How they want to present themselves and thats going to carry over into what they do in a couple of hours with their executive actions, their focus on trying to address the joint crises they have both on the Public Health and on the economic side. Kaitlin makes another excellent point about the familiarity with the white house, which extends for the Biden Administration up to capitol hill as well. Obviously we saw the president , who had very friendly exchanges with congressional leaders, went to mass with congressional leaders this morning. Its whats happening behind the scenes as well that underscores how this administration is approaching things moving forward. At 5 15 you will see the president sign 15 executive actions related to a series of items, whether its rolling back very specific things president Trumps Administration put into place, whether its addressing covid, addressing the economic issues. When you talk to administration officials, they acknowledge that the big picture things they want to accomplish, the real way to address all of these crises theyre dealing with, thats going to take congress and take legislation. Thats why whats been happening behind the scenes over the course of the last couple of weeks is so important according to sources ive been talking to. The biden team has been working behind the scenes with house lawmakers, with senate lawmakers, particularly on their 1. 9 trillion stimulus package. Briefing House Democrats in full. Also having their legislative affairs team reach out to several senators, including several republican senators they think they may get onboard with that proposal. Theres no sense right now that senate soontobe Minority Leader Mitch Mcconnell will be signing on to a 1. 9 trillion proposal any time soon. One, biden and mcconnell have a relationship. We all know that going back to when president obama was in office. That relationship is real and im told they have had several phone calls over the last several weeks. Also keep an eye on the staff on the biden team. You have somebody on the house side whos very well respected on both the republican and democratic side. On the senate side, reama doden who comes from richard durbins office who is very respected on both the republican and democrat side. So the Administration Setting the tone early that they want to be involved with capitol hill and they know they need that involvement to secure these big legislative victories that they hope they can get in these first coming weeks and months, wolf. These are really, really important critical days. The parade route will be celebrating theyre calling it parade across america. So much of it is a virtual parade. Tell us whats going on, kate. Reporter well, theres some activity in recent minutes, wolf, here. Weve got authorities, Law Enforcement lining up. Theres some texas sheriffs wearing their cowboy hats here and another group of Law Enforcement from illinois. Dump trucks that were blocking pennsylvania avenue for safety have been moved out, so there is now a path for the president and the parade so to speak to come through and turn and make its way into the white house. So everything is getting set. Wolf, while they have been at arlington cemetery, the movers have been moving in the new first family. This is a ritual that takes place every time a new first family moves in. Things are being unpacked, clothes going into closets, favorite shampoos into the shower, right down to the kitchen being stocked with their favorite foods. So thats all happening so when the bidens are ready to go into the white house and officially make it their residence from here on out for the next four years at least, everything will be there, and thats whats happening now. Its a very delicate, very well choreographed move out, move in situation that these people are experts at. As youve said, this is going to be the street right here. Everyone will be pulling up here as much of a parade as we can have in this very strange and different Inauguration Day is what we plan to see here in just a few minutes, wolf. Well see this virtual parade, a parade across america. Bands, performers through all 50 states, six territories, well watch all of that as well. Jim sciutto is watching it all very, very closely. Jim, tell us i guess the president once he comes from Arlington National cemetery, hes going to be going in where you are, right . Thats exactly right. Hell approach from here down pennsylvania avenue. What youre seeing behind me is the military honor guard that arrived here about a half hour ago representing all five branches of the military. You see them lined up, about six feet apart, army, navy, air force, marines, coast guard. Ceremonial to cooperate with the operational people were seeing. But the ceremony means something. There is a new commander in chief. All these branches of the military now commanded by that commander in chief. One other word, wolf, as we begin to see this parade come through here is history. It is all about history and it matters. Leading the group is going to be members of the first platoon of the third u. S. Infantry. Its called the old guard. Why is it called the old guard . Its the oldest continuing operating unit in this country. It goes back to 1784. Its about continuity through president s of parties, through trials and tribulations and wars and Division Like were seeing now. That has remained a constant. Youre also going to be seeing the u. S. Army band. Its known as pershings own. That has led inaugural parades in this country going back to 1925. Each of those units, they might all look kind of the same, uniforms, et cetera, but each one is there for a reason because they represent something. One final note as you see them because i know there are a lot of proud mothers and fathers of members of these units. To get into these bands and these honor guards, highly competitive. Theyre chosen from hundreds of applicants. When you get in, its something special. Its a big day for all of those who are going to be taking part in this parade. And its always so, so memorable and so exciting. Im looking forward to it, as i know you are and all of our viewers are as well. Brianna keilar is also near the white house. Where exactly are you and what are you seeing . Reporter i am here on the edge of lafayette park. This way off camera is the white house and what you see behind me is the Treasury Building. So were going to see this procession coming behind us. Im really just down the street a little bit from jim sciutto. What strikes me, though, is how different a scene this is from four years ago. Even though you see this ceremonial honor gauuard, normay on part of the area where they are standing there would be risers, there would be additional viewing area for the first family and for a number of guests. What is so different about this is that there is no crowd. And we knew that, but it also just has a little bit of a different feel as well. There were levels of security, multiple levels of security to get through, wolf. And downtown washington, d. C. , has been so much of a ghost town aside from folks who are obviously working the inauguration, covering the inauguration or the military that is here and Law Enforcement that is here as well. But it is going to be, i think, a very spectacular scene with the military involvement but its also going to be very different in this age of coronavirus. It certainly will be, and for good reason indeed. You know, john, these parades on Inauguration Day, youve seen them many times, i have as well, and people are lined up on the sidewalks in big, big numbers. Because of covid right now and some security concerns, thats not happening. Its not happening, so it is yet another piece of our new normal. 2020 carrying over into 2021. Were having to do so many things virtually that we once did in person. And yet, joe biden won a campaign that was very different. He was mocked for respecting social distancing, for asking people to stay safe. So this is yet Something Else that has to be done differently, but its a sign of the respect for the virus, respect for tradition to do what you can. I think phil was hitting on this a few moments ago. What a day for joe biden. Hes about to roll past the Treasury Department into 1600 pennsylvania avenue. Four years ago donald trump was the ultimate outsider, disrupter. Winning the presidency in his first run for president. Joe biden is coming back now as its resident, the president. We are waiting joe biden to arrive at the white house for the military procession marking his entrance to his new home, 1600 pennsylvania avenue, for the first time as the u. S. Commander in chief. Thats coming up along with the parade across america featuring entertainers, athletes and american heroes all around the country. Our extensive live coverage right here on cnn continues. We are awaiting the start of the inaugural parade. President biden is leaving Arlington National cemetery soon. He will make his way here, right near the white house, for a military procession. There will also be a madefortv parade, a virtual parade, as our inauguration coverage continues. Dana, when President Biden walks into the white house, hes going to have work to do, literally and figuratively. Hes got a lot on his plate. The country is in a bad spot, especially with the coronavirus pandemic and the economic and educational havoc wreaked. But also he has tasks that hes going to take care of today. He absolutely will, right here, right behind us. He is going to be there very shortly. He already has a long list of things hes going to do, including campaign promises. Number one on his list has to do with fighting the pandemic and making a move that President Trump refused to do in any way, shape or form and that is tell people aggressively to wear masks. Hes going to take it a step further and sign an executive order that directs agencies to require mask wearing for federal workers in federal buildings and on federal lands, which is basically the limits of the scope of what he can do, but its also sending a signal to try to use the bully pulpit, to try to use whatever he can to say it, to do it, and to set an example, which he has been doing for some time. Yes, the vaccines are on their way. But as he said, the winter is going to get darker before we see the light. And as our white house colleagues know, and sanjay gupta has talked about not that long ago at the white house, at the executive office building, it was commonplace to see staffers Walking Around with no masks in the midst of this pandemic, and so thats going to change pretty much immediately. The whole interior of the white house is going to get kind of a makeover in addition to a deep cleaning its a hot zone over there. Literally a hot zone. But its symbolic, but theres a lot of practicality that they have to deal with. This vaccine rollout, i cannot emphasize enough, has been a disaster. The biden transition, now Biden Administration has been very transparent about the fact that they believed that things were not done that could have been done to make this go a little bit faster. And if they can get the vaccine rollout in a better place, we could be potentially we could potentially have a much better handle on this pandemic, which is the number one priority for this administration. That is task number one. I think you can imagine that as people are getting to work at the white house right now picking up their badges, theyre heading straight for that task and getting to work on that. The biden President Bidens president ial motorcade is making its way from Arlington National cemetery to the white house. There is the inaugural parade, actual physical inaugural parade ready to go as soon as biden gets here to the receiving stand, which is right behind us. Then there will also be a virtual parade which will go on nat nationally. Im not going to spoil it for you, but it does look to be fun and interesting. Abby, you talk about all the things the biden people want to do with the rollout of the vaccine that will change hopefully and be more efficient theres the president ial motorcade proceeding. And one of the things thats still so shocking about the last few months on a list of very, very shocking and horrific activities is the fact that donald trump, the former president , would not allow the transition to begin after joe biden was declared president on november 7th. And that hindered the ability of the biden team to get up to speed with where the vaccine rollout and everything having to do with the pandemic goes. And that whatever you think of President Trumps feelings and all the lies having to do with the election, regardless of all of that, that put the health and lives of the American People at risk. It undermined the ability of the biden team to do the job. Oh, absolutely. And one of the things the biden team talked about was the Trump Administration withholding partially withholding information, only partially cooperating with them on key issues, not just on the vaccine and on covid19, but on National Security issues, on Homeland Security issues. And so those complaints were pervasive across the government. But its not surprising because i remember four years ago, the Incoming Administration then, these were people who really didnt know how the government worked, didnt prepare for that part of the job. The Biden Administration is doing something completely different. As the biden president ial motorcade makes its way to the white house, well squeeze in one last break. On the other side, we will bring you the 59th president ial inaugural committee parade. Stay with us. President bidens motorcade is on the move from Arlington National cemetery on the way to the white house, where standing by for him to arrive here right behind us at the viewing stand near the white house for a rousing celebration where the president and his team, his family, the Vice President and her team, her family, will watch military bands. They will escort them all into joe bidens new home, President Bidens new home, well show you that and the unique parade across america. This virtual parade, its interesting in this age of covid, the democratic and Republican Conventions had to reinvent what a convention is. Now the people who organized this are trying to reinvent what an inaugural is. And this parade across america is going to feature bands, performers through all 50 states and six territories. Its going to start with a welcome from actor tony goldwyn whom viewers from scandal might known as fitz. President fitz. Thats going to be a really fun part of this. Actually at the dnc when they did this roll call of all 50 states, all across the country you got to see from hawaii to guam, it was one of the, i think, most lauded parts of the dnc and in some ways this perhaps could be a new version of that. I guess in the covid era, some things have had to have been reinvented for the digital age and maybe even made better, so well see if they were able to improve on the traditional parade. The inperson part of this, though, that were about to see, the escort of the president and the Vice President to the white house is a tradition that dates all the way back to george washington. Thats amazing when you really think about it. So it is nice to have a little bit of both, to have a little bit of what we are used to here in washington. Usually we would be down there as High School Marching bands are marching in front of pennsylvania avenue and the white house. Now were going to get some of the marching, but more of that coming from the virtual parade. And with covid they have had to get creative, like we all have over the last almost year. And so while we are seeing these images of the motorcade coming and there will be some of the parade, most of it is going to be done virtually and with the creativity comes some really interesting stuff, as we saw over the summer with the Democratic National convention. You mentioned tony goldwyn. Jon stewart is also going to be speaking. A felly new jerseyian of yours. Go jersey. But what they are trying to incorporate here is some good oldfashioned fun, some music and musical performances which we wont ruin but you should stay tuned for. But again nods in a fun way to some of the Great Stories of people who have made other people happy during this very hard year. For example, the tiktok doc. The doctor from oregon who has gone viral by trying to connect with young people who are underrepresented and elsewhere on tiktok, as he is trying to save patients and work on the front lines of this health care crisis. So well have some of that kind of event during this virtual parade. We are used to there being lots of security in washington during an inauguration. But we are not used to there being this much, and we are not used to the streets being empty. And the silence. Its notable. It is eerie. It is a reminder that the u. S. Right now, downtown washington, d. C. , is under two threats. One of them is the threat of covid, and you see the secret Service Agents there wearing masks. And the other is, of course, the threat of the terrorism and domestic terrorist attacks that we all experienced two weeks ago. Kate bennett is one of our white house correspondents and she is covering the parade for us. Kate, tell us what you know. Reporter well, jake, from here it now sounds like a very real parade with all the gravity and pomp and circumstance. It might be