“Thank you everyone, let’s do this again tomorrow,” said Ms Psaki as she concluded her first briefing without any major arguments with reporters or storming out of the briefing room.

Jen Psaki told her first media briefing that staff would get daily virus testing in White Hosue, would be wearing N95 masks, and follow “stringent rules” on social distancing in building 

“The president has asked us to be models to the American people and that is very important to us as well,” she said.

Watch Jen Psaki’s first press briefing in the White House live here.

The Senate has voted to confirm Avril Haines, Mr Biden’s pick for Director of National Intelligence.

Jen Psaki gave her first briefing as Joe Biden’s White House press secretary and said, “rebuilding trust with the American people will be central to our focus.”

“When the President asked me to serve in this role, we talked about the importance of bringing truth and transparency back to the briefing room,” she added.

“There will be times when we see things differently in this room, that is ok, it is part of our democracy,” she said.

Ms Psaki also confirmed that Dr Anthony Fauci would represent the US at a World Health Organisation meeting on Thursday.

She went on to praise the role of journalist and the “power ofthis podium.”

“We have a common goal and that is sharing accurate information with the American people. If the president was here he would say he works for the American people, I work for him and therefore I work for the American people.”

She confirmed that Mr Biden’s first foreign leader call would be with Canada’s prime minister Justin Trudeau on Friday.

Ms Psaki also said that there was no “imminent plans” for Mr Biden to call and speak to Donald Trump, after his predecessor left him a letter in the Oval Office.

Former communications director one of seven women to fill positions in communication team’s upper ranks.

Danielle Zoellner has more.

The new president’s office has already been redecorated and he has filled it with pictures of iconic American leaders, including a large portrait of Franklin D Roosevelt, says the Washington Post.

There are also paintings of President Thomas Jefferson and former Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton hung near each other.

“This Oval is an Oval for Day One,” said Ashley Williams, the deputy director of Oval Office operations.

“It was important for President Biden to walk into an Oval that looked like America and started to show the landscape of who he is going to be as president.”

Biden swears in presidential appointees in virtual ceremony

President Joe Biden has sworn in about 1,000 of his presidential appointees during a virtual ceremony in the White House. 

“[If] I hear you treat another colleague with disrespect, talk down to someone, I promise I will fire you on the spot,” Mr Biden vowed, saying that dignity was “missing” in the last four years under the Trump administration. 

“On the spot. No ifs, ands, or buts. Everybody, everybody is entitled to be treated with decency and dignity,” he added. 

Mr Biden said that he and his administration would face strong scrutiny from the public to restore decency to the White House, which meant they would have to act respectfully to each other.

 “I’m going to make mistakes,” Mr Biden said, adding: “I’ll acknowledge them and I’ll need your help correcting them.”

World leaders and climate activists welcome the US back to the Paris Climate Agreement

President Biden rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement on his first day in office, one of a sweep of executive orders to tackle the climate crisis, writes Louise Boyle. 

French president Emmanuel Macron was among the first to celebrate the good news.

“Welcome back to the Paris Agreement!” he tweeted.

Christiana Figueres, former executive secretary of the UN Framework on Climate Change, tweeted that the US rejoining would be warmly welcomed.

“Even as the White House went dark, US citizens, public & corporate leaders kept the light. Today that light turns into a beacon for accelerated #ClimateAction everywhere. Onward w/ renewed vigor!” she wrote.

Al Gore wrote that it was thanks to American voters, the US was back in the deal to cut carbon emissions in order to avoid catastrophic global heating.

“America is once again poised to lead the world on climate action, working with our allies to build a better future for us all. Time to get back to work!” he wrote. 

Three of the oldest Supreme Court justices skip inauguration due to pandemic

Justices Stephen Breyer, 82; Clarence Thomas, 72; and Samuel Alito, 70, all opted out of attending the inauguration of President Joe Biden on Wednesday amid the coronavirus pandemic, a Supreme Court spokesperson told Politico. 

“Several of the Justices elected not to attend the inauguration ceremony in light of the public health risks posed by the Covid pandemic,” the spokesperson said.

The other six justices were in attendance at the event, as Justice John Roberts swore in Mr Biden and Justice Sonia Sotomayor swore in Vice President Kamala Harris. 

The three justices were not the only prominent figures to forgo the inauguration events amid the pandemic. Former President Jimmy Carter, 96, also opted out of attending due to his age and the current health risk. 

Former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W Bush, and Barack Obama will all in attendance with their wives for the event.