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Joe Biden speaking with attendees at the Presidential Gun Sense Forum - Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Flickr - |
After the January 6th siege at the U.S. Capitol, authorities are on high alert ahead of President-elect Biden's upcoming inauguration and cities across the nation are preparing for the worst. Businesses are boarding up windows, and Washington D.C. itself is being referred to as a "Green Zone" as the National Guard and other security forces lock down the Capitol to prepare for January 20th and ensure a safe inauguration for all. Meanwhile, President Trump's term is coming to a close, forcing the twice-impeached leader to prepare a legal defense team for an upcoming Senate Impeachment Trial.
Among it all, Saturday has been relatively quiet as the nation prepares for the transition of power. The White House itself is looking like an estate sale as staff work to move out the Trump family and ready the residence for the Bidens. Everything from pictures and wall hangings to Lincoln busts and taxidermied birds has been seen leaving the White House grounds, all the while visitors such as MyPillow CEO and staunch Trump supporter Mike Lindell and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani are seen wandering in and out. Lindell has been photographed with strange notes and Giuliani is thought to be the one to lead Trump's impeachment defense in the Senate.
Announcement of White House Science Team Nominees and Appointees
Meanwhile, Biden took the stage on Saturday to announce a team of key science advisors and a Presidential Science Advisor who will be a Cabinet-level official in the new administration. Biden says that the scientists "Will ensure everything we do is grounded in science, facts, and truth."
Geneticist Eric Lander, Presidential Science Advisor and nominee for Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, was praised by the current director of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Francis Collins, who will be retained in his current role when the Biden administration takes power.
Day One of the Biden Administration
January 21st and Onward
Things to Watch
- U.S. Intelligence and Security Agencies are taking increased security ahead of President-elect Biden's inauguration due to the lack of preparedness during the Capitol siege earlier in the month. They are also taking online posts more seriously and believe violent demonstrations are in the works. Will the forces be needed or will they be enough on their own to deter any domestic dangers?
- The President has been quiet in the wake of his second impeachment as he plans for both a Senate Trial and a move out of the White House. It has already been announced that Trump will not be attending the inauguration. What is his next move as his Presidency comes to an end? And will testimony from insurrectionists who say they attacked the Capitol because of Trump be the tipping point to the first impeachment conviction in history?
- House Committees on Intel, Oversight, Judiciary, and Homeland Security announced the opening of a new investigation into the Capitol siege. What, if anything, will come of their search into how it all happened?