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Leaving office, Trump has lowest approval rating of his presidency
Washington (AFP) - President Donald Trump will leave the White House this week with the lowest approval rating of his presidency, with just 34 percent of Americans supporting the job he has done, a Gallup poll showed Monday. Gallup noted that Trump's average approval rating during his one-term presidency was 41 percent, four points lower than any of his predecessors since the polling group has been gathering data. Trump's job approval had dipped to 35 percent in previous polls, most notably after he failing to condemn a violent gathering of white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2...
AFP
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Biden pushes unity two days before taking over crisis-laden White House
Washington (AFP) - On the cusp of becoming president, Joe Biden pressed Monday for unity, while President Donald Trump remained secluded in the White House at the center of a capital inundated with troops and security barriers. Biden marked the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday with a trip from his home in Delaware to pack food bags for charity in Philadelphia -- a gesture symbolizing his call for Americans to come together after four divisive years. "Service is a fitting way to start to heal, unite, and rebuild this country we love," Biden said in a video marking the occasion. But the 78-year-o...
AFP
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Guatemalan security forces break up US-bound migrant caravan
Vado Hondo (Guatemala) (AFP) - Guatemalan security forces on Monday broke up a caravan of some 4,000 Honduran migrants trying to reach the United States on a journey of thousands of kilometers through Central America on foot, AFP reporters witnessed. Police advanced on the group in a coordinated move, striking batons against their shields to make an intimidating noise, prompting the migrants to scatter. The group was still on Guatemalan soil, and many would likely regroup to resume their quest for a better life further north. The caravan, which departed Honduras on Friday, has been held up sin...
AFP
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FBI says Capitol rioter allegedly hoped to sell Pelosi laptop to Russia
Washington (AFP) - A young woman identified as having taken part in the storming of the US Capitol reportedly stole a laptop belonging to top Democrat Nancy Pelosi and hoped to sell it to a Russian spy agency, according to an FBI criminal complaint. The complaint, filed late Sunday in US District Court in Washington, seeks the arrest of Riley June Williams of Pennsylvania on grounds including "violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds." Her whereabouts are unknown. Relying on several photos and videos of the chaotic January 6 intrusion, an FBI agent said Williams was seen near th...
AFP
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'Baby Trump' blimp acquired by Museum of London
London (AFP) - The infamous blimp of outgoing US President Donald Trump dressed as a baby could soon greet visitors to the Museum on London, which on Monday announced it had acquired the inflatable effigy. "Having toured the world, the Trump Baby blimp is now heading to its final resting place, the Museum of London, where it will be conserved and potentially displayed in the museum's future new home," the central London museum said in a statement. The institution said in 2019 that it wanted to acquire the blimp, "recognising its importance in the protests" that met the president during his 201...
AFP
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Biden to scrap Keystone XL pipeline permit: Canadian media
Montreal (AFP) - President-elect Joe Biden plans to scrap the permit for the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline between Canada and the US, two Canadian broadcasters said Sunday. CBC and CTV cited sources and notes from Biden's transition team that indicate he will rescind the permit via executive order following his inauguration on Wednesday. The $8 billion pipeline extension would transport about 500,000 barrels of oil per day from Canada's tar sands in Alberta to refineries in coastal Texas. Owned by TC Energy and the government of Alberta, the extension was blocked in 2008 by then-presi...
AFP
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Twitter suspends QAnon-linked Republican lawmaker's account
Washington (AFP) - A newly elected Republican congresswoman known for promoting QAnon conspiracy theories accused Twitter of censorship on Sunday after her account was temporarily suspended for "multiple violations". Marjorie Taylor Greene was hit with the 12-hour suspension after she tweeted claims of alleged election fraud in Georgia, her home state. Twitter flagged at least two tweets as "disputed" and prevented them from being shared or retweeted, saying they carried the "risk of violence". The lawmaker's account was suspended due to "multiple violations of our civic integrity policy", a T...
AFP
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Biden team lays out plans as inauguration, impeachment loom
Washington (AFP) - President-elect Joe Biden's top advisors on Sunday outlined his plans to tackle the nation's multiple crises while balancing the impeachment trial of Donald Trump, as an historic inauguration week opens in the United States. Washington was under the watch of thousands of National Guard troops and ringed with security barriers ahead of Biden's swearing in Wednesday, in a nation still rattled by the January 6 attack on the Capitol. Pro-Trump protests planned at state capitols nationwide got off to a quiet start with only small groups of armed demonstrators gathering in states ...
AFP
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Covid concerns, razor wire and no Trump: An inauguration like no other
Washington (AFP) - With war-zone-like security, no crowds and coronavirus distancing for guests, Joe Biden's swearing-in as the 46th US president will be a muted affair unlike any previous inauguration. Where Washington is normally packed with hundreds of thousands of supporters, celebrities, socialites and lobbyists, the US capital is eerily quiet ahead of Biden's big day, which promises to be a mostly televised celebration of democracy. Coronavirus concerns were always going to dampen Wednesday's inauguration, but since departing President Donald Trump's supporters launched an insurrection i...
AFP
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Apple's Cook says Parler could return to App Store with reforms
Washington (AFP) - Parler, the social network popular among conservatives, could return to Apple's App Store if it changes how it moderates posts on the platform, the tech giant's CEO Tim Cook said Sunday. Apple suspended all downloads of the Parler app following the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, citing postings on the platform that could incite further violence. Google and Amazon also cut ties with the company. Speaking to Fox News Sunday, Cook justified suspending Parler, favored by supporters of President Donald Trump. "We looked at the incitement to violence that was on there, and...
AFP
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