The National Guard takes over the Capitol
The situation in Washington is leaving unusual scenes, either by excess or by default. As the Capitol was taken over by Trump's most ardent supporters during the ceremony to make Joe Biden's victory official, there is now a desire to avoid the altercation at all costs.
Although the figure may be increased, 10,000 National Guard troops are already deployed in the US capital, Washington, in view of the threat of preventing Joe Biden's inauguration on 20 January. The outgoing president, Donald Trump, will not attend.
However, this huge deployment is not the most significant thing. Hundreds of National Guard troops are quartered inside the Capitol itself, something that has never happened before. The images of National Guard members sleeping on the floor along the corridors and halls of the Capitol have gone around the world.
At first, an attempt was made to prevent the troops who make up this huge deployment from being armed. However, in the last few hours the Department of Defence has decided that they should be armed, given the real risk of serious disturbances.
According to CNN, it was the federal authorities who requested a change of criteria on the carrying of weapons, something to which the secretary of the army, Ryan McCarthy, finally agreed.
US intelligence and security forces continue to monitor social networks and the internet for chatter urging violence from Donald Trump's most extremist supporters. A threat that is not only limited to the capital, but also affects cities in other states. Similarly, search and arrest warrants have been issued, along with rewards, for some of the most visible faces involved in the assault on the Capitol.
Meanwhile, the second impeachment, another unusual development by the Trump Administration, is continuing after its passage through the House of Representatives with the support of part of the Republicans. Even so, it has yet to pass through the Senate, where it will foreseeably be buried, as there are not enough members of the Republican Party willing to favour an impeachment of its still president.