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Day 1460/1461

Ashley Shaffer   | Paste BN

When a president leaves office but doesn't tweet it, did it even really happen?

(Spoiler alert: Yes. We've seen the moving trucks.)

This time tomorrow, Joe Biden will be the 46th president of the United States. Donald Trump? He's headed south.

It's Ashley, with the news you need to know.

But first, 1-20-21: Inauguration Day falls on a rare palindrome date. That won't happen again for 1,000 years.

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It's the final countdown: One day until inauguration 

President-elect Joe Biden will be inaugurated in a locked-down ceremony at noon Wednesday, becoming the 46th president of the United States. But it won't be a typical inauguration: 

P.S.: Can I text you? Just like during the debates and on Election Day, we'll be answering questions and live texting updates throughout inauguration tomorrow. You can sign up for free here.

It's been all too real, Trump

President Donald Trump's time in the White House will come to an end Wednesday, but his influence – for better or worse – will continue to shape politics in Washington far beyond his four years in office. From early legislative victories, such as the massive overhaul of federal taxes in 2017, to the depths of a second, historic impeachment, Trump's tenure has been marked by a norm-busting approach to the job that has both delighted supporters and alarmed critics. No matter what Trump does once he leave the White House tomorrow, the tumultuous four years he has just put behind him have already left a mark. Paste BN's John Fritze and David Jackson look at five areas where Trump's presidency has changed the nation. 

What everyone’s talking about: The presidency 

COVID-19 deaths pass WWII — but this battle isn’t over

The U.S. reported an unimaginable total of 400,000 deaths from COVID-19 as of Tuesday. In less than a year, more Americans will have died of COVID-19 than died during World War II, according to Johns Hopkins data. In the 1,347 days following the attack on Pearl Harbor, 405,399 Americans died fighting in World War II. In less than a quarter of that time, at least 400,292 Americans have lost their lives to COVID-19. Now this pandemic ranks as the third-deadliest event in the history of the U.S., trailing only the Civil War of 1861-1865 and the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918.

A nationwide memorial to honor the lives lost to COVID-19 is scheduled for Tuesday in Washington, featuring a lighting of 400 lights around the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Iconic buildings like the Empire State Building in New York to the Space Needle in Seattle are also scheduled to be illuminated. 

12 Army National Guard members dropped from inauguration

Twelve U.S. Army National Guard members are being removed from Biden’s presidential inauguration security mission after an investigation uncovered ties to right-wing militias, the Associated Press reported. Of the 12, 10 were identified by the FBI in security screening, officials said. Another was flagged by commanders, and the final one was identified by an anonymous tipster. Some were dismissed for making inappropriate comments or texts about the inauguration, Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said, and some have ties to extremist groups. Meanwhile, the FBI has warned authorities that extremists, including QAnon followers, may consider posing as National Guard troops to breach inauguration security, two people familiar with the briefing told Paste BN.

Real quick 

New York Mets fire GM Jared Porter amid report of harassment 

The New York Mets have fired Jared Porter as general manager in the wake of sending uninvited lewd text messages and images to a female reporter, according to a person with knowledge of the investigation. Major League Baseball is now planning to launch an investigation into Porter, which could lead to a suspension from MLB. The Chicago Cubs, Porter's employer in 2016 when he sent the messages, said the organization had no knowledge of the abuse.

A break from the news

This is a compilation of stories from across the Paste BN Network. Want this news roundup in your inbox every night? Sign up for The Short List newsletter here.

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