WASHINGTON (AP) – The latest news on radioactive fallout of the invasion of the Capitol by a crowd of pro-Trump worshipers (all local times):
4:20 pm
The State Department is investigating what appears to be a “gotcha” after its website suggested that President Donald Trump’s term would end on Monday night.
The change to the Trump department bio page – which featured the text “Donald J. Trump’s term ended on 2021-01-11 19:49:00” – created an Internet frenzy on Monday afternoon.
The failure comes as Trump is under increasing pressure to resign and faces a second impeachment after his supporters invaded the Capitol last week in an attempt to prevent the certification of Trump’s electoral defeat for President-elect Joe Biden.
Two people familiar with the incident say the department is investigating exactly how it happened. Although the department has not ruled out the possibility that the entry was the work of a disgruntled employee, they have not yet reached any conclusions.
People spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to discuss the matter publicly.
The page has already been removed.
– By AP writer Matthew Lee
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HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE FALLOUT OF MOTIMOS IN CAPITOLA:
Read More:
– Republican blockade measure asking for the quick removal of Trump
– Analysis: a calculation of the GOP after turning a blind eye to Trump
– ‘disappointed’ first lady by the riot of Trump supporters on Capitol Hill
– Capitol assaults a more sinister attack than it first appeared
– A propaganda theater: The Capitol, cameras and selfies
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HERE IS HAPPENING:
4:10 pm
The Department of Homeland Security is putting security measures in place earlier than planned, citing an “evolving security scenario” that preceded the event.
Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said on Monday that he anticipated the time for the special national security event for President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration to Wednesday instead of January 19. He cited “last week’s events” along with an evolving security scenario.
This happens days after thousands of supporters of President Donald Trump invaded the United States Capitol to try to prevent Congressional certification of Biden’s victory. Five people died.
The FBI also issued a bulletin warning of plans for armed protests in all 50 state capitals and in Washington, DC, in the days leading up to Biden’s inauguration.
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14h55
Democrats say the House will consider impeaching President Donald Trump on Wednesday, a week after an angry crowd of his supporters invaded the Capitol.
House majority leader Steny Hoyer told Democrats in a call on Monday that members should plan to return to Washington on Tuesday night to consider a House resolution calling on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke authority constitutional order to remove Trump from office. That resolution must pass, but Pence is unlikely to act.
Hoyer says the House will then consider impeaching on Wednesday.
House Democrats acted quickly to draft an impeachment article accusing Trump of inciting insurrection because he incited thousands of his supporters before the riots, falsely telling them that the election was stolen from him.
One of the Democratic sponsors of the article, Congressman David Cicilline of Rhode Island, says they have votes to approve it.
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14h45
The agency that oversees security at the US House has a new leader.
Timothy Blodgett, the Chamber’s deputy weapons sergeant, was sworn in to replace Paul Irving, who resigned after last week’s Capitol riot.
Blodgett is one of three acting officers who now lead security in and around the Capitol after the violent siege that resulted in five deaths, including a Capitol police officer.
Jennifer Hemingway, the Senate’s deputy weapons sergeant, is serving as a weapons sergeant in the upper house, replacing Michael Stenger. And the Capitol’s assistant chief of police, Yogananda Pittman, was appointed acting chief, after former chief Steven Sund resigned.
Pittman, a 20-year-old veteran, is the first African American woman to head the Capitol police. The department is facing intense scrutiny after its lackluster response to the riot, poor planning and failure to predict the seriousness of the threat have generated widespread condemnation.
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14h40
Former Mayor John Boehner said President Donald Trump should “consider stepping down.”
The former Republican Congressman from Ohio began his comments during a health policy webinar on Monday by talking about Trump’s baseless allegations of widespread electoral fraud and last week’s siege of the Capitol by pro-Trump rebels.
“Here is the President of the United States, in my opinion, inciting a riot … and the Capitol being threatened,” said Boehner. “It is time for Donald Trump to consider resigning. He violated his oath of office to protect and defend the United States Constitution. “
Boehner was the speaker from 2011 to 2015 and largely avoided commenting publicly on Trump. But on Monday he said Trump “has abused the loyalty of the people who voted for him.”
Boehner also targeted Republicans in Congress, who echoed Trump’s “noise” about allegations of electoral fraud, despite the fact that courts and election officials repeatedly said there was no such evidence presented.
“Shame on them,” said Boehner. “Leaders lead.”
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2:30 pm
President-elect Joe Biden said he talked to Senate leaders about dividing the time between approving his top Cabinet nominations and proceeding with a possible impeachment trial against President Donald Trump.
The House is preparing impeachment articles against Trump for the second time in just over a year. This time, it is to help incite last week’s violent uprising in the US Capitol.
But Trump leaves office on January 20 and the Senate is unlikely to meet again until next week, raising concerns among Democrats in Congress that the impeachment trial could overshadow the start of Biden’s presidency and confirmation of his choices to important management positions.
After receiving his second coronavirus vaccine on Monday in Delaware, Biden played down those concerns, however, and suggested that the Senate could do both.
The president-elect said he talked to Senate leaders about splitting chamber time and “spending half a day dealing with impeachment, half a day trying to get my people nominated and confirmed in the Senate.”
Biden said that such an arrangement would also allow the Senate to work on another major pandemic response project, which would include more economic aid for Americans struggling with the virus.
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1:35 pm
Democratic MP Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey said she tested positive for COVID-19 and believes she was exposed during protective isolation at the U.S. Capitol building as a result of Wednesday’s disturbances.
She was among dozens of lawmakers quickly taken to safety when pro-Donald Trump rebels invaded the Capitol. A press release from his office on Monday notes that “several members within the space have ignored the instructions for wearing masks”.
Watson Coleman is isolating himself at home and awaiting the result of another test. She says: “Although I am having mild cold symptoms, I am still in a good mood and will continue to work on behalf of my constituents.”
Watson Coleman received the first dose of the Pfizer / BioNTech COVID19 vaccine, which was made available to members of Congress.
Some members of Congress huddled for hours in the great room, while others stayed for a shorter period.
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1:30 pm
The head of the National Guard said that at least 10,000 soldiers will be deployed in Washington, DC, by Saturday, and another 5,000 can be ordered from other states.
There are currently 6,200 Guard members in the city of DC and five nearby states. The increase in requests for members of the Guard on Monday comes as officials prepare for more, possibly violent, protests over the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.
Army general Daniel Hokanson, head of the National Guard Department, told reporters he is authorized to bring up to 15,000 members of the Guard. He said the number of deployments is changing every hour and day, based on requests from the Secret Service, the Park Police and the Capitol Police.
There were repeated questions about why members of the Guard were not brought in more quickly as the deadly US Capitol riot unfolded on Wednesday. Guard officials said they responded as quickly as they could when the situation got out of hand, but said the Capitol Police repeatedly refused offers of help in the days before the protests.
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12:25 pm
The National Park Service is closing public access to the Washington Monument until January 24, citing threats surrounding Joe Biden’s tenure.
The agency said on Monday that it was implementing the temporary closure “in response to credible threats to visitors and park resources”.
Park officials say groups involved in last week’s US Capitol rebellion continue to “threaten to interrupt” Biden’s inauguration on January 20. As a result, authorities are closing visits to the Washington Monument from Monday, through January 24.
They say they can also institute some temporary road closures, parking areas and restrooms on the National Mall and can extend the closures “if conditions persist”.
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11:45 am
The Capitol’s assistant chief of police, Yogananda Pittman, was named acting chief after the former department leader resigned following the deadly siege of the Capitol.
Pittman, a 20-year-old veteran, is the first African American woman to head the department. She joined the department in 2001 and served as captain, deputy chief and office commander.
Steven Sund announced his resignation as chief of police on Thursday after the violent riot on Wednesday that left five people dead, including a Capitol police officer.
The department’s lackluster response to the riot, poor planning and failure to predict the severity of the threat drew condemnation from lawmakers. In addition to Sund, the House and Senate arms sergeants also resigned.
The FBI is also investigating whether some of the protesters planned to kidnap members of Congress and hold them hostage.