Monday: Obama's inauguration day

After being re-elected for the second term and being the first African-American president, Barack Obama took the oath of office on Monday. In 2009, 1.8 million people who braved snow and sub-zero temperatures got set to witness President Barack Obama take an oath to "protect and defend" the U.S. Constitution. However, this time, inauguration will feature smaller crowds as the mood of the Americans was affected by the lingering high unemployment, so-called "fiscal cliff" and the constantly increasing debt. During the next two months Obama's administration will engage in a fiscal debate with Republican lawmakers, who represent the majority in the U.S. House over raising the government's $16.4 trillion borrowing limit.

"He's much more battle hardened in terms of understanding that the opposition may not just be subject to sitting down and reasoning together," said John Podesta, who was former President Bill Clinton's chief of staff. "He's shaping the battlefield now, with a much keener understanding of what the opposition looks like."