Twitter on Wednesday removed three of President Trump’s tweets over violations of its policies and warned that Trump’s account could be kicked off the platform if he continues to break the rules.
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Twitter on Wednesday put President Trump on notice: If he does not stop breaking the platform’s rules, he will be permanently banned.
The stern warning followed another step never before taken by Twitter: It locked Trump out of his account for 12 hours after the removal of three tweets that the company said were a “severe violation” of Twitter’s rules.
Once Trump’s time-out expires on Twitter, the company said it may boot the president off the platform for good if his sharing of election-relation disinformation and glorifications of violence continue.
Facebook deleted the same video Twitter acted on and blocked Trump’s account from sharing messages for 24 hours, but the social network did not say it was considering a permanent suspension of Trump.
Among the tweets that Twitter removed from public view was a video addressed to the mob that violently swarmed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. In the video, Trump said he loved those supporters, even as he told them to go home. He also fanned conspiracy theories that the presidential election was stolen from him.
In the two other tweets removed, Trump falsely suggested he had won the presidential election.
Twitter, taking the boldest enforcement action to date against Trump, has faced months of accusations that it has not done enough to limit the spread of Trump’s groundless attacks on the democratic election he lost and incitements of violence sent to his millions of followers.
The social media platform has slapped warning labels on dozens of Trump’s tweets to limit the spread, in addition to other steps taken to prevent Trump messages laced with falsehoods from going viral. But many onlookers say Twitter has been ineffective in curbing the reach of Trump’s misleading and incendiary material.
“As someone who has served on your Trust and Safety Board since its inception and counseled you since 2009, time is now to suspend President Trump’s account,” said Danielle Citron, a law professor at the University of Virginia, in a tweet. “He has deliberately incited violence, causing mayhem with his lies and threats.”
Many world leaders, including Trump, have enjoyed more freedom than ordinary users to share messages on Facebook and Twitter, since the platforms consider their comments political speech that has public value. Yet critics say that rule has enabled Trump to turn conspiracies viral, most recently Trump’s repeated airing of baseless allegations about the November election.
In indicating that Trump could soon be banished from the platform, Twitter may be re-examining how that rule applies to Trump.
On Wednesday, the melee on the Capitol drew calls from Democratic lawmakers and civil rights advocates for Trump to be kicked off Twitter and Facebook over a long pattern of abusing the platforms.
“Trump is inciting violence and spreading dangerous misinformation that is undermining our democracy and our way of life. Social media continues to amplify his anti-democratic rhetoric,” said Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., who added that Twitter and Facebook should “remove Trump from their platforms.”
Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, said the insurrection on the Capitol staged by some of Trump’s most ardent supporters was the direct result of fear and disinformation that has been supercharged by social media companies.
“Social media companies should suspend his accounts ASAP as they would do for anyone else advocating disinformation and promoting violence,” Greenblatt said. “It’s time.”
Source Article from https://www.npr.org/sections/congress-electoral-college-tally-live-updates/2021/01/06/954190994/twitter-locks-trumps-account-warns-of-permanent-suspension-if-violations-continu
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Source Article from https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/01/07/25th-amendment-pence-trump/
Trump supporters try to break through a police barrier, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, at the Capitol in Washington.
Four people died as supporters of President Donald Trump violently occupied the U.S. Capitol.
Washington, D.C., Police Chief Robert Contee said the dead on Wednesday included a woman who was shot by the U.S. Capitol Police, as well as three others who died in “medical emergencies.”
Police said both law enforcement and Trump supporters deployed chemical irritants during the hourslong occupation of the Capitol building before it was cleared Wednesday evening by law enforcement.
The woman was shot earlier Wednesday as the mob tried to break through a barricaded door in the Capitol where police were armed on the other side. She was hospitalized with a gunshot wound and later died.
D.C. police officials also say two pipe bombs were recovered, one outside the Democratic National Committee and one outside the Republican National Committee. Police found a cooler from a vehicle that had a long gun and Molotov cocktail on Capitol grounds.
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Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/06/politics/capitol-riots-what-happened/index.html
ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. – Last month, FOX 2 reported people in St. Charles, Warren, and Lincoln counties had complained of a strange odor in the air. About two weeks later, the complaints stopped.
“My staff’s been out there like bloodhounds,” Wentzville Mayor Nick Guccione said. “I’ve been out there trying to determine where it‘s coming from, so I’m glad we found the source.”
Source Article from https://fox2now.com/news/governor-pritzker-calls-for-president-trumps-impeachment-and-removal-from-office/
U.S. stock futures rose in early morning trading on Thursday as investors digested the likely event of a Democratic held Congress and continued to look past riots at the U.S. Capitol.
Dow Jones Industrial average futures jumped 216 points. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures also both traded in positive territory.
During Wednesday’s trading session, markets were largely unaffected by the chaos in Washington caused by pro-Trump rioters at the U.S. Capitol. Lawmakers had just started the procedural process of counting the Electoral College votes and formally declaring President-elect Joe Biden the winner, when protesters stormed the chamber.
Wednesday evening, the Capitol building was secured and Congress reconvened to continue the process to confirm Biden’s win. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Senate will certify the winner of the 2020 election Wednesday night.
“The strength of the country is our institutions and our laws,” Ed Keon of QMA told CNBC. “Seeing this is disheartening but we will prevail and I think that’s the message of the markets.”
“I think the reason the markets aren’t too flummoxed is it’s not going to change the transition of power,” Tom Lee, Fundstrat Global Advisors co-founder, added.
On Wednesday, U.S. equities rose as Georgia’s Senate runoff election results rolled in. Minutes after the closing bell, NBC projected that Democrat Jon Ossoff defeated Republican David Perdue. This comes after NBC earlier projected Democrat Raphael Warnock defeated Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler in their runoff.
Georgia’s election results create a 50-50 Senate that Democrats will control, due to the tiebreaking vote in Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. It is widely expected that a Democrat-held Senate would push for a more robust stimulus package, speculation which boosted equities on Wednesday.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed more than 400 points or 1.4% to close at a record high. The S&P 500 rose 0.57%, hitting an intraday all-time high during the session. The two averages closed off their highs amid the riots however.
The Nasdaq Composite was the relative underperformer, dipping 0.6% as Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google-parent Alphabet all closed lower.
The small cap benchmark Russell 2000 jumped nearly 4% to top the 2,050 level on hopes of further fiscal aid.
The 10-year Treasury yield broke above 1% for the first time since the pandemic-triggered rout in March late on Tuesday. The jump in yields triggered a rally in bank stocks on Wednesday.
Amid the chaos, cryptocurrency Bitcoin topped $36,000.
The Labor Department releases last week’s jobless claims at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday. Economists polled by Dow Jones are expecting 815,000 Americans filed for unemployment last week, compared to the previous week’s 787,000 claims.
Bed Bath & Beyond, Constellation Brands, Walgreens Boots Alliance and Conagra report quarterly earnings before the bell on Thursday. Chipmaker Micron reports after the bell.
Subscribe to CNBC PRO for exclusive insights and analysis, and live business day programming from around the world.
Source Article from https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/06/stock-market-futures-open-to-close-news.html
WASHINGTON — The nation’s lawmakers took to their electoral duties late Wednesday amid broken glass and smashed doors in the U.S. Capitol following an historic day of havoc wrought by pro-Trump rioters who breached the building in hopes of thwarting President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.
Thousands of rioters had gathered at the National Mall to protest the election results. At a campaign-style rally about an hour before the mob broke through police lines at the Capitol, Trump had urged them to go to the building.
D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee said the chaotic day included four fatalities: a woman who was shot by the U.S. Capitol Police, as well as three others — two men and one woman — who died in “separate medical emergencies.” Police had made “in excess of 52 arrests,” including 26 on U.S. Capitol grounds, he said.
At least 14 Metropolitan Police Department Officers were injured during the demonstrations, Contee said. Two pipe bombs — one from the DNC and one from the RNC — were also recovered by police, he said.
By 11 p.m., the once-crowded streets were almost entirely deserted except for roving police patrols and a handful of journalists leaving the area. About 20 law enforcement officers were guarding a barricade along Pennsylvania Avenue, near the reflecting pool in front of the U.S. Capitol. Little sign remained of what were massive crowds, save for overflowing trash cans and the occasional discarded Trump flag.
The FBI started an investigation, seeking the public’s help to identify unlawful individuals. The agency’s Washington field office launched an online form for “information related to violent activity at the U.S Capitol Building.”
“Our goal is to preserve the public’s constitutional right to protest by protecting everyone from violence and other criminal activity,” the FBI said.
Also Wednesday night, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a 15-day extension of the public emergency she declared earlier in the day “so that we can continue to ensure peace and security through the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.”
She added, “Today may be a dark day for our democracy, but there is hope and change coming.”
‘A direct attack on democracy’:World leaders react with shock, sadness after Trump supporters riot at US Capitol
After both the House and Senate voted to rejected an objection to Arizona’s 11 Electoral College votes for Biden, lawmakers will return to a joint session of Congress and continue counting the Electoral College votes in alphabetical order by state.
Lawmakers in both chambers took turns offering somber words Wednesday night reflecting on the day’s maelstrom and urging members to certify the presidential electoral votes. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Congress had faced a “failed insurrection.”
Hundreds of people broke into the building and filtered through Statuary Hall. Some entered the Senate chamber and faced off with police at the door to the House chamber.
Trump later tweeted asking rioters to “stay peaceful” and taped a video urging them to go home and advocating for law and order while referring to “a fraudulent election” that “was stolen from us.” President-elect Joe Biden had called for Trump to go on national TV and demand an end to “this siege,” adding, “It’s not protest, it’s insurrection.”
The Washington, D.C., National Guard was mobilized to support local law enforcementAs a 6 p.m. ET curfew took effect, police in riot gear stood outside the Capitol and held rioters at bay. Police used tear gas and percussion grenades to disperse the mob.
Trump has unsuccessfully tried to overturn election results in six battleground states through dozens of failed lawsuits, falsely claiming the election was stolen despite no evidence of widespread fraud. Although several Republican legislators indicated they would object to the certification of electoral votes for Biden, the campaign lacks the votes needed to overturn the results.
Keep refreshing this page for the latest updates and follow USA TODAY reporters on Twitter here. Scroll down for more news you need to know.
- Stephanie Grisham, First Lady Melania Trump’s chief of staff and a former press secretary to the president, resigned Wednesday.
- Twitter has locked Trump’s account for at least 12 hours and warned that future violations of its rules will lead to permanent suspension.
- Sen. Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the chamber, said Wednesday’s riots in the U.S. Capitol would “live forever in infamy” along with other watershed events in American history.
- The FBI said two “suspected explosive devices were rendered safe” after being found on the protest premises by federal and local investigators.
- By Wednesday afternoon, Army Gen. Mark Milley said the D.C. National Guard had been fully activated “to assist federal and local law enforcement as they work to peacefully address the situation.”
- Pro-Trump protests erupted at statehouses in Oregon, Minnesota, Kansas, Georgia, Ohio, Iowa and New Mexico, while in Los Angeles four people were arrested after Trump supporters clashed with demonstrators against him.
- Washington, D.C., has instituted a curfew from 6 p.m. Wednesday through 6 a.m. Thursday.
West Virginia lawmaker among those who broke into Capitol
A newly elected lawmaker from West Virginia was among the hundreds of people who stormed the Capitol building Wednesday. Republican Rep. Derrick Evans posted a now-deleted livestream video to Facebook that shows him moving through the building as people in Trump hats mill about.
“We’re in! We’re in!” he yells at one point.
Evans has posted a series of videos in recent days. In one video posted Wednesday morning, Evans can be heard saying “Stop the steal baby.”
“Are you here to support President Trump as well, sir?” he asks on demonstrator.
In a statement posted to Facebook Wednesday, Evans said he was on a bus back to West Virginia. Evans said he did not have “any negative interactions with law enforcement” or participate in any “destruction.”
“I was simply there as an independent member of the media to film history,” he said.
Virginia state Sen. Amanda Chase: Riots are beginning of ‘revolution’
A Virginia state senator said Wednesday’s storming of the U.S. Capitol signaled the beginning of a “revolution.”
In a Facebook live post broadcast hours after speaking at the D.C. rally the preceded the riot, Virginia State Sen. Amanda F. Chase said supporters should not believe media reports of riots at the Capitol, as “most of it’s not even true.”
While many politicians, including some Republicans, have condemned the mob, Chase said she saw the rioters as “many patriots that have already said we’ve had enough.”
“I support peaceful protests,” she said in the post Wednesday night, “but I’m telling you when you back people in Virginia and across the United States of America into a corner, you will end up with a revolution. And I believe that’s what you’re starting to see.”
Trump supporters confront police at Washington state governor’s mansion
Washington police responded to Trump supporters who went to the grounds of the governor’s mansion after a protest at the Capitol. The Seattle Times reported dozens of protesters went to the governor’s mansion, opened a gate and waved flags and chanted slogans while on the grounds.
Law enforcement stood on the front porch and some fo the protesters on the governor’s lawn were armed, the Times reported. The governor’s mansion is in the state’s capitol of Olympia.
No arrests were made, a spokesman for the Washington State Patrol told the Times.
Gov. Jay Inslee and his family were “in a safe location,” the Washington State Patrol tweeted when troopers first responded to the Trump supporters.
Eventually deputies Thurston County Sheriff’s Office and Olympia police officers arrived at the scene, the Times reported.
Trump locked out of Twitter
President Donald Trump’s favorite tool has been taken away, perhaps permanently.
Twitter officials are requiring the removal of three tweets Trump posted Wednesday, including one in which he admonished Vice President Mike Pence for not overturning the election results and another one in which he said the violent intrusion into the Capitol by his supporters is what happens “when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots.”
Twitter locked Trump’s account for at least 12 hours “for repeated and severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy’’ and warned that future violations of its rules will lead to permanent suspension.
The online platform also said Trump’s Twitter account, which he has frequently used to castigate political enemies, stoke his followers and fire government officials who have run afoul of him, would remain locked if he did not remove the three tweets in question.
Woman shot inside Capitol dies
A woman shot inside the Capitol on Wednesday afternoon has died, according to spokeswoman Alaina Gertz of the Washington, D.C., police department.
Videos of the incident circulating on social media show the woman fall to the ground following a loud bang inside the building. Onlookers screamed for help while she bled on the ground shortly after 3 p.m.
One witness, who identified himself as Thomas from New Jersey, said after storming into the chambers, police yelled for the mob of rioters to get back. He said the woman “didn’t heed the call” as they rushed to the chamber windows. “Then they shot her in the neck,” Thomas said.
Hospitals in the area declined to give details about anyone transported to their emergency rooms Wednesday evening.
– Brett Murphy
Capitol locked down after protesters breach building
As Trump’s speech concluded, a group of about two dozen people moved in on the U.S. Capitol as debate over certifying the election was taking place inside. Several flash-bang grenades were launched. A stretcher was seen being taken through the crowd as tensions flared.
Behind them, a huge throng continued to swell, with a reporter estimating more than 1,000 pushing up against the inauguration stage set up outside the Capitol building. As protesters began climbing up the side of the building and on the balcony at the back, police appeared to retreat.
After the break-in, police attempted to secure one section outside the building but were quickly overwhelmed as the crowd broke through security fencing and breached the building. The Capitol was locked down and Pence was evacuated.
Terry Gainer, former chief of the U.S. Capitol Police who also served as the Senate’s sergeant-at arms, described Wednesday’s protests as unprecedented in four decades in law enforcement.
“It’s dangerous,” Gainer said. “This is a much more hateful crowd incited by the president himself. It’s definitely something new in our business.”
– Kevin Johnson and Will Carless, 2:20 p.m. ET
Lawmakers from both parties condemn Capitol riot
While holed up in their offices, legislators on both sides of the aisle condemned the rioters’ violent incursion into the Capitol.
“This is not a protest. It is a terrorist attack on our democracy,’’ Rep. Jim McGovern, a Democrat from Massachusetts, tweeted.
“There is nothing patriotic about what is occurring on Capitol Hill,’’ tweeted Sen. Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida. “This is 3rd world style anti-American anarchy.’’
Nevada Rep. Dina Titus, a Democrat, said via Twitter: “As I shelter in place, lawless domestic terrorists encouraged by the President of the United States are attempting to destroy our democracy. They will not succeed.”
Protesters celebrate breaching Capitol
By late afternoon, an almost festival atmosphere prevailed outside the Capitol: participants celebrated the storming of the building and traded stories about getting tear- gassed. Vendors sold popcorn and pretzels, and some departing participants rode off in bicycle rickshaws.
Several participants carried “Election fraud is treason” signs but declined to give their names or specify who they believed should be punished, but pointed out a nearby gallows. Closing in on 4 p.m., thousands of participants streamed away from the Capitol building, many laughing and jeering the politicians they had intimidated.
“Come back, turn around, stay strong, hold the line,” yelled a man waving a Trump flag from atop a cherry-picker. “We need you.”
– Trevor Hughes, 3:53 p.m. ET
Trump repeats claims of rigged election
At a late-morning rally, Trump once again repeated his repudiated claims of a rigged election, blaming the “fake news media,” “weak Republicans” and the tech giants. Trump also rejected early results from Tuesday’s election that saw Democrats leading in both Senate runoff elections in Georgia.
“This year they rigged the election, they rigged it like they never did before,” Trump said, citing unfounded examples.
Legal challenges, however, have been consistently rejected in several courts. Trump’s Homeland Security and Justice departments have said there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud.
But Trump again urged Vice President Mike Pence to reject the Electoral College count, which Pence has no legal right to do.
“We will never concede,” Trump said. “We will stop the steal.”
Later in the day, Trump assailed the vice president in a tweet, saying, “Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify. USA demands the truth!”
– John Bacon, 12:20 p.m. ET
Trump backers seek support Congress can’t provide
Chad Heuer, 45, said he traveled from southern Michigan to watch Trump speak because he wants members of Congress to listen to what Trump supporters say.
“We have a constitution. Let’s uphold it,” Heuer said.
Michele Haynes from Las Vegas, unwilling to accept the reality that Joe Biden will become president, said she’s “sure there are other options” for Trump to remain in office regardless of what happens in Congress. She said Americans won’t accept Biden as president.
“They have more,” she said of allegations of voter fraud. “It’s going to be revealed.”
– Ryan Miller, 11:35 a.m. ET
Counter protesters: BLM, rainbow flags and anti-Trump music
At Black Lives Matter Plaza, just blocks from the White House, two counter-protesters camped out between police barricades playing “FDT” by rapper YG.
Sean Davis, 20, and Kayla Buie, 19, stood before a line of Black Lives Matter and rainbow flags, trading insults with passing groups of Trump supporters. Davis, a chef who has been unemployed since the beginning of the pandemic, said the couple drove from New York on Tuesday night to show their support.
“At first I wasn’t going to come, but then everything Trump was doing, it goes against our political system,” he said. “It’s more like tyranny.”
– N’dea Yancey-Bragg, 10:50 a.m. ET
From ‘legitimate questions’ to ‘naked treason’
Sherri Lynn Womack, a member of the Lee County board of education in North Carolina, said she traveled to Washington to demand better election security and stronger voter ID laws. She cited what she believes are “suspicious” videos of ballot counting in Georgia.
“I’m not one of those conspiracy theorists,” she said. “But these are legitimate questions that need to be asked.”
The Trump campaign is falsely claiming that surveillance camera footage captured election workers in Georgia adding thousands of illegal ballots that were brought into an Atlanta facility in suspicious “suitcases” on election night. State officials said the full video shows the suitcases were actually standard containers used to secure ballots.
Meanwhile, David Tate, 32, a truck driver from New Hampshire, said he drove 14 hours because he doesn’t want his three children to grow up under a Biden administration. He said he doesn’t believe Biden could have gotten the amount of votes he did because of the massive crowds Trump drew compared to the smaller events held by Biden.
“It’s kind of our right and our duty as American citizens to stand up against this naked treason,” he said. Biden, however, did not host large events at the behest of the public health experts who urged Americans to avoid large gatherings.
– N’dea Yancey-Bragg, 9:25 a.m. ET
On the National Mall to ‘support the cause of freedom’
Among those on the National Mall was Angela Strong, 41, a sixth-generation Texan who said she had ancestors on the Mayflower and others who fought in the Civil War.
“If they were willing to sacrifice everything to defend liberty and freedom, I could come down to support the cause for freedom,” Strong said. She said debate has been stifled in America, and people who disagree can’t have a conversation without arguing.
Strong said she couldn’t speak to Trump’s claims of voter fraud because Texas was not that close of a race, but added that concerns raised by people in other states such as Pennsylvania should be heard. Experts have agreed,however, that there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in Pennsylvania or elsewhere.
“If their citizens and legislators are questioning it in any contested state, it shouldn’t be ignored,” she said. “We have to give those voices the opportunity to say how they feel and why it is they feel that way.”
– Ryan W. Miller, 8:25 a.m. ET
Six arrested Tuesday night as Trump supporters began to gather
Crowds of President Donald Trump’s supporters began gathering Tuesday in Washington, and D.C. police announced six protest-related arrests.
The Metropolitan Police Department detained three men and two women on charges ranging from carrying a pistol without a license to assault of a police officer, according to a spokesman. The U.S. Park Police also made one arrest, the spokesman said.
Hundreds of people had gathered during the day on Freedom Plaza near the White House, many waving Trump and American flags. Vendors ringing the plaza sold flag-themed hats and shirts emblazoned with sayings from “Stop the steal” to “Trump is my president.”
– Ryan W. Miller and Trevor Hughes, 12:05 a.m. ET
Counting Electoral College votes: What’s happening in Congress today
Congress’ count of the Electoral College, a normally symbolic affair affirming the president-elect’s victory, is set to be a contentious, lengthy process when the House and Senate convene in a joint session to count the electoral votes on Wednesday.
In an effort that has divided the Republican Party, over a dozen Senate Republicans and at least 50 House Republicans are set to object to the counting of electoral votes from states that Trump contested after Election Day. No Democrats are expected to object to the results.
Trump has urged Republican lawmakers to join the objections, but the effort is unlikely to succeed because a majority of both the House and Senate is needed to exclude any electoral votes.
Congress is set to meet on Wednesday at 1 p.m. EST as protesters descend on Washington. Read more here about the procedures and what to expect.
– Nicholas Wu and Camille Caldera, 7 a.m. ET
Contributing: Grace Hauck; The Associated Press
Source Article from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/01/06/dc-protests-live-updates-trump-supporters-electoral-college-proud-boys/4126018001/
Former President Barack Obama on Wednesday night blamed the day’s chaos at the US Capitol on President Trump, saying it will be marked in history “as a moment of great dishonor and shame for our nation.”
In a statement posted to his official Twitter account, Obama laid blame to the mayhem directly on Trump, the Republican party and the media for spreading a “fantasy narrative.”
“History will rightly remember today’s violence at the Capitol, incited by a sitting president who has continued to baselessly lie about the outcome of a lawful election, as a moment of great dishonor and shame for our nation. But we’d be kidding ourselves if we treated it as a total surprise,” Obama said.
“For two months now, a political party and its accompanying media ecosystem has too often been unwilling to tell their truth — that this was not a particularly close election and that President-Elect Biden will be inaugurated on January 20.
“Their fantasy narrative has spiraled further and further from reality, and it builds upon years of sown resentment. Now we’re seeing the consequences, whipped up into a violent crescendo,” Obama wrote.
He said Republicans can either continue to perpetuate the chaos, or help put an end to the division. “They can choose America,” Obama said.
While critical of the GOP party, Obama also said he was “heartened” to see some members today voice their opposition to what unfolded.
“We need more leaders like these — right now and in the days, weeks, and months ahead as President-Elect Biden works to restore a common purpose to our politics. It is up to all of us as Americans, regardless of party, to support him in that goal,” he said.
Source Article from https://nypost.com/2021/01/06/obama-says-dc-riots-will-be-remembered-as-a-shame-for-our-nation/
Chris Wallace: This is ‘rule of the mob versus the rule of law’
‘FOX News Sunday’ host reacts to breaking news as protesters breach US Capitol building’
Former White House communications director Alyssa Farah is pleading to supporters of her former boss to accept the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Amid violence taking place on Capitol Hill, Farah–who left the White House in December as President Trump‘s legal team continued to challenge the Electoral College victory of President-elect Biden in several swing states–took to Twitter and urged Trump voters to face what she suggested is a harsh reality for them.
LIVE UPDATES: PROTESTERS STORM CAPITOL, HALTING ELECTORAL VOTE CERTIFICATION
“Dear MAGA- I am one of you. Before I worked for @realDonaldTrump, I worked for @MarkMeadows & @Jim_Jordan & the @freedomcaucus. I marched in the 2010 Tea Party rallies. I campaigned w/ Trump & voted for him. But I need you to hear me: the Election was NOT stolen. We lost,” Farah began her Twitter thread.
While she acknowledged that there “were cases of fraud” that “should be investigated,” Farah stressed that “the legitimate margins of victory for Biden are far too wide to change the outcome. You need to know that.”
ANDREW MCCARTHY: TRUMP ‘INCITED’ CAPITOL HILL VIOLENCE, NEEDS TO URGE HIS SUPPORTERS TO ‘GO HOME’
“I’m proud of many policy accomplishments the Trump Admin had. But we must accept these results,” Farah continued. “It’s time to regroup, organize, & campaign for political leaders we believe in, and let our democracy work. It is NOT and NEVER will be a time for violence. If you believe in America first, you believe in our Constitution, the rule of law, & our first principles.”
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Earlier in the day, President Trump attended a rally where he reiterated to his thousands of supporters that the election was “stolen.” Meanwhile, the contentious certification of President-elect Biden’s victory was halted after a pro-Trump mob stormed Capitol Hill, causing lawmakers to go into lockdown.
Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/media/alyssa-farah-the-election-was-not-stolen-we-lost
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a letter to colleagues that the decision to quickly resume counting votes on the heels of the riot was made in consultation with political leaders including Vice President Mike Pence, who is presiding over the joint session of Congress.
“Our purpose will be accomplished,” Pelosi said as she reconvened the House’s session, about an hour after the Senate resumed its own proceedings.
“Today was a dark day in the history of the United States Capitol,” Pence said as he opened the session in the Senate.
“We condemn the violence that took place here in the strongest possible terms,” the vice president, who previously served as a congressman from Indiana
“The violence was quelled, the Capitol is secured, and the people’s work continues,” Pence said.
“To those who wreaked havoc in our Capitol today, you did not win. Violence never wins. Freedom wins,” he said.
“Let’s get back to work.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said, “The United States Senate will not be intimidated.”
“We are back at our posts, we will discharge our duty,” McConnell said. “We assembled this afternoon to count our citizens’ votes, and to formalize their choice of president.”
“We will certify the winner of the 2020 presidential election,” he concluded.
Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., blasted Trump, whom he called “undoubtedly our worst president,” and whom he said “bears a great deal of the blame” for the riot.
“This mob was in good part President Trump’s doing,” said Schumer. “His responsibility, his everlasting shame.”
Source Article from https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/06/electoral-vote-update-congress-resumes-counting-after-pro-trump-rioters-invade-capitol.html
WASHINGTON — Utah Sen. Mitt Romney called today’s violent protests in the US Capitol where one woman died “an insurrection, incited by the President of the United States.”
Romney’s comments on President Trump’s supporters storming the building Wednesday came after many of his political colleagues from around the state chimed in on the unprecedented events.
Some of politicians who supported President Trump’s unending efforts to overturn the election are now condemning many of his supporters for their violent occupation of the US Capitol.
But it was Romney’s statement that offered the harshest take on the president and those elected officials who have backed him up.
“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,” wrote Romney. “Those who choose to continue to support his dangerous gambit by objecting to the results of a legitimate, democratic election will forever be seen as being complicit in an unprecedented attack against our democracy.”
“They will be remembered for their role in this shameful episode in American history. That will be their legacy.”
The counting of the Electoral College votes was delayed after protesters breached security at the Capitol, but Romney says their mission will not be canceled.
“We must not be intimidated or prevented from fulfilling our constitutional duty. We must continue with the count of electoral college votes. In light of today’s sad circumstances, I ask my colleagues: Do we weigh our own political fortunes more heavily than we weigh the strength of our Republic, the strength of our democracy, and the cause of freedom? What is the weight of personal acclaim compared to the weight of conscience?
The Utah delegation was in Washington today, and some in the Senate chambers, when the order was given to evacuate to safety after protesters breached security and entered the building.
Newly-elected Rep. Burgess Owens, who was called a “star” by Trump and was one of two Utah congressman to say they would challenge the results of the Electoral College votes, reacted to the violence on Twitter.
“My team and I are safe and beyond grateful for the service of Capitol Police,” wrote Owens. “I am deeply saddened by what is happening right now. Americans are better than this. Senseless violence is NEVER okay. We have to do better.”
Rep. Chris Stewart, who also promised to challenge the Electoral College votes that would confirm Joe Biden as president, also spoke out on social media.
“Protesters who are breaking windows, threatening violence, and accosting police are behaving inexcusably. It is un-American. This must stop now!” tweeted Stewart.
In a live interview with FOX 13, Rep. John Curtis said he was safe, but did not release where he was at the time due to security concerns.
“I think the most troubling thing was that the Capitol was breached,” said Curtis. “We all operate under this sense of security that now seems a little bit false.”
Curtis previously joined Sen. Mitt Romney is declaring that he would not contest the election.
While not naming Trump, Curtis seemed to insinuate that the president’s continued anger and false allegations may have sparked the violence in Washington, DC.
“There’s a great deal of frustration that tempers were allowed to escalate like this, that they were actually encouraged. It’s not how we do things in the United States of America.” said Curtis.
“This is not America today. This does not represent us. People from all walks, no matter how you feel about the president should push back on this and let everybody know that this is not acceptable.”
In a tweet posted in the afternoon, Utah senior Senator Mike Lee assured everyone that he and his staff were safe, while also calling out the protesters.
“The violence at the United States Capitol is completely unacceptable. It is time for the protesters to disperse.” wrote Lee.
In a video statement posted on Twitter, Governor Spencer Cox encouraged Utahns to participate in peaceful protests and condemned violence happening around the Nation.
“To any of you out there who are considering joining those protests I ask you to please do so but please do so in the right way. To do so loud to do so proud but to do so in a respectful manner and by no means resort to violence or property destruction.”
Cox also emphasized his belief that now is the time for Utah to set an example for the rest of the country.
“I’m calling on all of you to speak out to speak up and to let your family, your friends, your neighbors know this is unacceptable. We are better than this in Utah, we are better than this in America.”
Earlier Wednesday, Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes called the protests “unacceptable,” and said there was no place for violence in politics.
“I condemn, in the strongest terms, the acts of violence at our nation’s Capital Building today. I pray for the safety of law enforcement working to keep order, for legislators of all parties as well as other civilians who are protesting peacefully. There is no place for violence in our political discourse, even over the most serious issues and disagreements. We are a nation of laws. This is not how Conservatives and Republicans behave. This is absolutely unacceptable,” wrote Reyes.
Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson also issued a written statement, adding that she is “pleased” congress decided to move forward with the counting of the electoral college Wednesday night.
“For five years I worked in the United States Capitol and traversed the same hallways and staircases that today were overrun by rioters and extremists. The building itself is a powerful and historic symbol of unity and the resilience of our nation. For generations, we have fought to preserve the foundational tenets of our democracy, literally within the walls of a building that today was breached by violent and disgraceful means. I am both angry and sad thinking of the congressional staff who honor that building and endeavor to preserve our institutions each day. It is time we live up to the promise of our founding, to create “a more perfect union.” I am pleased Congress has decided to press on tonight and am hopeful that we will restore civility and honor in the days to come and restore faith in our institutions, our government, and the rule of law.”
In a Facebook post, Utah State Auditor John Dougall called President Trump “seditious and treasonous.”
“My duty is to defend the US Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic, not to defend any specific individual. Trump is seditious and treasonous. He needs to resign or be officially removed from office. Let there be no doubt of my opinion,” Dougall wrote.
Source Article from https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-news/utah-politicians-condemn-violent-protests-at-us-capitol
- Some Twitter users could not load tweets, trending topics, and search functions due to the “high traffic” on the site during the pro-Trump siege at the US Capitol building Wednesday evening.
- “Due to high traffic on our service, Tweets, Trends and search may not have been loading properly for some,” a spokesperson told Insider. “Our systems have stabilized and we’re working to keep Twitter running without interruption.”
- The social media site also said it would restrict engagement on some tweets pertaining to elections due to “the risk of violence.”
- Twitter users called on the platform to suspend President Donald Trump’s account, accusing him of inciting violence.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Some Twitter users could not load tweets, trending topics, and search functions due to the “high traffic” on the site on Wednesday, according to a spokesperson.
Twitter users flooded the site with videos and pictures capturing the riot at the Capitol building after violent Trump insurrectionists broke in to stop the counting of electoral votes in the 2020 election. The breach forced Mike Pence and other lawmakers to evacuate the building, and Virginia sent in the National Guard.
“Due to high traffic on our service, Tweets, Trends and search may not have been loading properly for some,” spokesperson Layal Brown said in an email to Insider. “Our systems have stabilized and we’re working to keep Twitter running without interruption.”
Twitter announced the site would “significantly restrict” engagement with tweets that fall under its “Civic Integrity Policy,” which aims to share accurate information on elections and other civic processes, due to the risk of violence.
“We have been significantly restricting engagement with Tweets labeled under our Civic Integrity Policy due to the risk of violence,” the company stated. “This means these labeled Tweets will not be able to be replied to, Retweeted, or liked.”
—Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) January 6, 2021
Twitter users called on the platform to suspend President Donald Trump’s account, accusing him of inciting violence. An hour rioters broke into the House and Senate chambers, Trump issued a tweet that read: “I am asking for everyone at the U.S. Capitol to remain peaceful. No violence! Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order – respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue. Thank you!”
Twitter halted engagement with Trump’s next tweet, a video of him baselessly disputing the results of the presidential election and telling rioters to “go home.” Twitter users cannot comment, retweet, or like this post.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
Source Article from https://www.businessinsider.com/twitter-restricting-engagement-pro-trump-insurrection-at-capitol-2021-1
Rattled but defiant, members of Congress returned to the Capitol on Wednesday night to resume counting the electoral votes from the November election, a process that leaders on both sides of the aisle said would not be derailed by the earlier siege of the building by President Trump’s supporters.
“This temple to democracy was desecrated, its windows smashed, our offices vandalized,” Senator Chuck Schumer, the minority leader, said as the Senate reconvened.
Mr. Schumer, who is poised to become the majority leader after Democrats won both of Tuesday’s runoffs in Georgia, said that January 6, 2021, was a date that would live in infamy, invoking President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s phrase after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.
He called Mr. Trump’s supporters who stormed the building “goons and thugs.”
Moments earlier, Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, called the rioters “unhinged” and referred to the siege as a “failed insurrection.”
“We will not bow to lawlessness or intimidation,” he said.
From the dais of the Senate, Vice President Mike Pence, who was evacuated from the Capitol during the breach, thanked law enforcement officers for restoring order and protecting leaders.
“Violence never wins,” Mr. Pence said. “Let’s get back to work.”
Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/01/06/us/washington-dc-protests
WASHINGTON – In the more than 50 years since the Constitution was amended to create a way to remove a president unable to do his job, the process has never been triggered.
But throughout Donald Trump’s presidency, the 25th Amendment has come up again and again as a possible means of removing Trump to put Vice President Mike Pence in charge.
With days left in his tenure, the amendment was mentioned again after Trump supporters violently stormed the Capitol on Wednesday to protest the results of the presidential election that Joe Biden won.
The head of the National Association of Manufactures said Trump incited the violence in an attempt to retain power and Pence should consider triggering the amendment to preserve democracy.
“This is sedition and should be treated as such,” said Jay Timmons, the group’s president and CEO.
He was joined by a growing chorus of calls that included the head of the left-leaning advocacy group Public Citizen, the head of the NAACP and Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican.
“President Trump should resign or be removed from office by his Cabinet, or by the Congress,” Scott said in a series of tweets.
Hundreds of political scientists have signed a letter saying Trump should be immediately removed either through impeachment or the 25th Amendment.
Here’s what you need to know:
What is the 25th Amendment?
The amendment, ratified in 1967, created a legal mechanism for designating a head of state when the president is disabled or dead. It also formalized the historical practice for the vice president to permanently take over if the president dies or resigns, and gives the president and Congress shared power to replace a vice president.
Why was it written?
John F. Kennedy’s assassination brought renewed interest to presidential succession questions. Lyndon B. Johnson’s ascension to the presidency meant that – for the 16th time – the country had no vice president. And there was no tested way of dealing with a severe presidential illness. Johnson previously had suffered a heart attack and the next two people in line to be president were the 71-year-old speaker of the House and the 86-year-old president pro tempore of the Senate.
Has it been used before?
Gerald Ford followed the first two sections of the amendment when becoming Richard Nixon’s vice president after Spiro Agnew resigned and when he become president after Nixon’s resignation. The amendment’s third section, which allows for a president to temporarily cede power and duties to a vice president, was used once after Ronald Reagan underwent surgery in 1985 and similarly when George W. Bush was under anesthesia in 2002 and 2007. The fourth section, a process for removing a president when others believe he is “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office,” has never been used.
When did the author intend the 4th section to be invoked?
Late former Sen. Birch Bayh wrote in his book “One Heartbeat Away: Presidential Disability and Succession” that he knew the most controversial aspect of the amendment he authored would be how to handle the rare instances when a president’s team disputed his ability to serve.
“You know, fellows, we’ve talked about this problem a hundred times,” Bayh recounted, telling his aides when they were in the final stages of negotiation. “The only time it would present itself – the only time the president would say ‘I’m well and able’ and the vice president and cabinet would disagree – would be if the president was as nutty as a fruit cake.”
Why the renewed interest?
The amendment got new attention after Trump’s inauguration and re-emerged as a top talker after some of Trump’s controversial comments and actions, or because of inside reports about the workings of the White House.
In 2017, for example, Trump triggered questions about his stability when he tweeted he has a bigger “nuclear button” than Kim Jong Un of North Korea.
Michael Wolff’s “Fire and Fury,” painted a picture of a president not up to the job.
“It’s not unreasonable to say this is 25th Amendment kind of stuff,” Wolff said in a 2018 appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
In an opinion piece published anonymously by the New York Times in 2018, a former top aide at the Department of Homeland Security wrote that Cabinet members had “whispered” about invoking the 25th Amendment because of Trump’s increasing erratic behavior.
Soon after, the New York Times reported that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein discussed invoking the 25th Amendment when the White House had been plunged into chaos after the firing of FBI Director James Comey. Rosenstein called the story “inaccurate and factually incorrect.”
Andrew McCabe, former acting director of the FBI, said in 2019 that the suggestion came up more than once and was so serious it was discussed with FBI lawyers.
The Justice Department disputed McCabe’s characterization of discussions about the 25th Amendment but did not deny that they had taken place.
When Trump contracted COVID-19 last year, the amendment was mentioned as a backup if his condition worsened and the disease affected his thinking.
How could the 25th Amendment be triggered?
The vice president and a majority of the Cabinet could declare the president unable to “discharge the powers and duties of his office.” If the president disputes that determination, two-thirds of both the House and the Senate must vote to put the vice president in charge.
In addition, lawmakers can designate through legislation an alternative group – other than the Cabinet – that the vice president could work with to declare a president unable to serve.
Is the amendment clear on what qualifies as an inability to serve?
No. And Jay Berman, one of the Bayh aides who worked on the amendment, said that was intentional.
“It didn’t settle the issue of what it is,” he said in an interview. “It provided a mechanism for addressing the issue.”
Is it likely to be used?
Pence has never indicated that he questioned Trump’s ability to be president.
In 2019, Pence called “any suggestion” of triggering the amendment “absurd.”
Despite Pence’s unfailing loyalty to Trump, however, the president rebuked him Wednesday after Pence said he would not break the law and use his constitutional position as president of the Senate to try to stop Congress from counting the electoral votes.
“Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution,” Trump tweeted in a post that Twitter removed Wednesday evening.
Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse, a Republican, said Wednesday’s violence “was the inevitable and ugly outcome of the President’s addiction to constantly stoking division.”
“Today, the United States Capitol — the world’s greatest symbol of self-government — was ransacked while the leader of the free world cowered behind his keyboard — tweeting against his Vice President for fulfilling the duties of his oath to the Constitution,” Sasse tweeted.
He didn’t suggest Pence should replace Trump for the remainder of his term, but Florida Rep. Charlie Crist did.
“The 25th Amendment allows for the removal of a President,” tweeted Crist, a former GOP governor who became a Democrat in 2012. “It’s time to remove the President.”
Source Article from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/01/06/25th-amendment-what-know-removing-president/6572157002/
Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/06/politics/us-capitol-lockdown/index.html
“We are aware of what happened at the U.S. Capitol,” Blake said. “Obviously we do not want that to happen in Colorado. We want people to voice their concerns, regardless of what side you’re on, peacefully. As long as it remains peaceful, that allows people to be out and express it.”
Source Article from https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/local-politics/denver-patriot-rally-electoral-college-protest-trump/73-fa830245-6856-410b-a9a9-0166273b72a6
Democrats’ twin victories in Georgia have huge implications for President-elect Joe Biden’s legislative agenda, as he will not be forced to navigate a Republican Senate and negotiate with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell during the opening years of his administration.
The Georgia results also represent a triumphant coda for Democrats’ 2020 campaign season, which began last year with high hopes for wresting back control of the Senate.
Instead, Democratic candidates fell short in many battlegrounds across the country, while the races for Georgia’s two Senate seats proceeded to runoffs after no candidate earned more than 50 percent of the vote in the November election.
In that election, Perdue — a former business executive and first-term senator — narrowly missed the 50 percent threshold to win reelection outright, but still ran roughly 88,000 votes ahead of Ossoff.
Since then, the two candidates have been locked in a competitive one-on-one contest, with Ossoff repeatedly attacking Perdue over the timing of his stock trades amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Ossoff leveled especially fierce criticism during an October debate, prompting Perdue to skip a subsequent televised forum in December.
For his part, Perdue frequently pointed to the fact that he earned tens of thousands of more votes than Ossoff in the November, and accused his opponent of being a “trust fund baby” with “scandalous ties” to foreign powers.
In recent weeks, however, Perdue’s reelection battle had become increasingly entangled with President Donald Trump’s own effort to reverse the outcome of the 2020 White House race.
The president’s particular interest in overturning the election results in Georgia, where he lost to Biden, complicated campaigning for Loeffler and Perdue — who both clung to Trump as he attacked Gov. Brian Kemp and other Republican state officials.
The two candidates had sought at once to defend the president’s election fraud allegations while also imploring Republican voters to return to the polls in January for their runoff races.
Perdue was also quick to express support for Trump’s bid to boost coronavirus stimulus checks to $2,000, a last-minute demand by the president that broke with the public posture of most Senate Republicans.
But after McConnell blocked the proposal, Ossoff and Warnock began campaigning on the increased payments.
More recently, the runoff races had been rocked by news reports of a call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, during which the president pressured the state’s top elections official to “find” enough votes to overturn Biden’s victory.
GOP lawmakers and party officials had grown increasingly anxious that Trump’s rhetoric aimed at sowing doubt about Georgia’s election processes could cost Republicans the Senate.
And in the final days before the election, Perdue was forced to abandon the campaign trail when he began quarantining after coming into close contact with an individual who tested positive for the coronavirus.
Ossoff, at 33, is the youngest Democrat elected to the Senate since Biden in 1972.
Source Article from https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/06/jon-ossoff-wins-georgia-runoff-455596