Donald Trump impeached after Capitol riot in historic second charge
President Donald Trump was impeached by the U.S. House for a historic second time Wednesday, charged with “incitement of insurrection” over the deadly mob siege of the Capitol in a swift and stunning collapse of his final days in office. With the Capitol secured by armed National Guard troops inside and out, the House voted 232-197 to impeach Trump. The proceedings moved at lightning speed, with lawmakers voting just one week after violent pro-Trump loyalists stormed the U.S. Capitol after the president’s calls for them to “fight like hell” against the election results. Ten Republicans fled Trump, joining Democrats who said he needed to be held accountable and warned ominously of a “clear and present danger” if Congress should leave him unchecked before Democrat Joe Biden’s inauguration Jan. 20. Trump is the only U.S. president to be twice impeached. It was the most bipartisan presidential impeachment in modern times, more so than against Bill Clinton in 1998. The Capitol insurrection stunned and angered lawmakers, who were sent scrambling for safety as the mob descended, and it revealed the fragility of the nation’s history of peaceful transfers of power. The riot also forced a reckoning among some Republicans, who have stood by Trump throughout his presidency and largely allowed him to spread false attacks against the integrity of the 2020 election. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi invoked Abraham Lincoln and the Bible, imploring lawmakers to uphold their oath to defend the Constitution from all enemies, foreign “and domestic.” She said of Trump: “He must go, he is a clear and present danger to the nation that we all love.” Holed up at the White House, watching the proceedings on TV, Trump took no responsibility for the bloody riot seen around the world, but issued a statement urging “NO violence, NO lawbreaking and NO vandalism of any kind” to disrupt Biden’s ascension to the White House. In the face of the accusations against him and with the FBI warning of more violence, Trump said, “That is not what I stand for, and it is not what America stands for. I call on ALL Americans to help ease tensions and calm tempers.” Trump was first impeached by the House in 2019 over his dealings with Ukraine, but the Senate voted in 2020 acquit. He is the first to be impeached twice. None has been convicted by the Senate, but Republicans said Wednesday that could change in the rapidly shifting political environment as officeholders, donors, big business and others peel away from the defeated president. The soonest Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell would start an impeachment trial is next Tuesday, the day before Trump is already set to leave the White House, McConnell’s office said. The legislation is also intended to prevent Trump from ever running again. McConnell believes Trump committed impeachable offenses and considers the Democrats’ impeachment drive an opportunity to reduce the divisive, chaotic president’s hold on the GOP, a Republican strategist told The Associated Press on Wednesday. McConnell told major donors over the weekend that he was through with Trump, said the strategist, who demanded anonymity to describe McConnell’s conversations. In a note to colleagues Wednesday, McConnell said he had “not made a final decision on how I will vote.” Unlike his first time, Trump faces this impeachment as a weakened leader, having lost his own reelection as well as the Senate Republican majority. Even Trump ally Kevin McCarthy, the House Republican leader, shifted his position and said Wednesday the president bears responsibility for the horrifying day at the Capitol. In making a case for the “high crimes and misdemeanors” demanded in the Constitution, the four-page impeachment resolution approved Wednesday relies on Trump’s own incendiary rhetoric and the falsehoods he spread about Biden’s election victory, including at a rally near the White House on the day of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. A Capitol Police officer died from injuries suffered in the riot, and police shot and killed a woman during the siege. Three other people died in what authorities said were medical emergencies. The riot delayed the tally of Electoral College votes which was the last step in finalizing Biden’s victory. Ten Republican lawmakers, including third-ranking House GOP leader Liz Cheney of Wyoming, voted to impeach Trump, cleaving the Republican leadership, and the party itself. Cheney, whose father is the former Republican vice president, said of Trump’s actions summoning the mob that “there has never been a greater betrayal by a President” of his office. Trump was said to be livid with perceived disloyalty from McConnell and Cheney. With the team around Trump hollowed out and his Twitter account silenced by the social media company, the president was deeply frustrated that he could not hit back, according to White House officials and Republicans close to the West Wing who weren’t authorized to speak publicly about private conversations. From the White House, Trump leaned on Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina to push Republican senators to resist, while chief of staff Mark Meadows called some of his former colleagues on Capitol Hill. The president’s sturdy popularity with the GOP lawmakers’ constituents still had some sway, and most House Republicans voted not to impeach. Security was exceptionally tight at the Capitol, with tall fences around the complex. Metal-detector screenings were required for lawmakers entering the House chamber, where a week earlier lawmakers huddled inside as police, guns drawn, barricade the door from rioters. “We are debating this historic measure at a crime scene,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass. During the debate, some Republicans repeated the falsehoods spread by Trump about the election and argued that the president has been treated unfairly by Democrats from the day he took office. Other Republicans argued the impeachment was a rushed sham and complained about a double standard applied to his supporters but not to the liberal left. Some simply appealed for the nation to move on. Rep. Tom McClintock of California said, “Every movement has a lunatic fringe.” Yet Democratic Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo. and others recounted the harrowing
US Space Command site to be located in Huntsville, Alabama
The U.S. Air Force announced Wednesday that the new U.S. Space Command headquarters will be in Huntsville, Alabama, after the state was selected over five others competing for the project, including Colorado, where Space Command is provisionally located. The role of Space Command is to conduct operations such as enabling satellite-based navigation and troop communication and providing warning of missile launches. That is different from the Space Force, which is a distinct military service like the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. “I couldn’t be more pleased to learn that Alabama will be the new home to the United States Space Command,” Alabama Republican Gov. Kay Ivey said in a statement. “Our state has long provided exceptional support for our military and their families as well as a rich and storied history when it comes to space exploration,” she said. Huntsville’s nickname, Rocket City, is thanks largely to Wernher von Braun and his team of fellow German-born rocketeers who settled there in the 1950s. The city has long been home to the Army’s Redstone Arsenal and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett, an appointee of President Donald Trump, announced the decision days before leaving office. Colorado officials lambasted the move, saying military officials had recommended to Trump that Space Command remain at the Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, but they were “overruled for politically motivated reasons.” They did not say what those alleged political reasons were. Trump won Alabama in the November election and President-elect Joe Biden won Colorado. “This move threatens jobs, could cause serious economic damage, and upend the lives of hundreds of military and civilian families that were counting on U.S Space Command staying at home in Colorado Springs as well as harm military readiness,” Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera said in a statement. In a letter, U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn of Colorado urged Biden to reverse the decision upon taking office, saying moving Space Command from Colorado would “damage America’s national security” at a time when Russia and China are actively competing with the U.S.’s space capabilities. U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama said Barrett told him the decision was based “solely on merit and the interests of national security.” Brooks suggested politics will be at play if the site gets moved back to Colorado under the new administration. “Partisan politics should not play a role in national security. Time will tell what happens in a red state when the federal government is totally dominated by Democrats,” the Republican congressman said. The Secretary of the Air Force said Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville had been selected for the new headquarters. The city was chosen after site visits to six states that compared factors such as infrastructure capacity, community support, and costs to the Department of Defense. Redstone Arsenal offered a facility to support the headquarters, at no cost, while the permanent facility is being constructed. The Department of the Air Force said the decision to move to Huntsville will become final pending the results from the required environmental impact analysis. That is expected in the spring of 2023. The headquarters will remain in Colorado until then. Other finalists for the site were Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado, Port San Antonio in Texas, and Patrick Air Force Base in Brevard County, Florida. Those sites will remain alternative locations until the final announcement. Trump in 2019 authorized the creation of the U.S. Space Command to preserve American dominance on what he called “the ultimate high ground.” Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle said the city is honored to have been selected. Ivey in a tweet thanked U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, and local officials for advocating for the site to be in Alabama. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
US COVID-19 deaths hit another one-day high at over 4,300
Coronavirus deaths in the U.S. hit another one-day high at over 4,300 with the country’s attention focused largely on the fallout from the deadly uprising at the Capitol. The nation’s overall death toll from COVID-19 has eclipsed 380,000, according to Johns Hopkins University, and is closing in fast on the number of Americans killed in World War II, or about 407,000. Confirmed infections have topped 22.8 million. With the country simultaneously facing a political crisis and on edge over threats of more violence from far-right extremists, the U.S. recorded 4,327 deaths on Tuesday by Johns Hopkins’ count. Arizona and California have been among the hardest-hit states. The daily figure is subject to revision, but deaths have been rising sharply over the past 2 1/2 months, and the country is now in the most lethal phase of the outbreak yet, even as the vaccine is being rolled out. New cases are running at nearly a quarter-million per day on average. More than 9.3 million Americans have received their first shot of the vaccine, or less than 3% of the population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That is well short of the hundreds of millions who experts say will need to be inoculated to vanquish the outbreak. The effort is ramping up around the country. Large-scale, drive-thru vaccination sites have opened at stadiums and other places, enabling people to get their shots through their car windows. Also, an increasing number of states have begun offering vaccinations to the next group in line — senior citizens — with the minimum age varying from place to place at 65, 70, or 75. Up to now, health care workers and nursing home residents have been given priority in most places. And the Donald Trump administration announced plans Tuesday to speed up the vaccination drive by releasing the whole supply of doses, instead of holding large quantities in reserve to make sure people get their second shot on time. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Additional GOP leader backs Donald Trump impeachment as tide grows
Republican opposition to impeaching President Donald Trump began crumbling at the party’s upper echelons on Tuesday as the No. 3 House GOP leader said she would vote to impeach Trump. “There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution,” Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., said in a statement that, while not unexpected, shook Congress as lawmakers prepared for a Wednesday House vote. With Democrats commanding that chamber, a vote impeaching Trump for an unprecedented second time seemed certain. More ominously for a president clinging to his final week in office, The New York Times reported that influential Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell thinks Trump committed an impeachable offense and is glad Democrats are moving against him. Citing unidentified people familiar with the influential Kentucky Republican’s thinking, the Times reported McConnell believes moving against Trump will help the GOP forge a future independent of the divisive, chaotic president. McConnell thinks Trump’s behavior before last week’s assault on the Capitol by fuming Trump supporters cost Republicans their Senate majority in two Georgia runoff elections, the newspaper reported. That’s a sentiment shared by many Republicans about Trump, who rather than focusing on bolstering Georgia’s two sitting GOP senators spent the last weeks of their campaign reciting his false narrative that his own reelection was ruined by Democratic election fraud. McConnell is said to be angry at the president over the insurrection at the Capitol and the twin defeats in Georgia that cost the party its Senate majority, according to a Republican granted anonymity to discuss the situation. Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, has run afoul of Trump and far-right Republicans over the years on issues like wearing a facemask and withdrawing troops from Syria. She’s respected by mainstream conservatives and is one of the GOP’s few House female stars. “Good for her for honoring her oath of office,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told reporters when asked about Cheney’s decision. “Would that more Republicans would honor their oaths of office.” Lawmakers’ oath includes a vow to defend the Constitution “against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” Reps. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., an Air Force veteran, and John Katko, R-N.Y., a former federal prosecutor, became the first rank-and-file GOP lawmakers to say they would vote to impeach Trump. Later joining the GOP faction was Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich. The House will vote on an impeachment article charging Trump with incitement of insurrection over his goading of a pro-Trump crowd that poured past police lines into the Capitol last Wednesday, disrupting lawmakers’ ceremonial counting of the electoral votes that sealed Trump’s defeat, leaving five dead and widespread damage. “There is no doubt in my mind that the President of the United States broke his oath of office and incited this insurrection,” Kinzinger said in a statement about Trump, whom he’s repeatedly criticized over the years. In a statement, Upton said: “Congress must hold President Trump to account and send a clear message that our country cannot and will not tolerate any effort by any President to impede the peaceful transfer of power from one President to the next.” “To allow the president of the United States to incite this attack without consequence is a direct threat to the future of our democracy,” Katko said in a statement. “For that reason, I cannot sit by without taking action” and backing impeachment. In remarks to his supporters outside the White House before they streamed to the Capitol, Trump told them “this is the time for strength,” adding, “We got to get rid of the weak Congress people,” describing them as “the Liz Cheneys of the world.” Republicans have said they expected perhaps 10 House GOP lawmakers to break ranks and vote with Democrats to impeach Trump, and a clear majority of Republicans seem likely to stand by him. But Trump may not have helped himself Tuesday. In his first public appearance since the attack on the Capitol, he took no responsibility for his role in egging on his supporters and added falsely, “People thought that what I said was totally appropriate.” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has told his colleagues that he believes impeaching Trump would be wrong but has not ruled out censuring him or taking other steps. House GOP leaders say they won’t press their colleagues on how they will vote Wednesday. In its story, the Times did not say how McConnell would vote in a Senate trial to convict Trump. Such a finding would usually result in a president’s removal from office, but in this case it seems unlikely a trial could be held and concluded before Jan. 20, when Democrat Joe Biden will be inaugurated to replace him. McConnell has been the engine that has driven Trump’s Supreme Court appointees and scores of other federal judicial nominees through the chamber. While seldom criticizing Trump, he often resorts to silence when pressed by reporters on some of Trump’s more outrageous statements and their relationship has never seemed warm. One White House official said McConnell and Trump last spoke in in mid-December. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Georgia could take back vaccine from slow-moving providers
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is again urging patience among people waiting to be vaccinated against the coronavirus even as he threatens to take vaccines away from large hospital systems that his administration says aren’t moving fast enough to administer the shots. “If this issue continues, the state will take possession of those doses and ensure that vaccinations continue,” Kemp told reporters. “And if it takes me firing up my pickup truck and doing it myself, so be it.” The Republican governor made the statements Tuesday as infections and hospitalizations ran at record levels and more school systems pulled back from in-person instruction. One person in every 154 people was diagnosed with COVID-19 in Georgia in the seven days that ended Monday, behind only Alabama and South Carolina in terms of infection rates, according to figures kept by The Associated Press. Infections appear to be even more widespread, with more than 20% of molecular tests coming back positive. Georgia is averaging nearly 10,000 newly reported cases a day, having crossed that threshold twice in the past week. The number of people hospitalized also continues to set records, with nearly 5,700 patients reported Tuesday, nearly a third of all hospital patients statewide. Georgia had the fourth-highest number of people hospitalized per capita Monday behind Arizona, Alabama, and Nevada, more than 45% above the national average. But with Kemp refusing to impose new restrictions on businesses and individuals, his public focus has been on administering vaccines for the past month. After announcing last week that the state would allow anyone over 65 to get a shot, depending on supply, Kemp has faced a wave of public frustration from seniors who can’t get a shot or even get through to get an appointment for a shot. He’s also faced the embarrassment of federal figures that show Georgia lagging almost every other state in the share of population it has vaccinated. The Kemp administration contends those figures are flawed, with some hospitals initially failing to report everyone they are vaccinating, and now says that for unknown technical reasons, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention figures don’t reflect the number of vaccines that Georgia says on its own website that it has administered. “I know that everyone is probably tired of me saying this, but I will continue to ask people to be patient,” Kemp said, noting that demand is far outstripping the state’s supply of fewer than 12,000 shots per day. Many school districts postponed the start of classes until Monday to try to give post-holiday infections time to die down but now are pulling back even further. At least 38 of the state’s 182 traditional school districts did not start full-time in-person instruction Monday, according to figures kept by the state Department of Education. In the 27,000-student Hall County district northeast of Atlanta, officials extended at-home learning through at least next Tuesday and said it would operate on a hybrid schedule for a time when it does return. The district said last Thursday that 170 employees were in quarantine or isolation because of COVID-19 exposure and said it can’t find enough substitutes to cover classes or even drive buses. The district also cited the overflowing hospital in Gainesville, which is housing some COVID-19 patients in a gym, saying “we have an obligation to do our part in protecting the health of the community and in supporting the local health care system.” Many of DeKalb County’s 100,000 students had been scheduled to report physically to class next Tuesday for the first time this school year, but officials have pushed the return date back to at least mid-February. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Man arrested near U.S. Capitol had truckload of weapons
An Alabama man arrested near the U.S. Capitol after the rioting had a truckload of weapons, including components for 11 explosive devices, guns, smoke devices, and machetes, along with a note containing information about a member of Congress, prosecutors wrote in court documents Tuesday. Federal prosecutors wrote that the note and volume of weapons Lonnie Leroy Coffman, 70, had in his truck suggest he had “an intent to provide them to others” and to attack members of Congress. Coffman was charged with multiple firearms crimes. “This is a defendant with access to firearms and numerous other lethal weapons, dangerous incendiary mixtures creating napalm, who appears to have been motivated to conduct violence against our elected representatives, prosecutors wrote in a motion asking for Coffman to remained jailed until trial. The note in the truck referred to a judge appointed by then-president Barack Obama as a “bad guy” and gave the name of a member of Congress, noting the representative is of Muslim faith. “The defendant brought these weapons to the immediate vicinity of the U.S. Capitol Building and traveled the area with two firearms on his person. The amount of weapons suggests an intent to provide them to others, as no one person could reasonably use so many at once,” prosecutors wrote. Coffman, who is from Falkville, was arrested the evening of Jan. 6, after a riot in the U.S. Capitol by a mob backing President Donald Trump. The breach of the Capitol followed a rally earlier in the day in which the president spoke. Prosecutors said Coffman left his truck in the morning that day of chaos and rioting and was arrested when he returned to the truck in the evening. Law enforcement officers said they swept the area after pipe bombs were found near two buildings. “The defendant told law enforcement that he had been trying to get back to the pickup truck throughout the day, but that he was turned away in light of the explosives investigations,” prosecutors wrote. Another Alabama man, who was out on bond on drug charges, was taken into custody Monday after being accused of participating in last week’s riot. Court records show that a judge on Monday revoked the bond for 23-year-old William Watson after prosecutors said he was identified in photographs and video of the riot. “Video surveillance from inside the Capital Building recorded images of protestors inside the building, including images of the Defendant dressed in a yellow sweatshirt standing next to a man with a horned hat. The Defendant was identified by local authorities,” prosecutors wrote in a motion. The FBI released the image of the bearded man in the yellow sweatshirt among photos of rioters they were hoping to identify. WRBL reported that Watson was arrested Monday afternoon in Auburn. Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said Watson is in the county jail after having his bond revoked. He does not have any federal charges at this time, according to a search of court records. Authorities noted that they were also able to identify Watson by the distinctive tattoos on his hand and that Watson himself appeared to describe his participation in a social media post. “They wanna call me antifa because I have a video game tattoo on my hand and I was pleading for peaceful discourse. Let em say what they will. The fake news won’t win against thousands of patriots who recorded today,” read a social media post that prosecutors attributed to Watson. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Thousands party in streets after Alabama win, despite virus
Thousands of University of Alabama football fans partied in the street near campus after the Crimson Tide defeated Ohio State 52-24 for the national championship, ignoring pleas for safety at the height of the coronavirus pandemic in a celebration a top health official said Tuesday could worsen disease. Students and others poured out of jampacked bars near campus as time expired in Miami late Monday, traffic cameras and images posted on social media show, gathering on University Boulevard in an area called “The Strip.” Many of the fans screaming and cheering as they pressed against each other in the street didn’t wear face masks. Dr. Scott Harris, the head of the Alabama Department of Public Health, said he expected more cases of COVID-19 to result from the street party. “It’s disappointing to see people not paying attention to the guidance that we try to give to keep them safe. I was excited as anybody and wanted to celebrate also, but right now is not a time to be out in large groups of people close together when you are not masked,” he said. Fourteen people were arrested on charges including public intoxication, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, officials said at a news conference where Mayor Walt Maddox said the crowd was “larger than any celebration that we’ve seen in recent memory.” In an open letter released through social media, the United Campus Workers of Alabama, a labor group for university employees, said the gathering could become a “super-spreader event” and asked for hazardous-duty pay for workers in close contact with students; evidence of virus testing; and a two-week suspension of in-person classes. The university is requiring virus screening for all students returning for the semester who plan to live on campus, with testing planned through next week at the basketball arena. Students and workers also are required to complete online training about reducing the risk of spreading the illness. A university statement released Tuesday afternoon said its officials had worked to minimize risk before, during, and after the championship game, including “issuing warnings and admonitions about the need for masks, social distancing, and responsible behavior.” “As a result of recent events, we are allowing faculty to be flexible for the next two weeks with the option to temporarily hold classes remotely,” the statement added. “Students have the option to attend in-person activities remotely as well.” It added that while classroom transmission “is almost nonexistent, we understand the concerns caused by recent events” and said all health and safety rules continue in effect. More than 5,500 people have died in Alabama from the illness caused by the coronavirus, and about 408,000 have tested positive. About 20,000 people have tested positive in Tuscaloosa County, making it one of the worst in the state for the virus in overall numbers, and about 175 COVID-19 patients are being treated by DCH Regional Medical Center in the city. The postgame scene was exactly what officials feared as they urged people to watch at home and celebrate privately. “Cheer, celebrate, and enjoy the success of our team, but please do so responsibly and safely. Roll Tide!” Police Chief Brent Blankley said in a statement beforehand. Police cars and officers are visible at the fringes of the throng in some images. People lined up to get into the bars an hour before kickoff despite the warnings, The Tuscaloosa News reported. “All bars are open and we’re ready to roll over Ohio State,” said a tweet by Gallettes, a popular student bar, long before the game began. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
