The U.S. Capitol building is prepared for the inauguration ceremonies for President-elect Joe Biden as the "Field of Flags" are illuminated on the ground on the National Mall on Monday, Jan. 18, 2021. in Washington, DC. Approximately 191,500 flags will cover part of the National Mall and will represent the American people who are unable to travel to Washington, for the inauguration. (Joe Raedle/Pool via AP)
The completed "Field of Flags" display on the National Mall in Washington DC was lit up by powerful beacons on Monday.
The display was organized by the Presidential Inaugural Committee to mark the upcoming swearing-in of President-elect Joe Biden.
Echoing the "America United" theme of inauguration week, the display features 191,500 US flags and 56 pillars of light.
The pillars symbolize every US state and territory, according to the Committee.
It added the display represented all Americans unable to travel to Washington DC to attend the inauguration due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The stunning removal of Kevin McCarthy as speaker has left the House adrift as Republicans struggle to bring order to their fractured majority and begin the difficult and potentially prolonged process of uniting around a new leader.
New York City is challenging a unique legal agreement that requires it to provide emergency housing to anyone who asks for it, as the city's shelter system strains under a large influx of international migrants who have arrived since last year.
Warned to mind his out-of-court comments, former President Donald Trump returned to his New York civil fraud trial Wednesday as lawyers on both sides closely questioned an accountant who prepared financial statements at the heart of the case.
The third day of former president Donald Trump's civil fraud trial kicked off earlier Wednesday in New York, a day after a judge imposed a limited gag order on Trump.
The National Zoo's three giant pandas — Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji — are set to return to China in early December with no public signs that the 50-year-old exchange agreement struck by President Richard Nixon will continue.
Speaker Kevin McCarthy plans to force a vote Tuesday on the far-right effort to oust him from his leadership position and insists he will not cut a deal with Democrats to remain in power, setting the stage for an extraordinary and unpredictable showdown on the House floor.
