‘Democracy has prevailed’ U.S. President Biden says in inaugural address; Harris bids formal farewell to Pence — a task usually performed by outgoing president
Follow along for the latest updates on the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden. For more news on Biden and outgoing President Donald Trump, visit here.
2:15 p.m. President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris have taken part in the traditional inaugural military tradition of Pass in Review."
Biden, Harris and their spouses stood Wednesday on the East Front steps of the U.S. Capitol to observe the procession of ceremonial military regiments.
Several groupings passed by the steps, with military members saluting the newly minted president and musicians playing traditional patriotic tunes.
The inaugural parade that typically follows was to be replaced by a virtual parade later in the day because of concerns amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Following the procession, the couples climbed into vehicles to travel to Arlington National Cemetery for a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. They were to be joined by the former presidents who attended the earlier inaugural ceremony.
1:50 p.m. Congressional leaders have presented President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris with a variety of gifts, including a pair of flags flown over the U.S. Capitol during the inauguration.
The presentations to the officials and their respective spouses happened Wednesday in lieu of a congressional luncheon that typically follows the inauguration ceremony.
Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota said Lenox had crafted a pair of commemorative vases for Biden and Harris, each weighing 32 pounds (14.5 kilograms).
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell gifted them with a pair of U.S. flags that were flown over the Capitol during the inauguration. McConnell noted that both Biden and Harris served in the Senate and skipped the House altogether."
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer presented photos from Wednesday's ceremony.
Republican Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri noted that the Smithsonian had loaned a painting titled Landscape with Rainbow" by a notable Black painter from around the time of the Civil War.
1:40 p.m. Vice-President Kamala Harris has now taken on a role that would have typically been performed by the outgoing president.
Harris and her husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, stood on the U.S. Capitol steps Wednesday to bid farewell to her predecessor, former Vice-President Mike Pence, and his wife, Karen.
The two couples stood and chatted for a few moments, even laughing, on the steps before the Pences got into a vehicle and were driven away.
President Donald Trump typically would have performed the sendoff for his second-in-command but opted to skip Wednesday's inaugural festivities.
Trump and his wife, Melania, went straight from the White House to Joint Base Andrews earlier Wednesday. He gave a campaign-style farewell speech before boarding Air Force One for a final time as president and travelling to his home in Florida.
Pence opted not to attend that event, instead attending Biden's inauguration.
1:33 p.m. U.S. poet laureate, 22-year-old Amanda Gorman, made history after becoming America's youngest inaugural poet.
The Los Angeles-born inspiration" performed a five minute reading of her poem, The Hill We Climb" continuing a tradition - for Democratic presidents - that includes such celebrated poets as Robert Frost and Maya Angelou.
We've seen a force that would shatter our nation rather than share it / Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy / And this effort very nearly succeeded / But while democracy can be periodically delayed / It can never be permanently defeated," she read, drawing enormous praise and support from political leaders, writers, and celebrities.
Never been prouder to see another young woman rise! Brava Brava," Oprah Winfrey tweeted. Maya Angelou is cheering," she added.
1:25 p.m. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau extended his congratulations to new U.S. president Joe Biden: "Canada and the United States have worked side by side to tackle some of the greatest challenges we have faced in our history. We will continue this partnership as we fight the global COVID-19 pandemic and support a sustainable economic recovery that will build back better for everyone. We will also work together to advance climate action and clean economic growth, promote inclusion and diversity, and create good middle-class jobs and opportunities for our people while contributing to democracy, peace, and security at home and around the world."
Read more: Prominent Canadians on the inaugurations of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris
1:15 p.m Troops in riot gear lined the streets of the nation's capitol, but there were no crowds. Armored vehicles and concrete barriers blocked the empty streets around the U.S. Capitol. From behind miles of fencing, Joe Biden was safely sworn in as president in a Washington on edge, two weeks after pro-Trump rioters besieged the U.S. Capitol.
Law enforcement officials contended not only with the potential for outside threats but also with rising concerns about an insider attack. Officials were monitoring members of far-right extremist and militia groups, increasingly concerned about the possibility such groups could stream into Washington and spark violent confrontations, a law enforcement official said.
There were a few scattered arrests, but no serious disruptions in the city during Biden's inauguration ceremony.
1:08 p.m. The clothing choices of an incoming First Lady set an important symbolic tone; the gowns they wear to the Inauguration ball are destined for a museum. Politics has given us plenty of fashion moments-both good (AOC's white pantsuit, Kamala Harris's Converse) and bad (Melania Trump's I Really Don't Care, Do U?" jacket).
At the inauguration of her husband Joe Biden, Dr. Jill Biden, in a cerulean blue dress and overcoat look by Markarian.
Read more from The Kit: Style and symbolism on display at the Inauguration
12:50 p.m. Calm prevailed outside heavily fortified state capitol buildings across the U.S. as Joe Biden was sworn in as president.
The FBI had warned of the possibility for armed demonstrations leading up to the inauguration after President Donald Trump repeatedly and falsely claimed the election was stolen from him.
Fewer than a half-dozen demonstrators showed up outside the capitols in Concord, New Hampshire, and Lansing, Michigan. A lone protester wearing a Make America Great Again" hat stood outside a chain-link fence surrounding the California Capitol in Sacramento, as dozens of police officers and National Guard troops guarded every entrance.
Three protesters were outside the Nebraska Capitol in Lincoln, one waving a flag that read Biden is not the president."
Dump trucks, prison buses and other government vehicles were used to barricade streets around the Georgia Capitol in Atlanta, though no protesters were there.
Michigan lawmakers cancelled a session scheduled for Wednesday out of caution. But in Wisconsin, legislators planned to move ahead with a committee hearing that was to be open to the public.
12:45 p.m. The official swearing-in ceremony for President Joe Biden have concluded, but more events are planned throughout the day.
Biden and first lady Jill Biden departed the platform at the U.S. Capitol following a ceremony that included Biden taking the oath Wednesday as the 46th president of the United States. Vice-President Kamala Harris also took her oath of office, becoming the nation's first female vice-president.
The day included musical performances from Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez and Garth Brooks. Celebrated poet Amanda Gorman read a piece noting that, while democracy can be permanently delayed, it can never be permanently denied."
Following his departure from the platform, Biden was expected to sign paperwork in the President's Room within the U.S. Capitol. Afterward, he reviews troops outside the Capitol before departing and travelling to Arlington National Cemetery for a ceremony with former presidents in attendance.
Later Wednesday, Biden is expected to make his first official arrival at the White House as president before a virtual inaugural parade.
12:40 p.m. Inaugural poet Amanda Gorman summoned images dire and triumphant as she called out to the world even as we grieved, we grew."
Gorman is 22, by far the youngest inaugural poet since Robert Frost read for John F. Kennedy in 1961. She quoted biblical scripture and echoed the oratory of Kennedy and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. among others as she recited her poem at President Joe Biden's inauguration on Wednesday.
She referred to the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump, an event that she said helped inspire her to finish her poem, The Hill We Climb."
12:30 p.m. Garth Brooks has sung a gospel-tinged and beautiful rendition of Amazing Grace" at President Joe Biden's inauguration.
The country superstar took off his black cowboy hat and kept his eyes closed for much of the powerful song, performing it a capella and without strain.
He offered a few dazzling smiles as the sun broke through the crowd and asked the audience to sing a verse with him. He said, Not just the people here, but the people at home, to work as one united."
After it was over, Brooks shook hands with Biden, Vice-President Kamala Harris and former Vice-President Mike Pence.
Brooks performed during the inaugural celebration of President Barack Obama in 2009. He turned down a chance to play for President Donald Trump in 2017, citing a scheduling conflict.
12:20 p.m. More than a hundred people stood in the cold waiting to get through a security checkpoint to reach Pennsylvania Avenue, where they hoped to catch a glimpse of the presidential procession.
People watched the inauguration ceremony on their phones Wednesday, cheering as Vice-President Kamala Harris, then President Joe Biden took the oath.
I feel so hopeful, so thankful," said Karen Jennings Crooms, a D.C. resident waiting in line with her husband. It makes us sad that this is where we are but hopeful that democracy will win out in the end. That's what I'm focusing on."
Her husband, Vernal Crooms, who attended Howard University at the same time as Harris but didn't know her, said he was happy to see the Donald Trump era end.
He said, We've turned the page. Light prevailed and the lie didn't last."
12:10 p.m. President Joe Biden is calling on Americans to overcome their divisions, declaring in his first address in office that without unity, there is no peace."
Biden also pledged during his inaugural address Wednesday that he would be honest with the country as it continues to confront difficulties, saying that leaders have an obligation to defend the truth and defeat the lies."
He asked even those who did not vote for him to give him a chance. He said, Hear me out as we move forward."
As he did frequently during the campaign, Biden pledged that he will be a president for all Americans" and will fight as hard for those who did not support me as for those who did."
He added, We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue."
12 p.m. President Joe Biden says democracy has prevailed" in a country reeling amid a pandemic and a violent melee two weeks ago at the U.S. Capitol.
In his first remarks as president, Biden said Wednesday that his swearing-in marks a day of history and hope."
Biden said in his inaugural address that the country has learned again that democracy is precious."
He added, The dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer."
Biden also thanked his predecessors from both parties for attending Wednesday's ceremonies. Former Vice-President Mike Pence was also in attendance, while former President Donald Trump skipped the festivities and headed to Florida earlier in the day.
11:52 a.m. Joe Biden has officially become the 46th president of the United States.
Biden took the oath of office just before noon Wednesday during a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol. The presidential oath was administered by U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.
Biden was sworn in using a Bible that has been in his family since 1893 and was used during his swearing-in as vice-president in 2009 and 2013. The 5-inch thick Bible, which could be seen on a table next to Biden's chair on the dais, has a Celtic cross on its cover and was also used each time he was sworn- n as a U.S. senator.
Biden's late son, Beau, also used the Bible for his own swearing-in ceremony as attorney general of Delaware and helped carry the Bible to his father's 2013 ceremony.
11:45 a.m. Kamala Harris has been sworn in as the nation's first female vice-president.
The former U.S. senator from California is also the first Black person and the first person of South Asian descent elected to the vice presidency and becomes the highest-ranking woman ever to serve in government.
She was sworn in Wednesday by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina to serve on the Supreme Court. Vice-President Mike Pence, standing in for President Donald Trump, was sitting nearby as Lady Gaga sang the national anthem accompanied by the U.S. Marine Corps band.
11:40 a.m. The White House says President Donald Trump has pardoned Al Pirro, the ex-husband of Fox News Channel host and Trump ally Jeanine Pirro.
The pardon for Al Pirro is in addition to the 143 pardons and sentence commutations that Trump announced earlier Wednesday. Pirro's pardon was announced just after Trump landed in Florida after leaving the White House and before Joe Biden was inaugurated as the nation's 46th president.
Jeanine Pirro hosts Fox News Channel's Justice with Judge Jeanine."
Al Pirro was convicted of conspiracy and tax evasion charges and sentenced to more than two years in prison in 2000.
11:35 a.m. President Joe Biden has chosen career diplomat Daniel Smith to serve as acting secretary of state until his pick for top diplomat, Antony Blinken, is confirmed by the Senate.
Smith currently runs the Foreign Service Institute that trains U.S. diplomats and is a former ambassador to Greece.
Current and incoming U.S. officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday of his temporary appointment, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of the official announcement. Biden is set to be sworn in at noon as the 46th president of the United States.
Blinken had a confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, and his confirmation is not expected to face obstacles. He would succeed President Donald Trump's secretary of state, Mike Pompeo.
11:15 a.m. Joe Biden's presidential inauguration ceremony has begun.
Biden swears the oath of office at noon Wednesday, becoming the 46th president of the United States. The Democrat is preparing to take the helm of a deeply divided nation and inherit crises arguably greater than any faced by his predecessors.
History will be made at Biden's side, as Kamala Harris becomes the first woman to be vice-president.
The ceremony in which presidential power is transferred is a hallowed American democratic tradition. And this time it serves as a jarring reminder of the challenges Biden faces: The inauguration unfolds at a U.S. Capitol battered by an insurrectionist siege just two weeks ago, encircled by security forces. It's devoid of crowds because of the threat of the coronavirus pandemic.
Flouting tradition, Donald Trump departed Washington on Wednesday morning ahead of the inauguration rather than accompany his successor to the Capitol.
Former Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton are attending.
The other living former president, 96-year-old Jimmy Carter, previously announced he would not attend.
11:10 a.m. Vice-President Mike Pence has arrived at the inauguration of President-Elect Joe Biden.
Pence and his wife, Karen Pence, were announced at inaugural festivities at the U.S. Capitol about one hour ahead of Biden's expected swearing-in ceremony.
Pence is representing the outgoing Trump administration at Biden's inaugural. President Donald Trump is skipping the festivities, departing Washington earlier in the day for the last time as sitting president.
Aboard Air Force One a final time, Trump landed in West Palm Beach, Florida, just before Pence's arrival at the inaugural platform.
During remarks before his departure, Trump hinted at a comeback despite a legacy of chaos, tumult and bitter divisions in the country he led for four years, telling supporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland We will be back in some form."
11:05 a.m. A Capitol police officer hailed as a hero for his actions during the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol is accompanying vice-president-elect Kamala Harris at the inauguration of Harris and president-elect Joe Biden.
Officer Eugene Goodman confronted the insurrectionists and led them away from Senate chambers moments after Vice-President Mike Pence was escorted from the Senate chamber as the rioters stormed the Capitol.
Goodman is a Black man and was facing an overwhelmingly white mob. He is the only officer seen for a full minute on widely circulated footage captured by a news reporter. Goodman stands in front of the rioters and walks backward as the group follows him to a second-floor hallway, where other officers finally assist him.
A police spokeswoman says Goodman's plainclothes assignment to accompany Harris is a ceremonial role.?
11 a.m. Former Republican leaders and lawmakers are among those gathering at the Capitol for President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration.
Former House Speaker Paul Ryan said he was attending the Wednesday ceremony to honour the process" after a year that he said tested the nation's institutions. He said he was there out of respect for the peaceful transfer of power."
Former Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona says it's too bad" that outgoing President Donald Trump did not attend for that handoff that the world can see."
Flake is a Trump critic. He says he hopes it's a moment of renewal" for the nation. He says he thinks Americans will sleep easier knowing that we have a more steady hand in the White House."
10:50 a.m. President Donald Trump has arrived in Florida after leaving the White House for the final time as president.
Trump said farewell to Washington early Wednesday, leaving before President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration.
Trump's plane flew low along the coast as Biden's inauguration played on TV on Fox News Channel.
Trump's family was on the plane with him. He spent some of the flight meeting with flight staff, who went up to say goodbye.
Trump has hinted about a comeback despite a legacy of chaos, tumult and bitter divisions in the country he led for four years.
Trump spoke to supporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, where he walked across a red carpet and boarded Air Force One to head to Florida. He said: So just a goodbye. We love you." And the 45th president added, We will be back in some form."
Trump departs office as the only president ever impeached twice, and with millions more out of work than when he was sworn in and 400,000 dead from the coronavirus.
10:35 a.m. President-elect Joe Biden has arrived at the U.S. Capitol ahead of his inauguration as the United States' 46th president.
Biden and his wife, Jill, arrived at the complex on Wednesday morning, about 90 minutes before his noon swearing-in ceremony. They were accompanied by vice-president-elect Kamala Harris and her husband, Douglas Emhoff, and were greeted by U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota.
The president-elect's motorcade wound its way through a mostly deserted Washington following a morning church service at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle. Streets that would typically be lined with thousands of inaugural onlookers were ringed instead with a massive security presence to include military vehicles and armed troops.
About 25,000 National Guard members have been dispatched to Washington following the violent melee at the U.S. Capitol two weeks ago.
Biden paused to wave from the Capitol steps before entering the building.
10:25 a.m All of the former U.S. presidents attending president-elect Joe Biden's inauguration have arrived at the U.S. Capitol.
George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, were first to arrive at the complex on Wednesday morning, several hours before Biden's swearing-in ceremony.
Barack and Michelle Obama and Bill and Hillary Clinton followed shortly thereafter, with each couple arriving in separate motorcades.
The other living former president, 96-year-old Jimmy Carter, previously announced he would not attend Biden's inauguration. Carter and his wife, 93-year-old Rosalynn Carter, have largely spent the coronavirus pandemic at their home in Plains, Georgia.
Carter had been the first former president to confirm that he was attending Donald Trump's inaugural in 2017.
Trump and first lady Melania Trump departed Washington earlier Wednesday, skipping the Biden inaugural festivities and heading straight to their home in Florida. Trump is the first president since Andrew Johnson not to attend the inauguration of his successor.
10:20 a.m. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are showcasing American designers at their inauguration.
The president-elect is wearing a navy suit and navy overcoat by Ralph Lauren. Jill Biden is wearing an ocean-blue wool tweed coat and dress by American designer Alexandra O'Neill of the Markarian label.
Aides say Harris is wearing Christopher John Rogers and Sergio Hudson. Both are Black designers, Rogers from Louisiana and Hudson from South Carolina.
Harris' husband, Doug Emhoff, wore a Ralph Lauren suit on Wednesday.
9:58 a.m. Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen will resign when President-elect Joe Biden takes the oath of office.
The Justice Department says Rosen's resignation goes into effect at noon Wednesday.
Rosen has run the department since former Attorney General William Barr resigned on Dec. 23. He was previously the deputy attorney general and deputy transportation secretary.
Rosen has kept a low profile since he assumed the top job at the Justice Department. He has not held a press conference or addressed the press corps since he took the role, even after a deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. He has only released pre-recorded videos discussing the matter and issued statements.
Longtime Justice Department official Monty Wilkinson is expected to assume the role of acting attorney general while Judge Merrick Garland awaits confirmation by the Senate.
9:52 a.m. When President-elect Joe Biden takes the oath of office Wednesday, he is likely to place his hand on a familial artifact that has followed him throughout his 50-year political career: a hefty Bible, accented with a Celtic cross, that has been in his family since 1893.
While this possibility has yet to be confirmed by Biden's inaugural committee, the Bible has been a staple at Biden's past swearing-in ceremonies as a U.S. senator and as vice president. His son Beau Biden also used it when he was sworn in as the Delaware attorney general.
Biden, who will make history as the country's second Catholic president, after John F. Kennedy, often invoked his faith during the 2020 presidential campaign as he courted voters with a promise to restore the soul of America."
In an interview last month with Stephen Colbert, Biden shared some history about the family heirloom.
Every important date is in there," Biden said. For example, every time I've been sworn in for anything, the date is inscribed."
9:20 a.m. President Donald Trump has followed at least one presidential tradition.
The White House says the Republican president left behind a note for his successor, Democrat Joe Biden.
Deputy press secretary Judd Deere declined to reveal what Trump wrote to Biden or to characterize the sentiment in the note, citing privacy for communication between presidents.
Trump has refused to publicly concede to Biden and did not mention the Democrat by name in a pair of farewell addresses.
Trump interrupted many traditions of the presidency, including by not attending Biden's inauguration on Wednesday. Trump also did not invite Biden to the White House for a meeting after Biden was declared the winner of November's presidential election
Trump left the White House for the final time as president on Wednesday morning, saying, It's been a great honour, the honour of a lifetime."
9:07 a.m. President Donald Trump says he thinks the new administration will have great success" and claims to have laid the foundation for it.
Trump says the new administration has the foundation to do something really spectacular." He made brief farewell remarks at Maryland's Joint Base Andrews before he boarded Air Force One for a flight to his Florida home.
Trump did not mention President-elect Joe Biden by name during his Wednesday remarks.
Trump told cheering, chanting supporters he'll be watching and listening from a distance. He promised he will be back in some form" and wished the crowd a good life" before he and his wife boarded the plane.
Trump wanted to be in Florida before Biden becomes president at noon.
8:53 a.m. Trump arrived at a self-designed, early-morning sendoff at Joint Base Andrews via helicopter, landing to the strains of his 1980s rally playlist before being greeted by a 21-gun salute and cheers from a modest crowd of about 200 supporters.
It's believed to be the first time in 152 years that a sitting president has opted to skip out on the inauguration of his successor.
As the athletes would say, we left it all on the field," Trump said during an ad-libbed speech that included a rare thank-you from his wife, Melania.
You are amazing people, this is a great, great country and it is my greatest honour and privilege to have been your president."
In closing, he added to cheers: We will be back, in some form."
8:35 a.m. President-elect Joe Biden is attending church ahead of his inauguration, a traditional step taken ahead of the swearing-in ceremony.
Biden and incoming first lady Jill Biden on Wednesday are attending a service at Washington's Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle. With them are incoming Vice-President Kamala Harris and her husband, Douglas Emhoff.
At Biden's invitation, the first couple is joined by a bipartisan group of members of Congress, including all four top-ranking members of congressional leadership.
That includes both Senate leaders, Republican Mitch McConnell and Democrat Chuck Schumer, as well as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy.
Many presidents have chosen St. John's Episcopal Church, sometimes called Church of the Presidents," for the inaugural day service. Biden is the second Catholic U.S. president, and St. Matthew's is the seat of the Catholic archbishop of Washington.
Biden spent Tuesday night at Blair House, a traditional move ahead of a president's inauguration.
8:15 a.m. Donald Trump has left the White House for the final time as president.
Trump emerged from the building Wednesday morning and strode across the South Lawn to board Marine One. He said, It's been a great honour, the honour of a lifetime."
Trump now heads to Joint Base Andrews in suburban Maryland, where he'll have a military sendoff. A red carpet has been placed on the tarmac for Trump to walk as he boards the plane. Four U.S. Army cannons are set up for a 21-gun salute. Trump then flies to Florida, where he'll stay at Mar-a-Lago.
Trump is leaving Washington just hours before Joe Biden takes the oath of office as the 46th president. It's the first time in more than a century that a sitting president has rejected the tradition of attending his successor's inauguration.
8:08 a.m. As the sun rose over Washington's Freedom Plaza between the U.S. Capitol and the White House ahead of Joe Biden's presidential inauguration, clusters of soldiers in full battle fatigues clustered inside metal barriers erected to restrict access to the procession route.
Some yellow placards on the barriers read Biden-Harris 2021," while others carried the seal of the presidency or inaugural insignias. American and District of Columbia flags flapped in high winds.
Traffic has been blocked off nearby in all directions. Revelers have been told to stay home to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Most offices in the surrounding buildings are closed, many boarded up with plywood to prevent damage in case violence breaks out Wednesday.
But one tall office building in view of the procession route has been fitted with towering signs reading Welcome, Mr. President" and Welcome Madam Vice-President," for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
After being sworn in, Biden is set to inspect the readiness of military troops in a traditional pass in review."
8 a.m. One name missing in President Donald Trump's flurry of pardons is Tiger King" Joe Exotic.
His team was so confident in a pardon that they'd readied a celebratory limousine and a hair and wardrobe team to whisk away the zookeeper-turned-reality-TV-star, who is now serving a 22-year federal prison sentence in Texas. But he wasn't on the list announced Wednesday morning.
Joe Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, was sentenced in January 2020 to 22 years in federal prison for violating federal wildlife laws and for his role in a failed murder-for-hire plot targeting his chief rival, Carole Baskin, who runs a rescue sanctuary for big cats in Florida. Baskin was not harmed.
Maldonado-Passage, who has maintained his innocence, was also sentenced for killing five tigers, selling tiger cubs and falsifying wildlife records. A jury convicted him in April 2019.
In his pardon application filed in September, Maldonado-Passage's attorneys argued that he was railroaded and betrayed" by others. Maldonado-Passage, 57, is scheduled to be released from custody in 2037, but his attorneys said in the application that he will likely die in prison" because of health concerns.
6:50 a.m.: In his first hours as president, Joe Biden will aim to strike at the heart of President Donald Trump's policy legacy, signing a series of executive actions that reverse his predecessor's orders on immigration, climate change and handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Biden on Wednesday will end construction on Trump's U.S.-Mexico border wall, end the ban on travel from some Muslim-majority countries, rejoin the Paris Climate Accord and the World Health Organization and revoke the approval of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, aides said Tuesday. The new president will sign the orders almost immediately after taking the oath of office at the Capitol, pivoting quickly from his pared-down inauguration ceremony to enacting his agenda.
The 15 executive actions are an attempt to essentially rewind the last four years of federal policies with striking speed. Only two recent presidents signed executive actions on their first day in office - and each signed just one. But Biden, facing the debilitating coronavirus pandemic, is intent on demonstrating a sense of urgency and competence that he argues has been missing under his predecessor.
I think the most important thing to say is that tomorrow starts a new day," said Jeff Zients, Biden's choice to lead a new White House office that will co-ordinate the federal government's revamped response to the pandemic.
The orders reach well beyond the pandemic. Biden intends to order a review of all Trump regulations and executive actions that are deemed damaging to the environment or public health. He will order federal agencies to prioritize racial equity and review policies that re-enforce systemic racism. He will revoke a Trump order that sought to exclude non-citizens from the census and will order federal employees to take an ethics pledge that commits them to upholding the independence of the Justice Department.
6:46 a.m.: People in a tiny Indian village surrounded by rice paddies flocked to a Hindu temple, burst crackers and uttered prayers Wednesday hours before its descendant, Kamala Harris, takes her oath of office to become the U.S. vice-president.
Groups of women in bright saris and men wearing white dhotis thronged the temple with sweets and flowers, offering special prayers for Harris' success.
We are feeling very proud that an Indian is being elected as the vice-president of America," said Anukampa Madhavasimhan, a teacher.
The ceremony in Thulasendrapuram, where Harris' maternal grandfather was born about 350 kilometres (215 miles) from the southern coastal city of Chennai, saw the idol of Hindu deity Ayyanar, a form of Lord Shiva, washed with milk and decked with flowers by the priest. Shortly after, the village reverberated with a boom of firecrackers as people held up posters of Harris and clapped their hands.
Harris is set to make history as the first woman, first Black woman and first person of South Asian descent to hold the vice presidency. What makes her achievement special in this village is her Indian heritage.
6:45 a.m.: Joe Biden swears the oath of office at noon Wednesday to become the 46th president of the United States, taking the helm of a deeply divided nation and inheriting a confluence of crises arguably greater than any faced by his predecessors.
The very ceremony in which presidential power is transferred, a hallowed American democratic tradition, will serve as a jarring reminder of the challenges Biden faces: The inauguration unfolds at a U.S. Capitol battered by an insurrectionist siege just two weeks ago, encircled by security forces evocative of those in a war zone, and devoid of crowds because of the threat of the coronavirus pandemic.
Stay home, Americans were exhorted, to prevent further spread of a surging virus that has claimed more than 400,000 lives in the United States. Biden will look out over a capital city dotted with empty storefronts that attest to the pandemic's deep economic toll and where summer protests laid bare the nation's renewed reckoning on racial injustice.
He will not be applauded - or likely even acknowledged - by his predecessor.
Flouting tradition, Donald Trump planned to depart Washington on Wednesday morning ahead of the inauguration rather than accompany his successor to the Capitol. Trump, awaiting his second impeachment trial, stoked grievance among his supporters.
6:45 a.m.: The inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden will take place in a Washington on edge, after the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol unleashed a wave of fear and unmatched security concerns. And law enforcement officials are contending not only with the potential for outside threats but also with rising concerns about an insider attack by troops with a duty to protect him.
There have been no specific threats made against Biden.
The nation's capital is essentially on lockdown. More than 25,000 troops and police have been called to duty. Tanks and concrete barriers block the streets. The National Mall is closed. Fencing lines the perimeter of the U.S. Capitol complex. Checkpoints sit at intersections. The U.S. Secret Service, which is in charge of the event, says it is prepared.
But law enforcement officials have been monitoring members of far-right extremist and militia groups. They have grown increasingly concerned about the possibility such groups could stream into Washington and spark violent confrontations, a law enforcement official said.
Even in the hours before the event, federal agents were monitoring concerning online chatter," which included an array of threats against elected officials and discussions about ways to infiltrate the inauguration, the official said.
And 12 National Guard members were removed from the security operation after vetting by the FBI, including two who had made extremist statements in posts or texts about Wednesday's event. Pentagon officials wouldn't give details on the statements.