State Dept. condemns arrests, repression in Russia

It called for the release of protesters and opposition leader Alexey Navalny.

This is the fifth day of the administration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.


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21,500 National Guardsmen convene in nation’s capital ahead of inauguration 

More than 21,500 National Guardsmen are currently in Washington, the D.C. Guard confirmed to ABC News on Monday.

The security preparations come ahead of Biden’s inauguration and in the aftermath of the deadly Capitol raid conducted by Trump supporters earlier this month.

The ramp-up in the number of guardsmen in the nation's capital means there could be four times as many American military service members in the city than there are in Iraq and Afghanistan combined.

The guardsmen are working in shifts to provide round-the-clock security both inside the Capitol and around the perimeter of the Capitol grounds.

-ABC News’ Luis Martinez


Bidens stop by Philly hunger relief organization 

The president-elect and his wife, Jill Biden, stopped by Philabundance, the largest hunger relief organization in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Monday morning.

The Bidens stopped by the nonprofit food bank to mark the National Day of Service, a holiday that encourages volunteering in your community in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.

The president-elect did not take questions about security risks surrounding Inauguration Day.

They were accompanied by their daughter, Ashley, and granddaughter, Finnegan.

The president-elect posed for selfies outside of the building with some masked supporters before the event began.

Clad in his signature aviators and a Philabundance ball cap, Biden was seen sorting canned goods into food boxes at a conveyer belt set up outside the parking lot. His wife also helped out by adding packages of rice to the boxes.


Kamala Harris announces resignation from Senate seat in op-ed

Kamala Harris, the vice president-elect, announced her resignation from the Senate in order to take on the role of vice president via an op-ed in her local newspaper, the San Francisco Chronicle.

Harris writes that serving as California’s senator "has been an honor" and but pledged "this is not goodbye," emphasizing her new role helping Democrats win close votes in the Senate.

She touched on issues that have plagued California in recent years -- including wildfires, racial injustice and COVID-19 -- and highlighted how her office has worked "tirelessly for the people of California" during such difficult times.

"As I resign from the Senate, I am preparing to take an oath that would have me preside over it. As senator-turned-Vice-President Walter Mondale once pointed out, the vice presidency is the only office in our government that 'belongs to both the executive branch and the legislative branch,'" she wrote. "A responsibility made greater with an equal number of Democrats and Republicans in the Senate.”

"Since our nation’s founding, only 268 tie-breaking votes have been cast by a Vice President. I intend to work tirelessly as your Vice President, including, if necessary, fulfilling this Constitutional duty,” she added. "At the same time, it is my hope that rather than come to the point of a tie, the Senate will instead find common ground and do the work of the American people."

-ABC News’ Averi Harper


Biden’s team outlines immediate priorities as Senate trial looms large over Washington

Inauguration week has finally arrived. On Wednesday, President Donald Trump is slated to hand over control of the White House to President-elect Joe Biden.

Over the weekend, the incoming White House chief of staff Ron Klein outlined what the president-elect’s immediate priorities will be when he takes office, saying he intends to sign a slew of executive actions. Biden will ask the Department of Education to extend the existing pause on student loan payments and interest, move to re-join the U.S. into the Paris Climate Agreement that Trump withdrew from, and end Trump’s immigration ban from some Muslim-majority countries, according to Klain. Moreover, Biden will issue a mask mandate on federal property and interstate travel to tackle the pandemic.

On Monday, the president-elect and the future first lady, Jill Biden, will be honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. day by volunteering at Philabundance, a hunger relief organization in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Meanwhile, an impeachment looms large during Trump’s final days in office in the wake of his supporters violently mobbing the U.S. Capitol building earlier this month.

On Sunday, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., defended Trump during an appearance on Fox News, saying he doesn’t blame him for telling his supporters to head to the Capitol.

"How in the hell could that happen? Where was Nancy Pelosi?" Graham said. "It’s her job to provide Capitol security," even though the attackers appeared to be trying to track her down.

He also urged fellow GOP Senators to not impeach Trump.

"And to my Republican colleagues in the Senate, if we embrace an unconstitutional impeachment of Donald Trump after he is out of office, it will destroy the party," he said. "The Republican Party wants to move forward. President Trump's going to be the most important voice in the Republican Party for a long time to come."