Russian President Vladimir Putin will reportedly not be watching Trump's inauguration. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said "it's quite a long event."
Our Kyiv correspondent, Christopher Miller, talked to some folks over an "Obama Hope Stout" and an "Obama Burger" about the Obama years.
Last Supper: An 'Obama' Grub-And-Pub Crawl In Ukraine's Capital
Reuters on the atmosphere in Washington this morning:
Security was tight around the White House and Capitol. Streets near the president's home were blocked to traffic by empty buses and dump trucks or temporary pedestrian security checkpoints where law enforcement officers and National Guard troops checked people's bags.
Some 28,000 officers were in place to secure the roughly 3-square-mile (8-square-kilometer) area of downtown Washington. The National Mall in front of the Capitol opened early to begin admitting guests, who were barred from bringing selfie sticks, coolers for beverages, and long umbrellas despite the rainy weather.
The swearing-in is only about four hours away.
One of the shadows still lingering from the campaign is related to Russia.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's first tweet on inauguration day:
Stock Futures Show A Boost
Reuters reports that stock-index futures got a lift ahead of the inauguration when U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen signaled continued support for gradual interest-rate increases yesterday, and were "treading water" early today.
The agency also quoted Morgan Stanley strategists led by Hans Redeker as saying in a note: "All eyes will be on the content and style of Trump's inauguration speech," and, "The more 'Presidential' this speech comes across, the better the outcome for markets."
"Trump's campaign promises of tax and regulatory reforms and higher infrastructure spending had driven Wall Street to multiple highs post-election," Reuters wrote. "However, the Trump trade has been unraveling in recent weeks as investors wait to see how he will carry out his ambitious plans."
