State Dept. condemns arrests, repression in Russia

It called for the release of protesters and opposition leader Alexey Navalny.

ByLibby Cathey, Adia Robinson, Jack Arnholz, Meredith Deliso, Lauren King, Catherine Thorbecke, Michelle Stoddart, and Lauren Lantry
Last Updated: January 25, 2021, 10:37 AM EST

This is the fifth day of the administration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Top headlines:

Here is how events are unfolding. All times Eastern.
Jan 18, 2021, 2:47 PM EST

Garth Brooks to perform at inauguration

Country singer Garth Brooks will be joining the Biden inauguration celebration on Wednesday and perform during Biden's swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol, the Presidential Inaugural Committee announced Monday.

Brooks has performed for every president since Jimmy Carter, with the exception of Ronald Reagan. 

Garth Brooks at Los Angeles Convention Center on Feb. 8, 2019 in Los Angeles.
Rich Fury/Getty Images, FILE

He will join previously announced performers Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez. During the virtual press conference, Brooks stressed that his decision to perform at the Capitol was not a political one, but one focused on unity -- a message that the Biden administration has pushed as they get ready to enter office. 

"I am a civilian of the greatest country on the planet," Brooks said. "So our job is to work as hard as we can for all of us to have a better future than before." 

Brooks even quipped that he "might be the only Republican" at the inauguration, but said he wanted to move past the divided nature of the country.  

-ABC News' Molly Nagle

Jan 18, 2021, 2:24 PM EST

Alex Padilla resigns as Calif. secretary of state to assume Harris’ senate seat

Alex Padilla officially resigned as California's secretary of state on Monday in order to assume Vice President-elect Kamala Harris' Senate seat. 

Harris resigned her Senate seat earlier Monday. 

Secretary of State Alex Padilla arrives at The California Museum, Dec. 10, 2019, in Sacramento, Calif.
Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images, FILE

Padilla called it a "true honor and privilege" to serve as California's secretary of state in a statement reflecting on the agency's progress over the past six years. 

"As I prepare to enter the United States Senate, I will carry on the mission of building a more inclusive democracy and economy for all," Padilla added. 

James Schwab, the former chief deputy secretary of state in California, will serve as interim secretary of state.

-ABC News' Kendall Karson

Jan 18, 2021, 1:43 PM EST

21,500 National Guardsmen convene in nation’s capital ahead of inauguration 

National Guard troops at a checkpoint near the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., Jan. 18, 2021.
Justin Lane/EPA via Shutterstock

More than 21,500 National Guardsmen are currently in Washington, the D.C. Guard confirmed to ABC News on Monday.

The security preparations come ahead of Biden’s inauguration and in the aftermath of the deadly Capitol raid conducted by Trump supporters earlier this month. 

The ramp-up in the number of guardsmen in the nation's capital means there could be four times as many American military service members in the city than there are in Iraq and Afghanistan combined.

The guardsmen are working in shifts to provide round-the-clock security both inside the Capitol and around the perimeter of the Capitol grounds. 

-ABC News’ Luis Martinez

Jan 18, 2021, 11:49 AM EST

Bidens stop by Philly hunger relief organization 

President-elect Joe Biden waves as he volunteers at Philabundance in Philadelphia, Jan. 18, 2021.
Tom Brenner/Reuters

The president-elect and his wife, Jill Biden, stopped by Philabundance, the largest hunger relief organization in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Monday morning.

The Bidens stopped by the nonprofit food bank to mark the National Day of Service, a holiday that encourages volunteering in your community in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.

The president-elect did not take questions about security risks surrounding Inauguration Day.

President-elect Joe Biden stands along a conveyor belt set up in the outside parking lot, packing up food donations at Philabundance, Philadelphia's largest hunger relief organization in Philadelphia, Jan. 18, 2021.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

They were accompanied by their daughter, Ashley, and granddaughter, Finnegan.

The president-elect posed for selfies outside of the building with some masked supporters before the event began. 

Clad in his signature aviators and a Philabundance ball cap, Biden was seen sorting canned goods into food boxes at a conveyer belt set up outside the parking lot. His wife also helped out by adding packages of rice to the boxes.