Thousands of soldiers in Washington ahead of the inauguration

In the last days of the presidency of Donald Trump (Trump), the United States of America is on high alert - with warnings of possible violent protests, controls at airports and the movement of people have been increased. Washington looks like a war zone with thousands of soldiers and military vehicles deployed to ensure the inauguration of new President Joe Biden and a peaceful transfer of power, the world media write.

Like a war zone

Due to the fear of a repeat of the violence in front of the Capitol building on January 6, thousands of US National Guard soldiers were sent this weekend to Washington, which is preparing for the inauguration of Joe Biden, wrote the Financial Times (The Financial Times), emphasizing that with a huge military presence, the US capital it looks like a war zone.

The Pentagon approved the deployment of 25.000 National Guard troops for the inauguration, security measures at airports were increased, and a large concrete and metal fence was erected around the Capitol. Much of Washington was shut down in the previous days, while Mayor Muriel Bowser extended the state of emergency until January 21, the day after the inauguration.

US media reported that Capitol Police on Friday arrested a Virginia man who tried to pass a security checkpoint in downtown Washington with a fake ID, a gun and more than 500 rounds of ammunition. Concerns about guns, The Final Times adds, have forced Facebook to ban ads promoting gun accessories.

The military presence, the newspaper adds, is increasing as the Senate prepares for a trial to determine whether Donald Trump should be convicted of inciting insurrection. The outgoing president refused to attend the inauguration, breaking a long tradition. Instead he will head from Washington to his Mar a Lago resort in Florida before Biden's inauguration on Wednesday, January 20.

Security preparations - more intense than for any major celebration in history - have added a surreal dimension to the life of the city, even though the scope of the inauguration ceremony has already been drastically reduced due to the pandemic, according to the Financial Times.

All 50 states on standby

After the FBI warned that in the coming days there could be violent protests by Trump's supporters in all 50 capital cities of the US states, authorities across the country are taking precautionary measures and are on high alert, the BBC points out.

The governors of Maryland, New Mexico and Utah declared states of emergency ahead of possible protests, while California, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin activated their National Guard and Texas closed its capital until Inauguration Day.

"If you plan to come here or to Washington with bad intent in your heart, you need to turn around and go home immediately. You are not welcome here," Virginia Governor Ralph Northam said at a press conference.

Analysts believe that those states that have so far recorded disagreements over the election race are at the greatest risk of violence. One of them, Michigan - where six men were arrested in October for plotting to kidnap and oust Gov. Gretchen Whitmer - erected a fence around its Lansing Capitol with an increased police presence until mid-February.

In the meantime, adds the BBC, the team of newly elected President Biden presented plans to reverse Trump's key policies. Hours after Biden steps into the White House, he will begin a series of executive moves designed to signal a clean break with his predecessor's policies.

New warnings of possible violence

US officials are screening hundreds of passengers on planes and beefing up airport security as federal agencies issue fresh warnings about possible violence by extremists emboldened by the attack on the Capitol, writes The New York Times.

National Guard officials said they would need at least 25.000 troops in Washington, 5.000 more than previously estimated. This number, the newspaper emphasizes, is approximately three times higher than the total number of American soldiers deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia and Syria, and it could still grow.

Federal officials say the security perimeter is necessary to prevent an attack by domestic extremists who, according to a joint assessment by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, "pose the most likely threat" to the inauguration. The agencies, adds the New York Times, warned that the attackers could target federal buildings and public officials.

In the days before Biden's inauguration, the Transportation Security Administration increased the number of federal marshals on flights and explosive detection dogs at airports. According to an unnamed administration official, federal agencies have also begun identifying those caught on video at the Capitol carrying weapons or participating in violence and placing them on blacklists aimed at preventing suspected terrorists from boarding flights.

Thirteen subway stations and several bus lines near the White House will also be closed, and emergency vehicles will be stationed downtown. Military vehicles and troops on the streets, the New York Times points out, evoked images of Washington from the Civil War era.

The extent of security and intelligence lapses

The massive presence of armed forces in Washington and other cities across the US underscores the security services' fear of a mass uprising, The Times of London reports, adding that the tense preparation for the inauguration comes amid new revelations about the extent of security failures during the recent attacks on the Capitol.

The US police and military do not want to repeat the mistake of January 6, the Times points out, adding that federal prosecutors claimed late last week that there was "strong evidence" that the protesters who stormed the Capitol intended to capture and kill certain officials, including Vice President Mike Pence ( Mike Pence). Later, according to the newspaper, they withdrew the accusations, stressing that the investigation is still at an early stage.

Referring to the writing of the Washington Post, which reported that three days before the riot, an internal police memo warned of a scenario in which Congress became the target of a violent protest, the Times points to concerns about the sympathy of certain members of the police and the military for the protesters.

It is reported that more than a dozen officers of the law, current and former military officials, participated in the rebellion, adds the London paper.

Even if this Sunday goes smoothly, the Times concludes, America will be "picking up the bones of this disastrous chapter" for years. Experts believe that investigations and reconstructions of the events at the Capitol on January 6 will be necessary to better understand the causes of major security and intelligence failures.

Trump's last weekend in office

The United States enters inauguration week with an unsettling police and military presence guarding the remnants of democracy while Americans "hold their breath" amid warnings of potential riots that have clouded preparations for the ceremony that will usher Biden into the White House and send President Trump back into private life. rated by CNN.

During his final weekend in office, Trump was out of sight of the White House — still unable to communicate via his social media — showing no remorse for the violence he incited and refusing to back down from false claims about the election.

Avoiding the usual Inauguration Day handover, CNN points out, Trump plans to leave the White House in contemplation of a departure ceremony that could include a red carpet and a military band. He's also busy assembling a legal team to defend him during the upcoming impeachment trial, as a number of counsel who defended him last time have made it clear they're not interested in a runoff, according to CNN.

Meanwhile, Biden tried to focus Americans on the future by laying out the first steps he will take as soon as he takes office - from fighting the pandemic and aid package, as well as fulfilling earlier promises on issues such as climate change and joining the Paris climate agreement and lifting the travel ban from predominantly Muslim countries. countries.

It has been announced that Biden will also sign orders to stop evictions and release student loan payments to those with financial defaults due to the pandemic, while establishing mask-wearing obligations in the first 100 days of his term. Biden also plans to introduce an immigration plan that, CNN emphasizes, would include a path to citizenship for many undocumented immigrants and actions that would help reunite children separated from their families at the US-Mexico border.