January 13 top news briefs
It is Wednesday, January 13.
This morning people working in the U.S. Capitol took images of National Guard troops sleeping on the floors of the building during their breaks. The Washington Post said it’s the first time the building has been used as barracks since the Civil War. There will be about 20,000 troops in the coming days in D.C. leading to the inauguration of Joe Biden.
Yesterday evening the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, which is made up of the heads of all six branches of the military, issued a statement emphasizing their commitment to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. They said “the violent riot in Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021 was a direct assault on the U.S. Congress, the Capitol building, and our Constitutional process.”
IMAGE: “January 20, 2021, in accordance with the Constitution, confirmed by the states and the courts, and certified by Congress, President-elect Biden will be inaugurated and will become 46th Commander in Chief.
That’s a strong statement from the U.S. military that they recognize the election is legitimate and followed a constitutional process.
Also yesterday evening the Department of Justice announced they are just starting a large-scale investigation on the suspects who broke into the Capitol. There are already 170 people identified and 70 have been charged, and that number will increase to the hundreds.
Some of the most serious charges are sedition and conspiracy charges and if someone is convicted, they may face up to 20 years in prison. Sedition is when there is rebellion against an authority.
The FBI is considering putting some rioters on the federal no-fly list.
Many people are hailing a Black Capitol police officer as a hero for confronting several people from the mob. He was seen in a viral video running up stairs to try and slow down the rioters and lead them away from the Senate chambers where lawmakers were sheltering with armed guards protecting them. Look at this clip.}
His name is Eugene Goodman. He grew up in Southeast D.C. and served in the Army from 2002 to 2006.
His friends told The Washington Post that he is not looking to get praise and he would do the same thing again. The friends said he is a little scared of getting attention because he may become a target for far-right extremist groups.
The man in the QAnon t-shirt is Doug Jensen from Des Moines, Iowa. He is in custody in jail and is facing six criminal charges including violent entry in a Capitol building. Jensen told police that he wanted to be in the front of the mob so he could show the world the “Q” t-shirt.
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This afternoon, the House of Representatives debated on a vote to impeach President Trump with the charge of “incitement of insurrection.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif) opened the debate by saying Trump is a “clear and present danger” and that he must go.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif) said he believes that impeaching the president in such a short time frame would be a mistake.
This afternoon the House voted to impeach President Trump. He is the first president in history to be impeached twice. But there won’t be a trial in the Senate right now. It will be after Biden is inaugurated.
Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) said he won’t call for the Senate to reconvene this Friday. This means a trial will happen after we have a new president. McConnell said he has not decided whether he will vote to convict Trump or not. News reports said he wants to hear the case before making his decision.
At least 67 senators’ votes are needed to convict Trump. After that, the Senate can have a separate vote to bar him from ever being president again.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said Democrats are trying to cancel the president as a part of cancel culture. Some people responded on social media that Trump tried to cancel the votes of 81 million people.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the city would end contracts with the Trump Organization worth $17 million a year because President Trump incited a rebellion against the United States government.
Airbnb announced they would cancel and refund all reservations in the D.C. metro area during the week of Biden’s inauguration due to concerns with violence and coronavirus. Airbnb said they would reimburse all hosts.
YouTube has suspended President Trump’s YouTube account for content that his team uploaded Tuesday morning because it violated rules against inciting violence.
That’s all the news briefs for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://twitter.com/gregpmiller/status/1349364635477094401
https://twitter.com/erinschaff/status/1349361672151040002
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-capitol-military/in-rare-joint-message-top-us-military-leaders-condemn-capitol-riot-idUSKBN29H2WF
https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/12/politics/justice-department-us-capitol-breach-list/index.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/01/13/trump-impeachment-biden-transition-live-updates/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/goodman-capitol-police-video/2021/01/13/08ab3eb6-546b-11eb-a931-5b162d0d033d_story.html
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2021/01/12/us-capitol-riot-des-moines-iowa-suspect-doug-jensen-set-first-appearance-federal-court/6632078002/
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/13/airbnb-cancels-dc-reservations-during-inauguration-week.html
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/12/google-suspends-trumps-youtube-account-disables-comments.html?recirc=taboolainternal