US News Roundup: Biden launches COVID-19 initiatives on first full day in White House; U.S. President Biden arrives safely at White House, protected by thousands of troops, barricades and more

Biden, a Democrat who took over from Republican President Donald Trump on Wednesday, has promised a fierce fight against the pandemic that killed 400,000 people in the United States under Trump's watch.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Biden launches COVID-19 initiatives on first full day in White House

President Joe Biden launched initiatives on Thursday to rein in the raging COVID-19 pandemic, tackling his top priority on his first full day in the White House as he tries to turn the page on Donald Trump's tumultuous leadership. His administration plans a coordinated federal coronavirus response aimed at restoring trust in the government and focused on boosting vaccines, increasing testing, reopening schools and addressing inequalities thrown up by the disease.

U.S. President Biden arrives safely at White House, protected by thousands of troops, barricades

After taking the oath of office and a brief dash to shake some hands, Joe Biden made it safely to the White House in a barricaded city guarded by more than 25,000 troops and devoid of the hundreds of thousands of spectators who normally throng to the quadrennial ritual. The unprecedented precautions ensured the new U.S. president and Vice President Kamala Harris took office free of incident in a ceremony outside the U.S. Capitol, two weeks to the day after a mob attacked the building in a failed attempt to keep Congress from certifying their victory.

Proud Boys member among the latest in wave of arrests over Capitol riots

The FBI on Wednesday arrested a Florida-based member of the right-wing Proud Boys group for his alleged role in breaching the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, the Justice Department said. Joseph Randall Biggs, 37, is due to make his initial appearance in a federal court in Orlando on charges of corruptly obstructing an official proceeding before Congress, unlawful entry, and disorderly conduct.

Explainer: With no self-pardon in hand, private citizen Trump faces uncertain legal future

Donald Trump issued a list of pardons during his final hours as U.S. president but did not include himself, his children, or personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, even though advisers said he had privately debated the extraordinary step of a self-pardon. Here is how the decision could impact his potential civil and criminal liability as a private citizen: Biden will order masks on planes and trains, increase disaster funds to fight coronavirus

President Joe Biden will sign 10 executive orders on Thursday to fight the coronavirus pandemic, including directing that disaster funds be used to help reopen schools and requiring that people wear masks on planes and buses, officials said. Biden, a Democrat who took over from Republican President Donald Trump on Wednesday, has promised a fierce fight against the pandemic that killed 400,000 people in the United States under Trump's watch. Three killed in military helicopter crash in New York

Three New York National Guard members were killed on Wednesday evening when a military helicopter they were in crashed in the town of Mendon, New York, while on a routine training mission, authorities said. The aircraft, a UH-60 medical evacuation helicopter, was part of the Army Aviation Support Facility at Rochester International Airport, according to New York state's military and naval affairs division. Anti-fascist protesters vandalize buildings in Portland and Seattle

Anti-government and anti-fascist protesters in Portland and Seattle vandalized a Democratic Party office and other buildings and scuffled with police on Wednesday, protesting against President Joe Biden's inauguration. People dressed in black and with their faces covered broke windows and the glass door at the Democratic Party of Oregon business office in Portland, spray-painting an anarchist symbol over the party sign, video posted on social media showed. U.S. must improve infrastructure: Biden transportation nominee

President Joe Biden's nominee to head the U.S. Transportation Department will tell a U.S. Senate panel on Thursday the United States must improve its infrastructure. "We also have a lot of work to do to improve the infrastructure in this country, a mission that will not only keep more people safe, but also grow our economy as we look to the future," former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg will say, according to a copy of his prepared remarks. 'We must end this uncivil war,' Biden says, taking over a U.S. in crisis

Joe Biden was sworn in as president of the United States on Wednesday, offering a message of unity and restoration to a deeply divided country reeling from a battered economy and a raging coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 400,000 Americans. Standing on the steps of the U.S. Capitol two weeks after a mob of then-President Donald Trump's supporters stormed the building, Biden called for a return to civic decency in an inaugural address marking the end of Trump's tempestuous four-year term. Biden White House pledges data, transparency, respect for free press

President Joe Biden's press secretary held her first news conference on Wednesday, seven hours after Biden's inauguration, vowing to bring truth and transparency back to government. Jen Psaki, who served as the chief spokeswoman at the State Department under former President Barack Obama, told reporters she had a "deep respect for the role of a free and independent press in our democracy."