Russian PM Medvedev Chides Outgoing U.S. Administration
Russia has been a recurring theme in the campaign and the run-up to Trump's presidency, from Trump's praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin to the hacking that U.S. intelligence agencies and others have blamed on Russia.
Russian Prime Minister (and ex-President) Dmitry Medvedev has posted a bilingual message on Facebook to offer his assessment of Russian-U.S. relations at the close of the Obama administration and the dawn of the Trump one.
In it, Medvedev calls the results of the Obama years -- marked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and seizure of Crimea, clashes with the West over U.S. antimissile plans, and frequent criticism from Washington of democratic and rights backsliding in Moscow -- "decidedly mixed" and criticizes U.S. actions as "short-sighted."
He suggests the Obama administration has regarded Russia as "a banana republic."
The "real issue," Medvedev says, "lies...[in] the failure to understand one's own true interests."
He concludes: "The Obama administration has destroyed relations between the United States and Russia, which are at their lowest point in decades."
Donald Trump has proven himself a heavyweight tweeter. He also seemingly mastered another medium, television, via the reality-TV genre. Past presidents have proved to be innovators from day one, too. Our graphics team here at RFE/RL shows some of the ways those inaugurations have broken new ground.
Inaugural Milestones
AP has reported these as the "10 Promises Trump Made For His First Day":
—Introduce a constitutional amendment for congressional term limits.
—Freeze hiring for the federal government to reduce payrolls, although the military, public safety and public health agencies would be exempt.
—Ban White House and congressional officials from becoming lobbyists for five years after they leave the government.
—Announce plans to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico or withdraw from the deal.
—Formally withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
—Lift restrictions on mining coal and drilling for oil and natural gas.
—Remove any Obama-era roadblocks to energy projects such as the Keystone XL pipeline.
—Cancel U.S. payments to U.N. climate change programs and redirect the money to U.S. water and environmental infrastructure.
—Stop all federal funding to “sanctuary cities,” places where local officials don’t arrest or detain immigrants living in the country illegally for federal authorities.
—Suspend immigration from regions associated with terrorism where vetting is difficult.
Trump has suggested that by "first day," however, he doesn't necessarily mean today.
Earlier this month he told The Times: "Day one -- which I will consider to be Monday as opposed to Friday or Saturday, right? I mean, my day one is going to be Monday because I don't want to be signing and get it mixed up with lots of celebration."
But Trump's team has suggested executive orders and other action could come sooner than January 23. On January 19, incoming White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said, "I think you'll see some activity on both tomorrow, over the weekend and then Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday."
Trump himself said on January 19, "We will be signing some papers that will be very meaningful tomorrow right after the speech to get the show going."
VIDEO: Thousands Protest In New York On Eve Of Trump's Inauguration
Thousands of people demonstrated outside the Trump International Hotel and Tower in New York City on January 19 to express their opposition to the policies of Donald Trump on the eve of his inauguration as U.S. president. The speakers included well-known actors, singers, and the mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio. (Reuters/AFP)
Commenting on Trump's inauguration speech, which reports have suggested the president-elect wrote himself and which is around 5 1/2 hours away, adviser Kellyanne Conway said: "He is done with the speech. It is an elegant, beautiful, powerful speech. It is beautifully written and powerfully delivered."
Via AP, on one of the protest groups trying to organize a disruption of events today:
A coalition calling itself DisruptJ20, after the date of the inauguration, says people participating in its actions will attempt to shut down or cause delays at security checkpoints going in to the inauguration ceremony. They intend to block checkpoints and in some cases risk arrest.
"Our goals are to have to have massive protests and to shut down the inauguration if at all possible, and if not possible — if we can't shut the inauguration down — then make it as difficult as possible for Trump to act as if he has a mandate," organizer David Thurston told reporters last week.
But not everyone plans to be disruptive. One DisruptJ20 event is a march that will begin at Columbus Circle, outside Union Station. Participants are being asked to gather at noon, the same time Trump is being sworn in as the nation's 45th president. The march, which organizers are calling a "Festival of Resistance," will travel about 1.5 miles to McPherson Square, a park about three blocks from the White House, where a rally including filmmaker and liberal activist Michael Moore is planned.
"We're going to throw a party in the streets for our side," Thurston said, adding that drummers, musicians and a float of dancers were planned for the march.
A protest last night resulted in minor skirmishes and police used chemical spray on some demonstrators who turned up outside the pro-Trump "DeploraBall" at the National Press Club in Washington.
The Economist's look ahead on Trump's term, with a nod to the Founding Fathers.
A breakdown of Trump's agenda categorized by WSJ into domestic affairs, economics, and global relations/national security.