LIVE: Biden says fastest way to remove Trump is to inaugurate him

Lakhvi pleaded before the court that he was falsely implicated in this case. Stay tuned for Latest LIVE news

US President-elect Joe Biden said he had believed for a long time that President Donald Trump was not fit for office, but it was up to Congress to decide on a second impeachment of the Republican president after Wednesday's storming of the Capitol.

Mumbai attack mastermind and Lashkar-e-Taiba operations commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment by a Pakistani anti-terrorism court here in a terror financing case on Friday.

Meanwhile, The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting today launched a digital calendar and diary for 2021, instead of printing them, which helped the ministry save nearly Rs 5 crore.

In another news, the Centre said bird flu has been confirmed so far in Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat, and asked these six states to contain the disease as per the action plan.

Stay tuned for the latest news of the day.

2:52 AM

Pompeo meets with Biden's nominee for secretary of state

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with President-elect Joe Biden's nominee for US top diplomat, Antony Blinken, on Friday to facilitate an orderly transition, meeting just days after US President Donald Trump's supporters stormed the US Capitol in a bid to overturn his election defeat.
 

The meeting, described by a senior State Department official as "very productive," comes just over a week before Biden's inauguration on Jan. 20. The official said Pompeo met with Blinken to "facilitate an orderly transition, and to ensure American interests are protected abroad." "Secretary Pompeo and Secretary-nominee Blinken, as well as their teams, will continue to work together on behalf of America throughout the transition," the official said in a statement.
 

2:01 AM

Biden says fastest way to remove Trump is to inaugurate him

President-elect Joe Biden said the fastest way to remove President Donald Trump from office was to move forward with the president-elect’s inauguration but said it was a “good thing” Trump didn’t plan to attend. Biden said that even though Trump exceeded his worst expectations, he is now focusing on “getting into office,” not on impeaching Trump.

1:58 AM

Biden dodges question about removing Trump from Office

President-elect Joe Biden dodged questions Friday about whether Congress should impeach President Donald Trump with only two weeks left in office, saying he was focused on controlling the pandemic and reviving the US economy.

“What the Congress decides to do is for them to decide,” he told reporters in Wilmington, Delaware. “We’re going to do our job and Congress can decide how to proceed with theirs.”

Biden said he would speak later Friday to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic congressional leadership about his agenda, which includes speeding vaccine distribution and economic growth.

1:49 AM

Joe Biden says Donald Trump's impeachment is for Congress to decide

Wilmington: US President-elect Joe Biden said he had believed for a long time that President Donald Trump was not fit for office, but it was up to Congress to decide on a second impeachment of the Republican president after Wednesday's storming of the Capitol.
 

Biden told reporters that he was focused on containing the Covid-19 pandemic, ensuring rapid vaccination and bolstering the economy.
 

"What the Congress decides to do is for them to decide, but... we're going to have to be ready to hit the ground running," he said, when asked about legislation being readied by House Democrats to impeach Trump for his role in fomenting the violence.

1:11 AM

A Trump self-pardon could invite the criminal charges he fears

Any move by President Donald Trump to pardon himself in his final days in office could backfire, legal experts say, inviting the incoming administration to challenge the unprecedented action by filing criminal charges against him.
 

Trump has raised the possibility of a self-pardon in recent days as calls grow for him to face prosecution for inciting the US Capitol siege that resulted in five deaths and sent members of Congress scrambling for safety. But though the president has vast authority to grant clemency to others, a self-pardon would be a novel assertion of executive power that both Democrats and Republicans might want the Supreme Court to strike down.
 

“It would almost set himself up as a sitting duck to be prosecuted,” said Nick Akerman, a former Watergate prosecutor. “It takes the edge off the idea that you’re going after somebody just because they were a political opponent in the prior administration.”
 

Trump faced legal threats even before Wednesday’s riot. The administration of President-elect Joe Biden could decide to revive Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into obstruction of justice by Trump or launch a new probe into his taxes. But such prosecutions were likely to face stiff Republican opposition, and Biden has signaled he might prefer to move on.
 

1:08 AM

Pelosi speaks to chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff about preventing Trump from accessing nuke codes

US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday spoke to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff about preventing "unhinged" President Donald Trump from initiating military actions or a nuclear strike.
 

Pelosi in a letter to Democratic members of the House of Representatives said that she spoke with Gen Mark Milley "to discuss available precautions for preventing an unstable president from initiating military hostilities or accessing the launch codes and ordering a nuclear strike." Reiterating her demand to remove President Trump from office, she said, “The situation of this unhinged president could not be more dangerous, and we must do everything that we can to protect the American people from his unbalanced assault on our country and our democracy." "Nearly fifty years ago, after years of enabling their rogue President, Republicans in Congress finally told President Nixon that it was time to go," she wrote.
 

“Today, following the President's dangerous and seditious acts, Republicans in Congress need to follow that example and call on Trump to depart his office – immediately. If the President does not leave office imminently and willingly, the Congress will proceed with our action,” Pelosi said.
 

1:08 AM

US House Democrats to introduce impeachment charges against Trump on Monday

Democrats in the US House of Representatives plan to introduce new articles of impeachment against Republican President Donald Trump on Monday, calling for his removal from office, two people familiar with the matter said on Friday.
 

The sources said the articles, which are formal charges of misconduct, were crafted by Democratic Representatives David Cicilline, Ted Lieu and Jamie Raskin following this week's assault on the US Capitol by Trump supporters.
 

12:51 AM

Ronna McDaniel, facing no opponent, re-elected RNC Chairwoman

Loyalists to President Donald Trump were re-elected Friday to lead the Republican party for the next two years, ensuring the outgoing president’s grip on the GOP even as his presidency comes to a chaotic end.
 

Ronna McDaniel will remain as chairwoman of the Republican National Committee with Tommy Hicks as vice chairman. While McDaniel was unopposed, Hicks easily fought off challenges from three other candidates in what was widely viewed as a proxy fight over Trump’s role in the party.
 

The RNC elections in Fernandina Beach, Florida came two days after a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to prevent Congress from certifying Democrat Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 election. Trump said Friday he would not attend Biden’s inauguration and instead mulled the possibility of running again in 2024, suggesting that the movement he built will last beyond the Biden presidency.
 

12:51 AM

Indian-American Sabrina Singh named Deputy Press Secretary in White House

Indian-American Sabrina Singh would serve as Deputy Press Secretary to the Vice President in the White House, according to an announcement made by the Biden-Harris Transition.
 

Singh was Press Secretary to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on the Biden-Harris campaign. Prior to her role on the campaign, Singh served as senior spokesperson for Mike Bloomberg's presidential campaign and National Press Secretary for Cory Booker's presidential campaign.
 

She previously served as deputy communications director for the Democratic National Committee, spokesperson for American Bridge's Trump War Room and Regional Communications Director on Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.
 

She has also worked at SKDKnickerbocker, served as Communications Director for Rep. Jan Schakowsky and worked at various Democratic committees, said the Biden-Harris Transition as it announced additional members of the Vice President's Office at the White House.
 

11:18 PM

House Speaker Pelosi says she spoke to top US general about restraining Trump

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke to the top US military commander on Friday about taking precautions to ensure that Republican President Donald Trump cannot initiate hostilities or order a nuclear strike in his remaining 12 days in office.
 

Pelosi said in a letter to Democratic lawmakers that she spoke to Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, about what measures are available to rein in the president. Trump, angry about his election loss, incited supporters in the days before an invasion of the US Capitol on Wednesday.
 

"The situation of this unhinged president could not be more dangerous, and we must do everything that we can to protect the American people from his unbalanced assault on our country and our democracy," Pelosi said in a letter to colleagues.
 

The Joint Staff did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
 

Democratic President-elect Joe Biden takes office on Jan. 20. Trump said earlier on Friday he would not attend the inauguration, breaking with long-standing tradition in American presidential transitions.

 

Pelosi, the top Democrat in Congress, also said she had not heard back from Vice President Mike Pence about whether he would agree to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office "for his incitement of insurrection and the danger he still poses."
 

11:17 PM

India engaged with US for increased predictability in visa regime: MEA

India is engaged with the US for increased predictability in the visa regime and to minimise inconvenience to Indians in the US or those proposing to travel to that country, including the movement of Indian professionals, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday.
 

The assertion by MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava at an online media briefing came after the outgoing Trump administration modified the selection process for H-1B visa, giving priority to salary and skills instead of the current lottery procedures.
 

Asked about the US Capitol Hill violence, Srivastava said the Indian position has been made clear in a tweet of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
 

Modi had tweeted, "Distressed to see news about rioting and violence in Washington DC. Orderly and peaceful transfer of power must continue. The democratic process cannot be allowed to be subverted through unlawful protests." To a question on the developments related to the H1B visa in the US, Srivastava said, "We have taken note of the recent proclamations of the US government extending by three more months the current suspension of entry of certain immigrants and non-immigrants to the United States of America." "We are engaged with the US government for increased predictability in the visa regime and to minimise inconvenience to Indian nationals in the US or those proposing to travel to the US for bonafide reasons, including the movement of Indian professionals," he said.
 

11:16 PM

Laptop stolen from Pelosi's office during storming of US Capitol, says aide

A laptop was stolen from the office of US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi during the storming of the US Capitol on Wednesday, one of her aide's said on Friday.
 

The aide said that the laptop belonged to a conference room and was used for presentations. He declined to offer further details.
 

The theft of electronic devices from congressional offices has been a persistent worry following their invasion by pro-Trump rioters.
 

10:20 PM

India has always pursued independent foreign policy: MEA on S-400 purchase from Russia

India has always pursued an independent foreign policy that also applies to its defence acquisitions and supplies, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday, days after a US Congressional report warned that New Delhi's purchase of the Russian-made S-400 air defence system may trigger American sanctions.
 

Prepared for the members of the US Congress for them to take informed decisions, the report said, "India's multi-billion dollar deal to purchase the Russian-made S-400 air defence system may trigger US sanctions on India under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act." Asked how does the MEA reacts to recent observations by US Ambassador to India Ken Juster and a US Congressional report on the possibility of sanctions over India's purchase of the S-400 missile defence system, MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava at an online media briefing said India and the US have a comprehensive global strategic partnership.
 

"India has a special and privileged strategic partnership with Russia. India has always pursued an independent foreign policy," he said, adding that this also applies to "our defence acquisitions and supplies which are guided by our national security interests".
 

10:17 PM

US Fed's Clarida: "Hopeful" US can move past events of this week

Events like the violence in Washington this week that erode confidence in US institutions could damage the economy, Fed vice chair Richard Clarida said Friday, while adding he was "hopeful we can get past this episode."
 

“Like all Americans I was angered” when a mob of President Donald Trump's supporters surged into the halls of Congress earlier this week, Clarida said.

"Hypothetically any instability that erodes confidence and capital spending and consumer confidence is something we have to look at...I don't forsee that as being a challenge," since Congress moved forward with its work ratifying President-elect Joe Biden's election victory.
 

10:16 PM

Facebook, Twitter, Google face calls to ban trump accounts

Facebook Inc., Twitter Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google are facing mounting pressure from lawmakers, activists and civil rights groups to enact tougher policies and more forcefully purge misleading content and accounts -- including the ones held by President Donald Trump -- after a mob of pro-Trump protesters stormed the U.S. Capitol.
 

Coinciding with the imminent shift of power in Washington to the Democrats, social networks have taken their most aggressive steps yet to muzzle Trump over the last two days. But civil rights groups and lawmakers say the internet companies allowed misleading content to proliferate for too long, resulting in dangerous -- and deadly -- consequences.
 

“Despite repeated red flags and demands for fixes, these companies failed to act until well after blood and glass lay in the halls of the Capitol,” Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, said in an interview. “Yesterday’s events will renew and focus the need for Congress to reform Big Tech’s privileges and obligations.”
 

Some lawmakers are considering offering measures that would require more transparency about political ads on the internet, such as who paid for them. Civil rights and other advocates say they hope public outrage over the insurrection will spur internet companies to bolster their voluntary efforts to tamp down online propaganda.
 

“We’re going to be talking about how to regulate and rein these companies in,” said Jessica González, co-chief executive officer of Free Press, which pushes for media accountability. “But gosh, it shouldn’t be this hard to do the right thing.”