Associated Press
Arizona man charged in Capitol riot appears in court
An Arizona man who took part in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol while sporting face paint, no shirt and a furry hat with horns made his first court appearance Monday. A judge scheduled a detention hearing Friday for Jake Chansley, who has been jailed on misdemeanor charges since surrendering to authorities over the weekend in Phoenix. Chansley was inside the Capitol and on the Senate dais as he carried a U.S. flag on a pole topped with a spear.
The Week
Biden reportedly ‘frustrated’ with his coronavirus team as advisers worry 100 million vaccinations goal won’t be met
President-elect Joe Biden has said he’ll get “at least 100 million COVID vaccine shots into the arms of the American people” during his first 100 days. But before his term begins, some advisers are reportedly worried this promise will ultimately be broken.Biden has “grown frustrated with the team in charge of plotting his coronavirus response” as there is increasing concern among some of his advisers that the 100 million vaccinations in 100 days goal won’t be met, Politico reported on Monday.”While some Biden advisers insist it’s possible to make good on the 100-million vow, others are privately worried that the federal response is already so chaotic that it will take a herculean effort to pull it off,” according to the report.Biden reportedly confronted COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients and his deputy to tell them “their team was underperforming,” Politico says. Transition officials blame a “lack of long-term planning” by the Trump administration, which didn’t come close to meeting its goal of vaccinating 20 million Americans by the end of 2020, as the vaccine rollout got off to a far slower-than-expected start in the United States.”They’re inheriting a mess,” former Obama administration acting Medicare and Medicaid chief Andy Slavitt told Politico. “I think they’re uncovering how bad it is.”Biden, Politico notes, has suggested that whether the 100 million vaccinations goal is reached will be dependent on further COVID-19 relief legislation, previously saying “if Congress provides” additional funding for state and local governments, “we’d be able to meet this incredible goal.” But Politico writes that some in the transition are “questioning whether Biden’s first big pandemic pledge placed too much confidence” in the Trump administration, and allies are warning transition officials about “the overriding political consequences of breaking one of Biden’s first major promises.” Read more at Politico.More stories from theweek.com What ‘Blue Lives Matter’ was always about The Democrats’ false choice on impeachment What Mike Pence should learn from Judas
NextShark
Chinese PhD Student Among Those Killed in Chicago Mass Shooting
The University of Chicago expressed sadness over the death of Yiran Fan, a 30-year-old Ph.D. student from China who was killed by a gunman during a shooting spree on Saturday afternoon. “Random” victim: Fan, who was shot as he was sitting inside his car in an East Hyde Park parking garage, is among at least three victims who were gunned down that day by the shooter, who was later identified as 32-year-old Jason Nightengale, reports WGNTV. Fan was studying at the University of Chicago via a joint program of the Booth School of Business and the Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics.
TheGrio
Ted Cruz’s communication director resigns following Capitol riot
“I’m grateful to Senator Cruz for the opportunity and wish him and his first-rate staff nothing but the best,” said Lauren Blair Bianchi. Sen. Ted Cruz‘s (R-Texas) communication director has announced her resignation after the deadly events at the U.S. Capitol. According to Punchbowl News, Lauren Blair Bianchi who had worked with Cruz since July 2019, shared a brief statement revealing her decision to step down.
The Telegraph
Canadian couple fined for breaking curfew after woman found ‘walking’ her husband on a dog leash
A couple in Canada have been fined £900 each after they were stopped by police with the woman ‘walking’ her husband on a dog lead. The unnamed wife tried to argue with police that she was not breaking coronavirus rules, as it is permitted to break curfew in order to walk your dog. “One of them had the other on a leash, and she said she was taking her dog, pointing to her partner, out on a walk, as allowed under the exceptions provided by Quebec’s premier under its curfew law,” said Isabelle Sehrdon, a spokesperson for the local police department. The couple are from Sherbrooke, Quebec. The woman is 24 years old and her partner is 40, according to the Toronto Sun. The province of Quebec introduced an overnight curfew last Saturday that runs from 8pm until 5am. During that time, locals are only allowed out of their homes for limited reasons, such as going to hospital or walking their dog within 1km of their home. The couple were stopped by police at about 9pm on Saturday evening, just one hour after the curfew was first introduced. Police say the couple attempted to use the ‘dog walking’ excuse to justify their outing and added that the couple was “not cooperative”. The pair were fined CA$1,546 (£893) each for the violation. When confronted by officers, the couple said it would be a “pleasure” to receive the fines and “it would not stop them from breaking the rules in the future and they would see how many tickets they could get,” Ms Gendron said. Canada has seen a steep rise in the number of Covid cases in the past two months. The country has suffered 17,086 deaths to date.
The Week
FBI report contradicts official’s declaration that agency did not have prior intelligence Capitol riot would turn violent
Last Friday, Steven D’Antuono, the head of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, said the bureau had “no indication” the deadly riot at the United States Capitol could turn violent. After working “diligently with our partners,” he said, the agency determined there was nothing planned “other than First Amendment-protected activity.” But an internal FBI document reviewed by The Washington Post suggests otherwise.A day before a large group of President Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol, an FBI office in Norfolk, Virginia, issued an explicit internal warning after receiving information about “calls for violence” on Jan. 6 in Washington, D.C. The threat was in an online thread, which urged readers to “be ready to fight,” adding that “Congress needs to hear glass breaking, doors being kicked in, and blood from their [Black Lives Matter] and [Antifa] slave soldiers being spilled. Get violent. Stop calling this a march, or rally, or a protest. Go there ready for war. We get our president or we die.”An FBI official familiar with the document told the Post on condition of anonymity that officials at the FBI’s Washington bureau were indeed briefed on the matter, which another anonymous law enforcement official said suggests the agency’s shortcomings were not related to intelligence gathering, but rather the response to the information at hand.The document did clarify the intelligence was not “finally evaluated,” which is why only law enforcement agencies were granted access to its contents, as well as why no action could be taken on “this raw reporting without prior coordination with the FBI.” Even still, the findings appear to throw a wrench in the notion that the FBI was caught completely off guard by how events unfolded. Read more at The Washington Post.More stories from theweek.com What ‘Blue Lives Matter’ was always about The Democrats’ false choice on impeachment What Mike Pence should learn from Judas
The Week
How Schumer may try to pressure McConnell into reconvening the Senate for impeachment trial
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has suggested it’s pretty much impossible for the Senate to reconvene from recess in time to hold an impeachment trial for President Trump before President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in on Jan. 20. But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) may present him with a viable option, The Washington Post reports.A senior Democratic aide, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Post that Schumer is exploring an obscure rule from 2004 that gives the Senate’s minority and majority leaders the authority to call back the upper chamber in times of emergency. The catch is that Schumer and McConnell would have to agree to do so together, and the pair is not often in cahoots. But, the Post notes, the rule would theoretically put more pressure on McConnell, who has so far made the case that the upper chamber has to remain on break, barring unanimous consent.> To be clear, both Schumer and McConnell would have to agree to reconvene in an emergency. But this at least punctures McConnell’s argument that there is no way to bring the Senate back before Jan. 19 absent unanimous consent, puts focus back more on McConnell.> > — Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) January 11, 2021There’s no telling if McConnell would relent in this situation, but he reportedly hasn’t spoken to President Trump since the middle of December, and by most accounts has had enough with the commander-in-chief, so it’s possible he wouldn’t want to be seen as protecting him from impeachment.More stories from theweek.com What ‘Blue Lives Matter’ was always about The Democrats’ false choice on impeachment What Mike Pence should learn from Judas
Reuters
‘Hot news from the Super League!’: How Vietnam skirts Party speculation ban on social media
Vietnamese are trading fake weather reports and football scores on social media as a creative means to discuss Communist Party leadership wrangling after an official ban on speculation ahead of the Party’s biggest and most important meeting in five years. At its 13th National Congress, due to be held later this month, the Communist Party will formally select a new chief, national president, prime minister and National Assembly chair for the next five years. The main candidates are all widely known in Hanoi’s political circles, but were officially declared top secret in December to discourage potentially critical debate.
The Week
Trump reportedly blamed ‘antifa people’ for Capitol siege, was told by GOP House leader no, ‘it’s MAGA’
President Trump and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) had a “tense, 30-minute-plus phone call” Monday morning, during which Trump ranted about election fraud and McCarthy cut him off, saying: “Stop it. It’s over. The election is over,” Axios reported Monday night, citing a White House official and another source familiar with the call.Trump also tried to deflect responsibility for his role in inciting a deadly siege on the U.S. Capitol last Wednesday, telling McCarthy “antifa people” were responsible for the violence, Axios reports. McCarthy reportedly shot back: “It’s not Antifa, it’s MAGA. I know. I was there.” Conservative cable news and other media has tried to pin the blame for the insurrection on leftist groups, antifa specifically, though there’s clear and documented evidence the violence was perpetrated by Trump supporters, QAnon conspiracists, and far-right militia groups.McCarthy also told his House GOP caucus on Monday that there is “indisputably” no evidence of antifa involvement in the Capitol siege, Axios reported, adding that as he tries “to navigate how to bridge the factions within the party,” McCarthy “is treading carefully by telling members Trump is partially to blame for what happened without condemning him outright.”McCarthy told House Republicans on the two-hour call that Trump accepts some responsibility for the siege, too, Politico reports, citing four GOP sources on the call. Trump has not publicly taken any responsibility for the assault, even though he urged the supporters to march to the Capitol and fight for him. Emotions are “still running high in the conference,” with many GOP members blaming McCarthy and his top lieutenant, Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), for going along with the 120 House Republicans who continued challenging President-elect Joe Biden’s win even after the riots, Politico says.One freshman Republican, Rep. Nancy Mace (S.C.) said on the call she’s “disappointed” that “QAnon conspiracy theorists” are not only leading the party, but also led the objections after members of Congress had to walk by a crime scene to get back to work Wednesday night, Politico reports. And Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.), one of a handful of House Republicans weighing voting to impeach Trump, slammed Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) for tweeting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calf.) location during the siege, putting all members at risk. Boebert raised hackles on the call by suggesting Capitol Police had been involved in the siege, Politico says.More stories from theweek.com What ‘Blue Lives Matter’ was always about The Democrats’ false choice on impeachment What Mike Pence should learn from Judas
The New York Times
‘They Got a Officer!’: How a Mob Dragged and Beat Police at the Capitol
The Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol building by a pro-Trump mob left a police officer and a rioter dead. More than 50 members of the U.S. Capitol Police were injured, including 15 who required hospitalization, most of them with head wounds, according to Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio.Of all the scenes of violence, one of the most intense occurred during a struggle to breach a west-side door, during which multiple rioters dragged police officers out of a formation and assaulted them while they were trapped in the crowd.There was widespread speculation on social media that one of the officers was Brian Sicknick — the U.S. Capitol Police officer who died after being hit in the head by a rioter wielding a fire extinguisher. But videos show the officers involved in this incident were members of the Metropolitan Police Department.Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York TimesHere’s how the assault happened.Shortly after 2 p.m., the mob on the Capitol’s west side forced its way through the final, thinly defended police barricades and reached the building’s walls.Hundreds of rioters swarmed toward a west-side doorway that’s traditionally used when presidents emerge for their inauguration ceremonies.They surged into the doorway, and an hourslong fight to breach the Capitol began.Not long after the start of the struggle, rioters were captured on video pulling a Metropolitan Police officer down the stairs. In a video, some rioters can be heard urging others not to hurt him.News photographers on the scene captured images of the officer caught in the crowd, which began chanting “police stand down!”The mob pulled the officer away, and rioters continued to try to force their way past the police defending the doorway.They climbed on top of each other to attack the officers with stolen Capitol Police shields, sticks and poles.During a brief lull, some rioters appeared to give up and retreat down the stairway.But a new group lunged toward the police and started a new attack. At the front of the mob, they exchanged blows with the police and struck officers with hockey sticks, crutches and flags. Some rioters shouted “Push! Push!”One of the attackers, a man wearing a white and blue hat and a green jacket, reached into the doorway, grabbed an officer and dragged him out, aided by a man in a gray hooded sweatshirt.As they pulled the officer down the stairs, face down, another rioter beat him with an American flag as the mob chanted “USA! USA! USA!”Seconds later, two other men — one wearing a red hat and tactical vest bearing a “sheriff” patch — began yanking the legs of another officer who had fallen to the ground.With the aid of a third man in a gray jacket, they pulled the officer down the steps as well. One rioter appeared to punch him while he was on the ground.One of the two dragged officers can be seen in another video standing up before being mobbed and punched.Some rioters called on others not to hurt him as the mob led him away.The Times sent an image to the Metropolitan Police Department of one of the officers whose helmet number is clearly visible on video. Dustin Sternbeck, a spokespeson for the department, said he did not want to try to identify the officer because many may have put on other officers’ helmets.Sternbeck said he hoped more officers would be able to share their stories with the public soon. “They just feel beaten up,” Sternbeck said.At least three of the individuals who can be seen dragging the officers in the videos match images included on a Metropolitan Police list of “persons of interest.”They are suspected of assaulting police officers and could face federal charges.This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2021 The New York Times Company
Associated Press
Oman sultan creates crown prince post, changes constitution
Oman’s sultan announced a shake-up of the Gulf country’s constitution on Monday with changes that include the appointment of a crown prince for the first time and steps to boost government transparency, the state-run news agency reported. The move, one year after the death of Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who pulled Oman into modernity and deftly navigated the region’s sectarian and political divides, comes as the government faces growing pressures at home. The constitutional amendments bring iconoclast Oman into closer conformity with other Gulf sheikhdoms and dispel fears of any destabilizing succession crisis in the future.
Reuters
Indonesia names first plane crash victim, steps up ‘black box’ hunt
Indonesia identified a victim from the Sriwijaya Air crash on Monday as emergency crews prepared to send in a remotely operated underwater vehicle to search for the jet’s cockpit recorders in the sea. Divers scoured the sea bed on Monday, retrieving human remains, personal possessions and pieces of plane wreckage until fading light ended the search, emergency officials said. The Boeing 737-500 jet was headed on a domestic flight to Pontianak on Borneo island, about 740 km (460 miles) from Jakarta, on Saturday before it disappeared from radar screens.
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