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Jan 14, 2021
Members of the National Guard walk past the Dome of the Capitol Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
WASHINGTON (AP) All through downtown Washington, the primary sound for several blocks was the beeping of forklifts unloading more fencing.
There were no cars or scooters and seemingly no tourists Wednesday, just the occasional jogger and multiple construction crews at work. The U.S. Capitol, which proved such a soft target last week, was visible only through lines of tall, black fence.
Two blocks from the White House, a group of uniformed National Guard troops emerged from a tour bus and headed into a hotel as a state of lockdown descended on Washington that will last through the Jan. 20 inauguration. The number of National Guard troops coming to Washington to assist with security has so far grown to about 21,000, but could increase as law enforcement agencies review the ongoing threats, officials said Thursday.
There has been a great deal of hyper-charged rhetoric associated with the presidential transition, particularly on social media sites. As members of the Secret Service, each of us is expected to remain civil and professional at all times, Secret Service Director James Murray said.
Some Metro stations will close in Washington, D.C., on Friday through Wednesday s inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and many federal workers will work from home due to threats of violence.
The National Park Service announced Friday that "core" areas of the National Mall will close through Wednesday's inauguration of President-elect Joseph R. Biden.