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Katy Perry has been a big Joe Biden fan for years, and vice versa. Performing as far back as 2012 for Obama/Biden rallies, Perry also visited Biden in the White House in 2014 and has been showing support for his campaign by posing with his VP pick, Kamala Harris, while encouraging her followers to vote, appearing on the Rock The Vote livestream, and sharing lots of election information about mail-in systems. So of course it made sense that she would be part of a whole slew of performers that honored Inauguration Day with special performances.

According to the Presidential Inaugural Committee, tonight’s performances “showcase the American people’s resilience, heroism, and unified commitment to coming together as a nation to heal and rebuild.” And in that spirit, Perry performed one of her most uplifting hits, “Firework” at the Capitol in DC to close out the show, while fireworks burst across the sky behind her. Even though she only recently had her first child, the pop star was more than up for a live performance to ring in such a special day. Check out the video above.

In anticipation of the performance tonight Katy shared a bunch of patriotic mics on Twitter earlier today.

Twelve long years ago, John Legend brought his talents to the nation’s capital, where he performed James Taylor’s “Shower the People,” alongside Taylor himself and Jennifer Nettles, for Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration ceremony. Fast-forward to the present and Legend is back in Washington D.C., but this time to celebrate the start of Joe Biden’s stint as president. Standing beside the Lincoln Memorial, Legend soulful singer offered a sweet rendition of Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good.”

Legend has been a longtime advocate for Biden, especially in his run for president. He delivered a performance of “Never Break” at last year’s Democratic National Convention and, months later, during an appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers, he shared how he and his wife Chrissy Teigen celebrated his election victory. “We were like, ‘Let’s get out of the house! Let’s go and interact with the people.’ So we went out to West Hollywood, Santa Monica Boulevard, and there was an impromptu dance party happening,” he said. “We just drove through for a little bit and celebrated with the crowd.”

Last year, Legend shared Bigger Love, his first album in nearly four years and which boasted guest appearances from Jhene Aiko, Koffee, Rapsody, Gary Clark Jr., and more.

The Brooklyn Nets finally got their new Big 3 of Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving all on the court together on Wednesday night in Cleveland, as they took on a shorthanded but feisty Cavs team that was getting Collin Sexton back as well.

After starting 10-for-10 from the field, it certainly looked like it would be the Nets’ night, but from there, the Cavs defense came alive and what has been the NBA’s worst offense suddenly looked unstoppable behind the lead of Sexton. Cleveland led by nine going into the fourth quarter and at points looked like they might runaway with a win, but Brooklyn closed the gap on the backs of a sensational performance from Kevin Durant, who finished the night with 38 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists.

Irving in his first game in two weeks found his scoring touch as well, scoring 37, while Harden had his worst outing as a Net with just a 21-point, 12-assist, 10-rebound triple-double. None of that mattered, though, as Brooklyn simply couldn’t stop the Cavs and Sexton, who erupted with a career-high 42 points. More than half of those points came in the overtime periods, as the Young Bull went crazy, starting with the game-tying three over Irving with just under two seconds to play.

In double overtime, it continued to be the Sexton show as he scored 20 points in a row at one point for the Cavs across the end of the first OT and the start of the second to help Cleveland runaway with a 147-135 win and stun the Nets in what they hoped would be a celebration of their Big 3’s first outing together. Sexton put threes in the eyes of whoever dared to guard him, whether it by Irving, Durant, or Jeff Green.

He finished the game with 42/5/5 and got lots of help from his supporting cast. Cedi Osman had a terrific shooting night, scoring 25 points, Larry Nance Jr. continues to be the Cavs all-everything player on both ends with 15 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, and new additions from Brooklyn, Taurean Prince and Jarrett Allen had big contributions as well — with the Cavs riding with Allen over Andre Drummond to close out the game.

It was a sensational, star-making performance for Sexton, who has emerged over the last two years as a truly excellent offensive player and this year the intensity he’s always shown on defense is yielding positive results. The Cavs continue to be one of the NBA’s best stories of the season, and for the Nets their performance showed the clear areas of work that lie ahead, namely on defense but also in gaining continuity on offense as they piled up the turnovers early.

Foo Fighters have been partnering with the Biden campaign for quite some time now, and you might remember Dave Grohl’s mom, Virginia Grohl, even appeared in conversation with her son and Jill Biden to discuss the importance of education. Then candidate, now First Lady, Dr. Biden will continue her own work in the field of education while she holds down brand new duties in the White House — although she’s familiar with that balance after eight years as the wife of the Vice President — and Grohl and co will continue to support the new president by performing live for tonight’s inauguration special.

On the heels of their brand new tenth album, Medicine At Midnight, the band opted for an older number instead of promoting new material, performing 2003’s “Times Like This” off their album One By One. Introduced by yet another teacher, Mackenzie Adams, whose videos of a high-energy zoom class for her kindergarteners went viral, the band dedicated the song to Adams. “This next song is for Mackenzie and all of our unshakable teachers who continue to enlighten our nation’s students every day,” Grohl said to introduce the performance. While acts like Justin Timberlake have already been on stage, there are plenty more performers still to come, so check out the Foo Fighters performance above and the livestream below to catch more.

Among the last things Donald Trump during his final hours in office was belatedly whipping out a flurry of pardons. He mostly helped out cohorts, cronies, and others who could be of service to him in his uncertain economic and legal future. He even pardoned Steve Bannon, who had been charged with ripping off his beloved supporters. But one person he didn’t pardon was Joe Exotic. And when Trump finally left office without getting him out of jail, Joe was livid.

Joe, aka Joseph Allen Schreibvogel, was convicted in 2019 of 17 federal charges of animal abuse and two counts of attempted murder for hire, leading to a sentence of 22 years. Last fall, in the early days of the pandemic, he became a star thanks to the Netflix doc-series Tiger King, which in part chronicled his feud with animal activist Carole Baskin. Joe had high hopes that Trump would grant him one of his magical presidential pardons. But he had hoped so in vain. And Joe had a theory why he got snubbed.

“I was too innocent and too GAY to deserve a Pardon from Trump,” he fumed over Twitter. “I only mattered to Don Jr. when he needed to make a comment about me to boost his social media post. Boy were we all stupid to believe he actually stood for Equal Justice? His corrupt friends all come first”

On Tuesday, Trump’s final full day in office, Joe’s legal team went all out, expecting a pardon. They parked a limo outside of the prison that houses him, and he even told Metro about all the things he was going to do once freed by the now-former president.

‘‘I’ve got make-up, wardrobe, the whole unit that will come up. The first thing Joe wants to do, he wants his hair done. He hasn’t had his hair done in two-and-a-half years. That’s the first order of business. Then we’ll probably go and get some pizzas, steak, maybe a McRib.”

In any case, another person let down by ex-president Donald J. Trump.

(Via EW)

The four long years of the Donald Trump presidency came to an end on Wednesday, as President Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th commander-in-chief. Biden certainly has a lot on his plate, and he’s already gotten to work. But the rest of us can bask in the promise of a new and very different administration. The night following his inauguration, ABC aired “Celebrating America,” a special in which a number of artists ring in the new POTUS. Among the talen were Justin Timberlake and Ant Clemons, who performed their single “Better Days.”

The two debuted the song during voting right activist Stacey Abrams’ Rock The RunOff virtual concert last month. For the new performance, they performed the song remotely, from the legendary Stax Records building in Memphis, Tennessee. After singing the first half of the track inside the building, the two brought things outside, where they were met by a group of instrumentalists and background vocalists.

Prior to their set, Clemons revealed during an interview with NBC LA that their performance was a dream come true. “In the midst of working on this song, we were like wouldn’t it be cool if we performed this during the Inauguration. And Justin said, ‘From your mouth to God’s ears,’” Clemons said. “Then he called me and was like, ‘I just got a call asking us to be a part of the Inauguration’ and I’m like wow, God is the greatest!”

You can watch clips from their performance above.

What a difference a day makes. On Tuesday night, Trump was busy preparing to pardon a number of old cohorts, cronies, and other people who could probably be useful during what may be a financially and legally questionable future. One of his last acts — dropping the “1776 Project,” a patriotic pamphlet that, among other things, minimized slavery and lumped progressives in with fascists — had recently gone live, to much mockery and disdain. Jump a day and Trump is no longer president and already many of his more controversial moves are being reversed. And that “1776 Project”? Already deleted.

The report was created as a rejoinder to The New York Times’ 1619 Project, which set out to write a corrective history of America, one that viewed it through the lens of slavery. Its introductory essay earned its author, project creator Nikole Hannah-Jones, a Pulitzer. But it predictably rankled many in conservative circles, especially Trump, who wanted one that taught a more generic “patriotism.”

When it landed — on MLK Day, no less — it was met with immediate scorn. It attacked colleges, which “peddle resentment and contempt for American principles and history alike.” It asserted that the founding fathers were not hypocrites for preaching equality while owning slaves. It attacked the civil rights movement, at least post-Martin Luther King Jr.’s death.

And now it’s gone. You’ll just have to trust the many screengrabs it inspired over social media, accompanied by appalled “Can you believe this?”-type responses. When people noticed its disappearance, only two days after its arrival, there was much rejoicing.

Among those glad it was gone was the youngest child of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King.

It was one of many Trump items Biden reversed in his first hours as the nations’ 46th president. Among them are: stopping our withdrawal from the WHO and the Paris Climate Accord; cancelling the Keystone XL pipeline; requiring non-citizens to be counted in the latest Census; reversing the “Muslim ban”; undoing his expansion of immigration enforcement; and stopping work on the incomplete border wall. So it really is morning in America.

Drake was set to share his upcoming sixth album, Certified Lover Boy, at some point this month. But as January went on, it became clear that wasn’t happening. Sure enough, the rapper finally admitted it wouldn’t make his promised deadline — but for a good reason.

Drake shared the news on his Instagram story on Wednesday, saying, “I was planning to release my album this month but between surgery and rehab my energy has been dedicated to recovery.” He added, “I’m blessed to be back on my feet feeling great and focused on the album, but CLB won’t be dropping in January. I’m looking forward to sharing it with you all in 2021.”

Back in November, Drake revealed that he injured his knee with a post to his Instagram story. Some reports say he suffered a torn ACL, but he has yet to confirm the injury or how he got hurt.

While the delay is certainly a disappointment, the wait shouldn’t be too grueling, as he’s shared plenty of music over the last year. In addition to his 2020 project Dark Lane Demo Tapes, Drake made a number of guest appearances on songs, including Lil Wayne’s “BB King Freestyle,” a remix of Yung Bleu’s “You’re Still Mine,” and Bryson Tiller’s “Outta Time.”

In the hours before he was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States, then-President-elect Biden was sent a letter signed by 17 freshmen GOP members of the House of Representatives.

In sharp contrast to the 121 Republican House members who voted against the certification of Biden’s electoral votes—a constitutional procedure merely check-marking the state certifications that had already taken place—this letter expresses a desire to “rise above the partisan fray” and work together with Biden as he takes over the presidency.

The letter reads:

Dear President-elect Biden,

Congratulations on the beginning of your administration and presidency. As members of this freshman class, we trust that the next four years will present your administration and the 117thCongress with numerous challenges and successes, and we are hopeful that – despite our ideological differences – we may work together on behalf of the American people we are each so fortunate to serve.

After two impeachments, lengthy inter-branch investigations, and, most recently, the horrific attack on our nation’s capital, it is clear that the partisan divide between Democrats and Republicans does not serve a single American.

The constituencies we represent showcase the variety of thought across our great nation. From Texas to California and from Oklahoma to New York, Americans are tired of the partisan gridlock and simply want to see leaders from both sides of the aisle work on issues important to American families, workers, and businesses.

We hope to work with you to extend targeted, meaningful coronavirus relief for families and businesses, protect Americans with pre-existing conditions, strengthen and modernize our infrastructure, enforce our antitrust laws against emboldened technology monopolies, and restore our economy struggling in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic.

We firmly believe that what unites us as Americans is far greater than anything that may ever divide us. In that spirit, we hope that we can rise above the partisan fray to negotiate meaningful change for Americans across the nation and maintain the United States’ standing as the best country in the world.

Sincerely,

Beth Van Duyne, Stephanie Bice, Madison Cawthorn, Scott Franklin, Andrew Garbarino, Carlos A. Gimenez, Yvette Herrell, Ashley Hinson, Young Kim, Nicole Malliotakis, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Barry Moore, Jay Obernolte, Burgess Owens, Jerry L. Carl, Peter Meijer, David G. Valadao

It may be worth pointing out that 17 out of 211 is a pretty small number, and some of the names on this list overlap with those who voted to reject Biden’s certification. It’s also worth pointing out that referencing the two impeachments and inter-branch investigations in the same breath as the attack on the Capitol (which they mistyped as “capital”) feels a bit off, especially when pointing to them as seemingly equal examples of “the partisan divide.”

But hey, any formal acknowledgment that partisan gridlock sucks and serves no one is a step in the right direction. We have to start somewhere if there’s to be any hope of getting anywhere.

George Washington tried to warn us of “the baneful effects of the spirit of party generally” and explained what would happen if we didn’t heed that warning. (Spoiler: It’s exactly what is happening in our politics right now.) Imagine how much more we could get done in our government if it weren’t for lawmakers playing toxic partisanship like a team sport. Partisan politics itself is inherently divisive, and it would be fabulous if we could come up with a better system, but here we are. If we have to work within a two-party system, we need the people in it to approach bipartisanship in good faith.

Whether this letter was issued in good faith by all who signed it remains to be seen, but at least it’s a start. With some Americans being unwilling to accept the legitimacy of Biden’s presidency, we need leaders across government to step up and speak up, put an end to the lies and the partisan rhetoric that pushes people to extremes, and work across the aisle to solve the problems we all face.

Former president Donald J. Trump only had three White House press secretaries over the four years of his administration, but they were all about the same: They each held the press with obvious contempt, they each offered spin and distortions, even lies, over truth, and they were each generally perceived as wishing to protect their boss more than keep their fellow Americans informed. So when former Obama staffer Jen Psaki — successor to Trump’s final press secretary, the notorious Kayleigh McEnany — held her first press conference mere hours after her boss, Joe Biden, was elected, her professionalism and obvious kindness just seemed…kind of weird, to be honest.

Even the way Psaki started things couldn’t help but feel disarmingly decent. “It’s an honor to be here with all of you,” Psaki said. She then laid out her main goal as McEnany’s replacement. “When the president asked me to serve in this role, we talked about the importance of bringing truth and transparency back to the briefing room.”

She then took questions, and she proceeded to not treat reporters respectfully, not try to puff up her chief employer with exaggerations, and was even honest that she might not always see eye-to-eye.

“I have deep respect for the role of a free and independent press in our democracy and for the role all of you play,” she told reporters. “There will be moments when we disagree and there will certainly be days when we disagree, for extensive parts of the briefing, perhaps. But we have a common goal, which is sharing accurate information with the American people.”

It stood in stark contrast with the first press conference held by Sean Spicer, Trump’s initial press secretary, who started off by scolding shellshocked journalists and lying about Trump’s inauguration crowd size. She wasn’t withering, like Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and she wasn’t snippy and sarcastic, like McEnany.

In other words, Psaki was off to a great start, thought many on social media.

She was even overtly welcoming to the press.

She seemed professional and nice.

In fact, to many, having this feeling again, after four long years, felt kind of strange!

So there you have it! It wasn’t a terribly exciting press conference. But that, of course, is what made it feel so good.