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An Inauguration Day Like No Other: Joe Biden Takes Oath of Office

Currents News Staff

Joe Biden became the 46th president of the United States. Using his family’s 1893 Bible, the nation’s second Catholic president took the oath of office from Catholic U.S. Supreme Chief Justice John Roberts.

It was a scaled down inauguration, with a small crowd and big security. Instead of the usual throng of thousands of onlookers, a field of American flags filled the National Mall with 25,000 National Guard Troops working to keep things safe, exactly two weeks after protesters stormed the Capitol.

Biden used his inaugural address to deliver a message of unity. He also spoke about the pandemic, domestic terrorism and racism, but said politics doesn’t have to be a raging fire: unity is the path forward.

“Today, on this January day, my whole soul is in this: bringing America together, uniting our people, uniting our nation. And I ask every American to join me in this cause,” he said. “As the Bible says, we may endure for a night- but joy cometh in morning. We will get through this together.” 

The new president began his day practicing what he preaches by attending a church service with members of the GOP. Biden invited Senator Mitch McConnell and others to join him for a private Mass at the Cathedral of st. Matthew the Apostle.

But while the incoming president was making his way to church, the outgoing president, Donald Trump, was leaving the White House for the last time as 45th president. Trump skipped the inauguration, but did have some gracious words for his successor.

“I wish the new administration great luck and great success. I think they’ll have great success,” he said. 

And President Biden, wasting no time, got right to work to sign several executive orders.

“This is a great nation, we’re good people. Over the centuries through storm and strife, peace and war, we’ve come so far. But we still have far to go. We’ll press forward with speed and urgency for we have much to do in this winter of peril and significant possibilities.”

Hidden History at Kalustyan’s: NYC Specialty Food Store a Site of Former Presidential Inauguration

By Emily Drooby

A stroll down the aisles at Kalustyan’s in Manhattan, is also a stroll through history.

“It’s a great feeling to just be a part of something besides the history of Kalustyan’s, to know there is a bigger piece to it,” said Dona Abramson, the shop’s manager of operations.

Here in this building, which now is home to a spice store, a vice president became president.

“It’s around 2 a.m. that he takes the oath of office in his own home,” explained Lily Wong, the assistant curator of the New York Historical Society.

Back in 1881, President James Garfield was shot. He held on for months, but died in September. That is when his Vice President, Chester Arthur, needed to step in immediately.

“There was an urgency to it, right? The cabinet wanted the vice president to be sworn in as president as quickly as possible,” Lily told Currents ews.

He was sworn in, right in the parlor of his home at 123 Lexington Avenue in Manhattan.

It’s a discreet piece of America’s story, noted only by a hard to read plaque.

“The plaque is a little hard to read, but the plaque has been there for a long time. So people do come in and say, ‘Oh, you know I just heard,’ either because they saw or they were reading history.”

George Washington is the only other president to be inaugurated in New York City.

“The building that he was inaugurated in was demolished in the early 1800’s but there is a building now, Federal Hall in New York City, that was rebuilt later,” Dona explained.

Pieces from Washington’s inauguration are on display at the New York Historical Society’s “Meet the Presidents” exhibit.

“So, we have a piece of the railing from the balcony, right behind where Washington stood when he took his oath of office, and we also have the Bible which he swore the oath on,” Lily said.

Of the two, President Arthur’s building is the only one still standing. Even though he only lasted one term, the legacy of his inauguration has really “spiced up” history on this relatively quiet city block.

Trump Highlights Accomplishments in Final Speech Before Last Flight on Air Force One

By Jessica Easthope and Paula Katinas 

President Donald Trump spent the last day of his presidency looking back at his accomplishments, wishing his successor good luck, issuing pardons, and hinting at a possible White House run in the future.

Trump and First Lady Melania Trump left the White House on Jan. 20 and boarded Marine One for the helicopter ride to Joint Base Andrews, where they then boarded Air Force One. They flew to Palm Beach, Florida, where they will reside.

Trump did not attend President Joe Biden’s inauguration at the Capitol. But in remarks delivered at Joint Base Andrews before he boarded Air Force One, he did wish the incoming president well. “I wish the new administration great luck and great success,” Trump said. He also thanked Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen. The Pences were not there to see the Trumps off because they were at the Capitol in preparation for the inauguration.

The outgoing president said he had many accomplishments in office, including his appointment of three Supreme Court justices and 300 federal judges, the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines, his handling of the economy, and his administration’s treatment of military veterans.

During his term, Trump appointed three Supreme Court justices: Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett.

Kavanaugh and Coney Barrett are Catholics. The Supreme Court now has six Catholics: Chief Justice John Roberts, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Sonia Sotomayor, Kavanaugh, and Coney Barrett.

Trump mentioned COVID-19 several times during his remarks, calling it “the China virus.” He said the virus that has killed more than 400,000 Americans was a worldwide pandemic that hit many countries hard, not just the U.S. He also marveled at the rapid development of vaccines to fight the deadly virus. “We got the vaccine developed in nine months,” he said, calling it “a great achievement.”

Trump spoke about doing a good job steering the economy and said he always ensured that military veterans got the health care treatment they deserved.

On Jan. 19, the last night of his term, Trump released a video farewell address to the nation.

“This week, we inaugurate a new administration and pray for its success in keeping America safe and prosperous,” he said.

“Most of all, I want to thank the American people. To serve as your President has been an honor beyond description. Thank you for this extraordinary privilege,” he said.

Trump also mentioned the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol when mobs identifying themselves as Trump supporters stormed the building. The House of Representatives impeached Trump on Jan. 13. The article of impeachment charged him with inciting an insurrection.

On Tuesday, Trump decried the riot. “All Americans were horrified by the assault on our Capitol. Political violence is an attack on everything we cherish as Americans. It can never be tolerated,” Trump said in his farewell address Tuesday night.

In one of his last acts, Trump issued 73 pardons and 70 commutations. Former White House strategist Steve Bannon and rapper Lil Wayne were among the people getting last-minute pardons.

Just before boarding Air Force One, Trump offered a hint that his time in public office might not be over. As a one-term president, he is eligible to run for the White House again.

“We love you. We will be back in some form. I will always fight for you,” he told the crowd.

“Have a good life. We will see you soon,” Trump said.

Currents News full broadcast for Tues, 1/19/21 (Catholic news)

Currents News reports secular and religious news from the Catholic perspective.

Some of the top stories on this newscast:

Parents and teachers left shocked and blindsided by the city’s decision to cut more than 100 universal pre-k programs – including five at Catholic schools across the Diocese of Brooklyn.

Preparing for Inauguration Day – as worries of a peaceful transition has the entire nation on edge, tens of thousands of National Guard troops are on high alert in the Nation’s Capital.

Then, in one of his final acts, President Trump orders the creation of a National Garden that honors – among others – several saints and others on the path to sainthood.

How Will News Coverage Be Different for Inauguration Day 2021?

Currents News Staff

Normally, journalists from all over the world would be converging on Washington D.C. to cover all of the inaugural events surrounding the president-elect’s swearing in. But this year is different.

Joining Currents News to talk about how the press is handling this year’s Inauguration Day is former New York City TV reporter Frank Cipolla.

 

Faculty, Parents at Sacred Heart Catholic Academy of Glendale Frustrated by NYC Universal Pre-K Roll Back

By Jessica Easthope

Aubrey Christian is starting school next year. When you’re as young as she is, the sky’s the limit.

Her mom Dena hoped to enroll her in Sacred Heart Catholic Academy of Glendale’s universal pre-K program next year like she did with her son, Jeremy, because it’s where he reached his full potential.

“He came home every day with new information he was learning, about the different chapters they were going through and I’m really sad that my daughter’s not going to be able to experience that,” Dena told Currents News.

Sacred Heart’s UPK program is one of 105 across the city that will no longer exist come next year. Four are at other Catholic schools in the Diocese of Brooklyn. Now Dena doesn’t know if she’ll be able to pay to send Aubrey to Sacred Heart, and she says it feels like the school is being punished.

“We’re a Catholic organization and we’ve been open five days a week and the DOE can’t pull that off. And I feel like we’re being punished for that, and it’s not fair,” said Dena.

Other parents feel the same way.

“It does feel like religious schools are being singled out, and it just seems disappointing and frustrating that there’s no clear reason why it’s being defunded,” said Lisa and Ryan Huber, who have a son in first grade at Sacred Heart and a daughter in the UPK program.

Right now, the school has 54 pre-K students, has been open during the pandemic and is running UPK for nearly $8,000 less per-student than it costs the city, so why would it get cut?

“The reason we were given for the rejection was other programs in the area received higher quality scores, but I haven’t gotten concrete information as to what that means. We’ve received great program assessments, wonderful feedback on the parents survey every year so I really am baffled,” said Alison Kondel, the Director of Sacred Heart’s UPK program.

She has appealed the city’s decision, and says having no UPK would be a devastating blow to the community.

“We offer early morning drop-off, we offer an after-school program as well, so for us to not be in existence with UPK will really hurt the working families in the area,” she said.

The Department of Education has not returned Currents News’ request for comment. If Sacred Heart’s appeal isn’t approved, administrators say they have no choice but to tell parents within the next two weeks that pre-K tuition for next year will cost around $5,000-a-child.

Biden Heads to Washington as Trump Completes Final Full Day in Office

Currents News Staff

The future president and first lady are traveling to Washington D.C. ahead of Joe Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20. 

President Trump is working on his final full day in office as he prepares to leave the White House.

Outside the White House, a Marine stands guard, a sign he is working in the Oval Office during the final hours of his presidency.

President Trump is expected to issue more than one hundred pardons and commutations.

A source close to the process says dozens of the final acts of clemency were championed by criminal justice reform advocates.

The Senate, meanwhile, is holding confirmation hearings for Biden cabinet nominees, including two who will be key to the new administration’s efforts to confront domestic extremism.

One of them is Secretary of Homeland Security nominee Alejandro Mayorkas.

“I will do everything i can to ensure that the tragic loss of life, the assault of law enforcement, the desecration of the building that stands as one of the three pillars of our democracy, the terror that you felt, your colleagues, your staff, and everyone present, will not happen again,” he said during the hearings.

The other is Director of National Intelligence Nominee Avril Haines. 

“When it comes to intelligence, there is simply no place for politics ever,” she said. 

After a transition delayed by the Trump administration, Biden’s administration will have no confirmed cabinet members by Inauguration Day.

“I am concerned about this delay. and it is why the Senate is going to need to move very quickly to confirm these individuals,” said Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen.

The President-Elect, meanwhile, is making a trip he’s made many times before.

“This is kind of emotional for me” he explained, because this time it’s to take over the presidency.

Whitestone Road to be Co-Named After Beloved Brooklyn Diocese Priest, Monsignor John Tosi

By Emily Drooby

The Murrays and Caffarones poured over old photos. The good friends have forty years of memories together, many spent with their priest and close friend, Monsignor John Tosi. The beloved member of the Brooklyn Diocese passed away in May.

“We just loved him, and he loved us,” Toni Caffarone told Currents News. “As a priest, he was a priest priest, he was truly a Shepard.”

For the Murrays, he inspired strong faith.

“I was so touched by that — the faith, the beautiful, beautiful faith that he had and always shared with us,” said Susan Marray.

He also inspired the Caffarones to move to Howard Beach, close to his parish at the time, Our Lady of Grace.

Inspiration is a common thread among Monsignor Tosi’s friendships. Deacon Alexander Breviario says Monsignor Tosi is the reason he became a deacon.

“Out of the blue he came over to me and basically said, ‘God has big plans for you.’ And that memory has always stuck in my mind,” he explained.

Now months after his passing, he’s inspiring something else: the co-naming of a street. New York City Councilman Paul Vallone sponsored the bill and helped get it to the city council.

“There hasn’t been too many people who have had that kind of impact on the parish and the community. He was larger than life, he really was. Everyone knew Monsignor Tosi,” Councilman Vallone explained.

After being passed by both the local Community Board and City Council, the intersection of Clintonville Street and Locke Avenue in Whitestone, Queens will soon forever be known as “Msgr. John C. Tosi Way.” It’s the space right in front of St. Luke’s, Monsignor Tosi’s last assignment.

Knights of Columbus Whitestone chapter Grand Knight Enrico Urgo and Msgr. Francis J. Dillion Council member Joe Governale requested the street co-naming. Monsignor Tosi was part of the religious organization and knew both Urgo and Dillion well.

Councilman Vallone hopes to have the unveiling in the spring.

Father Thomas Doyle is the pastor at Good Shepherd in Brooklyn, and was also a close friend of Monsignor Tosi. He calls the co-naming a fitting tribute. The beloved priest passed during the height of the pandemic when holding large gatherings, including funerals, was impossible.

“That’s what I felt bad for, that we were not able to give him the tribute that he really deserved. And I think when the people came forward from St. Luke’s and said, ‘Let’s do this,’ I thought this was a great tribute for him,” he said.

It’s a tribute inspired by the man who impacted the lives of so many people in the Diocese of Brooklyn.

Currents News full broadcast for Mon, 1/18/21 (Catholic news)

Currents News reports secular and religious news from the Catholic perspective.

Some of the top stories on this newscast:

They’re mobilized and reporting for duty – but now the National Guard is being questioned – is an inside attack in the works?

New details about Biden’s plan for his first days.

Desperately needed new vaccine approvals could be coming soon – we have the inside story from New York City’s hard-hit nursing homes.

And remembering the civil rights icon. How Doctor King’s message resonates today after a year of unrest.