Inauguration Day 2021: Obama, Bush and Clinton give message to Biden as Oval Office gets a revamp

A tiny, lush-green Indian village surrounded by rice paddy fields was beaming with joy Wednesday hours before its descendant, Kamala Harris, takes her oath of office and becomes the U.S. vice president.

Harris is set to make history as the first woman, first woman of color and first person of South Asian descent to hold the vice presidency.

In her maternal grandfather’s hometown of Thulasendrapuram, about 350 kilometers (215 miles) from the southern coastal city of Chennai, people were jubilant and gearing up for celebrations.

As the clock ticks down on President Donald Trump’s final hour at the White House, a team of 90 people is ready to pack and send off all of his and first lady Melania Trump’s things and prepare the place for the incoming president and his wife, in a process that is nothing less of a “mad dash”.

The White House residence staff, whose job not just involves changing the furniture and decorations, has an additional responsibility this time — of deep cleaning of the entire premise due to the Covid-19 pandemic, writes The Independent’s Stuti Mishra

China's Foreign Ministry described outgoing US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday as a "doomsday clown" and said his designation of China as a perpetrator of genocide and crimes against humanity was merely "a piece of wastepaper."

The allegations of abuses against Muslim minority groups in China's Xinjiang region are "outright sensational pseudo-propositions and a malicious farce concocted by individual anti-China and anti-Communist forces represented by Pompeo," spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters at a daily briefing.

"In our view, Pompeo's so-called designation is a piece of wastepaper. This American politician, who is notorious for lying and deceiving, is turning himself into a doomsday clown and joke of the century with his last madness and lies of the century," Hau said.

The US has previously spoken out and taken action on Xinjiang, implementing a range of sanctions against senior Chinese Communist Party leaders and state-run enterprises that fund repressive policies in the vast, resource-rich region.

When Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th president of the United States, he will repeat his oath of office with one hand placed on the Bible, as is customary.

The difference here is that Biden’s Bible is much larger than most used by his predecessors over the generations, as reported by The Independent’s Joe Sommerlad

With the uniquely graceless behaviour of the Trumps in mind, Josh Marcus looks at how presidential transitions are usually handled.

Namely, with grace, generosity and without partisan rancour.

The first family are due to make their exit any moment now but look at the cheek of this from the outgoing first lady.

Meanwhile, here’s Jon Sharman on the litany of lies in The Donald’s farewell address.

We’re now hearing that the Trumps’ departure has been delayed by half an hour.

CNN meanwhile reports that the president will not be speaking to his long-loyal deputy Mike Pence today, their friendship apparently over after Pence declined to weaponise his ceremonial role in the certification of election results before Congress in order to overturn the outcome, an act of defiance that caused the Capitol rioters to cry for his hanging.

Here’s Graeme Massie on his stark Twitter farewell to the role.

And they’re gone! 

Donald and Melania leave behind a White House in dire need of a deep clean after Covid was allowed to run riot through the West Wing and head for Marine One, taking them on to Maryland before they jet out for Florida.

Here’s the latest.

These were Trump’s ominous final words to the White House press pool before he disappeared into the wild blue yonder.

President Trump gets his 21 gun salute before starting a speech saying “we love you, from the bottom of my heart” and added it’s been “an incredible four years” and “something very special."

He then thanked his family for doing an “incredible job” before handing over to Melania Trump who said being the First Lady was the “greatest honour” and thanked everyone for the love and support.