The Biden years have begun

Ashley Shaffer, USA TODAY

January 25, 2021 at 5:26 PM·5 min read

Policy update 🏳️‍🌈: President Joe Biden reversed a ban on transgender people in the military. Puppy update 🐶: Biden's two dogs Champ and Major are settling into the White House.

It's Ashley with the news you need to know, and a promise to update you on all things first dogs.

But first, your chances of being killed by a shark are low ... but not zero: 2020 was an "unusually deadly year" for shark attacks, with the most deaths since 2013.

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Biden overturns Trump's ban on transgender troops

Biden on Monday reversed former President Donald Trump's policy that aimed to ban transgender troops from military service. "Allowing all qualified Americans to serve their country in uniform is better for the military and better for the country because an inclusive force is a more effective force," the White House stated. Biden directed Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to implement a policy that prohibits discrimination against troops based on their gender identity and requires the Pentagon to report within 60 days its progress in unimplementing the ban. It's the first move Biden made to unravel Trump's legacy in the military and elsewhere in government.

As transgender troop ban gets reversed, LGBTQ community hopeful for Biden's years to come.
The Biden administration is accelerating steps to feature abolitionist hero Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill.

Impeachment round 2: Most Americans support it

This evening, House Democrats will carry their article of impeachment against Trump across the Capitol to the Senate, setting in motion the first steps for an unprecedented trial of a president who has already left office. The article, which charges Trump with “incitement of insurrection,” focuses on his role in the Jan. 6 riot in which the president's supporters ransacked the Capitol to try to overturn Biden's election victory. How does America feel about it? Most Americans support the impeachment and Senate conviction of Trump, though the majority of Republicans still back him, according to a new poll by Monmouth University.

Sen. Patrick Leahy is expected to preside over former Trump’s impeachment trial instead of Chief Justice John Roberts.
Feds are tracking plots to attack members of Congress going to and from the Capitol during Trump's impeachment trial, AP reports.

President Trump has been impeached after a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol while Congress was certifying the election of Joe Biden.

What everyone’s talking about

Any 'Bridgerton' fans out there? Did you spot the blunder in the opening moments of the Netflix show?
Budweiser is the latest Super Bowl commercial brand to sit out this year's broadcast.
Going to the grocery store isn't safe due to COVID-19, but many people who use food stamps have no other choice.
Many are more comfortable in their bodies during the pandemic. For some LGBTQ people, it's the opposite.
UCLA senior gymnast Nia Dennis performed an epic floor routine celebrating "Black Excellence" that went viral.

Begone, COVID-19 variants

Moderna says its COVID-19 vaccine protects against two variants of the coronavirus that have emerged from Britain and South Africa. In a statement Monday, Moderna said the vaccine triggered an immune response to variants including B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 (scientific speak for the U.K. and South Africa variant). Regardless, the company says it plans to test a booster to its two-dose regimen out of “an abundance of caution.” Why all the fuss about these variants? Public health experts say the variants from the U.K. and South Africa transmit at a higher rate, leading to more infections and more deaths. Though, the South African variant hasn't been discovered in the United States ... yet.

New strains of COVID-19 are swiftly moving through the U.S. Are they more deadly? No. But scientists are worried.

Suspect arrested in Indianapolis shooting that left 5 people, unborn child dead

Indianapolis police have arrested a juvenile suspect in connection to a weekend shooting that left five people and an unborn child dead — the largest mass casualty shooting the city has seen in more than a decade, officials say. Kezzie Childs, 42, Raymond Childs, 42, Elijah Childs, 18, Rita Childs, 13, and Kiara Hawkins, 19, and the unborn child of Hawkins were pronounced dead after being found in a home, according to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. The mass shooting was one of nearly a half-dozen shootings that happened across the city in less than five hours that ended in at least seven people hospitalized in addition to those killed. The deadly night comes weeks after Indianapolis recorded the most violent year in the city's history.

Indianapolis Police are still working this morning at the scene of a shooting that left multiple people dead in the 3500 block of Adams Street.

Real quick

Former Trump aide Sarah Huckabee Sanders says she will run for governor of Arkansas.
Janet Yellen, poised to become the first female Treasury chief, may be a calming influence in a divided Washington.
COVID-19 has devastated Hawaii's lei industry. Now, generations-old shops are clawing back.
Kate Hudson opened up about estrangement from her father: "It's a 41-year-old issue.
More workers called in sick in 2020 than at any time in 20 years, a USA TODAY analysis found.

Snow ... in Malibu?

And now for your evening weather report: Days after a weather system brought actual snow to Malibu, California, a new series of storms could lead to a wintry mess for much of the nation. A storm tracking from the southern Plains to the Northeast will bring areas of heavy snow and ice from Kansas into the Great Lakes region Monday into Wednesday, the National Weather Service warned. Snow totals exceeding 1 foot are possible across parts of Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa. Parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York should see a mix of ice and snow Tuesday. In the Southeast, an upcoming storm will be a "quick hitter," Accuweather warned. The storm should unleash just enough rain and snow to disrupt travel and daily routines.

A break from the news

👠 Goodbye heels: How will women look post-pandemic? Many have ditched beauty routines for good.
😷 Our Reviewed experts test face masks for a living — this Athleta mask is a favorite.
💰Tax season is here: How to get a bigger, quicker tax refund.

This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Want this news roundup in your inbox every night? Sign up for The Short List newsletter here.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden, Trump impeachment, COVID-19 vaccine, weather: Monday's news

Associated Press
World Central Kitchen workers killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza will be honored at memorial
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