Facing Crush of Crises, Biden to Take Helm as President

WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden swears the oath of office at noon Wednesday to become the 46th president of the United States.

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He will take the helm of a deeply divided nation and inherit a confluence of crises arguably greater than any faced by his predecessors.

The very inaugural ceremony in which presidential power is transferred will be a jarring reminder of the challenges Biden will face.

It will unfold at a U.S. Capitol battered by an insurrectionist siege just two weeks ago, encircled by security forces evocative of those in a war zone and devoid of crowds because of the threat of the coronavirus pandemic.