There were musical performances and a speech from the new president, but the nation's Capitol was largely void of what is normally an Inauguration Day staple: crowds of people.
Droves of Americans did not line the National Mall — instead flags, lights and thousands of security personnel did.
Still, the inauguration marked a monumental transition during a desperate time. The country continues to grapple with a COVID-19 death toll roughly equal to that of World War II. And the memory of an insurrection on Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol loomed as Biden was sworn in at the same site.
The crowd was smaller than in past inaugurations, but there was still a lot of pomp and circumstance.
The front of the Capitol was adorned with large American flags. The Marine Band serenaded guests with patriotic music. The arrival of dignitaries was announced over a loudspeaker accompanied by a drumroll.
Seats were spaced six feet apart as a safety protocol. And what is normally the standing-room-only section was instead filled by members of the news media.
Here's what Washington, D.C., looked like on a historic day:
President-elect Joe Biden and Jill Biden with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris arrive at the East Front of the U.S. Capitol for his inauguration ceremony to be the 46th President of the United States in Washington, D.C., on January 20, 2021.
Vice President Kamala Harris is sworn in during the 2021 Presidential Inauguration.
President Joe Biden is sworn in during the 2021 Presidential Inauguration.
President Joe Biden addresses the crowd after being sworn in during the 2021 Presidential Inauguration.
The "Field of Flags" is illuminated on the National Mall on Jan. 18, 2021 in Washington, DC.
The West Front of the U.S. Capitol is illuminated as the sun begins to rise before the 2021 Presidential Inauguration.
Final preparations are made ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration ceremony, Jan. 20, 2021, in Washington.
The National Mall is illuminated as the sun begins to rise before the 2021 Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2021.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump prepare to depart the White House on Marine One on January 20, 2021 in Washington, DC.
Outgoing US President Donald Trump waves as he boards Marine One at the White House in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2021.
Marine One with President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump aboard departs the White House on January 20, 2021 in Washington, DC.
Marine One with President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump aboard departs the White House in Washington, D.C., en route to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland on January 20, 2021.
Marine One with President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump flies past the Washington Monument as it departs the White House in Washington, D.C., en route to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on January 20, 2021.
Marine One carrying outgoing President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump flies past the U.S. Capitol decked out for the 59th presidential inauguration as they depart the White House in Washington, D.C., on January 20, 2021.
A man vacuums inside the U.S. Capitol ahead of the inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th president of the United States on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2021 in Washington, D.C.
A member of the U.S. Army Band waits before President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021.
President-elect Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden attend services at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle with Congressional leaders prior the 59th Presidential Inauguration ceremony on Jan. 20, 2021 in Washington, DC.
A general view of the U.S. Capitol before the 2021 Presidential Inauguration.
President-elect Joe Biden, his wife Jill Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff arrive at the steps of the U.S. Capitol for the start of the official inauguration ceremonies, in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi waits at left.
(L-R) Doug Emhoff, U.S. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, Jill Biden and President-elect Joe Biden wave as they arrive on the East Front of the U.S. Capitol for the inauguration on Jan. 20, 2021 in Washington, DC.
President-elect Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden arrive to the 2021 Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol.
Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris arrive to the 2021 Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol.
Vice President Mike Pence and Karen Pence arrive to the 2021 Presidential Inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at the U.S. Capitol.
Former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama arrive before the 2021 Presidential Inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at the U.S. Capitol.
Former President Bill Clinton and Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrive before the 2021 Presidential Inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at the U.S. Capitol.
President-elect Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden stand with members of the Biden family during the 2021 Presidential Inauguration.
Lady Gaga performs the National Anthem during the 2021 Presidential Inauguration.
Jennifer Lopez performs during the 2021 Presidential Inauguration.
Garth Brooks performs during the 2021 Presidential Inauguration.
National youth poet laureate Amanda Gorman arrives at the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021 in Washington.
National youth poet laureate Amanda Gorman speaks at the inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2021 in Washington, D.C.
Law enforcement personnel monitoring surrounding areas during the 59th Presidential Inauguration on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2021 in Washington, DC.
Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden stand during his inauguration as the 46th US President, on the West Front of the US Capitol in Washington, DC on January 20, 2021.
Vice President Kamala Harris escorts former Vice President Mike Pence to the East Front steps of the U.S. Capitol following the 2021 Presidential Inauguration.
President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden watch a military pass in review ceremony on the East Front of the Capitol at the conclusion of the inauguration ceremonies, in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala salute at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Va., Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2021.
Outgoing President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump travel to their Mar-a-Lago golf club residence in Palm Beach, Florida, and will not attend the inauguration for President-elect Joe Biden.
Security is posted atop the White House in Washington, D.C. as Marine One is scheduled to depart the White House in Washington, D.C., en route Joint Base Andrews, Maryland on January 20, 2021.
Contributing: Michael Collins, USA TODAY
Follow Jay Cannon of USA TODAY on Twitter: @JayTCannon
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris had a fitting escort to walk her up the stairs of the Capitol on Wednesday: Eugene Goodman, the lone, Black police officer who bravely lured rioters away from the Senate chamber during the invasion of the Capitol building earlier this month. Goodman is the new acting deputy House Sergeant at Arms, and a candidate for the Congressional Gold Medal, one of the highest honors a civilian can receive. "I've always said, if bullets start ripping through, I'm finding Goodman," a friend of Goodman's told The Washington Post. "He's been in hostile firefights [in Iraq], so he knows how to keep his head."Goodman will also accompany Harris on the presidential platform on Wednesday, where she will be sworn in as vice president of the United States. > NEW: Eugene Goodman, the Capitol Police officer who put himself in harms way while defending the building from a violent mob, has been named the Acting Deputy House Sergeant at Arms.> > Goodman will escort Vice President-elect Kamala Harris up the stairs of the Capitol today. pic.twitter.com/n3FGg0jRtp> > -- CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) January 20, 2021More stories from theweek.com Bernie Sanders steals the inauguration with his grumpy chic outfit Biden's inaugural poet wants to run for president in 2036 President Biden: 'Democracy has prevailed'
A Honduran migrant worker claimed that a migrant caravan was headed to the U.S. because incoming president Joe Biden would give migrants “100 days” to arrive at the country, in an interview with CNN. Biden may seek to enact a 100-day moratorium on deportations, however transition team officials have cautioned that the president-elect will not be able to overhaul immigration policy immediately upon taking office. Even so, a group of about 3,000 migrants from Honduras clashed with Guatemalan security forces on Sunday during their trek north to the U.S.-Mexico border. One migrant claimed the caravan was heading north because Biden had promised to help them, in a CNN interview later reposted by The Hill. Honduran migrant: President-elect Biden is "going to help all of us." pic.twitter.com/LkrVCsXcSb — The Hill (@thehill) January 18, 2021 “I just want patience and prayers that we can get to the U.S. because they [will] have a new president, Biden,” the migrant said. “He’s going to help all of us, he’s giving us 100 days to get to the U.S. and give us [legal] papers, so we can get a better life for our kids, and for our families.” Meanwhile, Guatemala deemed the attempted crossing illegal. “Guatemala’s message is loud and clear: These types of illegal mass movements will not be accepted, that’s why we are working together with the neighboring nations to address this as a regional issue,” the office of Guatemala’s president said in a statement on Sunday.
Thailand's government on Wednesday filed a criminal complaint of defaming the monarchy against a banned opposition politician after he criticised the country's COVID-19 vaccine strategy. The move could mark the highest-profile lese majeste case since a wave of anti-government protests emerged last year and extended to criticism of King Maha Vajiralongkorn over accusations of meddling in politics and taking too much power. The complaint against Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit under Article 112 of the criminal code came two days after he said the government was too reliant on a company owned by the Crown Property Bureau, which is under the king's personal control, to produce vaccines for Thais.
Mercedes-Benz’s Hyperscreen, General Motors’ Bright Drop, and Jeep’s Electric Wrangler were among the unveils that turned headsOriginally Appeared on Architectural Digest
Melania Trump was reportedly "emotionally checked out" long before boarding Air Force One to leave D.C. on Wednesday, going as far as to outsource writing her "thank you" notes to the White House residence staff, The New York Times and CNN report.Traditionally, the first family of the United States will write short cards to their household staff, thanking them for taking care of them over the past four to eight years. The cards tend to be intimate and "much of the correspondence includes personal anecdotes and the letters become 'cherished keepsakes' for the residence staff," such as the butlers, cooks, and housekeepers, who do not tend to turn-over between administrations, CNN writes.Melania Trump, however, reportedly did not personally write the cards for the approximately 80 staff members charged with caring for her, her husband, and her teenage son, Barron, while they lived in the White House. Instead, she is said to have instructed a "lower-level East Wing staffer" to write the type-written notes "in her voice," and then signed her name."I think she was a reluctant first lady and she did it for her husband," society publicist R. Couri Hay, who knows Trump from New York, told The New York Times. He added that after she departs Washington, "I think that you will find that she will be even less visible, and less available."More stories from theweek.com Bernie Sanders steals the inauguration with his grumpy chic outfit Biden's inaugural poet wants to run for president in 2036 President Biden: 'Democracy has prevailed'
Russian forces have killed a Chechen separatist guerrilla commander believed to have been involved in a deadly bombing at Moscow's Domodedovo airport in 2011, authorities said on Wednesday. Aslan Byutukayev was one of six militants killed during a special operation in the village of Katyr-Yurt, about 1,500 km (930 miles) south of Moscow, Chechen regional leader Ramzan Kadyrov said. Byutukayev is supected of being behind a bombing that killed nearly 40 people in the arrivals hall of Domodedovo airport in 2011.
Ivermectin, a cheap and "generic" antiparasitic drug "used all over the world," may significantly reduce the risk of death in patients suffering from moderate to severe cases of COVID-19, researchers have found.The University of Liverpool's Andrew Hill and others carried out a meta-analytical breakdown of 18 studies that showed the drug — which is off-patent and commonly used to treat lice and scabies, as well as some more serious parasites — appears to reduce inflammation and eliminate the coronavirus swiftly, the Financial Times reports. In six of those trials, the mortality risk was cut by 75 percent in patients with more serious COVID-19 infections. The research team has also theorized the drug could also make it harder for infected people to transmit the virus.Hill said he's encouraged by the findings, but further studies are needed, especially since several of those in the analysis were not peer-reviewed. FT also notes that meta-analyses, which look at many studies at once, can be prone to errors. Read more at the Financial Times.More stories from theweek.com Bernie Sanders steals the inauguration with his grumpy chic outfit Biden's inaugural poet wants to run for president in 2036 President Biden: 'Democracy has prevailed'
President Trump could be an "accessory" to murder after over the deadly Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told MSNBC Tuesday night.Why it matters: Trump faced intense criticism after a crowd of his supporters breached the Capitol and broke into chambers, including Pelosi’s office. Five people died as a result of the insurrection.Get smarter, faster with the news CEOs, entrepreneurs and top politicians read. Sign up for Axios Newsletters here. * Trump had spread false claims of election fraud online and urged supporters to march to the Capitol in a speech at a "Save America" rally shortly before rioters broke into the building.What she’s saying: "Presidents' words are important. They weigh a ton," Pelosi said. "And they used his words to come here." * Any Congress member proven to have colluded with rioters could be accessories to crimes committed during the events — like Trump, she added. * "And the crime, in some cases, was murder," Pelosi said. "And this president is an accessory to that crime because he instigated that insurrection that caused those deaths and this destruction."The big picture: Trump said a week after the riots that he "unequivocally" condemned the violence. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, once a Trump loyalist, said on Tuesday the mob was "provoked by the president and other powerful people." * The House voted to impeach Trump last week on one charge: incitement of insurrection. It now goes to the Senate for trial. * The White House did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment on Pelosi's remarks.Go deeper: In photos: Protesters storm U.S. CapitolSupport safe, smart, sane journalism. Sign up for Axios Newsletters here.
Vice President Mike Pence will be returning to his southern Indiana hometown Wednesday afternoon following the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. The Republican former Indiana governor and his wife Karen are expected to attend Biden’s inauguration and will then fly into the Columbus Municipal Airport, where they will be greeted by some supporters, the Indiana Republican Party said Tuesday. Pence grew up in Columbus and some family members still live there.
Newly surfaced Facebook messages from 2018 show U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene agreeing with comments spreading the conspiracy that the Parkland school shooting where 17 students and faculty members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High were killed was a “false flag planned shooting.”
China is using "lavish" PPE contributions to try and quash concerns about the origins of Covid-19, the Defence Select Committee chief has warned. The delay in allowing WHO inspectors into China has allowed space for a “ferocious internal propaganda campaign” suggesting the US military is to blame for planting the virus, say Tobias Ellwood and chemical and biological weapons-expert Hamish de Bretton Gordon. Chinese handling of the crisis has been characterised by “denial, hesitation, cover up, refusal of outside help and punishment for all who dare speak out,” they told the Telegraph. “Any international voices of concern have been quashed with lavish and sizable contributions of PPE and more recently vaccination programmes.” China defended its handling of the coronavirus pandemic on Tuesday, saying the hard lockdown on Wuhan weeks after the virus was detected had "reduced infections and deaths". Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the country would "strive to do better".
Constitutionally-speaking, Chief Justice John Roberts is meant to preside over President Trump's impeachment trial, but he apparently wants out, Politico reports.Multiple Republican and Democratic sources have reportedly told Politico that Roberts is seeking a way to avoid the job because of how things played out when he oversaw Trump's first impeachment trial last year. Roberts, Politico notes, has worked hard to keep the Supreme Court apolitical during his tenure, so he was reportedly displeased that he "became a top target of the left" during the proceedings. "He wants no further part of this," one source told Politico, although there's been no official word from Roberts' camp about what he'll ultimately do.Trump's trial is a bit of a constitutional oddity. On the one hand, it's a presidential impeachment, but on the other hand, the trial will take place after he leaves office, which is why there's a chance Roberts may have some wiggle room. Historically, either the vice president or the longest-serving member of the Senate have taken up the mantle for lower-level impeachments, per Politico. That means Vice President-elect Kamala Harris or Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) could be the choice. Read more at Politico.More stories from theweek.com Trump issues last-minute order attempting to free his appointees from ethics commitments 5 more scathing cartoons about Trump's 2nd impeachment Trump leaves the White House for the last time as president
Biden's transition team lawyers have reminded Vice President-elect Kamala Harris' niece, Meena, that she can't profit off her famous aunt's image, after she unveiled a collaboration between her company and Beats By Dre.Why it matters: Following Republican attacks, President-elect Joe Biden pledged that neither his family nor Harris' would profit from their service as president and vice president. Be smart: sign up FREE for the most influential newsletter in America. * While Meena Harris did nothing illegal, it underscored the challenge of keeping relatives in line, and of adhering to the higher ethical standards that the incoming administration has pledged.The backdrop: The specially curated products come in a black box and include a black hoodie emblazoned with the word AMBITIOUS on the front; a Bluetooth speaker with the word PHENOMENAL across it; and the over-ear headphones. * Ambitious refers to the criticism some leveled against Harris — who was a first-term senator — as Biden weighed a variety of female candidates to be his running mate. * Phenomenal is a female-powered lifestyle brand of which Meena Harris is CEO.The spine connecting the two earpieces reads, "The First But Not The Last," an apparent reference to Kamala Harris' becoming the first female vice president. * While the products are not for sale, they were gifted to influencers and celebrities ahead of the inauguration.The team surrounding the incoming vice president was not made aware of the collaboration in advance, people familiar with the situation told Axios. The lawyers followed up and told Meena Harris that she — like anyone else — cannot profit off of Harris' image or likeness once she becomes vice president. * Meena Harris's team did not respond to a request for comment. * Meena is the daughter of Kamala Harris' sister, Maya.Between the lines: The optics of Meena Harris' business ventures are especially challenging after Democrats spent four years criticizing business deals involving President Trump and his children, and after Biden's public pledge to avoid any influence-peddling. * “My son, my family will not be involved in any business, any enterprise that is in conflict with or appears to be in conflict,” he said last year. * In December, lawyers for the presidential transition team started "drafting new rules for the Biden White House that are likely to be more restrictive than the rules that governed the Obama administration," per the Washington Post. The bottom line: Phenomenal has sold several other items inspired by Kamala Harris since Biden announced her as his running mate. * They include a sweatshirt with "MVP" on it, standing for "Madam Vice President," and another with the phrase "I'm speaking" on the front — a nod to a moment when Kamala Harris complained about being interrupted during a vice-presidential debate. * After Kamala Harris received the "too-ambitious" criticism, her niece created and sold a pink sweatshirt with "AMBITIOUS" written on the front. * “I look at her as another figure in history and someone to be celebrated,” she said of her aunt during an interview with the New York Times.Get smarter, faster with the news CEOs, entrepreneurs and top politicians read. Sign up for Axios Newsletters here.
White House website says report is “rebuttal of reckless 're-education' attempts that seek to reframe American history around idea that United States is not an exceptional country but an evil one”
Britain will "look carefully" at claims that the Pfizer vaccine fails to protect as well as expected following research into the first 200,000 people given the jab in Israel, Sir Patrick Vallance has said. The first real-world data showed the first dose led to a 33 per cent reduction in cases of coronavirus among people who were vaccinated between 14 and 21 days afterwards. But that figure is far lower than that predicted by the joint committee on vaccines and immunisation (JCVI), which suggested a single dose would prevent 89 per cent of recipients from getting Covid-19 symptoms. In a radio interview, Nachman Ash, Israel's vaccine tsar, said a single dose appeared "less effective than we had thought" and also lower than Pfizer had suggested, raising fears that giving only one dose will not be as protective as hoped.
