Millions of people in Texas continued to shiver in cold as they were forced to spend winter days with no electricity. The oil and gas capital of the US is witnessing unusual winter storm that pummeled southeastern part of the country. USA's National Weather Service (NWS) issued winter warning for areas from east Texas to the East Coast state of Maryland.

The NWS said the storm would bring ice, sleet and heavy snow to parts of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi as it tracks to the northeast, causing power outages, tree damage and making driving hazardous.&nbsp;

Even though the Arctic air mass was beginning to lose its grip on an area of the country not used to such extreme cold, the frigid temperatures would continue, the NWS said.

"The Arctic air will also continue over the Plains and Mississippi Valley with temperatures of 25 to 40 degrees below average," the NWS reported Wednesday afternoon.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-snowstorm-21-people-killed-across-4-states-27-million-texas-homes-lack-power-364399/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

&nbsp;

Storm claims lives

More than 30 storm-related deaths have been reported by media in the United States since the cold weather arrived last week, many in traffic accidents.

A man in Louisiana died when he hit his head after slipping on ice, and a 10-year-old Tennessee boy perished after he and his six-year-old sister fell through the ice into a pond Sunday.

A dozen animals -- including one 58-year-old female chimpanzee -- died during the freeze at rescue sanctuary Primarily Primates near San Antonio, the organization said on its website Wednesday.

The winter storm spawned at least four tornadoes, according to Atlanta-based weather.com, including one in North Carolina on Monday that killed at least three people and injured 10.

Across the southern border, Mexican officials said six people died after temperatures plunged.

Water shortage

Hundreds of thousands of residents of the Texas metropolis of Houston are suffering from both power outages and a loss of water pressure.

"Water pressure is very low," Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner tweeted. "Please do not run water to keep pipes from bursting."

Several Texas cities advised residents to boil their water before drinking it or using it for cooking.

David Hernandez, 38, spent the night at a Houston church with other people who have fled their homes.

"My car got stranded and I was trying to sleep in the car but it was just too cold," Hernandez said. "Liquids in my car were actually turning to ice so it was like sleeping in an ice box.

"I had to come here," he said. "There's no choice."

Power companies in Texas have implemented rolling blackouts to avoid grids being overloaded as residents crank up the heat.

According to PowerOutage.US, about 2.4 million customers were still without power by Wednesday evening in Texas, the only one of the US's 48 continental states to have its own independent power grid.

'Nearly a failed state'

Beto O'Rourke, a former Democratic presidential candidate from Texas, told MSNBC television the situation in the Lone Star State was "worse than you are hearing."

"Folks have gone days now without electricity. They're suffering," he said.

"So much of this was avoidable," O'Rourke added.&nbsp;

"The energy capital of North America cannot provide the energy needed to warm and power people's homes in this great state. We are nearing a failed state in Texas."

Austin Energy, the local power company in the capital city of 950,000, said tens of thousands of area customers were without electricity, but that they were able to start restoring power in some spots.&nbsp;

"However, this power will NOT stay on indefinitely due to anticipated grid conditions continuing," the company's Twitter account said Wednesday afternoon, warning of future rotating outages.&nbsp;

The energy company published the locations of "warming centers" set up in local schools.

(With AFP inputs)

Millions of people in Texas continued to shiver in cold as they were forced to spend winter days with no electricity. The oil and gas capital of the US is witnessing unusual winter storm that pummeled southeastern part of the country.

Millions of people in Texas continued to shiver in cold as they were forced to spend winter days with no electricity. The oil and gas capital of the US is witnessing unusual winter storm that pummeled southeastern part of the country. USA's National Weather Service (NWS) issued winter warning for areas from east Texas to the East Coast state of Maryland. The NWS said the storm would bring ice, sleet and heavy snow to parts of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi as it tracks to the northeast, causing power outages, tree damage and making driving hazardous. Even though the Arctic air mass was beginning to lose its grip on an area of the country not used to such extreme cold, the frigid temperatures would continue, the NWS said. "The Arctic air will also continue over the Plains and Mississippi Valley with temperatures of 25 to 40 degrees below average," the NWS reported Wednesday afternoon. × Storm claims lives More than 30 storm-related deaths have been reported by media in the United States since the cold weather arrived last week, many in traffic accidents. A man in Louisiana died when he hit his head after slipping on ice, and a 10-year-old Tennessee boy perished after he and his six-year-old sister fell through the ice into a pond Sunday. A dozen animals -- including one 58-year-old female chimpanzee -- died during the freeze at rescue sanctuary Primarily Primates near San Antonio, the organization said on its website Wednesday. The winter storm spawned at least four tornadoes, according to Atlanta-based weather.com, including one in North Carolina on Monday that killed at least three people and injured 10. Across the southern border, Mexican officials said six people died after temperatures plunged. Water shortage Hundreds of thousands of residents of the Texas metropolis of Houston are suffering from both power outages and a loss of water pressure. "Water pressure is very low," Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner tweeted. "Please do not run water to keep pipes from bursting." Several Texas cities advised residents to boil their water before drinking it or using it for cooking. David Hernandez, 38, spent the night at a Houston church with other people who have fled their homes. "My car got stranded and I was trying to sleep in the car but it was just too cold," Hernandez said. "Liquids in my car were actually turning to ice so it was like sleeping in an ice box. "I had to come here," he said. "There's no choice." Power companies in Texas have implemented rolling blackouts to avoid grids being overloaded as residents crank up the heat. According to PowerOutage.US, about 2.4 million customers were still without power by Wednesday evening in Texas, the only one of the US's 48 continental states to have its own independent power grid. 'Nearly a failed state' Beto O'Rourke, a former Democratic presidential candidate from Texas, told MSNBC television the situation in the Lone Star State was "worse than you are hearing." "Folks have gone days now without electricity. They're suffering," he said. "So much of this was avoidable," O'Rourke added. "The energy capital of North America cannot provide the energy needed to warm and power people's homes in this great state. We are nearing a failed state in Texas." Austin Energy, the local power company in the capital city of 950,000, said tens of thousands of area customers were without electricity, but that they were able to start restoring power in some spots. "However, this power will NOT stay on indefinitely due to anticipated grid conditions continuing," the company's Twitter account said Wednesday afternoon, warning of future rotating outages. The energy company published the locations of "warming centers" set up in local schools. (With AFP inputs)

Texas continues to shiver amid power outage, more than 20 deaths reported

A massive winter storm bulldozed its way across the southern and central United States on Monday, leaving millions of people without power amid freezing temperatures, sending vehicles crashing into one another on ice-glazed highways and bringing blizzardlike conditions to places where snowfall is usually the news from elsewhere.

The storm was notable for its enormous reach — 150 million people were under storm warnings — and for a particularly perilous element it brought nearly everywhere: ice. It left a treacherous varnish on roads across a midsection of the country, including places where driving on ice is a rarity.

It was as confounding a storm as it was punishing. Snow blanketed Gulf of Mexico beaches and people went ice sledding on the roads of southern Louisiana. Alabama was warned of brutal ice storms in some places and of possible tornado outbreaks in others. Temperatures were lower in Austin than in Anchorage, Alaska.

“It’s snowing in Houston and it’s going to be raining in Pennsylvania,” said Charles Ross, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in State College, Pennsylvania. “When does that ever happen?”

The state of Texas woke up on Monday to the worst winter onslaught in decades. The state was blanketed by one of its largest snowfalls on record and grappling with hundreds of thousands of power outages, flight cancellations and urgent warnings from government leaders and emergency supervisors to stay put and reduce electric consumption. The 8 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 13 Celsius) recorded in Austin was the lowest in 32 years, forecasters said, and the 6.4 inches of snow dumped on the city overnight was reported to be the deepest in 55 years.

Across the country, at least 11 people have died since the storm intensified in the middle of last week; 10 have been killed in car crashes on Kentucky and Texas roads, including a pileup in Fort Worth, Texas that was attributed to slippery roads, involved more than 100 vehicles and killed six people. And the authorities in San Antonio said that weather conditions contributed to the death of a 78-year-old man.

In Texas, an estimated 2.6 million homes and businesses had their power interrupted Sunday night and Monday morning because of storm damage or in rotating outages ordered by regulators. Many of the interruptions were fairly short, lasting between 15 and 45 minutes, but some customers have lost power for hours and remained unsure late Monday when it would be back on.

The Southwest Power Pool, a consortium that oversees electric utilities in 14 states — from Montana to New Mexico and Minnesota to Louisiana — has ordered its member utilities to start controlled rolling cutoffs of electric service as the demand for power is overwhelming the available generation, which has been hampered by the storm.

After hurtling eastward across the South, the storm was expected to move into the Northeast. An area stretching from Ohio into northern New England was expected to face ice and heavy snow, with some spots getting up to a foot of snow by Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. Heavy snow was already falling on Monday in Chicago, adding inches to several layers left in recent days. The forecast calls for a mix of sleet and freezing rain closer to the East Coast.

“It’s a pretty sprawled-out system,” said Michael J. Ventrice, a meteorological scientist with IBM. “We’re seeing snowfall in eastern Texas, and a wintry mix of snow, freezing rain, sleet, et cetera, all the way up through parts of the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes this morning.”

The brutal cold in the middle of the country seemed to defy a trend of ever-milder winters, but research suggests that frigid temperatures in Texas could be a consequence of global warming, a phenomenon that has prompted climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe to use the phrase “global weirding.”

There is research suggesting that Arctic warming is weakening the jet stream, the high-level air current that circles the northern latitudes and usually holds back the frigid polar vortex. This allows the cold air to escape to the south, especially when a blast of additional warming strikes the stratosphere and deforms the vortex. The result can be episodes of plunging temperatures, even in places that rarely get nipped by frost.

All along its path, the storm continued its disorienting assault. In Tennessee, sleet and freezing rain that began falling on Sunday turned into snow by Monday afternoon, and temperatures plunged, with a low of 9 degrees forecast for Tuesday. Crews were at work trying to clear ice-slicked roadways for emergency vehicles and drivers, the authorities said, but the traffic accidents continued anyway, with cars and trucks skidding into each other and into ditches along roadsides.

“For the love of goodness, please stay home,” the Tennessee Highway Patrol said on Twitter on Monday afternoon. “It is very bad out here!!!! Another injury crash. The roads are white!!!!”

Officials in Kentucky shared similar concerns, as a winter storm warning was in effect in Louisville, with several more inches of snow expected.

“We did not make it through almost a year of a pandemic to lose people to a snow or ice storm,” Gov. Andy Beshear said in a briefing on Monday.

In places where pipes never freeze and bridges rarely ice over, even a light snowstorm can prove dangerous. But this storm was a monster by any measure and it was barreling through a country already facing a litany of other crises.

Coronavirus vaccinations were postponed or canceled across the South, including in states that were already lagging the national average in the pace of vaccine distribution. And people on the Gulf Coast, just months into the long recovery from a record-breaking hurricane season, felt the deep chill through still-unfinished walls.

“The windy storm knocked a tree onto our house, then the wet storm poured the rain in,” said Adley Cormier, 68, whose house in Lake Charles, Louisiana, was battered by Hurricanes Laura and Delta over the last summer. With the availability of repair help limited because of “COVID and everything else,” Cormier said, the holes in his house had yet to be fully patched when the snow, sleet and freezing rain showed up.

“This is the coldest that it’s been in my lifetime,” he said. “This is number three of three big disasters for us.”

A massive winter storm bulldozed its way across the southern and central United States on Monday, leaving millions of people without power amid freezing temperatures, sending vehicles crashing into one another on ice-glazed highways and bringing blizzardlike conditions to places where snowfall is usually the news from elsewhere.

A massive winter storm bulldozed its way across the southern and central United States on Monday, leaving millions of people without power amid freezing temperatures, sending vehicles crashing into one another on ice-glazed highways and bringing blizzardlike conditions to places where snowfall is usually the news from elsewhere. The storm was notable for its enormous reach — 150 million people were under storm warnings — and for a particularly perilous element it brought nearly everywhere: ice. It left a treacherous varnish on roads across a midsection of the country, including places where driving on ice is a rarity. It was as confounding a storm as it was punishing. Snow blanketed Gulf of Mexico beaches and people went ice sledding on the roads of southern Louisiana. Alabama was warned of brutal ice storms in some places and of possible tornado outbreaks in others. Temperatures were lower in Austin than in Anchorage, Alaska. “It’s snowing in Houston and it’s going to be raining in Pennsylvania,” said Charles Ross, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in State College, Pennsylvania. “When does that ever happen?” The state of Texas woke up on Monday to the worst winter onslaught in decades. The state was blanketed by one of its largest snowfalls on record and grappling with hundreds of thousands of power outages, flight cancellations and urgent warnings from government leaders and emergency supervisors to stay put and reduce electric consumption. The 8 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 13 Celsius) recorded in Austin was the lowest in 32 years, forecasters said, and the 6.4 inches of snow dumped on the city overnight was reported to be the deepest in 55 years. Across the country, at least 11 people have died since the storm intensified in the middle of last week; 10 have been killed in car crashes on Kentucky and Texas roads, including a pileup in Fort Worth, Texas that was attributed to slippery roads, involved more than 100 vehicles and killed six people. And the authorities in San Antonio said that weather conditions contributed to the death of a 78-year-old man. In Texas, an estimated 2.6 million homes and businesses had their power interrupted Sunday night and Monday morning because of storm damage or in rotating outages ordered by regulators. Many of the interruptions were fairly short, lasting between 15 and 45 minutes, but some customers have lost power for hours and remained unsure late Monday when it would be back on. The Southwest Power Pool, a consortium that oversees electric utilities in 14 states — from Montana to New Mexico and Minnesota to Louisiana — has ordered its member utilities to start controlled rolling cutoffs of electric service as the demand for power is overwhelming the available generation, which has been hampered by the storm. After hurtling eastward across the South, the storm was expected to move into the Northeast. An area stretching from Ohio into northern New England was expected to face ice and heavy snow, with some spots getting up to a foot of snow by Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. Heavy snow was already falling on Monday in Chicago, adding inches to several layers left in recent days. The forecast calls for a mix of sleet and freezing rain closer to the East Coast. “It’s a pretty sprawled-out system,” said Michael J. Ventrice, a meteorological scientist with IBM. “We’re seeing snowfall in eastern Texas, and a wintry mix of snow, freezing rain, sleet, et cetera, all the way up through parts of the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes this morning.” The brutal cold in the middle of the country seemed to defy a trend of ever-milder winters, but research suggests that frigid temperatures in Texas could be a consequence of global warming, a phenomenon that has prompted climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe to use the phrase “global weirding.” There is research suggesting that Arctic warming is weakening the jet stream, the high-level air current that circles the northern latitudes and usually holds back the frigid polar vortex. This allows the cold air to escape to the south, especially when a blast of additional warming strikes the stratosphere and deforms the vortex. The result can be episodes of plunging temperatures, even in places that rarely get nipped by frost. All along its path, the storm continued its disorienting assault. In Tennessee, sleet and freezing rain that began falling on Sunday turned into snow by Monday afternoon, and temperatures plunged, with a low of 9 degrees forecast for Tuesday. Crews were at work trying to clear ice-slicked roadways for emergency vehicles and drivers, the authorities said, but the traffic accidents continued anyway, with cars and trucks skidding into each other and into ditches along roadsides. “For the love of goodness, please stay home,” the Tennessee Highway Patrol said on Twitter on Monday afternoon. “It is very bad out here!!!! Another injury crash. The roads are white!!!!” Officials in Kentucky shared similar concerns, as a winter storm warning was in effect in Louisville, with several more inches of snow expected. “We did not make it through almost a year of a pandemic to lose people to a snow or ice storm,” Gov. Andy Beshear said in a briefing on Monday. In places where pipes never freeze and bridges rarely ice over, even a light snowstorm can prove dangerous. But this storm was a monster by any measure and it was barreling through a country already facing a litany of other crises. Coronavirus vaccinations were postponed or canceled across the South, including in states that were already lagging the national average in the pace of vaccine distribution. And people on the Gulf Coast, just months into the long recovery from a record-breaking hurricane season, felt the deep chill through still-unfinished walls. “The windy storm knocked a tree onto our house, then the wet storm poured the rain in,” said Adley Cormier, 68, whose house in Lake Charles, Louisiana, was battered by Hurricanes Laura and Delta over the last summer. With the availability of repair help limited because of “COVID and everything else,” Cormier said, the holes in his house had yet to be fully patched when the snow, sleet and freezing rain showed up. “This is the coldest that it’s been in my lifetime,” he said. “This is number three of three big disasters for us.”

Icy storm barrels across central US, leaving millions without power

Kyaw Tint Swe close aide to ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi was detained on Thursday, said a party official. Myanmar is witnessing fresh wave of arrests following the military coup on February 1. Kyi Toe, an information committee member of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD), said Kyaw Tint Swe and four other people linked to the previous government had been taken from their homes overnight, and the top leadership of the former electoral commission had all been arrested.

NLD had won the November 2020 election by a landslide. Military claims that there was widespread fraud in the elections. Myanmar's electoral commission had rejected those claims.

Protesters gathered across the country for a sixth straight day on Thursday.

Hundreds of workers lined a road in the capital Naypyitaw in support of the civil disobedience movement, chanting anti-junta slogans and carrying placards supporting Suu Kyi.

In line with the creative ethos of recent demonstrations where some protesters have worn ball gowns and fancy dress, rallies in Yangon included men and boys dressed in short skirts. "We don't take off our skirt until we get democracy back," one sign read.

US Sanctions

US President Joe Biden on Wednesday approved an executive order for sanctions on those who were responsible for the coup in Myanmar. He has demanded that Myanmar's generals give up power and civilian leaders be freed.

Washington would identify the first round of targets this week and was taking steps to prevent the generals in Myanmar, also known as Burma, having access to $1 billion in Myanmar government funds held in the United States.

"We're also going to impose strong exports controls. We're freezing U.S. assets that benefit the Burmese government while maintaining our support for health care, civil society groups, and other areas that benefit the people of Burma directly," Biden said at the White House.

Washington is likely to target coup leader Min Aung Hlaing and other top generals who are already under U.S. sanctions imposed in 2019 over abuses against Rohingya Muslims and other minorities.

(With Reuters inputs)

Kyaw Tint Swe close aide to ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi was detained on Thursday, said a party official. Myanmar is witnessing fresh wave of arrests following the military coup on February 1.

Kyaw Tint Swe close aide to ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi was detained on Thursday, said a party official. Myanmar is witnessing fresh wave of arrests following the military coup on February 1. Kyi Toe, an information committee member of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD), said Kyaw Tint Swe and four other people linked to the previous government had been taken from their homes overnight, and the top leadership of the former electoral commission had all been arrested. NLD had won the November 2020 election by a landslide. Military claims that there was widespread fraud in the elections. Myanmar's electoral commission had rejected those claims. Protesters gathered across the country for a sixth straight day on Thursday. Hundreds of workers lined a road in the capital Naypyitaw in support of the civil disobedience movement, chanting anti-junta slogans and carrying placards supporting Suu Kyi. In line with the creative ethos of recent demonstrations where some protesters have worn ball gowns and fancy dress, rallies in Yangon included men and boys dressed in short skirts. "We don't take off our skirt until we get democracy back," one sign read. US Sanctions US President Joe Biden on Wednesday approved an executive order for sanctions on those who were responsible for the coup in Myanmar. He has demanded that Myanmar's generals give up power and civilian leaders be freed. Washington would identify the first round of targets this week and was taking steps to prevent the generals in Myanmar, also known as Burma, having access to $1 billion in Myanmar government funds held in the United States. "We're also going to impose strong exports controls. We're freezing U.S. assets that benefit the Burmese government while maintaining our support for health care, civil society groups, and other areas that benefit the people of Burma directly," Biden said at the White House. Washington is likely to target coup leader Min Aung Hlaing and other top generals who are already under U.S. sanctions imposed in 2019 over abuses against Rohingya Muslims and other minorities. (With Reuters inputs)

Myanmar: Suu Kyi close aide detained, fresh wave of arrests

Twitter on Wednesday said that ban on former US President Donald Trump was permanent and it did not matter whether he ran for the post of president again. A senior executive of Twitter stressed that if anyone was removed from platform, Twitter did not allow him to come back. Twitter's Chief Financial Officer Ned Segel said this while he was being interviewed on CNBC.

He was asked whether Donald Trump's Twitter privileges could be restored if he came back to power.

“The way our policies work, when you’re removed from the platform, you’re removed from the platform,” Segal was quoted as saying.

“Whether you’re a commentator, you’re a CFO, or you are a former or current public official. Remember, our policies are designed to make sure that people are not inciting violence, and if anybody does that, we have to remove them from the service and our policies don’t allow people to come back,” he added during his interview on CNBC.

US Senate is holding trial for Donald Trump impeachment. Trump is the only American president to be impeached twice.&nbsp;

A prolific tweeter, Trump faced criticism during his presidency for what was called policy-making on Twitter. His tweets were often at odds with public stance taken by departments of his own administration.

The breaking point came when Trump supporters attacked US Capitol building on January 6. Trump was criticised for not making appeals for calm hours after the violence began. He was soon permanently banned by Twitter, Facebook and many other social media platforms.

Twitter on Wednesday said that ban on former US President Donald Trump was permanent and it did not matter whether he ran for the post of president again. A senior executive of Twitter stressed that if anyone was removed from platform, Twitter did not allow him to come back.

Twitter on Wednesday said that ban on former US President Donald Trump was permanent and it did not matter whether he ran for the post of president again. A senior executive of Twitter stressed that if anyone was removed from platform, Twitter did not allow him to come back. Twitter's Chief Financial Officer Ned Segel said this while he was being interviewed on CNBC. He was asked whether Donald Trump's Twitter privileges could be restored if he came back to power. “The way our policies work, when you’re removed from the platform, you’re removed from the platform,” Segal was quoted as saying. “Whether you’re a commentator, you’re a CFO, or you are a former or current public official. Remember, our policies are designed to make sure that people are not inciting violence, and if anybody does that, we have to remove them from the service and our policies don’t allow people to come back,” he added during his interview on CNBC. US Senate is holding trial for Donald Trump impeachment. Trump is the only American president to be impeached twice. A prolific tweeter, Trump faced criticism during his presidency for what was called policy-making on Twitter. His tweets were often at odds with public stance taken by departments of his own administration. The breaking point came when Trump supporters attacked US Capitol building on January 6. Trump was criticised for not making appeals for calm hours after the violence began. He was soon permanently banned by Twitter, Facebook and many other social media platforms.

Twitter: Trump ban permanent, no matter if he runs for president again

The United States intends to revoke terrorist designation of Houthis in Yemen. The decision is being taken due to humanitarian crisis in Yemen. Houthis in Yemen were declared as terrorists in a last-minute decision taken by former US President Donald Trump's administration. The latest decision by the US has come almost immediately after US President Joe Biden said that US was ending support to Saudi Arabia-led military campaign in Yemen.

“Our action is due entirely to the humanitarian consequences of this last-minute designation from the prior administration, which the United Nations and humanitarian organizations have since made clear would accelerate the world’s worst humanitarian crisis,” the official said. The official was quoted by Reuters.

The United Nations describes Yemen as the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis, with 80% of its people in need.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blacklisted the Houthis on Jan. 19 - a day before Biden took office.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/donald-trump-writes-who-cares-as-he-resigns-from-screen-actors-guild-after-facing-expulsion-notice-361529">Donald Trump writes 'who cares' as he resigns from Screen Actors Guild after facing expulsion notice</a>

The Trump administration exempted aid groups, the United Nations, the Red Cross and the export of agricultural commodities, medicine and medical devices from its designation. But U.N. officials and relief groups said the carve-outs were not enough and called for the decision to be revoked.

The crisis in Yemen is largely seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran

The official quoted by Reuters said that though the terrorist designation of Houthis was being removed, the decision did not mean that US does not oppose their “reprehensible conduct.”

(With Reuters inputs)

The United States intends to revoke terrorist designation of Houthis in Yemen. The decision is being taken due to humanitarian crisis in Yemen. Houthis in Yemen were declared as terrorists in a last-minute decision taken by former US President Donald Trump's administration.

The United States intends to revoke terrorist designation of Houthis in Yemen. The decision is being taken due to humanitarian crisis in Yemen. Houthis in Yemen were declared as terrorists in a last-minute decision taken by former US President Donald Trump's administration. The latest decision by the US has come almost immediately after US President Joe Biden said that US was ending support to Saudi Arabia-led military campaign in Yemen. “Our action is due entirely to the humanitarian consequences of this last-minute designation from the prior administration, which the United Nations and humanitarian organizations have since made clear would accelerate the world’s worst humanitarian crisis,” the official said. The official was quoted by Reuters. The United Nations describes Yemen as the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis, with 80% of its people in need. Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blacklisted the Houthis on Jan. 19 - a day before Biden took office. Also Read | Donald Trump writes 'who cares' as he resigns from Screen Actors Guild after facing expulsion notice The Trump administration exempted aid groups, the United Nations, the Red Cross and the export of agricultural commodities, medicine and medical devices from its designation. But U.N. officials and relief groups said the carve-outs were not enough and called for the decision to be revoked. The crisis in Yemen is largely seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran The official quoted by Reuters said that though the terrorist designation of Houthis was being removed, the decision did not mean that US does not oppose their “reprehensible conduct.” (With Reuters inputs)

Yemen: US to revoke terrorist designation of Houthis

US government under President Joe Biden has maintained tough stance against Turkey over its purchase of Russian S-400 missile defense system. US has maintained its tough position since Donald Trump presidency. Trump had imposed sanctions on Turkey over the issue.&nbsp;

"Our position has not changed," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters. "We urge Turkey not to retain the S-400 system."

Turkey had made the purchase from Russia after talks with the US to purchase US Patriots systems failed. Turkey bout the Russian system in 2019. It was in talks with the US for missile purchase during Barack Obama presidency.

It took delivery of the $2.5 billion S-400 system in defiance of warnings that such military cooperation was incompatible with NATO and would let Russia improve its targeting of Western planes.

In retaliation, Washington banned all US export licenses and loan credits for Turkey's military procurement agency, the Presidency of Defense Industries.

"Turkey is a longstanding and valued NATO ally, but their decision to purchase the S-400 is inconsistent with Turkey's commitments as a US and NATO ally," Kirby continued during a press briefing.

"Turkey had multiple opportunities over the last decade to purchase the Patriot defense system from the United States and instead chose to purchase the S-400, which provides Russia revenue, access and influence," he noted.&nbsp;

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had expressed hope in January about the country rejoining the F-35 fighter jet development program. But contact between Turkey and Joe Biden administration has been minimal.

(With AFP inputs)

US government under President Joe Biden has maintained tough stance against Turkey over its purchase of Russian S-400 missile defense system. US has maintained its tough position since Donald Trump presidency.

US government under President Joe Biden has maintained tough stance against Turkey over its purchase of Russian S-400 missile defense system. US has maintained its tough position since Donald Trump presidency. Trump had imposed sanctions on Turkey over the issue. "Our position has not changed," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters. "We urge Turkey not to retain the S-400 system." Turkey had made the purchase from Russia after talks with the US to purchase US Patriots systems failed. Turkey bout the Russian system in 2019. It was in talks with the US for missile purchase during Barack Obama presidency. It took delivery of the $2.5 billion S-400 system in defiance of warnings that such military cooperation was incompatible with NATO and would let Russia improve its targeting of Western planes. In retaliation, Washington banned all US export licenses and loan credits for Turkey's military procurement agency, the Presidency of Defense Industries. "Turkey is a longstanding and valued NATO ally, but their decision to purchase the S-400 is inconsistent with Turkey's commitments as a US and NATO ally," Kirby continued during a press briefing. "Turkey had multiple opportunities over the last decade to purchase the Patriot defense system from the United States and instead chose to purchase the S-400, which provides Russia revenue, access and influence," he noted. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had expressed hope in January about the country rejoining the F-35 fighter jet development program. But contact between Turkey and Joe Biden administration has been minimal. (With AFP inputs)

US talks tough over Turkey's S-400 Russian missile system purchase

US President Joe Biden said on Friday (local time) that former US President Donald Trump should not receive classified intelligence briefings. He was being interviewed in a show on CBS. It is traditional in the US that former presidents can request and get presented&nbsp;intelligence briefings by US agencies. However, Biden said that Trump should not be given these briefings owing to his "erratic behavior unrelated to the insurrection."

"I just think that there is no need for him to have the -- the intelligence briefings. What value is giving him an intelligence briefing? What impact does he have at all, other than the fact he might slip and say something?" Biden was quoted as saying.

When asked what was his concern about Trump getting the intelligence briefings, Biden said that he would "rather not speculate out loud"

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-to-revoke-terrorist-designation-of-houthis-in-yemen-361678">US to revoke terrorist designation of Houthis in Yemen</a>

Donald Trump is facing his second impeachment trial this week in US Senate. He has been charged with inciting violence at the Capitol Hill on January 6.

Trump spent the months after the election fighting the results in court and making baseless allegations of widespread fraud. He did not attend Biden’s Jan. 20 inauguration with other former U.S. presidents, flying instead to Florida where he has set up his post-presidential office.

(With Reuters inputs)

US President Joe Biden said on Friday (local time) that former US President Donald Trump should not receive classified intelligence briefings. He was being interviewed in a show on CBS.

US President Joe Biden said on Friday (local time) that former US President Donald Trump should not receive classified intelligence briefings. He was being interviewed in a show on CBS. It is traditional in the US that former presidents can request and get presented intelligence briefings by US agencies. However, Biden said that Trump should not be given these briefings owing to his "erratic behavior unrelated to the insurrection." "I just think that there is no need for him to have the -- the intelligence briefings. What value is giving him an intelligence briefing? What impact does he have at all, other than the fact he might slip and say something?" Biden was quoted as saying. When asked what was his concern about Trump getting the intelligence briefings, Biden said that he would "rather not speculate out loud" Also Read | US to revoke terrorist designation of Houthis in Yemen Donald Trump is facing his second impeachment trial this week in US Senate. He has been charged with inciting violence at the Capitol Hill on January 6. Trump spent the months after the election fighting the results in court and making baseless allegations of widespread fraud. He did not attend Biden’s Jan. 20 inauguration with other former U.S. presidents, flying instead to Florida where he has set up his post-presidential office. (With Reuters inputs)

Donald Trump should not receive intelligence briefings, Joe Biden feels

A Mexican law has stopped the United States from rapidly turning away migrant families at one of the busiest sections of the southwestern border, forcing agents to resume releasing families into the country, according to three Biden administration officials.

The Trump administration began turning back migrants entering the United States in March, citing the threat of the coronavirus, and the emergency rule effectively sealed the border from asylum-seekers. But because of a law Mexico passed in November that prohibits the detention of immigrant children and families, the country has stopped accepting such families from South Texas, an area typically susceptible to illegal crossings, officials said.

The recent shift has alarmed officials at the Department of Homeland Security and presents an immediate challenge to the Biden administration. Homeland security officials have said the emergency rule was necessary to prevent the coronavirus from spreading in detention facilities along the border, even as it prevented vulnerable families from having their asylum claims heard. An increasing number of families have been held in recent weeks in such facilities in the Rio Grande Valley, as well as in Del Rio, Texas, officials said.

Stephanie Malin, a spokeswoman for Customs and Border Protection, said because of pandemic precautions and social distancing guidelines, some facilities had reached full “safe holding capacity.”

“CBP takes very seriously the safety and well-being of its workforce and those they encounter, and we are taking even more precautions due to COVID-19,” Malin said. “As they always have, the number of individuals crossing the border continues to fluctuate, and we continue to adapt accordingly.” She said the agency was working with organizations in the community when releasing migrants into the public.

The United States has sent more than 390,000 migrants back to Mexico or their home countries since March. The rule lowered the number of migrants detained on the U.S. side of the border, but it also sent Central American families scrambling at times when they learned that their children had been delivered to Mexico, a violation of international agreements. And while the policy was a crucial piece of the Trump administration’s attempts to close the border to migrants, the rule also had the unintended effect of giving migrants more chances to enter illegally.

Customs and Border Protection recorded more than 73,000 crossings in December, an increase from the more than 40,000 in July. Agents detained more than 40,000 migrants in December 2019.

The Mexican law, which took effect in January, does not apply to the entire border, officials said. U.S. border agents are still turning back single adults and, in places like Arizona, families, as well, officials said. It is unclear how the law will affect other parts of the border.

A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry in Mexico declined to comment on whether it had stopped accepting migrant families, saying only that the United States continued to have the pandemic emergency rule in place.

But the Biden administration has been unable to return migrant families to Reynosa, Mexico, a change that was first reported by The Washington Post. The shift has elicited concern at Customs and Border Protection of a potential rise of crossings by families to the neighboring Rio Grande Valley. Border crossings in recent years have been fueled mostly by Central American families fleeing persecution, violence and poverty.

The Department of Homeland Security is building a tent facility in Donna, Texas, to house migrants, but an administration official said that was unrelated to the law in Mexico. Customs and Border Protection said in November it would shut the main detention facility in McAllen for renovations.

President Joe Biden campaigned on restoring asylum at the southwestern border and signed an executive order this week directing the administration to review rolling back President Donald Trump’s restrictionist policies.

The new administration has not detailed publicly when the pandemic emergency rule will be lifted. After a federal judge in the District of Columbia lifted a block on the rule, which prevented the United States from turning away unaccompanied migrant children, the White House said it would use its discretion in deciding when to apply the policy.

Biden said in December that his administration would take a cautious approach to reversing Trump-era policies to avoid a surge at the border.

His immigration plan involved relying more on programs that track migrants after they are released into the United States to ensure they show up for immigration court and less on detaining them.

Mexico, for its part, drew praise for enacting restrictions on whom it detained.

“Mexico is making a decisive step to end immigration detention for children, and we are encouraged by this promising development,” said Gillian Triggs, the assistant high commissioner for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

While top officials in the Trump administration argued its emergency rule was only an attempt to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Trump’s White House tried to use the policy to further his goals of curtailing illegal immigration.

A Mexican law has stopped the United States from rapidly turning away migrant families at one of the busiest sections of the southwestern border, forcing agents to resume releasing families into the country, according to three Biden administration officials.

A Mexican law has stopped the United States from rapidly turning away migrant families at one of the busiest sections of the southwestern border, forcing agents to resume releasing families into the country, according to three Biden administration officials. The Trump administration began turning back migrants entering the United States in March, citing the threat of the coronavirus, and the emergency rule effectively sealed the border from asylum-seekers. But because of a law Mexico passed in November that prohibits the detention of immigrant children and families, the country has stopped accepting such families from South Texas, an area typically susceptible to illegal crossings, officials said. The recent shift has alarmed officials at the Department of Homeland Security and presents an immediate challenge to the Biden administration. Homeland security officials have said the emergency rule was necessary to prevent the coronavirus from spreading in detention facilities along the border, even as it prevented vulnerable families from having their asylum claims heard. An increasing number of families have been held in recent weeks in such facilities in the Rio Grande Valley, as well as in Del Rio, Texas, officials said. Stephanie Malin, a spokeswoman for Customs and Border Protection, said because of pandemic precautions and social distancing guidelines, some facilities had reached full “safe holding capacity.” “CBP takes very seriously the safety and well-being of its workforce and those they encounter, and we are taking even more precautions due to COVID-19,” Malin said. “As they always have, the number of individuals crossing the border continues to fluctuate, and we continue to adapt accordingly.” She said the agency was working with organizations in the community when releasing migrants into the public. The United States has sent more than 390,000 migrants back to Mexico or their home countries since March. The rule lowered the number of migrants detained on the U.S. side of the border, but it also sent Central American families scrambling at times when they learned that their children had been delivered to Mexico, a violation of international agreements. And while the policy was a crucial piece of the Trump administration’s attempts to close the border to migrants, the rule also had the unintended effect of giving migrants more chances to enter illegally. Customs and Border Protection recorded more than 73,000 crossings in December, an increase from the more than 40,000 in July. Agents detained more than 40,000 migrants in December 2019. The Mexican law, which took effect in January, does not apply to the entire border, officials said. U.S. border agents are still turning back single adults and, in places like Arizona, families, as well, officials said. It is unclear how the law will affect other parts of the border. A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry in Mexico declined to comment on whether it had stopped accepting migrant families, saying only that the United States continued to have the pandemic emergency rule in place. But the Biden administration has been unable to return migrant families to Reynosa, Mexico, a change that was first reported by The Washington Post. The shift has elicited concern at Customs and Border Protection of a potential rise of crossings by families to the neighboring Rio Grande Valley. Border crossings in recent years have been fueled mostly by Central American families fleeing persecution, violence and poverty. The Department of Homeland Security is building a tent facility in Donna, Texas, to house migrants, but an administration official said that was unrelated to the law in Mexico. Customs and Border Protection said in November it would shut the main detention facility in McAllen for renovations. President Joe Biden campaigned on restoring asylum at the southwestern border and signed an executive order this week directing the administration to review rolling back President Donald Trump’s restrictionist policies. The new administration has not detailed publicly when the pandemic emergency rule will be lifted. After a federal judge in the District of Columbia lifted a block on the rule, which prevented the United States from turning away unaccompanied migrant children, the White House said it would use its discretion in deciding when to apply the policy. Biden said in December that his administration would take a cautious approach to reversing Trump-era policies to avoid a surge at the border. His immigration plan involved relying more on programs that track migrants after they are released into the United States to ensure they show up for immigration court and less on detaining them. Mexico, for its part, drew praise for enacting restrictions on whom it detained. “Mexico is making a decisive step to end immigration detention for children, and we are encouraged by this promising development,” said Gillian Triggs, the assistant high commissioner for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. While top officials in the Trump administration argued its emergency rule was only an attempt to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Trump’s White House tried to use the policy to further his goals of curtailing illegal immigration.

Mexican law halts US from turning back some migrant families

Turkey rejected USA's criticism over its mass detentions of students. Turkey has been witnessing student protests for about a month. It told Washington to not to interfere in its internal affairs.

Hundreds of students and their supporters were detained this week after police violently cracked down on protests against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's appointment last month of a loyalist as rector of Istanbul's elite Bogazici University.

On Wednesday, Erdogan criticised LGBT movement's role in student rallies and said that some of the student protesters were "terrorists".

The US State Department called Erdogan's "rhetoric" unacceptable, urging Turkey to embrace protests and "even speech that some may find uncomfortable".

The Turkish foreign ministry responded on Thursday by saying it would "advise those who dare to teach a lesson of democracy and law... to look in the mirror".

"No one should dare to interfere in Turkey's domestic affairs," it said in a statement.

But the statement responded only to Washington's criticism of the detentions, without referring to Erdogan's comments about the LGBT movement.

Erdogan on Wednesday said there was "no such thing" as LGBT, adding: "This country is... moral, and it will walk to the future with these values."

(With AFP inputs)

Turkey rejected USA's criticism over its mass detentions of students. Turkey has been witnessing student protests for about a month. It told Washington to not to interfere in its internal affairs.

Turkey rejected USA's criticism over its mass detentions of students. Turkey has been witnessing student protests for about a month. It told Washington to not to interfere in its internal affairs. Hundreds of students and their supporters were detained this week after police violently cracked down on protests against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's appointment last month of a loyalist as rector of Istanbul's elite Bogazici University. On Wednesday, Erdogan criticised LGBT movement's role in student rallies and said that some of the student protesters were "terrorists". The US State Department called Erdogan's "rhetoric" unacceptable, urging Turkey to embrace protests and "even speech that some may find uncomfortable". The Turkish foreign ministry responded on Thursday by saying it would "advise those who dare to teach a lesson of democracy and law... to look in the mirror". "No one should dare to interfere in Turkey's domestic affairs," it said in a statement. But the statement responded only to Washington's criticism of the detentions, without referring to Erdogan's comments about the LGBT movement. Erdogan on Wednesday said there was "no such thing" as LGBT, adding: "This country is... moral, and it will walk to the future with these values." (With AFP inputs)

Turkey tells US not to interfere in its internal matters

US State Department on Thursday said that it welcomed steps that would improve the efficiency of India's markets and attract greater private sector investment. It indicated that the US government was supportive of India's move to reform the agricultural sector.

"We encourage that any differences between the parties be resolved through dialogue,"&nbsp;US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said.

Farmers have been protesting on the borders of Delhi since November 26 against the three newly enacted farm laws: Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.

On January 26, violence broke out during the farmer tractor rally on the occasion of Republic Day.

On Wednesday, Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that no foreign government had supported the farmer protests.

In response to a question in the lower house of the Indian Parliament, Lok Sabha, minister of state in the MEA, V Muraleedharan said, "No foreign government has given support to the agitation of Indian farmers against three bills passed by Indian Parliament", pointing out, "In Canada, UK, USA, and in few European countries, protests by a few motivated PIO’s (Persons of Indian origin) on issues related to the Indian Farm Bill have been reported."

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau was the only world leader to make a statement on the protests.

MEA MoS highlighted the Canadian PM's comments were taken up&nbsp;with the "Canadian authorities both in Ottawa and New Delhi and conveyed that such comments pertaining to the internal affairs of India are unwarranted, unacceptable" and "would damage India-Canada bilateral relations."

(With agency inputs)

US State Department on Thursday said that it welcomed steps that would improve the efficiency of India's markets and attract greater private sector investment. It indicated that the US government was supportive of India's move to reform the agricultural sector.

US State Department on Thursday said that it welcomed steps that would improve the efficiency of India's markets and attract greater private sector investment. It indicated that the US government was supportive of India's move to reform the agricultural sector. "We encourage that any differences between the parties be resolved through dialogue," US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said. Farmers have been protesting on the borders of Delhi since November 26 against the three newly enacted farm laws: Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. On January 26, violence broke out during the farmer tractor rally on the occasion of Republic Day. On Wednesday, Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that no foreign government had supported the farmer protests. In response to a question in the lower house of the Indian Parliament, Lok Sabha, minister of state in the MEA, V Muraleedharan said, "No foreign government has given support to the agitation of Indian farmers against three bills passed by Indian Parliament", pointing out, "In Canada, UK, USA, and in few European countries, protests by a few motivated PIO’s (Persons of Indian origin) on issues related to the Indian Farm Bill have been reported." Canadian PM Justin Trudeau was the only world leader to make a statement on the protests. MEA MoS highlighted the Canadian PM's comments were taken up with the "Canadian authorities both in Ottawa and New Delhi and conveyed that such comments pertaining to the internal affairs of India are unwarranted, unacceptable" and "would damage India-Canada bilateral relations." (With agency inputs)

Farm laws will improve efficiency of Indian markets, says US

On the same day as the US saying that it was "outraged" at the acquittal of killer of Daniel Pearl, Sindh government in Pakistan has filed a review petition before Pakistan Supreme Court. The court on Thursday had ordered the immediate release of Omar Saeed Sheikh, the prime suspect in Daniel Pearl killing who was convicted of the murder by a lower court in Pakistan. The review petition has been filed against the order given by Pakistan Supreme Court on Thursday.&nbsp;

Daniel Pearl was South Asia bureau chief of Wall Street Journal. He was abducted and killed in 2002. His killing was filmed. The entire incident had caused outrage globally.

Pearl was researching a story about Islamist militants when he was abducted in the southern port megacity of Karachi in Sindh province in January 2002.

Nearly a month later, after a string of ransom demands, a graphic video showing his decapitation was given to officials.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-expresses-outrage-after-pakistan-sc-acquits-daniel-pearls-killer-360009/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

&nbsp;

Sheikh, a British-born jihadist who once studied at the London School of Economics and had been involved in previous kidnappings of foreigners, was arrested days after Pearl's abduction.&nbsp;

He was later sentenced to death by hanging after telling a Karachi court that Pearl had already been killed days before the gruesome video of the journalist's beheading had been released.

Pearl's family on Thursday called the decision to free him "a travesty of justice" and pleaded for US intervention in the case.&nbsp;

On Friday, US President Joe Biden's chief spokeswoman Jen Psaki made USA's displeasure clear. She said that US was &nbsp;"outraged by the Pakistani Supreme Court's decision"&nbsp;

She called the ruling "an affront to terrorism victims everywhere" and demanded the Pakistani government "review its legal options."

(With AFP inputs)

On the same day as the US saying that it was "outraged" at the acquittal of killer of Daniel Pearl, Sindh government in Pakistan has filed a review petition before Pakistan Supreme Court.

On the same day as the US saying that it was "outraged" at the acquittal of killer of Daniel Pearl, Sindh government in Pakistan has filed a review petition before Pakistan Supreme Court. The court on Thursday had ordered the immediate release of Omar Saeed Sheikh, the prime suspect in Daniel Pearl killing who was convicted of the murder by a lower court in Pakistan. The review petition has been filed against the order given by Pakistan Supreme Court on Thursday. Daniel Pearl was South Asia bureau chief of Wall Street Journal. He was abducted and killed in 2002. His killing was filmed. The entire incident had caused outrage globally. Pearl was researching a story about Islamist militants when he was abducted in the southern port megacity of Karachi in Sindh province in January 2002. Nearly a month later, after a string of ransom demands, a graphic video showing his decapitation was given to officials. × Sheikh, a British-born jihadist who once studied at the London School of Economics and had been involved in previous kidnappings of foreigners, was arrested days after Pearl's abduction. He was later sentenced to death by hanging after telling a Karachi court that Pearl had already been killed days before the gruesome video of the journalist's beheading had been released. Pearl's family on Thursday called the decision to free him "a travesty of justice" and pleaded for US intervention in the case. On Friday, US President Joe Biden's chief spokeswoman Jen Psaki made USA's displeasure clear. She said that US was "outraged by the Pakistani Supreme Court's decision" She called the ruling "an affront to terrorism victims everywhere" and demanded the Pakistani government "review its legal options." (With AFP inputs)

Daniel Pearl killing: After US displeasure, Pakistan files review petition in supreme court

The internet and stock market are aflame over GameStop, the video game retailer whose stock is suddenly the darling of day traders who are putting the squeeze on Wall Street’s big players.

The stakes are enormous: The surge in trading has driven GameStop’s value up by $10 billion. Since Tuesday.

GameStop — that feature of malls and shopping centers across the country — was worth about $2 billion in December. Now it is worth $24 billion, roughly the same as the meat giant Tyson and the fuel refiner Valero Energy. On paper, at least.

Exactly why has to do with a mix of traditional investing, rampant enthusiasm, stock-market mechanics and the belief that anyone with a Robinhood account can meme a fortune into existence.

What’s going on?

It’s called a short squeeze, and it involves investors betting on which way a stock will go — up or down. These bets are placed by buying stock options, which we’ll grossly oversimplify here.

Options allow an investor to make money even if the stock itself loses value. Investors who bet against a stock are called “shorts.” In GameStop’s case, the shorts include at least two big hedge funds.

Shorting a stock essentially means borrowing shares from a broker and selling them, with the agreement you’ll return the shares later. When the price falls, you buy back the shares and pocket the difference. But shorting a stock is risky — if the price rises, you can lose big.

Sometimes you just make a bad bet. But you can also lose if someone tries to push up the price by buying lots of shares, even though the company isn’t doing anything different.

This is the squeeze.

Shorts have to close their position — that is, buy up the shares they owe their brokers and return them. This demand kicks the stock higher, and a short who acts too late could be ruined.

Usually, these kinds of standoffs involve sophisticated Wall Street investors, for example when Bill Ackman squared off against two other billionaires — Daniel Loeb and Carl Icahn — over the dietary supplement maker Herbalife.

Why did GameStop’s stock start rising?

The amateurs started driving up the price.

Over the past year, armchair traders have surged into the market. Some smelled opportunity after stocks tumbled last spring, some were trying to scratch a gambling itch after sports leagues shut down, and for some it’s just a game — trying to ring up dollars instead of points. All this has been made easier by the free trades available through platforms like Robinhood and E-Trade.

Some of these enthusiastic amateurs are buying shares of GameStop, but many are placing their own options bets, on the opposite side of the shorts.

These bets involve contracts that give them the option to buy a stock at a certain price in the future. If the price rises, the trader can buy the stock at a bargain and sell it for a profit. (In practice, lots of traders just sell the options contract itself for a profit or loss instead of actually buying the shares, but this description suffices for our purposes.)

The brokers that sell the options contracts have to provide the shares if the trader wants to exercise the option. To mitigate their risk, they buy some of the shares they’d need. Normally, this small amount of demand doesn’t do much to the price.

But if enough traders bet big, the demand can push the stock up. If it goes high enough, the brokers who would be on the hook have to buy more shares, lest they get stuck having to buy a lot of expensive shares all at once.

That increases demand, which increases the stock’s price. Which means the brokers have to buy more shares, which means … You get the idea.

OK, but why GameStop?

You can put some of the blame on Reddit’s Wall Street Bets forum, one of the weirder places on the internet. Wall Street Bets, or WSB, is where armchair traders gather to share memes, commiserate over losses and share more memes. But they also trade tips and analysis that can go on for pages.

GameStop’s shares started to rise in December, after the founder of the pet-supply site Chewy.com bought a stake in the company and got a spot on its board. Slowly, the company gained the attention of WSB and traders who frequent the gamer-friendly social media service Discord.

The traders’ motivations vary widely. Some reason that GameStop’s shares are a good value. Others are just riding the wave. And others want to squeeze Melvin Capital, a hedge fund that was shorting GameStop. They’re the ones quoting Heath Ledger’s Joker character from “The Dark Knight”: “It’s not about the money, it’s about sending a message.”

But the aggressive maneuvers against the shorts aren’t necessarily limited to the amateurs. Wall Street’s big players know a good opportunity when they see it.

How does the GameStop squeeze end?

Nobody knows.

A spokesperson for Melvin Capital — which needed a $2.75 billion cash injection Monday because of the squeeze — said the firm had closed out of its short position. Andrew Left of Citron Research, another short, said he had covered the majority of his short position “at a loss, 100%.”

There’s a catch: GameStop, as a company, is not noticeably different from a month ago. By any conventional measure, its share price wildly inflated — and extremely risky for whoever owns its shares.

But this isn’t just about GameStop anymore. Enthusiastic amateurs are also bidding up the prices of other struggling stocks, like movie theater chain AMC and smartphone maker BlackBerry.

This weird little bubble doesn’t just affect the bettors, though. If big investors on the losing side of these trades have to raise money to cover their losses, it could mean dumping enough shares to hurt the prices of otherwise solid stocks.

If the sell-off is big enough, it could have a cascading effect that leads to broader losses for investors who have never bought or sold a share of GameStop.

The internet and stock market are aflame over GameStop, the video game retailer whose stock is suddenly the darling of day traders who are putting the squeeze on Wall Street’s big players.

The internet and stock market are aflame over GameStop, the video game retailer whose stock is suddenly the darling of day traders who are putting the squeeze on Wall Street’s big players. The stakes are enormous: The surge in trading has driven GameStop’s value up by $10 billion. Since Tuesday. GameStop — that feature of malls and shopping centers across the country — was worth about $2 billion in December. Now it is worth $24 billion, roughly the same as the meat giant Tyson and the fuel refiner Valero Energy. On paper, at least. Exactly why has to do with a mix of traditional investing, rampant enthusiasm, stock-market mechanics and the belief that anyone with a Robinhood account can meme a fortune into existence. What’s going on? It’s called a short squeeze, and it involves investors betting on which way a stock will go — up or down. These bets are placed by buying stock options, which we’ll grossly oversimplify here. Options allow an investor to make money even if the stock itself loses value. Investors who bet against a stock are called “shorts.” In GameStop’s case, the shorts include at least two big hedge funds. Shorting a stock essentially means borrowing shares from a broker and selling them, with the agreement you’ll return the shares later. When the price falls, you buy back the shares and pocket the difference. But shorting a stock is risky — if the price rises, you can lose big. Sometimes you just make a bad bet. But you can also lose if someone tries to push up the price by buying lots of shares, even though the company isn’t doing anything different. This is the squeeze. Shorts have to close their position — that is, buy up the shares they owe their brokers and return them. This demand kicks the stock higher, and a short who acts too late could be ruined. Usually, these kinds of standoffs involve sophisticated Wall Street investors, for example when Bill Ackman squared off against two other billionaires — Daniel Loeb and Carl Icahn — over the dietary supplement maker Herbalife. Why did GameStop’s stock start rising? The amateurs started driving up the price. Over the past year, armchair traders have surged into the market. Some smelled opportunity after stocks tumbled last spring, some were trying to scratch a gambling itch after sports leagues shut down, and for some it’s just a game — trying to ring up dollars instead of points. All this has been made easier by the free trades available through platforms like Robinhood and E-Trade. Some of these enthusiastic amateurs are buying shares of GameStop, but many are placing their own options bets, on the opposite side of the shorts. These bets involve contracts that give them the option to buy a stock at a certain price in the future. If the price rises, the trader can buy the stock at a bargain and sell it for a profit. (In practice, lots of traders just sell the options contract itself for a profit or loss instead of actually buying the shares, but this description suffices for our purposes.) The brokers that sell the options contracts have to provide the shares if the trader wants to exercise the option. To mitigate their risk, they buy some of the shares they’d need. Normally, this small amount of demand doesn’t do much to the price. But if enough traders bet big, the demand can push the stock up. If it goes high enough, the brokers who would be on the hook have to buy more shares, lest they get stuck having to buy a lot of expensive shares all at once. That increases demand, which increases the stock’s price. Which means the brokers have to buy more shares, which means … You get the idea. OK, but why GameStop? You can put some of the blame on Reddit’s Wall Street Bets forum, one of the weirder places on the internet. Wall Street Bets, or WSB, is where armchair traders gather to share memes, commiserate over losses and share more memes. But they also trade tips and analysis that can go on for pages. GameStop’s shares started to rise in December, after the founder of the pet-supply site Chewy.com bought a stake in the company and got a spot on its board. Slowly, the company gained the attention of WSB and traders who frequent the gamer-friendly social media service Discord. The traders’ motivations vary widely. Some reason that GameStop’s shares are a good value. Others are just riding the wave. And others want to squeeze Melvin Capital, a hedge fund that was shorting GameStop. They’re the ones quoting Heath Ledger’s Joker character from “The Dark Knight”: “It’s not about the money, it’s about sending a message.” But the aggressive maneuvers against the shorts aren’t necessarily limited to the amateurs. Wall Street’s big players know a good opportunity when they see it. How does the GameStop squeeze end? Nobody knows. A spokesperson for Melvin Capital — which needed a $2.75 billion cash injection Monday because of the squeeze — said the firm had closed out of its short position. Andrew Left of Citron Research, another short, said he had covered the majority of his short position “at a loss, 100%.” There’s a catch: GameStop, as a company, is not noticeably different from a month ago. By any conventional measure, its share price wildly inflated — and extremely risky for whoever owns its shares. But this isn’t just about GameStop anymore. Enthusiastic amateurs are also bidding up the prices of other struggling stocks, like movie theater chain AMC and smartphone maker BlackBerry. This weird little bubble doesn’t just affect the bettors, though. If big investors on the losing side of these trades have to raise money to cover their losses, it could mean dumping enough shares to hurt the prices of otherwise solid stocks. If the sell-off is big enough, it could have a cascading effect that leads to broader losses for investors who have never bought or sold a share of GameStop.

Four things to know about the GameStop insanity

US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) &nbsp;declared a nationwide alert on Wednesday over threat from domestic anti-government extremists. The department said that there was a possibility of violence from those having 'perceived grievances fueled by false narratives'.

"Information suggests that some ideologically-motivated violent extremists with objections to the exercise of governmental authority and the presidential transition, as well as other perceived grievances fueled by false narratives, could continue to mobilize to incite or commit violence," the department said.&nbsp;

The National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin said a heightened threat of attack "will persist in the weeks following the successful presidential inauguration," which took place on January 20.

However, the bulletin said that the department did not have specific information&nbsp;

The alert said there had been mounting threats since last year from domestic violent extremists motivated by Covid-19 restrictions, Biden's defeat of Donald Trump in the November election, police brutality and illegal immigration.

Security agencies in the US have been on their toes after the violence a Capitol Building on January 6. DHS said the motivations behind the attack could remain in place for coming months.

The department urged the public to report suspicious activity and threats of violence.

US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) declared a nationwide alert on Wednesday over threat from domestic anti-government extremists. The department said that there was a possibility of violence from those having 'perceived grievances fueled by false narratives'.

US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) declared a nationwide alert on Wednesday over threat from domestic anti-government extremists. The department said that there was a possibility of violence from those having 'perceived grievances fueled by false narratives'. "Information suggests that some ideologically-motivated violent extremists with objections to the exercise of governmental authority and the presidential transition, as well as other perceived grievances fueled by false narratives, could continue to mobilize to incite or commit violence," the department said. The National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin said a heightened threat of attack "will persist in the weeks following the successful presidential inauguration," which took place on January 20. However, the bulletin said that the department did not have specific information The alert said there had been mounting threats since last year from domestic violent extremists motivated by Covid-19 restrictions, Biden's defeat of Donald Trump in the November election, police brutality and illegal immigration. Security agencies in the US have been on their toes after the violence a Capitol Building on January 6. DHS said the motivations behind the attack could remain in place for coming months. The department urged the public to report suspicious activity and threats of violence.

US issues nationwide alert over domestic 'violent extremists'

The United States on Wednesday updated its ban on investments in certain Chinese military companies by delaying until May the application of the directive`s restrictions on companies with names similar to those that have been blacklisted.

In a statement posted on the U.S. Treasury Department website, the Biden administration said most investments in companies "whose name closely matches, but does not exactly match, the name of a Communist Chinese military company" would be allowed until May 27, extending the deadline which was originally set to Jan. 28.

The order does not authorize securities transactions with subsidiaries of banned Chinese military companies, it added.

In November, former U.S. President Donald Trump`s administration moved to prohibit U.S. investments in Chinese companies that Washington said were owned or controlled by the Chinese military in an effort to ramp up pressure on Beijing.

The order required U.S. investors to completely divest their holdings in the firms by Nov. 11, 2021 and was seen as part of a bid by Trump to cement his tough-on-China legacy and box Biden into hardline policies on Beijing.

The blacklist of alleged Chinese military companies was mandated by a 1999 law but the Defense Department only began complying by publishing names of the firms last year. The catalogue now includes 44 companies including China`s top chipmaker SMIC and oil giant CNOOC.

Questions have swirled as to how the Biden administration will handle the tough new sanctioning tool but it has so far declined to provide any insight.

Beijing has said the United States lacks evidence and described the ban as wanton oppression of its companies.

The United States on Wednesday updated its ban on investments in certain Chinese military companies by delaying until May the application of the directive`s restrictions on companies with names similar to those that have been blacklisted.

The United States on Wednesday updated its ban on investments in certain Chinese military companies by delaying until May the application of the directive`s restrictions on companies with names similar to those that have been blacklisted. In a statement posted on the U.S. Treasury Department website, the Biden administration said most investments in companies "whose name closely matches, but does not exactly match, the name of a Communist Chinese military company" would be allowed until May 27, extending the deadline which was originally set to Jan. 28. The order does not authorize securities transactions with subsidiaries of banned Chinese military companies, it added. In November, former U.S. President Donald Trump`s administration moved to prohibit U.S. investments in Chinese companies that Washington said were owned or controlled by the Chinese military in an effort to ramp up pressure on Beijing. The order required U.S. investors to completely divest their holdings in the firms by Nov. 11, 2021 and was seen as part of a bid by Trump to cement his tough-on-China legacy and box Biden into hardline policies on Beijing. The blacklist of alleged Chinese military companies was mandated by a 1999 law but the Defense Department only began complying by publishing names of the firms last year. The catalogue now includes 44 companies including China`s top chipmaker SMIC and oil giant CNOOC. Questions have swirled as to how the Biden administration will handle the tough new sanctioning tool but it has so far declined to provide any insight. Beijing has said the United States lacks evidence and described the ban as wanton oppression of its companies.

US delays Chinese investment ban's impact on certain firms

The US has detected the first case of a new coronavirus variant which was first discovered in Brazil, according to authorities. 
 
The case was detected in the state of Minnesota, Xinhua news agency reported. 
 
In a statement on Monday, the state`s Department of Health said the infected person had recently travelled to Brazil. 
 
The Brazil P.1 variant was detected through genomic sequencing of random blood samples as part of a surveillance program, the Department said. 
 
While this variant is thought to be more transmissible than the initial strain of the virus that causes the Covid-19 disease, it is not yet known whether it causes more severe illnesses, according to the Department. 
 
Another strain, first discovered in Britain, has been detected in more than 20 US states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 
 
As of Tuesday morning, the country`s overall caseload has increased to 25,261,902, while the death toll stood at 420,873.

The US has detected the first case of a new coronavirus variant which was first discovered in Brazil, according to authorities. The case was detected in the state of Minnesota, Xinhua news agency reported.

The US has detected the first case of a new coronavirus variant which was first discovered in Brazil, according to authorities. The case was detected in the state of Minnesota, Xinhua news agency reported. In a statement on Monday, the state`s Department of Health said the infected person had recently travelled to Brazil. The Brazil P.1 variant was detected through genomic sequencing of random blood samples as part of a surveillance program, the Department said. While this variant is thought to be more transmissible than the initial strain of the virus that causes the Covid-19 disease, it is not yet known whether it causes more severe illnesses, according to the Department. Another strain, first discovered in Britain, has been detected in more than 20 US states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of Tuesday morning, the country`s overall caseload has increased to 25,261,902, while the death toll stood at 420,873.

US detects 1st case of Brazilian coronavirus variant

United States President Joe Biden on Monday vowed to capitalise on the country's purchasing power in a bid to improve domestic manufacturing and to create new markets for technologies.

The US is the world's biggest buyer of goods and services. On Monday, Biden signed an executive order to strengthen provisions for "Buy American", which will be applicable on a third of the service bought by the federal government every year.

Now, waivers will be more transparent, and a senior White House official will overlook the process.

"I don't buy for one second that the vitality of American manufacturing is a thing of the past," Biden told reporters.

&nbsp;"American manufacturing was the arsenal of democracy in World War Two and it must be part of the engine of American prosperity now", he said.&nbsp;

In addition, Biden again reiterated plans to replace the fleet of federal cars with electric vehicles made in the US.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/joe-biden-reverses-donald-trumps-ban-on-transgender-people-in-military-359317" hreflang="en">Joe Biden reverses Donald Trump's ban on transgender people in military</a> 
 
Biden's plans to increase wages and to create more jobs requires the revitalisation of the manufacturing sector, which is responsible for 12 per cent of the country's economy. 
 
"America can't sit on the sidelines in the race to the future. Our competitors aren't waiting... To ensure the future is made in America, we need to win not just the jobs of today, but the jobs and industries of tomorrow", Biden said.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/biden-to-reinstate-coronavirus-travel-ban-for-most-non-us-citizens-report-359098" hreflang="en">Biden to reinstate coronavirus travel ban for most non-US citizens: Report</a>

In 2010, China overtook the United States to become the world's largest manufacturer. In 2018, the country accounted for 28 per cent of the global output, as stated by United Nations data.

Manufactures have flocked to China owing to&nbsp;lower wages and weaker environmental provisions in the country.

United States President Joe Biden on Monday vowed to capitalise on the country's purchasing power in a bid to improve domestic manufacturing and to create new markets for technologies.

United States President Joe Biden on Monday vowed to capitalise on the country's purchasing power in a bid to improve domestic manufacturing and to create new markets for technologies. The US is the world's biggest buyer of goods and services. On Monday, Biden signed an executive order to strengthen provisions for "Buy American", which will be applicable on a third of the service bought by the federal government every year. Now, waivers will be more transparent, and a senior White House official will overlook the process. "I don't buy for one second that the vitality of American manufacturing is a thing of the past," Biden told reporters. "American manufacturing was the arsenal of democracy in World War Two and it must be part of the engine of American prosperity now", he said. In addition, Biden again reiterated plans to replace the fleet of federal cars with electric vehicles made in the US. Also read: Joe Biden reverses Donald Trump's ban on transgender people in military Biden's plans to increase wages and to create more jobs requires the revitalisation of the manufacturing sector, which is responsible for 12 per cent of the country's economy. "America can't sit on the sidelines in the race to the future. Our competitors aren't waiting... To ensure the future is made in America, we need to win not just the jobs of today, but the jobs and industries of tomorrow", Biden said. Also read: Biden to reinstate coronavirus travel ban for most non-US citizens: Report In 2010, China overtook the United States to become the world's largest manufacturer. In 2018, the country accounted for 28 per cent of the global output, as stated by United Nations data. Manufactures have flocked to China owing to lower wages and weaker environmental provisions in the country.

In a bid to revive US manufacturing, President Biden signs 'Buy American' order

US President Joe Biden is expected to reinstate COVID-19 travel restrictions to combat coronavirus infections, a White House official said ahead of the official announcement.

The restrictions, apply to non-US citizens who have been in Brazil, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and much of Europe. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/biden-set-to-push-us-congress-for-19-trillion-in-covid-relief-359091">Also read: Biden set to push US Congress for $1.9 trillion in Covid relief</a> 
 
Biden will also extend the ban to travellers who have recently been to South Africa amid warnings that new, more transmissible coronavirus variants are already establishing themselves in the United States, the official said, confirming US media reports.

The Covid-19 cases around the world approached the 100 million mark, as infections in the US surpassed 25 million. The US is also stepping up surveillance of virus variants to monitor their impact on vaccines. 
 
"We are adding South Africa to the restricted list because of the concerning variant present that has already spread beyond South Africa," said Dr. Anne Schuchat, the CDC's principal deputy director, in an interview Sunday.

She added the agency was "putting in place this suite of measures to protect Americans and also to reduce the risk of these variants spreading and worsening the current pandemic."

Then-President Donald Trump directed on Jan. 18 those restrictions on Brazil and Europe be lifted effective Tuesday but Biden's proclamation will rescind that decision.

Biden, who took office on Wednesday, is taking an aggressive approach to combating the spread of the virus after Trump rejected mandates sought by U.S. health agencies.

(With inputs from agencies)

US President Joe Biden is expected to reinstate COVID-19 travel restrictions to combat coronavirus infections, a White House official said ahead of the official announcement.

US President Joe Biden is expected to reinstate COVID-19 travel restrictions to combat coronavirus infections, a White House official said ahead of the official announcement. The restrictions, apply to non-US citizens who have been in Brazil, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and much of Europe. Also read: Biden set to push US Congress for $1.9 trillion in Covid relief Biden will also extend the ban to travellers who have recently been to South Africa amid warnings that new, more transmissible coronavirus variants are already establishing themselves in the United States, the official said, confirming US media reports. The Covid-19 cases around the world approached the 100 million mark, as infections in the US surpassed 25 million. The US is also stepping up surveillance of virus variants to monitor their impact on vaccines. "We are adding South Africa to the restricted list because of the concerning variant present that has already spread beyond South Africa," said Dr. Anne Schuchat, the CDC's principal deputy director, in an interview Sunday. She added the agency was "putting in place this suite of measures to protect Americans and also to reduce the risk of these variants spreading and worsening the current pandemic." Then-President Donald Trump directed on Jan. 18 those restrictions on Brazil and Europe be lifted effective Tuesday but Biden's proclamation will rescind that decision. Biden, who took office on Wednesday, is taking an aggressive approach to combating the spread of the virus after Trump rejected mandates sought by U.S. health agencies. (With inputs from agencies)

Biden to reinstate coronavirus travel ban for most non-US citizens: Report

Top US public health expert Dr Anthony Fauci on Sunday revealed the experience of being at the helm of former US President Donald Trump's White House coronavirus taskforce.

In conversation with The New York times, Fauci claimed that he was the "skunk at the picnic" in the task force, while adding how many people thought he was "complicit in the distortions emanating from the stage" in a reference to Trump's briefings about COVID-19.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/fauci-us-should-vaccinate-the-way-clinical-trials-have-instructed-354273/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Fauci added that he had been at odds with Trump on multiple occasions, but he had never considered resigning, saying that had he left, it would have left a "void".

He also added how the White House would discount the severity of the pandemic and how they had a "little happy talk about how things are OK".

In response to such chatter among the ranks during Trump's presidency, Fauci would respond with "Wait a minute, hold it, folks, this is serious business". It was owing to this that became part of a joke whereby he was referred to as the "skunk of the picnic".

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/trump-administrations-lack-of-honesty-in-handling-covid-19-very-likely-cost-lives-fauci-358761" hreflang="en">Trump administration's lack of honesty in handling COVID-19 'very likely' cost lives: Fauci</a> 
 
Trump used to criticise Fauci openly, and also suggested the idea of firing him, which never materialised. Fauci is highly revered in the American medical community and has helped presidents since 1984. 
 
Trump and his supporters were notorious for spreading unproven cures like bleach, UV light, hydroxychloroquine, among many.

“I felt it would be better for the country and better for the cause for me to stay, as opposed to walk away”, Fauci further told NYT while referring to how he toyed with leaving the post.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/anthony-fauci-describes-joe-bidens-leadership-as-liberating-compared-to-trump-358426" hreflang="en">Anthony Fauci describes Joe Biden's leadership as 'liberating', compared to Trump</a> 
 
The US has recorded over 25 million cases of coronavirus so far. At least 420,000 people have died owing to this. Many have criticised the vaccine rollout in the US, calling it slow. 
 
Moving on to Biden's administration, Fauci claimed that it felt like a "liberating feeling".

Top US public health expert Dr Anthony Fauci on Sunday revealed the experience of being at the helm of former US President Donald Trump's White House coronavirus taskforce.

Top US public health expert Dr Anthony Fauci on Sunday revealed the experience of being at the helm of former US President Donald Trump's White House coronavirus taskforce. In conversation with The New York times, Fauci claimed that he was the "skunk at the picnic" in the task force, while adding how many people thought he was "complicit in the distortions emanating from the stage" in a reference to Trump's briefings about COVID-19. Fauci added that he had been at odds with Trump on multiple occasions, but he had never considered resigning, saying that had he left, it would have left a "void". He also added how the White House would discount the severity of the pandemic and how they had a "little happy talk about how things are OK". In response to such chatter among the ranks during Trump's presidency, Fauci would respond with "Wait a minute, hold it, folks, this is serious business". It was owing to this that became part of a joke whereby he was referred to as the "skunk of the picnic". Also read: Trump administration's lack of honesty in handling COVID-19 'very likely' cost lives: Fauci Trump used to criticise Fauci openly, and also suggested the idea of firing him, which never materialised. Fauci is highly revered in the American medical community and has helped presidents since 1984. Trump and his supporters were notorious for spreading unproven cures like bleach, UV light, hydroxychloroquine, among many. “I felt it would be better for the country and better for the cause for me to stay, as opposed to walk away”, Fauci further told NYT while referring to how he toyed with leaving the post. Also read: Anthony Fauci describes Joe Biden's leadership as 'liberating', compared to Trump The US has recorded over 25 million cases of coronavirus so far. At least 420,000 people have died owing to this. Many have criticised the vaccine rollout in the US, calling it slow. Moving on to Biden's administration, Fauci claimed that it felt like a "liberating feeling".

'Skunk of the picnic': Dr Fauci opens up about his experience serving Trump's COVID taskforce

Coronavirus cases in the US has crossed 25 million mark as per numbers by Johns Hopkins University. This number has been reached just five days after the US recorded 400,000 deaths from the disease.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden's chief of staff Ron Klain made a major assertion on Sunday that former US President Donald Trump's administration did not have any distribution plan for coronavirus vaccine even when coronavirus raged through US in Trump's last months in office.

"The process to distribute the vaccine, particularly outside of nursing homes and hospitals out into the community as a whole, did not really exist when we came into the White House," Klain said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

During the entirety of the year 2020 when COVID-19 pandemic made US the worst hit country, Trump was criticised for his lax approach to combat pandemic in the US. Dr Anthony Fauci, the man considered to be the foremost authority in the field of infection diseases had several disagreements with Trump and even made public comments to this effect.

Biden has made fighting the coronavirus a priority and is pushing for Congress to approve a $1.9-trillion relief package that would include billions of dollars to boost vaccination rates.&nbsp;

Biden has said he wants 100 million people vaccinated within his first 100 days in office, and he has called for Americans to wear masks for 100 days.

Coronavirus cases in the US has crossed 25 million mark as per numbers by Johns Hopkins University. This number has been reached just five days after the US recorded 400,000 deaths from the disease.

Coronavirus cases in the US has crossed 25 million mark as per numbers by Johns Hopkins University. This number has been reached just five days after the US recorded 400,000 deaths from the disease. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden's chief of staff Ron Klain made a major assertion on Sunday that former US President Donald Trump's administration did not have any distribution plan for coronavirus vaccine even when coronavirus raged through US in Trump's last months in office. "The process to distribute the vaccine, particularly outside of nursing homes and hospitals out into the community as a whole, did not really exist when we came into the White House," Klain said on NBC's "Meet the Press." During the entirety of the year 2020 when COVID-19 pandemic made US the worst hit country, Trump was criticised for his lax approach to combat pandemic in the US. Dr Anthony Fauci, the man considered to be the foremost authority in the field of infection diseases had several disagreements with Trump and even made public comments to this effect. Biden has made fighting the coronavirus a priority and is pushing for Congress to approve a $1.9-trillion relief package that would include billions of dollars to boost vaccination rates. Biden has said he wants 100 million people vaccinated within his first 100 days in office, and he has called for Americans to wear masks for 100 days.

US coronavirus cases cross 25 million mark: John Hopkins University

Arizona Republicans issued rebukes to three of the party’s most prominent figures Saturday, approving resolutions to censure Gov. Doug Ducey, former Sen. Jeff Flake and Cindy McCain, the widow of former Sen. John McCain.

Though largely symbolic, the political scolding during a meeting of the state GOP underscored a widening rift in Arizona between party officials who have made clear that their loyalty lies with former President Donald Trump and those in the party who refused to support him or his effort to overturn the election results in Arizona, which President Joe Biden won.

And, well beyond Arizona, the rift reflects the stark divisions in the Republican Party nationally in the wake of Trump’s tumultuous departure from office.

The party cited McCain’s and Flake’s criticisms of Trump and Ducey’s use of emergency orders related to the pandemic, which gave him broad control to enact policies without the Legislature’s approval such as closing “nonessential” businesses in the spring.

Both Flake and Cindy McCain endorsed Biden leading up to the November election. Though Ducey continually made it clear that he backed Trump, he drew ire from some Republicans by defending the state’s election process, rather than supporting efforts to challenge the November results in court.

John McCain was censured by the state party in 2015 over his voting record, which some Republican officials there perceived as not sufficiently conservative.

The censures came at the end of a raucous seven-hour meeting. Kelli Ward, the state party chair who has long been a Trump loyalist and a polarizing figure in Arizona politics, was reelected Saturday after playing a recorded phone call of Trump enthusiastically endorsing her.

A few Republicans speaking out in support of Ducey were booed, and nobody spoke in favor of McCain. The resolutions were approved by a wide margin.

“These resolutions are of no consequence whatsoever, and the people behind them have lost whatever little moral authority they may have once had,” Sara Mueller, Ducey’s political director, wrote in a statement issued minutes after the vote.

The party also approved resolutions staking out hard-right positions such as calls for revoking birthright citizenship, ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program, and one that “stands firm on the principles of only two genders.”

The vote to censure comes 2 1/2 months after Biden became the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry Arizona in more than two decades, and only the second Democrat in 50 years. For decades, Republicans controlled both U.S. Senate seats, but lost the first in 2018 and the second last year. Ducey, who was easily reelected in 2018, is the most prominent Republican still in office who has won statewide.

McCain, Flake and Ducey each attended Biden’s inauguration Wednesday and McCain served on the president’s transition advisory board. She has responded to the threat of censure with a sense of both annoyance and amusement, joking that she was in “good company” with her husband.

The censure resolution against McCain cited her support for “leftist causes such as gay marriage and growth of the administrative state,” and her endorsement of Biden, which was described as “in direct opposition to Republican values, the interests of the American people and the Constitution of the United States.”

On Twitter, McCain replied: “It is a high honor to be included in a group of Arizonans who have served our state and our nation so well...and who, like my late husband John, have been censured by the AZGOP. I’ll wear this as a badge of honor.”

In an earlier interview with The Arizona Republic, McCain had blasted the state party chair, Ward, for pushing for the rebukes. She said that as the chairman of the party, Ward “managed to turn Arizona blue in November for the first time since 1996.” She added: “Maybe she should be reminded that my husband never lost an Arizona election since his first win in 1982.”

Ward’s representative declined to respond to a request for comment.

The party’s resolution against Flake said that he “once was a true Conservative, who supported freedom, Republican values, Republican candidates, and Americanism” but has since “abandoned true Republican values by professing support for progressive and globalist politicians.

Flake wrote on Twitter that he, too, was unconcerned with the rebuke.

“If condoning the president’s behavior is required to stay in the party’s good graces, I’m just fine being on the outs,” he wrote.

Ducey, in an interview Friday, said he has given “little to no time to think” about the vote.

“I think we’re better and stronger as a party when we’re adding people rather than the alternative,” he said.

None of the three Republicans plan to object to the censure.

Many moderate Republican officials have dismissed the resolutions as a distraction, saying they will largely serve to alienate other moderates in a state where independent voters make up nearly one-third of the electorate.

Like other Republicans who voted against the censures, Trey Terry, a state committeeman, laid the blame with Ward.

“She has set the party up for failure,” Terry said. “It’s her circus now, and the clowns have come out.”

Next year will bring a test of the state party’s might post-Trump — a U.S. Senate seat and all statewide offices will be up for grabs.

Arizona Republicans issued rebukes to three of the party’s most prominent figures Saturday, approving resolutions to censure Gov. Doug Ducey, former Sen. Jeff Flake and Cindy McCain, the widow of former Sen.

Arizona Republicans issued rebukes to three of the party’s most prominent figures Saturday, approving resolutions to censure Gov. Doug Ducey, former Sen. Jeff Flake and Cindy McCain, the widow of former Sen. John McCain. Though largely symbolic, the political scolding during a meeting of the state GOP underscored a widening rift in Arizona between party officials who have made clear that their loyalty lies with former President Donald Trump and those in the party who refused to support him or his effort to overturn the election results in Arizona, which President Joe Biden won. And, well beyond Arizona, the rift reflects the stark divisions in the Republican Party nationally in the wake of Trump’s tumultuous departure from office. The party cited McCain’s and Flake’s criticisms of Trump and Ducey’s use of emergency orders related to the pandemic, which gave him broad control to enact policies without the Legislature’s approval such as closing “nonessential” businesses in the spring. Both Flake and Cindy McCain endorsed Biden leading up to the November election. Though Ducey continually made it clear that he backed Trump, he drew ire from some Republicans by defending the state’s election process, rather than supporting efforts to challenge the November results in court. John McCain was censured by the state party in 2015 over his voting record, which some Republican officials there perceived as not sufficiently conservative. The censures came at the end of a raucous seven-hour meeting. Kelli Ward, the state party chair who has long been a Trump loyalist and a polarizing figure in Arizona politics, was reelected Saturday after playing a recorded phone call of Trump enthusiastically endorsing her. A few Republicans speaking out in support of Ducey were booed, and nobody spoke in favor of McCain. The resolutions were approved by a wide margin. “These resolutions are of no consequence whatsoever, and the people behind them have lost whatever little moral authority they may have once had,” Sara Mueller, Ducey’s political director, wrote in a statement issued minutes after the vote. The party also approved resolutions staking out hard-right positions such as calls for revoking birthright citizenship, ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program, and one that “stands firm on the principles of only two genders.” The vote to censure comes 2 1/2 months after Biden became the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry Arizona in more than two decades, and only the second Democrat in 50 years. For decades, Republicans controlled both U.S. Senate seats, but lost the first in 2018 and the second last year. Ducey, who was easily reelected in 2018, is the most prominent Republican still in office who has won statewide. McCain, Flake and Ducey each attended Biden’s inauguration Wednesday and McCain served on the president’s transition advisory board. She has responded to the threat of censure with a sense of both annoyance and amusement, joking that she was in “good company” with her husband. The censure resolution against McCain cited her support for “leftist causes such as gay marriage and growth of the administrative state,” and her endorsement of Biden, which was described as “in direct opposition to Republican values, the interests of the American people and the Constitution of the United States.” On Twitter, McCain replied: “It is a high honor to be included in a group of Arizonans who have served our state and our nation so well...and who, like my late husband John, have been censured by the AZGOP. I’ll wear this as a badge of honor.” In an earlier interview with The Arizona Republic, McCain had blasted the state party chair, Ward, for pushing for the rebukes. She said that as the chairman of the party, Ward “managed to turn Arizona blue in November for the first time since 1996.” She added: “Maybe she should be reminded that my husband never lost an Arizona election since his first win in 1982.” Ward’s representative declined to respond to a request for comment. The party’s resolution against Flake said that he “once was a true Conservative, who supported freedom, Republican values, Republican candidates, and Americanism” but has since “abandoned true Republican values by professing support for progressive and globalist politicians. Flake wrote on Twitter that he, too, was unconcerned with the rebuke. “If condoning the president’s behavior is required to stay in the party’s good graces, I’m just fine being on the outs,” he wrote. Ducey, in an interview Friday, said he has given “little to no time to think” about the vote. “I think we’re better and stronger as a party when we’re adding people rather than the alternative,” he said. None of the three Republicans plan to object to the censure. Many moderate Republican officials have dismissed the resolutions as a distraction, saying they will largely serve to alienate other moderates in a state where independent voters make up nearly one-third of the electorate. Like other Republicans who voted against the censures, Trey Terry, a state committeeman, laid the blame with Ward. “She has set the party up for failure,” Terry said. “It’s her circus now, and the clowns have come out.” Next year will bring a test of the state party’s might post-Trump — a U.S. Senate seat and all statewide offices will be up for grabs.

Arizona republicans rebuke 3 influential figures

USA's new Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, during his first conversation with Japanese counterpart, renewed USA's commitment to defend Senkakau islands against Chinese expansionism. Japan and China have a dispute over islands in East China Sea that are called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.&nbsp;

Austin and Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi confirmed that Article 5 of the U.S.-Japan security treaty, which stipulates U.S. defence obligations to Japan, covers the Senkaku Islands, said Jiji news agency.

The defence ministers also reaffirmed their opposition to any unilateral act that would undermine Japan's right to administer the islands,

Japan has become increasingly concerned about Chinese expansionist manoeuvres in East China Sea including incursions in waters around disputed islands.

The talks marked the first ministerial talks between Tokyo and Washington since U.S. President Joe Biden took office on Wednesday

Retired Army general Austin made history on Friday by becoming America's first Black defence secretary

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/kremlin-says-putin-ready-for-dialogue-if-us-willing-359012">Kremlin says Putin ready for dialogue if US willing</a>

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said on Sunday a U.S. Navy strike group entered the South China Sea on Saturday, the same day Taiwan reported a large incursion of Chinese bombers and fighter jets into its air defence identification zone near the Pratas Islands.

(With Reuters inputs)

USA's new Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, during his first conversation with Japanese counterpart, renewed USA's commitment to defend Senkakau islands against Chinese expansionism.

USA's new Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, during his first conversation with Japanese counterpart, renewed USA's commitment to defend Senkakau islands against Chinese expansionism. Japan and China have a dispute over islands in East China Sea that are called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. Austin and Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi confirmed that Article 5 of the U.S.-Japan security treaty, which stipulates U.S. defence obligations to Japan, covers the Senkaku Islands, said Jiji news agency. The defence ministers also reaffirmed their opposition to any unilateral act that would undermine Japan's right to administer the islands, Japan has become increasingly concerned about Chinese expansionist manoeuvres in East China Sea including incursions in waters around disputed islands. The talks marked the first ministerial talks between Tokyo and Washington since U.S. President Joe Biden took office on Wednesday Retired Army general Austin made history on Friday by becoming America's first Black defence secretary Also Read | Kremlin says Putin ready for dialogue if US willing U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said on Sunday a U.S. Navy strike group entered the South China Sea on Saturday, the same day Taiwan reported a large incursion of Chinese bombers and fighter jets into its air defence identification zone near the Pratas Islands. (With Reuters inputs)

New US defense secretary assures support to Japan against China over Senkaku islands

As many as 19 charred corpses have been discovered in Mexico near the US border in an area where drug cartels often clash, the Tamaulipas&nbsp;state prosecutor's office said.

Police on Saturday found two burnt-out vehicles containing human remains on a country road near the town of Carmago.&nbsp;

Preliminary investigations suggested the victims had been shot, then their bodies set alight. Autopsies are underway.

Carmago, a town of about 15,000 people, borders the US state of Texas and is near the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon.

Authorities from Nuevo Leon are cooperating with the Tamaulipas prosecutor's office.

The region sees frequent clashes between the Noreste cartel, which controls a part of Nuevo Leon, and the Gulf cartel, which has been active in Tamaulipas for decades.

In January 2019, in the neighbouring town of Miguel Aleman, 24 corpses were found, of which 15 were charred.

Mexico recorded 34,523 assassinations in 2020, a slight decrease on 2019's figure of 34,608, which was a record high since official tallies started.

Cartel-related violence has beset Mexico since 2006, with more than 300,000 killings since then.&nbsp;

(with inputs from AFP)

As many as 19 charred corpses have been discovered in Mexico near the US border in an area where drug cartels often clash, the Tamaulipas state prosecutor's office said.

As many as 19 charred corpses have been discovered in Mexico near the US border in an area where drug cartels often clash, the Tamaulipas state prosecutor's office said. Police on Saturday found two burnt-out vehicles containing human remains on a country road near the town of Carmago. Preliminary investigations suggested the victims had been shot, then their bodies set alight. Autopsies are underway. Carmago, a town of about 15,000 people, borders the US state of Texas and is near the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon. Authorities from Nuevo Leon are cooperating with the Tamaulipas prosecutor's office. The region sees frequent clashes between the Noreste cartel, which controls a part of Nuevo Leon, and the Gulf cartel, which has been active in Tamaulipas for decades. In January 2019, in the neighbouring town of Miguel Aleman, 24 corpses were found, of which 15 were charred. Mexico recorded 34,523 assassinations in 2020, a slight decrease on 2019's figure of 34,608, which was a record high since official tallies started. Cartel-related violence has beset Mexico since 2006, with more than 300,000 killings since then. (with inputs from AFP)

Nineteen charred bodies found near Mexico-US border

When Rep. Scott Perry joined his colleagues in a monthslong campaign to undermine the results of the presidential election, promoting “Stop the Steal” events and supporting an attempt to overturn millions of legally cast votes, he often took a back seat to higher-profile loyalists in President Donald Trump’s orbit.

But Perry, R-Pa., played a significant role in the crisis that played out at the top of the Justice Department this month, when Trump considered firing the acting attorney general and backed down only after top department officials threatened to resign en masse.

It was Perry, an outspoken member of the hard-line Freedom Caucus, who first made Trump aware that a relatively obscure Justice Department official, Jeffrey Clark, acting chief of the civil division, was sympathetic to Trump’s view that the election had been stolen, according to former administration officials who spoke with Clark and Trump.

Perry introduced the president to Clark, whose openness to conspiracy theories about election fraud presented Trump with a welcome change from the acting attorney general, Jeffrey Rosen, who stood by the results of the election and had repeatedly resisted the president’s efforts to undo them.

Perry’s previously unreported role, and the quiet discussions between Trump and Clark that followed, underlined how much the former president was willing to use the government to subvert the election, turning to more junior and relatively unknown figures for help as ranking Republicans and Cabinet members rebuffed him.

Perry’s involvement is also likely to heighten scrutiny of House Republicans who continue to advance Trump’s false and thoroughly debunked claims of election fraud, even after President Joe Biden’s inauguration this past week and as Congress prepares for an impeachment trial that will examine whether such talk incited the Capitol riot.

It is unclear when Perry, who represents the Harrisburg area, met Clark, a Philadelphia native, or how well they knew each another before the introduction to Trump. Former Trump administration officials said it was only in late December that Clark told Rosen about the introduction brokered by Perry, who was among the scores of people feeding Trump false hope that he had won the election.

But it is highly unlikely that Trump would have known Clark otherwise. Department officials were startled to learn that the president had called Clark directly on multiple occasions and that the two had met in person without alerting Rosen, those officials said. Justice Department policy stipulates that the president initially communicates with the attorney general or the deputy attorney general on all matters, and then a lower-level official if authorized.

As the date for Congress to affirm Biden’s victory neared, Perry and Clark discussed a plan to have the Justice Department send a letter to Georgia state lawmakers informing them of an investigation into voter fraud that could invalidate the state’s Electoral College results. Former officials who were briefed on the plan said that the department’s dozens of voter fraud investigations nationwide had not turned up enough instances of fraud to alter the outcome of the election.

Perry and Clark also discussed the plan with Trump, setting off a chain of events that nearly led to the ouster of Rosen, who had refused to send the letter.

After The New York Times disclosed the details of the scheme Friday, the political fallout was swift. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., incoming chairman of the Judiciary Committee, told the Justice Department in a letter Saturday that he would investigate efforts by Trump and Clark to use the agency “to further Trump’s efforts to subvert the results of the 2020 presidential election.”

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the majority leader, said that it was “unconscionable that a Trump Justice Department leader would conspire to subvert the people’s will.” He called on the department’s inspector general, Michael Horowitz, to investigate “this attempted sedition.”

Horowitz has already opened an investigation into whether Trump administration officials improperly pressured Byung J. Pak, who abruptly resigned this month as the U.S. attorney in Atlanta after being pressed to take actions related to the election, according to a person briefed on the inquiry. Durbin is investigating that matter as well.

Trump also tried to force Justice Department officials, including Rosen and the acting solicitor general, Jeffrey Wall, to file a lawsuit before the Supreme Court that would challenge Biden’s victory, according to a person briefed on the request.

One of Trump’s outside lawyers even drafted a brief for the department to file to the court. Department officials and the White House counsel, Pat Cipollone, told Trump that the plan would fail for several reasons, including the fact that the department did not have the grounds to challenge the outcome, the person said.

The fight between Trump and Justice Department officials over the Supreme Court filing was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

The episode with Clark and Perry is yet another example at impeachment managers’ disposal as they put together their case that Trump should be disqualified from holding office again.

Clark declined to comment on his relationship with Perry, and he categorically denied devising any plan to oust Rosen. He said there had been “a candid discussion of options and pros and cons with the president” that had been inaccurately described by The Times, but he declined to provide details. He declined to say anything more about his conversations with Trump or Justice Department lawyers because of “the strictures of legal privilege.”

Asked whether his conversations with the president had violated the department policy governing contact with the president, he said that senior lawyers at the agency provided legal advice to the White House as part of their duties. “All my official communications were consistent with law,” he said.

Clark, a member of the conservative Federalist Society, had been appointed acting head of the civil division in September. He also oversaw the department’s environmental and natural resources division, where he had worked under President George W. Bush.

Neither Perry nor his top aides responded to repeated requests for comment.

Some Senate Republicans, including Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the minority leader, have grown increasingly worried that if they do not intervene and distance themselves from Trump, the havoc wreaked by the former president could hurt Republicans’ political fortunes for years to come. The episode amounts to an unwelcome reminder that damaging information around his presidency could continue to emerge even though Trump is no longer in office.

And Perry’s role in the discussions could further escalate tensions in the House, where Democratic lawmakers were already livid at Republicans for fanning the flames before the Capitol riot, with some rank-and-file members calling for the expulsion of lawmakers who led efforts to overturn the election.

The pressure that Trump placed on the Justice Department, including any plan that he may have considered to remove Rosen, also raises legal questions for him. Trump’s duty as president was to ensure that “laws be faithfully executed for the benefit of the country,” and efforts to interfere in the election could be considered a violation of his constitutional duty, said Neil Eggleston, a partner at Kirkland &amp;amp; Ellis and a White House counsel under President Barack Obama.

There is little chance that a Justice Department letter sent to Georgia lawmakers would have prompted the state to invalidate its Electoral College votes. But the plan was consistent with the posture Perry had taken since November, when he began to falsely claim that there had been rampant fraud in the election, and throughout it all, Perry has remained defiant. Facing calls to resign over his role in the efforts to overturn the election, Perry issued a one-word response: “No.”

Perry, a retired brigadier general in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard and an Iraq War veteran, has been scrutinized for his openness to the conspiratorial. He baselessly suggested that the 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas by a lone gunman could have been influenced by “terrorist infiltration through the southern border” and refused to support a resolution that condemned QAnon, a pro-Trump conspiracy movement. ( Perry said he believed that the resolution infringed on individuals’ right to free speech and that he did not personally subscribe to the movement.)

An early supporter of the “Stop the Steal” campaign, Perry was one of 126 House Republicans who joined a legal brief in December supporting an extraordinary lawsuit seeking to overturn Biden’s victory. And he joined over two dozen of his colleagues who urged Trump to direct William Barr, the attorney general, to “investigate irregularities in the 2020 election.”

He objected on behalf of 79 other House Republicans to certifying Pennsylvania’s electoral results, and was among 139 House Republicans who voted to reject Biden’s electoral victory, even though he later acknowledged Biden as president-elect.

The plan that Perry devised with Clark set off a crisis at the Justice Department. When Clark approached Rosen with the Georgia letter at the end of December, Rosen refused to send it, according to four former administration officials. On Jan. 3, Clark notified Rosen that he would be taking his job at Trump’s behest.

As Rosen prepared to meet Trump later that day and fight for his job, his top deputies, including the acting deputy attorney general, Richard Donoghue, and his outgoing chief of staff, Patrick Hovakimian, convened the department’s senior leaders on a conference call, according to five former officials with knowledge of the call.

They told the department leaders that Rosen’s job was in jeopardy because of Clark’s machinations and said they would resign if Rosen was removed. They ended the call by asking their colleagues to privately consider what they would do if that happened. Over the next 15 minutes, all of them emailed or texted Hovakimian, saying that they would quit.

While Rosen, Donoghue and other top department and White House lawyers spent nearly three hours with Trump and Clark, debating the merits of sending the letter to Georgia lawmakers, Hovakimian drafted an email to the department’s senior leaders, including those who were not aware of what was transpiring at the White House, in anticipation of Rosen’s removal, according to two people briefed on the letter.

In it, he explained that Rosen had resisted Trump’s repeated calls to use the department’s law enforcement powers for improper ends and that the president had removed him, according to a person who reviewed the email. He wrote that he and Donoghue were resigning immediately and encouraged his colleagues to think hard about what they would do and to always act in the interests of the United States.

When Hovakimian received word that Rosen had been allowed to stay, he drafted a new email that he sent to the anxiously awaiting officials: Rosen and the cause of justice had won.

When Rep. Scott Perry joined his colleagues in a monthslong campaign to undermine the results of the presidential election, promoting “Stop the Steal” events and supporting an attempt to overturn millions of legally cast votes, he often took a back seat to higher-profile loyalists in President Donald Trump’s orbit.

When Rep. Scott Perry joined his colleagues in a monthslong campaign to undermine the results of the presidential election, promoting “Stop the Steal” events and supporting an attempt to overturn millions of legally cast votes, he often took a back seat to higher-profile loyalists in President Donald Trump’s orbit. But Perry, R-Pa., played a significant role in the crisis that played out at the top of the Justice Department this month, when Trump considered firing the acting attorney general and backed down only after top department officials threatened to resign en masse. It was Perry, an outspoken member of the hard-line Freedom Caucus, who first made Trump aware that a relatively obscure Justice Department official, Jeffrey Clark, acting chief of the civil division, was sympathetic to Trump’s view that the election had been stolen, according to former administration officials who spoke with Clark and Trump. Perry introduced the president to Clark, whose openness to conspiracy theories about election fraud presented Trump with a welcome change from the acting attorney general, Jeffrey Rosen, who stood by the results of the election and had repeatedly resisted the president’s efforts to undo them. Perry’s previously unreported role, and the quiet discussions between Trump and Clark that followed, underlined how much the former president was willing to use the government to subvert the election, turning to more junior and relatively unknown figures for help as ranking Republicans and Cabinet members rebuffed him. Perry’s involvement is also likely to heighten scrutiny of House Republicans who continue to advance Trump’s false and thoroughly debunked claims of election fraud, even after President Joe Biden’s inauguration this past week and as Congress prepares for an impeachment trial that will examine whether such talk incited the Capitol riot. It is unclear when Perry, who represents the Harrisburg area, met Clark, a Philadelphia native, or how well they knew each another before the introduction to Trump. Former Trump administration officials said it was only in late December that Clark told Rosen about the introduction brokered by Perry, who was among the scores of people feeding Trump false hope that he had won the election. But it is highly unlikely that Trump would have known Clark otherwise. Department officials were startled to learn that the president had called Clark directly on multiple occasions and that the two had met in person without alerting Rosen, those officials said. Justice Department policy stipulates that the president initially communicates with the attorney general or the deputy attorney general on all matters, and then a lower-level official if authorized. As the date for Congress to affirm Biden’s victory neared, Perry and Clark discussed a plan to have the Justice Department send a letter to Georgia state lawmakers informing them of an investigation into voter fraud that could invalidate the state’s Electoral College results. Former officials who were briefed on the plan said that the department’s dozens of voter fraud investigations nationwide had not turned up enough instances of fraud to alter the outcome of the election. Perry and Clark also discussed the plan with Trump, setting off a chain of events that nearly led to the ouster of Rosen, who had refused to send the letter. After The New York Times disclosed the details of the scheme Friday, the political fallout was swift. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., incoming chairman of the Judiciary Committee, told the Justice Department in a letter Saturday that he would investigate efforts by Trump and Clark to use the agency “to further Trump’s efforts to subvert the results of the 2020 presidential election.” Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the majority leader, said that it was “unconscionable that a Trump Justice Department leader would conspire to subvert the people’s will.” He called on the department’s inspector general, Michael Horowitz, to investigate “this attempted sedition.” Horowitz has already opened an investigation into whether Trump administration officials improperly pressured Byung J. Pak, who abruptly resigned this month as the U.S. attorney in Atlanta after being pressed to take actions related to the election, according to a person briefed on the inquiry. Durbin is investigating that matter as well. Trump also tried to force Justice Department officials, including Rosen and the acting solicitor general, Jeffrey Wall, to file a lawsuit before the Supreme Court that would challenge Biden’s victory, according to a person briefed on the request. One of Trump’s outside lawyers even drafted a brief for the department to file to the court. Department officials and the White House counsel, Pat Cipollone, told Trump that the plan would fail for several reasons, including the fact that the department did not have the grounds to challenge the outcome, the person said. The fight between Trump and Justice Department officials over the Supreme Court filing was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. The episode with Clark and Perry is yet another example at impeachment managers’ disposal as they put together their case that Trump should be disqualified from holding office again. Clark declined to comment on his relationship with Perry, and he categorically denied devising any plan to oust Rosen. He said there had been “a candid discussion of options and pros and cons with the president” that had been inaccurately described by The Times, but he declined to provide details. He declined to say anything more about his conversations with Trump or Justice Department lawyers because of “the strictures of legal privilege.” Asked whether his conversations with the president had violated the department policy governing contact with the president, he said that senior lawyers at the agency provided legal advice to the White House as part of their duties. “All my official communications were consistent with law,” he said. Clark, a member of the conservative Federalist Society, had been appointed acting head of the civil division in September. He also oversaw the department’s environmental and natural resources division, where he had worked under President George W. Bush. Neither Perry nor his top aides responded to repeated requests for comment. Some Senate Republicans, including Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the minority leader, have grown increasingly worried that if they do not intervene and distance themselves from Trump, the havoc wreaked by the former president could hurt Republicans’ political fortunes for years to come. The episode amounts to an unwelcome reminder that damaging information around his presidency could continue to emerge even though Trump is no longer in office. And Perry’s role in the discussions could further escalate tensions in the House, where Democratic lawmakers were already livid at Republicans for fanning the flames before the Capitol riot, with some rank-and-file members calling for the expulsion of lawmakers who led efforts to overturn the election. The pressure that Trump placed on the Justice Department, including any plan that he may have considered to remove Rosen, also raises legal questions for him. Trump’s duty as president was to ensure that “laws be faithfully executed for the benefit of the country,” and efforts to interfere in the election could be considered a violation of his constitutional duty, said Neil Eggleston, a partner at Kirkland &amp; Ellis and a White House counsel under President Barack Obama. There is little chance that a Justice Department letter sent to Georgia lawmakers would have prompted the state to invalidate its Electoral College votes. But the plan was consistent with the posture Perry had taken since November, when he began to falsely claim that there had been rampant fraud in the election, and throughout it all, Perry has remained defiant. Facing calls to resign over his role in the efforts to overturn the election, Perry issued a one-word response: “No.” Perry, a retired brigadier general in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard and an Iraq War veteran, has been scrutinized for his openness to the conspiratorial. He baselessly suggested that the 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas by a lone gunman could have been influenced by “terrorist infiltration through the southern border” and refused to support a resolution that condemned QAnon, a pro-Trump conspiracy movement. ( Perry said he believed that the resolution infringed on individuals’ right to free speech and that he did not personally subscribe to the movement.) An early supporter of the “Stop the Steal” campaign, Perry was one of 126 House Republicans who joined a legal brief in December supporting an extraordinary lawsuit seeking to overturn Biden’s victory. And he joined over two dozen of his colleagues who urged Trump to direct William Barr, the attorney general, to “investigate irregularities in the 2020 election.” He objected on behalf of 79 other House Republicans to certifying Pennsylvania’s electoral results, and was among 139 House Republicans who voted to reject Biden’s electoral victory, even though he later acknowledged Biden as president-elect. The plan that Perry devised with Clark set off a crisis at the Justice Department. When Clark approached Rosen with the Georgia letter at the end of December, Rosen refused to send it, according to four former administration officials. On Jan. 3, Clark notified Rosen that he would be taking his job at Trump’s behest. As Rosen prepared to meet Trump later that day and fight for his job, his top deputies, including the acting deputy attorney general, Richard Donoghue, and his outgoing chief of staff, Patrick Hovakimian, convened the department’s senior leaders on a conference call, according to five former officials with knowledge of the call. They told the department leaders that Rosen’s job was in jeopardy because of Clark’s machinations and said they would resign if Rosen was removed. They ended the call by asking their colleagues to privately consider what they would do if that happened. Over the next 15 minutes, all of them emailed or texted Hovakimian, saying that they would quit. While Rosen, Donoghue and other top department and White House lawyers spent nearly three hours with Trump and Clark, debating the merits of sending the letter to Georgia lawmakers, Hovakimian drafted an email to the department’s senior leaders, including those who were not aware of what was transpiring at the White House, in anticipation of Rosen’s removal, according to two people briefed on the letter. In it, he explained that Rosen had resisted Trump’s repeated calls to use the department’s law enforcement powers for improper ends and that the president had removed him, according to a person who reviewed the email. He wrote that he and Donoghue were resigning immediately and encouraged his colleagues to think hard about what they would do and to always act in the interests of the United States. When Hovakimian received word that Rosen had been allowed to stay, he drafted a new email that he sent to the anxiously awaiting officials: Rosen and the cause of justice had won.

Pennsylvania lawmaker was key to Justice Dept scheme

A study from the United States found that severe allergic reactions to Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine is "rare". US health authorities claimed that only 10 cases of severe reactions arose among four million first doses.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added that widespread vaccination was critical in fighting the pandemic.

"Based on this early monitoring, anaphylaxis after receipt of Moderna Covid-19 vaccine appears to be a rare event," the CDC said in a report.

No deaths were reported in adverse reactions.

As per CDC data, ten cases of anaphylactic shock were recorded among 4,041,396 first doses of the vaccine, which were administered between December 21 and January 10.

The CDC added that six cases required hospitalisation, while four were treated in an emergency setting.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/heres-how-long-modernas-vaccine-will-protect-you-from-coronavirus-356272" hreflang="en">Here's how long Moderna's vaccine will protect you from coronavirus</a>

Based on the numbers, 2.5 cases of anaphylactic shock were recorded for every million of Moderna injections, when compared to 11.1 cases per one million Pfizer vaccinations.

"The clinical and epidemiologic characteristics of anaphylaxis case reports after receipt of Moderna Covid-19 vaccine are similar to those reported after receipt of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine," the report said.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/california-pauses-use-of-moderna-vaccine-batch-over-allergic-reactions-357470" hreflang="en">California pauses use of Moderna vaccine batch over allergic reactions</a>

All 10 severe reactions were recorded among women aged between 31 and 63. Out of these, nine had a history of allergic reaction, but even then not to vaccines.

A higher ratio of severe reactions was also recorded in data from Pfizer's vaccine. Experts believe this could be due to more women receiving the vaccinations as compared to men. 
&nbsp;

A study from the United States found that severe allergic reactions to Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine is "rare". US health authorities claimed that only 10 cases of severe reactions arose among four million first doses.

A study from the United States found that severe allergic reactions to Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine is "rare". US health authorities claimed that only 10 cases of severe reactions arose among four million first doses. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added that widespread vaccination was critical in fighting the pandemic. "Based on this early monitoring, anaphylaxis after receipt of Moderna Covid-19 vaccine appears to be a rare event," the CDC said in a report. No deaths were reported in adverse reactions. As per CDC data, ten cases of anaphylactic shock were recorded among 4,041,396 first doses of the vaccine, which were administered between December 21 and January 10. The CDC added that six cases required hospitalisation, while four were treated in an emergency setting. Also read: Here's how long Moderna's vaccine will protect you from coronavirus Based on the numbers, 2.5 cases of anaphylactic shock were recorded for every million of Moderna injections, when compared to 11.1 cases per one million Pfizer vaccinations. "The clinical and epidemiologic characteristics of anaphylaxis case reports after receipt of Moderna Covid-19 vaccine are similar to those reported after receipt of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine," the report said. Also read: California pauses use of Moderna vaccine batch over allergic reactions All 10 severe reactions were recorded among women aged between 31 and 63. Out of these, nine had a history of allergic reaction, but even then not to vaccines. A higher ratio of severe reactions was also recorded in data from Pfizer's vaccine. Experts believe this could be due to more women receiving the vaccinations as compared to men.

US study finds adverse reactions to Moderna vaccine  are rare

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said he and his US counterpart Joe Biden discussed migration, the COVID-19 pandemic and bilateral cooperation on Friday during their first phone call since the American assumed the presidency this week. 
 
The afternoon call was "pleasant and respectful" Lopez Obrador said in a brief Twitter post, in which he appeared in a photo smiling, seated at a table with Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard and former presidential chief of staff Alfonso Romo. 
 
"Everything indicates relations will be good and for the benefit of our people and nations," Lopez Obrador said. 
 
Mexico has a major role to play in Biden`s plans for immigration reform. Earlier this month, Mexico helped coordinate efforts in Central America to contain a large caravan of migrants heading for the United States. 
 
Nevertheless, Biden`s inauguration comes at a time of simmering tension over a now-dropped U.S. investigation into former Mexican defense minister Salvador Cienfuegos. 
 
During the call, Lopez Obrador celebrated the legacy of Mexican migrants in the United States and reiterated that the best way to manage migration was to promote development in the places that fuel the phenomenon, Mexico`s foreign ministry said. 
 
Lopez Obrador said Mexico wanted to work with Washington on their "broad bilateral agenda," the ministry said. 
 
The two leaders agreed that teams from both countries would work together to craft a common approach to development, and underlined the need for joint cooperation to combat the pandemic, the ministry said in a statement. 
 
Separately, the ministry said the U.S. government had approved the appointment of Esteban Moctezuma as Mexico`s ambassador to the United States. Moctezuma must still be ratified by Mexico`s Senate, which should be a formality. 
 
Mexico`s government also said it had begun talks with Washington about a coronavirus-related order signed by Biden to impose sanitary requirements on people entering U.S. territory. 
 
Earlier on Friday, Lopez Obrador urged the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to mount an internal probe into how it built its case against Cienfuegos.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said he and his US counterpart Joe Biden discussed migration, the COVID-19 pandemic and bilateral cooperation on Friday during their first phone call since the American assumed the presidency this week.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said he and his US counterpart Joe Biden discussed migration, the COVID-19 pandemic and bilateral cooperation on Friday during their first phone call since the American assumed the presidency this week. The afternoon call was "pleasant and respectful" Lopez Obrador said in a brief Twitter post, in which he appeared in a photo smiling, seated at a table with Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard and former presidential chief of staff Alfonso Romo. "Everything indicates relations will be good and for the benefit of our people and nations," Lopez Obrador said. Mexico has a major role to play in Biden`s plans for immigration reform. Earlier this month, Mexico helped coordinate efforts in Central America to contain a large caravan of migrants heading for the United States. Nevertheless, Biden`s inauguration comes at a time of simmering tension over a now-dropped U.S. investigation into former Mexican defense minister Salvador Cienfuegos. During the call, Lopez Obrador celebrated the legacy of Mexican migrants in the United States and reiterated that the best way to manage migration was to promote development in the places that fuel the phenomenon, Mexico`s foreign ministry said. Lopez Obrador said Mexico wanted to work with Washington on their "broad bilateral agenda," the ministry said. The two leaders agreed that teams from both countries would work together to craft a common approach to development, and underlined the need for joint cooperation to combat the pandemic, the ministry said in a statement. Separately, the ministry said the U.S. government had approved the appointment of Esteban Moctezuma as Mexico`s ambassador to the United States. Moctezuma must still be ratified by Mexico`s Senate, which should be a formality. Mexico`s government also said it had begun talks with Washington about a coronavirus-related order signed by Biden to impose sanitary requirements on people entering U.S. territory. Earlier on Friday, Lopez Obrador urged the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to mount an internal probe into how it built its case against Cienfuegos.

US and Mexican presidents talk migration, coronavirus after nagging tensions

This is a text I received from a prominent conservative Christian minutes after President Biden’s Inaugural Address: “I broke down sobbing. It’s been a long five-and-a-half years.”

Shortly after that, Scott Dudley, senior pastor at Bellevue Presbyterian Church in Bellevue, Wash., emailed me a note that said, “I never thought I would be moved to tears watching a Democratic president get sworn in, but I was. It just felt so good to hear someone who understands and loves this country and constitution, and is an honorable person, take the oath. I’m praying for healing.”

I’ve had conversations with others who tell similar stories.

Joe Biden is an admirable human being, empathetic and generous in spirit, and his speech was elegant and uplifting. But the tears had to do with something else: We had just emerged from a national trauma. It was only two weeks earlier that the Capitol, on whose steps Mr. Biden took the oath of office, was under assault from a mob that had been incited by his predecessor, Donald Trump, in order to undo an election Mr. Trump lost.

Several people died, including a police officer beaten with a fire extinguisher, and many more easily could have, including the former vice president, Mike Pence. And President Biden’s inauguration came only one day after we crossed an almost unimaginably gruesome milestone: 400,000 deaths from Covid-19, a significant number of which would have been prevented had any of Mr. Trump’s most immediate predecessors, Republican or Democratic, been president instead.

But Mr. Trump’s wounding of America doesn’t end there.

Our economy is crippled, with Mr. Trump ending his presidency with the worst jobs record in modern U.S. history. Americans are angrier, more fearful, less trusting of one another and more polarized than at any time in generations and perhaps since the 1850s. Families, friendships, churches and communities are being ripped apart by the savagery of our politics.

The United States is in the grips of an epistemic crisis, with much of the nation having detached itself from reality. In the eyes of the world, among allies and adversaries, America under Mr. Trump became a joke. So it made sense that once Mr. Trump left the White House, powerful emotions would be unleashed.

I wasn’t immune. In the aftermath of the siege of the Capitol, I found myself angry, which is a rare state of mind for me — angry, not just at Mr. Trump but at his Republican enablers, weak and complicit, some of whom broke with Mr. Trump only when his power was rapidly slipping away. Some had to have seen what was coming; others should have seen what was coming and yet they went along for the ride. So the moment Mr. Biden became president I felt like one door shut and another opened. I wanted to be done with Mr. Trump. But I was convinced that before doing so, I needed to struggle one last time with understanding how things went so terribly wrong.

It’s a complicated story, one we don’t fully understand yet and probably won’t for years. But several factors converged to create this American carnage. The first and most obvious is the radicalized base of the Republican Party. The party has long been a mix of conservatism and populism, but over the years it has became less traditionally conservative, at least in the way Edmund Burke, James Madison and Michael Oakeshott have understood conservatism. The base became increasingly reactionary and populist, anti-elite and anti-establishment, disdainful of science and reason, consumed by grievances and fear.

Among the things that characterized Republican primary voters — not all of them, but large swaths of them — was rage at politicians. This was combined with the belief that the system was rigged against them and that America, to become great again, needed someone in office who would operate outside the usual boundaries. The prevailing attitude was that you had to destroy the village in order to save it. Governing experience was viewed with suspicion, evidence that one had been enlisted in the “deep state.” Civility and compromise were seen as weakness; “owning the libs” was the name of the game. These feelings were amplified in a right-wing ecosystem that thrived off creating conflict and creating enemies. Politics had become too boring; things needed to be livened up.

Enter Donald J. Trump — demagogue, con man, reality television star. A man without any governing experience, Mr. Trump was almost proudly ignorant on policy matters. But what he did know how to do, with frightening success, was inflame the passions of the Republican base, to play to their fears and resentments, especially their racial and ethnic resentments, to turn them against our institutions and constitutional order, and to feed them lies and conspiracy theories.

It began in 2011, when Mr. Trump peddled the racist lie that President Barack Obama was born in Kenya and therefore an illegitimate president, and he just kept going. To his supporters, Mr. Trump was able to turn his vices into virtues, his corruptions into selling points, his cruelty into a synonym for strength. He was willing to bring a gun to a political and cultural knife fight. And while Mr. Trump did many things poorly, he did one thing superbly: conduct an “information-warfare campaign” that spread misinformation and disinformation on a mass scale, which not only promulgated lies but disoriented the public.

All of this is well-known and yet as Mr. Trump retreats in defeat to Florida, a lawless president who was impeached for a second time, it bears repeating: A party that once stood for order, tradition and morality embraced as its leader a man who was transgressive, who embodied disorder, indecency and a “might makes right” ethic. But the most dangerous and unsettling thing about President Donald Trump was his sociopathic tendencies. It should have been obvious to everyone that Mr. Trump was unstable, impulsive, compulsively dishonest and staggeringly narcissistic. The idea that such a person could be controlled and contained, tamed and calmed, was always a pipe dream. No one was going to change Mr. Trump; if anything, it was he who would change them — and that’s exactly what happened.

Add to all that a third, decisive factor that created this American carnage: Republican lawmakers and the political machinery of the Republican Party that empowered Mr. Trump from the opening minutes to the final hours of his presidency. It’s notable that a lot of Republicans in Congress, particularly the Senate, were never comfortable with Mr. Trump. They hoped he would lose the primary in 2016. The attitude was ABT — Anyone But Trump. Republican primary voters had a different opinion, however, and their will prevailed. The size and ease of Mr. Trump’s victory — by the fall of 2015 he was leading the other candidates in the polls and he never looked back — should have been a bigger warning sign than it was at the time.

This led to a growing accommodation between the Republican political establishment and Mr. Trump. It went through various phases, starting with wishful thinking, the hope that Mr. Trump would become more responsible once he won the nomination (nope) — or that once he won the presidency, he would “grow in office.”

When that didn’t happen either, Plan B (or was it Plan C?) was to surround Mr. Trump with responsible people within his administration and in Congress to act as a check on his worst impulses. In some cases, that undoubtedly worked, but not nearly as well as those who hoped to keep Mr. Trump in line had hoped. One prominent Republican who has served in Congress told me recently, “Trump sunk much lower than I thought he would.”

But Mr. Trump, psychologically damaged and morally corrupt, was always going to lead Republicans down darker and darker alleyways. It would only get worse. Yet those who instinctively recoiled at what Mr. Trump was doing decided to go along. For some, it was fear of being criticized by Mr. Trump and his army. They were afraid that speaking out against Mr. Trump would lead to a primary challenge. (The concern was a valid one; they saw what happened to Jeff Flake, Bob Corker and Mark Sanford.)

Some Republicans rationalized their accommodation on the totally unreasonable hope that Mr. Trump — in his 70s, surrounded by sycophants and in possession of unmatched power — would change the habits of a lifetime. Still others convinced themselves they would tolerate what Mr. Trump did just one more time but never again. And yet as Mr. Trump transgressed one ethical line and then another and then another, Republicans continued to justify their silence, their support, or both.

Others believed that since Mr. Trump was president they might as well work with him to get things done in what they perceived as the public interest: judicial appointments, tax cuts, deregulation and the like. In pushing for this, a few individuals, to their credit, never defended Mr. Trump’s indefensible behavior. But far too many did. White evangelicals like Robert Jeffress, Franklin Graham, Jerry Falwell, Jr. and Eric Metaxas were among the worst offenders.

For other Republicans, vaulting political ambition and cynical calculation were at play. Lawmakers like Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, whose wife and father were viciously targeted by Mr. Trump during the 2016 primary campaign, became lap dogs, hoping to receive Mr. Trump’s blessing and win the loyalty of his supporters. Senator Josh Hawley acted so disgracefully in objecting to approval of the Electoral College votes and feeding baseless conspiracy theories that his mentor, John Danforth, said that “trying so hard” to get Mr. Hawley elected to the Senate “was the worst mistake I ever made in my life.” Lindsey Graham proved to be one of T.S. Eliot’s “hollow men,” empty of heart, a person without a moral compass. House Republicans like Matt Gaetz, Jim Jordan, Louie Gohmert, Paul Gosar and Mo Brooks showed themselves to be both carnival barkers and cultlike in their devotion to Mr. Trump.

President Donald Trump leaves office with a crimson-stained legacy; a similar stain attaches to those in the party who supported and sustained him, many of them still in positions of power. Both will move on — Mr. Trump to Mar-a-Lago, disgraced, isolated and politically radioactive, more likely to split his party than ever to lead it again; and the Republican Party facing deep internal division, a massive rebuilding and rebranding effort and a very uncertain future.

President Biden inherits a nation sicker, weaker, angrier, more divided and more violent than it has been in living memory. But if we’re fortunate and wise, we will allow the traumatizing effects of the Trump years to catalyze a rededication to ideals we once cherished in public life but cast aside during the Trump era: honor and integrity, compassion and decency, and old-fashioned competence. America is fragmented but also chastened, perhaps ready to rise again. If it does, when it does, it will be after too many tears have been shed and too many hearts have been broken.

(Peter Wehner, a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center who served in the Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush administrations, is a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times and the author of “The Death of Politics: How to Heal Our Frayed Republic After Trump.”)

This is a text I received from a prominent conservative Christian minutes after President Biden’s Inaugural Address: “I broke down sobbing. It’s been a long five-and-a-half years.

This is a text I received from a prominent conservative Christian minutes after President Biden’s Inaugural Address: “I broke down sobbing. It’s been a long five-and-a-half years.” Shortly after that, Scott Dudley, senior pastor at Bellevue Presbyterian Church in Bellevue, Wash., emailed me a note that said, “I never thought I would be moved to tears watching a Democratic president get sworn in, but I was. It just felt so good to hear someone who understands and loves this country and constitution, and is an honorable person, take the oath. I’m praying for healing.” I’ve had conversations with others who tell similar stories. Joe Biden is an admirable human being, empathetic and generous in spirit, and his speech was elegant and uplifting. But the tears had to do with something else: We had just emerged from a national trauma. It was only two weeks earlier that the Capitol, on whose steps Mr. Biden took the oath of office, was under assault from a mob that had been incited by his predecessor, Donald Trump, in order to undo an election Mr. Trump lost. Several people died, including a police officer beaten with a fire extinguisher, and many more easily could have, including the former vice president, Mike Pence. And President Biden’s inauguration came only one day after we crossed an almost unimaginably gruesome milestone: 400,000 deaths from Covid-19, a significant number of which would have been prevented had any of Mr. Trump’s most immediate predecessors, Republican or Democratic, been president instead. But Mr. Trump’s wounding of America doesn’t end there. Our economy is crippled, with Mr. Trump ending his presidency with the worst jobs record in modern U.S. history. Americans are angrier, more fearful, less trusting of one another and more polarized than at any time in generations and perhaps since the 1850s. Families, friendships, churches and communities are being ripped apart by the savagery of our politics. The United States is in the grips of an epistemic crisis, with much of the nation having detached itself from reality. In the eyes of the world, among allies and adversaries, America under Mr. Trump became a joke. So it made sense that once Mr. Trump left the White House, powerful emotions would be unleashed. I wasn’t immune. In the aftermath of the siege of the Capitol, I found myself angry, which is a rare state of mind for me — angry, not just at Mr. Trump but at his Republican enablers, weak and complicit, some of whom broke with Mr. Trump only when his power was rapidly slipping away. Some had to have seen what was coming; others should have seen what was coming and yet they went along for the ride. So the moment Mr. Biden became president I felt like one door shut and another opened. I wanted to be done with Mr. Trump. But I was convinced that before doing so, I needed to struggle one last time with understanding how things went so terribly wrong. It’s a complicated story, one we don’t fully understand yet and probably won’t for years. But several factors converged to create this American carnage. The first and most obvious is the radicalized base of the Republican Party. The party has long been a mix of conservatism and populism, but over the years it has became less traditionally conservative, at least in the way Edmund Burke, James Madison and Michael Oakeshott have understood conservatism. The base became increasingly reactionary and populist, anti-elite and anti-establishment, disdainful of science and reason, consumed by grievances and fear. Among the things that characterized Republican primary voters — not all of them, but large swaths of them — was rage at politicians. This was combined with the belief that the system was rigged against them and that America, to become great again, needed someone in office who would operate outside the usual boundaries. The prevailing attitude was that you had to destroy the village in order to save it. Governing experience was viewed with suspicion, evidence that one had been enlisted in the “deep state.” Civility and compromise were seen as weakness; “owning the libs” was the name of the game. These feelings were amplified in a right-wing ecosystem that thrived off creating conflict and creating enemies. Politics had become too boring; things needed to be livened up. Enter Donald J. Trump — demagogue, con man, reality television star. A man without any governing experience, Mr. Trump was almost proudly ignorant on policy matters. But what he did know how to do, with frightening success, was inflame the passions of the Republican base, to play to their fears and resentments, especially their racial and ethnic resentments, to turn them against our institutions and constitutional order, and to feed them lies and conspiracy theories. It began in 2011, when Mr. Trump peddled the racist lie that President Barack Obama was born in Kenya and therefore an illegitimate president, and he just kept going. To his supporters, Mr. Trump was able to turn his vices into virtues, his corruptions into selling points, his cruelty into a synonym for strength. He was willing to bring a gun to a political and cultural knife fight. And while Mr. Trump did many things poorly, he did one thing superbly: conduct an “information-warfare campaign” that spread misinformation and disinformation on a mass scale, which not only promulgated lies but disoriented the public. All of this is well-known and yet as Mr. Trump retreats in defeat to Florida, a lawless president who was impeached for a second time, it bears repeating: A party that once stood for order, tradition and morality embraced as its leader a man who was transgressive, who embodied disorder, indecency and a “might makes right” ethic. But the most dangerous and unsettling thing about President Donald Trump was his sociopathic tendencies. It should have been obvious to everyone that Mr. Trump was unstable, impulsive, compulsively dishonest and staggeringly narcissistic. The idea that such a person could be controlled and contained, tamed and calmed, was always a pipe dream. No one was going to change Mr. Trump; if anything, it was he who would change them — and that’s exactly what happened. Add to all that a third, decisive factor that created this American carnage: Republican lawmakers and the political machinery of the Republican Party that empowered Mr. Trump from the opening minutes to the final hours of his presidency. It’s notable that a lot of Republicans in Congress, particularly the Senate, were never comfortable with Mr. Trump. They hoped he would lose the primary in 2016. The attitude was ABT — Anyone But Trump. Republican primary voters had a different opinion, however, and their will prevailed. The size and ease of Mr. Trump’s victory — by the fall of 2015 he was leading the other candidates in the polls and he never looked back — should have been a bigger warning sign than it was at the time. This led to a growing accommodation between the Republican political establishment and Mr. Trump. It went through various phases, starting with wishful thinking, the hope that Mr. Trump would become more responsible once he won the nomination (nope) — or that once he won the presidency, he would “grow in office.” When that didn’t happen either, Plan B (or was it Plan C?) was to surround Mr. Trump with responsible people within his administration and in Congress to act as a check on his worst impulses. In some cases, that undoubtedly worked, but not nearly as well as those who hoped to keep Mr. Trump in line had hoped. One prominent Republican who has served in Congress told me recently, “Trump sunk much lower than I thought he would.” But Mr. Trump, psychologically damaged and morally corrupt, was always going to lead Republicans down darker and darker alleyways. It would only get worse. Yet those who instinctively recoiled at what Mr. Trump was doing decided to go along. For some, it was fear of being criticized by Mr. Trump and his army. They were afraid that speaking out against Mr. Trump would lead to a primary challenge. (The concern was a valid one; they saw what happened to Jeff Flake, Bob Corker and Mark Sanford.) Some Republicans rationalized their accommodation on the totally unreasonable hope that Mr. Trump — in his 70s, surrounded by sycophants and in possession of unmatched power — would change the habits of a lifetime. Still others convinced themselves they would tolerate what Mr. Trump did just one more time but never again. And yet as Mr. Trump transgressed one ethical line and then another and then another, Republicans continued to justify their silence, their support, or both. Others believed that since Mr. Trump was president they might as well work with him to get things done in what they perceived as the public interest: judicial appointments, tax cuts, deregulation and the like. In pushing for this, a few individuals, to their credit, never defended Mr. Trump’s indefensible behavior. But far too many did. White evangelicals like Robert Jeffress, Franklin Graham, Jerry Falwell, Jr. and Eric Metaxas were among the worst offenders. For other Republicans, vaulting political ambition and cynical calculation were at play. Lawmakers like Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, whose wife and father were viciously targeted by Mr. Trump during the 2016 primary campaign, became lap dogs, hoping to receive Mr. Trump’s blessing and win the loyalty of his supporters. Senator Josh Hawley acted so disgracefully in objecting to approval of the Electoral College votes and feeding baseless conspiracy theories that his mentor, John Danforth, said that “trying so hard” to get Mr. Hawley elected to the Senate “was the worst mistake I ever made in my life.” Lindsey Graham proved to be one of T.S. Eliot’s “hollow men,” empty of heart, a person without a moral compass. House Republicans like Matt Gaetz, Jim Jordan, Louie Gohmert, Paul Gosar and Mo Brooks showed themselves to be both carnival barkers and cultlike in their devotion to Mr. Trump. President Donald Trump leaves office with a crimson-stained legacy; a similar stain attaches to those in the party who supported and sustained him, many of them still in positions of power. Both will move on — Mr. Trump to Mar-a-Lago, disgraced, isolated and politically radioactive, more likely to split his party than ever to lead it again; and the Republican Party facing deep internal division, a massive rebuilding and rebranding effort and a very uncertain future. President Biden inherits a nation sicker, weaker, angrier, more divided and more violent than it has been in living memory. But if we’re fortunate and wise, we will allow the traumatizing effects of the Trump years to catalyze a rededication to ideals we once cherished in public life but cast aside during the Trump era: honor and integrity, compassion and decency, and old-fashioned competence. America is fragmented but also chastened, perhaps ready to rise again. If it does, when it does, it will be after too many tears have been shed and too many hearts have been broken. (Peter Wehner, a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center who served in the Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush administrations, is a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times and the author of “The Death of Politics: How to Heal Our Frayed Republic After Trump.”)

The end of Trump can be the beginning of America

Darrell Frazier believed he had found a path out of his life sentence in federal prison, with a president whose allies had advocated a broad use of pardons and a new clemency initiative. Frazier thought he seemed like a perfect candidate.

But when Barack Obama left office in 2017 having pardoned or commuted the sentences of more people than any other president, Frazier was not among them. The Justice Department had denied his application for clemency.

So when Obama’s successor, Donald Trump, took office, Frazier resolved to try a different path. Instead of only going through the formal channels, he also tried to get the attention of people with direct access to Trump.

After years of writing letters to celebrities, activist organizations and even Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, Frazier got his break. An activist who had worked with the administration took Frazier’s case directly to Trump’s daughter Ivanka, who had been taking pardon requests to her father in his final days in office. And early Wednesday, Trump’s last day as president, Frazier’s counselor came to his cell to deliver the news: He had been pardoned and would soon be released.

Tears started to flow.

“It just blew me away,” said Frazier, 60, who had served 32 years of a life sentence after being convicted of a conspiracy to sell cocaine.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-ex-president-trumps-impeachment-trial-postponed-to-february-358759/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

&nbsp;

While Trump was heavily criticized for issuing dozens of pardons to political allies and friends, there also were numerous cases that won the praise of activists for providing relief to people serving harsh sentences for relatively minor, nonviolent offenses.

Frazier’s case in many ways epitomized Trump’s mixed record on criminal justice. On the one hand, he did support some bipartisan reforms to reduce the prison population. On the other, the pardon process showed Trump’s ad hoc, somewhat capricious approach to justice, one that often required special access and was motivated by optics and political expediency during an election where he set out to target more Black voters, some activists said.

“Trump did nothing to actually address the racist practices of the prison industrial complex,” said Thenjiwe McHarris, a member of the leadership team for the Movement for Black Lives. “While we support those he pardoned, we just also want to acknowledge that it was done as a spectacle — an attempt to paint him as a savior while not actually addressing the harms of the actual system.”

The pardon process, and criminal justice reform more broadly, will be among the areas in which President Joe Biden is most closely scrutinized because of his previous record of promoting tough-on-crime policies. He was an architect of the 1994 crime bill, legislation that has since been criticized across the political spectrum for leading to overpopulated prisons and the devastation of Black families.

Although Biden has apologized for his past actions on criminal justice, activists say he will have to prove his sincerity.

“I think that for me the jury is still out,” said Syrita Steib, who was among those to receive a pardon from Trump on his final day and runs an organization that helps women who are currently and formerly incarcerated.

She added that Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took actions that helped to create the punitive justice system of today. “It’s my hope that this administration will begin to right the wrongs that they created years ago,” she said.

During the campaign, Biden promised to use his clemency power “broadly” to secure the release of individuals facing unduly long sentences for certain nonviolent and drug crimes. He said he would build on the legacy of Obama, under whom he served as vice president.

A White House spokesperson Friday declined to comment on the president’s plans.

Part of the challenge will be reforming a clemency system that many view as arcane and unfair.

The pardon attorney’s office, operating out of the Justice Department, is responsible for reviewing the petitions for pardons and sentence commutations and making recommendations for clemency to the president. That system has left thousands of petitions waiting for review with a small team of lawyers unable to keep up.

In the past, some advocates have argued that the pardon office should operate out of the White House. In an informal way, that is what Trump did in an operation that reflected the personal interests of his family members and appealed to Trump as an issue that he believed would please Black voters.

Jessica Jackson, a lawyer who advocated for clemencies during the Obama and Trump administrations, said pardons should be run by an independent office. It was a conflict of interest for the Justice Department to both prosecute cases and decide who gets pardoned, said Jackson, who brought Frazier’s case to Ivanka Trump.

There needed to be a systemic mechanism for granting clemencies so that they occur more frequently, she said, rather than presidents jamming them through before leaving office. Jackson said she felt there would be a real openness on the part of the incoming administration to reforming the pardon process and the criminal justice system more broadly.

“He’s looking for issues where he can find common ground on both sides of the aisle,” Jackson said of Biden. “I think this issue naturally presents itself.”

What that reform looks like, though, will be hotly debated and scrutinized in the months and years ahead.

Trump’s most notable legislation on criminal justice reform was the First Step Act, but even that was criticized by many activists as being far too modest to effect real change. Still, those intimately involved with Trump’s pardon process seemed unwilling to let his tough-on-crime approach — he oversaw more federal executions than any president in more than 120 years — derail the work on clemencies.

This week’s pardons included Chalana McFarland, who was sentenced in 2005 to 30 years for multiple counts of mortgage fraud, and Michael Pelletier, who was serving a life sentence in federal prison for a nonviolent marijuana conspiracy offense. But he also pardoned Al Pirro, the ex-husband of one of his favorite Fox News hosts, Jeanine Pirro; Steve Bannon, his former chief strategist; and Elliott Broidy, one of his top fundraisers in 2016.

Alice Johnson, a onetime drug convict, had served 22 years of a life sentence when her case caught the eyes of Trump because Kim Kardashian had brought it to his attention. Trump commuted her sentence in 2018 and then pardoned her after she praised him at the Republican National Convention in 2020.

Her path to the Trump White House had given her what she saw as a unique opportunity to make a difference, and she became a key part of the informal clemency process. The president personally asked her to help him find other people with stories like her own, she said.

“I took him up on it and stayed on top of them,” Johnson said. “There was no way I was going to let that opportunity pass.”

Working mostly with Kushner and, in the final days of the administration, Ivanka Trump, Johnson provided long lists of strong cases to the White House. Kushner and Ivanka Trump would select stories that resonated with them, and then take those cases to the White House Counsel’s Office and the Justice Department for vetting, before making their cases directly to the president.

Frazier said he felt he had a pretty good chance of getting on Trump’s radar more than a year ago when CAN-DO Justice Through Clemency, an organization that advocates for incarcerated nonviolent offenders, took his case. The organization had won other pardons.

But one thing that really made him think Trump would consider his case was when he heard the former president describing his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, as a rat for talking to prosecutors.

It made him think that Trump could empathize with people like him — Frazier’s ultimate downfall was someone from the drug operation testifying against him, he said. So when he heard about the comment, he said he turned to a fellow inmate and told him: “The president’s going to get me out. He sounds like us in here.”

Darrell Frazier believed he had found a path out of his life sentence in federal prison, with a president whose allies had advocated a broad use of pardons and a new clemency initiative.

Darrell Frazier believed he had found a path out of his life sentence in federal prison, with a president whose allies had advocated a broad use of pardons and a new clemency initiative. Frazier thought he seemed like a perfect candidate. But when Barack Obama left office in 2017 having pardoned or commuted the sentences of more people than any other president, Frazier was not among them. The Justice Department had denied his application for clemency. So when Obama’s successor, Donald Trump, took office, Frazier resolved to try a different path. Instead of only going through the formal channels, he also tried to get the attention of people with direct access to Trump. After years of writing letters to celebrities, activist organizations and even Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, Frazier got his break. An activist who had worked with the administration took Frazier’s case directly to Trump’s daughter Ivanka, who had been taking pardon requests to her father in his final days in office. And early Wednesday, Trump’s last day as president, Frazier’s counselor came to his cell to deliver the news: He had been pardoned and would soon be released. Tears started to flow. “It just blew me away,” said Frazier, 60, who had served 32 years of a life sentence after being convicted of a conspiracy to sell cocaine. × While Trump was heavily criticized for issuing dozens of pardons to political allies and friends, there also were numerous cases that won the praise of activists for providing relief to people serving harsh sentences for relatively minor, nonviolent offenses. Frazier’s case in many ways epitomized Trump’s mixed record on criminal justice. On the one hand, he did support some bipartisan reforms to reduce the prison population. On the other, the pardon process showed Trump’s ad hoc, somewhat capricious approach to justice, one that often required special access and was motivated by optics and political expediency during an election where he set out to target more Black voters, some activists said. “Trump did nothing to actually address the racist practices of the prison industrial complex,” said Thenjiwe McHarris, a member of the leadership team for the Movement for Black Lives. “While we support those he pardoned, we just also want to acknowledge that it was done as a spectacle — an attempt to paint him as a savior while not actually addressing the harms of the actual system.” The pardon process, and criminal justice reform more broadly, will be among the areas in which President Joe Biden is most closely scrutinized because of his previous record of promoting tough-on-crime policies. He was an architect of the 1994 crime bill, legislation that has since been criticized across the political spectrum for leading to overpopulated prisons and the devastation of Black families. Although Biden has apologized for his past actions on criminal justice, activists say he will have to prove his sincerity. “I think that for me the jury is still out,” said Syrita Steib, who was among those to receive a pardon from Trump on his final day and runs an organization that helps women who are currently and formerly incarcerated. She added that Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took actions that helped to create the punitive justice system of today. “It’s my hope that this administration will begin to right the wrongs that they created years ago,” she said. During the campaign, Biden promised to use his clemency power “broadly” to secure the release of individuals facing unduly long sentences for certain nonviolent and drug crimes. He said he would build on the legacy of Obama, under whom he served as vice president. A White House spokesperson Friday declined to comment on the president’s plans. Part of the challenge will be reforming a clemency system that many view as arcane and unfair. The pardon attorney’s office, operating out of the Justice Department, is responsible for reviewing the petitions for pardons and sentence commutations and making recommendations for clemency to the president. That system has left thousands of petitions waiting for review with a small team of lawyers unable to keep up. In the past, some advocates have argued that the pardon office should operate out of the White House. In an informal way, that is what Trump did in an operation that reflected the personal interests of his family members and appealed to Trump as an issue that he believed would please Black voters. Jessica Jackson, a lawyer who advocated for clemencies during the Obama and Trump administrations, said pardons should be run by an independent office. It was a conflict of interest for the Justice Department to both prosecute cases and decide who gets pardoned, said Jackson, who brought Frazier’s case to Ivanka Trump. There needed to be a systemic mechanism for granting clemencies so that they occur more frequently, she said, rather than presidents jamming them through before leaving office. Jackson said she felt there would be a real openness on the part of the incoming administration to reforming the pardon process and the criminal justice system more broadly. “He’s looking for issues where he can find common ground on both sides of the aisle,” Jackson said of Biden. “I think this issue naturally presents itself.” What that reform looks like, though, will be hotly debated and scrutinized in the months and years ahead. Trump’s most notable legislation on criminal justice reform was the First Step Act, but even that was criticized by many activists as being far too modest to effect real change. Still, those intimately involved with Trump’s pardon process seemed unwilling to let his tough-on-crime approach — he oversaw more federal executions than any president in more than 120 years — derail the work on clemencies. This week’s pardons included Chalana McFarland, who was sentenced in 2005 to 30 years for multiple counts of mortgage fraud, and Michael Pelletier, who was serving a life sentence in federal prison for a nonviolent marijuana conspiracy offense. But he also pardoned Al Pirro, the ex-husband of one of his favorite Fox News hosts, Jeanine Pirro; Steve Bannon, his former chief strategist; and Elliott Broidy, one of his top fundraisers in 2016. Alice Johnson, a onetime drug convict, had served 22 years of a life sentence when her case caught the eyes of Trump because Kim Kardashian had brought it to his attention. Trump commuted her sentence in 2018 and then pardoned her after she praised him at the Republican National Convention in 2020. Her path to the Trump White House had given her what she saw as a unique opportunity to make a difference, and she became a key part of the informal clemency process. The president personally asked her to help him find other people with stories like her own, she said. “I took him up on it and stayed on top of them,” Johnson said. “There was no way I was going to let that opportunity pass.” Working mostly with Kushner and, in the final days of the administration, Ivanka Trump, Johnson provided long lists of strong cases to the White House. Kushner and Ivanka Trump would select stories that resonated with them, and then take those cases to the White House Counsel’s Office and the Justice Department for vetting, before making their cases directly to the president. Frazier said he felt he had a pretty good chance of getting on Trump’s radar more than a year ago when CAN-DO Justice Through Clemency, an organization that advocates for incarcerated nonviolent offenders, took his case. The organization had won other pardons. But one thing that really made him think Trump would consider his case was when he heard the former president describing his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, as a rat for talking to prosecutors. It made him think that Trump could empathize with people like him — Frazier’s ultimate downfall was someone from the drug operation testifying against him, he said. So when he heard about the comment, he said he turned to a fellow inmate and told him: “The president’s going to get me out. He sounds like us in here.”

Trump’s pardon process was a mix of mercy and favoritism

Donald Trump has been called by many to be someone with chronic case of denial. Even when US Election was called in favour of Joe Biden, Trump continued claiming that he was the winner. Now that he is gone, it's perhaps more than expected that Trump's supporters would whip something truly original to continue claiming that he is the real president of the US.

This has happened and fun fact is that the litigants have taken support from Lord Of The Rings (LOTR) to drive home their point.

So here's the deal, in LOTR, the Kingdom of Gondor had an empty throne, its king was exiled and the kingdom was ruled by a Steward, a temporary ruler. He was to rule till the rightful king returned.

So a lawsuit in Texas equates USA to Kingdom of Gondor. USA hasn't had a 'king' or anyone like that since 1776.

“This analogy is applicable since there is now in Washington DC a group of individuals calling themselves the president, vice-president and Congress who have no rightful claim to govern the American people,” the litigants state as per The Guardian.

“Since only the rightful king could sit on the throne of Gondor, a steward was appointed to manage Gondor until the return of the King, known as ‘Aragorn’, occurred at the end of the story.” they add.

Aragorn is the rightful king in LOTR. The character was played by Viggo Mortensen.

As it is apparent, President Joe Biden is like the Steward of Gondor, fit to rule only for a short time till the 'rightful king' (read Donald Trump) returns.

The litigants probably need a standing ovation for their courage for two thing

1. Continuing their journey through wonderland to still strongly believe that the election was rigged. This when even US Supreme Court trashed previous such litigation

2. Taking help of a fantasy kingdom to prove their point. Imagine the plight of their lawyer while arguing the case in a courtroom which only has place for cold hard facts and logic.

Aftereffects of four years of Trump-rule? Who knows.

Donald Trump has been called by many to be someone with chronic case of denial. Even when US Election was called in favour of Joe Biden, Trump continued claiming that he was the winner.

Donald Trump has been called by many to be someone with chronic case of denial. Even when US Election was called in favour of Joe Biden, Trump continued claiming that he was the winner. Now that he is gone, it's perhaps more than expected that Trump's supporters would whip something truly original to continue claiming that he is the real president of the US. This has happened and fun fact is that the litigants have taken support from Lord Of The Rings (LOTR) to drive home their point. So here's the deal, in LOTR, the Kingdom of Gondor had an empty throne, its king was exiled and the kingdom was ruled by a Steward, a temporary ruler. He was to rule till the rightful king returned. So a lawsuit in Texas equates USA to Kingdom of Gondor. USA hasn't had a 'king' or anyone like that since 1776. “This analogy is applicable since there is now in Washington DC a group of individuals calling themselves the president, vice-president and Congress who have no rightful claim to govern the American people,” the litigants state as per The Guardian. “Since only the rightful king could sit on the throne of Gondor, a steward was appointed to manage Gondor until the return of the King, known as ‘Aragorn’, occurred at the end of the story.” they add. Aragorn is the rightful king in LOTR. The character was played by Viggo Mortensen. As it is apparent, President Joe Biden is like the Steward of Gondor, fit to rule only for a short time till the 'rightful king' (read Donald Trump) returns. The litigants probably need a standing ovation for their courage for two thing 1. Continuing their journey through wonderland to still strongly believe that the election was rigged. This when even US Supreme Court trashed previous such litigation 2. Taking help of a fantasy kingdom to prove their point. Imagine the plight of their lawyer while arguing the case in a courtroom which only has place for cold hard facts and logic. Aftereffects of four years of Trump-rule? Who knows.

Pro-Trump lawsuit takes help of Lord of The Rings to make case stronger

US President Joe Biden's administration is reportedly set to review the US deal with the Taliban. As part of this evaluation, the administration will focus on whether the Taliban has reduced attacks in Afghanistan.

Last year, the US struck a deal with the Taliban in Qatar. As part of this, it promised withdrawal of its troops from the country. This kicked off peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghanistan government.&nbsp;

Even then, violence across the country has increased as both sides continue to hold talks.

Biden's freshly appointed national security advisor - Jake Sullivan spoke with his counterpart from Afghanistan - Hamdullah Mohib, and relayed to them that they plan to review the deal.

National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne said that he "made clear the US' intention to review".

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/with-2500-each-us-says-lowest-troops-deployed-in-iraq-afghanistan-in-about-two-decades-356978" hreflang="en">With 2,500 each, US says lowest troops deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan in about two decades</a>

The US is attempting to understand whether the Taliban is "living up to its commitments to cut ties with terrorist groups, to reduce violence in Afghanistan, and to engage in meaningful negotiations with the Afghan government and other stakeholders", Horne's statement said.

The statement added how Sullivan "underscored that the US will support the peace process with a robust and regional diplomatic effort, which will aim to help the two sides achieve a durable and just political settlement and permanent ceasefire."

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/china-offered-bounties-to-non-state-actors-in-afghanistan-to-attack-american-soldiers-report-says-353536" hreflang="en">China offered bounties to non-state actors in Afghanistan to attack American soldiers, report says</a>

As part of the peace process, Sullivan said that the US is also extending support to the progress the country recently made in terms of women and minority rights groups.

Afghanistan's national security advisor - Mohib, tweeted that during the call both sides "agreed to work toward a permanent ceasefire and a just and durable peace".

US President Joe Biden's administration is reportedly set to review the US deal with the Taliban. As part of this evaluation, the administration will focus on whether the Taliban has reduced attacks in Afghanistan.

US President Joe Biden's administration is reportedly set to review the US deal with the Taliban. As part of this evaluation, the administration will focus on whether the Taliban has reduced attacks in Afghanistan. Last year, the US struck a deal with the Taliban in Qatar. As part of this, it promised withdrawal of its troops from the country. This kicked off peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghanistan government. Even then, violence across the country has increased as both sides continue to hold talks. Biden's freshly appointed national security advisor - Jake Sullivan spoke with his counterpart from Afghanistan - Hamdullah Mohib, and relayed to them that they plan to review the deal. National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne said that he "made clear the US' intention to review". Also read: With 2,500 each, US says lowest troops deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan in about two decades The US is attempting to understand whether the Taliban is "living up to its commitments to cut ties with terrorist groups, to reduce violence in Afghanistan, and to engage in meaningful negotiations with the Afghan government and other stakeholders", Horne's statement said. The statement added how Sullivan "underscored that the US will support the peace process with a robust and regional diplomatic effort, which will aim to help the two sides achieve a durable and just political settlement and permanent ceasefire." Also read: China offered bounties to non-state actors in Afghanistan to attack American soldiers, report says As part of the peace process, Sullivan said that the US is also extending support to the progress the country recently made in terms of women and minority rights groups. Afghanistan's national security advisor - Mohib, tweeted that during the call both sides "agreed to work toward a permanent ceasefire and a just and durable peace".

Under Biden, US set to review deal with Taliban

Long before he won US Election 2020, Joe Biden had promised that if he gets elected, he will build a team that 'looks like America'; diverse, inclusive and young. Team Biden will indeed be diverse. The choices of people in this team represent diversity of ideology, background, race and religion.

61 per cent of the White House appointees are women. 54 per cent are people or colour. 11 per cent are of LGBTQ community. 20 per cent of the appointee are first-generation Americans. And 40% per cent of them have children at home.

What about the cabinet picks? It's a motley crew again. Moreover, many of the nominees will be pioneers in their roles. People who have broken barriers and shattered glass ceilings with their appointments.

In Biden administration, there will be many firsts.

First woman to lead national intelligence.

First black defence secretary.

First Latino health secretary.

First Native American cabinet secretary.

First Latino head of homeland security.

Youngest secretary of state in decades.

And the first openly-gay man confirmed to a cabinet role in American history!

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/families-cheer-the-biden-harris-colorful-white-house-358338/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Joe Biden plans to use America's diversity as an essential strength in his cabinet. At Department of Justice, judge Merrick Garland has been nominated to serve as America's next attorney-general. He is a 68-year-old centrist. This is Garland's third nomination to the US Supreme Court.

At Department of Commerce, Gina Raimondo Has been nominated as commerce secretary. If confirmed she will be the fourth woman to hold this position. At Department of Education Miguel Cardona has been nominated as the head. He is currently the commissioner of education in Connecticut. If confirmed, Cardona will be the second Puerto Rican and the 3rd Latino secretary of education.

At Department of Interior, US Representative from New Mexico. Deb Haaland has been nominated for the position of interior secretary. If confirmed, 60-year-old Haaland will be the first Native American to become a cabinet secretary. He is a rising star in the Democratic Party and a familiar name among millennials.

Pete Buttigieg has been nominated as transportation secretary. If confirmed, the 39-year-old will be the first LGBTQ person to hold a cabinet post in America

Next, in Department of Energy, former Michigan Mayor Jennifer Granholm has been appointed as secretary of energy. She is a strong advocate for zero-emission vehicles. 61-year-old Granholm will only be the second woman to serve as secretary of energy.

Janet Yellen has been appointed as Treasury Secretary. She will be the first woman ever to hold this post. Yellen was also the first woman to chair US Federal Reserve in Obama era.

Another important and unprecedented nomination is of Llyod Austin who is a retired four-star army general. He has been nominated to head the department of defence. If confirmed, Llyod Austin will be the first black defence secretary, the first black chief of Pentagon in American history.

Xavier Becerra has been nominated to steer the Department of Health &amp; Human Services. If confirmed, The 62-year-old will be the first Latino to head the department

At the Office of Management &amp; Budget Neera Tanden has been nominated to serve as the director. If her name is confirmed, she will be the first woman of colour and the first South Asian-American to lead this office.

Alejandro Myorkas has been nominated to head the Department of Homeland Security.

If confirmed, he will be the first Latino-American and the first immigrant to lead this agency. This is the agency that is in-charge of implementing America's immigration policies and border laws.

Looking after national intelligence will be Avril Haines. She has been nominated as director of intelligence. Once her name is confirmed, she will be the first woman to lead America's intel community.

And working in tandem with her will be Jake Sullivan. He has been appointed as the National Security Adviser. At age 43, Sullivan will be the youngest person to hold the position since the Eisenhower administration.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield has been nominated as US Ambassador to United Nations. If confirmed, she would be only the second black woman to hold the post.

And lastly the Department of State.

Replacing the dynamic Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State will be Antony Blinken. As the country's top diplomat, Blinken will play a pivotal role in rebuilding America's alliances like re-entering agreements with Iran, and to halt his country's exit from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Confirmation of these names is a given since Democrats have won control of US Senate too. So once these appointments are made, the Biden-Harris administration will be the most diverse in American history.

Long before he won US Election 2020, Joe Biden had promised that if he gets elected, he will build a team that 'looks like America'; diverse, inclusive and young.

Long before he won US Election 2020, Joe Biden had promised that if he gets elected, he will build a team that 'looks like America'; diverse, inclusive and young. Team Biden will indeed be diverse. The choices of people in this team represent diversity of ideology, background, race and religion. 61 per cent of the White House appointees are women. 54 per cent are people or colour. 11 per cent are of LGBTQ community. 20 per cent of the appointee are first-generation Americans. And 40% per cent of them have children at home. What about the cabinet picks? It's a motley crew again. Moreover, many of the nominees will be pioneers in their roles. People who have broken barriers and shattered glass ceilings with their appointments. In Biden administration, there will be many firsts. First woman to lead national intelligence. First black defence secretary. First Latino health secretary. First Native American cabinet secretary. First Latino head of homeland security. Youngest secretary of state in decades. And the first openly-gay man confirmed to a cabinet role in American history! × Joe Biden plans to use America's diversity as an essential strength in his cabinet. At Department of Justice, judge Merrick Garland has been nominated to serve as America's next attorney-general. He is a 68-year-old centrist. This is Garland's third nomination to the US Supreme Court. At Department of Commerce, Gina Raimondo Has been nominated as commerce secretary. If confirmed she will be the fourth woman to hold this position. At Department of Education Miguel Cardona has been nominated as the head. He is currently the commissioner of education in Connecticut. If confirmed, Cardona will be the second Puerto Rican and the 3rd Latino secretary of education. At Department of Interior, US Representative from New Mexico. Deb Haaland has been nominated for the position of interior secretary. If confirmed, 60-year-old Haaland will be the first Native American to become a cabinet secretary. He is a rising star in the Democratic Party and a familiar name among millennials. Pete Buttigieg has been nominated as transportation secretary. If confirmed, the 39-year-old will be the first LGBTQ person to hold a cabinet post in America Next, in Department of Energy, former Michigan Mayor Jennifer Granholm has been appointed as secretary of energy. She is a strong advocate for zero-emission vehicles. 61-year-old Granholm will only be the second woman to serve as secretary of energy. Janet Yellen has been appointed as Treasury Secretary. She will be the first woman ever to hold this post. Yellen was also the first woman to chair US Federal Reserve in Obama era. Another important and unprecedented nomination is of Llyod Austin who is a retired four-star army general. He has been nominated to head the department of defence. If confirmed, Llyod Austin will be the first black defence secretary, the first black chief of Pentagon in American history. Xavier Becerra has been nominated to steer the Department of Health & Human Services. If confirmed, The 62-year-old will be the first Latino to head the department At the Office of Management & Budget Neera Tanden has been nominated to serve as the director. If her name is confirmed, she will be the first woman of colour and the first South Asian-American to lead this office. Alejandro Myorkas has been nominated to head the Department of Homeland Security. If confirmed, he will be the first Latino-American and the first immigrant to lead this agency. This is the agency that is in-charge of implementing America's immigration policies and border laws. Looking after national intelligence will be Avril Haines. She has been nominated as director of intelligence. Once her name is confirmed, she will be the first woman to lead America's intel community. And working in tandem with her will be Jake Sullivan. He has been appointed as the National Security Adviser. At age 43, Sullivan will be the youngest person to hold the position since the Eisenhower administration. Linda Thomas-Greenfield has been nominated as US Ambassador to United Nations. If confirmed, she would be only the second black woman to hold the post. And lastly the Department of State. Replacing the dynamic Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State will be Antony Blinken. As the country's top diplomat, Blinken will play a pivotal role in rebuilding America's alliances like re-entering agreements with Iran, and to halt his country's exit from the World Health Organisation (WHO). Confirmation of these names is a given since Democrats have won control of US Senate too. So once these appointments are made, the Biden-Harris administration will be the most diverse in American history.

Joe Biden to have the most diverse administration in US history

China on Thursday congratulated new US President Joe Biden, asking him to heal and rebuild the severely damaged bilateral ties by his predecessor Donald Trump.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying, known for fiery retorts against the US, welcomed Biden's first moves to join the Paris Climate Accord and the World Health Organisation (WHO) which was trashed by Trump as a puppet of China over its conduct to deal with the coronavirus outbreak.

"We express congratulations on the inauguration of President Biden. I noted many US media say this is a new day in America. We hope Biden will be successful in governance," she said.

"I noticed the word unity has been mentioned several times in his inaugural speech. This is what is urgently needed in our bilateral relations," she said, adding that over the past four years "a handful of US politicians made so many lies and incited so much hatred and division."

"Chinese and Americans have fallen victims to this," she said and asked the new US administration to bring the damaged China-US ties on the right track.

"We have different social systems, development stages and historical culture. It is only natural for us to have differences. Just as Biden said democracy should allow the right to dissent and disagreement must not lead to disunion, this should also be true to international relations," she said.

"Countries with different ideologies, social systems and culture can live in harmony and achieve the goal of common development and peace and development for the world," she said.

On Wednesday, as the curtain came down on the Trump administration, China heaved a sigh of relief, hoping that the most torrid period in Beijing-Washington ties will have some cooling period.

Biden, who in his inaugural speech mainly focussed on forging unity at home, did not mention China even once, in sharp contrast to Trump but did not offer any clear signals to fix the damaged ties, official media here reported.

The ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) headed by President Xi Jinping had struggled to deal with Donald Trump -- what China's officials say is the most elusive and unpredictable American leader ever.

During his tenure, Trump, a Republican, pushed aggressively on all aspects of US-China ties, including with his relentless trade war, challenging China's military hold on the disputed South China Sea, its constant threats to Taiwan and branding coronavirus as "China virus" after it emerged from Wuhan in December 2019 as well as Xinjiang and Tibet issues.

Minutes after Biden was sworn in as the new President, China imposed sanctions against former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo and 27 others associated with the previous Trump administration for promoting and executing "crazy moves", which "gravely" undermined its interests.

The sanctions were largely symbolic but highlight China's anger and contempt for them.

"These individuals and their immediate family members are prohibited from entering the mainland, Hong Kong and Macao of China. They and companies and institutions associated with them are also restricted from doing business with China," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a press release, announcing the sanctions.

In her lengthy answer to China's response to change of guard in Washington, Hua said on Thursday that "Biden also mentioned Americans have much to heal and much to restore. This is also the same to China-US relations".

"In the past four years, the US administration, especially Pompeo, has laid too many mines that need to be removed, burned too many bridges that need to be rebuilt and damaged too many roads that need to be restored,? she said.

"The two sides should show courage and wisdom. We need to heed and listen to each other with respect," she said and hoped that "better angels" from two sides will "surely defeat the evil forces".

China on Thursday congratulated new US President Joe Biden, asking him to heal and rebuild the severely damaged bilateral ties by his predecessor Donald Trump. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying, known for fiery retorts against the US, welcomed Biden's first moves to join the Paris Climate Accord and the World Health Organisation (WHO) which was trashed by Trump as a puppet of China over its conduct to deal with the coronavirus outbreak.

China on Thursday congratulated new US President Joe Biden, asking him to heal and rebuild the severely damaged bilateral ties by his predecessor Donald Trump. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying, known for fiery retorts against the US, welcomed Biden's first moves to join the Paris Climate Accord and the World Health Organisation (WHO) which was trashed by Trump as a puppet of China over its conduct to deal with the coronavirus outbreak. "We express congratulations on the inauguration of President Biden. I noted many US media say this is a new day in America. We hope Biden will be successful in governance," she said. "I noticed the word unity has been mentioned several times in his inaugural speech. This is what is urgently needed in our bilateral relations," she said, adding that over the past four years "a handful of US politicians made so many lies and incited so much hatred and division." "Chinese and Americans have fallen victims to this," she said and asked the new US administration to bring the damaged China-US ties on the right track. "We have different social systems, development stages and historical culture. It is only natural for us to have differences. Just as Biden said democracy should allow the right to dissent and disagreement must not lead to disunion, this should also be true to international relations," she said. "Countries with different ideologies, social systems and culture can live in harmony and achieve the goal of common development and peace and development for the world," she said. On Wednesday, as the curtain came down on the Trump administration, China heaved a sigh of relief, hoping that the most torrid period in Beijing-Washington ties will have some cooling period. Biden, who in his inaugural speech mainly focussed on forging unity at home, did not mention China even once, in sharp contrast to Trump but did not offer any clear signals to fix the damaged ties, official media here reported. The ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) headed by President Xi Jinping had struggled to deal with Donald Trump -- what China's officials say is the most elusive and unpredictable American leader ever. During his tenure, Trump, a Republican, pushed aggressively on all aspects of US-China ties, including with his relentless trade war, challenging China's military hold on the disputed South China Sea, its constant threats to Taiwan and branding coronavirus as "China virus" after it emerged from Wuhan in December 2019 as well as Xinjiang and Tibet issues. Minutes after Biden was sworn in as the new President, China imposed sanctions against former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo and 27 others associated with the previous Trump administration for promoting and executing "crazy moves", which "gravely" undermined its interests. The sanctions were largely symbolic but highlight China's anger and contempt for them. "These individuals and their immediate family members are prohibited from entering the mainland, Hong Kong and Macao of China. They and companies and institutions associated with them are also restricted from doing business with China," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a press release, announcing the sanctions. In her lengthy answer to China's response to change of guard in Washington, Hua said on Thursday that "Biden also mentioned Americans have much to heal and much to restore. This is also the same to China-US relations". "In the past four years, the US administration, especially Pompeo, has laid too many mines that need to be removed, burned too many bridges that need to be rebuilt and damaged too many roads that need to be restored,? she said. "The two sides should show courage and wisdom. We need to heed and listen to each other with respect," she said and hoped that "better angels" from two sides will "surely defeat the evil forces".

A visibly relieved China warms up to Joe Biden, congratulates him

Usa, News on Usa, stories on Usa, articles on Usa, Usa stories at Wion, Usa news, Usa latest news