January 19, 2021
In the midst of political chaos in the nation’s capital and with coronavirus death tolls across the United States now exceeding 4,000 a day, the Meridian International Center welcomed 15 newly credentialed foreign ambassadors to Washington, D.C.
The Jan. 13 virtual event took place barely a week after violent mobs stormed the Capitol as lawmakers attempted to certify the Nov. 3 election; the same day the U.S. House of Representatives made history by voting to impeach President Trump for a second time; and exactly one week before Joe Biden’s Jan. 20 inauguration as the 46th president.
In a livestreamed address, Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-Massachusetts), thanked the new ambassadors for their service at such a difficult, uncertain moment in history. Since the start of the pandemic just over a year ago in Wuhan, China, COVID-19 has infected 96 million people and killed more than two million, with the highest death tolls in the United States, Brazil, India, Mexico, B