Jammeh Leaves Gambia in Exile to Mark New Democratic Era

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January 22, 2017 10:47 am

Gambia's defeated leader Yahya Jammeh waves to supporters as he departs Saturday at Banjul airport. Photo: Jerome Delay / Associated Press

BANJUL, Gambia — Gambia’s defeated leader Yahya Jammeh and his family headed into political exile Saturday night, ending a 22-year reign of fear and a post-election political standoff that threatened to provoke a regional military intervention when he clung to power.

As he mounted the stairs to the plane, he turned to the crowd, kissed his Quran and waved one last time to supporters, including soldiers who cried at his departure.

The flight came almost 24 hours after Jammeh announced on state television he was ceding power to the newly inaugurated Adama Barrow, in response to mounting international pressure for his ouster.

Though tens of thousands of Gambians had fled the country during his rule, Jammeh supporters flocked to the airport to see him walk the red carpet to his plane. Women shouted: “Don’t go! Don’t go!”

Jammeh landed in Guinea an hour later. He and his family then took off for Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea, according to an airport official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak to the press. Equatorial Guinea, unlike Guinea, is not a state party to the International Criminal Court.

“What is fundamental here is he will live in a foreign country as of now,” Barrow told The Associated Press earlier Saturday.

Barrow won the December elections, but Jammeh contested the results as calls grew for him to be prosecuted for alleged abuses during his time in power. A regional force had been poised to force out Jammeh if last-ditch diplomatic efforts failed to persuade him to leave.

The situation became so tense that Barrow had to be inaugurated in neighboring Senegal at the Gambian Embassy on Thursday, after Jammeh’s mandate expired at midnight.

Barrow told The Associated Press he would return to Gambia once it is “clear” and a security sweep is completed.

Shortly after Jammeh’s departure, the United Nations, African Union and the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS, issued a declaration saying that any country offering him and his family “African hospitality” should not be punished and that he should be free to return to Gambia in the future. It said Jammeh was leaving “temporarily.”

The joint statement did not include promises of amnesty but said the world and regional bodies “commit to work with the government of the Gambia to prevent the seizure of assets and properties lawfully belonging to former President Jammeh or his family and those of his Cabinet members, government officials and party supporters.”

Jammeh, who seized power in a coup in 1994, once vowed to rule for a billion years. He represented one of a dwindling number of West African leaders staying in office without apparent limit. The success in getting him to leave peacefully may help the vast region move toward more stable transfers of power.

His departure has brought an end to the political crisis in this impoverished nation of 1.9 million, which promotes itself to overseas tourists as “the Smiling Coast of Africa” while being a major source of migrants heading north toward Europe.

As Jammeh prepared to leave the country after hours of last-minute negotiations with the leaders of Guinea and Mauritania, human rights activists demanded that he be held accountable for alleged abuses, including torture and detention of opponents.

“Jammeh came as a pauper bearing guns. He should leave as a disrobed despot. The properties he seeks to protect belong to Gambians and Gambia, and he must not be allowed to take them with him. He must leave our country without conditionalities,” said Jeggan Bahoum of the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy in Gambia.

An online petition urged that Jammeh not be granted asylum and should instead be arrested. Barrow, though, cautioned that was premature.

“We aren’t talking about prosecution here, we are talking about getting a truth and reconciliation commission,” Barrow told the AP. “Before you can act, you have to get the truth, to get the facts together.”

In recent days, Jammeh had been holed up in his official residence in Banjul, increasingly isolated as he was abandoned by his security forces and several Cabinet members.

The West African regional bloc had pledged to remove Jammeh by force if he did not step down. The group assembled a multinational military force that rolled into Gambia on Thursday, after Barrow’s inauguration and a unanimous vote by the U.N. Security Council supporting the regional efforts.

The joint statement late Saturday announced a halt to the military operation in Gambia. But the force already in Banjul would stay to secure the capital before Barrow’s arrival, Marcel Alain de Souza, chairman of the regional bloc, told reporters in Senegal.

Gambia’s unrest had more than 45,000 people fleeing the country, the United Nations said. But when Jammeh left, the deserted streets came back to life. Restaurants opened, music played and people danced in the streets.

“It’s New Year’s Eve in Gambia. We are just about to start a new democratic Gambia,” said Momodou Janneh.

“For the Gambia to truly move on, President Barrow must reside in State House and begin the task of governing,” Jeffrey Smith, executive director of Vanguard Africa, wrote in an email. “In an ideal scenario, Jammeh will also face justice for the many crimes he has committed since 1994.”

Story: Carley Petesch, Krista Larson

Women Descend on DC a Day After Anarchists Create Chaos

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Associated Press

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January 21, 2017 5:25 pm

Demonstrators march on the street near a security checkpoint inaugural entrance, Friday in Washington, ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration. Photo: Jose Luis Magana / Associated Press

WASHINGTON — A day after self-described anarchists created chaos, thousands of women are descending upon Washington for what is expected to be a more orderly show of force on the first full day of Donald Trump’s presidency.

Organizers of Saturday’s Women’s March on Washington expect more than 200,000 people to attend their gathering, a number that could rival Trump’s swearing-in ceremony. Attendees are “hurting and scared” as the new president takes office and want a greater voice for women in political life, according to the organizers’ mission statement.

“In the spirit of democracy and honoring the champions of human rights, dignity, and justice who have come before us, we join in diversity to show our presence in numbers too great to ignore,” the statement says.

Women and other groups were demonstrating across the nation and as far abroad as Myanmar and Australia.

In Sydney, thousands of Australians marched in solidarity in the city’s central Hyde Park. One organizer said hatred, bigotry and racism are not only America’s problems.

The Washington gathering, which features a morning rally and afternoon march, comes a day after protesters set fires and hurled bricks in a series of clashes that led to more than 200 arrests. Police used pepper spray and stun grenades to prevent the chaos from spilling into Trump’s formal procession and evening balls.

About a mile from the National Mall, police gave chase to a group of about 100 protesters who smashed the windows of downtown businesses including a Starbucks, a Bank of America and a McDonald’s as they denounced capitalism and Trump.

“They began to destroy property, throw objects at people, through windows. A large percentage of this small group was armed with crowbars and hammers,” said the city’s interim police chief, Peter Newsham.

Six officers suffered minor injuries, he said.

The confrontation began an hour before Trump took the oath of office and escalated several hours later as the crowd of protesters swelled to more than 1,000, some wearing gas masks and with arms chained together inside PVC pipe. One said the demonstrators were “bringing in the cavalry.”

When some crossed police lines, taunting, “Put the pigs in the ground,” police charged with batons and pepper spray, as well as stun grenades, which are used to shock and disperse crowds. Booms echoed through the streets about six blocks from where Trump would soon hold his inaugural parade.

Some protesters picked up bricks and concrete from the sidewalk and hurled them at police lines. Some rolled large, metal trash cans at police. Later, they set fire to a limousine on the perimeter of the secured zone, sending black smoke billowing into the sky during Trump’s procession.

As night fell, protesters set a bonfire blocks from the White House and frightened well-dressed Trump supporters as they ventured to the new president’s inaugural balls. Police briefly ordered ball goers to remain inside their hotel as they worked to contain advancing protesters.

Police said they charged 217 people with rioting, said Newsham, noting that the group caused “significant damage” along a number of blocks.

Before Inauguration Day, the DisruptJ20 coalition, named after the date of the inauguration, had promised that people participating in its actions in Washington would attempt to shut down the celebrations, risking arrest when necessary.

It was unclear whether the groups will be active on Saturday.

The Women’s March on Washington features a morning rally with a speaking lineup that includes a series of celebrities, Scarlett Johansson, America Ferrara, Amy Schumer, Frances McDormand and Zendaya, among them.

Christopher Geldart, the District of Columbia’s homeland security director, said he expects the march to draw more than 200,000. He said 1,800 buses have registered to park in the city on Jan. 21, which would mean nearly 100,000 people coming in just by bus.

Friday’s protests spread across the nation. In San Francisco, thousands formed a human chain on the Golden Gate Bridge and chanted “Love Trumps hate.” In the city’s financial district, a few hundred protesters blocked traffic outside an office building partly owned by Trump.

In Atlanta, protests converged at City Hall and a few hundred people chanted and waved signs protesting Trump, denouncing racism and police brutality and expressing support for immigrants, Muslims and the Black Lives Matter movement.

In Nashville, half a dozen protesters chained themselves to the doors of the Tennessee Capitol. Hundreds also sat in a 10-minute silent protest at a park while Trump took the oath of office. Organizers led a prayer, sang patriotic songs and read the Declaration of Independence aloud.

In the Pacific Northwest, demonstrators in Portland, Oregon, burned U.S. flags and students at Portland State University walked out of classes. About 200 protesters gathered on the Capitol steps in Olympia, Washington, carrying signs that included the messages “Resist Trump” and “Not My Problem.”

Story: Steve Peoples, Jessica Gresko

40 Hostages Briefly Held by Karen Villagers

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Lobsang Dundup Sherpa Subirana, Deputy Editor

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January 21, 2017 4:50 pm

Protesters in front of the Myanmar Embassy in 2016 on Sathorn Road in Bangkok. Image: @Happybirdyday / Twitter

KANCHANABURI — Forty Thai tourists were reportedly held hostage by members of a Karen community Saturday morning as they were attempting to return to Thailand from Myanmar.

Police said the tourists were prevented from crossing the border into Kanchanaburi province and held hostage in exchange for Thailand’s release of a Karen Myanmar man.

The man was said to be jailed for human trafficking.

The tourists were eventually released and returned to Thailand unharmed.

“It’s not a big deal, everything has been handled” Maj. Gen. Kamron Boonloet, Kanchanaburi police chief said Saturday afternoon.

No details were disclosed as to how officials secured the release of the hostages or whether anyone was charged.

Reporting: Chayanit Itthipongmaetee

Thailand Sans Politicians

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Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

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January 21, 2017 1:50 pm

Junta chairman Prayuth Chan-ocha speaks to reporters in 2016 at Government House in Bangkok.

To state that some Thais have lost faith in politicians and the democratic system is an understatement. The word “politicians” has for them become a pejorative. Unless your parents were politicians, to say you want to grow up and become one is like saying you want to become a con man or a charlatan.

In these people’s utopia, there would be no politicians, no elections and some selfless ruler would somehow magically run things happily ever after and forever.

This is not just the stuff of naive personal musings but mainstream thinking found in major newspapers as well. Post Today columnist Thawee Suraritkul wrote a piece Sunday posing the hypothetical.

“Should we do away with ‘political parties, politicians and elections?’ Should we try ‘volunteer system, consensus and learn to love and unite?’ It would be best if we all take joint responsibility of society to the fullest and not allow bad politicians to claim and exploit the power we used to grant them any longer,” Thawee wrote, ending with a suggestion that the new constitution should only contain one article: “Reject politicians.”

Thawee is not alone in feeling disillusioned. People like Thawee are many, they may even be in the millions. Such views are simplistic, wrongly nostalgic and out of sync with a complex modern society, however.

These people tend to think Thailand would definitely be better off without politicians and elections. They might have forgotten that we are all political animals and that jockeying for power and interests is unavoidable in any human endeavor.

What will these utopians do with the people who disagree with them? Will they censor or imprison dissenters? Or will they just let a supposedly benign dictator do that for them? (Exactly what is happening now under the junta, the self-styled National Council for Peace and Order.)

Thailand’s population is close to 70 million, not a few thousand, so we all could meet town-hall or village style every now and then to decide on a myriad of affairs. In a large society, there’s no better way to ensure that whoever is running the country on our behalf is legitimate except through elected representatives because you may not like who I like, and vice versa. This is why even coup leader Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, who usurped power from the electorate more than two years ago, talks about promised elections. Deep down, Prayuth knows he lacks legitimacy, and that’s why he always claims the junta’s rule is just temporary and pleads for “a little more time.”

Those who think Thai society prior to the existence of electoral democracy was cleaner and better should think twice. Even today, the year 2017, any honest Thai would admit that much cannot be openly written about the monarchy. Thus it falls to us to ask: How much do we really know about the true state of Thai society 100 years ago?

Was there ever a golden age where people were equal and could speak without fear, where they all loved one another, and willfully shared joint responsibility to the fullest?

I love “volunteerism,” as Thawee mentioned. It’s great to volunteer for the betterment of society. When you use force to stage a coup and rule over people by suppressing and incarcerating those who disagree you, it’s not volunteerism, no matter how well intended people like Prayuth may claim to be.

I am no fan of politicians. Actually no Thai politician is my idol or commands my total respect. That doesn’t mean I support unaccountable dictators like Prayuth, however. At least I can try to vote them out of office if I am not satisfied after four years or less. Today, Prayuth sounds as if he would love to be around in power, one way or another, for decades to oversee his quixotic “reforms” despite zero legitimacy, however.

Utopians like Thawee would have to try harder. If some people think there exists a truly ideal and legitimate alternative political system suited for Thailand in the 21st century, where millions often disagree, then convince them through reasoning. Day dreaming and becoming cannon fodder for dictatorship won’t do.

Gambian Dictator Yahya Jammeh Accepts Defeat

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Associated Press

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January 21, 2017 12:46 pm

Gambia's president Yahya Jammeh shows his inked finger Dec. 1 before voting in Banjul, Gambia. Photo: Jerome Delay / Associated Press

BANJUL, Gambia — Gambia’s defeated leader Yahya Jammeh announced early Saturday he has decided to relinquish power, after hours of last-ditch talks with regional leaders and the threat by a regional military force to make him leave.

“I believe it is not necessary that a single drop of blood be shed,” Jammeh said in a brief statement on state television. He promised that “all the issues we currently face will be resolved peacefully.”

He did not give details on any deal that was struck, and it was not immediately clear when Adama Barrow, who beat Jammeh in last month’s election, would return from neighboring Senegal to take power.

But the speech signaled an end to the political crisis that has seen this tiny West African nation caught between two men claiming to be in charge. Late Friday, Barrow declared that “the rule of fear” in Gambia had ended.

Shortly before Jammeh’s address, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz told reporters that a deal had been reached and that Jammeh would leave the country. He and Guinean President Alpha Conde had handled the talks.

A State House official close to the situation said Jammeh would leave within three days, possibly on Saturday with Conde, who was spending the night in Gambia’s capital, Banjul. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not permitted to speak about the situation to press.

The famously mercurial Jammeh at first shocked Gambians by conceding his election loss to Barrow, but with the possibility of prosecution hanging over him for human rights abuses alleged during his 22 years in power, he decided to change his mind. Barrow was inaugurated Thursday at Gambia’s embassy in Senegal because of concerns for his safety.

The defeated Gambian leader, who first seized power in a 1994 coup, has been holed up this week in his official residence in Banjul, increasingly isolated as his security forces abandoned him and he dissolved his Cabinet.

Defense forces chief Ousmane Badjie on Friday told The Associated Press that Gambia’s security services now support Barrow and would not oppose the regional force that was ready to move against Jammeh if he refused to step down.

“You cannot push us to war for an issue we can solve politically,” Badjie said. “We don’t see any reason to fight.”

The force, including tanks, had rolled into Gambia without facing any resistance, said Marcel Alain de Souza, chairman of the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS. At least 20 military vehicles were seen Friday at the border town of Karang.

The force included troops from Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, Togo and Mali, and they moved in after Barrow’s inauguration and a unanimous vote by the U.N. Security Council to support the regional efforts.

Fearing violence, about 45,000 people have fled Gambia for Senegal, according to the U.N. refugee agency.

Jammeh earlier had agreed to step down but demanded amnesty for any crimes he may have committed while in power and wanted to stay in Gambia, in his home village of Kanilai, de Souza said Friday. Those demands were not acceptable to ECOWAS, he added.

In his address early Saturday, Jammeh expressed “infinite gratitude to all Gambians” and said not a single person had been killed during the political crisis. “Our decision today was not dictated by anything else but by you, the supreme interest of our Gambian people, and our dear country.”

Even before Jammeh’s address, some of Gambia’s diplomatic missions began switching their allegiance to Barrow, while a growing number of African nations announced they no longer recognized Jammeh.

“We embrace and support the new president Adama Barrow,” said Almamy Kassama, an official at the Gambian mission to the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in an email.

Banjul remained peaceful as the political crisis played out. Senegalese radio station RFM reported 30 Gambian soldiers had crossed into Senegal to join the regional forces.

Soldiers at checkpoints in Banjul appeared relaxed Friday, with one telling visitors, “Welcome to the smiling coast.”

Late Friday, Barrow addressed members of Gambia’s diaspora and urged them to return home and rebuild their lives. “I wish to congratulate all of you and welcome you to the new Gambia,” he said.

Story: Carley Petesch

Southern Flood Death Toll Rises to 80, More Monsoonal Rain Expected

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Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

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January 21, 2017 11:51 am

Heavy downpours flooded Tesco Lotus on Friday night in Songkhla province

BANGKOK — A total of 80 people have reportedly been killed as a result of the flash floods in southern Thailand, claimed to have been the worst in decades.

Chatchai Promloed, chief of the Department of Disaster Prevention said Friday that 80 people had died and nearly two million people affected by floods in the southern region since the beginning of December.

More heavy downpours are expected in the region according to the Meteorological Department’s Saturday morning forecast. Another high pressure system coming from China and extending to the country’s northeast region will bring stronger monsoon winds across the gulf and the south from Sunday through Wednesday. This could exacerbate the floods in some provinces including Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Songkhla.

Read: Unchecked Development, Poor Planning Set Stage for Flood Crisis

A red-flag warning was back in effect on Ko Samui’s popular Chaweng Beach on Friday to keep people from swimming due to 2 meter waves.

Flood in Nakhon Si Thammarat city on Friday

Trump Signs Health Care Executive Order on First Day

By

Associated Press

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January 21, 2017 10:31 am

President Donald Trump leaves the President's Room of the Senate on Capitol Hill in January after he formally signed his cabinet nominations into law. Photo: J. Scott Applewhite, Pool

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump quickly assumed the mantle of the White House on Friday, making his first executive order one aimed at his predecessor’s signature health care law and swearing-in members of his national security team to his Cabinet.

Hours after delivering a stinging rebuke of the political status quo in his inaugural address, Trump sat at the president’s formal desk in the Oval Office as he signed the order that White House chief of staff Reince Priebus said was aimed at “minimizing the economic burden” of the “Obamacare” law.

The order notes that Trump intends to seek the “prompt repeal” of the law. But in the meantime, it allows the Health and Human Services Department and other federal agencies to delay implementing any piece of the law that might impose a “fiscal burden” on states, health care providers, families or individuals.

Moments later, Vice President Mike Pence administered the oath of office to Defense Secretary James Mattis and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, the first members of Trump’s Cabinet to clear Senate confirmation.

The swearing-in ceremonies came amid a hectic set of activity late Friday, before Trump was to attend three inaugural balls. As Trump signed the paperwork, the White House announced Priebus had sent a memorandum to agencies and departments outlining guidelines for slowing regulations.

Asked about his first day as president, Trump said, “It was busy but good — a beautiful day.”

Although Trump campaigned on a detailed 18-point plan of things to do on Day One, he has since backed off some of his promised speed, downplaying the importance of a rapid-fire approach to complex issues that may involve negotiations with Congress or foreign leaders. Trump has said that he expects Monday to be the first big workday, his effective Day One.

On Friday, he switched between the official business of governing and the pageantry of his inauguration, making his first official moves as president in an ornate room steps from the Senate floor. Flanked by Pence and congressional leaders before his congressional luncheon, Trump praised each of his Cabinet nominees as he signed the papers formalizing their nominations. He also engaged in banter with his new congressional rivals, including Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California.

Trump also signed a proclamation declaring a national day of patriotism, according to a tweet from White House spokesman Sean Spicer.

Priebus’ memo says that agencies shouldn’t submit any regulations to be published in the Federal Register unless a Trump-selected agency head approves it. That appears to mean that some regulations that had been approved by President Barack Obama’s administration would be halted. It also freezes any regulations that are already in the pipeline to be published and allows time for other pending regulations to be reviewed by Trump’s administration.

The memo is similar to one that Obama’s chief of staff issued the day Obama was inaugurated in 2009.

Before Mattis could be confirmed by Senate, Trump had to sign a bill passed by Congress last week granting a one-time exception from federal law barring former U.S. service members who have been out of uniform for less than seven years from holding the top Pentagon job. The restriction is meant to preserve civilian control of the military.

Mattis, 66, retired from the Marine Corps in 2013. Hours later, he was confirmed by the Senate as Trump watched his inaugural parade from a stand outside the White House. The Senate later confirmed retired Gen. John Kelly to lead the Homeland Security Department.

There were others signs his new government was up and running. Federal websites and agencies immediately began reflecting the transfer of power, and WhiteHouse.gov was revamped for Trump’s policy priorities as pages about LGBT rights and the Obama administration’s climate change plan were eliminated.

Shortly after Trump became president, the Department of Housing and Urban Development suspended the Obama administration’s planned reduction of mortgage insurance premium rates, a move that had been intended to make buying a home more affordable.

More significant policy announcements are expected in the early days of the Trump administration.

Trump’s spokesman has said the president intends to withdraw from the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership deal, which he views as detrimental to U.S. businesses and workers. He has also promised to renegotiate the two-decades-old Clinton era North American Free Trade Agreement or withdraw from it.

Given Trump’s opposition to Obama’s immigration actions, he could also cancel the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, which has protected about 750,000 young immigrants from deportation. The program also offered those immigrants work permits.

Trump also faces an early choice of naming a Supreme Court justice to fill the vacancy left by the late Justice Antonin Scalia. Trump has said he will announce a nominee in about two weeks.

Other issues poised to receive early action include energy, where Trump is likely to undo regulations on oil drilling and coal, and cybersecurity, where he has already said he will ask for a report on the strength of the nation’s cyber defenses within 90 days of taking office.

Story: Ken Thomas and Josh Boak

Trump Takes Charge: Sworn in as 45th President of US

By

Associated Press

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January 21, 2017 12:37 am

President Donald Trump gestures after being sworn in as the 45th president of the United States during the 58th Presidential Inauguration on Friday at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Photo: Patrick Semansky / Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Pledging to empower America’s “forgotten men and women,” Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States Friday, taking command of a deeply divided nation and ushering in an unpredictable era in Washington. His victory gives Republicans control of the White House for the first time in eight years.

Looking out over the crowd sprawled across the National Mall, Trump painted a bleak picture of the nation he now leads, lamenting crime, shuttered factories and depleted American leadership. He vowed to stir “new national pride,” bring jobs back to the United States, and “eradicate completely” Islamic terrorism.

“From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land. From this day forward, it’s going to be only, ‘America First,” Trump said in a 16-minute address, echoing one of the core messages of his improbable presidential campaign.

Trump was sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts, reciting the 35-word oath with his hand placed upon two Bibles, one used by his family and another during President Abraham Lincoln’s inauguration. Light rain began to fall as the new president stepped forward to address America.

Trump’s journey to that moment was as unlikely as any in recent American history. He defied his party’s establishment, befuddled the media and toppled two political dynasties on his way to victory. His message, calling for a resurgence of white, working-class corners of America, was packaged in defiant stump speeches railing against political correctness. He used social media to dominate the national conversation and challenge conventions about political discourse. After years of Democratic control of the White House and deadlock in Washington, his was a blast of fresh air for millions.

But Trump’s call for restrictive immigration measures and his caustic campaign rhetoric about women and minorities have also infuriated other millions. He assumes office as one of the most unpopular incoming presidents in modern history.

The pomp and pageantry of the inaugural celebrations were also shadowed by questions about Trump’s ties to Russia, which U.S. intelligence agencies have determined worked to tip the 2016 election in his favor.

Trump’s inauguration drew crowds to the nation’s capital to witness the history. It repelled others. More than 60 House Democrats refused to attend his swearing in ceremony in the shadow of the Capitol dome. One Democrat who did sit among the dignitaries was Hillary Clinton, Trump’s vanquished campaign rival who was widely expected by both parties to be the one taking the oath of office.

At 70, Trump is the oldest person to be sworn in as president, marking a generational step backward after two terms for Barack Obama, one of the youngest presidents to serve as commander in chief.

Trump takes charge of an economy that has recovered from the Great Recession but has nonetheless left millions of Americans feeling left behind. The nation’s longest war is still being waged in Afghanistan and U.S. troops are battling the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. The American health care system was expanded to reach millions more Americans during Obama’s tenure, but at considerable financial costs. Trump has vowed to dismantle and rebuild it.

Trump faces challenges as the first president to take office without ever having held a political position or served in the military. He has stacked his Cabinet with established Washington figures and wealthy business leaders. Though his team’s conservative bent has been cheered by many Republicans, the overwhelmingly white and male Cabinet has been criticized for a lack of diversity.

Officials expected hundreds of thousands of people to flock to the National Mall to witness the inauguration of the 45th president, though the crowds appeared smaller than past celebrations. Demonstrations unfolded at various security checkpoints near the Capitol as police in riot gear helped ticket-holders get through to the ceremony.

In a show of solidarity, all of the living American presidents attended the swearing-in ceremony, except for 92-year-old George H.W. Bush, who was hospitalized this week with pneumonia. His wife, Barbara, was also admitted to the hospital after falling ill.

While Trump came to power bucking convention, he wrapped himself in the traditions that accompany the peaceful transfer of power. Following a morning church service with his family, Trump and his wife, Melania, had tea at the White House with Obama and outgoing first lady Michelle Obama.

The two couples greeted each other with handshakes and hugs, and Mrs. Trump presented Mrs. Obama with a gift. Following their private gathering in the executive mansion, the Trumps and Obamas traveled together to the Capitol for the swearing in ceremony.

Story: Julie Pace

Russian Political Elites Revel in Trump’s Inauguration

By

Associated Press

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January 21, 2017 12:32 am

Entertainer Willi Tokarev, center, an 82-year-old Russian emigre to the U.S. appears during a nightclub party entitled "Trumplissimo America!" in Moscow, Russia, on Thursday. Photo: Ivan Sekretarev / Associated Press

MOSCOW — Russian officials and lawmakers lauded Donald Trump’s inauguration Friday, hoping it will herald a period of better ties with the United States, while revelers in Moscow and elsewhere gathered for celebrations as bar and club owners sought to cash in on public excitement.

Trump’s promises to fix ravaged relations with Moscow have elated Russia’s political elite following spiraling tensions with Washington over the Ukrainian crisis, the war in Syria and allegations of Russian meddling in the U.S. elections.

While Trump’s policy toward Russia is unclear yet, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said that “we are hoping that reason will prevail.”

“We are ready to do our share of the work in order to improve the relationship,” Medvedev said on Facebook.

Trump’s praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin has raised expectations that he could move to normalize ties, though Trump hasn’t articulated a clear policy and some of his Cabinet nominees have made hawkish statements on Russia.

Dmitri Trenin, director of the Carnegie Moscow Center, predicted that Moscow will face a pragmatic but very tough partner in Trump.

“Russia’s potential is incomparable to that of the United States,” he said, adding that Moscow will have to apply a lot of skills “to play from the position of weakness and not lose.”

Despite the uncertainty, many Russians looked at Trump’s presidency with high hopes, and some nightclubs and bars staged parties to celebrate the inauguration.

At one Moscow nightclub, several dozen people began toasting Trump late Thursday.

Willi Tokarev, 82, a singer who emigrated to the U.S. in the mid-1970s and later became a music legend in Russia, topped the entertainment bill with his song “Trumplissimo America!”

“Trump, Trump, symbol of America. Trump, Trump, he’s really president,” the mustachioed Tokarev sang on a tiny stage with Russian and American flags hanging behind him.

Across from the U.S. embassy compound in central Moscow, the Russian Army store put up a poster with Trump’s picture, offering inauguration day discounts of 10 percent for Americans.

There is a broad feeling in Russia’s political and business elites that relations with Washington can’t get any worse.

“Russia hopes that under Trump there will be no ideology, no attempts to lecture about democracy, human rights and rights of smaller nations around its borders … but primarily deal with economic issues in a businesslike way and even tacitly divide spheres of influence,” said Alexei Arbatov, a senior researcher with the Institute of World Economy and International Relations, a government-funded Moscow think-tank.

“Putin and Obama spoke different languages, they didn’t understand one another. There is a hope that Trump and Putin will speak the same language, even though their positions may differ.”

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov voiced hope that Trump will work with Putin on solving the Ukrainian crisis and other problems, but warned against expectations of quick progress. “Difficulties will remain,” he said.

Andrei Kuzyaev, a Russian oil tycoon who now heads ER Telecom, a leading broadband provider, said he expects Trump to “switch from political propaganda to action.”

In the Kremlin-controlled parliament, many expressed similar expectations that Trump will be driven by pragmatic interests.

Leonid Slutsky, the head of the foreign affairs committee in the lower house of parliament, expressed hope that Trump will move to establish constructive ties with Moscow, but cautioned that there is no “magic button” to instantly achieve that. “We expect a slow but steady revival of our relations,” he said.

Many ordinary Russians appeared to share expectations of a thaw in U.S.-Russian ties. “I hope that everything will be good and we will be friends as always, as it was before,” said 52-year old Elena Tetyorkina from Norilsk in the Far North.

Medvedev, who served as president in 2008-2012 when Putin had to shift into the premier’s seat due to term limits, presided over a period of warmer ties during Obama’s first term. Medvedev sharply criticized the outgoing administration for ruining relations with Moscow by attempting to treat Russia like a “banana republic” and relying on “brute force and sheer pressure” in its dealings with Moscow.

“Conclusion: The Obama administration has destroyed relations between the United States and Russia, which are at their lowest point in decades,” Medvedev said.

He denounced the sanctions the U.S. and its allies imposed on Russia over its action in Ukraine, saying that “it doesn’t get any dumber than restricting entry to the United States for the leadership of the Russian parliament, ministers, and businessmen, thus deliberately reducing the possibility of full-fledged contacts and closing the window to cooperation.”

State TV stations carried flattering reports about Trump on Friday, chronicling his business achievements and describing his ritzy lifestyle.

Senior Russian lawmakers spoke with disapproval about anti-Trump protests and criticized CNN for recently discussing what would happen if Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence were assassinated on inauguration day.

“That atmosphere shows us the flaws of Western democracy, particularly in the United States,” flamboyant ultranationalist leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky said in parliament.

Story: Vladimir Isachenkov

Smashed Windows, Chaotic Confrontation Near Inauguration

By

Associated Press

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January 20, 2017 11:43 pm

Protesters burn signs outside the National Press Building ahead of the presidential inauguration in Washington D.C. Photo: John Minchillo / Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Police deployed pepper spray in a chaotic confrontation blocks from Donald Trump’s inauguration Friday as protesters registered their rage against the incoming president.

Spirited demonstrations unfolded peacefully at various security checkpoints near the Capitol as police helped ticket-holders get through to the inaugural ceremony. Signs read, “Resist Trump Climate Justice Now,” ”Let Freedom Ring,” ”Free Palestine.”

But at one point, police gave chase to a group of about 100 protesters who smashed the windows of downtown businesses as they denounced capitalism and Trump. Police in riot gear used pepper spray from large canisters and eventually cordoned off the protesters, who shouted, “Hands up, don’t shoot,” as a helicopter hovered overhead.

The confrontation happened about an hour before Trump’s swearing-in at the Capitol.

Closer to that scene, lines for ticket holders entering two gates stretched for blocks at one point as protesters clogged entrances.

Earlier, the DisruptJ20 coalition, named after the date of the inauguration, had promised that people participating in its actions in Washington would attempt to shut down the celebrations, risking arrest when necessary.

Trump supporter Brett Ecker said the protesters were frustrating but weren’t going to put a damper on his day.

“They’re just here to stir up trouble,” said the 36-year-old public school teacher. “It upsets me a little bit that people choose to do this, but yet again it’s one of the things I love about this country.”

At one checkpoint, protesters wore orange jumpsuits with black hoods over their faces to represent prisoners in U.S. detention at Guantanamo Bay. Eleanor Goldfield, who helped organize the Disrupt J20 protest, said protesters wanted to show Trump and his “misguided, misinformed or just plain dangerous” supporters that they won’t be silent.

Black Lives Matter and feminist groups also made their voices heard.

Most Trump supporters walking to the inauguration past Union Station ignored protesters outside the train station, but not Doug Rahm, who engaged in a lengthy and sometimes profane yelling match with them.

“Get a job,” said Rahm, a Bikers for Trump member from Philadelphia. “Stop crying snowflakes, Trump won.”

Outside the International Spy Museum, protesters in Russian hats ridiculed Trump’s praise of President Vladimir Putin, marching with signs calling Trump “Putin’s Puppet” and “Kremlin employee of the month.”

More demonstrations were planned for later in the day. For one DisruptJ20 event, a march beginning at Columbus Circle outside Union Station, participants were asked to gather at noon, the same time as Trump’s swearing-in as the 45th president.

The route for the march, which organizers called a “Festival of Resistance,” ran about 1.5 miles to McPherson Square, a park about three blocks from the White House, where a rally featuring the filmmaker and liberal activist Michael Moore was planned.

“We’re going to throw a party in the streets for our side,” organizer David Thurston told reporters last week, adding that drummers, musicians and a float of dancers were planned for the march.

Along the parade route, the ANSWER Coalition anti-war group planned demonstrations at two locations.

Protesters and supporters of Trump clashed Thursday evening outside a pro-Trump event in Washington. Police used chemical spray on some protesters in an effort to control the unruly crowd. Hundreds gathered outside the National Press Club in downtown Washington, where the “DeploraBall” was being held. The name is a play on a campaign remark by Hillary Clinton, who once referred to many of Trump’s supporters as a “basket of deplorables.”

The demonstrations won’t end when Trump takes up residence in the White House. A massive Women’s March on Washington is planned for Saturday. Christopher Geldart, the District of Columbia’s homeland security director, has said 1,800 buses have registered to park in the city Saturday, which could mean nearly 100,000 people coming in just by bus.

Story: Jessica Gresko

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