Striding into Washington for his inauguration, President-elect George W. Bush said yesterday he would move fast on an overall tax cut, saying it would "bring a second wind to an economy that may be lagging".
Mr Bush, who takes over from President Clinton tomorrow, said tax relief would be one of the "cornerstones" of his first few months in office and he would abolish inheritance taxes and those penalising married couples over single people.
Washington security forces are on high alert as thousands of protesters converge on the capital for mass demonstrations planned for tomorrow's inauguration. Police are expecting the largest number of demonstrators since Mr Richard Nixon's swearing-in in 1973, when about 60,000 people turned out to protest against the Vietnam War.
The mood on Capitol Hill remained charged as Senate confirmation hearings for Mr John Ashcroft as Mr Bush's attorney general stretched into a third day and a black judge whose nomination to the federal bench Mr Ashcroft blocked testified he felt the former Missouri senator distorted his record.
General Colin Powell won the approval of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Washington yesterday for the post of Secretary of State.