Online conspiracy chats are full of speculation about the troops in Washington. Maryland added to the restrictions on transportation into and out of the capital heading into the Jan. 20 inauguration by announcing it would suspend commuter rail service Sunday. Trains will start to run again on Thursday.
There are four days until Joe Biden’s swearing in.
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Fringes of Social Media Speculate on Troops in D.C. (10:50 a.m.)
Followers of the QAnon conspiracy theory and other far-right supporters of President Donald Trump have been speculating on social media about the large troop presence in Washington ahead of next week’s inauguration. Some, who don’t believe Trump lost the election, are saying its a coup in the making by Biden; others suggest it’s part of Trump’s master plan.
Posts on networks such as Telegram and Gab used images of the National Guardsmen to argue “something is happening” in the nation’s capital.
Some users on these networks allege without substantiation that the troop buildup is part of a plan by Trump to interrupt Biden’s inauguration at the last minute, while others are using it to further discredit the president-elect’s victory.
“Those 25,000 armed troops in DC are definitely not temporary,” far-right activist and former congressional candidate Laura Loomer wrote on Telegram. — Daniel Zuidijk
Commuter Lines to DC Suspend Service (9:40 a.m.)
The Maryland Department of Transportation is suspending its MARC commuter train service ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration amid threats of unrest.
All service on the Penn, Camden and Brunswick lines will not run, starting Sunday and lasting through the Jan. 20 events. Trains will be back in service on Thursday.
To ramp up security efforts, Washington’s MetroRail and MetroBus have adjusted their hours and closed several downtown D.C. subway stations. Many roads in downtown D.C. have also been closed, from K Street NW to the National Mall, and spanning as far as the U.S. Capitol in some areas.
Four bridges connecting Virginia to the District will be closed to traffic: Roosevelt Bridge, I-395 Bridge and the 14th St Bridge will all close Tuesday; the Arlington Memorial Bridge is already closed. All will remain so through Thursday. — Emma Kinery
— With assistance by Ryan Teague Beckwith
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