Today's Top News Story
In Senate deal, Trump impeachment trial put off until early February
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The leaders of the U.S. Senate agreed on Friday to push back former President Donald Trump's impeachment trial by two weeks, giving the chamber more time to focus on President Joe Biden's legislative agenda and Cabinet nominees before turning to the contentious showdown over Trump. Read More
More Top Stories
Slim majority of Americans want Senate to convict Trump: Reuters/Ipsos poll
(Reuters) - A slim majority of Americans say former President Donald Trump should be convicted by the Senate of inciting an insurrection and barred from holding public office, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, which showed a sharp partisan divide over the issue. More »
Biden, citing 'economic imperative,' orders faster relief checks, more food aid
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday ordered the faster issuance of pandemic stimulus checks to needy families and increased food aid for children who normally rely on school meals, an effort to ease Americans' burdens while Congress negotiates over his proposed $1.9 trillion economic stimulus package. More »
Yellen nomination sails through Senate panel; final vote set for Monday
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate Finance Committee on Friday unanimously approved Janet Yellen's nomination as the first woman Treasury secretary, indicating that she will easily win full Senate approval, but Republicans called for her to work with them in developing economic policies. More »
More than 150 National Guard in Washington for inauguration test positive for coronavirus
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Between 150 and 200 National Guard deployed to Washington, D.C., to provide security for President Joe Biden's inauguration have tested positive for the coronavirus, a U.S. official said on Friday. More »
'I want to feel safe again': Americans lament slow pace of U.S. COVID-19 vaccine rollout
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) - Jerry Shapiro, a 78-year-old pharmacist from Los Angeles, is at the top of the list of Californians now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, but more than a month after the state began inoculations, he has yet to receive one. More »
U.S. Senate confirms Biden nominee Austin as defense secretary
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Friday voted overwhelmingly to confirm retired Army General Lloyd Austin as President Joe Biden's defense secretary, making him the first Black American to serve in the role. More »
Exclusive: Canada deporting thousands even as pandemic rages
TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada deported thousands of people even as COVID-19 raged last year, data seen by Reuters shows, and lawyers say deportations are ramping up, putting people needlessly at risk in the midst of a global health emergency. More »
Tech shares could retake market reins as earnings heat up
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A bevy of major U.S. earnings reports next week led by Apple, Microsoft and Facebook could help technology and growth stocks reassert their dominance after a recent run by banks, energy and other potential beneficiaries of an economic reopening. More »
California opens civil rights probe into Los Angeles Sheriff's Department
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California's top prosecutor opened an investigation on Friday into the scandal-plagued Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, probing accusations the agency had engaged in a long pattern of excessive force, illegal shootings and abuse of jail inmates. More »
