It’s Wednesday, January 20th - and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day.
No. 1 - The world's eyes will be on the nation's capitol Wednesday as Joe Biden is sworn into office as the 46th president of the United States.
Between the still-raging pandemic and suddenly very real threat of violence from supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump, Jan. 20 promises to be one of the most unusual presidential inaugurations in American history. President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will take the oath of office outside the Capitol. Biden will deliver an inaugural address and both he and Harris will inspect the troops. But nearly everything else will be different than previous inaugurations. NBC News will provide live coverage of all the day’s events starting on the TODAY Show at 7 a.m.
No. 2 - President Trump pardoned former chief strategist Steve Bannon as part of a flurry of clemency action in the final hours of his White House term that benefited more than 140 people.
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Wednesday's list includes its share of high-profile defendants. Among them were rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black, both convicted in Florida on weapons charges. Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter, has frequently expressed support for Trump and recently met with the president on criminal justice issues. Others on the list included Death Row Records co-founder Michael Harris and New York art dealer and collector Hillel Nahmad.
No. 3 - The FBI has arrested two people in South Florida in connection with the Jan. 6 breach at the U.S. Capitol, including a former Army captain who ran for the Florida State House last year.
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Gabriel Augustin Garcia, a former U.S. Army captain, a 2020 candidate for the Florida State House and a reported member of the Proud Boys, was arrested in connection with the Capitol breach. Garcia is facing charges of aiding and abetting certain acts during civil disorder, violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, and knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, according to a criminal complaint. The second person, 25-year-old Felipe Marquez, was arrested Tuesday morning in Coral Springs.
According to a criminal complaint, the FBI received a tip that Marquez posted videos on Snapchat showing him in the Capitol.
No. 4 - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Tuesday the expansion of the state's vaccination program with Publix to two South Florida counties.
DeSantis said all 67 Publix pharmacies in Palm Beach County, along with two locations in Monroe County, in Islamorada and Key West, would begin giving the vaccine to residents ages 65 years and older. Residents can begin making reservations Wednesday with the first doses being distributed on Thursday. DeSantis said 700,000 seniors had been vaccinated across the state and added the program has not expanded to Broward or Miami-Dade counties due to both's larger hospital programs already having vaccination programs - despite Florida not sending Miami-Dade any doses this week for first-time vaccinations.
No. 5 - Tax season could look a lot different this year because of the pandemic. If you were planning on a nice fat federal tax write off for that home office you set up, you may need to think again.
The tax reform of 2017 eliminated federal itemized home office deductions for employees. You are now only eligible to claim these deductions if you are self-employed, a gig-worker, or freelancer and use your home for what the government says is a regular, exclusive basis for your business. But what else do you need to know if you’re hoping to get those write offs for your benefit? Click here for that story from NBC 6 consumer investigator Sasha Jones.
No. 6 - Weatherwise, South Florida will feel quite seasonable on Wednesday before warmer weather makes its arrival toward the end of the work week. Keep your NBC 6 app handy for push alerts on any severe weather as well as First Alert Doppler 6000.
