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Arrests Mount in US Capitol Riot With Nearly 300 Suspects Identified

U.S. prosecutors aggressively pursuing the perpetrators of the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol have identified nearly 300 individuals suspected of involvement in the violent rampage that left five people dead, officials announced Friday.The number of suspects under investigation – 275 as of Friday morning – was expected to top 300 by the end of the day and exponentially grow in the coming days, said Michael Sherwin, acting U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.Sherwin’s office is leading a wide-ranging investigation that includes hundreds of prosecutors and FBI agents trying to identify and charge supporters of President Donald Trump who stormed the Capitol last week. Complicating their work, all but a handful of the rioters were allowed to walk away from the Capitol on the day of the riots and are believed to have traveled back to their home states.FILE – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael Sherwin speaks during a news conference, Jan. 12, 2021, in Washington.To date, Sherwin told reporters during a press call, prosecutors have filed 98 criminal cases in connection with the rioting, the majority of them for felony offenses.Authorities in some cases relied initially on misdemeanor charges to arrest the rioters, but “as the investigation continues, as the days and weeks progress, we’re looking at more significant federal felony charges,” Sherwin said.The felony charges range from assault on a law enforcement officer to seditious conspiracy, a charge that carries up to 20 years in prison.Steven D’Antuono, assistant FBI director for the Washington field office, said more than 100 suspects have been taken into custody around the country. The FBI made more than 40 of those arrests, he said.”We have methodically followed all the leads to identify those responsible and hold them accountable,” D’Antuono said.FILE – Supporters of President Donald Trump are confronted by U.S. Capitol Police officers outside the Senate Chamber inside the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 6, 2021. The Arizona man seen in the fur hat, Jacob Chansley, was taken into custody Jan. 9.Among the recently charged defendants, Sherwin cited Peter Francis Stager, an Arkansas man who was captured on video beating a police officer with a flagpole inside the Capitol. Stager was charged on Thursday with one count of obstructing, impeding and interfering with a police officer during a civil disorder.“I think that’s really the height of hypocrisy, that [he] was beating [a Metropolitan Police Department] officer with a flagpole and at the other end of that flagpole was attached the American flag,” Sherwin said.Several current and former members of law enforcement and the military have also been arrested on charges of rioting at the Capitol. On Wednesday, Jacob Fracker and Thomas Robertson – two off-duty officers from Rocky Mount, Virginia, who allegedly traveled 200 miles to take part in the event – were arrested and charged in federal court.In the nine days since the attack, the FBI has received more than 140,000 videos and photographs of the riots from the public, D’Antuono said, adding that the tips proved critical in identifying some of the culprits.Warnings by the FBI about armed protests in Washington as well as all 50 state capitals ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration next Wednesday have led to unprecedented security measures in the nation’s capital.
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Biden Names Geneticist for New Cabinet-level Post on Science

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden named pioneering geneticist Eric Lander as the director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy on Friday, elevating the post to Cabinet-level status for first time.Lander, a Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor who helped lead the Human Genome Project, will also serve in the role of presidential science adviser, Biden’s team said.”Science will always be at the forefront of my administration — and these world-renowned scientists will ensure everything we do is grounded in science, facts and the truth,” Biden said in a statement, which announced several personnel appointments to the White House science team.”Their trusted guidance will be essential as we come together to end this pandemic, bring our economy back and pursue new breakthroughs to improve the quality of life of all Americans,” Biden said.Lander, 63, will succeed meteorologist Kelvin Droegemeier, who was named director by President Donald Trump in 2019 after the role was left vacant for nearly two years.Biden, who will be sworn in as president on January 20, excoriated Trump repeatedly during the election campaign for undermining faith in science, whether it was Trump’s downplaying of evidence of climate change or suggesting injecting disinfectants might treat COVID-19.Biden has pledged to increase funding in U.S. research and development, including medical research and clean energy. He also appointed former Secretary of State John Kerry as a special presidential envoy for climate.”Tremendously excited to work alongside so many bright minds to advise the President-elect and push the boundaries of what we dare to believe is possible. We need everyone,” Lander said in a tweet.The duties of OSTP, the White House’s top body for space policy formation under former President Barack Obama, could clash with the National Space Council that Trump revived in 2017.Biden’s transition team is weighing whether to disband or keep the council, a person familiar with the team’s planning said.
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Biden Pledges to Change Immigration, Lays Out Plan

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden has promised a quick and dramatic reversal of the restrictive immigration policies put in place by his predecessor President Donald Trump. While Biden pledged to undo many of Trump’s policies starting the first day he takes office on January 20, the layers of reforms will take much longer to implement.
 Immigration reform and ‘dreamers’
 
Biden, a Democrat, said in a June tweet he will send a bill to Congress “on day one” that laid out “a clear roadmap to citizenship” for some 11 million people living in the United States unlawfully.
 
Biden has said he would create permanent protection for young migrants in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, known as “Dreamers.” Started by former President Barack Obama when Biden was vice president, the program currently provides deportation protection and other benefits to approximately 645,000 people.
 
Trump’s Republican administration tried to end DACA but was stymied in federal court. The program still faces a legal challenge in a Texas court.
 
Vice president-elect Kamala Harris said in an interview with Univision on January 12 that the administration planned to shorten citizenship wait times and allow DACA holders, as well as recipients of Temporary Protected Status (TPS), to “automatically get green cards,” but did not explicitly say when or how these changes would happen.
 
Trump moved to phase out TPS, which grants deportation protection and allows work permits to people from countries hit by natural disasters or armed conflict. Earlier in his campaign, Biden promised to “immediately” grant TPS to Venezuelans already in the United States.
 
For years lawmakers have failed to pass a major immigration bill. Democrats may stand a better chance of passing legislation after a run-off election in Georgia handed them control of both houses of Congress.
 Restoring asylum and refugees
 
Trump blasted what he called “loopholes” in the asylum system and implemented overlapping polices to make it more difficult to seek refuge in the United States.
 
One Trump program called the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) forced tens of thousands of asylum seekers to wait in Mexico for hearings in U.S. immigration court. Biden said during the campaign he would end the program on day one. His transition team, however, has said dismantling MPP and restoring other asylum protections will take time.
 
Under rules put in place by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control during the coronavirus pandemic, most migrants arriving at the border are now immediately expelled. Biden’s team has not pledged to reverse that policy right away.
 
Migrant caravans have been on the move in Central America, with some aiming to arrive at the southwest border after Biden’s inauguration. Advocates worry that the pandemic will make it difficult for border officials and migrant shelters to handle large numbers of people.
 
Biden has also said he would raise the cap for refugees resettled in the United States from abroad to 125,000 from the historic low-level of 15,000 set by Trump this year.
 Family reunification  
 
Biden’s transition team promised to immediately create a federal task force to reunify children separated from their parents under one of the Trump administration’s most controversial policies.
 
Thousands of children were separated from their parents when Trump implemented a “zero tolerance” policy of prosecuting all border crossers, including families, for illegal entry. Though Trump officially reversed the policy in June 2018 amid international outcry, some children have continued to be separated for other reasons. Advocates are still searching for the parents of more than 600 separated children.
 Travel and visa bans
 
One of Trump’s first actions after taking office in 2017 was banning travel from several Muslim-majority countries. Following legal challenges, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a revised version of the ban in 2018. It has since been expanded to 13 nations.
 
Biden has promised to immediately rescind the bans, which were issued by executive actions and could be easily undone, according to policy experts.
 
During the coronavirus pandemic Trump issued proclamations blocking the entry of many temporary foreign workers and applicants for green cards. While Biden has criticized the restrictions, he has not yet said whether he would immediately reverse them.
 Border wall
 
Biden pledged to immediately halt construction of the U.S.-Mexico border wall, which Trump touted as a major accomplishment during a Texas visit just days before leaving office.
 
It is not entirely clear what Biden’s administration will do with contracts for wall construction that have already been awarded but have yet to be completed, or with private land seized by the government in places where building has stopped.
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What Is the US National Guard?

At least 15,000 armed National Guard troops will provide support for U.S. Capitol security before and during the inauguration of President-election Joe Biden on January 20. Daria Dieguts has more on the National Guard and its role.Camera: Sergey Sokolov
 
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US Vice President Makes Unscheduled Visit to Troops Guarding Capitol

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence made an unscheduled visit to the U.S. Capitol late Thursday and thanked military troops guarding the facility for their service.
Pence talked to several soldiers and thanked them as a group for “stepping forward to provide security at our nation’s Capitol at such an important time in the life of our nation.” He told the soldiers it had been his great honor to serve as their vice president.
Several thousand National Guard troops have been stationed at the Capitol grounds since supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump stormed the building January 6 in an apparent effort to stop the Electoral College certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s win.
Vice President Pence said he expects at least 20,000 total troops will be guarding the Capitol, along with other federal law enforcement agencies by the time Biden is sworn into office on January 20.“We’re going to deliver to the American people a safe inauguration, we’re going to swear in a new president, a new vice president, we’re going to move our nation forward,” he told the National Guard members Thursday. It was Pence’s first visit to the Capitol since the riot. Pence was presiding over the certification process inside the Senate at the time of the siege and was forced to move to a safe location, unable to leave the Capitol until it was determined safe to do so. 
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The US National Guard and Its Role

At least 15,000 armed National Guard troops will provide support for U.S. Capitol security before and during the inauguration of President-election Joe Biden on January 20. Daria Dieguts has more on the National Guard and its role.Camera: Sergey Sokolov
 
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In Unprecedented Move, US Ambassador to UN Meets Virtually with Taiwan President

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft met virtually with Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen Wednesday night after her trip this week was canceled. Ties between the United States and Taiwan have been growing under the Trump administration, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo this week lifting restrictions on contacts between the two democracies. VOA State Department Correspondent Nike Ching has more on what comes next for the incoming administration.
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A Divided Nation Heads into Tense Transition of Power

In a new CBS/YouGov poll, 21% of Republicans said they approved of the bloody siege on the U.S. Congress by supporters of President Donald Trump. Many more believe the November election was rigged. As the U.S. heads into a turbulent transition of power, Patsy Widakuswara has the story on this divided and angry nation.
Producer: Bakhtiyar Zamanov
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US House Impeaches Trump for Second Time

The Democratic-majority US House impeached President Donald Trump Wednesday, charging him with inciting an insurrection attempting to overturn the Electoral College vote count at the US Capitol last week. As VOA’s Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson reports, the trial in the US Senate will not start until after President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated next week.
Producers: Katherine Gypson and Jesse Oni 
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Can Trump Pardon Himself Before He Leaves Office?

Once confined to scholarly circles, the debate over whether a president can pardon himself has gained urgency in the wake of last week’s violent storming of the U.S. Capitol by President Donald Trump’s supporters. The riots led to Trump’s historic second impeachment this week and sparked Democratic calls for a federal investigation into Trump’s role in inciting the violence.  That in turn has renewed the question of whether Trump may use the power of presidential pardon on himself in order to escape future prosecution. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California signs the article of impeachment against President Donald Trump in an engrossment ceremony before transmission to the Senate for trial on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Jan. 13, 2021.It is something that Trump has broached in the past. In 2018, facing a special counsel investigation into his 2016 campaign’s ties to Russia, Trump said he had an “absolute right” to pardon himself. But as far-fetched as it may sound, a self-pardon may not necessarily be in Trump’s best interest, and advisers have reportedly tried to talk him out of it. Self-clemency can be viewed as an admission of guilt, they’ve said. What is more, it may backfire by prompting an otherwise reluctant Department of Justice under incoming President Joe Biden to challenge the pardon and bring charges against Trump, according to legal experts. Here is a primer on the debate over whether Trump can pardon himself before he leaves office. Can the president pardon himself? The U.S. Constitution itself is mum on the matter. Article II of the charter gives the president the power to “grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.” That broadly-worded text has left it open to interpretation. FILE – The word “Impeachment” as it is written in Article II of the U.S. Constitution, is seen on display in the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom at the National Archives Museum in Washington.”No president has ever tried a self-pardon, so we don’t have any precedent,” said Jeffrey Crouch, a law professor at the American University and author of a book on presidential pardon power. “President Nixon thought about doing it but ultimately opted not to.” Those who believe a president can self-pardon argue that there is nothing to the contrary in the Constitution. The American leader, they say, has the power to pardon federal crimes, and if he himself commits a federal crime, then he should be able to pardon himself for that offense. But those who take the opposite view – and they’re in the majority – contend that the very act of “granting a pardon” implies a bilateral move involving two people. “The use of the word pardon normally connotes one person is pardoning another. That is the way it’s been understood historically,” said Steve Mulroy, a law professor at the University of Memphis. What is more, Mulroy said, self-pardoning is at odds with a long-standing American legal principle, rooted in English law, that one cannot be a judge in one’s own case. “So for that reason, while the pardon power is very broad and the Supreme Court has never definitively ruled, most constitutional scholars would say that you can’t pardon yourself,” Mulroy said. In 1974, the Justice Department considered the question. The answer it came up with was no. Self-pardoning would run counter to the “the fundamental rule that no one may be a judge in his own case,” the FILE – The U.S. Department of Justice headquarters building is seen in Washington, July 13, 2018.Biden has made clear he does not favor having the Justice Department investigate his predecessor. But if Trump were to pardon himself, that could prompt the Justice Department to bring charges against him if only to test the constitutionality of self-clemency. The issue could go all the way before the Supreme Court, which has never weighed in on the question, experts say. “It could easily be argued that this was an issue of constitutional law that had to be settled by the courts and not politically motivated,” Corbin said. The threat of DOJ action in response to a self-pardon could in turn dissuade Trump from considering pardoning himself in the first place, she added. Can Trump resign and have Vice President Mike Pence pardon him? This remains a possibility even though Trump has made no indication that he plans to resign before his term ends on January 20. There is a precedent for a president receiving a pardon from his successor. In 1974, after Nixon resigned over the Watergate scandal, his vice president and successor, Gerald Ford, issued him a blanket pardon for all crimes against the United States. While Ford insisted he did it in the national interest, to critics, the clemency always looked like a “self-pardon” by Nixon. 
 
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Washington Beefs Up Security Ahead of Presidential Inauguration

The same day the U.S. Congress voted to impeach President Donald Trump for a second time, the nation’s capital prepared to welcome thousands more National Guard troops to help keep the peace during next week’s transfer of power.“I think you can expect to see somewhere upwards of beyond 20,000 members of the National Guard that will be here,” Robert Contee, acting chief of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia, told reporters Wednesday.Defense officials confirmed the increased authorization, which came just days after the National Guard said it was sending up to 15,000 troops to the city to help with security ahead of the January 20 inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, who defeated Trump in November’s election.Officials said 10,000 guardsmen — part-time soldiers who can be deployed overseas but who are often called upon to help with emergencies in their home states — are expected to be on duty in Washington by Friday. The rest will arrive soon afterward.More than 6,000 National Guard troops have been on duty in Washington and at the Capitol itself since pro-Trump extremists stormed the building last Wednesday.National Guardsmen are seen Jan. 13, 2021, at a fence that was erected to reinforce security at the Capitol in Washington.In a statement issued Monday, General Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, said the Guard’s role was to “support security, logistics, liaison and communication missions.” But since late Tuesday, National Guard forces working at the Capitol have also been carrying weapons.“This was requested by federal authorities and authorized by the Secretary of the Army,” the D.C. National Guard said in a statement. “The public’s safety is our top priority.”Images of armed soldiers in fatigues guarding the Capitol while others lined the hallways spread on social media Wednesday, along with photos of recently installed fencing and metal barriers.Videos and photos also showed images of streets blocked off by military vehicles while workers put up even more fencing.In contrast, when Trump was inaugurated four years ago, only about 8,000 National Guard members were on hand to help with security.Trump statementIn an attempt to calm tensions, the White House on Wednesday issued a statement from Trump, calling on those planning to protest in Washington to abide by the law.“In light of reports of more demonstrations, I urge that there must be NO violence, NO lawbreaking and NO vandalism of any kind,” Trump said. “That is not what I stand for, and it is not what America stands for.”In a video released hours later, Trump called on Americans to “overcome the passions of the moment.”He also spoke to his supporters about the siege of the Capitol.“Mob violence goes against everything I believe in and everything our movement stands for,” Trump said.“No true supporter of mine could ever endorse political violence” he added. “No true supporter of mine could ever disrespect law enforcement or our great American flag.”pic.twitter.com/FIJbvCYGJ6— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 13, 2021Despite such pleas, government officials have been moving ahead with additional security precautions, closing down more streets around the Capitol, while restricting access to lawmakers, their staff members and security personnel.Other Washington landmarks are also off limits.The National Park Service announced earlier this week that the Washington Monument was closed to visitors until after the inauguration. It said other parts of the National Mall could also be closed in the coming days.Officials with the Federal Bureau of Investigation warned this week that armed protesters might be headed to Washington early next week, with posts on social media suggesting they were ready to engage in some sort of “uprising.”FBI Examines Threats to Biden Inauguration  Officials say they are worried about groups bent on “violence and destruction of property,” as the National Guard authorizes up to 15,000 troops to help with security “The events of Jan. 6 serve as a stark reminder of the criticality of comprehensive security planning,” the U.S. Secret Service, which is now leading planning efforts, said in a statement.“As is always the case, security during a National Special Security Event (NSSE) is a layered network of operations, seen and unseen, that run in tandem with federal, state and local law enforcement, military, and public safety entities,” it added.Tori Sneden contributed to this report.
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WATCH: House Votes on Article of Impeachment Against Trump for ‘Incitement of Insurrection’

The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday started debating the unprecedented second impeachment of President Donald Trump, with the majority Democrats accusing him of inciting insurrection by encouraging what became a deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol. 
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WATCH LIVE: House floor proceedings on Trump ImpeachmentHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Trump a threat to “liberty, self-government and the rule of law.” 
 
But a staunch Trump supporter, Congressman Jim Jordan of Ohio, said impeachment “doesn’t unite the country. This is about politics.” Democrats, he said, “want to cancel the president.” 
 
The thin Democratic majority in the House has enough votes on its own to impeach Trump a week before his four-year term ends at noon January 20 and Democrat Joe Biden is inaugurated as the country’s new leader.  
 
A small number of Republicans, however, also is expected to join in a vote that will brand Trump, a Republican, with a singular distinction in U.S. history — the first of the country’s 45 presidents to be impeached twice. 
 
If he is impeached, Trump would be tried by the Senate, likely after his term ends, and a two-thirds vote in the politically divided chamber would be needed to convict him. The outcome there is uncertain, but if it convicts him, the Senate in a second vote requiring only a simple majority could ban him from ever again holding federal office. 
 Chief Justice John Roberts, followed by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., left, and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., leaves the Senate chamber after presiding over the impeachment trial and the acquittal of President Donald…First impeachment
The House, with no Republican votes, impeached Trump in late 2019 for trying to get Ukraine to dig up dirt on Biden ahead of the November election. Trump was acquitted in February after a 20-day Senate trial.  
 
Biden won the presidency with a decisive majority in the Electoral College that is determinative in U.S. presidential elections. Congress early last Thursday certified the Electoral College outcome but not before a pro-Trump mob stormed into the Capitol, occupying and ransacking some congressional offices and scuffling with police. 
 
As the House debated the ground rules for the proceeding, Democratic Congressman Jim McGovern of Massachusetts said the impeachment debate was occurring at “an actual crime scene” — the House chamber occupied by some of the rioters before police regained control. 
 
“We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the president of the United States,” McGovern said, adding that “the cause of this violence resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue,” the White House address.  
 Capitol police officers in riot gear push back demonstrators who try to break a door of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)’Incitement of insurrection’
At a rally a week ago, Trump urged his supporters to march to the Capitol and “fight” to overturn his election loss. But with security officials warning of more possible violence surrounding next week’s inauguration ceremony, Trump issued a statement Wednesday imploring his supporters to remain peaceful.  “In light of reports of more demonstrations, I urge that there must be NO violence, NO lawbreaking and NO vandalism of any kind. 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. Thank You,” the statement said.
Nevertheless, Congressman Steny Hoyer, the Democratic majority leader, said during Wednesday’s floor debate that Trump had “brought shame and disorder to the presidency” and “weaponized hate.” 
 
Congressman Tom Cole, an Oklahoma Republican, opposed Trump’s impeachment a week before leaves office, saying, “I can think of nothing that would cause further division more than the path the majority is now taking. Rather than looking ahead to a new administration, the majority is again seeking to settle scores against the old one.” 
 
Congressman Jason Smith of Missouri, another Republican, said, “Let’s put people before politics. This is a reckless impeachment.” 
 FILE – Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., speaks with reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Dec. 17, 2019.Republican support
Still, several Republicans said they would join the majority Democrats in voting for impeachment. 
 
Congresswoman Liz Cheney, a member of the Republican Party’s House leadership team, in explaining her support for impeachment Tuesday night, said there “has never been a greater betrayal” by a U.S. president. 
 
House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy, a close Trump ally, said “impeachment at this time would have the opposite effect of bringing our country together.” But the Republican leadership said it would not try to pressure its party members to oppose impeachment if they chose not to.  
 President Donald Trump speaks near a section of the U.S.-Mexico border wall, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, in Alamo, Texas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)Trump digs in
On a visit Tuesday to the U.S.-Mexico border, Trump said the push to impeach him again is “causing tremendous anger and division and pain far greater than most people will ever understand, which is very dangerous for the USA, especially at this very tender time.” 
 
He urged “peace and calm” and said now is a “time for law and a time for order.” 
 
Trump, who in a video last week told the mob of his supporters “we love you, you’re very special,” did not answer questions from reporters. 
 Rep. Jami Raskin (D-MD) and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) walk through the U.S. Capitol, as Democrats debate one article of impeachment against U.S. President Donald Trump, in Washington, Jan. 13, 2021.Impeachment managers
Late Tuesday, Pelosi announced her choice of Congressman Jamie Raskin of Maryland to lead a group of nine impeachment managers. 
 
“It is their constitutional and patriotic duty to present the case for the President’s impeachment and removal,” Pelosi said in a statement. “They will do so guided by their great love of country, determination to protect our democracy and loyalty to our oath to the Constitution. Our managers will honor their duty to defend democracy for the people with great solemnity, prayerfulness and urgency.” 
 
It is unclear whether House leaders would immediately send the impeachment resolution to the Senate, given that Trump’s term ends in a week.   
 
The impeachment resolution cites Trump’s unfounded accusations that he was cheated out of a second term by voting and vote-counting irregularities, his pressure on election officials in the southern state of Georgia to “find” him more than 11,000 votes to overtake Biden’s margin of victory in the state, and his statements at a rally last Wednesday urging thousands of supporters to march to the Capitol to pressure lawmakers to overturn the election outcome.   
 U.S. President-elect Joe Biden speaks about the protests taking place in and around the U.S. Capitol in Washington as the U.S. Congress held a joint session to certify the 2020 election results, at a news conference at his transition headquarters.Biden on impeachment
Biden said it is his “hope and expectation” the Senate could simultaneously hold an impeachment trial and confirm his Cabinet appointments after he takes office, while also approving more aid for the flagging U.S. economy weakened by the soaring coronavirus pandemic.   
 
He said Monday of the rioters, “It is critically important that there’ll be a real serious focus on holding those folks who engaged in sedition and threatening the lives, defacing public property, caused great damage—that they be held accountable.” 
 
Dozens of rioters already have been arrested and federal authorities are investigating many more, scouring security camera recordings from the Capitol to identify wrongdoers and searching social media videos the rioters posted of themselves in the building.    
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NYC to Cancel Business Contracts with Trump Organization

New York City, U.S. President Donald Trump’s hometown, says it will cancel all contracts with his business organization because of the deadly insurrection by Trump supporters last week at the U.S. Capitol. “The City of New York will not be associated with those unforgiveable acts in any shape, way or form,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday in a formal statement.  De Blasio said he has begun the process of “severing all contracts” to operate a carousel and two ice rinks in Central Park that net Trump’s company about $17 million a year.Trump’s son, Eric, denounced the move and said it would be challenged.“Yet another example of Mayor de Blasio’s incompetence and blatant disregard for the facts,” he said.  “The City of New York has no legal right to end our contracts and if they elect to proceed, they will owe the Trump Organization $30 million. This is nothing more than political discrimination and we plan to fight vigorously.”De Blasio’s decision is the latest example of how the January 6 riot by Trump supporters is adversely affecting the president’s private business affairs. The announcement came three days after the Professional Golfers Association of America voted to move next year’s PGA Championship away from Trump’s New Jersey golf course. Shopify previously took down online stores affiliated with the embattled president, while Twitter and other social media platforms disabled his accounts.On January 6, Trump implored the thousands of supporters who had come to Washington for a “Save America March” to march on the U.S. Capitol building, as lawmakers began to formally certify President-elect Joe Biden’s November 3 election victory.   “You will have an illegitimate president. That is what you will have, and we can’t let that happen,” Trump told the rally. “We fight like hell, and if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”Taking their cue from the president, thousands of Trump supporters walked to the Capitol, where many pushed past police barricades and forced their way inside.  Six people died in the melee. The Democrat-led House of Representatives is expected to approve one article of impeachment Wednesday charging the Republican president with inciting insurrection. The third-ranking Republican House member, Liz Cheney, is among a handful of Republican lawmakers who have said they will vote to impeach Trump. If the House impeaches Trump, as expected, it would be the second time he has met that fate. Trump was first impeached in December 2019 on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of justice because of his efforts to persuade the newly elected president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, to investigate Joe Biden and Biden’s son to strengthen his chances of reelection in the 2020 presidential race.The Senate acquitted Trump of the charges in February 2020.  It is not clear when the Senate might again put the president on trial.
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Biden Picks Samantha Power for USAID Post

President-elect Joe Biden announced Wednesday that he has picked Samantha Power, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under President Barack Obama, to run the agency overseeing American foreign humanitarian and development aid.  
If confirmed by the Senate, Power will head the U.S. Agency for International Development, which has an annual budget of about $20 billion. Biden also announced that he is elevating the position to the National Security Council within the White House, a signal that he will prioritize outreach to other nations.  
Biden has said that USAID will coordinate America’s work to lead a global response to combat the coronavirus and help the most vulnerable nations.
He called Power “a world-renowned voice of conscience and moral clarity.”
Power served as U.N. ambassador from 2013 to 2017. She won a Pulitzer Prize in 2003 for her book “A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide,” about the U.S. foreign policy response to genocide.
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US Prosecutors Expect to Charge Hundreds of Capitol Rioters

U.S. prosecutors say they have identified more than 170 people for potential criminal charges in connection with the January 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol and that they expect that number to run into the hundreds in the coming weeks as a massive nationwide hunt for the pro-Trump rioters continues.    Michael Sherwin, the acting U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, told reporters Tuesday that more than 70 people have been charged since the deadly attack by supporters of President Donald Trump, with prosecutors pursuing charges against at least 100 others.”That number, I suspect, is going to grow into the hundreds,” Sherwin said during a press conference at the Department of Justice.   FILE – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael Sherwin speaks during a news conference in Washington, Jan. 12, 2021.The effort to investigate the riots and track down all those responsible is likely to drag on for months if not longer, said Sherwin, who is running the probe.   “This is going to be a long-term investigation,” he said. “Everyone is in it for the long haul.”  The attack, which left five people dead, including a Capitol Police officer and a pro-Trump supporter killed by police, has led to a Democratic push in the House of Representatives to impeach Trump for inciting the violence by urging his supporters to march on the Capitol. House members are preparing to vote on one article of impeachment on Wednesday, making Trump the only American president to be impeached twice.   Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday those who participated in the mob pose a threat to national security and should be placed on a federal no-fly list.  FILE – Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., speaks to reporters during a news conference in New York, Jan. 12, 2021.”We cannot allow these same insurrectionists to get on a plane and cause more violence and more damage,” Schumer said at a news conference. The New York Democrat is about the become majority leader of the Senate once his party takes control.   The FBI, which has received more than 100,000 digital tips about the incident, said it is “actively” considering the no-fly list idea.   The federal probe of the deadly breach of the Capitol is rapidly gaining in intensity, with hundreds of investigators sifting through evidence – much of it in the form of surveillance and social media videos and photographs – to identify and arrest those responsible.     To make arrests, prosecutors in some cases have relied on simple misdemeanor charges. Prosecutors, however, have the ability to indict those individuals on more serious felony charges, Sherwin said, adding that a federal grand jury on Monday heard hours of evidence presented by prosecutors.   “These are only the beginning. This is not the end,” Sherwin said of the criminal charges.    Among those charged are a West Virginia state lawmaker who filmed himself storming the Capitol, an Arkansas man who was photographed in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office with his boot on a desk, and a Florida man seen in a viral photo carrying Pelosi’s lectern through the building.  FILE – Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump protest in front of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, Jan. 6, 2021.Sherwin said he has set up separate “strike forces” of senior prosecutors to investigate attacks on members of the media at the Capitol and to explore sedition and conspiracy charges against some participants in the assault.   “Their only marching orders from me are to build seditious and conspiracy charges related to the most heinous acts that occurred in the Capitol,” Sherwin said of his prosecutors. “These are significant charges that have felonies with prison terms of up to 20 years.”  The rioting erupted after thousands of Trump supporters, upset by false claims that his reelection had been stolen, marched from near the White House to the Capitol where lawmakers were meeting to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. Hundreds broke into the areas connecting the Senate and House chambers of Congress, ransacking offices and scuffling with law enforcement officers, raising questions over law enforcement’s failure to secure the building.  FILE – Steven D’Antuono, head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Washington field office, speaks during a news conference in Washington, Jan. 12, 2021.Steven D’Antuono, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington office, dismissed criticism the FBI had failed to act on warnings about planned violence in Washington. Speaking to reporters, D’Antuono confirmed that the FBI had prepared an intelligence document the day before the riots that said extremists were preparing to commit violence in the nation’s capital. He said, however, that the threat could not be traced to any specific individual.  “When my office, the Washington field office, received that information, we briefed that within 30 minutes to our law enforcement partners,” D’Antuono said. “That’s the action that we took on that.” 
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Handful of Republican Lawmakers Say They Will Vote to Impeach Trump

A small but growing number of Republican lawmakers is signaling support for impeaching President Donald Trump after his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol last Wednesday to try to upend his reelection defeat, leaving five people dead.Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, a member of the Republican Party’s House leadership team, said Tuesday that she would vote to impeach Trump in his final days as president.“There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution,” Cheney said.Also on Tuesday, New York representative John Katko and Illinois representative Adam Kinzinger, both Republicans, said they would vote to impeach the president.Third House Republican to vote for #impeachmenthttps://t.co/HxQPJ9VVtV— Katherine Gypson (@kgyp) January 12, 2021While Republicans voted lockstep against impeaching Trump last year for pressuring Ukraine to investigate Democrat Joe Biden, who is now president-elect, House Republican leaders are indicating they do not intend to pressure their members to vote against impeachment this time around.A total of 218 Democrats have signed on to the impeachment resolution, ensuring a majority in the 435-member House with or without any Republican votes against the outgoing Republican president.Sorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
download this video to view it offline.Download File360p | 10 MB480p | 13 MB540p | 18 MB720p | 40 MB1080p | 74 MBOriginal | 210 MB Embed” />Copy Download AudioWATCH: US House Will Vote to Impeach Trump Wednesday
While an impeachment resolution would be almost certain to pass, conviction by the Senate and removal from office is far from certain.
It is unclear whether House leaders would immediately send the impeachment resolution to the Senate for a trial on whether to convict Trump and remove him from office, given that his term ends next week.U.S. Vice President Mike Pence hands the West Virginia certification to staff as Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) listens during a joint session of Congress after working through the night, at the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 7, 2021.The House is set to vote Tuesday on a resolution calling for Vice President Mike Pence and members of Trump’s Cabinet to use their constitutional authority to remove Trump from office as unfit to serve.The measure, which is expected to pass, sets a 24-hour deadline for Pence to respond, but he has given no indication he supports the removal of Trump. That would set the stage for a House vote Wednesday on impeachment.“The President represents an imminent threat to our Constitution, our Country and the American people, and he must be removed from office immediately,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a written statement on Monday.Aside from Pence, no Cabinet member has given any public indication of supporting Trump’s ouster in the waning days of his presidency through use of the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which allows for the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet to declare a president “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.”President Donald Trump arrives for a campaign rally at Gerald R. Ford International Airport, Nov. 2, 2020, in Grand Rapids, Mich., with Vice President Mike Pence.Trump and Pence met late Monday at the White House for the first time since last week. Pence had angered Trump by rebuffing his entreaties to reject the Electoral College votes from several states Biden narrowly won, giving him the presidency.A senior administration official said Trump and Pence “reiterated that those who broke the law and stormed the Capitol last week do not represent the America First movement backed by 75 million Americans [who voted for Trump] and pledged to continue the work on behalf of the country for the remainder of their term.”Even though Trump’s four-year term expires at noon Jan. 20, the four-page proposed House impeachment resolution said Trump has “demonstrated that he will remain a threat to national security, democracy, and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office, and has acted in a manner grossly incompatible with self-governance and the rule of law.”The impeachment resolution cites Trump’s unfounded accusations that he was cheated out of a second term by voting and vote-counting irregularities, his pressure on election officials in the southern state of Georgia to “find” him more than 11,000 votes to overtake Biden’s margin of victory in the state, and his statements at a rally last Wednesday urging thousands of supporters to march to the Capitol to pressure lawmakers to overturn the election outcome.FILE – Then-U.S. Vice President Joe Biden speaks ahead of a meeting at European Council headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, Feb. 6, 2015.Biden said it is his “hope and expectation” that the Senate could simultaneously hold an impeachment trial and confirm his Cabinet appointments after he takes office, while also approving more aid for the flagging U.S. economy weakened by the soaring coronavirus pandemic.He said Monday of the rioters, “It is critically important that there’ll be a real serious focus on holding those folks who engaged in sedition and threatening the lives, defacing public property, caused great damage — that they be held accountable.”Biden also told reporters, “I’m not afraid of taking the oath outside,” referring to next week’s swearing-in ceremony, which traditionally takes place at the U.S. Capitol’s west steps, one of the areas where people stormed the building.Even if Trump has already left office, a Senate impeachment conviction after his term ends would bar him from holding federal office again.Problem Solvers Caucus co-chair Rep. Tom Reed, R-N.Y., speaks to the media about the expected passage of the emergency COVID-19 relief bill, Dec. 21, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington.Republican Congressman Tom Reed said in a New York Times opinion piece that he would join an unspecified number of House colleagues in introducing a censure resolution against Trump on Tuesday as an alternative to a “hasty impeachment.”“If our leaders make the wrong decision in how to hold him accountable, it could damage the integrity of our system of justice, further fan the flames of division, and disillusion millions of Americans ─ all while failing to accomplish anything,” Reed wrote.If he is impeached again, Trump would hold a singular distinction among 45 U.S. presidents in the 245-year history of the United States, by becoming the only chief executive to be impeached twice.Katherine Gypson contributed to this report. 
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US House Will Vote to Impeach Trump Wednesday

The Democratic-majority U.S. House of Representatives will vote to impeach President Donald Trump as early as Wednesday, charging him with inciting an insurrection in an attempt to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s election victory. VOA’s Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson reports. 
Produced by: Katherine Gypson 
 
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US Identifies Over 170 Capitol Rioters for Possible Criminal Charges

U.S. prosecutors said on Tuesday that they have identified more than 170 people for potential criminal charges in connection with the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol last week and expect the number to run into the hundreds in the coming weeks as a massive nationwide manhunt for the pro-Trump rioters continues.  Michael Sherwin, acting U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, “told reporters more than 70 people have been charged so far in the District of Columbia, with prosecutors pursuing charges against at least 100 others.  “That number, I suspect, is going to grow into the hundreds,” Sherwin said during a briefing on the sprawling federal investigation into the riots that left five dead, including a U.S. Capitol Police officer. Meanwhile, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said that supporters of President Donald Trump who attacked the U.S. Capitol should be banned from flying. He called those in the mob insurrectionists who pose a threat to national security and should be added to a no-fly list. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., speaks to reporters during a news conference, January 12, 2021, in New York. Schumer demanded individuals who stormed the U.S. Capitol last week be placed on a no-fly list.”We cannot allow these same insurrectionists to get on a plane and cause more violence and more damage,” Schumer said at a news conference. The New York Democrat is about the become majority leader of the Senate once his party takes control.   The FBI said it is “actively” considering the no-fly list idea. The federal probe of the January 6 deadly breach of the U.S. Capitol by Trump zealots is rapidly gaining in intensity. Sherwin said he has set up a strike force of senior national security and public corruption prosecutors to pursue more serious sedition and conspiracy charges against some rioters. Those charges carry a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.  The range of criminal conduct in one location – from simple trespass to theft of mail to assault on a law enforcement officer – is unprecedented, Sherwin said. In many cases, FBI agents have relied on lesser charges to make arrests. With the charges filed, Sherwin said, prosecutors can now indict the defendants on more serious counts.   A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., on Monday heard several hours of evidence presented by prosecutors in multiple felony cases involving possession of a destructive device and possession of a semi-automatic assault weapon, Sherwin said. Steven D’Antuono, head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Washington field office, speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., January 12, 2021.Steven D’Antuono, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington office, told reporters that the bureau has received more than 100,000 photographic and video tips from members of the public in the wake of the riots.  The riot broke out after thousands of Trump supporters upset by false claims that Trump’s reelection had been stolen marched from near the White House to the Capitol. Hundreds broke into the areas connecting the Senate and House chambers of Congress, ransacking offices and scuffling with law enforcement officers. The violence left five people dead, including a Capitol Police officer and a pro-Trump supporter who was fatally shot by police.  The episode, the first large-scale violent attack on the U.S. Capitol in more than 200 years, has led to a Democratic effort to impeach Trump on charges of inciting the violence and raised serious questions about law enforcement agencies’ inability to prevent it.  
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US Military Leaders Warn Troops Against Political Violence

Amid worry about renewed violence on Inauguration Day, the military’s top leaders issued a written reminder to all service members Tuesday that the deadly insurrection at the Capitol last week was an anti-democratic, criminal act, and that the right to free speech gives no one the right to commit violence. A memo signed by all members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff also reminded military members that Joe Biden was duly elected as the next president and will be sworn in office on January 20. The memo was unusual in that the military leadership, including Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, felt compelled to remind service members that it is wrong to disrupt the constitutional process. It comes as law enforcement agencies attempt to determine the full extent of criminal activity at the Capitol and to discover the extent of participation by current or past military members. FILE – Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., speaks during a Senate committee hearing on Capitol Hill, Oct. 29, 2019.It has already been established that some military veterans participated in the riots at the Capitol, but the extent of any active-duty involvement has not been established. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran, on Monday wrote to the Defense Department requesting that its criminal investigative organizations cooperate with the FBI and the U.S. Capitol Police in investigating whether current and retired members of the armed forces were part of a “seditious conspiracy” against the government. The Joint Chiefs memo did not allude directly to the question of military involvement. “We witnessed actions inside the Capitol building that were inconsistent with the rule of law,” the memo said. “The rights of freedom of speech and assembly do not give anyone the right to resort to violence, sedition and insurrection. “As service members, we must embody the values and ideals of the nation. We support and defend the Constitution. Any act to disrupt the Constitutional process is not only against our traditions, values and oath; it is against the law.” Ahead of next week’s inauguration and President Donald Trump’s departure from office, the National Guard is gearing up to provide support to law enforcement agencies. There is no plan to use active-duty forces in security operations. 
 
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‘Absolutely Ridiculous’ Trump Says of Democrats’ Impeachment Effort

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Democratic lawmakers’ push to impeach him in the last days of his presidency is “absolutely ridiculous.”
 
Speaking to reporters for the first time since thousands of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol last Wednesday to try to upend his defeat for reelection, Trump rejected any contention that he was responsible for the mayhem that left five people dead.
 
Trump had urged thousands of his supporters at a rally near the White House to “fight” against lawmakers certifying that he had lost his reelection contest to Democrat Joe Biden. But the president said Tuesday, “It’s been analyzed, and people thought that what I said was totally appropriate.”
 
Hours after police restored order at the Capitol, lawmakers certified the Electoral College vote showing Biden defeated Trump in the November election. Biden now will be inaugurated in eight days as the country’s 46th president, ending Trump’s four-year term.
 World Leaders Condemn Pro-Trump Riot at US Capitol European officials express disbelief at the unprecedented scenes on Capitol Hill, side with President-elect Joe Biden Trump offered his comments as he headed to the southwest border with Mexico to inspect the wall that he had built to thwart illegal immigration, which Trump considers one of his top achievements as president.
 
He contended that the impeachment effort against him is a “continuation of the greatest witch hunt in the history of politics,” his description of earlier investigations targeting him — that Russia helped him win the 2016 election, and his 2019 impeachment after he solicited Ukraine’s help in digging up dirt against Biden ahead of the November election. The Senate acquitted him last February in the impeachment case.
 US House Moves to Remove Trump from OfficeDemocrats accuse US leader of ‘incitement of insurrection’ in last week’s storming of the Capitol by a mob of Trump supportersTrump said he wants no more violence as Biden takes office but said the impeachment effort brought by the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives is “causing tremendous anger.”
 
The House is set to vote Tuesday on a resolution calling for Vice President Mike Pence and members of Trump’s Cabinet to use their constitutional authority to remove Trump from office as unfit to serve.
 
The measure, which is expected to pass, sets a 24-hour deadline for Pence to respond, but he has given no indication he supports the removal of Trump. That would set the stage for a House vote Wednesday on impeachment.  
 
“The President represents an imminent threat to our Constitution, our Country and the American people, and he must be removed from office immediately,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a written statement on Monday.  
 
Aside from Pence, no Cabinet member has given any public indication of supporting Trump’s ouster in the waning days of his presidency through use of the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which allows for the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet to declare a president “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.”
 
Trump and Pence met late Monday at the White House for the first time since last week. Pence had angered Trump by rebuffing his entreaties to reject the Electoral College votes from several states Biden narrowly won, giving him the presidency.
 
A senior administration official said Trump and Pence “reiterated that those who broke the law and stormed the Capitol last week do not represent the America First movement backed by 75 million Americans (who voted for Trump) and pledged to continue the work on behalf of the country for the remainder of their term.”Members of the National Guard stand inside fencing that surrounds the Capitol complex, Jan. 10, 2021, in Washington, amid intense security measures ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration Jan. 20, 2021.Even though Trump’s four-year term expires at noon January 20, the four-page proposed House impeachment resolution said Trump has “demonstrated that he will remain a threat to national security, democracy, and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office, and has acted in a manner grossly incompatible with self-governance and the rule of law.”  
 
The impeachment resolution cites Trump’s unfounded accusations that he was cheated out of a second term by voting and vote-counting irregularities, his pressure on election officials in the southern state of Georgia to “find” him more than 11,000 votes to overtake Biden’s margin of victory in the state, and his statements at a rally last Wednesday urging thousands of supporters to march to the Capitol to pressure lawmakers to overturn the election outcome.  
 
A total of 218 Democrats have signed on to the resolution, ensuring a majority in the 435-member House without any Republican votes against the outgoing Republican president.  
 
But it is unclear whether House leaders would immediately send the resolution to the Senate for a trial on whether to convict Trump and remove him from office, given that his term ends next week.  
 
Biden said it is his “hope and expectation” that the Senate could simultaneously hold an impeachment trial and confirm his Cabinet appointments after he takes office, while also approving more aid for the flagging U.S. economy weakened by the soaring coronavirus pandemic.  
 
He said Monday of the rioters, “It is critically important that there’ll be a real serious focus on holding those folks who engaged in sedition and threatening the lives, defacing public property, caused great damage — that they be held accountable.”  
 
Biden also told reporters, “I’m not afraid of taking the oath outside,” referring to next week’s swearing-in ceremony, which traditionally takes place at the U.S. Capitol’s west steps, one of the areas where people stormed the building.   
 FBI Examines Threats to Biden Inauguration  Officials say they are worried about groups bent on “violence and destruction of property,” as the National Guard authorizes up to 15,000 troops to help with security Even if Trump has already left office, a Senate impeachment conviction after his term ends would bar him from holding federal office again.  
 
Republican Congressman Tom Reed said in a New York Times opinion piece that he would join an unspecified number of House colleagues in introducing a censure resolution against Trump on Tuesday as an alternative to a “hasty impeachment.”
 
“If our leaders make the wrong decision in how to hold him accountable, it could damage the integrity of our system of justice, further fan the flames of division, and disillusion millions of Americans ─ all while failing to accomplish anything,” Reed wrote.
 
If he is impeached again, Trump would hold a singular distinction among 45 U.S. presidents in the 245-year history of the United States, by becoming the only chief executive to be impeached twice.   
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Trump Visits Southern US Border

U.S. President Donald Trump landed Tuesday afternoon near the southern city of Alamo, Texas, near the U.S.-Mexico border, greeted by a small crowd of supporters, where he is expected to use one of his final days in office to highlight his administration’s efforts to curb illegal immigration. His visit to Texas comes as the Democrat-majority House of Representatives pursues efforts to remove Trump from office over last week’s violent storming of the U.S. Capitol building by his supporters.Immigration was a major focus of Trump’s campaign for president in 2016, with his frequent calls to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.With his term set to end January 20, his administration has overseen the construction of roughly 450 miles of border wall.  The vast majority of the construction replaced existing smaller barriers along the border.US House Moves to Remove Trump from OfficeDemocrats accuse US leader of ‘incitement of insurrection’ in last week’s storming of the Capitol by a mob of Trump supportersThe visit also comes a day after Trump’s acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf abruptly resigned.Ahead of Trump’s trip to Alamo, the Southern Poverty Law Center called for the visit to be canceled, saying it would “only further the harm and beget more violence.”“For years, communities on the border have resisted this administration’s bigoted agenda. It’s these communities, from San Diego to Brownsville, who have been subjected to unconscionable violence inflamed by the president’s anti-immigrant rhetoric and xenophobic policies,” Efrén Olivares, deputy legal director of SPLC’s Immigrant Justice Project, said in a statement.
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Trump to Visit Southern Border

U.S. President Donald Trump travels Tuesday to the southern city of Alamo, Texas, near the U.S-Mexico border, where he is expected to use one of his final days in office to highlight his administration’s efforts to curb illegal immigration.It will be his first public appearance since last Wednesday when he said in a speech to his supporters that the presidential election was being stolen and urged them to “fight” before they stormed the U.S. Capitol.His visit to Texas also comes as the Democrat-majority House of Representatives pursues efforts to remove Trump from office.US House Moves to Remove Trump from OfficeDemocrats accuse US leader of ‘incitement of insurrection’ in last week’s storming of the Capitol by a mob of Trump supportersImmigration was a major focus of Trump’s campaign for president in 2016, with his frequent calls to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.With his term set to end January 20, his administration has overseen the construction of roughly 450 miles of border wall.  The vast majority of the construction replaced existing smaller barriers along the border.The visit also comes a day after Trump’s acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf abruptly resigned.Ahead of Trump’s trip to Alamo, the Southern Poverty Law Center called for the visit to be cancelled, saying it would “only further the harm and beget more violence.”“For years, communities on the border have resisted this administration’s bigoted agenda. It’s these communities, from San Diego to Brownsville, who have been subjected to unconscionable violence inflamed by the president’s anti-immigrant rhetoric and xenophobic policies,” Efrén Olivares, deputy legal director of SPLC’s Immigrant Justice Project, said in a statement. 
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US House Moves to Remove Trump from Office

The Democrat-majority U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote Tuesday on a resolution calling for Vice President Mike Pence and members of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet to use their constitutional authority to remove Trump from office.The measure, which is expected to pass, sets a 24-hour deadline for Pence to respond.WATCH: US House to Vote on Impeaching Trump Later this WeekSorry, but your browser cannot support embedded video of this type, you can
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) take part in a joint session of Congress to certify the 2020 election results at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 6, 2021.House leaders are also pushing ahead with a separate impeachment resolution that lawmakers are scheduled to begin considering Wednesday morning.Even though Trump’s four-year term expires at noon January 20, the four-page impeachment resolution said Trump has “demonstrated that he will remain a threat to national security, democracy, and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office, and has acted in a manner grossly incompatible with self-governance and the rule of law.”The four-page impeachment resolution cites Trump’s unfounded accusations that he was cheated out of a second four-year term by vote and vote-counting irregularities, his pressure on election officials in the southern state of Georgia to “find” him more than 11,000 votes to overtake Biden’s margin of victory in the state, and his statements at a rally last Wednesday urging thousands of supporters to march to the Capitol to pressure lawmakers to overturn the election outcome.A total of 218 Democrats have signed on to the resolution, ensuring a majority in the 435-member House without any Republican votes against the outgoing Republican president.Majority of Americans Want Trump Removed Immediately After US Capitol Violence – Reuters/Ipsos PollNearly 70% of Americans surveyed also said they disapprove of Trump’s actions in the run-up to Wednesday’s assaultBut it is unclear whether House leaders would immediately send the resolution to the Senate for a trial on whether to convict Trump and remove him from office, given that his term ends next week.Biden said it is his “hope and expectation” that the Senate could simultaneously hold an impeachment trial and confirm his Cabinet appointments after he takes office, while also approving more aid for the flagging U.S. economy weakened by the soaring coronavirus pandemic.He said Monday of the rioters, “It is critically important that there’ll be a real serious focus on holding those folks who engaged in sedition and threatening the lives, defacing public property, caused great damage — that they be held accountable.”Biden also told reporters, “I’m not afraid of taking the oath outside,” referring to next week’s swearing-in ceremony, which traditionally takes place at the U.S. Capitol’s west steps, one of the areas where people stormed the building.Even if Trump has already left office, a Senate impeachment conviction after his term ends could mean he would not hold federal office again.Republican Congressman Tom Reed said in a New York Times opinion piece that he would join an unspecified number of House colleagues in introducing a censure resolution against Trump on Tuesday as an alternative to a “hasty impeachment.”“If our leaders make the wrong decision in how to hold him accountable, it could damage the integrity of our system of justice, further fan the flames of division, and disillusion millions of Americans ─ all while failing to accomplish anything,” Reed wrote.Twitter Bans Trump, Others, Citing Risk of Violent IncitementSocial platform has been under growing pressure to take further action against Trump following Wednesday’s assault on US Capitol Trump, banned from Twitter for his false, incendiary comments alleging election fraud, has not publicly commented on the effort to impeach him a second time, which would give him a singular distinction among 45 U.S. presidents in the 245-year history of the United States.The House impeached him the first time in late 2019, accusing him of trying to get Ukraine to dig up dirt on Biden ahead of last November’s election, but the Senate acquitted him in early February.At last Wednesday’s rally near the White House, Trump told several thousand people, “If you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”The largely white mob that walked to the Capitol quickly overwhelmed police there, storming inside in droves, breaking windows, ransacking some congressional offices and scuffling with security officials.Dozens of Trump supporters have been arrested, and authorities are scouring security videos and social media accounts the rioters posted of themselves inside the Capitol to identify other wrongdoers. Five people died in the mayhem, including a police officer whose death is being investigated as a homicide.Trump has refused to concede his defeat or congratulate Biden, but he has acknowledged there will be a “new administration” come January 20.Trump has announced that he will not attend Biden’s inauguration, ignoring a long-standing tradition in the United States of an outgoing chief executive witnessing his successor take office as a show of the peaceful transition of power in the U.S. democracy.Pence, however, does plan to attend the ceremony, which will be downscaled significantly because of the surging number of coronavirus cases in the United States.
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Pompeo Defends Changes at USAGM Under Trump Appointee

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday defended the leadership of the U.S. Agency for Global Media against criticisms that its CEO is trying to turn the news network into a propaganda tool.     FILE – Michael Pack, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the U.S. Agency for Global Media, is seen at his confirmation hearing, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Sept. 19, 2019. Pack’s nomination was confirmed June 4, 2020.He told the audience that faults should be acknowledged but, “This isn’t ‘Vice of America’ focusing on everything that’s wrong with our great nation. It certainly isn’t the place to give authoritarian regimes in Beijing and Tehran a platform.”     In support of Pack, a former conservative filmmaker, the secretary of state told the audience and those listening to a live feed, “There’s a new dawn here at Voice of America.”    He also praised the work of the network’s journalists for providing independent news to those living in authoritarian countries.    Following the speech, VOA’s new director, Robert Reilly, conducted a short conversation with Pompeo about USAGM, its mission and events in the news, but he did not make use of topical news questions provided by journalists beforehand at the network he oversees. Nor did he ask Pompeo about the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol last week that produced shocking images of a symbol of American democracy seen around the globe.Journalists at the network who attended the event tried to shout questions after it ended but were ignored by Pompeo. The agency said it did not allow outside reporters to attend because of limited space for coronavirus safety protocols.    Since joining USAGM in June, Pack has been criticized for actions including his dismissal of the heads of Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty; and the Middle East Broadcasting Network; appointing new boards and reassigning the VOA standards editor Steve Springer. VOA’s director Amanda Bennett and her deputy Sandy Sugawara stepped down before his arrival.      A U.S. District Court in November barred Pack and his aides from directly interfering in the editorial independence of VOA until a lawsuit alleging violations is settled.Court Injunction Bars USAGM From Editorial InterferenceRuling says First Amendment of US Constitution protects agency’s journalists Pompeo echoed remarks made previously by Pack that actions were needed to correct security concerns at the agency and said the chief executive was right to end “rubber stamping J-1 visas for foreign nationals.”     In June, USAGM announced a case-by-case review of the special permit for international journalists, resulting in several losing their jobs and the right to remain in the U.S. after Pack failed to renew their requests.      VOA’s 47 language services rely on journalists with not only language skills but also the nuanced knowledge of the region they cover. VOA has to prove, when hiring a journalist on a J-1 visas, that no suitable U.S. candidate is available.      U.S. lawmakers and rights organizations including the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press have condemned Pack’s decision to not renew the J-1 visas, pointing out that it potentially puts foreign journalists at risk of harm if they are forced to return to hostile countries.    In his speech, Pompeo criticized a group of journalists at the news network who said the speech should not be broadcast live.     A letter, sent on behalf of the whistleblowers by the Government Accountability Project, said broadcasting the speech live is a violation of VOA’s law, rules and policy.      “A broadcast speech by the outgoing secretary of state on topics on which he has been widely covered should be seen for what it is: the use of VOA to disseminate political propaganda in the waning days of the Trump administration,” the letter said.  Pompeo likened the letter to “censorship, wokeness, political correctness” and the cancel culture on social media and at university campuses, where groups call for voices deemed extreme or intolerant to not be given space.“It all points in one direction — authoritarianism cloaked as moral righteousness,” Pompeo said.      David Seide, senior counsel of GAP, disputed Pompeo’s view, telling VOA, “This is not about censorship or woke-ism. This is about abiding by the law.”“The accusation that VOA employees were attempting to censor the secretary’s speech is ludicrous. The concerns voiced go to the heart of editorial independence,” said Seide, who sent the letter to Pack on behalf of a group of protected whistleblowers.   Bruce Brown, executive director of RCFP, shared that view, saying “editorial autonomy should not bend for any one nation’s interest, including our own.” Pompeo’s speech comes a little over a week before a new administration takes over. During the election campaign, a spokesperson for then-candidate Joe Biden said that if elected Biden would remove Pack from office.
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FBI Looking at Threats to Biden’s Inauguration 

Concerns are growing that the storming of the U.S. Capitol last week by extremists supporting U.S. President Donald Trump may be the start of what could be a series of potentially armed and violent protests across the country leading up to the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Monday told VOA it is examining evidence suggesting groups or individuals may be looking to incite violence or engage in criminal activity in connection with the planned transfer of power. “While our standard practice is to not comment on specific intelligence products, the FBI is supporting our state, local and federal law enforcement partners,” the bureau said in a statement. “Our focus is not on peaceful protesters, but on those threatening their safety and the safety of other citizens with violence and destruction of property,” the statement added.  An FBI bulletin, first obtained by ABC News and Yahoo News, likewise cautions about the potential for violence, in Washington as well as in all 50 states. The FBI has “received information about an identified armed group intending to travel to Washington, D.C., on 16 January,” the bulletin said. “They have warned that if Congress attempts to remove POTUS via the 25th Amendment a huge uprising will occur.” The bulletin further warned that a group is calling for the storming of state, local and federal buildings should efforts to remove Trump from office before the January 20 inauguration succeed. While not commenting on the specific threats, other government agencies are taking steps to bolster security. Members of the National Guard arrive to the U.S. Capitol days after supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 11, 2021.The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Monday it is directing the U.S. Secret Service, normally tasked with presidential security, to start its inauguration security operation this Wednesday, six days earlier than planned. DHS cited “events of the past week and the evolving security landscape,” as the reason for the change. National Guard Earlier Monday, the U.S. National Guard said it had authorized up to 15,000 members to assist with security efforts for the January 20 inauguration.  “To date, our troops have been requested to support security, logistics, liaison, and communication missions,” Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, said in a statement.  NEW: FILE – U.S. National Guard members walk toward the White House from the Washington Monument in Washington, Nov. 3, 2020.The U.S. National Park Service also announced Monday it will close the Washington Monument from January 11 until after the inauguration, citing threats of violence.  “Groups involved in the January 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol continue to threaten to disrupt the 59th presidential inauguration on January 20, 2021,” NPS wrote in a statement on its website.  The NPS said other parts of the National Mall and roadways could be blocked in the coming weeks, as well.  Emergency declaration In addition, the White House late Monday announced Trump approved an emergency declaration for Washington, lasting until January 24, four days after the inauguration. The move clears the way for key federal agencies, including DHS and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate and mobilize emergency assistance should it be needed. But there is also some concern the heightened security may be needed beyond the inauguration.  “The State of the Union [presidential address to Congress] is just around the corner,” Terry Gainer, a former chief for the Capitol Police who also served as the Senate Sergeant-at-arms, told a webinar Monday. “The Right to Life March will happen [January 29],” Gainer added. “The ongoing discussions with the impeachment – all sorts of things that would attract wrongdoers to come there, as well as protesters who should legitimately protest and have a right to do it.” In contrast to the latest warnings and increased precautions, both the FBI and the Washington Metropolitan Police have said there was no intelligence before last Wednesday’s planned protests to suggest portions of the crowd could become violent. Allegations of pushbackOutgoing U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund has told The Washington Post that he met with pushback from military officials, and that security officials in the House of Representatives and the Senate denied his request to ask the National Guard to be ready to help ahead of last week’s attack on the U.S. Capitol.  “If we would have had the National Guard, we could have held them at bay longer until more officers from our partner agencies could arrive,” Sund told the Post.  But the U.S. Army late Monday refuted Sund’s suggestions that military officials sought to deny any requests for help.  “I did not make the statement or any comments similar to what was attributed to me by Chief Sund in the Washington Post article,” Lt. Gen. Walter Piatt, the Director of the Army Staff, countered in a statement. “But [I] would note that even in his telling he makes it clear that neither I, nor anyone else from DoD, denied the deployment of requested personnel,” Piatt added. FILE – Capitol Police in riot gear push back demonstrators trying to break a door of the U.S. Capitol, Jan. 6, 2021.A Pentagon spokesman said last week that U.S. Capitol Police did not make a request for National Guard backup before the riot that left five people dead, including a Capitol police officer. A second officer who responded to the assault on the Capitol died off duty.  Pro-Trump rioters overwhelmed the outnumbered Capitol Police and spent several hours inside the building Wednesday as security rushed lawmakers to safety. Authorities took hours reasserting control of the building, with Capitol Police eventually getting help from the National Guard, local police and federal law enforcement agencies.  In the wake of the attack, several lawmakers have questioned Capitol Police preparation. Sund, Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Michael Stenger and House Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Irving have all resigned. VOA’s Esha Sarai contributed to this report.
 
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US Homeland Security Acting Secretary Stepping Down, Department Says

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf told his staff Monday he was stepping down, the department said Monday, the latest senior Trump administration official to resign following last week’s deadly mob attack on the U.S. Capitol. The Department of Homeland Security press office said Wolf would leave his post at 11:59 p.m. Monday. Pete Gaynor, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will take over as acting secretary, the office said. President Donald Trump withdrew Wolf’s nomination to be permanent Homeland Security secretary last week. Supporters of Trump stormed the Capitol last Wednesday in an assault that led to five deaths, dozens of injuries among law enforcement and the ransacking of lawmakers’ offices. 
 
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