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Teen With Stutter Gets Cameo on TV Special: Inaugural Update

Get live updates on the U.S. presidential inauguration here.

Teen With Stutter Gets Cameo on TV Special: Inaugural Update
Police officers line the streets ahead of the 59th presidential inauguration in Washington, D.C., U.S. (Photographer: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images/Bloomberg)

A teen who bonded with President Joe Biden over their shared stutter had a cameo in the inaugural TV special. Far-left protesters were arrested in Portland on Wednesday. And Biden’s first call with a foreign leader will be with Canada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau.

Biden was sworn in as the 46th U.S. president shortly before noon.

Teen With Stutter Gets Cameo in Inaugural TV Special

A New Hampshire teen-ager who bonded with Biden over their shared stutter had a cameo in the inaugural TV special.

Brayden Harrington, 13, was featured in a pre-taped clip at the beginning of the show reading a section of John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address.

Brayden, who met Biden at a town hall in Concord last February, also spoke in a video at the Democratic National Convention. He has co-authored a children’s book, “Brayden Speaks Up,” according to an announcement from HarperCollins, the publisher.

Along with Brayden, former NBA player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Miami Marlins manager Kim Ng and labor leader Dolores Huerta also read from other inaugural addresses in the clip.

Protesters Arrested in Portland (10:00 p.m.)

At least eight protesters were arrested Wednesday in Portland, Oregon, as they vandalized the headquarters of the state’s Democratic Party.

The arrests occurred after a group of between 100 and 150 far-left demonstrators gathered near Revolution Hall, an event space. Officers on bikes confiscated a knife and metal poles, and threw a smoke canister into the crowd when it became aggressive.

Carrying signs with messages like “We are ungovernable” and “We don’t want Biden -- We want revenge,” the protesters then marched toward the Democratic headquarters, according to Portland police.

Protesters broke windows and a glass door in that building, and spray-painted walls, according to video posted on Twitter. Several protests were planned in Portland for Wednesday, according to the police, adding that eight were arrested.

The party said in a statement that “none of this should take away from the fact that today is a joyous and momentous day for America as we celebrate the Inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.” -- Olga Kharif

Biden’s First Call Will Be With Canada’s Trudeau (7:28 p.m.)

Biden’s first call with a foreign leader will be on Friday with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, his press secretary, Jen Psaki, said in her first briefing on Wednesday.

Biden’s early calls “will be with partners and allies,” she said. She said she no information about when Biden might speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The U.S. government has criticized Russia’s arrest of a Putin political opponent, Alexei Navalny, who was detained after arriving Sunday in Moscow from Germany, where he’d been treated for a poisoning blamed on the Kremlin. -- Alex Wayne, Jennifer Epstein

Biden Swears In Appointees Virtually (6:40 p.m.)

Hours after his own swearing-in, Biden administered the oath of office to 1,000 of his political appointees virtually.

In a White House ceremony in which appointees were connected via video conference, Biden told his new staff that he wanted them to treat each other with decency.

“I’m not joking when I say this: If you ever work with me and I hear you treat another colleague with disrespect, talk down to someone, I promise you I will fire you on the spot,” he said. “No ifs, ands or buts.”

Biden said treating people with “decency and dignity” has “been missing in a big way the last four years.”

The ceremony was held virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic. -- Jennifer Epstein

Senate Prepares to Confirm Biden’s Spy Chief (6:11 p.m.)

Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas said he’s dropped his objections to Senate action on Avril Haines, Biden’s nominee for director of national intelligence.

That led to Senate debate Wednesday evening and an expected roll call vote approving Haines as the first woman overseeing U.S. intelligence agencies.

Cotton had sought assurance from Haines that she wouldn’t reopen old cases involving practices by CIA operatives in the war on terrorism that critics consider torture.

Unlike his recent predecessors, Biden took office without any key cabinet members confirmed due to the former Republican majority moving slower than usual to hold confirmation hearings. The Biden team pushed to get national security officials confirmed as soon as possible. -- Daniel Flatley and Laura Litvan

Biden Secretly Met With Wounded Police Officer in 2019

The Houston police chief revealed on Inauguration Day that Biden had visited an officer wounded in a shooting when the then-candidate was in Texas for a debate.

In a series of tweets on Wednesday, Chief Art Acevedo said that one of his officers was shot shortly after the the Sept. 12, 2019 Democratic primary debate in Houston.

Three days later, Biden reached out to him and asked if he could stop by the hospital and “lift his spirits” without any reporters around.

“The visit took place during a campaign, yet not a peep of the visit went public,” he wrote. “The officer, his family and hospital were all lifted by the visit.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Acevedo, who has tweeted criticism of Texas Senator Ted Cruz for his opposition to certifying the November election, said he was sharing the story now to illustrate “the decency of the man we now call Mr. President.” -- Ryan Teague Beckwith

Bidens, Harris, Emhoff All Sport U.S. Designers

Biden, his wife, Jill, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, all favored American fashion designers for their Inauguration Day attire.

As he headed to Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew in Washington, Biden wore a navy suit and navy overcoat by designer Ralph Lauren. Emhoff also chose that designer. Incoming first lady Jill Biden wore an ocean blue wool tweed coat and dress by emerging American designer Alexandra O’Neil of Markarian, according to a transition announcement.

Harris wore pieces by Black fashion designers Christopher John Rogers and Sergio Hudson, two favorites of former first lady Michelle Obama.

Melania Trump wore Ralph Lauren for her husband’s 2017 inaugural, but later abandoned the tradition of wearing mostly U.S. designers, particularly young and less well-known designers, as many of her predecessors did. That was partly because many U.S. designers refused to dress her. -- Ryan Teague Beckwith

Biden Starts His Inauguration Day in Church (9:16 a.m.)

The president-elect began his Inauguration Day with Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew in downtown Washington Wednesday morning.

The Bidens left Blair House, the presidential guest house, 15 minutes late, apparently waiting for outgoing President Donald Trump to finish his farewell remarks.

Past presidents-elect have typically walked from Blair House to St. John’s Episcopal Church nearby.

Biden, who will be the second Catholic president, instead chose to take a motorcade to St. Matthew’s, where President John F. Kennedy’s funeral was held.

He was joined by the top lawmakers in Congress, including Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. -- Jennifer Epstein

QAnon Uses Inaugural to Galvanize Followers (8:47 a.m.)

Far from being disheartened, QAnon and other far-right groups that support Trump used Wednesday’s inauguration to galvanize followers for the years ahead.

Online channels across Telegram, MeWe and other platforms where such groups have congregated were filled with calls to “prepare for a storm” at a non-specific point before Biden was sworn in.

Many latched onto a phrase “the best is yet to come” from the outgoing president’s video yesterday as a sign that he was not really going to leave office, or had some broader plan for his followers after departing.

Some however, took a more measured view of Trump’s video and his future plans.

“He’s talking about Trump TV,” said one user on the pro-Trump forum thedonald.win. “That’s just how he talks,” another user wrote. -- Daniel Zuidijk

Cleaning Crews Scrub White House Ahead of Biden Takeover (7:58 a.m.)

Cleaners were at work in the White House just hours before the Trump family moves out and the Bidens move in.

The new administration takes over amid the raging coronavirus pandemic and plans to institute tight measures in an effort to stem the spread.

The White House has famously tight work spaces, and the new administration had vowed to disinfect them after several outbreaks among Trump’s staff. White House cleaning crews are scrubbing offices, including the press secretary’s office to prep for the arrival of Jen Psaki.

Trump was seemingly up early on inauguration day, with the lights ablaze in the residence at 5:30 a.m. The Oval Office was quiet, however. -- Jennifer Jacobs

Trump Supporters Gather for Final Send-Off (7:14 a.m.)

Die-hard Trump backers lined up in the predawn hours outside Joint Base Andrews ahead of Trump’s final rally.

Trump is skipping Biden’s inauguration and its corresponding traditions, instead flying to his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. Before his last flight on Air Force One, he will address gathered supporters shortly after leaving the White House around 8 a.m. New York time.

A small stage has been built beside the plane, backed by a row of American flags, much like at a political rally.

Traditionally, outgoing presidents stand beside their successors during the swearing-in and welcome their families into the White House on inauguration day. After weeks of refusing to acknowledge his defeat, Trump has declined to participate in any of those symbols of a peaceful transfer of power. -- Jordan Fabian

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With assistance from Bloomberg