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Yesterday was a disgusting day in American history: |
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© Getty Images President Trump unleashed utter chaos yesterday when he urged supporters at his midday White House rally to march to the U.S. Capitol as Congress certified President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral win. A mob of Trump supporters then stormed the U.S. Capitol, breaching the House and Senate floors, ransacking the building and invoking a wave of terror across Washington. |
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| BREAKING NEWS THIS MORNING: |
| Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) calls for invoking the 25th Amendment — or to impeach the president: The Senate Democratic leader just released a statement: “What happened at the U.S. Capitol yesterday was an insurrection against the United States, incited by the president. This president should not hold office one day longer … The quickest and most effective way - it can be done today - to remove this president from office would be for the Vice President to immediately invoke the 25th amendment. If the Vice President and the Cabinet refuse to stand up, Congress should reconvene to impeach the president." What we know so far: https://bit.ly/39bR6sY And a GOP lawmaker also calls for removing Trump from office: Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) became the first Republican to call for invoking the 25th Amendment. He said in a video message: "The president caused this. The president is unfit and the president is unwell. And the president now must relinquish control of the executive branch voluntarily or involuntarily.” https://bit.ly/38ky6Jx Trump withdraws Chad Wolf’s nomination: “Acting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Chad Wolf's nomination to serve in a permanent capacity was withdrawn on Thursday shortly after he called on President Trump to ‘strongly condemn’ the violence [yesterday.]” https://bit.ly/3hTApqg DC Mayor Muriel Bowser just held a press conference: "Obviously it's a failure or you wouldn't have had police lines breached ... and people terrorizing ... Congress,” Bowser said. Livestream: https://bit.ly/3pZyoLW Facebook blocks President Trump indefinitely: At least through Biden’s inauguration. https://bit.ly/3opOeyT Capitol Police released a statement: https://bit.ly/2LykxwX |
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| THE AFTERMATH OF THE VIOLENCE: |
| Congress finished its work late into the night: Congress certified the electoral win of President-elect Joe Biden. The official Electoral College count: 306-232 https://bit.ly/38mEnnQ Four people are dead; 68 people were arrested: https://bit.ly/3noaSGs Police found two pipe bombs and a ‘cooler of Molotov cocktails’: “The pipe bombs were found outside of the local DNC and RNC offices, respectively. The pipe bombs were found inside a car, where a long gun was also discovered.” Details: https://bit.ly/3s4BQXi Four bullet holes in the doors leading to the Capitol steps: Photo from NBC’s Leigh Ann Caldwell: https://bit.ly/3omf9M0 Watch this footage from a British news outlet: It’s even more surreal to see yesterday covered from an international perspective. Watch the ITV News report — the footage this crew taped is unbelievable: https://bit.ly/3onEkht Surveying the damage: These photos are incredibly sad. Photos: https://bit.ly/3njbBch The smiles on their faces are infuriating: “Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes and neo-Nazi [activist] Baked Alaska both live-streamed from Pelosi's office after storming the capitol. Neither have been arrested.” Screenshot of their livestream https://bit.ly/3bhgMHl What a disgrace: 
© Twitter Watch: https://bit.ly/3hQJXlz The electoral votes were saved amid the chaos: 
© Twitter Trump supporters celebrate at a local hotel: 
© Twitter ^ After Bloomberg’s William Turton took this video, Trump supporters harassed and threatened him: “After I took this video, several Trump supporters harassed me and tried to follow me to my room. One accused me of being ‘antifa.’ Hotel security intervened and moved me to new room. What a weird day … The Trump supporters demanded that I delete the video. One woman flashed her taser at me, and threatened to mace me. I should also say for the record: the hotel staff and security were extremely professional and polite, and got me out of a bad situation.” Yikes. |
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| It’s Thursday. Today is a sad, infuriating day in Washington, D.C. I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send comments, story ideas and events for our radar to cmartel@thehill.com — and follow along on Twitter @CateMartel and Facebook. Did someone forward this to you? Want your own copy? Sign up here to receive The Hill's 12:30 Report in your inbox daily: http://bit.ly/2kjMNnn |
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| From former Attorney General Bill Barr: Barr called Trump’s actions a “betrayal of his office and supporters.” He also said: “orchestrating a mob to pressure Congress is inexcusable.” https://bit.ly/2LuAWCQ From The New York Times Opinion’s Ezra Klein: “They are doing what he asked them to do. They are doing exactly what one would do if you believed what he was saying. Don't act surprised. Republicans elites convinced themselves that Trump is taken seriously, not literally. Millions take him literally.” https://bit.ly/3hPlRaS From Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah): “We gather today due to a selfish man’s injured pride and the outrage of his supporters whom he has deliberately misinformed for the past two months and stirred to action this very morning. What happened here today was an insurrection, incited by the President of the United States.” More from Romney: https://cnn.it/2Lro6oW From former President Bill Clinton: “The match was lit by Donald Trump and his most ardent enablers, including many in Congress, to overturn the results of an election he lost. The election was free, the count was fair, the result is final. We must complete the peaceful transfer of power our Constitution mandates.” Clinton’s full statement: https://bit.ly/3on1Hrq This! — TIME’s Molly Ball pointed out: “The amazing thing about ‘it might have been antifa’ is that Trump literally summoned these people to DC, spoke at their event, offered to walk them over to the Capitol and then praised them afterward.” https://bit.ly/3pWV6Ej Republican senators blame Trump: Via The Hill’s Jordain Carney: https://bit.ly/3nmSNbW The Kansas City Star blames its senator: The paper’s editorial board slammed Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) for having “blood on his hands in Capitol coup attempt.” Excerpt: “No one other than President Donald Trump himself is more responsible for Wednesday’s coup attempt at the U.S. Capitol than one Joshua David Hawley, the 41-year-old junior senator from Missouri, who put out a fundraising appeal while the siege was underway.” The full op-ed: https://bit.ly/3hUz5n0 Airlines beef up security as the protesters fly home: For example, American Airlines said it is increasing staffing and working with law enforcement to increase security at D.C.-area airports. Details: https://bit.ly/3oqAu73 |
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Why was Capitol Hill caught flat-footed? — Capitol Police is taking the heat: |
| Via The Hill’s Niv Elis, “The disturbing breach of security at the U.S. Capitol is raising serious questions about the safety of lawmakers and staff who work there, and drawing criticism toward the security services who are meant to keep them safe.” https://bit.ly/38oQO2s |
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So, I guess we’ve identified the breaking point for some: |
| Multiple White House officials resigned yesterday following the storming of the U.S. Capitol. https://bit.ly/3nqUUvk Deputy national security adviser Matthew Pottinger: Via Bloomberg, Pottinger resigned yesterday afternoon. “His boss, National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien, also considered leaving but was persuaded to stay on by allies on Wednesday, the people said.” https://bloom.bg/38oPzAG The first lady’s chief of staff Stephanie Grisham: Grisham is also the former White House press secretary. Details from CNN’s Kate Bennett: https://cnn.it/3bapJCa Mick Mulvaney: Mulvaney, the president’s former chief of staff, resigned as special U.S. envoy to Northern Ireland. He told CNBC: “I can’t do it. I can’t stay.” Mulvaney on officials who are *not* resigning: “Those who choose to stay, and I have talked with some of them, are choosing to stay because they’re worried the president might put someone worse in.” https://cnb.cx/3hYPjeQ White House social secretary Anna Cristina "Rickie" Niceta: “Grisham and Niceta were among the longest-serving Trump administration officials.” https://cnn.it/3bapJCa Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao is considering resigning: Keep in mind, Chao is married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) (Via NBC News) https://bit.ly/38mxTWc Deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews: https://bit.ly/3nqUUvk |
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| TIDBIT — YIKES, CHECK OUT THESE SIDE-BY-SIDE HEADLINES FROM MICK MULVANEY: |
| Written exactly two months apart. Via The Washington Post’s Steven Rich: https://bit.ly/397pntr |
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Trump acknowledged the end of his presidency: |
| Shortly after Congress certified President-elect Biden’s win this morning, President Trump released a statement acknowledging the end of his presidency. https://bit.ly/35hJAM3 How did he share the statement? He was blocked from Twitter and Facebook.: Dan Scavino, the White House deputy chief of staff for communications, shared the statement for Trump. The statement shared for Trump during his Twitter suspension: https://bit.ly/35AeWxF |
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What to know about the 25th Amendment talks: |
| Via The Hill’s Brett Samuels and Morgan Chalfant, “Administration officials have started discussing the possibility of invoking the 25th Amendment to remove President Trump from office, according to a source familiar with the matter.” https://bit.ly/35iv8TX What would need to happen: “The extraordinary measure … would require a majority of Cabinet officials plus Vice President Pence to declare to Congress that Trump is unable to fulfill his duties as president.” This is important: “The discussions appear to be limited and it's not clear whether they have reached the level of any Cabinet officials. It is not clear that officials would actually move forward with invoking the 25th Amendment, or that enough Cabinet members would even support it, particularly given Trump has only two weeks left in office.” |
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| LAWFARE BREAKS DOWN THE LEGAL DETAILS OF REMOVING TRUMP FROM OFFICE: |
| https://bit.ly/2LrItSM |
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| BREAKDOWN OF YESTERDAY IN WASHINGTON | |
What it was like to be in the Capitol during the violence: |
| A team of Washington Post reporters compiled their accounts of yesterday’s terror in the chambers of Congress. https://wapo.st/3hT7y52 “For an hour, they banged on the doors, chanting, ‘Let us in! Let us in!’ Police inside fired pepper balls and smoke bombs into the crowd but failed to turn them away. After each volley, the rioters, who were mostly White men, would cluster around the doors again, yelling, arguing, pledging revolution. “Sometime after 2:10 p.m., a man used a clear plastic riot shield to break through the windows on a first floor to the south side of the building, then hopped in with a few others. “A Capitol Police officer yelled from a higher stairway at the intruders, ordering them to stop, but when they didn’t, the officer fired at a man coming at him, two law enforcement officials said.” Read their account of the events inside the Capitol — it puts the day into perspective: https://wapo.st/3hT7y52 |
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| THIS IS WORTH YOUR TIME — ORAL HISTORY OF WHAT UNFOLDED YESTERDAY: |
| Via Politico: https://politi.co/3hSbxiD |
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| SIGHTS AND SOUNDS INSIDE THE CAPITOL: |
| The moment protesters broke the glass and breached the U.S. Capitol: This video from Slate’s Jim Newell has more than 6.5 million views. Watch: https://bit.ly/35gL1Kp A man casually walking through the Capitol carrying his Confederate flag: Via Reuters: https://bit.ly/35eZF4W One rioter is wearing a ‘Camp Auschwitz’ sweatshirt: https://bit.ly/2LyzPSI The mob swarming outside the Senate floor while senators are still inside: Here’s a photo: https://bit.ly/3s0ex0T Video of the FBI SWAT team walking through the Capitol: https://bit.ly/35jJKlQ A rioter entered Speaker Pelosi’s office and left a note: It reads, “WE WILL NOT BACK DOWN” Photo: https://bit.ly/2L7CvXr Another wrote on a Capitol door, ‘murder the media’: https://bit.ly/38iIQYK Video of protesters breaching the Senate floor, taken from NBC’s Frank Thorp V, who was in the room: https://bit.ly/3912W8Y This photo is historic: 
© Twitter Rioters posing for photos in the Senate chamber: This is sickening. Photo from The New York Post’s Steven Nelson: https://bit.ly/3bfyGdx And another yelled ‘Trump won that election!’ from the dais: Via The Huffington Post’s Igor Bobic) https://bit.ly/2MGCFpa A rioter stole an podium from the Capitol: Here’s a photo of that rioter smiling and posing for the camera. I might add, he’s not wearing a mask, so he should be easy for law enforcement to identify! Getty photo of the rioter posing with the stolen podium: https://bit.ly/2MHsPDx Reporters hid until their stools in the House gallery: 
© Twitter ^Beavers also described: “Police have guns drawn. We are hiding behind chairs and tables on House gallery.” https://bit.ly/3s0pb7I And journalists were given protective hoods: 
© Twitter ^Photo of Politico’s Olivia Beavers wearing the hood: https://bit.ly/3985vpZ A little before 3 p.m. EST, can’t think of a worse time to send a fundraising email: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) sent a fundraising text and email to supporters. Screenshot from Politico’s Elena Schneider: https://bit.ly/3s3t9fM |
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| SIGHTS AND SOUNDS OUTSIDE THE CAPITOL: |
| The mob physically fighting police officers: This video has more than 8.4 million views. (From The Huffington Post’s Philip Lewis) Watch: https://bit.ly/3s4p4bA Video of the mobs storming the barricades of the Capitol complex: https://bit.ly/3pWVjHD An American flag was taken down and replaced with a Trump flag: https://bit.ly/3pVVd38 Video of protesters on the streets after curfew: Via The New York Times’s John Ismay: https://bit.ly/3971pi0 Spotted outside the Capitol: Alex Jones ... https://bit.ly/3s1zvg0 |
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| LATEST WITH THE CORONAVIRUS | |
| Coronavirus cases in the U.S.: 21,314,415 U.S. death toll: 361,453 Breakdown of the numbers: https://cnn.it/2UAgW3y |
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Today in Capitol Hill: |
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© Twitter |
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| The House and Senate are out. President Trump and Vice President Pence are in Washington, D.C. President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris are in Wilmington, Del. Today, per the White House schedule sent to reporters: “President Trump will work from early in the morning until late in the evening. He will make many calls and have many meetings.” Vice President Pence has no public events scheduled. Vice President-elect Harris meets with transition advisers. |
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| 11 a.m. EST: Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser held a press conference. Livestream: https://bit.ly/3pZyoLW 1 p.m. EST: Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) holds a press conference. Livestream: https://bit.ly/35iNRyu 1:30 p.m. EST: President-elect Biden announces his Justice Department nominees. Livestream: https://bit.ly/3bhcmjz |
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| NOW FOR THE FUN STUFF...: | |
| Today is National Tempura Day. |
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| And I don’t know about you, but I could really use something light as a brief distraction from the day. Here is a dog who really wants to figure out how stairs work: https://bit.ly/35lv85x |
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