Biden inauguration news: 25,000 National Guard troops vetted amid fears over inside attack

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DC mayor Muriel Bowser discusses security measures ahead of Joe Biden inauguration

US defence officials say they are worried about an insider attack from service members involved in securing President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, prompting the FBI to vet all of the 25,000 National Guard troops coming into Washington for the event.

The massive undertaking reflects the extraordinary security concerns that have gripped Washington following the deadly insurrection at the US Capitol on 6 January by pro-Trump rioters. 

And it underscores fears that some of the very people assigned to protect the city over the next several days could present a threat to the incoming president and other VIPs in attendance.

Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said on Sunday that officials are conscious of the potential threat, and he warned commanders to be on the lookout for any problems within their ranks as the inauguration approaches. 

So far, however, he and other leaders say they have seen no evidence of any threats, and officials said the vetting hadn't flagged any issues that they were aware of.

• Fears of ‘inside attack’ at Biden’s inauguration, defence officials warn
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Key Points

• Fears of ‘inside attack’ at Biden’s inauguration
• Cher tells Joe Biden ‘this is your time’ at virtual inauguration show

[18 January 2021 12:43 · Tom Embury-Dennis]

Gun rights activists to hold annual demonstration at Virginia state capital

Gun rights activists will converge on the Virginia state capital on Monday for an annual demonstration that falls at an especially tense time this year, after the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol and two days before the presidential inauguration.

"Lobby Day" has authorities on alert in Richmond, about 110 miles (175 km) south of Washington, D.C., where Democratic President-elect Joe Biden will be sworn in on Wednesday, replacing Republican President Donald Trump.

Lobby Day takes place in a highly polarized climate, following a year in which anti-racist and white nationalist demonstrators clashed across the United States, and as strident Trump supporters cling to hope he can remain in power.

Nationwide pro-Trump demonstrations scheduled for Sunday largely fizzled after the FBI issued warnings and several states deployed the National Guard.

"We're showing up to remind them that we're still here," a gun rights activist, who identified himself only as Trevor, told Reuters outside the Virginia statehouse on Sunday evening, walking the perimeter to help plan the protest.

Reuters

[18 January 2021 13:28 · Tom Embury-Dennis]

What Biden can and can’t get from an evenly divided Senate

So what does a 50-50 Senate get President-elect Joe Biden?

Washington has barely had time to process the implications of Democratic control after two Georgia runoff elections that are delivering the Senate to Democrats. Hours after the races were decided, a mob of zealots ransacked the U.S. Capitol and reshaped the national and political landscape.

The unexpected new balance of power giving Democrats only the barest control of Congress has big consequences for the president-elect — easy confirmation of his Cabinet most importantly — but the road ahead for his ambitious legislative agenda remains complicated and murky.