New normal: Fence is up, Guard on standby for State of Union

By COLLEEN LONG and MICHAEL BALSAMO
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The fencing around the U.S. Capitol is back up for the president’s State of the Union address on Tuesday. Police cars with flashing lights are stationed at major intersections and highways. The U.S. National Guard is on standby. It’s the new normal. While there are no specific or credible threats for President Joe Biden’s speech, law enforcement officials are taking no chances following the events of Jan. 6, 2021. That’s when a violent mob caught the District of Columbia by surprise and successfully stormed the U.S. Capitol, briefly disrupting the certification of Biden’s 2020 presidential victory.