U.S. News

Thousands had to be spent to clean the White House after President Donald Trump and his family stayed in the residence for four years. While reports maintained that the fumigation was due to the coronavirus pandemic and a need to ensure sanitation, "Late Night" host Seth Meyers thinks something else was afoot.

"Scrubbing out Diet Coke rings, pulling loose hair out of the drain, trying to get ketchup off the Constitution," he said, detailing the work that had to be done. "I know they're saying that this is because of COVID but even without the pandemic if I were moving in after Trump anywhere I'd want the place fumigated. The guy was glued to his TV, barely left his bedroom, and only ate fast food. That place probably looks like a locker on 'Storage Wars.' Or a studio apartment in a rent-controlled building after the tenant, who lived there for 80 years dies. There's just piles of old newspapers, loose change and a collection of weird ceramic pigs."

Former President Donald Trump released the full list of 145 pardons in the early hours of Wednesday morning, but some of those are already problematic for Republicans, reported Politico.

Elliott Broidy, a GOP fundraiser, pleaded guilty in a foreign lobbying scandal. GOP Maine donor Michael Liberty, was "convicted of making illegal campaign contributions — and who was once described as 'Donald Trump with a Maine accent.' Drew Brownstein, a hedge funder and son to a Colorado lobbyist. All of those added to the other political cronies like Steve Bannon, Paul Manafort, Roger Stone and Michael Flynn.

Americans are struggling, desperate for jobs, barely able to hold onto their housing if they haven't lost it already, and praying they don't catch COVID-19. New President Joe Biden has made "unity" a cornerstone to his administration and the overwhelming number of Capitol Hill Republicans have been receptive.

Most presidents walk into the White House on the first day with major Cabinet officials approved by the Senate. Biden's Director of National Intelligence wasn't approved by the Senate until after Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) removed his hold and allowed a vote. Ten Republicans opposed her despite the nation's defense and security being paramount.

On Wednesday, The Arizona Republic reported that two brothers of Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) are condemning his attacks on the electoral process.

"In a letter to the editor at The Arizona Republic, William Biggs and Daniel Biggs of Tucson said their brother, who argued to set aside Arizona's election results in Congress, is 'at least partially to blame' for the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol two weeks ago," reported Ronald Hansen. "William Biggs, 67, said he is a Democrat who isn't close to his Republican brother but could no longer quietly disagree with his political efforts after the riot. Daniel Biggs could not be reached for comment."

On Wednesday, The Washington Post revealed that the U.S. Army falsely denied for days that the brother of former President Donald Trump's disgraced ex-National Security Adviser Michael Flynn was involved in decision-making during the military response to the Capitol invasion two weeks ago.

"Charles Flynn confirmed in a statement issued to The Washington Post on Wednesday that he was in the room for a tense Jan. 6 phone call during which the Capitol Police and D.C. officials pleaded with the Pentagon to dispatch the National Guard urgently, but top Army officials expressed concern about having the Guard at the Capitol," reported Dan Lamothe, Paul Sonne, Carol D. Leonnig, and Aaron Davis. "Flynn left the room before the meeting was over, anticipating that then-Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, who was in another meeting, would soon take action to deploy more guard members, he said."

On MSNBC Wednesday, Fordham Law professor Jed Shugerman explained how former President Trump is still potentially on the hook for his phone calls to Georgia officials trying to demand they "find" extra votes for him — both civilly and criminally.

"I think legal commentators have been too cautious and too wary of claiming exactly what is on that phone call," said Shugerman. "When he asks for the Georgia secretary of state to find votes, he's not in good faith saying, you know, look around, you know, the gymnasiums for votes, he's saying exactly find 10,000 xxx votes which could give him exactly the number. Just because someone thinks an election is not fair doesn't mean you get to print fraudulently 11,000 votes. That's a crime."

On Wednesday, CBS News' Catherine Herridge reported that Michael Ellis, a Republican operative installed as general counsel to the National Security Agency, has been placed on administrative leave — the same week he started work.

According to the report, Ellis' investigation is now being investigated by the inspector general of the Department of Defense, amid accusations that he improperly handled classified information.

Former President Donald Trump, as an ex-president, will get secret service protection, but according to the Washington Post, so will his family and several of his top aides at the expense of the American taxpayer.

For six months, Trump demanded protection for "former treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin, former chief of staff Mark Meadows and former national security adviser Robert C. O'Brien."

The White House has the first press briefing in several weeks and after four years of inconsistent updates to reporters and answers for questions.

New White House press secretary Jen Psaki was refreshingly boring, according to some who watched her. She was asked questions and answered them. She didn't yell. There were no insults and she didn't say the words "fake news" once. It was the first time in a very long time that Americans were able to watch something stable and normal.

On Wednesday, The New York Times reported that although former President Donald Trump's officials begged staffers to attend his departure ceremony, many of them blew it off because they were tired of his complaints and conspiracy theories about having the election stolen from him.

According to the report, only about 300 people attended the event, despite the fact that standing room had been arranged for a crowd three times that size.

With tears streaming down his face, President Joe Biden gave a send off to his friends and family in Delaware ahead of the inauguration. Not far from his heart, Biden said that it should be Beau being inaugurated Wednesday.

For those who knew Beau, casually met Beau or even bumped into him in the Dover Capitol, he was what all public servants and decent people should strive to be.

On Wednesday, Associated Press reporter Meg Kinnard reported that former President George W. Bush privately told House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC) that he is "the savior" because of his kingmaker role in the Democratic primary that cemented the nomination for President Joe Biden.

"You know, you're the savior, because if you had not nominated Joe Biden, we would not be having this transfer of power today," Bush reportedly told Clyburn, adding that Biden was "the only one who could have defeated the incumbent president."