Actor Tom Hanks kicked off inauguration night in atypical fashion. Rather than hosting the evening from a ballroom filled with balloons and celebration, he spoke somberly in front of the Lincoln Memorial and said tonight is about "witnessing the permanence of our American ideal."

"The last few weeks and the last few years we've witnessed deep divisions and a troubling rancor in our land," he said. "Tonight we ponder the United states of America,, the practice of our democracy, the foundations of our republic, the integrity of our Constitution, the hope and dreams we all share for a more perfect union."

Hanks and his wife, actor Rita Wilson, were the first major celebrities to announce they had contracted the coronavirus last year. His presence tonight seemed to underscore the new administration's commitment to tackling the ongoing pandemic rather downplaying the challenges ahead.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki committed to restoring daily news conferences in her first formal briefing Wednesday evening, highlighting President Joe Biden's commitment to truth-telling and curbing the spread of disinformation. 

Biden's "objective and his commitment is to bring transparency and truth back to government, to share the truth even when it's hard to hear," Psaki said from the briefing podium. 

In addition to reinstating the daily briefings, Psaki said she plans to bring back briefings with public health officials who can speak about the Covid-19 crisis in a "dependable way with data."

Psaki's comments are a sharp break from the practices in the Trump administration, when press secretaries rarely appeared for questions, at times going months without holding formal briefings. 

When they did appear, many used the platform to peddle false information and to attack the media and former President Donald Trump's political opponents. 

The State Department has instructed U.S. diplomats to re-engage with the World Health Organization in the first State Department-wide cable sent since outgoing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's departure.

In the memo obtained by NBC News, Acting Secretary of State Dan Smith tells U.S. embassies to "resume regular engagement" and reverses the Trump administration's decision to recall U.S. personnel. The cable was first reported by CNN.

"United States departments and agencies are instructed to cease the drawdown of U.S. staffing at WHO, resume regular engagement of U.S. government personnel with the WHO, and seek to fulfill our financial obligations to the organization," the memo said.

U.S. posts were advised to expect additional information about America's posture toward the international organization, as well as guidance about the country's participation with the WHO executive board, which is occurring this week.

A second cable from Smith arrived shortly afterward informing all U.S. posts that the previous guidance for delegations' participation at international conferences is "null and void effective immediately" and to expect a new process to be run promptly.

The Senate voted 84-10 to confirm Avril Haines as director of national intelligence Wednesday, making her the first of President Joe Biden's Cabinet official to be approved by the chamber.

"Avril Haines was the right choice for Director of National Intelligence. We appreciate the bipartisan cooperation to get her confirmed tonight, and we hope there will be a lot more of it because the nation is in crisis and we need President Biden's team in place as quickly as possible," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement.

The 10 opponents were all Republicans: Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Mike Lee of Utah, Roger Marshall of Kansas, Rand Paul of Kentucky, James Risch of Idaho, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Braun of Indiana.

After Vice President Harris was sworn in on Wednesday, all-girls schools across the country celebrated the historic milestone all over social media.

The Oldfields School in Sparks Glencoe, Maryland, posted a photo on its Facebook page of students watching a broadcast of the inauguration.

The school wrote in the caption, “As we watch history being made on so many levels at today's inauguration, we celebrate the empowerment of women, by women.”

The Atlanta Girls School posted a photo of Harris on its Instagram account explaining what her election means to the school community.

“Today we celebrate the opening of doors for women and girls to hold positions of power and leadership!” the post stated. 

Educators of these schools said they are hopeful for what the future holds, including Dr. April Lyman Williams, the principal of Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy in Houston, Texas. 

“We are so proud to celebrate theFirst Woman VP of the United States of America. A new day is dawning!” she wrote on Twitter.

President Joe Biden gave about 1,000 political appointees a virtual swearing-in on Wednesday — and some words of warning about the importance of "honesty and decency."  

"We have to restore the soul of this country, and we're counting on all of you to be part of that. It's not hyperbole. The only thing I expect with absolute certitude is honesty and decency — the way you treat one another, the way you treat the people you deal with. And I mean that sincerely," he said.

"Remember: The people don't work for us. We work for the people. I work for the people. They pay my salary. They pay your salary. They put their faith in you. I put my own faith in you. And so we have an obligation," Biden said.

He also said he expects his appointees to be kind with their co-workers and one another.

"If you've ever worked with me and I hear you treat another colleague with disrespect, talk down to someone, I promise you: I will fire you on the spot. On the spot," Biden said.

Former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama recorded a rare joint video, which is set to air Wednesday night.

It's a "free-flowing conversation," aides to two of the former president's confirmed, focusing on "the majesty of the passage of power, importance of upholding democracy and staying civically engaged."

An inaugural official said that the conversation among the three former presidents was recorded in the Amphitheater at Arlington Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, on Wednesday afternoon while they were waiting for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris and that it will air in the last segment of Wednesday night's prime-time programming. 

The first virtual "Parade Across America" began with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris driving and walking the traditional parade route. Then it went fully online with musical performances and videos submitted from people across the country. The parade exemplified the theme of United America, with a diversity of people and performances rallying for a single message.

Here are some of the parade's most memorable highlights:

Andra Day performed her song "Rise Up" while young skater Kaitlyn Saunders, 10, elegantly glided to it in Black Lives Matter Plaza with a series of turns and jumps. The song tells a story of rising up together after being "broken down and tired."

High school and college bands from different backgrounds performed celebratory arrangements. The Isiserettes Drill and Drum Corp in Des Moines, Iowa, danced in a recently shoveled lot to a drumline, while the Kilgore College Rangerettes in Texas formed lines to do high kicks in sync with a full band.

DJ Cassidy, Earth, Wind and Fire and Sister Sledge led an activity called "Pass the Mic" with their respective hits "Sing a Song" and "We Are Family." Families came on screen with recorded videos of them singing along.

Athletes in wheelchairs virtually dribbled around and put up a few shots before passing the basketball to one another and, eventually, to NBA legend Grant Hill and current NBA star Chris Paul, who congratulated the new administration and said, "Let's get United, America."

The in-person parade also had notable moments, including Howard University's Showtime Marching Band's escorted Harris to the vice president's home.

The virtual festivities continue at 8 p.m. ET with a prime-time special, "Celebrating America," hosted by Tom Hanks and featuring performances by Lin-Manuel Miranda, John Legend, Bruce Springsteen, Demi Lovato and others.

Hours after Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on Wednesday, his first actions in the White House included signing two executive orders related to climate change — a move that environmental activists say heralds an administration that is ready to take bold steps to undo the damage done over the past four years.

That the executive orders came on the day of his inauguration signals that Biden is serious about the commitments made on the campaign trail to prioritize climate action, said Andrea Marpillero-Colomina, a clean transportation advocate for GreenLatinos, a nonprofit organization that focuses on environmental and conservation issues that affect the Latino community.

"The administration is sending a message, and it's really exciting and important that these conversations are happening so early," Marpillero-Colomina said. "My hope is that these actions are just the beginning of a sustained climate-oriented agenda."

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