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Vehicles checked. Roads blocked. The National Mall closed. The country’s capital was increasingly closed on Saturday ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration when the Pentagon authorized 25,000 troops deployed in Washington, DC.
A Virginia man has been arrested and charged with possessing an unregistered rifle.
The unprecedented increase in security occurred as the handover of power continued, with inauguration events virtually beginning on Saturday. And Mr. Biden’s incoming chief of staff, Ron Klain, has issued a memorandum setting out Biden’s priorities for the first ten days of his term, including several executive actions.
“Elected President Biden will act – not only to prevent the most serious damage from the Trump administration, but also to move our country forward,” Klain said in the memo.
Mr. Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris also introduced members of their science team on Saturday, and Mr. Biden insisted that “science will always be at the forefront of my administration.”
More charges were announced on Saturday against Capitol rioters. A Texas realtor has said she should be pardoned for following President Trump’s advice. Prosecutors said Jenna Ryan flew to Washington, DC on a private plane, and then tweeted: “We just stormed the capital (sic). It was one of the best days of my life.”
“I just want people to know that I’m a normal person, that I’m listening to my president who told me to go to the Capitol. That I’re displaying my patriotism while I’m there and that I’m just protesting and I’m not trying to do anything violent and I did not realize there was actually violence, ”Ryan told CBS Dallas / Fort Worth.