Business, working to unravel the last four years, signing 17 executive actions, including a mask mandate exactly one year since the first case of coronavirus came to our shores. applause odonnell the trailblazing Kamala Harris story tonight, how she is inspiring young girls and boys across america. This land was made for you and this land was made for you and me odonnell the sights and sounds of a timehonored tradition. Nthtke don thstff america on display. This is a special edition of the cbs evening news with Norah Odonnell the president ial inauguration. Reporting tonight from the nations capital. Odonnell good evening to our viewers in the west, and thank you for joining us. Tnight, the United States has a new president. Declaring that democracy has prevailed, joseph r. Biden jr. Took the oath of office today as the nations 46th commander in chief, promising to help unite a country deeply divided and suffering from a deadly pandemic. Then in the shadow of the u. S. Capitol and overshadowed by the toll of the coronavirus, the 78yearold called on all americans to help write the next great chapter in the history of the United States. And while todays scaledback and highly secured ceremony lacked some of the grandeur of past inaugurations, it was no less groundbreaking. Tonight, Vice PresidentKamala Harris becomes the highest ranking woman in the history of american government, as well as the first black american and first Asian American to hold that office. After todays swearing in, the new president walked home with his family. And tonight, in a newly redecorated oval office, hes already getting down to business, signing a series of sweeping executive actions that roll back his predecessors policies and recommit america to being part of the global community. It has been a day of history that is still unfolding as we come on the air, and our team is standing by to cover it all. Cbs chief White House Correspondent nancy cordes is going to lead off our coverage tonight from her new post near the white house. Good evening, nancy. Reporter norah, after decades of working in and visiting the white house, tonight joe biden can call it home. Today he made an appeal to those who backed him and those who didnt, asking him to hear him out, to take the measure of him, urging them to give him a chance to be a president for all we can see each other not as adversaries but as neighbors. Reporter President Joe Biden struck one simple theme in his 21minute inaugural address unity. 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. With unity, we can do great things, important things. We can right wrongs. We can put people to work in good jobs. We can teach our children in safe schools. Reporter he spoke from the spot that was recently overrun by protrump rioters, and he was candid about the divisions confronting him as he takes office. Biden we must rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal. And i promise you, i will fight as hard for those who did not support me as for those who did. Reporter that message, about mending fences, was woven throughout the day. Amazing grace how sweet the sound reporter in the morning, President Biden invited leaders from both parties to attend mass with him. In the afternoon, he laid a wreath at the tomb of then soldf his unknown soldier with three of his predecessors president s clinton, bush, and obama. President trumps absence went unmentioned, but his Vice President , mike pence, looked on as mr. Biden sought to turn the page on the past four years. And we must reject the culture in which facts themselves are manipulated and even manufactured. Politics doesnt have to be a raging fire, destroying everything in its path. Reporter inaugurals normally draw hundreds of thousands to the national mall. Today, it was filled not with people but with flags. The land of the free reporter the intimate setup, a concession to the covid pandemic that has already claimed 400,000 american lives. Protect and defend. Reporter mr. Biden was sworn in on a 130yearold family bible. So help me god. Reporter he and his Vice President , Kamala Harris, were greeted at the capitol by Capitol Police officer eugene goodman, who held a violent mob at bay two weeks ago, long enough for senators to be whisked to safety. So help me god. So help me god. Reporter the ceremony embraced the nations legacy as a melting pot, one day after the outgoing secretary of state insisted multiculturalism is not who america is. But while democracy can be periodically delayed, it can never be permanently defeated. Reporter afterwards, the nations first female Vice President shared a friendly word with her predecessor, their first real conversation since the election, as control of the socalled Nuclear Football changed hands from the 45th president to the 46th. As part of a scaleddown inaugural parade, President Biden and the first lady walked part of the route, pennsylvania avenue lined mostly with police. Mr. Biden is taking office more than 30 years after his First White House bid in 1987. At 78, he is the oldest president ever inaugurated, and arguably, the most experienced, with 36 years as delaware senator and eight years as v. P. The world is watching, watching all of us today. So heres my message to those beyond our borders america has been tested, and weve come out stronger for it. May god bless america, and may god protect our troops. Thank you, america. applause reporter there will be no inaugural balls tonight, another change necessitated by covid. Instead, viewers at home will be treated to a primetime virtual concert originating from the lincoln memorial, featuring performances by bruce springsteen, john legend and linmanuel miranda. Norah. Odonnell nancy cordes, thank you. For the new administration, this isnt just a day for celebration. Its a work day. And tonight, the president has jumped righ into pushing his agenda, though it may put his calls for unity to the test. Heres cbs senior white house and Political Correspondent ed okeefe. Reporter President Biden and the first lady arrived at the white house, trailed by family members and flanked by secret service. Inside, freshly hung pictures of the new occupants already on the walls. And a letter waiting for mr. Biden from President Trump. The letter was private. I will not talk about it until i talk to him. It was generous. Reporter mr. Biden wasted no time getting to work in the oval office, signing executive office, and the construction of the southern border wall, scrapping his socalled muslim travel ban and rejoining the paris accord. Jen sacki in her first entry said reentering the agreement wont happen immediately. We have submit ised that to the u. N. Attorney general, and it will take approximately 30 da he also ordered a nationwide masking policy on federal property and extended a pause on evictions, foreclosures and student loan payments. Biden a raging virus, growing in equity, the sting of systemic racism, the climate in crisis any one of these would be enough to challenge us in profound ways. Reporter with the two new Democratic Senators from georgia sworn in, giving his party control, President Biden will have a better shot at passing his 2 trillion rescue package. Mr. Biden called on republicans to join him. Biden are we going to step up . It is time for boldness. Reporter after his speech, 17 announced they would work with him, including 11 who challenged his victory on the house floor just two weeks ago. But some have called this plan a nonstarter. Here on capitol hill, the senate voted to nominate joe bidens first cabinet pick. But otherwise, given the recent violence, confirmation hearings have been delayed, so the new president is ending day one with the most departments led by acting secretaries. Norah . Odonnell ed okeefe, thank you. It took Vice PresidentKamala Harris just a minute to recite her oath of office, but for women and girls, and especially women of color, it was a seismic moment. Both changed the face and the fabric of american democracy. Heres cbs news Congressional Correspondent nikole killion. I, kamala devi harris, do solemnly swear. Reporter with her hand on the bible that once belonged to her hero, Justice Thurgood marshall, Kamala Harris made history. So help me god. Reporter harris moment was greeted with fist bumps, first by the 44th president , barack obama, and then by michele obama, a special moment and a long way from her humble california beginnings. This neighborhood was full of kids. Reporter Carole Porter and Kamala Harris met as two pigtailed girls growing up in berkeley. Kamala and maya lived upstairs. Reporter below harris home, mrs. Regina sheltons day care, where she often spent many days after school. Shelton become a second mom. Her brown bible was also used for her swearing in. It was called sheltons Day Care Center kind of emotional that you know really took care of all of the kids in the neighborhood. She was just a really, really warm, loving person. Reporter a lot of good memories there. Oh, yeah. Definite at Thousand Oaks elementary, where they helped desegregate berkeley public schools. She really had an opportunity to see what other people lived like that were different than her. Reporter with the echo of her alma mater Howard Universitys band leading the way during the inaugural parade, Vice President harris walked graciously into a historic first. The day was met by an outpouring of celebration her Alpha Kappa AlphaSorority Sisters wearing pearls in her honor, to celebrations held in her familys ancestral indian village. Harris, whose first name is linked to the hindu goddess of fortune, marked the moment, too, dedicated to all of the women who paved the way. I reflect on their struggle and i stand on their shoulders. Reporter the Vice President s First Official duty was to swear in three senators, including alex padilla, who fills the seat she held for four years. Asked how she feels about her new role, she told reporters, amazing. Norah. Odonnell nikole killion, thank you. Well, tonight, two more suspects have joined the list of more than 100 facing charges in that deadly capitol hill assault from two weeks ago. The f. B. I. Has arrested joseph biggs of florida. It says hes with the rightwing group proud boys, and carried a walkietalkie during the assault. Hes also accused of instructing followers on social media to dress in black. And Patrick Mccaughey of connecticut is charged with pinning officer Daniel Hodges with a police shield, an attack captured in that widely seen video. All right, tonight, the man impeached for inciting that insurrection, the nations 45th president , is back at his resort in florida. Mr. Trump skipped town this morning, becoming the first president to boycott his successors inauguration since 1869. Heres cbs paula reid. Reporter former President Trump departed the white house early wednesday for the last time. It is my greatest honor and privilege to have been your president. cheers and applause reporter he gave his final speech as president to a small gathering of supporters and his family at joint base andrews. The president wished his successors well, but still could not bring himself to say their names. I wish the new Administration Great luck and great success. Have a good life. We will see you soon. Reporter after he boarded air force one, cbs news has learned the televisions on the flight were tuned to the inauguration proceedings. In the last hours of his administration, he flipflopped on one of his Signature Campaign promises. Drain the swamp. Reporter . And reversed his own executive order restricting former officials from lobbying immediately after leaving government. He also issued 144 pardons and commutations, some of those benefiting political allies, like former chief strategist steve bannon, charged with defrauding donors of hundreds of thousands of dollars as part of a Fundraising Campaign allegedly aimed at supporting the former president s border wall. A Senior Administration official tells cbs news mr. Trumps advisers warned him against the move. The biggest difference weve noticed here at the white house today between these administrations has been this it is the new musthave accessory, because it is proof of a covid test, which you are now required to get before you enter the white house grounds, just one of many signs that this administration will be taking covid a lot more seriously. Norah. Odonnell paula reid, thank you. And because so much is changing, we want to bring in cbs news senior political analyst and 60 minutes correspondent john dickerson. And john, these inaugural speeches, they really set the tone for a new administration. What tone do you think biden was trying to set today . The word of the day was unity, but the tone was clearly that we are humans and not enemies. The insurrection showed what happens when you treat opponents like enemies. So President Biden focused on human qualities. He talked about heart. He talked about soul. Common objects of love, he said, quoting st. Augustine. And he called on americans in that spirit to think and listen and hear and show respect for their opponents. But if he named what unites, he named what divides telling lies. And he said politics did not need to be a raging fire destroying everything in its path. The message seemed to be, unless we unify and stop telling lies, it will. Odonnell okay, thats the tone. Now hes got a lot of work to do. Youve written a book, that its the hardest job in the world. How does he go about tackling all these problems . Reporter well, its unexciting stuff. You saw in his executive orders. It was kind of a sedate affair, compared to President Trumps. The other thing, build a team. Hes already done that. Hes got twice as many officials working for him as obama did at this time. The presidency is not a oneman job, its an organization. The other thing is stay focused. Well, reality is going to do that for him. Hes got to get the vaccines in the arm and fix the economy. But when youre staying focused, another key thing is not to let the urgent crowd out the important. For him, racial equality is important. He has to keep that in mind and not let the daytoday fires keep his mind off of that. Odonnell incredible focus on those really tough items that hes facing. John dickerson, thank you so much. And there is still much more news ahead right here on tonights cbs evening news. As we mark one year of covid in america, why a major u. S. City today was forced to put off more than 20,000 shots. I honestly feel that thats my calling to give back to younger people. I think most adults will start realizing that they dont recall things as quickly as they used to or they dont remember things as vividly as they once did. Ive been taking prevagen for about three years now. People say to me periodically, man, youve got a memory like an elephant. Its really, really helped me tremendously. Prevagen. Healthier brain. Better life. 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