Donald Trump has begun his last full day as president of the United States before Joe Biden is sworn into office. Nearly 200,000 flags have been installed in the National Mall in place of inauguration crowds, along with 56 pillars of light. There's massive security with up to 25,000 national guard troops flooding into the US Capitol.
The director of the Australian Tennis Open, Craig Tily, has rebuked players for their public complaints about the hotel quarantine program. It comes after World NO. 13 Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut compared quarantine to a jail sentence. He's now issued an apology, but there are still complaints from other players. Kazakh competitor Yulia Putintseva says she's been forced to move hotel rooms because of mice.
The cost to the federal government's Homebuilder program has blown out to around $2 billion and that far exceeds expectations. It follows a massive surge in applications in the final two months of 2020. According to new figures, more than 75,000 households applied for a grant to renovate or build a home before last year.
And the federal opposition leader is accusing the prime minister of pandering to Donald Trump and he's calling for Australia to play a much more assertive role in its alliance with the United States. In a major foreign policy speech to be delivered today, Anthony Albanese will criticise Scott Morrison for failing to condemn the outgoing US president's incitement of the riots in Washington earlier this month
