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

Biden gets controversial Trump officials to resign in first act on Inauguration Day

Joe Biden has asked surgeon general Jerome Adams to resign as his administration begins on Wednesday, in what has been billed as a reboot of the US government’s pandemic response.

Mr Adams, who has served as the surgeon general since 2017, announced his resignation at the Biden administration’s request, and said it had “been the honor of my life to serve”.

He and Michel Pack, the chief executive of the state-run US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), are among those Trump administration officials asked to resign by Mr Biden - with more expected to follow.

Gino Spocchia has the story: 

‘It was generous’: Biden speaks on Trump’s letter to him but doesn’t reveal its contents

One of the long-standing traditions has been for the outgoing president to leave a letter for the incoming president. 

Although Donald Trump did not participate in several traditions, such as attending the Inauguration Day events, he did leave a letter for his successor in the desk drawer of the Resolute desk. 

"The president wrote a very generous letter," Mr Biden said about his predecessor, CNN reports. "Because it was private, I won't talk about it until I talk to him. But it was generous."

BREAKING: Biden signs federal mask mandate, repeals Muslim Ban, and rejoins Paris Climate Agreement

Joe Biden has signed his first slate of executive actions as president, erasing core aspects of Donald Trump’s legacy on the coronavirus pandemic, immigration, climate change, and more with the simple stroke of a pen, writes Griffin Connolly. 

Following an afternoon of ceremonies that included a virtual parade through Washington, DC, and the laying of a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, the new administration immediately got to work around 5:15pm on the East Coast, rolling out 15 executive orders and two other action items.

What happened to Joe Biden’s father? President references his dad’s unemployment in inaugural address

During his inaugural address after he became the 46th US president, Joe Biden referenced his father, Joseph Robinette Biden Sr, as he spoke about the fears many Americans have about unemployment amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“I understand that many view future with fear and trepidation. I understand they worry about their jobs,” President Biden said during his address on Wednesday.

“I understand, like my dad, they lay in bed at night staring at the ceiling wondering, can I keep my healthcare? Can I pay my mortgage? Thinking about their families, about what comes next."

James Crump has the story: 

Watch: Joe Biden sign first executive order as president

President Joe Biden’s first executive order addressed the current Covid-19 pandemic that has impacted millions of Americans lives. 

The executive order mandates that masks must be work on federal property and during interstate travel. More coronavirus-related measures were expected in the weeks to come under the Biden administration. 

Three of the oldest Supreme Court justices skip inauguration due to pandemic

Justices Stephen Breyer, 82; Clarence Thomas, 72; and Samuel Alito, 70, all opted out of attending the inauguration of President Joe Biden on Wednesday amid the coronavirus pandemic, a Supreme Court spokesperson told Politico. 

“Several of the Justices elected not to attend the inauguration ceremony in light of the public health risks posed by the Covid pandemic,” the spokesperson said.

The other six justices were in attendance at the event, as Justice John Roberts swore in Mr Biden and Justice Sonia Sotomayor swore in Vice President Kamala Harris. 

The three justices were not the only prominent figures to forgo the inauguration events amid the pandemic. Former President Jimmy Carter, 96, also opted out of attending due to his age and the current health risk. 

Former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W Bush, and Barack Obama will all in attendance with their wives for the event. 

World leaders and climate activists welcome the US back to the Paris Climate Agreement

President Biden rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement on his first day in office, one of a sweep of executive orders to tackle the climate crisis, writes Louise Boyle. 

French president Emmanuel Macron was among the first to celebrate the good news.

"Welcome back to the Paris Agreement!" he tweeted.

Christiana Figueres, former executive secretary of the UN Framework on Climate Change, tweeted that the US rejoining would be warmly welcomed.

"Even as the White House went dark, US citizens, public & corporate leaders kept the light. Today that light turns into a beacon for accelerated #ClimateAction everywhere. Onward w/ renewed vigor!" she wrote.

Al Gore wrote that it was thanks to American voters, the US was back in the deal to cut carbon emissions in order to avoid catastrophic global heating.

"America is once again poised to lead the world on climate action, working with our allies to build a better future for us all. Time to get back to work!" he wrote. 

Biden swears in presidential appointees in virtual ceremony

President Joe Biden has sworn in about 1,000 of his presidential appointees during a virtual ceremony in the White House. 

“[If] I hear you treat another colleague with disrespect, talk down to someone, I promise I will fire you on the spot,” Mr Biden vowed, saying that dignity was “missing” in the last four years under the Trump administration. 

“On the spot. No ifs, ands, or buts. Everybody, everybody is entitled to be treated with decency and dignity,” he added. 

Mr Biden said that he and his administration would face strong scrutiny from the public to restore decency to the White House, which meant they would have to act respectfully to each other.

 “I'm going to make mistakes,” Mr Biden said, adding: "I’ll acknowledge them and I’ll need your help correcting them."

The new president’s office has already been redecorated and he has filled it with pictures of iconic American leaders, including a large portrait of Franklin D Roosevelt, says the Washington Post.

There are also paintings of President Thomas Jefferson and former Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton hung near each other.

“This Oval is an Oval for Day One,” said Ashley Williams, the deputy director of Oval Office operations.

“It was important for President Biden to walk into an Oval that looked like America and started to show the landscape of who he is going to be as president."

Former communications director one of seven women to fill positions in communication team’s upper ranks.

Danielle Zoellner has more.