To the Editor:
It was the best inauguration ever. Mostly because of its diversity â not just racial and ethnic diversity, but diversity of every kind.
A Black female fire captain leading the Pledge of Allegiance in sign language. A nurse singing âAmazing Graceâ in her work clothes at the Covid memorial the night before. A Capitol Police hero in a plain brown coat escorting the vice president. A mall empty of people and yet full of their presence.
Three former presidents standing together in support. One absent president acknowledged, and another one ignored. Lady Gagaâs dress, Bernie Sandersâs mittens, Karen Penceâs pearls. A president who said âweâ so many times more than he said âI.â
Congress poised for quick action on Biden s Pentagon no accesswdun.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from accesswdun.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Douthat: Joe Biden s opportunity
Ross Douthat, New York Times
Jan. 22, 2021
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President Joe Biden bumps fists with Vice President Kamala Harris at Wednesday’s inauguration. It was a dark scene, but from the darkness can be seen glimmers of hope for Biden and the nation.Drew Angerer /Getty Images
Amid all the exhausted relief and Twitter euphoria, it’s worth being honest: The inauguration of Joe Biden to the presidency was a dark scene overall, with strong decline-of-the-republic vibes. A wind-swept, wintry, barricaded Capitol; a denuded Mall; a military occupation. The establishment in masks, with a few celebrities mixed in; almost everybody looking aged, gray, laid waste by time. The ex-president absent, unmentioned, but a shadow over the proceedings all the same.
Biden s cabinet: Congress poised for quick action on Lloyd Austin, president s secretary of defense pick abc7news.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from abc7news.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Austin wins Senate confirmation as 1st Black Pentagon chief
Austin promises to uphold principles By ROBERT BURNS and ANDREW TAYLOR | January 22, 2021 at 4:54 AM MST - Updated January 22 at 3:18 PM
WASHINGTON (AP) Lloyd J. Austin, a West Point graduate who rose to the Army’s elite ranks and marched through racial barriers in a 41-year career, won Senate confirmation Friday to become the nation’s first Black secretary of defense.
The 93-2 vote gave President Joe Biden his second Cabinet member; Avril Haines was confirmed on Wednesday as the first woman to serve as director of national intelligence. Biden is expected to win approval for others on his national security team in coming days, including Antony Blinken as secretary of state.