TheChek News Flow

The entrepreneur and designer will host Pitti Uomo's opening ceremony in Solomeo, from where he will also present his fall 2021 collection through online live sessions.

With a little bit of Tommaso Moro here and a touch of Albert Einstein there, chatting with Brunello Cucinelli is something of an experience. Not only because of his philosophy-infused point of view but also because, even in the middle of a new lockdown, if there is someone who is able to see the glass as half full, that’s definitely Cucinelli. And we all know how some sort of positivity and optimism is absolutely needed in these challenging times.

The year “has been the most spiritually intense year of my life,” said Cucinelli during a phone interview, a few days before the opening ceremony of the 99th edition of men’s wear trade show Pitti Uomo, debuting online today. The event is being held in Solomeo, the medieval hamlet the entrepreneur restored over the years and that houses his namesake company. “I really believe that the experience of pain we all had — I lost two close friends due to the pandemic — enabled me to reach a new deeper spiritual dimension.”

In addition, Cucinelli — who has always believed that creativity flourishes when people are able to travel, get together and exchange ideas — found that the disruption caused by the health crisis pushed him and his team to challenge themselves and find new ways to boost their imagination. “We have spent nine months isolated basically, but we never stopped. We actually got more time to think, to focus and already in July we were able to deliver a physical collection and now we have finished the fall/winter one 10 days earlier than usual,” he said.

Cucinelli, who is the creative director of his namesake brand, firmly believes that 2021 will be dedicated to finding a new balance. “A new balance between technology and humanism, as well as between being connected and finding time to dedicate to ourselves. After so many painful months, what we all need is kindness, politeness and grace,” said Cucinelli, who thinks that thanks to the COVID-19 vaccine we will finally return to normality soon.

If May 8, 1945, Victory in Europe Day, marked for Cucinelli’s father the return home after three years on the battlefield of World War II, Cucinelli thinks he will always remember Nov. 9, 2020, the day Pfizer revealed its COVID-19 vaccine was 90 percent effective in an interim analysis, as a milestone for this century. “Thanks to the vaccine we can now contain the pandemic. Surely, we have to wait and be patient a few more months, but the war against the virus is won.”

As happened after other dark moments in human history, Cucinelli expects a joyful, enthusiastic rebirth in the next few months. That includes a rebirth of style and elegance.

“After almost a year locked in our houses, we all want to get dressed and feel fresh and elegant again,” he said. “I actually cannot wait to wear a different blazer each day of the week.”

Expecting people to be keen to rediscover the pleasures of socializing, Cucinelli said that with his team he delivered a chic collection, rooted in the brand’s easy sophistication. Sartorial pieces will include pinstriped suits, as well as blazers worn with denim shirts and ties. Pants will be comfortable yet their silhouettes remain dapper.

“Even when we approached a bit looser shapes, we stayed away from sportswear. I think that people cannot take sweatpants and sweatshirts anymore,” Cucinelli contended. “I can’t wait to see beautifully dressed men and women, boys and girls, going out for dinner, attending parties, going dancing…We will actually have to learn how to manage the restart of the social life carefully to avoid feeling overwhelmed.”

And like Odysseus and the Mycenaean princes who felt like laying their weapons down after the Trojan War to return home, Cucinelli thinks that later this year we will all be ready to start a brand new life. In style.

Directive would expand a CDC order that requires proof of negative coronavirus tests for all airline passengers from the U.K.

The U.S. government is expected to require all international airline passengers to show proof of a negative Covid-19 test before boarding flights to the country, people familiar with the matter said.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is planning to issue its order as soon as Tuesday, following weeks of discussions among federal agencies and the White House coronavirus task force. The order is expected to go into effect Jan. 26, according to a person familiar with the matter. The CDC and other administration officials were still finalizing the order.

The CDC order for universal testing, including for U.S. citizens returning from abroad, requirement comes weeks after the Trump administration on Dec. 24 implemented a testing requirement for travelers from the U.K. amid rising concerns over a more infectious strain of the new coronavirus originally detected there. Since then, the new strain has been found elsewhere in the world, and its presence in the U.S. has been confirmed.

The U.S. requirement comes during a difficult time for the aviation industry and international travelers who face a thicket of varied testing protocols and quarantine requirements around the world, including public health advisories urging people to stay home to help limit the virus’ spread.

U.S. airlines have voiced support for the new requirement, but have argued that ramped-up testing protocols should take the place of travel restrictions and quarantines to reduce the spread of Covid-19.

The Canadian government recently began requiring incoming international passengers to show proof of a negative Covid-19 test before boarding a flight to Canada. An airline trade group in Canada said the rule would be challenging to enforce.

“We believe a well-planned program focused on increasing testing of travelers to the United States will further these objectives in a much more effective way than the blanket travel restrictions currently in place,” Nick Calio, chief executive of Airlines for America, a trade group, said in a Jan. 4 letter to Vice President Mike Pence.

Mr. Calio also said the requirement should take into consideration countries where testing is limited, and he suggested the government make rapid testing available for the effort. He also touched on other complications—such as what to do with passengers who make short international roundtrips.

The U.S. currently bans travelers from certain countries, including the U.K., Europe, and China if they are non-U.S. citizens or permanent residents. And Americans are barred from visiting many countries, including most of Europe.

Before Covid-19 infection surges in recent months on both sides of the Atlantic, U.K. and U.S. officials had been working on a so-called travel corridor that would afford passengers shortened quarantines after mandatory tests before departure and after arrival avoid quarantines. For now, airlines have started to introduce testing protocols on certain routes that could eventually dovetail with international agreements to avoid quarantines.

The president-elect said he isn’t concerned about his safety: ‘I am not afraid to take the oath outside’

Organizers for President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration and federal officials are boosting security in response to growing concerns after last week’s attack on the Capitol by a mob of supporters of President Trump.

The entities organizing the inauguration—the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies and the Presidential Inauguration Committee—are sticking by their plan to hold Mr. Biden’s swearing-in ceremony on the west front of the Capitol. He will also deliver his inaugural address there.

Both committees have had ongoing discussions in recent days about security protocols, according to people familiar with the talks. The congressional committee, which includes House and Senate leadership, convened a meeting on Monday to discuss efforts to bolster security.

Senators will receive a briefing Tuesday afternoon on inauguration security, according to a Senate aide. The briefing will be given by officials including representatives from the Secret Service, the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security, and it will not take place in person.

A House Democratic aide familiar with the inaugural committees’ security said that, in response to last week’s deadly violence, construction efforts are now under way to erect “the largest perimeter ever established around the Capitol” for Mr. Biden’s inauguration. The new perimeter will add another layer to the secure areas typically in place for inaugural ceremonies at the Capitol.

Those talks came as federal officials decided to begin coordinating security steps sooner than they had planned and the National Guard announced it would bolster its presence in Washington ahead of the inauguration.

Mr. Biden said on Monday he isn’t concerned about his safety. “I am not afraid to take the oath outside,” he told reporters.

A senior official from Mr. Biden’s inaugural committee said they remain confident in their security partners for the event, which is designated as a national special security event.

That designation, which signifies an event could be a target of attacks and calls for coordination on security plans among several different agencies, will now begin Jan. 13 instead of the following week, Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Chad Wolf said in a statement Monday. Mr. Wolf later stepped down from his position.

Paige Waltz, spokeswoman for the congressional inaugural committee, said those on Capitol Hill “can expect a significant law-enforcement and national guard presence as part of the layered security measures within the expanded footprint.”

Ms. Waltz also said more briefings will be held for members of Congress in the coming days on updated security plans.

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser had called on federal officials to implement additional measures, including extending the time period for the special security designation from Jan. 19-21 to Jan.11-24 and canceling permits for public demonstrations during that period. She also asked for a “federal force deployment plan” to protect all federal property in the city.

The senior official from Mr. Biden’s inauguration committee said they were supportive of Ms. Bowser’s efforts.

Trump supporters are already promoting marches in Washington for the week of Mr. Biden’s inauguration. The Site Intelligence Group, which tracks extremist threats online, said in a report Saturday that a day of armed far-right protests is scheduled for Jan. 17 and has been in the works for weeks. Fliers promoting the event are circulating online, including one encouraging people to “come armed at your personal discretion.”

Others online are touting a Million Militia March in Washington on Jan. 20, the day of the inauguration, according to screenshots provided by Meili Criezis, a research associate tracking violent extremism at American University.

The U.S. Secret Service serves as the lead agency for inauguration security and said in a recent statement that it “has been working tirelessly to anticipate and prepare for all possible contingencies at every level to ensure a safe and secure Inauguration Day.” Mr. Biden said on Friday he has “great confidence in the Secret Service,” and organizers have stressed that the agency has been planning the event for months.

The National Guard is also increasing the number of troops in Washington to at least 10,000 by Saturday ahead of the inauguration, the Guard’s top officer said Monday.

Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, who is in charge of the National Guard Bureau, said the troop levels could rise to 15,000. He didn’t specify which states the Guard members would be coming from, whether they would be armed or the specifics of their mission.

The planned deployments represent a significant increase from the roughly 6,200 troops who arrived from six states after the attack on the Capitol Wednesday. The force also would be larger than contingents of Guardsmen at past inaugurations. Roughly 9,000 Guardsmen were in Washington for President Barack Obama’s inauguration, Gen. Hokanson said.

Planning an inauguration with heightened security concerns is adding to the already tough job for organizers this year. Due to the pandemic, organizers have scaled back their approach, opting for a virtual parade, scrapping inaugural balls and telling the public not to attend the event. After he is sworn in, Mr. Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and their spouses will visit Arlington National Cemetery to lay a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. They will be joined by the former U.S. presidents attending the inauguration.

The attendance at the Capitol is also expected to be much smaller than usual, too. Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt, the Republican who chairs the congressional inaugural committee, said the crowd will be restricted to roughly 3,000 due to Covid-19. Typically, about 200,000 people are invited to the ceremonies at the Capitol.

“In some ways, the absence of a crowd makes it easier,” said David Axelrod, a former senior adviser to Mr. Obama. “In other ways, this is a much more complex situation where you have people all over the country, essentially domestic terrorists, who somehow feel committing acts of violence in the next week is patriotic.”

Mr. Axelrod recalled being notified of what officials said was a serious terrorist threat the night before Mr. Obama’s 2009 inauguration. The risk was believed to be so imminent that Mr. Axelrod was tasked with preparing a brief statement for Mr. Obama to deliver in the event they needed to disperse a crowd of millions.

“It was a sobering message around the reality of what we were about to enter,” he said.

President defends remarks he made at rally before Capitol riot; lawmakers will vote Tuesday evening on 25th Amendment resolution

WASHINGTON—President Trump denied any wrongdoing as House Republicans wrestled with how to respond to accusations that he incited last week’s violence at the U.S. Capitol, with some proposing censure and others open to Democrats’ move to impeach the president for the second time.

The first test of GOP sentiment will come Tuesday night, when a handful of Republicans who have said Mr. Trump is no longer fit to serve could join Democrats in supporting a resolution demanding that Vice President Mike Pence and the cabinet invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Mr. Trump from office. If Mr. Pence doesn’t act, Democrats have said they would move forward with an impeachment vote Wednesday, and would have enough votes even without GOP support.

Mr. Trump, in his first comments to reporters in several days, criticized Democrats for seeking to impeach him, calling it a “continuation of the greatest witch hunt in the history of politics” and said the move was “causing tremendous anger.”

He also called for “no violence,” as concerns mount about the possibility of more violent protests around Inauguration Day.

The president defended himself against criticism that his efforts to rile up his supporters about baseless claims of election fraud led to last week’s riot. “They’ve analyzed my speech...my final paragraph, my final sentence, and everybody just thought it was totally appropriate,” he said.

So far no House Republicans have said they would vote to impeach Mr. Trump, though GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois has said the president should be removed from office and Rep. Peter Meijer of Michigan said Monday he was “strongly considering” impeachment.

After years of defending a president who upended the Republican Party, GOP lawmakers grappled with whether and how to split with Mr. Trump.

Last week’s siege forced lawmakers and aides to shelter in place and resulted in the death of a police officer and a rioter, as well as three others from medical emergencies. The riot, which halted for several hours the process of certifying Joe Biden as president, sparked sharp criticism not only of Mr. Trump but also of lawmakers who had supported Mr. Trump’s baseless challenges to the election result.

Businesses including Amazon.com Inc. and Comcast Inc. said they would stop donating to Republicans who objected to the certification of Mr. Biden’s election win.

Facing these pressures, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) outlined a slate of options under consideration by House Republicans on Monday that included a resolution of censure for the president.

“I have heard from members across our conference who have raised at least four potential avenues available to the House to ensure that the events of January 6 are rightfully denounced and prevented from occurring in the future,” Mr. McCarthy said in a letter to House Republicans Monday afternoon. In addition to censure, Republicans have discussed a bipartisan commission investigating the circumstances of last Wednesday’s violence and changes to the process of certifying states’ electoral votes, said Mr. McCarthy, long a close ally of the president.

Mr. McCarthy told Republicans on a call Monday afternoon that he had recently called Mr. Trump and told the president he bore responsibility for the events of Jan. 6, according to someone familiar with the discussion.

Rep. Tom Reed (R., N.Y.) said Monday night that he would introduce a censure resolution on Tuesday against Mr. Trump “to ensure accountability occurs without delay for the events of Jan. 6,” he wrote in an op-ed in the New York Times. “We must also look at alternatives that could allow Congress to bar Mr. Trump from holding federal office in the future.”

Democratic leaders are plowing ahead with impeachment even with just over a week left in the Trump presidency. If the House reaches the majority needed to impeach Mr. Trump, the matter then goes to the Senate, where a two-thirds supermajority is required to convict. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) has said there would be no time for a trial and vote before Inauguration Day, with the Senate not set to return from its recess until Jan. 19.

But incoming leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) is exploring using a little-used emergency tool to call the Senate back sooner if needed, a Senate Democratic aide said. Mr. McConnell would need to agree, and a spokesman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

As the controversy rages, Mr. Trump’s hold on the party appeared to be beginning to ebb.

“The aftermath of all of this has left Republicans very well positioned to offer Trump’s policies, which were very popular, without Trump’s bad behavior,” Rep. Tom McClintock (R., Calif.) said Monday night. “A new standard-bearer has emerged in Mike Pence, who handled himself magnificently in this crisis.” Last week, Mr. Pence issued a letter ruling out any effort to intervene on Mr. Trump’s behalf, defying repeated requests from Mr. Trump to throw out the results of the election.

The fallout has also raised new questions among House Republicans about the leadership of Mr. McCarthy, who had tethered himself to Mr. Trump as he consolidated power in the House GOP. Just days after House Republicans unanimously supported him during the speaker vote, Mr. McCarthy faced internal criticism for going along with GOP efforts to dispute Mr. Biden’s win.

Unlike Mr. McConnell, who publicly warned of the damage incurred by challenging states’ electoral votes, Mr. McCarthy was quiet on the issue and voted with a majority of House Republicans to dispute the results in Arizona and Pennsylvania on Wednesday.

“I do think that the lack of leadership concerning that vote is deeply troubling to a lot of us,” said Rep. Ken Buck (R., Colo.), who had opposed the effort to object to states’ electoral votes last week. “Ignoring their role in all of this is a mistake.” Some Democrats have called on Mr. McCarthy to resign.

One silver lining for Republicans is that Twitter Inc.’s permanent suspension of Mr. Trump’s personal account may make it harder for him to air his grievances against disfavored GOP lawmakers and rally his supporters to mount a primary challenge. But Republicans were also optimistic that their political fortunes would rise again if Democrats overplayed their hand and tried to push through a liberal agenda this year.

Before moving to impeach Mr. Trump, Democrats plan to bring up Tuesday night a measure to force him out of office through the 25th Amendment, whose use some Republicans, including Mr. Kinzinger, called for last week.

Ratified in 1967, the 25th Amendment lays out the details of presidential succession in the event that a president dies or becomes ill. One section of the amendment allows for the vice president to take over the president’s duties if the vice president and the majority of the cabinet determine that the president “is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.”

That section of the amendment has never before been invoked. Congress would get the final say over whether the vice president can maintain the president’s powers, which would be decided by a two-thirds majority. Republicans have enough seats to block an incapacity vote in each house of Congress.