Welcome to Inauguration 2021, 45s and 46s...

Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th president of the U.S. later today in a ceremony that will honor tradition while also being unlike any transfer-of-power in history.

Same as before: pomp, circumstance, parades, former presidents, A-list performers, parades, and a tribute to troops.

Break from tradition: The above will take place before a small, socially-distanced audience in a District of Columbia locked down from the double-threats of the COVID-19 pandemic and possible domestic terrorism after the deadly riots at the Capitol.

Most of Congress and the Supreme Court and Vice President Mike Pence are expected to be in attendance. They'll be joined by former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton and former first ladies Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, and Hillary Clinton. Jimmy Carter - the country's oldest living former president, at 96 - and former first lady Rosalynn Carter won't make the festivities, but have sent their "best wishes."

President Trump will not be in attendance. This makes Trump the first president to skip his successor's inauguration since Andrew Johnson in 1869.

Check the Inauguration Day schedule and follow along with our live coverage here.

How are you feeling about Biden's Inauguration?

Should Trump Pardon Himself?

As Trump prepares to end his four years as president there is talk - including from the man himself - about a self-pardon.

While Trump has mulled a self-pardon in the past, sources are saying discussions have been reignited following the 1/6/21 riots. The president's White House Counsel, Pat Cipollone, advised Trump that he could face legal jeopardy for encouraging his supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol.

In 2018 the president tweeted he had the "absolute right" to pardon himself.

Trump has until noon today to issue pardons.

Achievements & Impasses in Trump’s Work With Congress

Here, we take a look back at the major successes and failures in his administration’s work with Congress over the last four years.

These include:

• The GOP spent the latter half of 2017 focused on their second major legislative initiative: tax reform. By the end of the year, the largest tax cut since the Reagan era was signed into law by President Trump after it passed the House and Senate on party-line votes of 223-201 and 51-49, respectively.
• The Trump administration was able to advance criminal justice reform based on a bipartisan framework developed by Congress during the Obama administration. Known as the First Step Act, the package reformed sentencing practices for non-violent drug offenders, implemented recidivism reduction programs tailored to an inmate’s needs, and included several reforms aimed at improving conditions for inmates. 

How do you feel about President Trump’s legislative and judicial legacy?

Bells and Candlelight Honor COVID-19 Victims

On Tuesday evening, hundreds of sites and landmarks around the nation are being illuminated to honor the 400,000 Americans who have died from the coronavirus.

Currently, the U.S is averaging more than 3,300 deaths a day—far above the early-spring surge, when the average daily death toll hovered around 2,000.

President-elect Joe Biden has revealed a sweeping plan to combat the pandemic, including a trillion-dollar package to ramp-up vaccine manufacturing and distribution.

How do you feel about this grim milestone?

And, in the End…

Yeah, yeah, yeah, a new U.S. president is important, but it's Penguin Awareness Day.

Which is your favorite?

I'll take one of each, please. Make it two so they don't get lonely,

—Josh Herman

Talk to us via email at editorial [at] causes.com. And don’t forget to keep in touch @Causes.