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'More members of the military than I've seen in my entire life'
Samantha Granville - BBC News, National MallI’m not sure who thought it was a good idea to have inauguration in January but it’s absolutely freezing and the wind is making it hard to listen and talk.
Normally the mall would be flooded with tourists wishing the new president well, but instead I’ve seen more members of the military in a single morning that I have in my entire life.
Not only did it take 2.5 hours to go 20 minutes, but we had to go through multiple checkpoints as if we were in a war zone.
The mall is eerily quiet, with nearly 200,000 flags to mark all the people that would normally be there.
There’s eight of us huddled in the BBC tent, fighting for power outlets and just hoping it starts to warm up before the ceremony starts
14:26
Bidens attend Mass
President-elect Joe Biden and his wife Jill are attending Mass at the Cathedral of St Matthew the Apostle in Washington DC.Congressional leaders Sen Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are among those also attending the service.
Mr Biden is only the second Roman Catholic president in US history, following fellow Democrat John F Kennedy.
The cathedral was the venue for Kennedy's funeral Mass after his assassination in November 1963.
Trump supporters steer clear of Washington
Tara McKelvey - BBC News, WashingtonDemocrats are celebrating in the nation’s capital on Wednesday, but many of the president’s supporters are avoiding the place. Protests against the new president, Joe Biden, have been cancelled.
One of the events, a rally organised by a group, Public Advocate, was called off “due to current emergency in place January 20”, according to its website. Leaders of other pro-Trump groups say they are not going to the city. No-one will be there, one of them tells me, “except members of Congress and Biden staff – and 60,000 National Guard!”
The number of National Guard members will be closer to 25,000, but his point was clear. Washington will be a chilly place for the ultraconservatives who admire Trump.
The city’s lockdown, a massive effort to prevent violence, means many of the president’s fans will stay home. Some will no doubt make their way here. But many others say they are instead focusing their efforts on future rallies, at times and places to be determined.
Paul Anthony Ward:
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