Pelosi backs Schumer call for Cabinet to invoke 25th Amendment

House Speaker addresses Wednesday's breach of Capitol building and its reflection on President Trump.

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  • Troops retake U.S. Capitol, but the president's supporters might fight on

    Donald Trump’s re-election campaign began the day he took office in 2017. It ended with police and National Guard soldiers retaking the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday evening after a day of violence and vandalism in the halls of Congress perpetrated by the president’s supporters. 

  • A second new strain of COVID spreads fear in Britain as Boris Johnson dithers

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  • Six Republican lawmakers among rioters as police release photos of wanted

    Suspects include Holocaust deniers, White supremacists, and conspiracy theorists

  • Lindsey Graham dismisses fellow Republicans' Electoral College objections with a history lesson

    "Count me out" of the plan to object to the Electoral College certification, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told his colleagues on the Senate floor Wednesday night. Graham was never really on board, but had previously suggested he was at least willing to listen to his fellow Republicans, like Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who wanted to challenge President-elect Joe Biden's victory because of unfounded allegations of widespread voter fraud. By the time he spoke, though, Graham had reached the conclusion that "enough is enough."Graham provided the chamber with a brief history lesson, arguing that the objectors were making a mistake by citing the 1876 election between Samuel Tilden and Rutherford B. Hayes as precedent for their actions. That year, there were disputed results in four states -- Oregon, Louisiana, Florida, and Graham's home state of South Carolina. So, a 15-member Electoral Commission, similar to what Cruz and others want to see now, was formed. Hayes, the Republican, eventually received the votes he needed to become president.But, Graham noted, the commission wasn't the real reason the matter was settled. Behind the scenes, Republicans met with Democrats, who agreed not to accept a Hayes victory as long as federal troops were pulled from the South, bringing an end to the Reconstruction era. The deal, which became known as the Compromise of 1877, paved the way for Jim Crow. "If you're looking for historical guidance," Graham said, "this is not the one to pick." > Graham: "It didn't work. Nobody accepted it. The way it ended is when Hayes did a deal with these 3 states- you give me the electors, I'll kick the Union Army out. The rest is history. It led to Jim Crow. If you're looking for historical guidance, this is not the one to pick."> > -- Michael McAuliff (@mmcauliff) January 7, 2021More stories from theweek.com The decline and fall of Donald Trump Trump aides reportedly conclude he is 'mentally unreachable' Pence reportedly expected to attend the inauguration as Trump potentially leaves for Mar-a-Lago

  • Pakistani Shiites continue sit-in over killing of 11 miners

    Hundreds of minority Shiites continued a sit-in for a fourth straight day Wednesday in southwestern Pakistan to protest the killing of 11 Shiite Hazara coal miners by the Islamic State group. Despite Prime Minister Imran Khan's request that the miners be buried, family members insisted they would do so only when Prime Minister Imran Khan personally visits them to assure their protection.

  • Democrats hit out at 'Sedition Caucus' of Republican senators who voted to throw out election results

    A group of Republican senators who objected to the election results have been called the "Sedition Caucus" and accused by Democrats of "standing with the mob". Eight Republican senators and over 130 of the party's members of Congress voted against certifying election results even after the debate was shut down by rioters. The Senate contingent led by Texas senator Ted Cruz, and Missouri senator Josh Hawley, faced demands from Democrats to resign or be expelled from the Senate. Mr Cruz and the others condemned the violence but still objected to the certification of the results. They argued that large numbers of voters, including many Democrats, did not have faith in the results, and therefore a commission should be established to audit them. Initially, more than a dozen Republican senators had objected, but some withdrew their protest after the siege of the Capitol. Those included Oklahoma senator James Lankford, who was speaking on the Senate floor when it was shut down. On his return hours later a stunned-looking Mr Lankford said: "I was literally interrupted mid-sentence speaking here...peaceful people in my state want their questions [about the election result] answered, but they don't want this, what happened today. We must set a peaceful example." An editorial by the Kansa City Star newspaper in Missouri said Mr Hawley had "blood on his hands".

  • Surrounded by a shrinking circle of aides, a brooding Trump lays into Pence

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump has increasingly isolated himself in the White House, relying on a small group of diehard loyalists and lashing out at those who dare to cross him, including Vice President Mike Pence, said four sources familiar with the matter. Some longtime advisers are steering clear of talking to Trump after he fired up hundreds of supporters who swarmed the U.S. Capitol in what even fellow Republicans called a deep stain on Trump's legacy. The unprecedented breach of the Capitol building on Wednesday forced Pence and members of Congress to be evacuated just as they had convened to certify the 2020 election victory of President-elect Joe Biden over Trump.

  • Capitol Hill rioters showed little concern about being identified

    Many of the Trump supporters in Wednesday's Capitol mob were not wearing masks — a sign not just of their cavalier attitude concerning the raging pandemic, but also, perhaps, their lack of concern about being potentially identified as insurrectionists.One notable example, cited by Facebook's Tom Gara, is Richard "Bigo" Barnett, who apparently posed in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office with his feet up on her desk and admitted to the press that he took one of her envelopes as a sort of souvenir. "It's all so surreal," Gara explained. "This guy didn't just loot Pelosi's office, he spoke on record to [The New York Times] about it and gave them his full name and age." The Washington Post's Jon Swaine added that Barnett had also reportedly "prepared for a violent death," having written on Facebook that "I came into this world kicking and screaming, covered in someone else's blood. I'm not afraid to go out the same way."Slate's Sam Adams echoed Gara's unease about the lack of concern by the mob in protecting their identities. "These people believe they will face no consequences, and thus far they are sickeningly correct," he tweeted in apparent reference to the numerous easily-identifiable right-wing personalities in attendance, and the shockingly low number of arrests made on Wednesday.The investigative journalism website Bellingcat has launched an effort to compile photographs and videos from the Capitol storming, not to identify people who were there but to "enable future research" as websites and owners begin to delete the images. The FBI, meanwhile, tweeted Thursday that it is "seeking to identify individuals instigating violence in Washington, D.C.," and that it's "now accepting tips and digital media depicting rioting or violence in and around the U.S. Capitol on January 6."More stories from theweek.com The decline and fall of Donald Trump Trump aides reportedly conclude he is 'mentally unreachable' Pence reportedly expected to attend the inauguration as Trump potentially leaves for Mar-a-Lago

  • Boston Marathon bomber sues over ballcap, showers in prison

    Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has sued the federal government for $250,000 over his treatment at the Colorado prison where he is serving a life sentence. Tsarnaev, 26, calls his treatment in the handwritten suit filed Monday “unlawful, unreasonable and discriminatory.”

  • Libya urged to probe missing people in town ruled by six brothers and their lions

    Libya's United Nations-backed government was urged on Thursday to investigate the deaths of hundreds of people in a town where a family of exotic animal-owning brothers implemented a years-long reign of terror. At least 338 residents of Tarhuna, an agricultural town 45 miles southeast of the Libyan capital, were reported missing in the years that a local family called the Kanis controlled the area, according to Tripoli’s Public Authority for Search and Identification of Missing Persons. Since the Kani brothers and their militia were driven from Tarhuna last June, workers have exhumed 120 bodies from 27 mass graves in the town, the authority’s head Kamal al-Siwi told Human Rights Watch. But the New York-based watchdog said Thursday that Tripoli’s Government of National Accord should do more to identify the victims and pursue accountability against the brothers, who once received GNA support. "The authorities should act on the grim discovery of mass graves by taking proper steps to identify the bodies and bringing those responsible for abuses to justice," said Hanan Salah, Human Rights Watch's senior Libya researcher. Following the overthrow and killing of longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, seven brothers from the Kani family exploited Libya’s lawlessness to pursue a decades-old family feud, assassinating relatives who were Gaddafi supporters, the BBC reported. After the second youngest Kani brother was killed in 2012, the remaining six brothers created a militia to establish a fiefdom around Tarhuna, ruling the town through fear and earning wealth through extortion. A photo from Tarhuna in 2017 shows uniformed “Kaniyat” militiamen parading through the town with a pair of leashed lions, which were rumoured to feed on the flesh of murdered townspeople. The militia initially supported the GNA but switched allegiances in 2019 to support eastern-based warlord Khalifa Haftar during his 14-month long campaign to seize Tripoli. It was during this time that enforced disappearances in Tarhuna peaked, according to HRW, as militiamen struggled to maintain their grip on the town. By the time Turkey-backed pro-GNA forces halted Gen Haftar’s assault on the capital last year, two more of the brothers had died, likely in a Turkish drone strike. The surviving four Kani brothers and their militia fled to eastern Libya, while the warring parties later signed a ceasefire in October. Some of the bodies exhumed in Tarhuna show signs of torture, while others were handcuffed. Among the dead are women and children as young as five, HRW said. “Al-Kanis are ruthless and worked to eliminate anyone that could stand in their way,” one Tarhuna resident whose relative was seized by the militia told HRW, asking to remain anonymous for fear of retribution “For them, if you’re not with them, then you’re against them.” In November, the United States sanctioned the eldest Kani brother Mohamed and the militia for “the murder of civilians recently discovered in numerous mass graves in Tarhouna, as well as torture, forced disappearances, and displacement of civilians.”

  • Democrat Warnock claims Senate victory but Republican Loeffler vows she will win

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Democrat Raphael Warnock claimed victory on Wednesday in his U.S. Senate race, while his Republican opponent, Senator Kelly Loeffler, said she would ultimately emerge from the contest as the winner. With 98% of the votes counted, Warnock led Loeffler 50.4% to 49.6%, according to Edison Research. The Warnock-Loeffler contest, and a second Senate runoff between Republican Senator David Perdue and Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff, will determine control of the Senate and the fate of President-elect Joe Biden's legislative agenda.

  • Inside Fashion Designer Brian Atwood’s Vibrant Apartment 64 Floors Above Manhattan

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  • Mike Pence’s daughter reveals she was caught up in riots and defends ‘hero’ Capitol police

    Charlotte Pence Bond, Mike Pence’s daughter, has defended Capitol Police after pro-Trump rioters were able to overpower law enforcement and breach the US Capitol on Wednesday. Capitol Police have come under scrutiny given how underprepared they appeared to be compared to the number of rioters who descended on the Capitol. Anyone who is blaming the Capitol Hill Police for the domestic terrorism that occurred yesterday should seriously reconsider their position.

  • House nearly devolves into a brawl during the objection to Pennsylvania electors

    Tempers flared on the House floor early Thursday during speeches for and against an objection to recognizing President-elect Joe Biden's electoral win in Pennsylvania — the final hurdle in the counting of Electoral College votes, delayed by the occupation of the Capitol on Wednesday by a mob supporting President Trump. Rep. Conor Lamb, a moderate Democrat from Pennsylvania, lit into his Republican colleagues, telling them their objections have no merit and "don't deserve an ounce of respect. A woman died out there tonight, and you're making these objections."There was a commotion from the GOP side after Lamb said the people storming the Capitol would have been arrested if they weren't white, prompting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-N.Y.) to call for order. "Enough has been done today already to try to strip this Congress of its dignity, and we don't need to do any more," Lamb said, adding that some of his colleagues had fueled the mob by repeating lies about the election. A few moments later, Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) objected, saying Lamb was calling him a liar. Pelosi shot down the objection, and then things nearly came to blows.> "There will be order in the House."> > Watch tensions rise on House floor during debate on Pennsylvania ElectoralCollege Vote Objection.> > Note: C-SPAN does not control cameras in the House. pic.twitter.com/sQ1vAIxc0t> > — CSPAN (@cspan) January 7, 2021The benches cleared, and the deputy sergeant at arms got involved. PBS's Lisa Desjardins explains what happened off-camera:> 6\. Democrats got on feet, from other side of the chamber many (a dozen?) started moving quickly, almost running thru rows to where Harris was. > 7\. Republicans started doing same. > 8\. A staffer - it may have been the Sgt. at Arms moved even more quickly to separate them.> > 2/> > — Lisa Desjardins (@LisaDNews) January 7, 2021"We want this government to work more than they want it to fail," Lamb said after the fight was defused, then ceded the floor.More stories from theweek.com The decline and fall of Donald Trump Trump aides reportedly conclude he is 'mentally unreachable' Pence reportedly expected to attend the inauguration as Trump potentially leaves for Mar-a-Lago

  • Qatar emerges from Gulf spat resolute and largely unscathed

    Qataris awoke to a surprise blockade and boycott by Gulf Arab neighbors 3 1/2 years ago, and this week were jolted again by the sudden announcement that it was all over. Criticism of the boycott was a criminal offense in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt as the four sought to punish Qatar. Qatar’s resolve in the face of the assault showed how little the campaign achieved as the small, but influential U.S. ally holds firm with its ties to Turkey, Iran and Islamists.

  • Protester with feet on Nancy Pelosi's desk is a Trump supporter from Arkansas

    A Capitol protester pictured with his feet up in the offices of US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been identified as Richard Barnett, a self-described 'white nationalist' Trump supporter from Arkansas. Mr Barnett, 60, who was one of several protesters who stormed into Ms Pelosi's office, wrote her a "nasty note" and took a letter from her office addressed to a Republican Congressman. After then fleeing outside, he waved the letter around and gave a foul-mouthed interview to a waiting reporters, where he complained of having been squirted with mace spray by police trying to protect the building. He mockingly denied stealing the envelope, saying he had left some loose change on Ms Pelosi's desk by way of payment. “I didn’t steal it. I bled on it because they were macing me and I couldn’t f—ing see,” Mr Barnett said, according to video posted on Twitter by a New York Times reporter. “So I figure ‘well, I’m in her office, I got blood in her office, I’ll put a quarter on her desk even though she ain’t f—ing worth it." He added: "When the police came in with pepper spray, “I said, ‘I paid for this, it’s mine,’ and I left."

  • Huckabee: 'I'd love to see some Democrats' demand a 'full accounting' of election results

    Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee weighs in on GOP senators demanding an audit of the 2020 election results saying he wishes that 'all the elected officials would demand a full accounting for how the ballots were tabulated.'

  • Some Israeli Arabs, Jerusalem Palestinians wary of vaccine

    UMM AL-FAHM, Israel (Reuters) -As Israel leads the world in the rate of coronavirus vaccination, some of its Arab citizens and Palestinians in annexed East Jerusalem are regarding the shot with suspicion. In what officials see as a result of misinformation about possible side effects or supposed malicious properties, turnout for vaccines has been low among Arabs, who make up 21% of Israel's population, and Jerusalem Palestinians. Israel launched its vaccination drive on Dec. 19 with supplies from Pfizer Inc's. The Health Ministry said on Thursday that 17.5% of the population - and 70% of citizens aged 60 or older - had received their first shots.

  • Trump has reportedly been 'ranting about Pence,' who could still effectively fire him

    President Trump cannot fire Vice President Mike Pence. But Pence could play a big part in immediately ending Trump's term.Removing Trump via the 25th Amendment, "a move, long dismissed as a liberal fantasy," is one of a handful of options being considered by shaken Trump allies, Axios said Wednesday night, confirming earlier reports. Republicans are furious with Trump for "fomenting an attack on American democracy" by sending a mob to sack the U.S. Capitol, as well as his leading role in ending GOP control of the Senate, and "there's concern about whether the country can withstand another two weeks with Trump at the helm."Republicans are also discussing censuring Trump, which would do little, and removing him via impeachment, Axios says. "The 25th Amendment route would require buy-in from Pence and a majority of Trump's Cabinet. But many of those Cabinet members also have been loyalists to the president and serve in acting capacities, so it's not clear that support or will exists." On the other hand, "Trump has been ranting about Pence" and his ceremonial role in finalizing President-elect Joe Biden's win, sources tell Axios.If removed under the never-used Section 4 of the 25th Amendment, "Trump can't just take his powers back immediately and fire all the Cabinet officers who sought to sideline him," George Conway explained.> ... to sustain the VP's and cabinet's judgment. Congress has 21 days to act. > > Since Trump now has less than 14 days left in his term, Congress can just run out the clock with Pence in place until Biden is sworn in.> > -- George Conway (@gtconway3d) January 7, 2021The idea of removing Trump with 13 days left in his term is not yet being embraced by House or Senate GOP leaders, Axios says,"and it's too soon to know whether those talking about them are just letting off steam after a shock to the democracy, or whether a critical mass exists to proceed." But Pence looked pretty irritated and maybe even a little presidential when he reconvened the congressional count of Biden's electoral victory after police removed the pro-Trump mob from the Capitol."I've known Mike Pence forever," Sen James Inhofe (R-Okla.) told the Tulsa World on Tuesday night, after a day of public abuse by Trump. "I've never seen Pence as angry as he was today. I had a long conversation with him," he added. "He said, 'After all the things I've done for (Trump).'"More stories from theweek.com The decline and fall of Donald Trump Trump aides reportedly conclude he is 'mentally unreachable' Pence reportedly expected to attend the inauguration as Trump potentially leaves for Mar-a-Lago

  • AP Photos: Indian army patrols border with rival Pakistan

    From sandbagged Indian army bunkers dug deep into the Pir Panjal mountains in the Himalayas, villages on the Pakistan-controlled side of Kashmir appear precariously close, on the other side of the Line of Control that for the past 73 years has divided the region between the two nuclear-armed rivals. Tens of thousands of soldiers from India and Pakistan are positioned along the two sides. AP journalists were recently allowed to cover Indian army counterinsurgency drills in Poonch and Rajouri districts along the Line of Control.