clataffairs

Twitter suspended Trump's personal account, @realDonaldTrump, permanently.  It cited "the risk of further incitement of violence." It was the first time Twitter has banned a head of state. COMMUNICATION DECENCY ACT The ban was imposed under the Section 230 of the US’ Communications Decency Act. Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act was passed in 1996 and provides legal immunity to internet companies for content that is shared on their websites.  So, if a user posts something illegal on the website, the company is protected from lawsuits. The act was first introduced to regulate pornography online.  Section 230 is an amendment to the act, which holds users responsible for their comments and posts online. FIRST AMENDMENT First Amendment gives right to free speech. It was adopted on December 15, 1791, as one of the ten amendments that constitute the Bill of Rights. Hence, there was the question of whether twitter can legally take such an action.  Howev...

An armed and angry mob of Trump's supporters stormed Capitol Hill and clashed with police just as Congress convened to validate Joe Biden’s presidential win. A protester was also seen carrying the Confederate flag.  The flag stands for –– white supremacy and the social and political exclusion of coloured people. A woman was fatally shot in the violence that ensued as pro-Trump protestors breached barricades and advanced into the halls of the Capitol building. WHAT WAS GOING ON IN CAPITOL HILL? Lawmakers had begun to gather for a joint session in the House of Representatives to count the electoral votes. Trump supporters stormed the historic building and wreaked havoc in an attempt to stall the certification of the election results. Soon after law enforcement officials were able to clear the building of rioters, the lawmakers reconvened the joint session to count electoral votes from the presidential election and officially confirm Joe Biden’s victory. EVENTS THAT LED TO THE STORM H...

The general services administration (GSA) designated Biden as the apparent winner of the November 3 election. This was after a long reluctance on its part to acknowledge Biden's victory. GSA has a crucial role to play in the transition process.  TRANSITION PROCESS IN US The transitions between presidents are governed by the presidential transaction act of 1963 and its amendments.  As per the law, the transition phase kicks off when the winner of the presidential race is ascertained by the GSA.  The full transition period lasts roughly one year.  The period until election day is called the planning phase.  From election until inauguration, the time is known as the transition phase.  The final phase is the hand over phase. In the transition process, the decision to ascertain a winner lies with the GSA's administrator.  The current administrator of GSA is Emily Murphy, a functionary appointed by Trump.  She had refused to acknowledged the victory of ...

The peaceful transfer of power is considered a cornerstone of US democracy.  The transitions between presidents are governed by the Presidential Transition Act of 1963 and its amendments. Under the law, the candidate who is running for a first term has to set up a transition organization well in advance to begin preparing for a possible administration.  The incumbent also needs to start planning for his or her second term. According to the Center for Presidential Transition, the entire transition period lasts roughly one year, from April or May of the election year until 200 days after January 20 of the next year, when the new administration is inaugurated.  The period until election day is called the “planning” phase; from election until inauguration the “transition” phase; and the final being the “handover” phase. As per law, the most critical period part of the process– the 75 days-odd transition phase– kicks off when the winner of the presidential race is “ascertained...

Democratic candidate Joseph Robinette Biden Jr., was elected the 46th President of the United States on November 7. Kamala Harris became the first woman, first African-American and first Asian-American to win the second highest U.S. office. Biden secured more than the required 270 of 538 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House. He also became the oldest US President (He will turn 78 on November 20). THE 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS FACTS 2020 was the 59th presidential elections. A record 100 million Americans opted for early voting in the presidential polls. Mr. Joe Biden became the 15th vice-president of US to become the president, and one of only six to ascend by election rather than the resignation, natural death or assassination of a sitting president. Mr. Trump added his name to the list of Presidents who didn't get re-elected. The list includes William Taft, Herbert Hoover, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and George Bush Sr. (the last president, in 1992, before Trump t...

The United States on 4th November formally left the Paris Climate Agreement. This happened three years after President Donald Trump announced his intention to undo what had been seen as a key achievement of his predecessor Barack Obama. The same day, Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden, who has expressed confidence about winning the 2020 election, announced that his administration (if elected), would rejoin the landmark accord in 77 days — on January 20, 2021, the day the country’s next president gets inaugurated. PARIS AGREEMENT In December 2015, 195 countries signed an agreement to slow the process of global warming by making efforts to hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 degrees above pre-industrial levels. It was also decided to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. This basically means that the countries would try to limit the increase in global temperature rise.  Climate experts have, howev...