Stars to offer distraction from steel ring of inauguration
LADY GAGA and Jennifer Lopez will attempt to lighten the mood at an unprecedented presidential inauguration inside a new “Green Zone” in Washington.
The national anthem will be sung by Lady Gaga as Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are sworn in on the West Front of the US Capitol, and Lopez will also perform.
As Hollywood stars flock to be part of swearing in a Democrat president, Tom Hanks will host a 90-minute TV special featuring celebrities including Justin Timberlake, and a “virtual parade” around America.
It will be an attempt by Mr Biden’s team to distract from the massive security operation surrounding the event.
Usually, hundreds of thousands of people flood on to the National Mall in front of Congress for an inauguration.
But, in the wake of the riots on Jan 6, a new “Green Zone” has been established with much of Washington closed off behind giant fences.
Yesterday, US Capitol Police said they arrested a man at a checkpoint in Washington after he presented an “unauthorised inauguration credential” and was found to have a Glock semiautomatic pistol and over 500 rounds of ammunition in his truck.
The man, from Virginia, was arrested for possession of an unregistered firearm, police said.
A secret service spokesman said: “Traffic [at the Capitol] is restricted to residents or businesses within the restricted area, and National Guard personnel will be assisting with verifying traffic entering into the Green Zone.”
Up to 25,000 National Guard soldiers were being deployed, five times the combined current total of US forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Amid warnings of potential attacks by armed extremists the National Park Service said only a small number of permits had been granted for protests in the capital. Muriel Bowser, Washington’s Democrat mayor, urged people to stay at home.
US government aircraft will be carrying out surveillance overhead. For the first time since 1949 there will be no inaugural balls.
Meanwhile, it emerged that three days before Jan 6 US Capitol Police, who guard the building, circulated an internal intelligence warning that it could be attacked by supporters of the president.