Joe Biden talks coronavirus battle with Boris Johnson as US cases pass 25 million

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Biden not opposed to Senate pushing back Trump impeachment

Joe Biden and Boris Johnson discuss Covid-19 recovery in a Saturday phone call three days after the inauguration.

The UK prime minister tweeted on Saturday: “Great to speak to President Joe Biden this evening."

Earlier Mr Biden told the US Conference of Mayors that his administration was focussing on the pandemic and economic growth.

“We also have to act now, with urgency and unity as the United States of America…We can do this together. I promise we’ll do everything we can to help," said Mr Biden.

It comes as former Trump administration officials are quietly lobbying congressional Republicans to convict Mr Trump in his impeachment trial next month, according to CNN.

The former officials are just some of the dozens of influential GOP figures in Washington who want the party to sever ties with the former president.

• Bidens left stuck outside White House on inauguration day after ‘petty’ Trump act
• ‘We’re a National Guard family’: Jill Biden visits Capitol troops with cookies
• GOP congresswoman introduces bill to block Biden rejoining climate agreement

Key Points

• Biden talks coronavirus battle with Boris Johnson
• Biden fires Trump-appointed heads of US government media
• Canada’s Trudeau ‘disappointed’ at Biden order to cancel Keystone pipeline
• Trump secretly worked with DOJ lawyer to try to ‘oust acting attorney general’

[23 January 2021 16:07 · Tom Embury-Dennis]

White House provides details of Biden call with Mexico president

The White House has released a summary of Joe Biden’s call with Mexico president Manuel Lopez Obrador, commonly known as AMLO. 

The US president spoke with his Mexican counterpart about immigration, including a reversal of the “draconian” immigration measures put in by the Trump administration, as well as the coronavirus pandemic. 

[23 January 2021 16:28 · Tom Embury-Dennis]

Trump worked with DOJ lawyer to ‘oust acting attorney general and overturn Georgia election result’

Donald Trump worked with a Justice Department lawyer to oust the acting attorney general and force Georgia lawmakers to overturn his election loss in the state, says a report.

Mr Trump allegedly plotted with Jeffrey Clark, who led the DOJ’s civil division, to cast doubt on election results in the state and heap pressure on Georgia to help him, according to the New York Times.

The former president was considering firing Jeffrey Rosen after he refused to help Mr Trump reverse his defeat to Joe Biden, and replacing him with Mr Clark.

Read more here:

[23 January 2021 16:49 · Tom Embury-Dennis]

Former Estonian president compares Trump Jr to ‘exceptionally small-brained fish’

A former president of Estonia has compared Donald Trump Jr to an “exceptionally small-brained fish” in response to a wild attempt to talk up his father on Twitter.

Following his father’s departure from office on Wednesday, Mr Trump Jr took to Twitter on Friday in an attempt to shore up his presidential legacy.

“Donald Trump is the first president in modern history[sic] did not start a new war,” he tweeted.

Read more here:

[23 January 2021 17:07 · Tom Embury-Dennis]

Biden calls Canada’s Trudeau, Mexico’s López Obrador

President Joe Biden s first calls to foreign leaders went to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador at a strained moment for the US relationship with its North American neighbours.

Mr Biden's call to Mr Trudeau on Friday came after the Canadian prime minister this week publicly expressed disappointment over Mr Biden’s decision to issue an executive order halting construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline. 

The long-disputed project was projected to carry some 800,000 barrels of oil a day from the tar sands of Alberta to the Texas Gulf Coast, passing through Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma.

Read more here:

[23 January 2021 17:45 · Graeme Massie]

Dr Fauci says pressure from Trump had ‘chilling’ effect on White House coronavirus scientists

Dr Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is opening up about his experiences as a scientist under the Donald Trump administration, calling the president's pressure campaigns "chilling."  

Dr Fauci appeared on MSNBC's 'The Rachel Maddow Show’ and recalled scientists working with the White House who felt they could not tell the truth because Mr Trump and his officials wanted to project an image of the pandemic that suggested everything was under control and improving.

Graig Graziosi has more.

[23 January 2021 19:28 · Graeme Massie]

Canada’s Trudeau ‘disappointed’ at Biden order to cancel Keystone pipeline

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau says he is ‘disappointed’ at Joe Biden’s decision to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline.

The president made revoking the permits for the controversial energy project by executive order one of his first action’s in the White House.

Graeme Massie has more.

[23 January 2021 20:04 · Graeme Massie]

Biden tells US mayors country needs ‘urgent’ Covid action

The president told the US Conference of Mayors that his administration was focussing on the pandemic and economic growth.

“We also have to act now, with urgency and unity as the United States of America…We can do this together. I promise we’ll do everything we can to help," said Mr Biden.

(Getty Images)

[23 January 2021 20:30 · Graeme Massie]

Biden fires Trump-appointed heads of US government media

The Biden administration has fired the heads of three US-funded international broadcasters that were appointed by Donald Trump.

The acting chief of the US Agency for Global Media dismissed the directors of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, reports say.

[23 January 2021 21:03 · Graeme Massie]

Joe Biden and Boris Johnson discuss Covid-19 recovery in phone call

Boris Johnson has spoken to new US president Joe Biden in a phone call three days after the inauguration.

The prime minister tweeted on Saturday: “Great to speak to President Joe Biden this evening.

Pete Stubley has more.

[23 January 2021 21:15 · Graeme Massie]

Boris Johnson posts about Biden phone call on Twitter

“Great to speak to President @JoeBiden this evening. I look forward to deepening the longstanding alliance between our two countries as we drive a green and sustainable recovery from COVID-19,” the UK prime minister tweeted.