The Washington Post: Breaking News, World, US, DC News and Analysis

Biden plans executive orders, new legislation for first days as president

His unusually sweeping list reflects not only the multiple challenges he faces, but also illustrates his desire to quickly emerge from the shadow of his predecessor, closing a dark chapter in American history marked by false claims of election fraud, an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and a second impeachment.

By Matt Viser

Va. man arrested at checkpoint says he was lost, didn’t mean to bring gun, ammunition to D.C.

By Jessica Contrera, Carol D. Leonnig and Katie Mettler

Acting defense secretary orders NSA director to immediately install former GOP operative as the agency’s top lawyer

By Ellen Nakashima

When Trump leaves Washington, he’ll seek rehabilitation in a MAGA oasis: Florida

By Philip Rucker, Josh Dawsey and Ashley Parker

(The Post)

EXCLUSIVE

41 minutes of fear: A video timeline from inside the Capitol siege

The Post obtained hours of video footage, some exclusively, and placed it within a digital 3-D model of the building to map the rioters’ movements and assess the peril that lawmakers faced.

By Dalton Bennett, Emma Brown, Sarah Cahlan, Joyce Sohyun Lee, Meg Kelly, Elyse Samuels and Jon Swaine

Chronology: How law enforcement and government officials failed to head off the Capitol attack

By Aaron C. Davis

‘Trump said to do so’: Accounts of rioters who say the president spurred them to rush the Capitol could be pivotal testimony

By Rosalind S. Helderman, Spencer S. Hsu and Rachel Weiner

State capitols tighten security and brace for the unknown as far-right groups plot shows of strength

Pompeo’s last-minute actions will complicate Biden’s plans

A series of foreign policy decisions appear designed to cement administration priorities and pitch Republican voters ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

By Karen DeYoung

INAUGURATION GUIDE

Much of D.C. closed off like never before

Opinions

The far right embraces violence because it has no real political program

Opinion by Suzanne Schneider

The final mess

Opinion by Nicole Hemmer

We led a 50-50 Senate. Sharing power is so much harder now.

Opinion by Tom Daschle and Trent Lott

We’re better off without Trump on Twitter. And worse off with Twitter in charge.

Opinion by Zephyr Teachout

‘Trump said I could’: One possible legal defense for accused rioters

Opinion by Teri Kanefield and Mark Reichel

Mark Meadows has earned his title of worst chief of staff in history

Opinion by Chris Whipple

Coronavirus

Tipsters, tech-savvy kids, pharmacy hopping: How Americans are landing coronavirus vaccines

People are spending hours refreshing websites and creating tiny intelligence networks to try to get vaccinated. “It feels like I’m trying to get a Beyoncé ticket,” one woman said.

By Fenit Nirappil, Karin Brulliard and Sarah Fowler

Vaccine reserve already exhausted when Trump administration vowed to release it, dashing hopes of expanded access

A lab in Italy reported a cluster of the U.K. coronavirus variant. But that wasn’t enough to stop the spread.

The variant is not thought to be more deadly but has spread so widely it has caused the death toll to spike as well.

By Chico Harlan and Stefano Pitrelli

Banners in support of teachers hang outside Brentano Elementary School on Jan. 4, a week before some teachers were required to return to the campus. (AP)

Chicago teachers continue to protest in-person classes as parents question status of locked-out teachers

After one week of in-person classes, Chicago Public Schools is pursuing disciplinary action against employees who did not return to school buildings.

By Dawn Reiss

Analysis

We can expect U.S. coronavirus death toll to surpass 400,000 by Inauguration Day

By Philip Bump

India launches massive vaccination campaign, but it’s unclear if one of the vaccines works

India is rolling out two locally made vaccines, but only one has completed a Phase 3 trial. The aim is to immunize 300 million people by this summer.

By Joanna Slater and Niha Masih

Guide to the PandemicFull Coverage

Vaccinations

Your questions about the coronavirus vaccines, answered

Eight facts to combat common covid-19 misinformation

By Marisa Iati

The covid-19 symptoms to watch out for

U.S. deaths reported per day

Your Life At Home

He escaped the cacophony by strapping on snowshoes and slipping into the Great North Woods

A virtual menagerie: How conservation and rescue efforts can connect us with wildlife around the world

Road to Recovery

Dollar General will pay workers to get the coronavirus vaccine

The pandemic crashed the party for caterers, who are struggling even more than restaurants to pivot

Companies are halting PAC contributions after U.S. Capitol riots. Here’s where their money went.

A Post analysis of 49 companies found that only a small share of their contributions went directly to the 147 lawmakers who objected to counting presidential election results.

By Alyssa Fowers, Chris Alcantara and Jena McGregor

Russian opposition leader Navalny again tests Kremlin: Supporters await return while officials threaten arrest

Alexei Navalny has pledged to return Sunday from Berlin, where he was treated for a near-fatal poisoning in August in Russia.

By Isabelle Khurshudyan1 hour ago

(Michael Reynolds/AP)

How Twitter, on the front lines of history, finally decided to ban Trump

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey agreed to ban Donald Trump from Twitter after tearful all-hands meetings, bitter dialogues and employee pushback. It was the biggest decision his company had ever faced.

By Elizabeth Dwoskin and Nitasha Tiku

A small town seethes after learning one of its own says he joined mob

In Aberdeen, Md., the police chief’s son declared he had “stormed the Capitol,” prompting the same reckoning underway in communities across the country.

By John Woodrow Cox, Hannah Natanson and Julie Tate

Post ReportsPodcast

Four hours of insurrection

Don’t Miss

Many Trump-era photos look like dramatic old paintings. That’s no ‘accident.’

By Kelsey Ables

Book Review

Fantasy and science fiction books that have fallen off the radar

By Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Lavie Tidhar

Trump impersonators ask themselves: What now?

By Michael Cavna

Retropolis

What happened after a boxer, a revolutionary, a singer and a football star met in a 1960s hotel room

By Sydney Trent

Trending

The Washington Post

Trump is impeached, again | Impeachment This Week

A week after a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol, the House passed one article of impeachment against the president for inciting an insurrection.

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Politics

@PKCapitolAnalysis

The House and Senate GOP are operating in different political universes

In the Jan. 6 vote to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s win, the overwhelming majority of Senate Republicans decided to live in the real world. The overwhelming majority of House Republicans did not.

By Paul Kane

The FixAnalysis

GOP’s looming choice: Whether to make sure Trump remains former president Trump

By Aaron Blake

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. (Oliver Contreras/Bloomberg News)

Senate impeachment whip count: Where Democrats and Republicans stand

By Ashlyn Still and JM Rieger

Who Joe Biden has picked to fill his Cabinet

By Washington Post Staff

Analysis

Pillow salesman apparently has ideas about declaring martial law

Trump loyalist Mike Lindell showed up at the White House on Friday with notes that raise alarming possibilities.

By Philip Bump

World

Head of Germany’s biggest state takes helm of Angela Merkel’s party — and shot to succeed her as chancellor

The vote puts Armin Laschet in pole position ahead of September elections as Merkel steps away from power.

By Loveday Morris

Massive blackouts have hit Iran. The government is blaming bitcoin mining.

Iran's cheap energy and high inflation has made it a center for so-called cryptocurrency mining.

By Miriam Berger

Migrants enter Guatemala Saturday after breaking a police barricade at the border checkpoint (Josue Decavele/Getty Images)

The U.S. sent Central American asylum seekers to Guatemala to seek refuge. None were granted asylum, report says.

By Kevin Sieff and Mary Beth Sheridan

In Uganda, Museveni steamrolls to a sixth term. Billions in U.S. aid help him stay in power.

Voting was largely peaceful, but the campaign period displayed the architecture of Yoweri Museveni’s 35-year grip on power: violent crackdowns, widespread arrests and attempts to bar journalists and independent observers.

By Max Bearak

Leaders in Mexico and Poland look to curb power of social media giants after Trump bans

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador says his government would reach out to other G-20 nations to seek a joint proposal on such bans, which he compared to the “Spanish Inquisition.”

By Adam Taylor

National

NASA’s first test firing of engines for new rocket abruptly cut short

After a decade of development, the space agency planned to fire the four engines of its towering Space Launch System for eight minutes, but officials ended the test less than two minutes in. It was not clear immediately what went wrong.

By Christian Davenport

Retired firefighter, comedian and Chuck Norris falsely accused of being Capitol rioters

Some people mistakenly identified as Capitol rioters have faced threats and harassment after internet "sleuths" shared their contact information online.

By Meryl Kornfield

Man who shot video of fatal Capitol shooting is arrested, remains focus of political storm

(City of South Bend)

In South Bend, Ind., Pete Buttigieg challenged the assumption that streets are for cars above all

Urban leaders see Buttigieg’s willingness to pursue so-called “complete streets” as a promising sign in the incoming transportation secretary.

By Ian Duncan

Tom Lankford1935–2021

Civil rights reporter secretly in league with police dies at 85

On orders of his publisher, Tom Lankford worked with the Alabama police and wiretapped the civil rights leaders he covered.

By Matt Schudel

Pandemic stokes rising worries about violence and fuels gun ownership, new study finds

Researchers surveyed more than 3,000 people in California about racism, fear, disorder and firearms.

By Erin Blakemore

D.C., Md. & Va.

(Kyle Swenson for The Post)

‘Where are they going to go?’ D.C. activists help move people off the street before potential unrest

If protests again turn ugly during the inauguration, those without shelter could be caught between battling police and extremists or make easy targets.

By Kyle Swenson

Va. GOP leaders suddenly end debate over picking nominee for governor

State Republican Party leaders on Saturday abruptly adjourned a meeting called to reconsider how the GOP will select its nominee for governor this year, angering participants who'd hoped to switch a planned convention to a primary.

By Laura Vozzella

McAuliffe’s fundraising for governor’s race beats all rivals — combined

Technical woes with D.C.’s vaccine sign-up have been resolved, officials say

People trying to get coronavirus vaccination appointments Saturday encountered hours of technical problems after officials increased appointment availability.

By Jessica Contrera and Katie Mettler