US forces that are positioned in Somalia have begun their withdrawal from the country and are being moved to different bases in East Africa.

In a statement on Saturday, general Stephen Townsed, the commander of US Africa Command, said: “I directed the activation of a joint task force, JTF-Quartz, built around the headquarters of Special Operations Command-Africa, to oversee Operation Octave Quartz, the directed re-positioning of US forces from Somalia to other bases in East Africa.”

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump ordered the majority of US troops to leave Somalia by “early 2021,” as part of his final military decisions before leaving office on 20 January.

In a statement at the time, the Pentagon wrote: “The President of the United States has ordered the Department of Defence and the United States Africa Command to reposition the majority of personnel and assets out of Somalia by early 2021.”

President-elect Joe Biden hopes the environmental team he is set to introduce on Saturday will steer America toward greater action to curb climate change and protect the nation’s air and water.

President-elect Joe Biden currently worships at St. Joseph on the Brandywine, in Delaware, flanked by a massive security team and followed by hordes of journalists.

But when he arrives in Washington Mr Biden will have to make a choice between attending a church in the nation’s capital or returning to Delaware for services.

The outgoing President is at it again and has today claimed on Twitter that Democrat Joe Biden did not win the 2020 election.

Responding to an opinion piece on Mr Biden, Trump said: “He didn’t win the Election. He lost all 6 Swing States, by a lot. 

“They then dumped hundreds of thousands of votes in each one, and got caught. Now Republican politicians have to fight so that their great victory is not stolen. Don’t be weak fools!”

Like many of his previous tweets, the president offered no evidence to substantiate his claims and has suffered dozens of court losses alleging election fraud in key battleground states.

A “border wall” consisting of temporary barricades has been built around the remaining encampment of Seattle’s autonomous zone in response to attempts by officials to proceed with its eviction.

Read the full report by Louise Hall:

Democrats have called for action over the huge ongoing cyberattack that has targeted a number of private businesses and federal agencies.

Jason Crow, a Colorado Democrat, said in a tweet: “The situation is developing, but the more I learn this could be our modern day, cyber equivalent of Pearl Harbor.”

It comes as Senator Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat, told MSNBC: “It’s pretty hard to distinguish this from an act of aggression that rises to the level of an attack that qualifies as war.”

President Trump has still not said anything about the attack, but was briefed about it by White House officials on Friday.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said today he believed Russia was responsible for the attack.

There have been reports that Trump might physically refuse to leave the White House but for some of his fans a second inauguration is so much of a reality that they are planning to attend it online.

Read the full report by Greg Evans:

The head of U.S.-funded international broadcasting is pressing ahead with his shakeup of the Voice of America and sister outlets by naming new leaders for two of its main networks and moving to defund one of the federal government’s top democracy promotion initiatives.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that Russia is behind the massive cyber-attack that targeted a number of private businesses and federal agencies.

 Speaking on the ‘Mark Levin Show’ he said: “I can’t say much more as we’re still unpacking precisely what it is, and I’m sure some of it will remain classified. This was a very significant effort, and I think it’s the case that now we can say pretty clearly that it was the Russians that engaged in this activity.”

His comments echo similar comments made by Senator Marco Rubio on Twitter. He said: “The methods used to carry out the cyberhack are consistent with Russian cyber operations. But it’s crucial we have complete certainty about who is behind this.

“We can’t afford to be wrong on attribution, because America must retaliate, and not just with sanctions.”

However President Trump, who is usually so forthright with his views, has still not commented on the cyberattack which began in March and has left many questions about the possible impact the breach could have on US national security.

Current and former top US officials have called for retaliation over a suspected Russian hacking attack, while President Donald Trump stays silent on the topic.

Read the latest here from James Crump: