The outgoing and incoming U.S. presidents had different messages for the Christmas holiday, with Democrat Joe Biden urging Americans to reflect and unite and Republican Donald Trump offering a holiday greeting and a flurry of politically focused social media posts.

President-elect Trump and President Biden bid Americans a merry Christmas as the nation nears a change in presidential administrations.

The bald eagle, a symbol of the power and strength of the United States for more than 240 years, earned an overdue honor on Tuesday: It officially became the country's national bird. President Joe Biden signed into law legislation sent to him by Congress that amends the United States Code to correct what had long gone unnoticed and designate the bald eagle — familiar to many because of its white head,

U.S. President Joe Biden signed 50 bills into law on Tuesday, including one that makes the bald eagle the country's official bird and one that stops members of Congress from collecting their pensions if convicted of certain crimes.

The move spares the lives of people convicted in killings, including the slayings of police and military officers, people on federal land and those involved in deadly bank robberies or drug deals.

U.S. President Joe Biden said on Wednesday he had asked the Defense Department to continue its surge of weapons deliveries to Ukraine, after condemning Russia's Christmas Day attack on Ukraine's energy system and some of its cities.

U.S. President Joe Biden directed the Pentagon to "continue its surge" of weapons deliveries to Ukraine in response to Russia's mass attack on the country on Christmas Day, he announced on Dec. 25.