The Morning Dispatch: Inauguration Day

Happy Wednesday! Day 1,461 of Donald Trump’s presidency; Day 1 of Joe Biden’s. 

Quick Hits: Today’s Top Stories

  • President Trump—who plans to depart the White House at 8:00 a.m.—released a 20-minute farewell address Tuesday afternoon, thanking the American people for the “extraordinary privilege” of serving them and wishing the Biden administration luck. “We inaugurate a new administration and pray for its success in keeping America safe and prosperous,” he said.

  • In one of his final executive actions as president, Trump pardoned or commuted the sentences of 143 people at around 1 a.m. ET last night, including his former campaign strategist Steve Bannon, former deputy RNC finance chair Elliott Broidy, rapper Lil Wayne, and former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

  • Trump also revoked the Executive Order he issued in January 2017 that prohibited executive branch employees from lobbying within five years of leaving the government.

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