President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be inaugurated at noon Eastern time today at a Capitol with heightened security after the Jan. 6 attack.
Close to 25,000 National Guard troops are being deployed in Washington, D.C., and dozens of fences are now around the Capitol and White House.
And instead of hundreds of thousands of people in the National Mall, close to 200,000 flags stand in their place. The symbols honor the nearly 400,000 people who have died in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic. The flag display was first lit Sunday night with 56 pillars of light, representing every U.S. state and territory.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump released a farewell address in a 19-minute video.
“This week, we inaugurate a new administration and pray for its success in keeping America safe and prosperous,” said the president, who is breaking with tradition and doesn’t plan to be at the swearing-in ceremony.
For more about today’s inauguration, see newspress.com later this morning.
— Dave Mason
