Inauguration notebook

Russellville band performs for Trump

WASHINGTON -- Members of the marching band from Russellville High School performed for President Donald Trump hours after he took the oath of office.








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Clad in red uniforms and black hats, they marched in front of the presidential reviewing stand at 6:25 p.m. Washington time, playing "Americans We" as they paraded past the White House.

C-SPAN aired the procession, which began about 90 minutes into the parade.

[TRUMP: inauguration, photos, videos and more]

The announcer emphasized the size of the unit. "Count 'em all -- 180 members," he told paradegoers.

It's the third time the school has participated in presidential inaugural festivities. Previous band members played for Presidents Jimmy Carter, in 1977, and Bill Clinton, in 1997.

By the time the Russellville Cyclone Band reached 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., the sun had already set.

Trump paused, while visiting with his neighbor, to watch the musicians pass. First lady Melania Trump and 10-year-old son Barron Trump appeared to be completely focused on the group.

Afterward, band director Dewayne Dove said the students' performance is a source of pride.

"We thought it was an outstanding performance. They were ready to march. They were ready to perform. They were ready to show what Russellville had to offer," he said.

Senior Brad Smith, a 17-year-old trumpet player, said he'd caught a glimpse of the commander-in-chief while marching past.

It was exciting to play at an event that big in front of a crowd that large, he said.

Senators: Pleased with first speech

Arkansas' two U.S. senators had a couple of of the best seats available for Friday's swearing in. Afterward, they gave the new president high marks for his inaugural address.

U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton said President Donald Trump's speech was "consistent with the themes on which he campaigned, and that's what his voters expect."

The president outlined his vision for the nation and his top priorities, the Republican from Dardanelle said in an interview Friday.

"He's going to focus, as he said, on putting America and our interests first. That means that we can be a strong leader in the world and that we can secure our interests around the world and they'll overlap with our allies on many occasions. But it is right, as Donald Trump said, that a nation promotes the interests of its own citizens. That's what a nation exists to do," Cotton said.

U.S. Sen. John Boozman said Trump made points that Arkansas voters also have raised.

"It was very, very plain -- very, I think, matter of fact. It was all about protecting the American worker, and certainly that's the theme that I heard as I was out on the campaign trail," the Republican from Rogers said in an interview.

There's unhappiness with the direction the country has been headed and dissatisfaction with the status quo, he said.

"Americans are concerned. They feel like they've worked hard, [but] wages are flat; they're not getting ahead. And I think the theme that the president was trying to convey was that he had their back," Boozman said.

Westerman hurries home for daughter

U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman on Friday morning greeted Arkansas constituents who had traveled to Washington for the inauguration, joining them for breakfast on Capitol Hill. But he didn't stick around for the 21-gun salute, the parade down Pennsylvania Avenue or the black-tie presidential balls.

Instead, the Hot Springs Republican raced to the airport, hurrying back to Garland County for another high-profile event: Fountain Lake High School's homecoming.

The congressman's 18-year-old daughter, Amie, plays for the Lady Cobras basketball team and was a member of this year's homecoming court.

Westerman had promised to escort her to the Friday evening ceremony and wasn't about to break his word.

He got there in time to see her crowned homecoming queen.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and I try to be there for my kids as much as possible, so I thought that was worth trying to get out of here early for," Westerman said.

Amie Westerman is a senior and plans to attend the University of Arkansas, her father's alma mater.

"She never really even looked at anywhere else. That's where she always wanted to go," Bruce Westerman said.

Cotton slams delay on CIA chief vote

While many Washington officials were celebrating the inauguration Friday, the U.S. Senate gathered to approve the nomination of two Cabinet members: Defense Secretary James Mattis and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly.

After the vote, U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton criticized his Democratic colleagues for failing to greenlight the nomination of U.S. Rep. Mike Pompeo to be the CIA director.

"I'm outraged," the Republican from Dardanelle said Friday evening. "I guess they think the jihadists are going to take the weekend off from trying to kill Americans," Cotton said.

Because of the delay, "this weekend, in the middle of a designated special national security event with hundreds of thousands of people in our nation's capital, we'll be without a politically accountable CIA director," he added.

"This is a very troubling and disappointing signal. The senate Democrats are simply obstructing for obstruction's sake," he said.

A Section on 01/22/2017

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