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U.S. condemns Brunei's death by stoning law for gay sex, adultery

Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, center. Photo: AFP/Getty Images

The U.S. added its voice to the global condemnation of Brunei's sharia law making homosexual intercourse and adultery punishable by stoning to death, which came into force Wednesday.

Details: Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah said he wants to make Brunei's Islamic teachings stronger, AFP reports. State Department spokesman Robert Palladino said the law runs counter to human rights obligations "with respect to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment." Human Rights Watch called it'''barbaric to the core."

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Hans Nichols, Fadel Allassan
Updated 40 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Inaugural address: Biden vows to be "a president for all Americans"

Moments after taking the oath of office, President Joe Biden sought to soothe a nation riven by political divisions and a global pandemic, while warning that "we have far to go" to heal the country and defeat a "virus that silently stalks the the country."

Why it matters: From the same steps that a pro-Trump mob launched an assault on Congress two weeks earlier, the new president paid deference to the endurance of American political institutions.

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Axios
Updated 59 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Inauguration Day dashboard

U.S. Capitol and stage are lit at sunrise ahead of the inauguration of Joe Biden. Photo: Patrick Semansky - Pool/Getty Images

President Biden has delivered his inaugural address at the Capitol, calling for an end to the politics as total war but warning that "we have far to go" to heal the country.

What's next: Biden and Vice President Harris review readiness of military troops, a long-standing tradition to signify the peaceful transfer of power.

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Orion Rummler
Updated 1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

In photos: The Biden and Harris inauguration

Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th president of the United States. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were inaugurated as president and vice president respectively in a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday morning.

Why it matters: Top Democrats and Republicans gathered for the peaceful transfer of power only two weeks after an unprecedented siege on the building by Trump supporters to disrupt certification of Biden's victory. Trump did not attend Wednesday's ceremony.

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