming White House chief of staff said on Sunday that Biden's response to the hacking campaign would go beyond sanctions. Ron Klain said Biden was mapping out ways to degrade the capacity of foreign actors to engage in cyber attacks against the United States. Options being mulled by the Biden administration to punish Moscow for its alleged role include financial penalties and retaliatory hacks on Russian infrastructure, people familiar with the matter have told Reuters. The Kremlin denies any role in the hacking. "The question of the damage done remains to be determined. We have to look at, very closely, the nature of the breaches, how extensive they are, and what damage has been done," Biden said. (With Reuters inputs)

Trump must put blame on Russia for cyberattack, says Biden

As Democrats look to the incoming Biden administration to reverse much of President Donald Trump’s work, the conservative imprint he has left on the federal courts is only deepening.

Much attention in recent months has focused on the Supreme Court and its newly appointed justice, Amy Coney Barrett. But an analysis of decisions by the country’s appellate bench — where nearly all contested federal litigation ends — shows the transformation of the judiciary under Trump.

Early this year, The New York Times reviewed more than 10,000 published decisions and dissents during the first three years of the Trump administration. It found that the president’s picks for the appeals courts were more likely than past Republican appointees to disagree with peers selected by Democrats and more likely to agree with their Republican colleagues, suggesting they were more consistently conservative.

An updated analysis of more than 1,700 opinions published over the first six months of the year shows that the trend has intensified as the judges have established a larger body of work.

“It’s more polarized,” said Joshua Fischman, a law professor at the University of Virginia. “We’ve seen a huge conservative shift. A lot of these judges are very young, and they’ll be there for a long time.”

Trump has named 53 of the 165 judges on the nation’s regional appeals courts, lifetime appointments that will have a vast and enduring effect. Most cases on the courts are decided unanimously by three-person panels, and dissent is relatively rare. But as a group, his selections were nearly four times as likely to clash with colleagues appointed by Democratic presidents as those appointed by Republicans. Judges nominated by Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush showed the same tendency, but to half the extent.

The judges who exhibited the pattern included some who had been under consideration for the Supreme Court and some who had deep political connections on Capitol Hill. One had done legal work for Trump’s 2016 campaign and later, as acting head of the Justice Department’s civil division, was in charge of defending high-profile presidential policies that came under attack in the courts.

Yet while Trump has made clear that he expects loyalty from his judicial appointees, they have ruled against him in lawsuits that his campaign brought regarding the 2020 election. Most notably, Barrett last week joined her fellow justices in denying an effort by Texas to overturn the Biden victory in four battleground states.

At the appeals level, Judge Stephanos Bibas of the 3rd Circuit, nominated in 2017, wrote a blistering decision last month rejecting the Trump campaign’s election challenge in Pennsylvania. And Judge Andrew L. Brasher of the 11th Circuit, appointed this year, wrote an opinion this month rebuffing the campaign’s effort to bypass the lower federal court and decertify Georgia’s election results.

Fischman said that to rule differently would have been to flout the law. “It’s completely against judicial culture,” he said. “They just could not be taken seriously as judges if they sided with Trump here.”

Bibas and Brasher serve on courts that Trump has flipped toward conservative majorities. While Bibas was not among the most disputatious of the appointees, according to the analysis, he dissented in a significant gun-rights case in which two Democratic appointees upheld New Jersey’s limit on large-capacity magazines.

“We must treat the right to keep and bear arms like other enumerated rights,” he wrote. “We may not water it down and balance it away based on our own sense of wise policy.”

Barrett — who until October served in Indiana on the 7th Circuit, where there is a particular culture of agreement — also followed the pattern, striking out against Democratic-named colleagues over 7% of the time and against Republican appointees 2.5% of the time, the analysis showed.

In one such case, she disagreed that a man who had admitted to killing his wife was denied the right to a lawyer when a judge questioned him. (Her position later held sway when the case was considered by a full slate of 7th Circuit judges.)

On the District of Columbia Circuit, Judge Neomi Rao, confirmed to the bench just last year, has already made waves. Of four cases with published opinions that she participated in alongside two Democratic appointees, she dissented three times, the analysis showed. In June, she wrote the majority opinion ordering a lower-court judge to dismiss the case against Michael Flynn, Trump’s former national security adviser.

In a case decided in May, Judge Joel M. Carson III of the 10th Circuit dissented as his Democratic-appointed peers ruled against a challenge to the Trump administration’s ban on bump stocks, the attachments that allow semi-automatic rifles to fire in sustained bursts. That case is now under consideration by the full circuit.

And this month, Judge Lawrence J.C. VanDyke broke from his colleagues on the 9th Circuit, objecting as they ruled against the Trump administration and called an immigration policy favoring wealthy immigrants for green cards “arbitrary and capricious.” VanDyke was among the handful of Trump nominees at the appellate level whose qualifications were questioned by the American Bar Association.

Not all the judges fit the pattern: Many serve on courts with a majority of Republican appointees, and some belong to circuits with a stronger culture of consensus. But The Times found that Trump appointees were more likely to be involved in a case featuring dissent even when those factors were accounted for.

The analysis examined how often and with whom the judges agreed but not the ideological content of their opinions. Though the cases sometimes touched on big policy debates — abortion, gun rights, policing — they more often concerned matters like employment disputes and criminal and immigration court appeals.

The Trump administration’s work in swiftly filling vacant judgeships has depended heavily on Republicans in the Senate, particularly Mitch McConnell, the majority leader. He has encouraged eligible federal judges to retire to create more openings and has led a confirmation process in which Republicans shunned compromise and sought unbending conservatives and reliable political allies to populate the bench.

As of this month, if pending nominations are taken into account, President-elect Joe Biden stands to inherit fewer than 25 openings across the federal judiciary, compared with the more than 100 that carried over to Trump from Barack Obama's administration.

Democratic senators on the Judiciary Committee have appealed to Lindsey Graham, its Republican chairman through the end of the year, asking him not to proceed with any more nominations before Biden is sworn in.

But even with a Democrat in the White House, the Republicans will be in a position to continue their push for conservative appointees, or at least block liberal ones, unless Democrats gain control of the Senate by winning both seats in next month’s special election in Georgia.

“A lot of what we’ve done over the last four years will be undone sooner or later by the next election,” McConnell said in October as Barrett was confirmed. “They won’t be able to do much about this for a long time to come.”

As Democrats look to the incoming Biden administration to reverse much of President Donald Trump’s work, the conservative imprint he has left on the federal courts is only deepening.

As Democrats look to the incoming Biden administration to reverse much of President Donald Trump’s work, the conservative imprint he has left on the federal courts is only deepening. Much attention in recent months has focused on the Supreme Court and its newly appointed justice, Amy Coney Barrett. But an analysis of decisions by the country’s appellate bench — where nearly all contested federal litigation ends — shows the transformation of the judiciary under Trump. Early this year, The New York Times reviewed more than 10,000 published decisions and dissents during the first three years of the Trump administration. It found that the president’s picks for the appeals courts were more likely than past Republican appointees to disagree with peers selected by Democrats and more likely to agree with their Republican colleagues, suggesting they were more consistently conservative. An updated analysis of more than 1,700 opinions published over the first six months of the year shows that the trend has intensified as the judges have established a larger body of work. “It’s more polarized,” said Joshua Fischman, a law professor at the University of Virginia. “We’ve seen a huge conservative shift. A lot of these judges are very young, and they’ll be there for a long time.” Trump has named 53 of the 165 judges on the nation’s regional appeals courts, lifetime appointments that will have a vast and enduring effect. Most cases on the courts are decided unanimously by three-person panels, and dissent is relatively rare. But as a group, his selections were nearly four times as likely to clash with colleagues appointed by Democratic presidents as those appointed by Republicans. Judges nominated by Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush showed the same tendency, but to half the extent. The judges who exhibited the pattern included some who had been under consideration for the Supreme Court and some who had deep political connections on Capitol Hill. One had done legal work for Trump’s 2016 campaign and later, as acting head of the Justice Department’s civil division, was in charge of defending high-profile presidential policies that came under attack in the courts. Yet while Trump has made clear that he expects loyalty from his judicial appointees, they have ruled against him in lawsuits that his campaign brought regarding the 2020 election. Most notably, Barrett last week joined her fellow justices in denying an effort by Texas to overturn the Biden victory in four battleground states. At the appeals level, Judge Stephanos Bibas of the 3rd Circuit, nominated in 2017, wrote a blistering decision last month rejecting the Trump campaign’s election challenge in Pennsylvania. And Judge Andrew L. Brasher of the 11th Circuit, appointed this year, wrote an opinion this month rebuffing the campaign’s effort to bypass the lower federal court and decertify Georgia’s election results. Fischman said that to rule differently would have been to flout the law. “It’s completely against judicial culture,” he said. “They just could not be taken seriously as judges if they sided with Trump here.” Bibas and Brasher serve on courts that Trump has flipped toward conservative majorities. While Bibas was not among the most disputatious of the appointees, according to the analysis, he dissented in a significant gun-rights case in which two Democratic appointees upheld New Jersey’s limit on large-capacity magazines. “We must treat the right to keep and bear arms like other enumerated rights,” he wrote. “We may not water it down and balance it away based on our own sense of wise policy.” Barrett — who until October served in Indiana on the 7th Circuit, where there is a particular culture of agreement — also followed the pattern, striking out against Democratic-named colleagues over 7% of the time and against Republican appointees 2.5% of the time, the analysis showed. In one such case, she disagreed that a man who had admitted to killing his wife was denied the right to a lawyer when a judge questioned him. (Her position later held sway when the case was considered by a full slate of 7th Circuit judges.) On the District of Columbia Circuit, Judge Neomi Rao, confirmed to the bench just last year, has already made waves. Of four cases with published opinions that she participated in alongside two Democratic appointees, she dissented three times, the analysis showed. In June, she wrote the majority opinion ordering a lower-court judge to dismiss the case against Michael Flynn, Trump’s former national security adviser. In a case decided in May, Judge Joel M. Carson III of the 10th Circuit dissented as his Democratic-appointed peers ruled against a challenge to the Trump administration’s ban on bump stocks, the attachments that allow semi-automatic rifles to fire in sustained bursts. That case is now under consideration by the full circuit. And this month, Judge Lawrence J.C. VanDyke broke from his colleagues on the 9th Circuit, objecting as they ruled against the Trump administration and called an immigration policy favoring wealthy immigrants for green cards “arbitrary and capricious.” VanDyke was among the handful of Trump nominees at the appellate level whose qualifications were questioned by the American Bar Association. Not all the judges fit the pattern: Many serve on courts with a majority of Republican appointees, and some belong to circuits with a stronger culture of consensus. But The Times found that Trump appointees were more likely to be involved in a case featuring dissent even when those factors were accounted for. The analysis examined how often and with whom the judges agreed but not the ideological content of their opinions. Though the cases sometimes touched on big policy debates — abortion, gun rights, policing — they more often concerned matters like employment disputes and criminal and immigration court appeals. The Trump administration’s work in swiftly filling vacant judgeships has depended heavily on Republicans in the Senate, particularly Mitch McConnell, the majority leader. He has encouraged eligible federal judges to retire to create more openings and has led a confirmation process in which Republicans shunned compromise and sought unbending conservatives and reliable political allies to populate the bench. As of this month, if pending nominations are taken into account, President-elect Joe Biden stands to inherit fewer than 25 openings across the federal judiciary, compared with the more than 100 that carried over to Trump from Barack Obama's administration. Democratic senators on the Judiciary Committee have appealed to Lindsey Graham, its Republican chairman through the end of the year, asking him not to proceed with any more nominations before Biden is sworn in. But even with a Democrat in the White House, the Republicans will be in a position to continue their push for conservative appointees, or at least block liberal ones, unless Democrats gain control of the Senate by winning both seats in next month’s special election in Georgia. “A lot of what we’ve done over the last four years will be undone sooner or later by the next election,” McConnell said in October as Barrett was confirmed. “They won’t be able to do much about this for a long time to come.”

As Trump leaves the White House, his imprint on the judiciary deepens

US President Donald Trump has not conceded the election to Joe Biden, he and Republican Party are receiving setbacks after setbacks in courts across US. He is still no ready to offer evidence and is making baseless claims. And now, it has come to light that US First Lady Melania Trump is quietly making plans for her life after White House as she 'just want to go home'.

Multiple US news outlets have quoted sources who have said these words about Melania Trump. While she agrees with her husband Donald Trump who says that the US elections were rigged and that he's hopeful to continue as president, Melania Trump has reportedly 'tasked an emissary' to discreetly find out what's available for her in budget and staff allocation for her life after White House.

It has also been reported that it may not go down well with her if Donald Trump announces plans to run for president in 2024.

Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-attorneys-office-is-investigating-my-taxes-says-joe-bidens-son-hunter-biden-348707">US attorney's office is investigating my taxes, says Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden</a>

Melania Trump is said to be focussed on her legacy and said to be considering a book though it is likely to be a photo-centric book.

"Mrs. Trump is focused on her role as the first lady. Monday she unveiled her most current effort in preserving the White House by announcing the completion of the tennis pavilion. She also recently unveiled a new piece of art in the newly renovated Rose Garden. Her office just revealed this year`s Christmas decor. Her schedule remains full with her duties as a mother, wife and first lady of the United States," the first lady`s chief of staff Stephanie Grisham told CNN

US President Donald Trump has not conceded the election to Joe Biden, he and Republican Party are receiving setbacks after setbacks in courts across US. He is still no ready to offer evidence and is making baseless claims.

US President Donald Trump has not conceded the election to Joe Biden, he and Republican Party are receiving setbacks after setbacks in courts across US. He is still no ready to offer evidence and is making baseless claims. And now, it has come to light that US First Lady Melania Trump is quietly making plans for her life after White House as she 'just want to go home'. Multiple US news outlets have quoted sources who have said these words about Melania Trump. While she agrees with her husband Donald Trump who says that the US elections were rigged and that he's hopeful to continue as president, Melania Trump has reportedly 'tasked an emissary' to discreetly find out what's available for her in budget and staff allocation for her life after White House. It has also been reported that it may not go down well with her if Donald Trump announces plans to run for president in 2024. Also Read: US attorney's office is investigating my taxes, says Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden Melania Trump is said to be focussed on her legacy and said to be considering a book though it is likely to be a photo-centric book. "Mrs. Trump is focused on her role as the first lady. Monday she unveiled her most current effort in preserving the White House by announcing the completion of the tennis pavilion. She also recently unveiled a new piece of art in the newly renovated Rose Garden. Her office just revealed this year`s Christmas decor. Her schedule remains full with her duties as a mother, wife and first lady of the United States," the first lady`s chief of staff Stephanie Grisham told CNN

US First Lady Melania Trump 'just wants to go home'

The Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday in a dispute between shareholders of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-sponsored mortgage finance giants, and the Treasury Department over $124 billion in payments the two lenders were required to make to the government.

The shareholders said the law creating the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which put the two lenders into conservatorship in 2008, violated the Constitution because it insulated the agency’s director from presidential oversight. A decision by the court in June concerning the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau suggested that it may agree that the structure of the housing agency violated the separation of powers.

But several justices seemed wary of the sweep of a second aspect of the shareholders’ arguments, which said the lack of presidential supervision of the housing agency’s director meant that a 2012 agreement between the agency and the Treasury Department must be undone, requiring the repayment of vast sums.

The two sides agreed that the law creating the housing agency was unconstitutional because it barred the president from firing its director without cause. Because there was no dispute between the parties as to that, the court appointed Aaron L. Nielson, a law professor at Brigham Young University, to defend the law.

Nielsen said the new case, Collins v. Mnuchin, No. 19-422, differed from the one in June concerning the consumer bureau. The shareholders in the new case challenged a 2012 agreement between the housing agency and the Treasury Department, he said. But that agreement had been made by an acting director of the agency, who was subject to removal at will in any event, making academic the question of the status of the agency’s director.

The laws creating the two agencies were also different, Nielson said. Before the court’s decision in June in the case on the consumer bureau, its director could be fired only for “inefficiency, neglect of duty or malfeasance,” a demanding standard. By contrast, the director of the housing agency may be fired only for cause, which Nielson said “provides the weakest protection in removal law and can easily be read to allow removal based on policy disagreement with the president.”

Justice Sonia Sotomayor said she saw “vast differences” between the agencies. The housing agency’s “most notable power, and the reason we are here today, is that they can put certain government-affiliated companies under conservatorship.”

“This is not a wide-reaching power that affects many entities,” she said. “It’s one company at a time, essentially, unlike in the CFPB.”

But Justice Samuel Alito said that the housing agency wields great power. “The way in which the agency carries out its responsibility as conservator has a profound effect on the housing market and, therefore, a profound effect on ordinary people,” he said.

Nielson said the logic of the parties’ position would undermine much of the federal government.

“The Social Security Administration, the Office of Special Counsel, the Federal Reserve, the Civil Service, will all be subject to constitutional attack,” he said, “and that’s just the beginning.”

Justice Elena Kagan elaborated on that point in an exchange with David H. Thompson, a lawyer for the shareholders. The Social Security Administration, she said, “has been led by a single commissioner since 1994 and, ever since then, it’s rendered 650,000 decisions every year, so that’s about 17 million decisions.”

“Are we really going to void all of those decisions?” she asked.

Thompson replied that the agency’s actions, unless subject to the statute of limitations, “should be void.”

He said the actions of the housing agency had crossed a line. “The companies have been nationalized,” he said.

Chief Justice John Roberts questioned the assertion. Government aid during the housing crisis “was a lifeline thrown to your clients," he said, adding that he had done some recent financial research.

“I checked this morning,” the chief justice said, “and Fannie Mae was trading at $2.69 and Freddie Mac at $2.56,” he said, “and your shares are not worthless."

Hashim M. Mooppan, a lawyer for the federal government, said the housing agency, acting as a conservator, had been entitled to restructure their financial obligations. “That is what conservators do day in and day out,” he said.

Mooppan added that the parties to the 2012 agreement — the acting director and the Treasury secretary — could both be fired by the president for any reason or no reason.

“Courts cannot set aside a multibillion-dollar contract on the ground that it was unconstitutionally insulated from presidential supervision even though both of the officials who signed it were removable at will by the president,” he said.

But Thompson, the lawyer for the shareholders, said the law creating the housing agency, with its tenure protections for the agency’s director, “reduces the president to the cajoler in chief.”

The Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday in a dispute between shareholders of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-sponsored mortgage finance giants, and the Treasury Department over $124 billion in payments the two lenders were required to make to the government.

The Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday in a dispute between shareholders of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-sponsored mortgage finance giants, and the Treasury Department over $124 billion in payments the two lenders were required to make to the government. The shareholders said the law creating the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which put the two lenders into conservatorship in 2008, violated the Constitution because it insulated the agency’s director from presidential oversight. A decision by the court in June concerning the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau suggested that it may agree that the structure of the housing agency violated the separation of powers. But several justices seemed wary of the sweep of a second aspect of the shareholders’ arguments, which said the lack of presidential supervision of the housing agency’s director meant that a 2012 agreement between the agency and the Treasury Department must be undone, requiring the repayment of vast sums. The two sides agreed that the law creating the housing agency was unconstitutional because it barred the president from firing its director without cause. Because there was no dispute between the parties as to that, the court appointed Aaron L. Nielson, a law professor at Brigham Young University, to defend the law. Nielsen said the new case, Collins v. Mnuchin, No. 19-422, differed from the one in June concerning the consumer bureau. The shareholders in the new case challenged a 2012 agreement between the housing agency and the Treasury Department, he said. But that agreement had been made by an acting director of the agency, who was subject to removal at will in any event, making academic the question of the status of the agency’s director. The laws creating the two agencies were also different, Nielson said. Before the court’s decision in June in the case on the consumer bureau, its director could be fired only for “inefficiency, neglect of duty or malfeasance,” a demanding standard. By contrast, the director of the housing agency may be fired only for cause, which Nielson said “provides the weakest protection in removal law and can easily be read to allow removal based on policy disagreement with the president.” Justice Sonia Sotomayor said she saw “vast differences” between the agencies. The housing agency’s “most notable power, and the reason we are here today, is that they can put certain government-affiliated companies under conservatorship.” “This is not a wide-reaching power that affects many entities,” she said. “It’s one company at a time, essentially, unlike in the CFPB.” But Justice Samuel Alito said that the housing agency wields great power. “The way in which the agency carries out its responsibility as conservator has a profound effect on the housing market and, therefore, a profound effect on ordinary people,” he said. Nielson said the logic of the parties’ position would undermine much of the federal government. “The Social Security Administration, the Office of Special Counsel, the Federal Reserve, the Civil Service, will all be subject to constitutional attack,” he said, “and that’s just the beginning.” Justice Elena Kagan elaborated on that point in an exchange with David H. Thompson, a lawyer for the shareholders. The Social Security Administration, she said, “has been led by a single commissioner since 1994 and, ever since then, it’s rendered 650,000 decisions every year, so that’s about 17 million decisions.” “Are we really going to void all of those decisions?” she asked. Thompson replied that the agency’s actions, unless subject to the statute of limitations, “should be void.” He said the actions of the housing agency had crossed a line. “The companies have been nationalized,” he said. Chief Justice John Roberts questioned the assertion. Government aid during the housing crisis “was a lifeline thrown to your clients," he said, adding that he had done some recent financial research. “I checked this morning,” the chief justice said, “and Fannie Mae was trading at $2.69 and Freddie Mac at $2.56,” he said, “and your shares are not worthless." Hashim M. Mooppan, a lawyer for the federal government, said the housing agency, acting as a conservator, had been entitled to restructure their financial obligations. “That is what conservators do day in and day out,” he said. Mooppan added that the parties to the 2012 agreement — the acting director and the Treasury secretary — could both be fired by the president for any reason or no reason. “Courts cannot set aside a multibillion-dollar contract on the ground that it was unconstitutionally insulated from presidential supervision even though both of the officials who signed it were removable at will by the president,” he said. But Thompson, the lawyer for the shareholders, said the law creating the housing agency, with its tenure protections for the agency’s director, “reduces the president to the cajoler in chief.”

US Supreme Court weighs President’s power to fire head of housing agency

Current US President Donald Trump said he was hopful that he would be the next US president on the same day Republican Party's assertion of election fraud was rejected by US Supreme Court. In spite of ample indication of President-elect Joe Biden's victory in US Presidential election 2020, Trump has continued to make unsubstantiated claims of widespread election fraud.

"Hopefully the next administration will be the Trump administration, a continuation -- which has led us to the highest stock markets we've ever had, the best employment numbers we've ever had, a rebuilt military," Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday (local time) during a vaccine summit.

Trump was responding to a question on why he did not invite members of the Biden transition team to the meeting, which deliberated on his plans to distribute COVID-19 vaccine in the US.

Trump said because of the "great work" he did, he was "rewarded" with a victory.

On Tuesday itself, Republican Party's attempts to invalidated election results in Pennsylvania were thwarted by US Supreme Court

The lawsuit was brought-in by US congressman Mike Kelly, a Trump ally and other Pennsylvania Republicans. They said that state's 2019 expansion of mail-in voting was illegal under state law.

Trump had won the state in 2016 presidential elections but this time Biden clinched the state by 80,000 votes.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-supreme-court-throws-out-trumps-claim-of-election-fraud-in-pennsylvania-348430">US Supreme Court throws out Trump's claim of election fraud in Pennsylvania</a>

Pennsylvania has already certified election results in favour of US President-elect Joe Biden.

Trump's attempt to invalidate elections results via legal routes has not been successful and he or Republican Party have suffered defeat after defeats in various courts in the US.

(With agency inputs)

Current US President Donald Trump said he was hopful that he would be the next US president on the same day Republican Party's assertion of election fraud was rejected by US Supreme Court.

Current US President Donald Trump said he was hopful that he would be the next US president on the same day Republican Party's assertion of election fraud was rejected by US Supreme Court. In spite of ample indication of President-elect Joe Biden's victory in US Presidential election 2020, Trump has continued to make unsubstantiated claims of widespread election fraud. "Hopefully the next administration will be the Trump administration, a continuation -- which has led us to the highest stock markets we've ever had, the best employment numbers we've ever had, a rebuilt military," Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday (local time) during a vaccine summit. Trump was responding to a question on why he did not invite members of the Biden transition team to the meeting, which deliberated on his plans to distribute COVID-19 vaccine in the US. Trump said because of the "great work" he did, he was "rewarded" with a victory. On Tuesday itself, Republican Party's attempts to invalidated election results in Pennsylvania were thwarted by US Supreme Court The lawsuit was brought-in by US congressman Mike Kelly, a Trump ally and other Pennsylvania Republicans. They said that state's 2019 expansion of mail-in voting was illegal under state law. Trump had won the state in 2016 presidential elections but this time Biden clinched the state by 80,000 votes. Also Read | US Supreme Court throws out Trump's claim of election fraud in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania has already certified election results in favour of US President-elect Joe Biden. Trump's attempt to invalidate elections results via legal routes has not been successful and he or Republican Party have suffered defeat after defeats in various courts in the US. (With agency inputs)

Hopeful I'll remain US president, says Trump on same day of legal defeat in US Supreme Court

US Supreme Court gave a blow to Republicans seeking to throw out 2.5 milliion mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania and undo Joe Biden's election victory. The court refused to block the state from formalising Joe Biden's victory there.

The lawsuit was brought-in by US congressman Mike Kelly, a Trump ally and other Pennsylvania Republicans. They said that state's 2019 expansion of mail-in voting was illegal under state law.

Trump had won the state in 2016 presidential elections but this time Biden clinched the state by 80,000 votes.

The Republican plaintiffs argued that the universal, "no-excuse" mail-in ballot program passed by the Republican-controlled Pennsylvania legislature in 2019, enabling voters to cast ballots by mail for any reason, violated the state`s constitution.

Trump`s campaign and his allies have lost in a stream of lawsuits in key states won by Biden, also including Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin and others. Judges have rejected sweeping assertions of voting irregularities.

Biden has amassed 306 electoral votes - exceeding the necessary 270 - compared to 232 for Trump in the state-by-state Electoral College that determines the election`s outcome, while also winning the national popular vote by more than 7 million votes.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/hopeful-ill-remain-president-says-trump-on-same-day-of-legal-defeat-in-us-supreme-court-348441">Hopeful I'll remain president, says Trump on same day of legal defeat in US Supreme Court</a>

However, Trump is yet to concede and instead chosen to make baseless allegations about election fraud and has not provided any evidence.

"This election is over. We must continue to stop this circus of `lawsuits` and move forward," Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, wrote on Twitter.

(With Reuters inputs)

US Supreme Court gave a blow to Republicans seeking to throw out 2.5 milliion mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania and undo Joe Biden's election victory. The court refused to block the state from formalising Joe Biden's victory there.

US Supreme Court gave a blow to Republicans seeking to throw out 2.5 milliion mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania and undo Joe Biden's election victory. The court refused to block the state from formalising Joe Biden's victory there. The lawsuit was brought-in by US congressman Mike Kelly, a Trump ally and other Pennsylvania Republicans. They said that state's 2019 expansion of mail-in voting was illegal under state law. Trump had won the state in 2016 presidential elections but this time Biden clinched the state by 80,000 votes. The Republican plaintiffs argued that the universal, "no-excuse" mail-in ballot program passed by the Republican-controlled Pennsylvania legislature in 2019, enabling voters to cast ballots by mail for any reason, violated the state`s constitution. Trump`s campaign and his allies have lost in a stream of lawsuits in key states won by Biden, also including Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin and others. Judges have rejected sweeping assertions of voting irregularities. Biden has amassed 306 electoral votes - exceeding the necessary 270 - compared to 232 for Trump in the state-by-state Electoral College that determines the election`s outcome, while also winning the national popular vote by more than 7 million votes. Also Read | Hopeful I'll remain president, says Trump on same day of legal defeat in US Supreme Court However, Trump is yet to concede and instead chosen to make baseless allegations about election fraud and has not provided any evidence. "This election is over. We must continue to stop this circus of `lawsuits` and move forward," Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, wrote on Twitter. (With Reuters inputs)

US Supreme Court throws out Trump's claim of election fraud in Pennsylvania

The acting director of Voice of America was reassigned Tuesday, as part of what is most likely a broader bid to install loyalists for President Donald Trump at the news outlet before the Biden administration takes over, two people familiar with the decision said.

Michael Pack, the chief executive of the outlet’s parent agency, U.S. Agency for Global Media, and a conservative filmmaker with ties to former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, informed the acting director, Elez Biberaj, earlier Tuesday that he would be removed from his role.

Biberaj will return to his previous job as the director of the Eurasia desk at Voice of America. One official said that Robert Reilly, a conservative author who was the director of Voice of America in the Bush administration, was likely to succeed Biberaj.

Biberaj, who has worked at Voice of America for over 40 years, was named its acting director in June.

As chief of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, Pack oversees federally funded news outlets including Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting.

Once he was appointed, he moved quickly to fire the chiefs of the four news outlets and an internet technology nonprofit under his oversight. He also replaced the bipartisan board that supervises the organizations with allies of the Trump administration.

In October, Pack said he was rescinding a firewall rule that protects news outlets funded by the government, including Voice of America, from federal tampering. A lawsuit filed by five officials suspended by Pack asserted that Pack or his aides had interrogated Voice of America journalists who had been critical of Pack. A federal judge recently ruled that Pack’s attempts to breach the firewall were unconstitutional.

Biberaj has not openly criticized Pack, but he has issued statements in recent months saying that “editorial independence and journalistic integrity free of political interference are the core elements that sustain VOA and make us America’s voice.”

His likely successor, Reilly, has written against Islam and gay rights, publishing a book called “Making Gay Okay: How Rationalizing Homosexual Behavior Is Changing Everything.”

President-elect Joe Biden is likely to replace Pack once he assumes office, agency officials said. But Reilly may be harder to remove if language in the National Defense Authorization Act, a defense spending bill passed by the House, is signed into law that requires the U.S. Agency for Global Media’s chief executive to gain approval from an advisory board before replacing the head of a media network under their purview.

The acting director of Voice of America was reassigned Tuesday, as part of what is most likely a broader bid to install loyalists for President Donald Trump at the news outlet before the Biden administration takes over, two people familiar with the decision said.

The acting director of Voice of America was reassigned Tuesday, as part of what is most likely a broader bid to install loyalists for President Donald Trump at the news outlet before the Biden administration takes over, two people familiar with the decision said. Michael Pack, the chief executive of the outlet’s parent agency, U.S. Agency for Global Media, and a conservative filmmaker with ties to former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, informed the acting director, Elez Biberaj, earlier Tuesday that he would be removed from his role. Biberaj will return to his previous job as the director of the Eurasia desk at Voice of America. One official said that Robert Reilly, a conservative author who was the director of Voice of America in the Bush administration, was likely to succeed Biberaj. Biberaj, who has worked at Voice of America for over 40 years, was named its acting director in June. As chief of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, Pack oversees federally funded news outlets including Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting. Once he was appointed, he moved quickly to fire the chiefs of the four news outlets and an internet technology nonprofit under his oversight. He also replaced the bipartisan board that supervises the organizations with allies of the Trump administration. In October, Pack said he was rescinding a firewall rule that protects news outlets funded by the government, including Voice of America, from federal tampering. A lawsuit filed by five officials suspended by Pack asserted that Pack or his aides had interrogated Voice of America journalists who had been critical of Pack. A federal judge recently ruled that Pack’s attempts to breach the firewall were unconstitutional. Biberaj has not openly criticized Pack, but he has issued statements in recent months saying that “editorial independence and journalistic integrity free of political interference are the core elements that sustain VOA and make us America’s voice.” His likely successor, Reilly, has written against Islam and gay rights, publishing a book called “Making Gay Okay: How Rationalizing Homosexual Behavior Is Changing Everything.” President-elect Joe Biden is likely to replace Pack once he assumes office, agency officials said. But Reilly may be harder to remove if language in the National Defense Authorization Act, a defense spending bill passed by the House, is signed into law that requires the U.S. Agency for Global Media’s chief executive to gain approval from an advisory board before replacing the head of a media network under their purview.

Trump appointee sidelines VOA director before Biden takes office

President Donald Trump is venturing out of Washington on Saturday for his first political appearance since his election defeat to Joe Biden, campaigning in Georgia where two run-off races will decide the fate of the US Senate.

The president takes the stage at 7:00 pm (0000 Sunday GMT) in the southern city of Valdosta, exactly one month before special January 5 elections.

It is just under a month since he was declared the loser in the presidential race.

Yet at a time when most defeated presidents would be working to burnish their legacy, Trump -- who has yet to concede to Biden -- has barely left the White House, sending out a stream of angry tweets challenging the result and demanding that Republicans nationwide defend him.

That includes the party in Georgia, which Biden won by a mere 12,000 votes.&nbsp;

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-allies-take-pennsylvania-vote-complaint-to-us-supreme-court-347797">Donald Trump allies take Pennsylvania vote complaint to US Supreme Court</a>

The stakes in the run-off elections there are sky-high. Former president Barack Obama laid them out at a virtual rally on Friday, saying that "the special election in Georgia is going to determine ultimately the course of the Biden presidency."

If Democratic challengers Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff defeat Republican senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, the Senate will be evenly divided at 50-50, meaning Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris would cast any deciding votes, as the Constitution dictates.

The race has drawn enormous attention, with donors nationwide pouring in hundreds of millions of dollars and with figures as prominent as Obama, Vice President Mike Pence -- and now Trump himself -- scrambling to boost voter turnout.

Mixed messaging

But Trump has placed himself in a difficult spot. Since Biden won the November 3 election, the president has repeatedly, and baselessly, attacked the US electoral system as riddled with "fraud."

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/with-us-senate-majority-in-the-pot-parties-bring-out-big-guns-for-georgia-elections-347720">With US Senate majority in the pot, parties bring out big guns for Georgia elections</a>

Despite an overwhelming series of setbacks in the courts, the president and his lawyers have advanced wild conspiracy theories (one involving long-dead Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez) to explain Biden's victory.&nbsp;

Now analysts say he might have created a political monster -- having undercut Georgia voters' faith in the election system just as he needs them to turn out on January 5.

A headline in the Valdosta Daily Times summed up the conflicted feeling among area voters: "Trump in Valdosta: S.Ga. excited, outraged by presidential visit."&nbsp;

Virus record set

Part of the "outrage" stems from the notion of yet another mass Trump rally coming on a day when the banner headline in the Atlanta Journal Constitution reads: "State sets single-day virus record."

Masks will be required and temperatures taken at the airport rally, local television channel WALB reported.&nbsp;

Trump's ability to excite his supporters remains powerful, and he thrives on the campaign rally setting.

But some voters even in long conservative Georgia are expressing weariness over the constant drama surrounding the president.

Analysts said it could make a crucial difference whether Trump, in Valdosta, merely repeats his litany of election grievances or instead addresses the importance of maintaining Senate control.

"It will be good for the rally if it's about Perdue and Kelley Loeffler and how we need to go vote," Spud Bowen, a Republican businessman from Tifton, Georgia, told the Valdosta Daily Times, "but I am certainly not in the mood to hear any more name-calling."&nbsp;

Thin line

Loeffler and Perdue have walked moved cautiously, urging Georgians to vote without directly challenging Trump's angry complaints.

Loeffler said she was "SO proud to have our President's support."

But Trump has not made things easier for Georgia Republicans, angrily attacking officials in his own party over his loss there, starting with Governor Brian Kemp.

"I'm ashamed that I endorsed him," Trump said of Kemp, furious that the governor did not denounce Republican secretary of state Brad Raffenspberger -- branded an "enemy of the state" by the president -- for certifying the election.&nbsp;

He tweeted against both men again on Saturday, hours before flying to Georgia, suggesting they were not true "Republicans."

It was unclear whether Kemp and Loeffler would attend the rally Saturday; a young Loeffler staff member and family friend of Kemp's, Harrison Deal, died in a car crash Friday.

For the 74-year-old Trump, who is considering a fresh White House run in 2024, the Georgia rally represents a gamble.

His performance there could boost his political chances, said conservative commentator Marc Thiessen.&nbsp;

But "if he lets Democrats take back the Senate because he was focused on rooting out some mythical communist conspiracy to steal the 2020 election, he will go down in ignominy," Thiessen wrote in The Washington Post.

President Donald Trump is venturing out of Washington on Saturday for his first political appearance since his election defeat to Joe Biden, campaigning in Georgia where two run-off races will decide the fate of the US Senate.

President Donald Trump is venturing out of Washington on Saturday for his first political appearance since his election defeat to Joe Biden, campaigning in Georgia where two run-off races will decide the fate of the US Senate. The president takes the stage at 7:00 pm (0000 Sunday GMT) in the southern city of Valdosta, exactly one month before special January 5 elections. It is just under a month since he was declared the loser in the presidential race. Yet at a time when most defeated presidents would be working to burnish their legacy, Trump -- who has yet to concede to Biden -- has barely left the White House, sending out a stream of angry tweets challenging the result and demanding that Republicans nationwide defend him. That includes the party in Georgia, which Biden won by a mere 12,000 votes. Also Read | Donald Trump allies take Pennsylvania vote complaint to US Supreme Court The stakes in the run-off elections there are sky-high. Former president Barack Obama laid them out at a virtual rally on Friday, saying that "the special election in Georgia is going to determine ultimately the course of the Biden presidency." If Democratic challengers Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff defeat Republican senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, the Senate will be evenly divided at 50-50, meaning Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris would cast any deciding votes, as the Constitution dictates. The race has drawn enormous attention, with donors nationwide pouring in hundreds of millions of dollars and with figures as prominent as Obama, Vice President Mike Pence -- and now Trump himself -- scrambling to boost voter turnout. Mixed messaging But Trump has placed himself in a difficult spot. Since Biden won the November 3 election, the president has repeatedly, and baselessly, attacked the US electoral system as riddled with "fraud." Also Read | With US Senate majority in the pot, parties bring out big guns for Georgia elections Despite an overwhelming series of setbacks in the courts, the president and his lawyers have advanced wild conspiracy theories (one involving long-dead Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez) to explain Biden's victory. Now analysts say he might have created a political monster -- having undercut Georgia voters' faith in the election system just as he needs them to turn out on January 5. A headline in the Valdosta Daily Times summed up the conflicted feeling among area voters: "Trump in Valdosta: S.Ga. excited, outraged by presidential visit." Virus record set Part of the "outrage" stems from the notion of yet another mass Trump rally coming on a day when the banner headline in the Atlanta Journal Constitution reads: "State sets single-day virus record." Masks will be required and temperatures taken at the airport rally, local television channel WALB reported. Trump's ability to excite his supporters remains powerful, and he thrives on the campaign rally setting. But some voters even in long conservative Georgia are expressing weariness over the constant drama surrounding the president. Analysts said it could make a crucial difference whether Trump, in Valdosta, merely repeats his litany of election grievances or instead addresses the importance of maintaining Senate control. "It will be good for the rally if it's about Perdue and Kelley Loeffler and how we need to go vote," Spud Bowen, a Republican businessman from Tifton, Georgia, told the Valdosta Daily Times, "but I am certainly not in the mood to hear any more name-calling." Thin line Loeffler and Perdue have walked moved cautiously, urging Georgians to vote without directly challenging Trump's angry complaints. Loeffler said she was "SO proud to have our President's support." But Trump has not made things easier for Georgia Republicans, angrily attacking officials in his own party over his loss there, starting with Governor Brian Kemp. "I'm ashamed that I endorsed him," Trump said of Kemp, furious that the governor did not denounce Republican secretary of state Brad Raffenspberger -- branded an "enemy of the state" by the president -- for certifying the election. He tweeted against both men again on Saturday, hours before flying to Georgia, suggesting they were not true "Republicans." It was unclear whether Kemp and Loeffler would attend the rally Saturday; a young Loeffler staff member and family friend of Kemp's, Harrison Deal, died in a car crash Friday. For the 74-year-old Trump, who is considering a fresh White House run in 2024, the Georgia rally represents a gamble. His performance there could boost his political chances, said conservative commentator Marc Thiessen. But "if he lets Democrats take back the Senate because he was focused on rooting out some mythical communist conspiracy to steal the 2020 election, he will go down in ignominy," Thiessen wrote in The Washington Post.

Trump to appear in Georgia in gamble over control of US Senate

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