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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 6 January 2021
D.C. mayor calls in National Guard ahead of pro-Trump protests

Associated Press conference on Monday,
WASHINGTON (AP) — Brac- Bowser asked that local
ing for possible violence, area residents stay away
the nation's capital has from downtown D.C., and
mobilized the National avoid confrontations with
Guard ahead of planned anyone who is "looking for
protests by President Don- a fight." But, she warned,
ald Trump's supporters in "we will not allow people to
connection with the con- incite violence, intimidate
gressional vote expected our residents or cause de-
Wednesday to affirm Joe struction in our city."
Biden's election victory. According to a U.S. defense
Trump's supporters are official, Bowser put in a re-
planning to rally Tuesday quest on New Year's Eve to
and Wednesday, seeking have Guard members on
to bolster the president's the streets from Tuesday to
unproven claims of wide- Thursday to help with the
spread voter fraud. "There protests. The official said
are people intent on com- the additional forces will
ing to our city armed," D.C. be used for traffic control
Acting Police Chief Robert and other assistance but
Contee said Monday. they will not be armed or
A pro-Trump rally in De- wearing body armor. Con-
cember ended in violence In this Dec. 17, 2020 file photo, District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser speaks during a news gress is meeting this week
as hundreds of Trump sup- conference in Washington. to certify the Electoral Col-
porters, wearing the sig- Associated Press lege results, and Trump has
nature black and yellow refused to concede while
of the Proud Boys faction, A warrant had been is- drew about 15,000 people, political parties, governors whipping up support for
sought out confrontations sued for Tarrio's arrest for Trump staged a limousine in key battleground states protests.
with a collective of local destruction of property, po- drive-by past cheering and Trump's former attor- Some 340 D.C. National
activists attempting to bar lice said. He was also fac- crowds in Freedom Plaza, ney general, William Barr, Guard members will be
them from Black Lives Mat- ing a weapons charges af- on the city's iconic Penn- have said there was no activated, with about 115
ter Plaza, an area near the ter officers found him with sylvania Avenue. And at widespread fraud in the on duty in the streets at
White House. two high-capacity firearm the December rally, which election. Nearly all the le- any given time, said the
On Monday, Metropolitan magazines when he was drew smaller numbers but a gal challenges from Trump defense official, who pro-
Police Department officers arrested, a police spokes- larger contingent of Proud and his allies have been vided details on condition
arrested the leader of the man said. Boys, Trump's helicopter dismissed by judges, includ- of anonymity to discuss in-
Proud Boys, Henry "Enrique" Trump has repeatedly flew low over cheering ing two rejected by the Su- ternal deliberations. The of-
Tarrio, 36, after he arrived in encouraged this week's crowds on the National preme Court. ficial said Guard members
Washington ahead of this protests and hinted that Mall. Now with downtown D.C. will be used to set up traffic
week's protests. Tarrio was he may get personally in- The protests coincide with businesses boarding up control points around the
accused of burning a Black volved. Over the weekend, Wednesday's congressio- their windows, Mayor Mu- city and to stand with dis-
Lives Matter banner that he retweeted a promotion nal vote expected to cer- riel Bowser has requested trict police officers at all the
was torn down from a his- for the rally with the mes- tify the Electoral College a limited National Guard city's Metro stops. Contee
toric Black church in down- sage, "I will be there. His- results, which Trump contin- deployment to help bol- said Guard troops will also
town Washington during toric Day!" ues to dispute, ster the Metropolitan Police be used for some crowd
the December protests. At a November rally, which Election officials from both Department. During a press management.q

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter won't attend Biden's inauguration

ATLANTA (AP) — Former ally during the Georgian's teaches Sunday School at
President Jimmy Carter term in the White House. Maranatha Baptist Church
and former first lady Rosal- The Carters have spent in Plains, as he had for de-
ynn Carter will not attend the coronavirus pandem- cades, but still participates
President-elect Joe Biden's ic mostly at their home in in church activities via
inauguration. It marks the Plains, Georgia, where both video amid the COVID-19
first time the couple, 96 and were raised and where pandemic. Carter was the
93, will have missed the cer- they returned after leaving first former president to
emonies since Carter was the White House in 1981. confirm his plans to attend
sworn in as the 39th presi- Carter, a Democrat, be- President Donald Trump's
dent in 1977. came the longest-lived inauguration in 2017. The
A spokeswoman at The American president in Carters were seated on
Carter Center in Atlanta March 2019, surpassing for- the aisle, next to former
said the Carters have sent mer President George H.W. President Bill Clinton and
Biden and Vice President- Bush, who died the previ- Hillary Clinton, and former
elect Kamala Harris their ous November. Carter sur- President George W. Bush In this Sept. 30, 2018 file photo, former President Jimmy Carter
"best wishes" and "look for- vived a melanoma diagno- and Laura Bush. The elder and Rosalynn Carter are seen ahead of an NFL football game
between the Atlanta Falcons and the Cincinnati Bengals, in At-
ward to a successful ad- sis that spread to his brain in Bush was the lone former lanta.
ministration." 2015. He has since had sev- president at the time who Associated Press
Biden was a young Dela- eral falls and hip replace- did not attend Trump's in-
ware senator and Carter ment surgery. He no longer auguration. The Carters did travel to Washington for the elder Bush's funeral.q