Giuliani says he won’t be on Trump impeachment defense team

Trump was impeached by the House for a second time last week.

President Donald Trump is slated to hand over control of the White House to President-elect Joe Biden in three days.

The House of Representatives voted to impeach Trump last Wednesday on an article for "incitement of insurrection" for his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol -- making him the only president to be impeached twice.


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Vice President Pence spoke with Vice President-elect Harris 

Vice President Mike Pence spoke with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on a call Thursday, sources familiar with the call told ABC News.

The news was first reported by the New York Times.

-ABC News’ Molly Nagle, Justin Gomez and Katherine Faulders


How Trump plans to leave the White House 

Sources told ABC News that Trump has requested a large sendoff hours before President-elect Biden takes the oath of office Wednesday.

Sources say Trump plans to depart the White House next Wednesday morning, choppering via Marine One to Joint Base Andrews where he is expected to give remarks to supporters and departing members of his administration.

Sources add that Trump has requested the event to have a "military-like feel" though details are still not finalized. The president will then fly down to his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida onboard Air Force One with a small number of staffers who will be part of his post-presidency operation, according to the sources.

-ABC News’ John Santucci and Katherine Faulders


DC mayor says National Mall will be temporarily closed for Biden’s inauguration 

During a news conference Friday, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said the National Mall is temporarily closed to the public through at least Thursday.

Thirteen metro stations inside the security perimeter will also be closed.

Bowser said the National Mall closure came at the request of and in cooperation with the Secret Service and the National Park Service.

The mayor urged Americans to enjoy the inauguration virtually from home this year.

She also discussed the city’s beefed-up security ahead of the inauguration but told D.C. residents she doesn’t expect the security measures currently in place to last too long after Biden takes office.

-ABC News’ Kenneth Moton


Nomination hearing for Avril Haines postponed 

The nomination hearing for Biden’s pick for director of national intelligence, Avril Haines, has been postponed. It was originally scheduled for Friday.

A joint statement from Senate Intelligence Committee Acting Chairman Marco Rubio and Vice Chairman Mark Warner on Thursday confirmed the postponement. It did not give specific reasons, but referenced the “unusual circumstances on Capitol Hill.”


Rubio and Warner added that they "look forward to holding a hearing next week" for Haines, but did not list a specific date.

-ABC News’ Allison Pecorin


Biden to outline $1.9 trillion 'COVID Rescue Plan' in evening remarks

Biden will propose a $1.9 trillion, “American Rescue Plan" to address the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination effort and immediate economic need to Americans in evening remarks, transition officials disclosed on a call with reporters Thursday.

According to officials on the call, the rescue policy is only one part of Biden’s overall policy, with a “recovery” phase expected to be introduced in February. They said Biden’s rescue policy will include three components: Tackling vaccine distribution, ramping up testing and getting kids back in school within the first 100 days of his administration; delivering $1,400 per-person direct stimulus checks and expanding unemployment benefits, including $400 weekly benefit through September on top of state benefits; and delivering aid to states and communities to support small businesses, addressing housing insecurity by expanding the eviction and foreclosure moratorium through Sept. 2021.

More than $1 trillion of the $1.9 trillion price tag will be used for direct stimulus, officials said, while $400 billion will go toward COVID-19-related projects, including the nationwide vaccination program, and $440 billion will go toward relief for communities and businesses.

Biden will also call for Congress to provide $350 billion for state local and territorial governments, an effort to keep essential workers on the job.

If enacted, it would be one of the largest and most expensive economic stimulus packages in U.S. history.

-ABC News Molly Nagle, John Verhovek, Beatrice Peterson and Averi Harper