Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Tuesday, January 19, 2021:
TRANSFER OF POWER
Tomorrow’s inauguration will be among the tensest in modern history, coming two weeks after the riots at the Capitol, without the customary handoff from the outgoing president and in a city that is essentially locked down to the public. President-elect Biden arrives in D.C. this afternoon for a ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial to honor those who died in the pandemic. There’s a “national moment of unity” at 5:30 p.m. ET at landmarks across the country ahead of tomorrow’s mix of in-person and virtual inaugural events. Here’s a schedule of what to expect over the next 48 hours: READ IT
FIRST 100 DAYS
President-elect Biden is planning aggressive executive actions to undo many aspects of the Trump presidency as his first priorities in office. The administration is expected to rejoin the Paris Climate Accords and the World Health Organization, cancel the Keystone XL pipeline, repeal the transgender ban in the military, end the “Muslim ban” on travel and propose a new immigration bill, extend the pause federal student loans, and mandate masks on federal property and interstate travel. CBS NEWS
COVID-19: 400,000 DEAD
It took the U.S. until September to reach 200,000 deaths, then three more months to reach 300,000, then just a month to top 400,000. The unimaginable toll comes as vaccine distribution is slowly but surely ramping up, with the country averaging about 777,000 doses administered per day in the last week. The head of the WHO says the world is on the brink of a “catastrophic moral failure” when it comes to distributing the vaccines and condemned the “me-first approach” that’s leaving the most vulnerable at risk. The Biden administration plans to immediately mobilize the National Guard and FEMA to increase vaccine distribution. CNN
NAVALNY JAILED
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been jailed for at least 30 days after he defiantly returned to Moscow. Navalny spent five months in Germany recovering from a suspected poisoning attempt by the Russian government. He was arrested upon his arrival at the Moscow airport, taken to a police station and then put in front of a judge without notice. The speed of the retribution against Navalny was considered brazen even for Putin and drew criticism from countries around the world, including the U.S. NBC NEWS
JACKPOTS
A combined $1.6 billion in lottery winnings is up for grabs this week. The Mega Millions is currently at an estimated $850 million ahead of tonight’s drawing. The Powerball is $730 million. That drawing is tomorrow. USA TODAY
TECHLASH
WhatsApp has delayed an upcoming privacy update from Feb. 8 to May 15 amid backlash and confusion over what user data would be automatically shared with parent Facebook. Meanwhile, the privacy-centric search engine DuckDuckGo says it’s now handling 100 million searches a day as more users switch over from Google. That’s a landmark, but it’s still a fraction of the 5 or 6 billion daily queries done on Google. TECHRADAR
WILL MAHOMES PLAY?
With five days until the AFC Championship game, Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is in the NFL’s concussion protocol. Mahomes was pulled from Sunday’s game against the Browns after a bad hit, and his condition remains unknown. The Chiefs take on the Bills for a Super Bowl berth on Sunday night. ESPN
SPLITSVILLE...
...for quarantine-fav couple Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas. The pair reportedly have parted ways amicably after nearly a year together. PAGE SIX
SPOTTED...
…Martin Luther King III, the son of the civil rights hero, endorsing Andrew Yang for mayor of NYC on MLK Day. Dr. King was among the early champions of a universal basic income, which Yang supports: WATCH
...the “Field of Flags” art display, getting lit up on the National Mall. The Presidential Inaugural Committee has filled the lawn with flags to represent the American people who can’t travel to D.C. for Inauguration Day: SEE IT
LEFTOVERS: THREE-MONTH LAYOVER
A California man who says he was too afraid to go home because of the pandemic spent the last three months living inside Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, according to prosecutors. Aditya Singh allegedly landed at O’Hare on Oct. 19 and never left, spending his time inside the security zone undetected and eating food left for him by other passengers. Singh is being charged with felony trespass and misdemeanor theft. CHICAGO TRIB
Listen to the N2K Podcast! Looking for more context and analysis on the big stories of the day? Check out our podcast! Hosts Jill and Carlo break down the headlines, every weekday morning Listen on Apple or Spotify, or watch on YouTube, and send us your feedback!
