WASHINGTON - US President-elect Joe Biden's nominee for Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday proposed several changes to the Trump administration's foreign policy after taking office.

During his confirmation hearing at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Blinken said that the incoming Biden administration would seek to rejoin the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal, if Tehran returns to compliance.

President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the deal in May 2018 and slapped harsh sanctions against Iran. In response, Tehran has gradually dropped some of its JCPOA commitments since May 2019.

"The President-elect believes that if Iran comes back into compliance, we would too," with an intention to seek a "longer and stronger agreement," he said.

The incoming secretary of state indicated that the objective of a new agreement with Iran would involve Iran's missile program and its activities in the region, while underlining "we're a long way from there".

Blinken, Jewish, voiced his support for a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, a policy stance that was backed by successive US governments for decades but was largely abandoned by the Trump administration.

"What would be important is to make sure that neither party takes steps that make the already difficult proposition even more challenging," he said.

Blinken questioned the designation of Yemen's Houthi group as a terrorist group, which was announced last week by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to double down the pressure campaign against Iran.

He added that the incoming administration would extend a key arms control treaty with Moscow.

"I think we're going to seek an extension," Blinken said when asked if the Biden administration would extend the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty expiring on Feb 5.

The treaty stipulates limits to the numbers of deployed nuclear warheads and strategic delivery systems by both, and can be extended by a maximum of five years with the consent of the two countries.

Blinken, 58, served as Deputy National Security Advisor and Deputy Secretary of State under former President Barack Obama. A close aide to Biden for nearly two decades, Blinken was one of Biden's first cabinet picks.

A day before the inauguration of the 46th president of the United States, I chose to walk to my office in downtown Washington to save time.

The heart of the District of Columbia used to be beating with bustling businesses and travelers. Not on Tuesday.

Instead, streets resonated with the rhythm of tactical boots worn by National Guard troops, as well as the soft sound of sneakers by a weary press corps covering the scene.

Much of the city was closed off as never before to avert any repetition of events like the violent storming of the Capitol that led to five deaths two weeks ago.

High black fencing has been erected around the Capitol, around some businesses and other federal buildings throughout the city.

The number of National Guard troops brought in to defend the US capital — 20,000 to 25,000 — has surpassed more than the number of US troops in the war theaters of Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria combined.

As I walked along 17th Street with barricaded buildings, I encountered small squads of hoodie-wearing National Guard troops, each laden with a backpack. They seemed to have just arrived for their mission.

Having just heard that 12 of their comrades had been removed from security duties at the Capitol for "questionable behavior" in their past during security screening on Tuesday, I wondered if any of these troops were coming to fill the vacancies.

I had dispensed with my backpack, carrying only a camera and a palm-sized notebook to easily and quickly get through possible searching at checkpoints. That was also for safety considerations.

At least nine journalists were physically assaulted by rioters during the Jan 6 Capitol mayhem, and the TV equipment of my fellow colleagues covering the turmoil was damaged.

Despite an alert for pre-inauguration violence, Tuesday, just like the weekend and Monday, was basically quiet and peaceful in the district thanks to the large presence of the National Guard and extra police.

There was, though, a small noisy protest on Black Life Matters Plaza near the front of the White House.

The road was officially named by DC Mayor Muriel Bowser in early June amid demonstrations against the killing of George Floyd, a black man, while in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25.

The plaza has become a venue for people to vent against racial injustice, police brutality and now "domestic terrorists", as the posters and their banners showed.

On the roadside, a white woman, waving small flags, was singing religious and patriotic American songs in front of a painted portrait of Martin Luther King Jr.

She was approached and interrupted by a young black man as people gathered around them.

The counterprotester, hoisting a BLM flag on one hand and holding a loudspeaker in another, stood just inches from the woman.

They were at an impasse — as neither refused to move. And there was an exchange of words among passers-by, who seemed to be at odds with each other about the protest.

Almost all the shops and restaurants on the streets nearby were boarded up in case of pre-inauguration violence, which was seen in the summer when the anti-racism movement turned up the heat.

The only difference between then and now is that the fortifying of the nation's capital seems to be more creative. At one spot, a portrait of King, the civil rights legend, seemed to be staring at some of the plywood.

Around the National Press Building on the 14th Street, where a host of international press outlets have offices, looked much different.

The street on the building's west side was off limits to the public, with rows of soldiers lined up near a barricade.

Troops also were outside a restaurant across from the press building, turning the area into sort of an open-air barracks.

How should we the press, who are supposed to scribble the "first rough draft of history", record the unfolding history on the streets?

I remember talking to Cal Jillson, a political scientist and historian at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, about the unprecedented show of force in the district and state capitals around the US.

"Once Biden is inaugurated and tensions begin to abate, it will be important to get the barriers down as soon as is responsibly possible," he said.

I went to the office to get a new face mask. What I thought would be a faster walk turned out to take thrice the time compared with a normal day.

But then it was anything but a normal day.

US President-elect Joe Biden arrived in Washington on Tuesday on the eve of his inauguration as officials said 12 of the thousands of National Guard troops providing security for the event have been removed from duty in a vetting process to ensure that troops don't have ties to extremist groups.

The Associated Press reported that two of the 12 were found to have ties with right-wing militia groups or posted extremist views online.

But Army General Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, later told reporters two of the individuals were flagged due to "inappropriate" comments and texts.

The other 10 Guard members were removed for questionable behavior found in the vetting process, Hokanson said, emphasizing that this doesn't necessarily mean they have ties to extremists, but simply that they were "identified" and removed from service "out of an abundance of caution".

"I'm not concerned as a large part of our organization, if you look at 25,000, we've had 12 identified, and some of those they are just looking into; it may be unrelated to this, but we want to make sure out of an abundance of caution as I stated earlier that we do the right thing until that gets cleared up," he told reporters.

There was no threat to Biden, officials said.

Last week, the FBI and the US Army worked to vet all 25,000 National Guard troops headed to Washington for the inauguration. US defense officials have expressed concern about a potential insider attack or other threat from service members following the deadly riot at the Capitol on Jan 6 by Trump supporters.

Biden, an avid fan of Amtrak from his days as a member of Congress when he commuted every day by train to his home in Delaware, had planned to take a train into Washington ahead of the inauguration, but that was scratched as too much of a security risk.

He instead flew to a military air base just outside the capital on Tuesday afternoon in a private plane.

Shortly before Biden departed for Washington, the US reached another grim milestone in the pandemic — topping 400,000 deaths from COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins University.

"These are dark times," Biden told dozens of supporters in an emotional send-off in Delaware before departing for Washington. "But there's always light."

Biden also participated in a memorial Tuesday honoring Americans who have died from COVID-19, with 400 lights illuminating the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

Hundreds of towns, cities and communities across the country plan to join in the solemn tribute with lighting ceremonies of their own at buildings from the Empire State Building in New York City to the Space Needle in Seattle.

Biden was joined by his wife Jill Biden, Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff.

Agencies contributed to this story.

The stage is now surrounded by tall fences and patrolled by extra police officers.

Two weeks ago, hundreds of people stormed up the steps of that stage behind where Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States and broke into the Capitol.

When Biden takes the oath of office on Wednesday while three former presidents —  but not Biden's predecessor — sit nearby, he will face an increasingly polarized, pessimistic and pained nation, according to the latest national NBC News poll.

More than 7 in 10 voters believe the country is on the wrong track, another 7 in 10 think the next four years will remain politically divided, and a majority say they are mainly worried and pessimistic about the nation's future, the TV network reported on the eve of the inauguration.

Outgoing President Donald Trump, in a farewell speech Tuesday, touted his legacy, and wished luck to the next administration without mentioning Biden's name.

Biden flew into Washington on Tuesday afternoon after an emotional send-off in Delaware, where he told supporters, "there's always light" after the dark times.

His entrance to the capital and Trump's final full day as president coincided with the news that the number of deaths from COVID-19 in the US surged past 400,000, the worst public health crisis in decades.

Biden and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris attended a ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial on Tuesday, grieving for the victims of the pandemic and vowing to begin to heal the country.

His biggest test after he is sworn in will be "continuing to be presidential — above the partisan bickering", according to William Banks, distinguished professor emeritus at the Syracuse University College of Law in New York.

Biden also will seek common ground to reach compromise on new policies to expedite his agenda in Congress on climate, energy, immigration and pandemic relief.

Banks said the unprecedented level of security in Washington is justified, because the risk of violence remains high.

The pandemic, coupled with the stepped-up security in Washington, unseen since the Sept 11, 2001, attacks, will reduce the traditionally joyous celebration witnessed by thousands of spectators to a gathering of a few.

Tens of thousands of armed National Guard troops and other law enforcement officers have turned the US capital into a fortress, where its iconic monuments are closed, along with the National Mall.

A window displayed on a bus stop near the State Department shows the photos of the Jan 6 protesters, seeking tips from the public to help identify those suspected of "assault on federal officers at the US Capitol".

Five people, including a police officer, died in the assault.

Cal Jillson, a political scientist and historian at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, also said Biden's inaugural address likely will focus on national unity, but he will also highlight the importance of more effectively addressing the coronavirus and speeding up the economic recovery.

The International Monetary Fund has predicted the US economy to contract by 4.3 percent in 2020.

The number of US workers applying for unemployment claims last week posted the biggest weekly gain since the pandemic hit last March, according to US Labor Department figures.

Jillson said most presidential inaugurations are national celebrations, even for many of those whose candidate didn't win the election.

"This inauguration takes place in a more divided nation. President Biden will have to lower the temperature of our national politics while slowly pulling the nation together," he told China Daily.

Biden wants Congress to act quickly on a massive stimulus package to revive the economy and has a target of seeing 100 million shots of coronavirus vaccine injected within his first 100 days in office.

However, Jillson noted that Biden's biggest challenge will be addressing the polarization in the public and the Congress.

"Simple competence in distributing and administering the coronavirus vaccine would go a long way toward meeting that challenge," he said.

Stanley Renshon, a political scientist at City University of New York, said he expected Biden to emphasize overcoming divisions, bringing Americans together and taking immediate steps to put the country on the right path.

"His biggest test will be governing a deeply divided county with a veneer of moderation while attempting to cloak a very liberal Democratic policy agenda that is being pushed decisively leftward. That is not a recipe for success," Renshon said.

Biden also should signal to the world that the US will recalibrate after four years of Trump, according to Edward Frantz, a presidential historian at the University of Indianapolis.

"How do you talk about returning to new normal while also not seeming arrogant about the United States' position in the world — especially after what's transpired over the last four years of the Trump administration and also with what foreign observers watched in horror as the riots transpired," Frantz was quoted by The Associated Press on Monday.

Francis Fukuyama, a famed political scientist, noted that where the US goes after Biden's inauguration is "anyone's guess". He said the major uncertainty is what will happen within the Republican Party.

More than half of voters say they believe there was no widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, but up to 73 percent Republicans say that they believe there was widespread voter fraud, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll released on Jan 11.

"Biden winning the White House with a bare Democratic majority in Congress won't be enough for the United States to recover its international standing: Trumpism must be repudiated and delegitimized root and branch, much as McCarthyism was in the 1950s," Fukuyama wrote for Foreign Affairs on Monday.

As to foreign policy, Biden's biggest test ultimately will be at home, according to the Bloomberg Editorial Board.

"The new president must persuade Americans of something many have forgotten — that engaging with the world will add to, not subtract from, their country's security and prosperity," it said in an op-ed article last week.

WASHINGTON - Joe Biden's top aide said Saturday the incoming president would sign about a dozen executive orders on his first day in office, as police fearing violence from Trump supporters staged a nationwide security operation ahead of the inauguration.

Authorities in Washington, where Wednesday's inauguration will take place, said they arrested a man with a loaded handgun and more than 500 rounds of ammunition at a security checkpoint, underscoring the tension in the US capital which is resembling a war zone.

However, the man's family told US media he was a security guard, rejecting the idea he was intent on causing harm.

Incoming Biden chief of staff Ron Klain said in a memo to new White House senior staff that the executive orders would address the pandemic, the ailing US economy, climate change and racial injustice in America.

"All of these crises demand urgent action," Klain said in the memo.

"In his first ten days in office, President-elect Biden will take decisive action to address these four crises, prevent other urgent and irreversible harms, and restore America's place in the world," Klain added.

As he inherits the White House from Donald Trump, Biden's plate is overflowing with acute challenges.

The US is fast approaching 400,000 dead from the Covid-19 crisis and logging well over a million new cases a week as the coronavirus spreads out of control.

The economy is ailing, with 10 million fewer jobs available compared to the start of the pandemic.

Biden this week unveiled plans to seek $1.9 trillion to revive the economy through new stimulus payments and other aid, and plans a blitz to accelerate America's stumbling Covid vaccine rollout effort.

On Inauguration Day Biden, as previously promised, will sign orders including ones for the US to rejoin the Paris climate accord and reverse Trump's ban on entry of people from certain Muslim majority countries, Klain said.

"President-elect Biden will take action -- not just to reverse the gravest damages of the Trump administration -- but also to start moving our country forward," Klain said.

AFP

WASHINGTON - US President-elect Joe Biden on Monday said that he will nominate Gary Gensler, a former financial regulator and Goldman Sachs executive, to head the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Gensler, currently a professor of MIT Sloan School of Management, served as chairman of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission from 2009 to 2014 and earned a reputation as a tough regulator.

Biden also plans to nominate Federal Trade Commission member Rohit Chopra, who helped set up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) after the 2008 financial crisis, to serve as the next director of the CFPB, Biden's transition team said in a statement.

Both nominees will be subject to Senate confirmation. They were praised by Elizabeth Warren, the liberal Democratic senator from Massachusetts who advocates tougher financial regulation.

"For too long, our banking regulators have behaved like they work for the financial institutions they regulate - not the American people. But big change is coming," Warren wrote Monday on Twitter, adding that Biden could not have made two better picks to lead the SEC and CFPB.

"Gary Gensler and I worked together after the 2008 crisis to hold Wall Street accountable. He is a tenacious regulator who stood up to the industry titans to rein in their risky behavior. He will be an excellent SEC Chair during this economic crisis," Warren said.

A group of people on foot, some carrying long guns, and a caravan of more than 10 vehicles showed up in downtown Richmond, Virginia, on Monday to rally for the Second Amendment.

It is Dubbed "Lobby Day" because that is when people can lobby their state lawmakers for the amendment, which guarantees the right to bear arms.

The demonstration, hosted by the Virginia Citizens Defense League, was unable to obtain a permit to hold its yearly rally downtown, so it held the caravan instead.

The event was a far cry from last year when 22,000 people showed up, as the state capitol was ringed by security.

"The message is, you have rights, and we need to protect it. The most important right is the right to protect ourselves. We will not be silenced to go run and hide. If there is risk involved, liberty and freedom are worth it," Philip Van Cleave, league president, told the local CBS News affiliate.

As the FBI last week issued a warning of "armed protests" in all 50 state capitals during the presidential transition this week, at least 21 states have mobilized their National Guard to help protect their capitols.

Some states, like Michigan, canceled legislative sessions and closed their capitols through Wednesday, the day Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States.

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) abruptly announced the closure of the state Capitol on Friday, citing new intelligence that intensified safety concerns.

Texas DPS Director Colonel Steve McCraw said in a statement that DPS "is aware of armed protests planned at the Texas State Capitol and violent extremists who may seek to exploit constitutionally protected events".

"As a result, DPS has deployed additional personnel and resources to the Capitol and are working closely with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Austin Police Department to monitor events and to enforce the rule of law."

In Austin, a small group of gun-toting protesters advocating mostly for gun rights gathered outside the Capitol on Sunday.

"We're here to have a peaceful rally and to not allow legislators to take gun rights away. This is not about the election at all," Jeinay LeBlanc of Bay City told the Austin American-Statesman.

The FBI warned that protests would start over the weekend. While some did happen at state capitols, they were all peaceful and of small numbers — none exceeded 100, law enforcement officials said. Many other capitals remained quiet without any protesters showing up.

In Utah, authorities expected 500 to 1,500 people to attend a rally Sunday, but fewer than 20 showed up, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.

Some of the Utah protesters belong to Boogaloo Bois, an ultra-right-wing group with a mix of white supremacists who want to start a race war, and libertarians who believe in defending the rights of individuals against the government and have been known to incite violence against police.

Boogaloo Bois members also made appearances in the capitals of Arizona, Kentucky and Ohio in small numbers over the weekend.

In Sacramento, California, police backed by 1,000 National Guard troops have been deployed at the state Capitol until Wednesday's presidential inauguration.

Surrounded with a 6-foot chain-link fence, the building also has armed officers to confront violent protesters. But none ever arrived.

"It sounds reassuring, but it is indeed a shame. Since when did the presidential inauguration need such as huge police presence for security concerns?" said California resident Jian Yan.

She blamed Trump for fueling the Capitol riot on Jan 6. "Shame on Donald Trump," she said. "History books will show him as the worst president, and that's (how) he will be remembered."

Tom Lester, a Houston engineer, said the heightened security around the nation is a good move.

"Such a show of force sends out a strong signal to and will curb those extremists who think of taking violent action against the government. It's a good deterrence strategy to prevent an incident like the January 6th Capitol riot from happening again. The relatively quiet weekend is good proof," Lester said.

Lia Zhu in San Francisco contributed to this story.

The turning of the US Capitol into a fortress of fences, concrete barriers and security checkpoints continued Monday as thousands of National Guard, federal and local law enforcement officers remained vigilant for any threats before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.

Meanwhile, law enforcement officials are vetting airplane passengers at airports across the nation, putting any who have been identified among the violent protesters at the Capitol on Jan 6 on a "no fly list".

And the FBI and US Army, prompted by some current and former police officers and military personnel who joined the attack on the Capitol, screened National Guard troops in the capital for any extremist elements among the thousands of troops.

To get a glimpse of how the jittery capital is gripped by the fear following the deadly Jan 6 attack on the US Capitol, the Capitol complex temporarily locked down for about an hour Monday morning during a rehearsal for the Jan 20 event.

The lockdown was ordered, and some participants were evacuated after a fire in a homeless encampment roughly a mile away sent a plume of smoke into the air and caused security concerns.

The rehearsal resumed not long afterward, after the fire was quickly extinguished.

Biden has urged his supporters not to travel to Washington for his inauguration on Wednesday, which President Donald Trump has announced he won't attend as he continues to claim the election was stolen from him.

William Banks, distinguished professor emeritus at the Syracuse University College of Law in New York, said that only once in US history, just after the Civil War, has a departing president not attended the inauguration.

"The ceremony will also be dramatically affected by the pandemic, and by the extraordinary security necessitated by the attack on the Capitol on Jan 6," he said.

District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser also asked Americans not to come to Washington for Biden's inauguration, fearing violence and the spread of the coronavirus.

"Our goals right now are to encourage Americans to participate virtually and to protect the District to Columbia from a repeat of the violent insurrection experienced at the Capitol and its grounds on Jan 6," Bowser said at a news conference.

The traditional parade of military units and bands on Pennsylvania Avenue that draws hundreds of thousands of people and is reviewed by the new president and vice-president has been replaced by a "virtual" parade.

According to the National Park Service's list of inauguration permit applications it has received through the end of January, only one permit, which was still being processed, was explicitly pro-Trump.

Journalists covering the inaugural also were preparing for any violence, with CNN reporting that news organizations were giving staffers gas masks, helmets and body armor.

At least nine journalists were physically assaulted, at least five were arrested and at least four had equipment damaged while covering the storming of the Capitol, officials said.

Monday was a national holiday in observance of the birthday of the civil rights icon Martin Luther King, but the memorial in the capital is closed to the public through Thursday.

The National Mall, the Washington Monument and others were inaccessible; bridges were shut down and Metro stations shuttered. Streets from the Capitol where the inauguration of the 46th president will take place to the White House are closed, and some residents had to show identification to get home.

Ken Cuccinelli, Homeland Security acting deputy, told 60 Minutes that National Guard members in the nation’s capital swore an oath to the Constitution and will do whatever it takes to keep Americans safe.

"We're going to complete our jobs. There's not a stand-down. We have a statutory mission we’re going to perform under all circumstances. And I think that hypothetical is not going to happen. It's unimaginable," Cuccinelli said.

Pentagon officials said that 15,000 National Guard members from all 50 states and three territories had arrived in Washington by Saturday, and that number would reach as many as 25,000 by Wednesday to secure the inauguration.

"The massive show of force in Washington and the smaller displays in many state capitals are warranted and were necessary," said Cal Jillson, a political scientist and historian at Southern Methodist University.

Jillson noted that demonstrations around the nation over the pre-inaugural weekend were decidedly muted, and he believed that they largely will be the same on Wednesday as well.

"Once Biden is inaugurated, and tensions begin to abate, it will be important to get the barriers down as soon as is responsibly possible," he added.

Agencies contributed to this story.