Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Thursday, January 7, 2021:
MOB STORMS CAPITOL
Fanatical supporters of the sitting U.S. president stormed the seat of American government in an extraordinary act of insurrection without parallel in the country’s modern history, causing the most significant breach of the United States Capitol since the British invasion of Washington, D.C. in 1814. Rioters smashed windows, vandalized the House Speaker’s office, looted and posed for pictures on the Senate dais. After Donald Trump Jr. told Congress "we're coming for you," and Rudy Giuliani called for "trial by combat," President Trump, speaking at a rally in front of the White House, incited the riots by telling supporters to march down Pennsylvania Avenue and suggesting that he would join them. He did not. The mob did march, and deployed “chemical irritants on police” to gain access to the Capitol, according to the DC police chief. At least four people died, including one woman who was shot by police. Three others had separate “medical emergencies.” Pipe bombs were found outside the nearby headquarters of the RNC and DNC. It took more than four hours to clear the complex before lawmakers were allowed back in to resume their duties. AP
SECURITY FAILURE
By almost any account, the breach of the Capitol was among the worst domestic security failures since 9/11. Among the many questions swirling today: why did the Capitol Police appear to be caught off guard by the impending breach? Where was the National Guard, which had been activated ahead of expected protests? Why did it take so long to clear the Capitol complex? Why didn’t federal agencies -- or any agency -- give any briefings on the situation? Vice President Pence reportedly was the one who eventually ordered the Guard to go in after Trump initially rebuffed the idea. Police arrested a total of 52 people, most of whom were detained for violating a curfew. Video on social media showed some Capitol officers removing barricades to let people into the complex and posing for selfies. WASH POST
WHITE HOUSE IN CRISIS
Calls are growing for Vice President Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove President Trump from office for inciting the riots that breached the Capitol, on the grounds that he is no longer fit for office. The National Association of Manufacturers, an influential business group that represents 14,000 U.S. companies and is not known for its liberal politics, says there should be “serious consideration” of removing the president before his term ends on Jan. 20 at noon. CBS News reports that Cabinet officials have been discussing the prospect of invoking the 25th. Pence would need the support of a majority of the Cabinet to begin those proceedings. Several White House officials have resigned, including the first lady’s chief of staff, the social secretary and a deputy press secretary. More are expected. AXIOS
CONGRESS AFFIRMS BIDEN WIN
Lawmakers returned to the job of counting the electoral college vote once the mob was cleared. A joint session of Congress certified Joe Biden’s victory overnight hours after it was forced to disband and members were told to shelter in place earlier in the day. Both the House and Senate turned back the challenge to the vote, with at least four Republicans changing their votes to affirm after the events of the day. President Trump has released a statement saying he will abide by an “orderly transition” of power. Leading a prayer at the end of an extraordinary day, the Senate chaplain said: “These tragedies have reminded us that words matter and that the power of life and death is in the tongue.” NPR
DEMS TAKE SENATE
Jon Ossoff has defeated Sen. David Perdue to win the second Senate runoff in Georgia, according to the AP, giving Democrats control of the chamber. Democrats and Republicans will both have 50 seats, with VP-elect Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking vote. Under President Trump, Republicans have lost control of the House, Senate and White House, while also solidifying a majority on the Supreme Court. AP
SOCIAL MEDIA'S ROLE
Twitter removed several of the president’s tweets for the first time ever and locked his account for 12 hours, saying that he will be suspended permanently if there is another violation. Facebook and Instagram have suspended the president’s accounts for 24 hours. The mob violence and plans to storm the Capitol were openly organized on right-wing social media sites like Gab and Parler, adding more questions about why the authorities were caught off guard. THE VERGE
WORLD REACTION
Venezuela, Turkey and Iran are among the countries that expressed public concern (and a hint of schadenfreude) over the events in Washington. World leaders from allied nations like Britain, Australia, New Zealand and India also issued statements decrying the violence. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she felt “angry and also sad” at what amounted to an attack on the democratic ideals that won WWII. China’s foreign ministry drew comparisons to the pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong, which it said was “more severe” than what happened in D.C. but “not one demonstrator died.” BBC
SPORTS WORLD REACTS
Players on the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics briefly left the court before their game and issued a statement that made explicit what many people were thinking: “The drastic difference between the way protesters this past spring and summer were treated and the encouragement given to today's protestors who acted illegally just shows how much more work we have to do.” In the Warriors-Clippers game, players knelt together for the national anthem. ESPN
BIDEN TRANSITION
President-elect Biden will nominate Judge Merrick Garland to be attorney general. Garland is a federal judge whose nomination to the Supreme Court was blocked by Senate Republicans in 2016. President George W. Bush says he is looking forward to attending the Biden inauguration. The D.C. mayor has put the city under a public emergency until the day after the inauguration, which is still planned as a hybrid in-person and virtual event for Jan. 20. One of the many viral images on social media showed a photo of President Trump’s inauguration from 2017 -- where he famously called for an end to “American carnage” -- side-by-side with one taken from the same vantage point as the building was overtaken by rioters and covered in a fog of tear gas: SEE IT
COVID-19: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Amid the mayhem, the U.S. recorded its second highest case numbers and death toll to date. Nearly 3,800 Americans died of the coronavirus as the world’s eyes were turned on Washington, with fears that the mostly maskless riots were going to become their own superspreader event. NYC will open five 24/7 vaccination sites across the city in the coming days. Some counties in Florida have been using the online invitation tool EventBrite to set up appointments, which has been flooded with vaccine scams. A federal partnership with pharmacies to inoculate high-risk groups is expected to finally launch this week. Experts are warning that the U.S. does not have a system set up to track the new variants of the virus that are spreading undetected. COVID TRACKING PROJECT
LEFTOVERS: THE DAY IN PHOTOS
There are some stories that can be captured in photos better than words. The events at the Capitol surely fit that bill. Here’s a look at what AP photojournalists working inside and outside the Capitol complex saw during an infamous day in American history: SEE PICS
Listen to the N2K Podcast! Looking for more context and analysis on the big stories of the day? Check out our podcast! Hosts Jill and Carlo break down the headlines, every weekday morning Listen on Apple or Spotify, or watch on YouTube, and send us your feedback!
