Trump calls for high-level Ukraine, Russia meeting
Donald Trump said talks between his envoy and Vladimir Putin made major progress toward ending the Ukraine war, urging Kyiv and Moscow to meet face-to-face.
President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration will take place inside the U.S. Capitol on Monday rather than outdoors because of severe cold, the first time in 40 years that U.S. presidential inaugural ceremonies will be moved indoors.
"There is an Arctic blast sweeping the Country. I don’t want to see people hurt, or injured, in any way," Trump said on his Truth Social platform on Friday.
"Therefore, I have ordered the Inauguration Address, in addition to prayers and other speeches, to be delivered in the United States Capitol Rotunda," Trump added.
The last time an inauguration was moved indoors because of the bitter cold was in 1985 for former Republican President Ronald Reagan's second swearing-in when the afternoon wind chill fell into the range of minus 10 to minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 23 to minus 29 degrees Celsius).
The forecast for Washington on Monday is for a temperature at the time of Trump's swearing-in around 19 F (minus 7 C) but it is expected to feel even colder with wind chill.
Trump said supporters can view the ceremony on screens inside the Capital One Arena, a professional basketball and hockey venue in downtown Washington that holds 20,000 people.
He said his presidential parade, which was set to involve marching bands and other groups proceeding down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House, will be switched to Capital One Arena. It was not immediately clear how a parade would be organized inside the sports venue.
Trump said he would join the crowd at the arena after being sworn in.
The switch means there will be no comparisons of Trump's crowd size to previous inauguration ceremonies. After his first swearing-in, in 2017, the Republican Trump was infuriated by media reports suggesting the crowd on the National Mall was far smaller than the one that saw former Democratic President Barack Obama first take the oath of office in 2009.
The change in plans will greatly reduce the number of people able to watch the ceremony in person. Many of the more than 220,000 ticketed guests who had been due to watch from the U.S. Capitol grounds will be unable to view the swearing-in inside the building.
In addition, 250,000 unticketed members of the public were predicted to stand on the National Mall for the outdoor ceremony, according to a permit issued to Trump's inaugural committee by the National Park Service. Just a fraction of that number will fit into the Capital One Arena.
School secretary Tammy Matte, her pastor husband Paul and their high school son Michael had tickets provided by their local congressman but canceled the trip from Laurel, Mississippi after learning they would not see Trump in person.
Matte, 58, said they were no longer prepared to do the nearly 1,000-mile car ride to Washington. "We don't feel it's worth it not to see the ceremony in person," Matte said.
The National Park Service, which oversees the National Mall, did not immediately say whether crowds will still be allowed on the Mall to watch the indoor ceremony on giant video screens already in place.
Trump is due to hold a rally with supporters inside the Capital One Arena on Sunday, the eve of his inauguration.
Alexi Worley, a spokesperson for the law enforcement agencies tasked with inauguration security, said the U.S. Secret Service was working closely with Trump's inauguration committee and the congressional committee in charge of the swearing-in ceremony "to adapt our security plans as needed due to the expected inclement weather."
Frigid weather has featured at many a past inauguration. Temperatures for Obama's first inauguration in 2009 were also cold, rising to around 29 F (minus 1.5 degrees C).
William Henry Harrison, the ninth U.S. president, delivered the longest inaugural address on March 4, 1841, in wet and cold conditions without a hat or overcoat.
That event and speech were thought to have contributed to his later succumbing to pneumonia. He died one month after taking office, making his presidency the shortest in American history.
During the second swearing-in ceremony for President Ulysses S. Grant on March 4, 1873, several cadets and midshipmen standing outside without overcoats collapsed and gusting winds made Grant's address inaudible to even those close to him on the platform, according to a history published by the National Weather Service. The morning low temperature of 4 F (-15 C) on that day remains Washington's coldest March day on record.
China has rolled out the world’s first 10-gigabit (10G) fixed broadband network in Xiong'an New Area, promising ultra-fast speeds and low latency through cutting-edge optical infrastructure.
Pope Francis's relationship with Azerbaijan has evolved significantly over the years, characterized by diplomatic exchanges, promotion of religious tolerance, and peace advocacy in the Caucasus region.
Russia launched a major missile and drone assault on Kyiv overnight on April 24, killing at least twelve people and injuring 90, including children and a pregnant woman, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
China’s pivot away from U.S. liquefied petroleum gas under new tariffs is shaking global energy flows, slashing demand, and fuelling a scramble for alternatives across Asia, with Middle Eastern suppliers and rival buyers seizing the moment.
A deadly attack targeting tourists in India’s Jammu and Kashmir territory has left at least 20 feared dead, marking the deadliest incident against civilians in the region for years, according to security sources.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Sunday that the upcoming week will be "very critical" for Russia-Ukraine negotiations, emphasizing that both sides are still not "close enough" to a deal.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has confirmed that Moscow will persist in targeting Ukrainian military sites, despite international condemnation following recent attacks on civilian areas.
China has announced that it has taken control of Sandy Cay reef, a disputed landform in the South China Sea, located just a few kilometers from a key Philippine military outpost. The reef, which China refers to as Tiexian Jiao, is also claimed by Taiwan, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
The Indian Navy has tested anti-ship missiles after a deadly Kashmir attack further strained already fragile ties with Pakistan.
Greenland’s prime minister has ruled out any U.S. takeover of the Arctic territory, stressing that Greenland is not a piece of property to be bought.
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