Plus, securing democracy the transition of power is ensured with a massive show of force in washington and across the country. And, the art of inauguration public installations stand in for crowds at a ceremony subdued by covid 19 and security concerns. All that and more on tonights pbs newshour. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by moving our economy for 160 years. Bnsf, the engine that connects us. Supporting social entrepreneurs and their solutions to the worlds most pressing problems skollfoundation. Org. The lemelson foundation. Committed to improving lives through invention, in the u. S. And developing countries. On the web at lemelson. Org. Dati. Committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. And with the ongoing support of these institutions this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. And by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Woodruff this day has seen the inauguration of Joseph Robinette biden, junior as the 46th president of the United States. Asrntotod na ithe sttmp era, facing deep politicalvisioc Health Crisis in a century. Di and Vice President kamala in as Vice President on this historic day. G yjonsbean c ogiagovurer yang todays was an inauguration unlike any other before. Missing were the uwd csus,ro banished due to concerns about security and the pandemiand replaced on the National Mall by 200,000 flags. Taking the oath as Vice President. I, Kamala Devi Harris do solemnly swear. Yang the first woman and first woman of color. cheers and applause . And the oldest person ever elected to the Nations Highest Office took the president ial oath. En,jrh robinette bid, i do. Twice taken the Vice President ial oath, and seven times as senator. Standing in front of the u. S. Capitol still scarred by this months deadly assault by a pro trump mob, the 46th president called for unity. Weve learned again that democracy is precious, democracy is fragile. At this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed. cheers and applause today, on this january day, my whole soul is in this bringing america together, uniting our people, uniting our nation, and i ask every american to join me in this cause. cheers and applause yang he acknowledged that the task wilnot be easy. F pel, a possibilities much to repair, much to restore, much to heal, much to build and much to gain. Few people in our nations history have been more challenged, or found a time more challenging or difficult than the time were in now. Politics doesnt have to be a raging fire destroying everything in its every di psagreement doesnt hae to be a cause for total war. And we must reject the culture in which facts themselves are manipulaetedd n e manufactured. Reporter looking on, predecessors bill george w. Buking on sh and barack obama, with whom he served as v president , and mr. Bidens successor icin that office, mike underscore his chosen theme ofd we are striving to forge our union with purpose, to compose a cultures, colors, characters and conditions of man. And so we lift our gaze not to t stands beforeeree emphasize National Unity reporter the new president s entire day underscored that idea. From morning mass st. Matthews cathedral with congressional leaders from both parties to Military Pass and re pass in review on the and a wreathlaying ceremo thor national cemeterys tomb of the unknown ldier. President biden traveled through a city on high alert. More than 25,000 National Guard troops patrolled a downtown largely offlimits to visitors and traffic. Coast guard vessels kept watch entering the white house for the first time as president , mr. Biden quickly got down to business signing 17 executive orders on issues ranging from the pandemic to Climate Change and sending congress his sweeping immigration bill. A great honor. The honor of a lifetime. Woodruff in his final hours as president , donald trump was oo tbu, inissu mr. Trump left washington this morning, the first time in more than 150 years an outgoing presidt skped his successors inaugural. He never spoke with his successor, or even uttered his name in public. Mr. Trump did follow one tradition leaving a hand written oval office note for his successor. Addressing supporters and aides at Andrews Air Force base, mr. Trump pledged to be back in some form. i will always fight for you. I will be watching. I will be listening. And i will tell you that the future of this country has never been better. I wish the new Administration Great luck and great success. Yang mr. Trump arrived at his ralago resort, in south florida, before the new settled in at the white house, where the challenges of the pandemic, the wounded economy, a polarized nation and crises yet to come lie ahead for the pbs newshour, im john yang. Woodruff we turn now to our Yamiche Alcindor weeashon bat the white house all day. So, yamiche, for all the pomp and circumstance of this day, the new president has gotten right town to business. Reporter that is right, judy. After 48 years of government service, joe biden is now the 46th president of the United States and he said he wasnt wasting any time. He signed 17 executive recorders, 17 executive actions. Theyre ocused on a number of things that will, im told, be the core of his presidency and how he governs. They include him rejoining the Paris Climate Accord as well as instituting a National Mass mandate on federal property. He also is going to be directing agencies to do an equity review, looking at all of their different policies to look at any sort of systemic racism that might be plaguing their agencies. He also directed some of his energy today to immigration reform, saying Daca Recipients those are le uncumented immigrants as minors that they should be protected. He also will be rejoining the thheinrlans osoaloioizrgatn. Also, as he was signing in the oval office today, he spoke about a letter that President Trump, now former President Trump left him. Heres what he had to say. The president wrote a very generous letter. Upbecause it was private, i will not talk about it until i talk to him, but it was generous. Reporter now that, of course, is very interesting, given the fact that President Trump, he encouraged his supporters to storm the because he believed that joe biden was not the rightful winner of this election, but it sounds as though President Trump in his final moments, even though he skipped inauguration, the first president to do so since 1869, but he did leave something nice to say about , othdeouf yeasf s, raises questions we want answers to about exactly what was in that letter, but i guess well wait until President Biden tells us. As much as undoing the trump legacy, isnt it including stopping the building to have the walton the border . Reporter thats right, judy, he also will revoke the muslim ban, a central part of President Trumps presidency. Hes also going to be rolling back the president s covid 19 plans, making an entirely new covid 19 plan, asking the Surgeon General to resign and put in his own group. This goes to what President Biden spoke of in his inaugural address. Oneueded to be betryter than th, talking about theres real issues when it comes to truth and lies, saying before god and the peoplwho winessed him today take his oath that he was going to level with thAmerican People. He didnt say President Trumps name, but you can insinuate, you can see that he was talking about really turning the page on the trump era. Another thing to note is he will be building what he says is the most diverse cabinet in history. That again is another rebuke for President Trump who is at times called racist, at times the people saying he filled his government not with a government that looked like the American People and, ofourse, if we zoom out even more, there is Vice President , now, Kamala Harris, the first black woman, the first south asian, the of the first africanamerican sorority to be president. She is justice to some critics of President Trump because President Trump began his political career questioning the birth place of the first africanamerican presence. So all of this is really a rebuke on President Trump. Woodruff at the same time, this new president is saying he wants to unite the country. So well be figuring it out and trying to understand it, and i know you will be asking a lot of questions, starting tonight, with the first news conference. Yamiche alcindor at the the white house, thank you. U. Woodruff and now lisa rde ysjarr dinso joiorns usts how the senate with its new democratic majority will take up the biden agenda. Lisa, you have been at the capitol all y long, and it wasnt quiet even after the inauguration because we saw the new Vice President swearing in three new democratic senators. Reporter thats right, judy. Its a working night in the u. S. Capitol. You can see behind me one of the leaders of the republican senate,ing the republican leader in the senate, John Barrasso ng, ththional guard troops. E prs s evening the senate changed hands, democratic controlled, but barely, 50 50. Why . Because we saw the swearing in of thee new senators, again this evening, the two new senator frnom california to replace Kamala Harris, now Vice President harris, and they know that a lot of Business Needs to get done right away. As yamiche is reporting, President Biden is eager to get his cabinet filled. First priority at the capitol seems to be National Security positions. We expect a vote on one cabinet nominee this hour im sorry one top National Security figure, avril haines for position of director of national intelligence. There was a block on her nomination by tom cotton of arkansas. He has removed that block, i am told, and we expect that nomination to be confirmed this hour. Woodr very interesting watching that so closely. And lisa, its inttierplenges, want so much done quickly, and, yet, they are looking at an impeachmentri isn alineg thtoes go forward. Thats going to gobble up time and attention, isnt it . Reporter it will, and before we even get to talk about a trial, the senate has to sort out how it will conduct its own business. Right now, there is no real agreement as to how and when any kind of any kind of legislation will come to the floor, because it is a 50 50 senate, the leaders, the republican leader now, mitch veconnell, and the new senate rmajoouritty a deal for how to bring legislation to the yet. They havent figured out the exact composition of committees even. So while democrats are beginning to operate the senate, there still is not a process in place to legislate, and because of to at get the impeachment trial off the ground. It could start at anytime because technically House Speaker nancy pelosi has to transmit the article of impeachment, but we all know everybody is waiting to figure out how the senate will conduct business. Now you hear National Guardsmen behind me celebrating the end of a successful day, they feel. Woodruff long day, and well be watching, i know you will, to see how Chuck Schumer and Mitch Mcconnell work out the very next steps. We like the beret, lisa desjardins. Thank you very much. Reporter thank you. Woodruff and now, to amna nawaz, from the National Mall. National mall Early Morning into tonight. Amna, you started out this day looking agent the security picture there on the mall at a place where normally there would be crowds but as you reported early in the day, thats not what happened. Reporter not at all, judy, thats right. You and i both know anyone whos covered inaugurations in the past knows this mall is typically full of hundreds of thousands of people who gather here specifically because of the view you get of that west front at the Capitol Steps there to watch the swearing in. That swearing in is usually met with thunderous applause and cheeshz. Today it was met with a deafens silence because, of course, the mall, like much of washington, d. C. , is closed down, shuttered among health and security concerns after the Capitol Attack two weeks ago. Were inside the red zone, a robust and heavily fortified security perimeter set up a few days ago, maintained by miles and miles of metal fencing, by several layers of security par years and also, as john yang record earlier, the presence of 25,000 National Guard troops who have descended from every corner m itethxnaalas toldelp securee us they have bee n working very long hours, sleeping only a few hours every night and, for many of them, it was their first trip to washington, d. C. Ever, so quite e a fi of rust trsre top tryrevent some of the sa pme to forces we saw storm th Capitol Steps two weeks ago from acrema, conspiracy and antigovernment forces who violently stormed the capitol. Sources and National Security sources tell us the online chatter suggest many of the groups decided against taking any kind of action today largely because of the security presence and many felt it wasnt worth the risk, but those sources say their same groups are holding their fire potentially for another day. That threat has not gone away. Judy, one other thing ill mention sources tell us they were watching today online followers of this q anon conspiracy theory, a protrump group we have been reporting on several times over. Many people of this group told us even on days i spoke to them outside the Capitol Attack that they believe President Trump had some kind of secret plan, some kind of big action he was going to take today on his final day in office that would allow him to stay in power. That, of course, tid not happen, and online, many are expressing anger and disbelief, morespiingw conspiracy theories about why that didnt happen and what ngevce t dscoppd hainfoermatioenn n campaigns we saw emanating from the white house over the last four years, and these are just some of the challenges that the Biden Administration will inherit as theyre coming into office, but at least today Security Officials say they are grateful the transfer of power was peaceful. Judy. Woodruff listening to you, amna, and shaking our head at what youre saying. Quickly, i hear you saying, even though the threat was minimal today, we didnt see its presence, authorities are very much on guard in the days and weeks to come. Absolutely, judy. They stressed to us those threat, the same forces that stormed the capitol two weeks ago are robust, they persist and theyline planning future attacks as well. Just because they didnt act today does not mean they wont act in the future. This will an enormous problem we heard President Biden address in his inaugural address as well that these are some of the forces they will have to contend judr a, ugad. Rs ahe meantime, Nick Schifrin has been reporting on the enormous security operation in the capitol across this city and the country and joins us from the streets of washington. Nick, tell us what youre following today. Reporter yeah, judy, weve talked so much about the 25,000 National Guard troops and the closures, not only where amna is about a mile from me or so on the mall, but the bridges coming in and out of d. C. And the streets. You can see blind me still National Guard and still a checkpoint, they are still checking i. D. S at this late hour. It also meant that almost no protesters were able or allowed to get into d. C. Today. In fact, the park police only approved a single park permit for a sine protest group, and that was supposed to take place in something called a free speech zone. I believe weve got some video of that free speech zone, its basically a pen that was in downtown d. C. And when we went it was absolutely empty. Protestors couldnt or didnt want to get there. When i talked to military officials, they reiterate what amna just said, that the unprecedented show of force by the mility, the unprecedented closures was a deterrence factor, keeping away those protestors that they did believe could haeeokend veand co launched armed protests, at least thats what they were worried about. Now, there were some questions by some lawyers about the extent of the free seech restrictions, but, bottom line, the military officials i talked tand the National Security officials and the transition Officials Say that today was about guaranteeing that peaceful transfer of power, and it works not only here but across the country. Weve collected some video and photos from all 50 state capitols, and basically, wht we saw across the country, whether madison, wisconsin, harrisburg, pennsylvania, lansing, michigan, olympia, washington, std paul, atlanta, was not only a very few protestors but a large show of force outside the capitols following a National Campaign by the f. B. I. To try to arrest all the insurrectionists from january 6. Finally, judy, you know, the military reiterated again and again leading up to today that there would be no stop in continuity, there would be no loss of the chain of command, but a few hours ago the Biden Transition Team had to send out an email about the acting secretaries. Biden starts hiss presidency without any National Security officials already in place, and it occurred to me that what senator blunt said, the republican chairman of the inaugural committee hold true, he said that, look, in this time of transition when it comes to National Security, in some ways america is at its most vulnerable, but, also, america is at its most powerful, proving the perseverance of democracy on a day like today. Woodruff no question, and that echoes what we did here from did hear from biden and his inaugural remarks that democracy endures, perseveres. Thank you very much, Nick Schifrin, for your work all this day. Thank you. Woodruff for more reaction to this historymaking day, im here with James Fallows who has been watching alongside me all day. He is a journalist, longtime writer for the atlant president jimmy carter. Jim fallows, thank you and thank you for being here all day as we watched everything happen. As you think back on this speech, a lot of different rerks, and we use some excerpts of it earlier, what is ringing true to you . What strikes me, we were talking earlier today about how every inaugural speech is essentially two stories, the story f who we are we the country and the story of who i am i as the person whos taking respo tnsheibilneitwy. Pn answered both those stori a co tcluntry with very severe problems right now, and he sounded quite realistic about the pandemic, economic polarization and collapse, and the realm of untruths. But to continue were a country with problems, but that can be better, that can get better so thats the story of the country. The story ofin soke hn,hoim is t a h highfaluting of speech, empathetic, knowing fate can deal you an unfair hand and wants to compromise. The line that stuck with me is my whole soul is in this, the exercise of pulling us together, so that stays with me. Woodruff we come back to the theme of unity, joe biden is almost desperate to bring th country together. He kept coming back to that again and again, in these remarks and in remarks hes made in the days and weeks and months of his campaign and after the election. I think something that is effective about his rhetoric, again, its not going to be inscribed in the oratory books but he has been the same person from the democratic conviction through the election essentially saying i want to represent everybody, i recognize this is a ntry, i will do my e versou, if you ycou disagree, okay, but we are better off if were all together, and i think that was a theme that went through the symbolism of having theington, y amanda pike about the process of becoming this country, and i think we had from President Biden a notably faithinspired speech. Ta was clear hes a man whokes d thought his duty of his secular faith now was to help bring a divided country together. Woodruff you started out by saying this is not a person in so many words of soaring rhetoric or soaring oratory, but it felt real. This is who joe biden is, you said. Both those things are true. Theres a kind that would be to barack obama or Bernie Sanders or elizabeth warren, and if joe biden read those words it would be inauthentic. I feel we heard somein his own word choice and e mpcieses so it was a real person. Woodruff how much have the inaugural addresses sent a signal that told the country something about the way theyd govern . We can look back four years when donald trump had his american carnage inaugural which was unfortunately a signal. I think for most inaugural addresses, they do give a new president a margin of error, some honeymoon rom the public who says we recognize what youre trying to do, youre telling us who we are, you are, and we look for the best and i think joe biden did that at least for today. Woodruff jim fallows who has watched a lot of inaugural speeches and written some himself, thank you very much. Thank you, judy. Woodruff appreciate it. Woodruff an important Glass Ceiling was broken today when Kamala Harris became the countrys first female Vice President. Delegate Eleanor Holmes norton is a long time civil rights acttist, represents the District Of Columbia in the congress and joins us now. Eleanor Holmes Norton welcome back to the newshour. Thank you so much for being here. Tuldz what you took away from today. From today, judy, you saw the effect of arrestest after january 6th insurrection an tightened security that followed it. Sitting where i was as a member of congress, you couldnt see that. But if you represent the district as i do, you saw it every day. I live on capitol hill, the mayor had to get a Police Escort to get me through to the capitol. Thats just how tight it was. I cel relax and, judy, i think it will because i think the security has had a deterrent effect. We all around the country and the states, we saw very little in the way of demonstrations, they were very puny. We think that i think that, had we had the kind of force at the capitol when trump inspired an insurrection that we would not even have seen that near as bad as it was, and i certainly think that the deterrent effect was felt throughout the country today. Woodruff no doubt that would have made a difference on january 6th, but it was, as you say, under very different circumstances. Delegate Eleanor Holmes norton, what about well, let me ask you this, what gives you confidence that because today was quiet that that will continue to be that way . Oelhi co tnfidence is that trump is no longer in power, so youre not going to see people, particularly when you see what kind of a job the f. B. I. Is doing. The f. B. I. Is rounding up hundreds of people and, now, on social media, theyre able to do it. Theyre rounding them up, they are arresting them, and they are charging them. So people have to decide, is this really worth it . And i think were seeing the beginnings we saw the beginnings of that today, with the puny demonstrationsven in the states. And when i think the effect of the f. B. I. Arrests is having is having its own effect on individuals. So i really im not among those who say just wait, and i saw some of that in your earlier news report, that it could get much worse. Ill give you an example, there were to be demonstrations here on monday. Why didnt they occur . Woodruff mmhmm. I believe that there had already begun to have had an effect, the tightened security that we are now finally seeing here in the capitol. Woodruff well, i know everyone would certainly like to think that times are going to stay safe for as long as we can imagine into the future. But i also want to ask you about the historic firsts today, delegate Eleanor Holmes norton, and that is Kamala Harris not only being the first woman, but the first black, the first asian to become Vice President. You have been involved, you go back to the 1960s, you have been very active in thinking about these things, what did that mean to you today . Well, i think weve seen perhaps i think as many as six Vice President s become president. This president is the oldest president ever. He could at the side not to go for another term, but i think she is really in line to become president of the United States, and what a first that would mean, the first woman and the first black. Woodruff after president obama, the first black woman. First black woman, yes. Woodruff let me ask you about what joe biden is trying to do. He has a fairly ambitious agenda in terms of what he wants to see spent to fight to help people in this pandemic economy. Do you see, among republicans you talked to, a willingness to work with him on this . Well, he has one advantage and that is that he has worked with republicans his entire life. The mans been in public lifee than 30 years. So he starts out with an advantage that noemocratic pres dident has had. I think that there will be some chastened republicans. I was glad to see so many show up and speak at the inauguration. I think that its also important to recognize this is a moderate democrat. That means, it seems to me, particularly with his experience in the senate itself, that he is in a position to find rapport across the aisle. Woodruff what do you think in terhelion b wtte y have lleet do you think he should be focusing on first, and do you favor the impeachment trial taking up days to come early in his term . I dont favor the impeachment trial. I think the first 100 days must be focused on what should be the focus of this presidency. Now, im not going to say d. C. Statehood, but im pleased that he is for d. C. Statehood and that we have the house, the gnat senate and presidency which puts us in good stead to get it. But his agenda is laid out for him, judy. Hes got to focus on the virus, hes got to then look at the economy, thats written for him, and i think hes been nspen that thats what hes going to do. Wo delegate Eleanor Holmes norton representinrug thd District Of Columbia, thank you so much, very good to have you with us. My pleasure. Woodruff and now for how republicans in congress are woodruff now for how republicans in congress are viewing the new president and his agenda. For that, im joined by representative Nicole Malliotakis of new york. She just began her first term in the house and yesterday was named an assistant republican whip. Representative malliotakis, thank you so much for joining us. So youre joining us from your home city Staten Island, new york. What did you i assume you did watch and listen to the inaugural ceremony today. Tell us what you thought of hea. Unfortunately, i couldnt make it back in time to washington to complete the required Health Screening attend in person, but i did watch from my home and, look, i was very opeminded. Im going into this with an open mind. I wanto i t wevrkh rytanee on aa first and help us overcome this pandemic, get our economy back on track, restore the american jobs that we lost over the last several months. I certainly believe that, when joe biden says he wants to bring this country together, that he means it. The issue becomes that there is a lot of division and the division, i believe, is caused because theres different paths and individuals want to take this country, and i think that we have to find a way to find that Common Ground and Work Together. Im certainly willing to do that where we can find that Common Ground, but im also mindful that, you know, i represent the district of Staten Island southern brooklyn, im owls going to do whats in the best interest of my constituents, and if i see this administration doing something that harms them or our nation, im going to push back. Woodruff we heard President Biden today say, in so many words, its possible to disagree with each other without getting into essentially a political war. Do you think its possible to disagree in a more civil way than what weve seen in the recent years . I really hope so, and i think its incumbent upon all of us to try to bring the temperature down a bit and try to debate individuals on issues. You know, we shouldnt be the political discourse weve seen over the last several years by members of congress, by individuals in the political arena, has been damaging. I think social media has a lot to do with it, quite frankly, because everyone feels they can just go on social media, twitter or facebook and give every thought thats in their head. I think weve got to go back to the basics of governing, which means we need to debate on the hoe floor on the merits of the issues andot attack indivials personally. I think where joe biden has an opportunity to work are the republican members of congress is by looking for ways to find that center, that middle ground that puts america first, not to allow the socialist squad, individuals like alexandria ocasiocortez who have an extreme agenda for our nation, who fundamentally want to change our nation toward socialism, to take control, and with the margin being so close between majority and minority in the house of representatives, he does have that opportunity to work wit with republicans and ph forward with an agenda when it comes to infrastructure and transportation and making the necessary improvements to getting our economy back on track, to bringing a lot of our production home from places like china and making sure that we are actually working diligently to tribute this vaccine as quickly as possible and push states like ours and new york to reopen its economy and get people back to work. Woodruff im sure you know that representative alexandria ocasiocortez and some of the others would say they do not consider themselves socialists, but we can debate that another time. Woodruff they selfproclaimed and said theyre socialists. Woodruff i want to ask you, you did vote spho object to the electoral vote counts from the states of arizona and pennsylvania in the house. Do you consider joe biden legitimately elected as president . Joe biden had more electoral votes than just arizona and pennsylvania, and with the certification that took place that day and with the swearing in today, he is the legitimate president , and we must do the best to find Common Grounds to Work Together. I do believe, though, that there are certain irregularities that existed in our election system. We need to make sure that we solidify the integrity of this system. As you know, in the last couple of weeks alone, there have bee arrests in texas and louisiana for election fraud, and there are tens of millions of americans who are concerned about the integrity of the system. So, you know, im a proud cosponsor of a new bill, the state of democracy act, that will look to further solidify the integrity of our system, make sure that we do have voter i. D. Laws, making sure that we dont allow for automatic Voter Registration with a foreign document, as is going to happen in the state of new york unless the person opts out when applying for a drivers license, and making sure that we prohibit certain harvesting tactics and other safeguards that were supporting that are in that w we eas oeasnl. Lly wanted to shed light, in my vied light on some of the irregularities, some of the questions never heard in court due to time constraints and i think the American People just owe we owe it to them to prove that our election system is safeguarded and any of these. Woodruff nc m it of adi is that people dont object to further investigation but that, so far, theres been no evidence of any significant amount of fraud. But, finally, i do want to ask you about President Bidens proposal,paymts adi to people, other measus to try to give an immediate boost to the economy. Are you in favor of that . Well, i will certainly look at the bill that he presents. Im mindful that were moving forward a 30 trilliondollar debt in this country and, so, we have to make sure any legislation is tailored specifically to the people who are unemployed due to this crisis and, also, to businesses that have been mandated to be closed because of governors like governor cuomo. So i think thats something that we need to Work Together on, and i will certainly be reviewing legislation that comes before me to make sure it best meets the needs of those i represent. Woodruff representative Nicole Malliotakis, newlyelected from the state of new york. Congratulations on your election and thank you so much for joining us. Thank you. Woodruff former esident Donald Trumps final hours in office included one last sweep of pardons and commutations involving 144 people in all. Stephanie sy takes a closer look. Sy judy, the list of 74 pardons and 70 commutations included many individuals championed by celebrities and criminal justice advocates, but also notable trump political allies. He pardoned his former white house aide steve bannon, who faced fraud charges. A big campaign fundraiser, elliott broidy, who had admitted to breaking foreign lobbying laws. He commuted the sentence of longtime democrat and former detroit mayor kwame kilpatrick, convicted on racketeering and other counts. And he pardoned famous rapper lil wayne, who was facing a weapons charge. To talk about who was and was not on the list im joined by dan kobil, law professor at Capital University in ohio. Professor, thank you so much for being with us. I want to hone in on the political allies that former President Trump now pardoned or commuted the sentences for, particularly steve bannon. Bnnon has not even been put on trial for fraud charge also yet. How unusual is that and why is that significant . That is highly unusual, stephanie, because the courts have not even decided whether hes guilty. So, typically, acceptance of a pardon is an admission that one is guilty of the offense with which theyre charged. So bannon has never gone through the Justice System and the other branches of government have not had an opportunity to weigh in on his mis misdeeds, or perhaps hes innocent. So in many ways the shortcircuiting of the system is highly unusual. Reporter we also know that President Trump did not go through the Traditional Department of justice vetting process for many of these cases on the commutation and pardons list. What other precedents were set during the Trump Presidency that should be concerning, especially to a constitutional law professor like yourself . Many people are highly troubled by the president s pardoning approach because it really was the worst of both worlds. By not going through the justice departments process, the president ignored thousands of ordinary people who had applied for pardons or commutations, typically par, nsdoe reiinr nser to obtain employment opportunities, things like that. Indeed, trump closed without any action by far the most pardon and chew case requests in history. So he was enactive for the vast majority of requests, yet he was active for those with whom he was connected or had some sort of sympathy. So it really was the worst of both worlds in that it avoided the regular pardon process that we need to make justice humane, which is what the founders of the constitution wanted, yet it shows in the ones that were gran ti otethhad arert e e justice,r those who are connected to the president , and one for everybody else. Reporter what does the sheer number and nature of the pardons granted by former President Trump say about his presidency and his legacy, professor . The numbers are not that unusual for a republican president. Indeed, president george h. W. Bush only granted about 77 pardons commutations. By the time trump isand done, he will have between 200 and 300. So i would have to tally up the exact number. The pardon Attorneys Office has not published those yet, but his numbers are not as out of what can with modern president s, but its who he pardoned that is highly unusual. Reporter dan kobil, law professor at Capital University in ohio. We certainly appreciate your perspective especially on this momentous day. Great. Thank you for having me, stephanie. Woodruff in the days other news, as President Biden took office, the u. S. Death toll from covid19 kept climbing, past 405,000. At the same time, a number of states reported they are running out of vaccine supplies. The c. D. C. Estimated nearly 36 million doses have gone out to the states. But, only two Million People have received the full course of two doses. Overseas, World Governments largely welcomed President Bidens inauguration. In brussels, the president of the European Commission voiced hope for much better relations with the u. S. , in the posttrump era. This new dawn in america is the moment weve been waiting for so long. Europe is ready for a new start with our oldest and most trusted partner. Woodruff meanwhile, irans president Hassan Rouhani urged President Biden to rejoin the 2015 nuclear deal that the u. S. Withdrew from, under President Trump. China voiced hope today for new cooperation with the u. S. , under the Biden Administration. Beijing also imposed sanctions on former secretary of state mike pompeo and other Trump Administration officials. Theyre accused of violating chinese sovereignty and disrupting relations. The sanctions bar them doing business with china, and from entering the country. The government of israel raced to approve more housing in East Jerusalem and west Bank Settlements just before President Trump left office. An israeli Watchdog Group says nearly 2,600 new units got the green light. President biden is expected to return the u. S. To a policy of strongly opposing settlement expansion. And, back in this country, wall street had its best Inauguration Day in 36 years, on hopes for more economic stimulus. Major indexes finished at new highs. The Dow Jones Industrial average gained 257 points to close at 31,188. The nasdaq rose 260 points, 2 , and, the s p 500 added nearly 53 points. Still to come on the newshour public art stands in for crowds at a ceremony subdued by covid 19 and security concerns. And students write open letters to the new president , expressing their hopes for change in america. Woodruff as weve seen, todays inauguration featured unusual imagery, a response to the unusual circumstances. Public art was temporarily installed to try to represent the American People and unify the country. Jeffrey brown has our look, part of our arts and culture series, canvas. Brown in the sky above washington pillars of light, 56 in all, symbolizing the 50 states, the District Of Columbia, and five u. S. Territories. On the ground a field of flags, nearly 200,000 of them, representing the millions of people unable to attend due to pandemic and ramped up security measures. An inauguration without precedent, imagery to this is something that is meant to be evocative for everybody. Brown adam baron, Deputy Director of events for the president ial inaugural committee, helped create and oversee the installations. American flags of all sizes. Flags of the states and territories. Baron says the idea grew from looking at past inauguration scenes. When you look down the mall, its not just the people that you see. There are just, you know, thousands of waving ameran all stripes coming together to celebrate a new administration. And so we sort of took that those waving flags represent people that could not safely or smartly come together and gather this year. Brown i t ryt mathhepe iopge sense. Yeah, it certainly is and we knew we had to do something that was still celebratory to commemorate the importance of the moment. Not just any space but the National Mall, home to enduring symbols of American Democratic philes kencott is a Pulitzer Prize winning critic for the washington post. In washington, you know, were just two weeks out from having seen a violent mob storm the capitol. What we see here is, in a sense as orderly, as collective, as gathering in proximity, but in a constructive way. Brown constructive, yet different for this very different moment. Kennicott points to the evocative shafts of lights that once illuminated the absent World Trade Center twin towers after 911. Or the rows of orderly flags familiar at cemeteries or battlefields. Those evoke sorrow. These images, he thinks, might offer something more hopeful. By using the National Mall in this way, theyre inviting us not just to sort of be spectators, but to kind of project ourselves into that crowd and feel as somehow were more than just passive participants in this. Brown youre saying we as citizens need to find a new way to connect to public spaces, to public events, to politics itself. What role does the art play . I think in some ways thats an effort to get us to go beyond the fairly passive and reactive role that we have taken up with democracy through things like social media, through television and actually get out there and do something, be physically present. We cant do that at the moment. But this is makingyen ars to be in that space a little more tangibly than we might if we just watched it on television as we used to do. Brown that asks a lot of what is after all a temporary art installation. But were a country in need of a lot just now. For the pbs newshour, im jeffrey brown. Woodruff ow does this historic inauguration look to young people . Our student reporting labs reached out to our network of High School Journalism programs to find out what they hope the new administration accomplishes. Here they are in their own words dear mr. President and madam Vice President. Dear mr. President. Dear mr. President. I hope you will consider this message. As someone whos currently covid positive and quarantining in their bedroom, whats really important to me is seeing that the pandemic is handled with urgency and care. My hope for you as a president is that you can create more jobs for the people of the u. S. And so i think seeing swift and forceful action taken to combat global climatchange is going to be something incredibly important. Specifically Vice President Kamala Harris. I hope you know that being in your position is a huge inspiration for black women among this country. And i hope you know that it shows that with hard work and dedication, we can accomplish all of our goals. Within your administration, i hope to see a progressive plan in combating Climate Change. Continue to bring money back to middle class families, continue to rise the poor out of unemployment and back into jobs in our country. Do you plan on addressing this volatile split in america right now, and if so, how . Do you think you can repair this break . I put my faith in you to end systemic racism and tear down all the barriers that come with it. Woodruff you can watch the entire we the young people inauguration special on our website. And also on the newshour onlinef rican american sorority, alpha kappa alpha, are cheering as Vice President Kamala Harris, a member of their own organization, makes history today. Find out more about that reaction on our website, pbs. Org newshour. And later tonight on pbs you can watch special coverage of the inaugural festivities. Linmanuel miranda, uce ee n byst tom hananr ks. There will also be remarks from President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Thats celebrating america, tonight at 8 00 p. M. , 7 00 central on pbs. And thats the newshour on this historic night. Im judy woodruff. Join us online and again here tomorrow evening. For all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you and see you soon. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by we offer a variety of no contract wireless plans for people who use their phone a little, a lot, or anything in between. To learn more, go to consumercellular. Tv the ford foundation. Working with visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide. And with the ongoing suppt of these institutions and individuals. This program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. And by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc a acssup awgbh access. Wgbh. Org heres whats coming up. Whenever you try to use the Death Penalty for some political goal, youre going to do things that are unjus trump and his presidency with a spree of executions. I ask equal Justice Initiative director stevenson about americas capital punishment. Then. The capitol insurrection that shook e world. I spe to cnbc anchor and former fox news star shepherd smith about the eco system that enabled trump and right wing conspiracy theories. Then. Theres not a lot of time to stop and smell the roses, so we really have we really have work to do. Walter