QANON Trump fanatics are plotting to kill Joe Biden at his inauguration by posing as the National Guard, the FBI has discovered.
An intelligence briefing citing concerns around the event revealed online chatter between the conspiracy theorists showed they considered an assassination "easy" to carry out following the Capitol riots.
The National Guard have been told to be alert to anyone who looks 'out of place' as a result. 'Concerns of lone wolf actors are increasing,' the FBI's official intelligence report adds.
And around 25,000 National Guard members underwent extra intense FBI screening this week after US defense officials raised concerns over 'insider' murder plots by one of those tasked with protecting Biden on the day.
The fears come just a day before President-Elect Biden's inauguration on where he will be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States.
Follow our US Politics live blog below for the latest news on Joe Biden, Donald Trump and Wednesday's inauguration
- Patrick Knox
THE NEW NORMAL
The usually packed seating area has been drastically pared down because of Covid.
- Patrick Knox
WHAT WILL BIDEN SAY AT HIS INAUGURATION?
Biden's inaugural speech is expected to focus on his appeals for Americans to reunite and to step up the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
He is also set to announce a dramatic shift away from Trump's "America First" ideology, taking the United States back to its traditions of alliance-building.
This will begin with the new president ordering the United States back into the Paris climate accord on day one.
- Patrick Knox
WHO IS TRUMP GOING TO PARDON?
According to CNN and other US outlets, Trump has a list of about 100 people he will grant clemency to.
After what The New York Times reports has been an intense lobbying effort, these are expected to be a mix of white-collar criminals and people whose cases have been championed by criminal justice activists.
More controversial possible pardons that have been the subject of speculation for months would be for the likes of Edward Snowden, Julian Assange and Trump's influential advisor Stephen Bannon.
- Patrick Knox
IRAN STAGES WAR GAMES AS BIDEN BECOMES PRESIDENT
Its military will be staging huge ground force war games hours before the president is inaugurated.
Iran has recently stepped up military drills as part of an effort to pressure the President-elect over the nuclear deal Donald Trump pulled out of.
Biden has said the US could rejoin the multinational accord meant to contain Iran's nuclear program.
According to the report, commando units and airborne infantry were participating in the exercise, along with fighter jets, helicopters and military transport aircraft.
- Patrick Knox
BIDEN, 78, TO PLAN OWN FUNERAL ONCE SWORN IN
This is up to the President and his family, with the Military District of Washington making the arrangements. It is more pressing because of his advanced age.
He will become the oldest President to take office, ahead of Trump who was 70 when he entered the White House in 2016.
Ronald Regan was 69.
- Patrick Knox
PREPARATIONS FOR THE BIG, IF NOT SMALLER DAY
Biden, meanwhile, is putting the finishing touches to an inauguration that will feature a small crowd and massive security.
The drastically scaled-down event comes amid fears of a pro-Trump riot and because of Covid-19.
- Patrick Knox
FINAL POLL SHOWS LOWEST APPROVAL
His final Gallup poll as president yesterday showed him exiting with 34 percent approval, his record low.
Trump's overall average of 41 percent since taking office is also the lowest for any president's approval rating since Gallup began measuring in 1938.
- Patrick Knox
UNCHARACTERISTICALLY SILENT
Not a squeak from Donald Trump… as the clock ticks down to his departure to a new life in his Mar-a-Lago golf club residence in Palm Beach.
Banned by Twitter for his stream of inflammatory messages and misinformation, he has largely stopped communicating with the nation.
He has also yet to congratulate Biden or invite him for the traditional pre-inauguration cup of tea in the Oval Office.
- Patrick Knox
TRUMP MULLING PARDONS ON LAST FULL DAY IN POWER
Donald Trump began his final full day in the White House today with a long list of possible pardons to dish out before snubbing his successor Joe Biden's inauguration and leaving for Florida.
Tomorrow at noon, Biden will be sworn in and the Trump presidency will end, turning the page on some of the most disruptive, divisive years the United States has seen since the 1960s.
Biden, a veteran Democratic senator who also served as vice president to Barack Obama, was set to travel to Washington on Tuesday with his wife Dr Jill Biden from their hometown of Wilmington, Delaware.
Together with incoming vice president Kamala Harris — the first woman ever to hold the job — Biden was due to deliver an evening address on the Covid-19 crisis, from the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
- Alahna Kindred
'NOT THE TIME'
Political advisor Jen Psaki, who was the White House communications chief until 2017, said: "With the pandemic worsening, and more contagious variants emerging around the world, this is not the time to be lifting restrictions on international travel.
"On the advice of our medical team, the Administration does not intend to lift these restrictions on 1/26.
"In fact, we plan to strengthen public health measures around international travel in order to further mitigate the spread of Covid-19."
The Trump administration had considered lifting the restrictions in November, after winning support from coronavirus task force members and public health officials.
- Alahna Kindred
JOE SAYS NO
The incoming Biden administration will NOT lift entry bans on those traveling from the UK, Brazil and much of Europe on January 26.
Travel restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic barring most visitors from Europe coming to the US have been in place since mid-March, while the Brazilian entry ban came into force in May.
This was reportedly set to end next week under a new proclamation from president Trump, the same day that new Covid-19 test requirements take effect for all international visitors, according to Reuters.
But it has now revealed that these restrictions will not be lifted, and Joe Biden will instead be toughening rules around international travel.
- Debbie White
TRUMP'S FINAL VIDEO MESSAGE FOR NATION
President Donald Trump is still adamant that he won the election hours before he makes way for incoming leader Joe Biden, says The New York Times.
CNN reports that Trump has prepared a final video message for the nation, before he leaves the White House.
He has also been holding meetings on pardons, as he prepares to issue a reported 100 pardons on Tuesday.
- Debbie White
THOUSANDS OF FLAGS AT NATIONAL MALL
Thousands of American flags are seen in this awe-inspiring pic below, snapped at the National Mall on January 18.
The flags represent the people who are unable to travel to Washington for the inauguration, near the US Capitol, ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, in Washington D.C.
- Debbie White
TRUMP TO LIFT TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS FROM BRAZIL, UK & EUROPE
Donald Trump will lift entry bans for most non-US citizens who were recently in Brazil and much of Europe from January 26.
Travel restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic barring most visitors from Europe entering the US have been in place since mid-March, 2020, while the Brazilian entry ban was set in May.
The Trump administration had brought in the tough bans to help stem the coronavirus pandemic.
But, this is now set to end under a new proclamation from Trump, on the same day that new Covid test requirements take effect for all international visitors.
- Debbie White
LAWMAKERS TO CURTAIL FACE RECOGNITION DESPITE CAPITOL RAMPAGE
Lawmakers want to ban facial recognition software despite the technology helping to identify President Donald Trump's supporters who ransacked the US Capitol.
"It's a great tool," said Michael Sheldon, research associate at the nonprofit Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab.
Sheldon said he provided the FBI with possible names of several people in the violent mob thanks to a facial recognition program he bought.
But Senator Ed Markey (Massachusetts) said the tech may not be worth the risks. Racial justice activists have warned that facial recognition can result in discriminatory policing and constant tracking could become the norm.
"We've seen that in the wake of past crises innocent Americans have been subjected to increased problematic surveillance," Markey said.
- Debbie White
GARTH BROOKS JOINS ENTERTAINERS AT INAUGURATION
Garth Brooks will join the impressive lineup of entertainers at the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.
Brooks will join Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez among others on Wednesday.
“This is a great day in our household,” the country music superstar said during a virtual press conference on Monday.
He added: “This is not a political statement. This is a statement of unity.”
- Debbie White
‘TRAITORS GET SHOT’ WARNING TO KIDS
A Capitol rioter threatened to shoot his own kids if they turned him in after the deadly siege.
Guy Welsey Reffitt, 48, warned his juvenile daughter and adult son, according to court documents seen by the New York Post.
“If you turn me in, you’re a traitor and you know what happens to traitors … traitors get shot,” Reffitt allegedly told his kids.
Reffitt was later arrested on January 15, after being tracked down by feds who saw footage of him. Authorities found an AR-15 style rifle and a Smith and Wesson pistol.
He is facing charges of obstruction of justice, according to the NYP.
- Debbie White
MELANIA TRUMP'S FAREWELL MESSAGE
Melania Trump has said "violence is never the answer and will never be justified" in a farewell message.
The outgoing First Lady has posted a video clip on Twitter as Joe Biden prepares to take office following his presidential inauguration on Wednesday.
She added that it had been the "greatest honour" of her life to serve as First Lady, describing her four years serving alongside her husband Donald Trump as "unforgettable".
In a video tweeted to her 16million followers, Melania said: "Be passionate in every thing you do,"
"But always remember that violence is never the answer and will never be justified."
- Debbie White
CENSUS BUREAU BOSS TO QUIT AFTER DATA CRITICISM
Census Bureau director Steven Dillingham said on Monday that he is quitting to coincide with the change in presidential administrations.
The statistical agency is crunching numbers for the 2020 census, which will be used to determine how many congressional seats and Electoral College votes each state gets, as well as the distribution of $1.5trillion in federal spending each year.
Last week, Democratic lawmakers called on Dillingham to resign after a watchdog agency said he had set a deadline that pressured statisticians to produce a report on the number of people in the US illegally.
One whistleblower told the Office of Inspector General that the work was statistically indefensible.
The pandemic and errors found in the data have forced the bureau to delay releasing the numbers used to apportion congressional seats until early March.
- Debbie White
CAPITOL ALERT AFTER FIRE
The Capitol building was locked down and Joe Biden's inauguration rehearsal evacuated after a fire sparked a security threat.
Smoke was seen billowing from behind the US Capitol building on Monday morning. However, Biden was not at the event.
Those who had gathered for a walk-through, including a military band, were directed to head indoors and moved in the direction of a secure location inside the Capitol complex.
It later transpired that smoke was coming from the Navy Yard, with reports of a fire located under a bridge.
Reporters said that the blaze broke out after a propane tank exploded in a homeless encampment roughly one mile away.
- Debbie White
FBI VETTING ALL 25K NATIONAL GUARDS ON DUTY
Law enforcement is bracing for possible insider attacks during the inauguration of Joe Biden in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, say reports.
Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy confirmed that officials are conscious of the potential threat.
And he warned commanders to be on the lookout for any problems within their ranks as the inauguration approaches.
He said: "We're continually going through the process, and taking second, third looks at everyone of the individuals assigned to this operation."
- Debbie White
MILITARY HUMVEE STOLEN FROM CALIFORNIA
The FBI is offering a $10,000 reward after a $120,000 “combat ready” military Humvee was stolen in California.
The armored vehicle was swiped from a National Guard facility in a Los Angeles suburb days before Joe Biden's inauguration.
Its announcement of the theft caused alarm on Twitter, with one person saying, "this is terrifying".
The FBI warned that stealing from a military facility carries a statutory maximum sentence of ten years in federal prison.
The green camouflage Humvee was described as having four doors, and the bumper number 40BSBHQ6.
- Debbie White
'BRACING FOR THE WORST'
Forty-four hours before Joe Biden's inauguration, Washington D.C. is seeing:
- Roads shut down
- Vehicle check points
- 25,000 troops deployed
- Non-scalable fencing put up
But there is 'no choice' reports BBC News, as security officials are determined to prevent any repeat of the shocking January 6 storming of the US Capitol.
Law enforcement officials are bracing for the worst, the BBC added.
HEAVILY-ARMED RIGHT-WING EXTREMISTS IN DEMO AFTER CAPITOL INSURRECTION
Thousands of heavily armed guns rights activists from across America have descended on Virginia for an annual demonstration.
Right-wing extremists and members of the Boogaloo Boys movement could today be seen wielding assault rifles at the protest, which comes days after rioters stormed the US Capitol in Washington DC.
While it is usually a peaceful event, authorities have been on high alert in Richmond, which is about 110 miles from Washington DC, as thousands filled the area surrounding the Virginia State Capitol.
Despite heightened security measures ahead of Biden's inauguration, group members have been seen walking around the building carrying rifles.
PHOTOGRAPHERS ENJOYED LOADS OF ACCESS TO TRUMP FOR ICONIC PICS
Photographers documenting Donald Trump's time in the White House have spoken of being given ample time and access to the media-savvy leader.
Speaking to NBC News, Doug Mills, a snapper for The New York Times, said: "We've had more access to Donald Trump than any president I've covered."
Mills found that Trump prefers low lighting.
Leah Millis of Reuters, meanwhile, noticed that Trump would often look up during prayer.
And Sarah Silbiger, a freelance photojournalist who works for Getty Images and other outlets, said Trump's presidency "ushered in a new era of photojournalists to be more creative".
Source: Read Full Article