All Blog Posts from Political Hotsheet

Produced in partnership with American University.

By now we've heard from Beyonce, Stevie, Bono, and a menagerie of musicians so famous they don't use last names. But they weren't the only ones bringing musical spirit to D.C.

Our reporters caught up with a spontaneous Haitian dance party at the National Mall, a flute and percussion jam fest on Pennsylvania Avenue and the beautiful harmonies of the Boys Choir of Kenya singing our national anthem.

You can watch the video below:



Reported by Arunjana Das, Dipanwita Ghosh, June Kim, Nick Schwellenbach, graduate students at American University. You can see more work by some of these students at the American Observer.

WASHINGTON - Avis Berman won the presidential sweepstakes. The New Yorker entered Rep. Carolyn Maloney's lottery and was lucky enough to score two tickets to Barack Obama's inauguration ceremonies in Washington, D.C.

But her "silver seating" access didn't exactly shield her from the day's mayhem. Berman and fellow New Yorker Janis Conner found themselves at the whim of the human tide as they fought their way to Mr. Obama's inauguration ceremonies. Then after being denied access at multiple subway stations, it took them 4 1/2 hours to get home.

"No one was out there telling us what was happening," Berman said, sipping a beer after the arduous trip home. "It was serendipity whether you got there or not."

Finally, Berman and Conner were able to find their destination - but not until they cleared a very friendly security checkpoint.

"I got thoroughly patted down," said Conner of her frisking. "Then I gave (the security guard) a hug. I figured it was tit for tat."

Read full post…

The crowd attending the inaugural festivities has been estimated to be between 1.8 million and 2 million people, according to a senior law enforcement source.

The National Park Service will put out an "official" crowd count in two or three days after studying aerial photography.

The immense security and law enforcements arrayed throughout Washington, D.C., have not reported any major problems.

UPDATE 5:30 p.m.: Law enforcement officials are reporting no inauguration related arrests yet.

D.C. Metro Police Department Spokesman Traci Hughes tells CBS News MPD has made "no arrests" today -- "None."

The U.S. Park Police, which has jurisdiction over the National Mall, also tells CBS News that it did not make any arrests either.

Read full post…

WASHINGTON - As a crush of people inched downtown to be closer to history, a substantial number of inauguration goers were swimming upstream.

Dan and Toby Gowing, who came to the nation's capital from Middletown, N.J., were among the many who tried to make their way through the masses. But by the time they reached the edge of L'Enfant Plaza, they were thwarted by an endless wall of bodies.

"We've never experienced that before," said Toby Gowing, who was witnessing her first inauguration. "We got caught in a human gridlock and said, 'You know what? We don't want to go that bad.'"

Read full post…

Late yesterday, the Congressional Inaugural Committee issued an "Inaugural Advisory" for those planning to attend Barack Obama's swearing in ceremony in Washington D.C. on January 20th. And the unspoken message seems to be: Stay home.

Otherwise, here's what you're in for: "Street closures throughout Washington, D.C., will make traveling by car or taxi very difficult. Bridges from Virginia crossing the Potomac River into Washington, D.C., as well as major roadways from Maryland into Washington, D.C., may be closed to all but bus traffic."

Prefer the subway? "D.C.’s subway system will be running 'rush-hour' service all day, but is expecting 'crush-level' crowds. Be prepared to wait for space on a train for long periods of time, during which you will have to stand in close proximity to several thousand people. Many Metro escalators will be closed due to crowding and individuals will need to climb Metro stairs or wait to utilize the small number of elevators at Metro stations."

Either way, get moving early: "While the actual swearing-in will take place shortly before noon, the formal program begins at 11:30 AM and the musical prelude and seating will begin much earlier. Security checkpoints will open for ticketed guests at 8:00 AM, and the committee advises arriving no later than 9:00 AM to ensure that you are through the checkpoints by the time the program begins. Screening will end when the program begins at 11:30 AM and late arrivals will not be able to enter the grounds."

And if you're disabled, best of luck: "Persons in wheelchairs or utilizing walkers should be aware that they will need to move across bumpy surfaces, grassy areas, and possible icy areas (depending on the weather)."

Oh, and one more heads up: "The weather in Washington in January is usually quite cold and often rainy or snowy. Please think carefully about whether you can stand outside in cold weather in a large crowd for up to six hours, and whether you are ready for long delays getting home afterwards."

---

Click Here For All Of CBSNews.com's Special Inauguration Coverage

---

Enjoy, everyone. Full advisory below.

Read full post…

From CBS News' Rob Hendin:

Washington, DC -- The Secret Service is preparing for the worst, but doesn’t expect to see the four million people that have long been rumored to come to the nation’s Capital for the January 20th Inauguration of Barack Obama.

Read full post…