USA NEWS HEADLINES 18 Jan 2021

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US Capitol empty as inauguration preparations begin

As inauguration day looms for US president-elect Joe Biden, Capitol staff are making their final preparations.

US POLITICSan hour ago

Borders to be discussed this Friday

Prime Minister Scott Morrison told 2GB's Jim Wilson it is likely state borders will be discussed at this Friday's National Cabinet.

LIVE NEWS DAILY3 hours ago

Trump to issue 'around 100 pardons'

President Donald Trump is believed to be preparing to issue around 100 pardons and commutations on his final full day in office.

DONALD TRUMP3 hours ago

Man 'afraid of coronavirus' lived in airport for three months

A US man lived inside the secure part of an international airport terminal for three months, because he was afraid to fly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

CORONAVIRUS4 hours ago

Biden inauguration: Australian time revealed

Biden's inauguration will mark the official start of his four-year term, and due to COVID and security concerns, will go ahead without much of the pomp and fanfare.

JOE BIDEN5 hours ago

Fears of insider attack at Biden inauguration

US defence officials say they are worried about an insider attack or other threat from service members involved in securing President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, prompting the FBI to vet all of the 25,000 National Guard troops coming into Washington for the event.

JOE BIDEN6 hours ago

TODAY IN HISTORY: More than 80 killed in train crash 'waiting to happen'

Australia's worst rail disaster, the the Granville train crash, claimed 83 lives and injured 213 others on on January 18, 1977.

HISTORY8 hours ago

Jon Rumion, background left, talks with Michael Cargill at Central Texas Gun Works in Austin, Texas, in 2014.

Programmer at peace with losing $300m Bitcoin fortune

A San Francisco programmer locked out of his $300 million Bitcoin fortune because he can't remember a password has been bombarded with advice since news of his misfortune went worldwide last week.

BITCOIN9 hours ago

Parler's website is back online with a brief message to 'lovers and haters'

Parler's website suddenly reappeared online Sunday afternoon with a message from its CEO, John Matze: "Hello world, is this thing on?"

WORLD10 hours ago

Lizzie Borden house hits the market for $2 million

If you're fascinated by unsolved 19th century murders and have $2 million burning a hole in your pocket, this could be the perfect opportunity for you.

WORLD11 hours ago

US braces for potentially violent week

The threat of extremist groups descending on political buildings across the country in demonstrations on Sunday prompted governors to roll out a massive show of force and ramp up security.

JOE BIDEN19 hours ago

Joe Biden to prioritise legal status for 11 million immigrants

Joe Biden's decision to immediately ask Congress to offer legal status to an estimated 11 million people in the country has surprised advocates.

JOE BIDEN7:40pm Jan 17, 2021

Anti-communist protesters demand the return of the king

As the US braces for further potential violence, elsewhere in the world there were protests and celebrations aplenty.

RIOT3:31pm Jan 17, 2021

Communist Party anniversary will be the 'elephant in the room', expert says

Three experts weigh in on what China will do next.

CHINA NEWS2:51pm Jan 17, 2021

Man arrested outside US Capitol with gun amid inauguration warning

Police in Washington have arrested a man from Virginia after he approached the US Capitol and presented authorities with fake inauguration credentials.

US ELECTION10:11am Jan 17, 2021

India starts world's largest COVID-19 vaccination drive

India has begun what is likely the world's largest COVID-19 vaccination campaign, joining the ranks of wealthier nations where the effort is already well underway.

CORONAVIRUS6:57am Jan 17, 2021

Donald Trump has been accused of sexual assault by more than 20 women.

Government lawyers try to get Donald Trump's name off rape accuser's lawsuit

Justice Department lawyers asked a federal appeals court to replace President Donald Trump with the United States as the defendant in a defamation lawsuit brought by a woman who says he raped her in the 1990s.

DONALD TRUMP7:26pm Jan 16, 2021

Donald Trump has not conceded the election more than a month after his defeat.

NY prosecutors interview Michael Cohen about Trump finances

New York prosecutors conducted an hourslong interview of Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former personal attorney, on Thursday, asking a range of questions about Trump's business dealings, according to three people familiar with the meeting.

DONALD TRUMP2:30pm Jan 16, 2021

'Obstructions' like this make banknotes much more valuable.

Banana sticker makes this $20 note worth a fortune

How can a US$20 bill be worth over US$57,000 ($74,000)? Because of a printing mishap.

MONEY1:35pm Jan 16, 2021

Prosecutors say Inyoung You bullied her boyfriend into suicide.

Student to face trial for encouraging boyfriend to kill himself

The manslaughter case against a South Korean woman accused of encouraging her boyfriend to take his own life will head toward trial in the US state of Massachusetts, prosecutors said.

CRIME10:49am Jan 16, 2021

Covering the Capitol protests in Washington.

Chaos, confusion and Trump: My year of reporting from the US

It is almost exactly one year since I touched down in Los Angeles to begin a posting in Nine's US Bureau, and a new adventure for my family.

DONALD TRUMP9:15am Jan 16, 2021

Dustin Higgs was convicted of the murder of three women, but he did not pull the trigger.

Man convicted in three killings to be last executed under Trump

The last federal inmate facing execution before President Donald Trump leaves office was sentenced to death for the killings of three women in a Maryland wildlife refuge, a crime that led to a life sentence for the man who fired the fatal shots.

DEATH ROW8:26am Jan 16, 2021

Worldwide coronavirus death toll hits two million

It's as if 10 of the world's largest commercial jets fell out of the sky, every day for an entire year.

CORONAVIRUS8:10am Jan 16, 2021

Mike Pence calls Kamala Harris to offer congratulations

Vice President Mike Pence has called his soon-to-be successor Kamala Harris to offer his congratulations, according to two people familiar with the conversation.

WORLD7:17am Jan 16, 2021

Capitol mob aimed to 'assassinate' elected officials

The pro-Trump mob that stormed the US Capitol last week aimed to "capture and assassinate elected officials," federal prosecutors said in court documents.

US ELECTION PROTESTS4:17am Jan 16, 2021

Members of the National Guard stand inside anti-scaling fencing that surrounds the Capitol, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021, in Washington. The inaugural stand is centre

Inauguration rehearsals pushed back amid security concerns

The rehearsal for the inauguration ceremony will be delayed a day amid heightened security concerns, acting Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli told CNN.

US ELECTION1:34am Jan 16, 2021

The Donald Trump presidency in pictures

Take a look back at some of the most iconic moments of the Donald Trump presidency.

DONALD TRUMP8:20pm Jan 15, 2021

Seven injured as bus plows through overpass in the Bronx

Seven people have been injured after a bus crashed through an overpass on a major Bronx freeway.

CRASHES5:35pm Jan 15, 2021

Joe the pigeon may be spared death amid speculation he's not from the US

The racing pigeon thought to have flown a mega 15,000km from Alabama in the United States to Melbourne may be spared death row after an American official suggested the bird is actually Australian.

ANIMALS5:20pm Jan 15, 2021

Donald Trump had a 'really limited' understanding of history, Rex Tillerson has said.

Former secretary of state says Trump had 'really limited understanding' of history

Donald Trump's former secretary of state Rex Tillerson has lamented his former boss's intellectual shortcomings in a tell-all interview.

DONALD TRUMP5:18pm Jan 15, 2021

Breaking news and updates Australia: January 15, 2021

Police believe mother responsible for all four Tullamarine deaths; South Australia ends quarantine for Brisbane travellers; Queensland officials confident hotel cluster contained; 'Likely' no new locally acquired cases across Australia today

LIVE NEWS DAILY5:03pm Jan 15, 2021

Judge Wendell Griffen's opposition to the death penalty means he can't preside over capital murder cases, Arkansas's Supreme Court has ruled.

Why judge has been banned from ruling on murder cases

The Arkansas Supreme Court has said a judge who was barred from hearing execution-related cases after he participated in an anti-death penalty protest can't preside over a capital murder case.

DEATH PENALTY3:05pm Jan 15, 2021

Supreme Court gives Trump the green-light for final killing spree on death row

It was one of the worst bursts of gang violence Richmond had ever seen. At least 11 people were killed in a 45-day period in 1992, all at the hands of gang members who eliminated anyone they thought would get in the way of their growing crack cocaine business.

DEATH PENALTY2:39pm Jan 15, 2021

Magic mushrooms grow inside man's bloodstream after he injected 'psychedelic' tea

An American man nearly died after psychedelic mushrooms started growing into his veins after he injected them into his body.

DRUGS1:46pm Jan 15, 2021

Congress members suggest colleagues were part of Capitol riot pre-planning

Members of Congress have raised the spectre of a pre-planned inside job leading up to the Capitol riot on January 6.

US ELECTION PROTESTS1:16pm Jan 15, 2021

Airport security is being beefened up for inauguration day.

No alcohol and no checked guns: Airlines tighten security for Inauguration Day

Airlines and the Transportation Security Administration are stepping up security for flights to and from Washington, DC, amid threats of additional violence.

US ELECTION PROTESTS12:49pm Jan 15, 2021

Joe Biden has called for the minimum wage to be raised to $15 an hour.

Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion bill to 'cut child poverty in half'

Joe Biden has proposed a US$1.9 trillion (A$2.4 trillion) stimulus plan to address the coronavirus pandemic and lift millions out of poverty.

JOE BIDEN11:48am Jan 15, 2021

Secret Service barred from using Ivanka Trump's bathroom

The US Secret Service is renting a small studio apartment in Washington, DC, near the home of Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, in order for agents to use the bathroom and have office space.

US POLITICS10:15am Jan 15, 2021

Donald Trump could face his impeachment trial on the day he leaves office.

Trump impeachment trial could begin on inauguration day

President Donald Trump’s historic second impeachment could go to trial as soon as Inauguration Day, with U.S. senators serving not only as jurors but as shaken personal witnesses and victims of the deadly siege of the Capitol by a mob of his supporters.

DONALD TRUMP10:02am Jan 15, 2021