Biden news - live: Trump Jr deposed over inaugural funds as White House defends migrant camp after AOC attack

The office of Andrew Cuomo has responded to deny earlier allegations from former administration staffer Lindsey Boylan, who claimed the governor “created a culture within his administration where sexual harassment and bullying is so pervasive that it is not only condoned but expected”.

In a statement to The Independent, Cuomo’s press secretary Caitlin Girouard said: “As we said before, Ms Boylan’s claims of inappropriate behaviour are quite simply false.”

The statement included the office denying Ms Boylan ever was on a flight with only Mr Cuomo, a press aide, and a state trooper – with the office providing file logs of flights from October 2017 and the passengers who were on those flights.

John Maggiore, Howard Zemsky, Dani Lever and Abbey Fashouer Collins were all on flights with Ms Boylan then, the press secretary said, and they have all denied the “strip poker” conversation took place.

"We were on each of these October flights and this conversation did not happen," they said in a statement.

Danielle Zoellner has the latest.

Many Texans who enjoyed access to power during the deadly winter storm crisis earlier this month have since seen their electricity bills skyrocket to astronomical rates, with some reporting receiving thousands of dollars in charges.

But a new report says consumers in the state have been overpaying for power since 2004, when Texas began deregulating its industries and shifted away from full-service regulated utilities for the vast majority of residents.

Chris Riotta reports.

Sanders chimed in on why the senate committee delayed its confirmation of Biden’s OMB administration, saying it “didn’t look like she had the votes”.

Sanders was one of the bi-partisan targets of Neera Tanden’s prolific Twitter habit. Asked if she will get enough votes, Sanders said he didn’t know.

“This is a critical area where Republicans and Democrats agreed, it was one of the best meetings, it was one of the best meetings that we’ve had so far, although we’ve only been here five weeks,” he says.

“It was like the old days, people were actually on the same page.”

Asked if he was disappointed that more of his nominees haven’t been confirmed, the president said that he was but it was the fault of the prior administration.

“I am but, I don’t so much blame it on the Senate, I blame it on the failure to have a transition that was rational,” he said at today’s executive order signing.

“As you know, previous administrations had a significant number of their cabinet confirmed before they even were sworn in. That’s the tradition, but we’re doing fine I think we’re going to be in good shape.”

Ahead of his expected call with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, Joe Biden confirmed that he has read the US intelligence community’s report expected to be released on Thursday.

Biden confirmed on Wednesday that he has read the report, which is expected to contain explosive findings involving one of the King’s sons.

The report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence implies Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was involved in Khashoggi’s murder and dismemberment at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018, according to Axios, which first reported the call between Biden and Salman.

“I’m going to talk to him I have not spoken to him yet,” Biden said.

Marjorie Taylor Greene will encounter a “bloodbath” reelection contest against candidates from both parties, according to interviews with local political leaders’ about 2022.

David Boyle, a Democratic Party chairman, said the 2022 Republican primary for Georgia’s 14th congressional district seat, which Ms Greene won in November, was going to be a “bloodbath”.

"The middle-of-the-road traditional Republicans are tired of all of this craziness,” Mr Boyle told Insider of recent controversies. “They're going to put out strong candidates.”

Gino Spocchia reports.

Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy had an awkward moment when they were both asked whether Donald Trump should be featured as a speaker at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

Mr McCarthy was quick to answer that he believed it was appropriate for Mr Trump to speak at the conference on Wednesday.

Immediately afterwards, Ms Cheney offered a completely opposite take on the matter.

"That's up to CPAC," Ms Cheney said. "I don't believe that he should be playing a role in the future of the party or the country."

Graig Graziosi reports.

QAnon followers clinging to the belief that Donald Trump will retake power on 4 March have seized on a tweet by the US Marshals referencing the date.

It said: “On February 23, 1861, President-Elect Abraham Lincoln quietly slipped into Washington, DC to prepare for his inauguration on March 4. Accompanying him was US Marshal Ward Hill Lamon (D/DC), a friend and former law partner.”

The agency quickly felt the need to follow up with two clarifying tweets to dispel any confusion.

“The 20th Amendment of the US Constitution, ratified in 1933, moved Presidential Inauguration Day from March 4 to January 20,” they said.

“Our tweet made a purely historical reference to President-elect Abraham Lincoln’s arrival in the District of Columbia on February 23, 1861, in the company of US Marshal Ward Hill Lamon, ahead of Lincoln’s first inauguration. No other meaning or context was intended or implied.”

Gustaf Kilander reports.

Acting Capitol Police chief Yogananda Pittman will testify before Congress tomorrow that the intelligence from the FBI and other law enforcement partners did not prepare them for the riots on 6 January.

In her opening statement submitted to the House Appropriations subcommittee hearing, Pittman says officers were also “unsure” of rule of engagement governing the use of lethal force, according to The Hill.

“The Department’s preparations were based on the information it gathered from its law enforcement partners like the FBI and others within the intelligence community, none of which indicated that a mass insurrection of this scale would occur at the US Capitol on January 6th,” Pittman wrote.

House Sergeant at Arms Timothy P Blodgett said in his opening statement that while the 3 January report warned of armed protestors at the Capitol, it noted the probability of civil disobedience or arrests as either “remote, highly improbable, or improbable” for each of those days and for every single demonstration”.