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Inauguration day in Washington: Joe Biden and Kamala Harris sworn in as President and Vice-President

Joe Biden was sworn in as President of the United States today, offering a message of unity and restoration to a deeply divided country reeling from a battered economy and a raging coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 400,000 Americans.

Standing on the steps of the U.S. Capitol exactly two weeks after a mob of then-President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the building, Biden called for a return to civic decency in his inaugural address. You can read the transcript of his full speech here, or watch video highlights here. And here’s the reaction of foreign leaders, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Breaking news: This evening, Biden began signing 15 executive actions addressing the coronavirus pandemic, climate change and racial inequality, and undoing some policies put in place by Trump, including the construction permit for the Keystone XL pipeline.

Kamala Harris made history today, becoming the first woman, Black person and South-Asian American to become the country’s Vice-President. So did her husband, Doug Emhoff, becoming the first-ever second gentleman.

The inauguration was unlike any other in U.S. history: Amid warnings of possible renewed violence, thousands of armed National Guard troops circled the Capitol in an unprecedented show of force.

Amid musical performances by Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez, it was 22-year-old poet Amanda Gorman who stole the show, reciting The Hill We Climb, referencing Biblical scripture and at times echoing the oratory of John F. Kennedy and the Martin Luther King Jr. You can watch the full reading here.

Open this photo in gallery:

Poet Amanda Gorman reads during the Presidential inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 20, 2021.Patrick Semansky/The Associated Press

Analysis: Joe Biden’s inauguration was a remarkable moment in contrast to Trump’s America David Shribman

Catch up: Here’s what you may have missed on inauguration day.

The morning after: Join correspondent Adrian Morrow and editor Affan Chowdhry for a Facebook Live Q&A at 11:30 a.m. ET tomorrow. They will have an in-depth analysis of the transition of power and the daunting challenges facing the Biden administration.

Trump skipped the ceremony and departed the White House by helicopter this morning with his wife Melania on his way to a sendoff event at Joint Air Force Base Andrews. After midnight yesterday, a last flurry of presidential pardons was announced – a list of more than 140 people, including former Trump aide Steve Bannon and rapper Lil Wayne.

Meanwhile, in a statement released just minutes after Biden was inaugurated, Beijing slapped travel and business sanctions on nearly 30 former Trump administration officials, including former secretary of state Mike Pompeo. Earlier, the Chinese government had dismissed comments Pompeo made yesterday that its policies on Uyghur Muslims and ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang region constitute a “genocide,” calling him a “clown.”

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Conservative MP Derek Sloan ejected from party caucus

Conservative MPs have voted to expel failed leadership contender Derek Sloan from caucus in an emergency meeting after it was revealed he had accepted a donation from a known white supremacist. It followed other controversies involving the Ontario MP, including comments last year that questioned the chief public health officer’s allegiance to Canada and a petition he sponsored that cast aspersions on COVID-19 vaccines.

In a statement following the vote, Sloan said Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole “went on a warpath” to have him expelled. Sloan said he will sit in the House of Commons as an Independent MP, continue to debate, vote and represent “true conservative values and policies.”

Opinion: The Conservatives have a hypocrisy problem that goes beyond Derek Sloan - Andrew Coyne

TC Energy halts construction on Keystone XL pipeline

Construction on the Keystone XL pipeline was suspended today in anticipation of new U.S. President Joe Biden revoking a 2019 permit allowing construction of the controversial project, which he did early this evening.

The permit had been granted by former president Donald Trump, which Biden has called one of several environmental actions by the departed leader that “do not serve the U.S. national interest.”

TC Energy, co-owner of Keystone XL with the Alberta government, said Biden’s decision overturns an “unprecedented, comprehensive regulatory process that lasted more than a decade and repeatedly concluded the pipeline would transport much-needed energy in an environmentally responsible way while enhancing North American energy security.”

BoC holds rates steady, sees brighter outlook on vaccine approvals, more fiscal stimulus

The Bank of Canada left its policy rate unchanged today, while its medium-term outlook for the Canadian economy improved markedly as a result of vaccine approvals and increased fiscal stimulus.

Its overnight target rate will stay at 0.25 per cent, and the central bank will continue buying $4-billion worth of Government of Canada bonds a week as part of its quantitative easing program.

The bank reiterated that it does not expect inflation to “sustainably” return to its 2 per cent target until 2023. December data released today show the average of the BoC’s core measures of inflation – which filter out short-term volatility in price changes – fell slightly to 1.57 per cent.

ALSO ON OUR RADAR

Jack Ma appears in public: Alibaba Group founder Jack Ma made his first public appearance since October today when he spoke to a group of teachers by video, easing concern about his unusual absence from the limelight and sending shares in the e-commerce giant surging.

QB Rivers retires: Philip Rivers, who played quarterback in the NFL for 17 years, recently with the Indianapolis Colts but mostly with the Los Angeles Chargers franchise, has announced his retirement.

Blue Jays and Brantley: The Toronto Blue Jays have not completed a deal with free agent outfielder Michael Brantley, according to multiple reports. Earlier today, multiple major media outlets reported they had come to terms on a three-year deal.

MARKET WATCH

U.S. stocks marked inauguration day by closing at record highs, while solid Netflix results sparked a rally in shares of “stay-at-home” beneficiaries.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 257.86 points or 0.83 per cent to 31,188.38, the S&P 500 gained 52.94 points or 1.39 per cent to 3,851.85 and the Nasdaq Composite added 260.07 points or 1.97 per cent to 13,457.25.

Canada’s S&P/TSX Composite Index closed up 57.54 points or 0.32 per cent at 18,014.91, with the materials sector having a strong session.

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TALKING POINT

Vaccine deliveries are not out of your hands, Justin Trudeau. Ensuring them is your job

“Trudeau has refused to say whether he has even picked up the phone to ask Pfizer chief executive officer Albert Bourla to accelerate vaccine deliveries. If he had, he would have said so.” – Konrad Yakabuski

LIVING BETTER

Feeling beaten down by work? The latest episode of the Stress Test podcast talks to young adults who are making some big changes to escape the work force early – in their 30s. Personal finance columnist Rob Carrick and editor Roma Luciw discuss the practicality of the “financial independence, retire early” movement, and more.

TODAY’S LONG READ

‘Shadow pandemic’ of young people with eating disorders a challenge for health networks to treat

More children and teens are suffering from eating disorders than ever before, according to Canada’s largest pediatric hospital, as social isolation caused by school disruptions and limits on extracurricular activities takes a toll.

Children as young as 9 or 10 are being treated for eating disorders. Pediatricians say many of their new patients are sicker and more underweight than those typically seen before the pandemic, while the wait time for outpatient referrals has doubled to six months.

Doctors say public-health mitigation strategies to limit the spread of the virus, such as closing schools and curbing activities, are important, but that many kids are suffering the effects of being isolated from their peers and having little routine. Young people with eating disorders often have co-occurring mental-health challenges, such as anxiety and depression, that have also been exacerbated by social restrictions, doctors say. Read Caroline Alphonso’s full story here.

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