By Dan Donahue, NBC Nightly News |
---|
|
---|
Good Friday afternoon. Talk of impeaching President Trump has intensified after the Capitol riots, while Trump says he will not attend Joe Biden’s presidential inauguration, and the U.S. has surpassed 4,000 Covid deaths in a single day. |
---|
|
---|
Here is what’s in our Nightly Rundown. |
---|
|
---|
Pelosi threatens to impeach Trump if he does not resign “immediately” |
---|
|
---|
With talk of invoking the 25th Amendment to remove President Trump gaining little traction among Vice President Mike Pence and the Cabinet, Democrats now appear ready to make Trump the first president to be impeached twice. |
---|
|
---|
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in a letter to colleagues, demanded Republicans “call on Trump to depart his office – immediately.” Pelosi added that “if the President does not leave office imminently and willingly, the Congress will proceed with” impeachment. |
---|
|
---|
With 12 days left in Trump’s term, there’s not much time left to impeach him again. But if the president were to be convicted in the Senate, Congress could then disqualify him from holding federal office in the future, ending any hope he has of running for president again in 2024. |
---|
|
---|
But convicting Trump would still require a two-thirds supermajority in the Senate, an uphill climb for Democrats — though Ben Sasse today became the first Republican senator to say he is open to the idea. |
---|
|
---|
Pelosi told members of the House today that she called Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley to ask about preventing the “unhinged” president from accessing nuclear launch codes. |
---|
|
---|
Trump will not attend Biden’s inauguration after acknowledging defeat |
---|
|
---|
President Trump said today that he will not attend Joe Biden’s inauguration, a day after he acknowledged his election defeat to Biden. |
---|
|
---|
“To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th,” Trump tweeted. |
---|
|
---|
That will make Trump the first president in 152 years, and only the fourth in history, to skip his successor’s inauguration. |
---|
|
---|
Speaking to reporters this afternoon, Biden said that Trump’s decision not to attend is “one of the few things he and I ever agreed on.” |
---|
|
---|
“It’s a good thing, him not showing up,” Biden added. |
---|
|
---|
Former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton, along with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, have all announced plans to attend. |
---|
|
---|
In a pre-recorded video posted to Twitter on Thursday night, Trump acknowledged that Congress had certified the election results, and that a “new administration will be inaugurated on January 20.” |
---|
|
---|
“My focus now turns to ensuring a smooth orderly and seamless transition of power,” he added. |
---|
|
---|
Trump also condemned the Capitol rioters — despite encouraging the insurrection himself. “You do not represent our country,” he said to them. “And to those who broke the law, you will pay.” |
---|
|
---|
Hope Hicks to leave next week as Trump administration resignations grow |
---|
|
---|
Hope Hicks, one of President Trump’s longest-serving aides, plans to leave her position next week ahead of the inauguration, two sources familiar with the matter tell NBC News. |
---|
|
---|
The sources say this has been her plan since President Trump’s election defeat, and that the decision was made before this week’s events. |
---|
|
---|
Hicks joins a growing list of Trump administration staffers jumping ship with less than two weeks left in the president’s term. |
---|
|
---|
Among those announcing their resignations are two Cabinet members, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, and Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao. |
---|
|
---|
Federal investigation into death of Capitol Police officer injured during riot |
---|
|
---|
A senior Department of Justice official confirms a federal investigation has been launched into the death of U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who was injured Wednesday in the riot incited by President Trump. |
---|
|
---|
The investigation will be conducted jointly by the FBI and the Metropolitan Police Department with supervision by the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office. |
---|
|
---|
Sicknick, after physically engaging with the Pro-Trump mob on Wednesday, returned to his division office and collapsed, a Capitol Police spokeswoman said in a statement. He was taken to a hospital, where he died last night. |
---|
|
---|
He is the fifth person to die from the violent clashes, including a QAnon follower shot by an officer as she participated in the siege, and three others who died in “separate medical emergencies,” according to Washington, D.C. police. |
---|
|
---|
Dozens have been arrested in the aftermath of the chaos, and some could face seditious conspiracy charges, as well as rioting and insurrection charges, Justice Department officials said on Thursday. |
---|
|
---|
Both the FBI and Washington, D.C. police have released photos of Capitol rioters they are trying to identify, after so many were allowed to freely leave the scene of Wednesday’s unrest. |
---|
|
---|
Pelosi officer intruder arrested in Arkansas |
---|
|
---|
Richard Barnett, the rioter photographed with his feet on a desk in Nancy Pelosi's office, has been arrested in Arkansas, law enforcement officials said. |
---|
|
---|
Barnett is charged with entering and remaining on restricting grounds, violent entry, and theft of public property. |
---|
|
---|
An aide for Pelosi tells NBC News that a laptop was stolen from a conference room during the rioting, though it’s not clear who took it. The laptop was only used for presentations, per the aide. |
---|
|
---|
More on the siege fallout: |
---|
|
---|
The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information on the person or persons responsible for placing two pipe bombs at the headquarters of both the RNC and the DNC on Wednesday.A Republican West Virginia state lawmaker, Derrick Evans, who shared video of himself storming the Capitol, has been arrested.The Capitol Police chief has resigned after facing criticism for the massive security failure.View our NBC News live blog on the Capitol riots for the latest updates. |
---|
|
---|
U.S. reports more than 4,000 Covid deaths in single deadliest day yet |
---|
|
---|
With the nation still reeling from the attack on the Capitol, the U.S. reported that Thursday was the deadliest day yet in the coronavirus crisis, with a staggering 4,110 lives lost. |
---|
|
---|
There were also 268,883 new cases reported, breaking that record for the second consecutive day. This week alone, 1,614,756 new cases and 19,230 deaths were logged. |
---|
|
---|
Across the country, more than 21.7 million cases have been reported, and Covid deaths have surpassed 366,000, according to the latest NBC News tally. |
---|
|
---|
At least 50 cases of that U.K. variant have been found in the U.S., and scientist are concerned not enough is being done to stop the spread. |
---|
|
---|
Though in an encouraging sign, new research shows that Pfizer’s vaccine is effective against both the U.K. variant, and a second mutation found in South Africa. |
---|
|
---|
As the vaccine rollout continues to struggle, President-elect Biden plans to release more doses of the vaccine, a break from the Trump administration policy that is holding back to ensure that everyone who gets a first dose will also receive the necessary second shot. |
---|
|
---|
The CDC says nearly 6 million people have been vaccinated as of Thursday. |
---|
|
---|
The economy lost 140,000 jobs in December, a troubling sign of the pandemic’s effect on the final weeks of the year.NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea has tested positive for Covid.Six players on the Dallas Stars and two staffers have tested positive.Iran’s Supreme Leader has banned Covid vaccines made in the U.S. and U.K., saying he doesn’t “trust” them.View our NBC News live Covid blog for the latest updates |
---|
|
---|
What else we’re watching: |
---|
|
---|
Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda, who led the Los Angeles Dodgers to two World Series championships, has died at 93.Miya Ponsetto, the woman who was caught on camera wrongly accusing a Black teen of stealing her iPhone in a New York City hotel, has been arrested in California.Republican David Perdue has conceded to Democrat Jon Ossoff in the Georgia Senate runoffs, a day after his fellow Republican Kelly Loeffler conceded in her race to Democrat Raphael Warnock.A giant sinkhole has opened up in Italy, swallowing a number of cars and trees. |
---|
|
---|
Watch us this evening at 6:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. CT on NBC, or check your local NBC station listing. After the broadcast, access Nightly News video on NBCNightlyNews.com or the NBC News app. |
---|
|
---|
This email was sent to: newsletter@newslettercollector.com. This is an automated email. Do not reply directly. |
---|
|
---|
| |