Judge tosses most claims over clearing protesters in DC park
A federal judge has dismissed a majority of the claims filed by activists and civil liberties groups who accused the Trump administration of violating the civil rights of protesters who were forcefully removed by police using chemical agents from a park near the White House.
Federal probe: Protest not broken up due to Trump photo op
An internal investigation has determined that the decision to clear racial justice protesters from an area in front of the White House last summer wasn't influenced by then-President Donald Trumpโs plans to stage a Bible-toting photo opportunity at that spot.
Growing number of Southern Baptist women question roles
FILE - In this Tuesday, June 11, 2019 file photo, Janene Cates Putman of Athens, Tenn., holds a sign during a demonstration outside the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting in Birmingham, Ala. (AP Photo/Julie Bennett)Emily Snook is the daughter of a Southern Baptist pastor. For many SBC women, even those committed to staying, the topic of gender became more volatile this month when popular Bible teacher Beth Moore said she no longer considered herself Southern Baptist. Yet she is among a number of SBC women publicly sharing their dismay about sex abuse and the vitriol directed at Moore. But she says many Southern Baptist women, including students of hers, were unsettled by the criticism of Moore.
Biden oath second only to Reagan and Obama with TV viewers
All rights reservedNEW YORK โ The first inaugurations of Presidents Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama were the only ones to exceed Joe Biden's in popularity among television viewers over the past 40 years. Reagan's festivities in 1981 drew 41.8 million viewers, and Obama's 2009 inaugural reached 37.8 million, Nielsen said. CNN was the most popular network for inaugural viewers, Nielsen said. ABC had 3.4 million, Fox had 2.7 million, NBC had 2.5 million, Univision had 1.2 million, while Ion Television and Telemundo each averaged 1.1 million viewers. MSNBC had 2.67 million, Fox News Channel had 2.56 million, TNT had 1.19 million and HGTV had 1.1 million.
5 things for Houstonians to know for Thursday, Jan. 21
(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool)Here are things to know for Thursday, Jan. 21:1. โMy whole soul is in itโ: Read Bidenโs inaugural address as the 46th presidentPresident Joe Bidenโs inaugural address Wednesday, as provided by CQ Transcripts:Chief Justice Roberts, Vice President Harris. Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, Leader McConnell, Vice President Pence, and my distinguished guests, my fellow Americans, this is Americaโs day. Biden jeopardizes Keystone XL project on first day in officePresident Joe Biden signed 15 executive orders and actions within his first few hours in office. But the one catching the attention of Houstonians and the energy industry targets the Keystone XL pipeline.
Inauguration fashion: Purple, pearls, American designers
(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, Pool)Joe Biden and Kamala Harris showcased American designers at their inauguration Wednesday, and Harris gave a nod to women's suffrage, Shirley Chisholm and her beloved sorority in pearls and purple. Pearls had a strong fashion showing, in line with a social media campaign that had inauguration watchers donning strands in support and celebration of Harris. โIf thereโs a message to be taken from todayโs inauguration fashion, itโs that those who attended are signaling faith in unity and bipartisanship, as well as restoring truth and trust,โ Torgerson said. Another inauguration fashion star on Twitter was Nikolas Ajagu, the husband of Harris' niece, Meena Harris. It was updated on January 21, 2021, to correct the fact that Meena Harris is Vice President Kamala Harrisโ niece, not her sister.
Hereโs how leaders around the world are reacting to Inauguration Day
(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, Pool)HOUSTON โ President Joe Biden and Madam Vice President Kamala Harris have officially been inaugurated. Former President Barack Obama offered congratulations to his former VP, tweeting โCongratulations to my friend, President @JoeBiden! This is your time.โCongratulations to my friend, President @JoeBiden! pic.twitter.com/LXzxGnBAfz โ Barack Obama (@BarackObama) January 20, 2021Former President Bill Clinton also congratulated the incoming president and vice president ahead of the inauguration. Today is the start of a new chapter & I look forward to our close cooperation!
Texans, those with Houston ties sound off on social media about Biden-Harris inauguration
Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th president of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts as Jill Biden holds the Bible during the 59th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, as their children Ashley and Hunter watch. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool)(Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
The Latest: Clinton says Biden swearing-in lifted her heart
Biden and first lady Jill Biden watched the end of the dayโs events from a balcony in the White House on Wednesday night. The Senate has voted to confirm Avril Haines as the new director of national intelligence, giving President Joe Biden the first member of his Cabinet. Workers removed the giant sign from the departmentโs C Street lobby on Wednesday shortly after President Joe Biden was inaugurated. ___5:20 p.m.President Joe Biden has signed a series of executive orders from the Oval Office hours after his inauguration. ___4:55 p.m.President Joe Biden has directed that federal agencies halt all rulemaking until his administration has time to review proposed regulations.
Vice President Harris: A new chapter opens in US politics
Kamala Harris is sworn in as vice president by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor as her husband Doug Emhoff holds the Bible during the 59th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. (Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP)WASHINGTON โ Vice President Kamala Harris broke the barrier that has kept men at the top ranks of American power for more than two centuries when she took the oath Wednesday to hold the nation's second-highest office. With Trump absent from the inauguration, Harris and her husband, Douglas Emhoff, took on the symbolic duty of escorting former Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen Pence, out of the Capitol. To celebrate the historic day, the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, the nationโs oldest sorority for Black women, which Harris joined at Howard University, declared Wednesday as Soror Kamala D. Harris Day. โToday, we mark the swearing in of the first woman in American history elected to national office, Vice President Kamala Harris.
Liberty County swears in two women, including first-ever female District Attorney in historic ceremony
LIBERTY COUNTY, Texas โ History was made during Mondayโs swearing-in ceremony as two women take up two county positions never been held by a woman before. The county swore in Jennifer Bergman, who was elected as District Attorney and Tammy Bishop as Constable Precinct #1, the county said in a news release. โThis is history, ladies and gentlemen...It is history that is long, long, long overdue.โIn total, 13 candidates were sworn in on Monday, five of then being newly-elected officials. โI look forward to serving the citizens of Liberty County,โ she said in a statement. I am blessed to call Liberty County my home and I look forward to doing everything I can to make you proud.โ
Barrett sworn in at court as issues important to Trump await
(Fred Schilling/Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States via AP)WASHINGTON โ Amy Coney Barrett was formally sworn in Tuesday as the Supreme Court's ninth justice, her oath administered in private by Chief Justice John Roberts. The court is weighing a plea from President Donald Trump to prevent the Manhattan district attorney from acquiring his tax returns. Northeastern Pennsylvania's Luzerne County filed legal papers at the court Tuesday arguing that Barrett should not take part in the Pennsylvania case. The court put off acting on both cases before Barrett joined the court, without offering any explanation in the Mississippi case. As she settles into her new office at the court, Barrett will be joined by four law clerks, usually recent law school graduates who have experience working for federal judges.
Some states allow ballots if voters die before Election Day
Hannah Carson reads from the third chapter of Ecclesiastes inside her Charlotte, N.C., apartment on Friday, Oct. 16, 2020. At 90-year-old, Carson reads her Bible daily, particularly her favorite verse detailing the different seasons of life. As soon as she received her absentee ballot in the mail six weeks ago, she filled it out and sent it back to her local election office. (AP Photo/Sarah Blake Morgan)