An inaugural prayer service that goes back to the start of the country has been moved online. The acting attorney general warns against inauguration violence. Three new Democratic senators will take office on Wednesday. Five of President-elect Joe Biden’s cabinet picks have their confirmation hearings on Tuesday.
There is one day until Biden’s swearing in.
Traditional Inaugural Prayer Service Goes Online
A traditional inaugural prayer service -- which dates back to the start of the republic -- will be entirely virtual this year because of concerns about the coronavirus.
Josh Groban, Patti LaBelle and the Clark Sisters are among the musical performers who will participate in the virtual prayer service at Washington National Cathedral on Wednesday morning ahead of Biden’s swearing in.
Bishop William J. Barber II, who came to national prominence in part for leading “Moral Mondays” civil-rights protests in North Carolina, will deliver the homily, the Presidential Inaugural Committee announced.
The interfaith service was first held at the inauguration of President George Washington. This year it will be livestreamed here, starting at 10 a.m. Wednesday morning.
Biden is poised to become the second Catholic and non-Protestant U.S. president. -- Kathleen Hunter
Acting Attorney General Warns Against Inauguration Violence (8:13 a.m.)
Acting U.S. Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen issued a stern warning Tuesday that attempts to disrupt Joe Biden’s inauguration would be met with the full force of the Justice Department, calling the Jan. 6 deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol an “intolerable travesty.”
“The Justice Department will have no tolerance for anyone who attempts to mar the day with violence or other criminal conduct,” Rosen said in a statement. “Anyone who does that will be caught, and they will be prosecuted.”
The remarks from Rosen, who stepped into the top federal law enforcement role only last month after Attorney General William Barr stepped aside, come barely 24 hours before Biden is set to take the oath of office on the Capitol steps and amid an unprecedented security crackdown in Washington.
Since Jan. 6, he said the DOJ has brought charges against more than 100 people in connection with the attack and that the FBI had received nearly 200,000 digital tips from the public. -- Kathleen Hunter
Three Democratic Senators to take office on Wednesday (7:49 a.m.)
Three new Democratic senators will all be sworn in on Wednesday, after Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris take office, giving Democrats control of the chamber, two people familiar with the plans said.
Jon Ossoff
Photographer: Aboubacar Kante/Bloomberg
Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock were elected in Jan. 5 run-off elections in Georgia, defeating the two Republican incumbents.
California Secretary of State Alex Padilla has been named to replace Harris in the Senate.
Raphael Warnock
Photographer: Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg
The three new Democrats leave the Senate split 50-50 between Republicans and the Democratic caucus. Harris would cast any tie-breaking votes, meaning Democrats control the chamber agenda.
Current Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer will meet later Tuesday to lay out plans for the evenly split Senate as well as the process for an impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. -- Laura Litvan
Five Biden Cabinet Picks Have Confirmation Hearings (6:47 a.m.)
The day before his inauguration, five of Biden’s cabinet nominees have their confirmation hearings before Senate committees.
Janet Yellen, the former Fed chair who was picked to lead the Treasury Department, will face questioning from the Finance Committee at 10 a.m. EST. At the same time, Biden’s pick to be director of national intelligence, Avril Haines, will appear before the Intelligence Committee, and Alejandro Mayorkas, tapped for the Department of Homeland Security, will testify to the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs panel.
Alex Padilla
Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg
Afternoon hearings on Tuesday include retired General Lloyd Austin, Biden’s choice to lead the Defense Department, and Antony Blinken, his nominee for secretary of state.
Despite hearings beginning before Wednesday’s inauguration, Biden is expected to take office with a cabinet made up largely, if not entirely, of acting secretaries. The confirmation hearings have to be followed by committee votes before the nominations go to the floor of the Senate.
Working to Biden’s advantage: the Senate will shift to Democratic control after Biden becomes president and new senators from Georgia and California are sworn in. At that point, tie breakers in the Senate, which will be divided equally between Republicans and Democrats, will be cast by Harris. --Bill Faries
— With assistance by Ryan Teague Beckwith, Laura Litvan, and Kathleen Hunter
January 19, 2021 at 06:47PM
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-19/wave-of-senate-confirmation-hearings-begins-inaugural-update
Acting DOJ Chief Takes Hard Line on Violence: Inaugural Update - Bloomberg
https://news.google.com/search?q=hard&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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