House Impeaches Trump Again | Soldiers Crowd Into Capitol

Democrats and 10 Republicans voted 232-197 to make President Donald Trump the first commander in chief to be impeached twice, charged with “incitement of insurrection” for fomenting the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol storming. Impeachment now goes to the Senate, which is expected to hold a trial after Trump leaves office. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who hasn’t objected to the process, said he won’t reconvene the chamber until its first regular session, the day before President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. Meanwhile, the increasingly isolated Trump is reportedly angry, although he issued a video “unequivocally” condemning the attack while not mentioning impeachment.

Sources: CBS, NPR, Fox News, NYT

2. Soldiers Bivouac on Capitol’s Marble Floors

For historians, it was a throwback: American soldiers sleeping among the Capitol’s stately columns yesterday while comrades stood watch. That hasn’t happened since the Civil War, when rebel forces threatened from across the Potomac. This time the threat is angry Trump supporters following a president who still refuses to concede his election loss. The 6,000 National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., are expected to swell to 20,000 to contain armed protests in the lead-up to Inauguration Day. While President Trump urged yesterday that “there must be no violence,” authorities are preparing for the worst.

Sources: Roll Call, VOA

3. In Uganda, Another Perilous Election

There, the president controls the internet. That’s why it was shut down today, just as voters made their way to the polls in what’s been a contentious campaign pitting longtime President Yoweri Museveni, 76, against challengers led by popular musician Robert Kyagulanyi, better known as Bobi Wine. Months of campaigning have seen dozens killed and Kyagulanyi arrested multiple times. And the vote hasn’t gone smoothly today, either: Some polling stations opened two hours late, some had missing ballots, and police have been deployed in expectation of more violence. Results are expected Saturday at the earliest.

Sources: BBC, Al Jazeera

4. Chinese Tech Giants Spared US Blacklisting

The yuan stops here. The Wall Street Journal reports that Pentagon and State Department officials hoping to sanction companies connected to China’s military, intelligence and security agencies have lost a battle with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. That means Americans can continue lucrative investments in tech multinationals Alibaba, Tencent and Baidu, which share a market capitalization of about $1.4 trillion. While nine companies are set to be added to a list of banned firms, Mnuchin argued that including the three giants could trigger investor selloffs that would damage the economy.

Sources: WSJ (sub), Reuters

5. Also Important …

Researchers have concluded that most people who have been infected with COVID-19 will be immune for at least five months. Meanwhile, the U.S. on Tuesday set another single-day record for deaths from the virus, at more than 4,200. And the lectern a Capitol rioter was seen carrying in a viral photo has been recovered and was used yesterday by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to talk about impeachment.

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Who’s the threat? House Republicans are rebuffing basic security measures imposed after the Capitol riot. Rep. Lauren Boebert, who’s been criticized for tweeting Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s location during the attack, has pushed past metal detectors and refused to open her bag — after vowing to pack heat in Congress. Democrats now want an investigation into whether rioters had inside help after Rep. Ayanna Pressley said the panic buttons were removed from her office and Rep. Mikie Sherrill, a former Navy helicopter pilot, described Republican colleagues leading groups doing “reconnaissance” in the Capitol the day before the attack.

Sources: The Hill, CPR, Boston Globe, Yahoo, The Independent

2. The Taxes Targeting Tech Titans

The disruption was inevitable. Like death, taxes will catch up to everyone eventually, and the free ride enjoyed by digital commerce firms and other innovators is coming to an end in many countries, OZY reports. From Australia to Nigeria, nations are angling for a piece of the vast revenue streams that seem immune to the pandemic downturn. Other countries, like Greece and Costa Rica, are lowering taxes for digital nomads, hoping they’ll plop down, telecommute and spend money. But cashing in on tech is complicated, experts say, so governments will need to be nimble to keep up.

Sources: OZY

3. WHO Team Finally Lands in China

It was much easier getting the virus out. It took a year after the world learned of Wuhan’s mysterious viral outbreak for a team of World Health Organization experts to get access to the city. The 10 scientists who arrived today aim to determine how the new coronavirus jumped from animals to humans in hopes of preventing future pandemics. But Beijing officials, now grappling with news that China’s Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine is proving only 50 percent effective, have repeatedly blocked researchers from entering the country, so finding answers is likely to be just as difficult.

Sources: NYT, US News

4. Russians Probe Circus Over Nazi Monkey

It’s not something to be aped. Authorities in western Russia are investigating a circus performance in Izhevsk — known for its Kalashnikov factory — caught on video featuring a monkey in a tiny Nazi uniform, along with goats draped in swastikas. In Russia, which lost an estimated 26 million people in World War II, such symbols are illegal. But the circus, put on by a local church, might have an out: Last year President Vladimir Putin exempted negative Nazi depictions, and the church said the animals, led by people in Soviet uniforms, represented the defeat of the invaders.

Sources: AFP, Daily Mail

5. Nets Snap Up Harden in Four-Way Trade

Saying the Houston Rockets “can’t be fixed,” James Harden is making a new home in Brooklyn. The NBA superstar is the linchpin of a four-team deal moving players and draft picks around between Harden’s new team, the Nets, and the Rockets, Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers. It’ll give Brooklyn a potential dream team featuring Harden, who’s playing well after recovering from an Achilles tendon injury, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Meanwhile, all NBA teams are preparing to administer a third game-day COVID-19 test and add new safety protocols after eight infection-related postponements since Sunday.

Sources: ESPN, Bleacher Report, CBS