State Dept. condemns arrests, repression in Russia
It called for the release of protesters and opposition leader Alexey Navalny.
This is the fifth day of the administration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Top headlines:
Biden to outline response to US economic crisis
On his third day in office, President Joe Biden will tackle one of the country's biggest issues: the economic recession brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Biden will deliver remarks on his administration’s response to the economic crisis in the U.S. Friday afternoon, according to the White House.
His announcement will come as so many Americans (at least 900,000) continue to battle with unemployment caused by the pandemic.
Biden will also continue to sign executive orders, the White House said.
Senate passes waiver, paving way for defense secretary nomination vote
The Senate has confirmed retired Gen. Lloyd Austin's waiver to serve as Secretary of Defense shorty after the House passed the measure Thursday by a vote of 69-27.
The four-star general retired from the Army in 2016, short of the requirement that requires commissioned officers to be out of the service for seven years before taking a civilian post.
McConnell expected to propose a delay of impeachment trial
GOP senators say Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is expected to propose a delay of former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial when he pitches a framework later Thursday to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
The delay is designed to give the still-emerging Trump legal team time to prepare.
Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., said it's his understanding from a conversation earlier in the day that the trial will not start "until sometime mid-February due to the fact that the process, as it occurred in the House, evolved so quickly, and that it is not in line with the time you need to prepare to prepare for a defense in a Senate trial."
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, told Capitol Hill reporters, “I think, in fairness to anybody who's accused of impeachable offenses, there needs to be some fair process."
-ABC News' Trish Turner and Allison Pecorin
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene introduces impeachment articles against Joe Biden
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who did not attend Biden's inauguration and was one of the leaders of the effort to overturn the election results in the House, says she has filed impeachment articles against Biden and that the case against him "is vast and detailed."
ABC News has asked Greene's office for the text of the impeachment articles but has not heard back.
Any member can file impeachment articles, however they are not guaranteed a vote on the floor or in the House Judiciary Committee.
-ABC News' Ben Siegel