President Joe Biden will deliver his farewell address to the nation from the Oval Office at 8 p.m. ET. The president leaves office with a low approval rating — though higher than his predecessor and successor did.
The White House will stream the event on YouTube, meaning anyone with a device can watch for free. You can also follow along here for live updates on Biden’s remarks from The Independent.
Meanwhile, Pam Bondi and Marco Rubio, Donald Trump’s nominees for the next US attorney general and secretary of state respectively, led a group of his cabinet picks who attended Senate confirmation hearings on Wednesday.
Bondi was evasive about Trump’s false claims about the 2020 presidential election. She confirmed that Biden was president but said little more than that. She also clashed with Democrats over the fate of January 6 rioters and whether she would refuse hypothetical orders from the incoming president.
Senator Rubio, once a bitter rival to the president-elect for the Republican presidential nomination, outlined his America-first vision of foreign policy during his opening remarks. twice being interrupted twice by protesters.
Chris Wright (secretary of energy), John Ratcliffe (director of the CIA), Sean Duffy (secretary of transportation), and Russell Vought (director of the Office of Management and Budget) also appeared before their relevant committees.
How to watch Biden’s farewell address
President Joe Biden will give his farewell address from the White House at 8 p.m. Eastern Time this evening.
The White House will stream the event on YouTube, meaning anyone with a device can watch for free. You can also follow along here for live updates on Biden’s remarks from The Independent.
Major broadcast news networks including ABC, CBS, NBC and C-SPAN will also carry coverage of the speech this evening.
Katie Hawkinson16 January 2025 00:35
Trump voters will be ‘brutally scammed’ during his term, Nobel economist warns
Michelle Del Rey16 January 2025 00:33
Musk is being sued by the SEC over his Twitter takeover — what we know so far…
The agency alleges that the billionaire failed to disclose his ownership of Twitter stock in a timely manner, saving himself at least $150 million “at the expense of shareholders.”
Oliver O’Connell16 January 2025 00:30
Biden leaves office with ceasefire deal — but it wasn’t soon enough to save Kamala Harris
Even many ardent supporters of Israel’s siege of Gaza had publicly fretted over the past year over what effects the conflict was having on the broader American public’s view of the Israeli state. Now, a new poll confirms that those fears were warranted — and validates warnings from the progressive left over the past year.
Oliver O’Connell15 January 2025 23:40
Trump Transportation pick vows to buck any pressure to help Elon Musk
Donald Trump’s pick to head the Transportation Department promised Wednesday to scrutinize Boeing‘s safety issues, streamline regulations and not interfere in ongoing agency investigations into Elon Musk’s electric car company if confirmed as secretary.
Former Wisconsin congressman Sean Duffy said at his Senate confirmation hearing that he would “restore global confidence” in Boeing, hire more air traffic controllers and create federal rules for self-driving cars instead of leaving that to the states, something Musk’s Tesla has been pushing for to help speed development of the technology.
Why is Michelle Obama skipping Trump’s inauguration?
Oliver O’Connell15 January 2025 23:00
Trump classified documents lays out schedule for Friday hearing on Jack Smith’s report
Judge Aileen Cannon has written up a game plan ahead of Friday’s court hearing on whether Jack Smith’s Mar-a-Lago classified documents report will ever see the light of day:
- Before tomorrow, Trump must tell the court whether his legal team wants to present an argument
- The Department of Justice must provide the court with a copy of the report so parties can review it in the judge’s chambers
- The hearing will be public obviously “but any discussions of specified content in Volume II will be conducted in closed, sealed session to preserve Defendants’ fair trial rights and to fully respect protective orders previously entered in this case”
- The hearing is set for 2 p.m. ET on Friday
Alex Woodward15 January 2025 22:55
Obama hails ceasefire, hostage deal; praises Biden and negotiators
Former President Barack Obama has lauded the ceasefire and hostage release deal announced between Israel and Hamas, expressing gratitude to President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Blinken, and “all the leaders and diplomatic teams from around the world who have worked so hard to get this done.”
Here is the full statement from the 44th president:
The ceasefire and hostage release deal announced between Israel and Hamas is good news – for the families of the hostages taken on October 7th, for the Palestinian civilians who have suffered for more than a year, and for everyone who has prayed for an end to this awful chapter.
It’s important to recognize that no deal – including this one – can ease the pain of those who have lost loved ones, or resolve the longstanding conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. That work will be much harder, and take much longer. But it will put a stop to the bloodshed, allow people to return to their homes, and get much-needed aid to more than a million desperate, hungry people.
That’s something we should all support, and I’m grateful to President Biden, Secretary Blinken, and all the leaders and diplomatic teams from around the world who have worked so hard to get this done.
Oliver O’Connell15 January 2025 22:50
Watch: British politicians discuss help for rich Americans who want to flee Trump’s second term
British politicians discuss help for rich Americans who want to flee Trump rule
British politicians today (15 January) discussed help for rich Americans who want to flee Donald Trump’s impending rule in the US. Sir Ed Davey, the leader of the UK’s Liberal Democrat party, today called for UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer to create a new type of visa for those who want to flee from the president-elect, who will be inaugurated next week. Responding to Sir Ed’s plea in parliament, Sir Keir said he would “welcome all forms of investment to the UK”.
Oliver O’Connell15 January 2025 22:45
Pence’s organization comes out swinging against RFK Jr.
Advancing American Freedom (AAF) outlines five questions for Kennedy to answer in a letter first obtained by The Daily Wire. The letter notes that Kennedy has previously said that a woman should have the right to an abortion “even if [the baby] is full term.”
Oliver O’Connell15 January 2025 22:38