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Tuesday, January 26, 2021

Wake-Up Call: House Sends Impeachment Article to Senate

WSJ 1/26/21


The nine House Democrats who are the managers in former President Donald Trump's impeachment trial, meaning they will be the prosecutors, ceremoniously walked over the single impeachment article for "incitement of insurrection" yesterday to the Senate, where the trial will take place starting in two weeks. After they arrived, one of the managers, Rep. Jamie Raskin, read out loud the House resolution. In addition to being the first president impeached twice, Trump will also be the first former president to face an impeachment trial, and a growing number of Republicans have been objecting to having such a trial for a president who is no longer in office. President Biden told CNN late yesterday that the trial, in his words, "has to happen," even as he acknowledged the effect it could have on agenda, but stating there'd be, quote, "a worse effect if it didn’t happen." He also stated he didn't think enough Republican senators would vote for impeachment to convict Trump, but said that might be different if the former president still had six months left in his term.

Roberts Won't Preside: It was disclosed yesterday that Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts won't be presiding at the trial, as he did during Trump's first impeachment trial. That's because the Constitution says the chief justice has to preside at the impeachment trial of presidents, and some constitutional scholars argue that doesn't apply for a former president. Roberts chose not to preside, so the Senate president pro tempore, the most senior senator in the majority party, will preside, who is Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont.
 

➤CORONAVIRUS CASES, DEATHS FELL OVER PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, BUT STILL AT HIGH LEVELS: The number of daily new coronavirus cases and deaths in the U.S. fell significantly over the past couple of weeks, but they are still at very high levels. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease specialist, said the improvement appears to reflect a leveling off from a peak that was due to a post-holidays surge, and not yet vaccinations. The U.S. is averaging just under 3,100 deaths a day, down from more than 3,350 less than two weeks ago, and new cases are averaging about 170,000 a day after peaking at almost 250,000 two weeks ago. The number of hospitalized Covid-19 patients has also fallen to about 110,00 from a high of 132,000 on January 7th. The risk now is that even as more people will get vaccinated, the mutated virus variants that are beginning to be seen that are more contagious could blunt ongoing reductions if they outpace vaccinations. Only less than six percent of the U.S. population has gotten at least the first dose of the vaccine. More than 421,000 Americans have been killed by the coronavirus as of early this morning, according to Johns Hopkins University's data.

Brazil Variant Found in U.S.: The first known case in the U.S. of a new variant of the virus that was first seen in Brazil has been detected in a Minnesota man who recently traveled to that country, state health officials announced Monday. U.S. health officials are also concerned about variants that were first reported in the U.K. and South Africa. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported at least 195 cases of the U.K. variant in the U.S. The South African variant has not yet been discovered in the U.S.

➤STUDY FINDS MOST HIGH-SCHOOL AGE YOUTH ARE WILLING TO WEAR MASKS: It seems most high school students are willing to wear masks. Indiana University researchers looked at video from five, in-person, live-streamed high school graduations from one U.S. public school district and found that nearly 70 percent of students wore their masks properly while receiving their diploma, almost ten percent wore no mask, and nearly 20 percent struggled with mask fit. Mask wearing varied significantly across schools, with some doing better than others, and all schools struggled with social distancing, except when students were seated in socially-distanced chairs. Researchers note, “Students clearly cared about the health and wellbeing of their peers and their broader community, suggesting that they can be important allies in keeping schools open and as safe as possible given our circumstances” but they also note that because students look up to adults, “it’s crucial we make sure that parents, teachers, and other community adults get the message that masks and social-distancing are crucial to getting life back to normal and keeping schools open.”

➤JUSTICE DEPT. INSPECTOR GENERAL TO PROBE IF DEPT. OFFICIALS TRIED TO OVERTURN ELECTION RESULTS: The Justice Department’s internal watchdog is launching an investigation to look into whether department officials were involved in a, quote, "improper attempt" to overturn the results of the presidential election. Inspector General Michael Horowitz said Monday the probe will investigate allegations about current and former officials. The investigation announcement comes after the New York Times reported that a former assistant attorney general, Jeffrey Clark, discussed a plan with then-President Donald Trump to remove the acting attorney general, Jeffrey Rosen, and challenge the election results by falsely saying there had been widespread election fraud.


➤SUPREME COURT ENDS EMOLUMENTS CLAUSE CASES AGAINST TRUMP SINCE HE'S NO LONGER PRESIDENT: The Supreme Court yesterday ended lawsuits charging that former President Donald Trump violated the emoluments clause of the Constitution and was illegally profiting from his presidency, with the justices saying the cases were moot because Trump is no longer in office. The cases had alleged Trump was violating the clause by accepting payments from foreign and domestic officials who stayed at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., and patronized other businesses owned by him and his family.

 
➤17-YEAR-OLD RELATIVE ARRESTED IN INDIANAPOLIS KILLING OF FIVE, INCLUDING PREGNANT WOMAN: Indianapolis police said Monday that a 17-year-old had been arrested in the fatal mass shooting of five people early Sunday morning, including a pregnant woman, and that he was related to the victims. Because of his age, the suspect's name has not been released. Those killed were: Kezzie Childs and Raymond Childs, Jr., who were both 42, 18-year-old Elijah Childs, 13-year-old Rita Childs, and 19-year-old Kiara Hawkins, who was pregnant and whose unborn child also died. A 17-year-old boy who was also shot is expected to survive. No motive has been given for the killings.

➤YELLEN APPROVED AS TREASURY SECRETARY: Former Federal Reserve Chairman Janet Yellen was approved by the Senate yesterday as treasury secretary in a 84-15 vote, becoming the first woman to ever hold the position. Yellen is the third member of President Biden's Cabinet to be confirmed.

➤BIDEN REVERSE TRIMP BAND ON TRANSGENDERS SERVING IN MILITARY: President Biden yesterday reversed a ban on transgender people serving in the military that former President Donald Trump had ordered during his first year in office, after the administration of his predecessor, Barack Obama, had ended previous policy of not allowing openly transgender people to serve. Biden's order says, "Allowing all qualified Americans to serve their country in uniform is better for the military and better for the country because an inclusive force is a more effective force." New Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who stood next to Biden as he signed the order, expressed support for overturning the ban. Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas, a former Navy SEAL officer, said on Fox News in response to Biden's order that he thinks anyone willing and able to serve in the military should be allowed to do so. However, Biden's order says, according to ABC News, that medically necessary gender transition surgery will be available to all military personnel, and Crenshaw objected to that. He said that part of the order would affect the military's medical readiness, stating, "You cannot deploy if you're not vaccinated or have the proper dental records in place. How are we supposed to deploy people and keep our war-fighting stance and should taxpayers be paying for that?"


➤FLORIDA OFFICIAL OFFERS TO HOST SUMMER OLYMPICS IF TOKYO BACKS OUT: Florida's chief financial officer, Jimmy Patronis, sent a letter to the head of the International Olympic Committee saying his state would be happy to host them, writing he wanted to, quote, "encourage you to consider relocating the 2021 Olympics from Tokyo, Japan to the United States of America, and more specifically to Florida." The letter was also posted online. Patronis' offer comes amid media reports that Japan may cancel hosting the Tokyo Olympics, which had already pushed back a year from 2020 due to the pandemic, because of the still ongoing global health crisis. Patronis cited what he said is the success of Florida's roll-out of the vaccine, its economic reopening, sports events it's hosted during the pandemic, and the fact that its theme parks, including Disney World, are open. He wrote, "Whatever precautions are required let's figure it out and get it done."


🏀SPURS-PELICANS GAME POSTPONED DUE TO CORONAVIRUS ISSUES: Last night's scheduled NBA game between the San Antonio Spurs and the New Orleans Pelicans was postponed because neither team had enough players available due to contact tracing related to the coronavirus. There have been 22 NBA games postponed so far this season, which began in late December, all but one of those games since January 10th.

🏀NBA, PLAYERS' UNION DISCUSSING HOLDING ALL-STAR GAME: The traditional NBA All-Star Weekend was canceled because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but ESPN reported Monday that the league and the players' union are talking about possibly holding an All-Star Game in early March, which would likely be held in Atlanta. It would be a much-scaled down version of the usual All-Star Weekend festivities, with little, if any, of the fan-related experiences that are usually held along with the game itself.

 

⚾ARIZONA'S CACTUS LEAGUE ASKING MLB TO DELAY SPRING TRAINING: Arizona's Cactus League, several mayors in the state, and other community leaders asked the MLB Monday to delay the start of spring training because of concerns about the coronavirus. Spring training is currently slated to start the week of February 15th, and the regular season is set to begin on April 1st. The letter cited data showing that Arizona is projected to have a sharp decline in infections by mid-March. The Cactus League hosts spring training for 15 MLB teams.

🏌SOUTHERN HILLS REPLACING TRUMP NATIONAL FOR 2022 PGA TOURNAMENT: Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was announced Monday as the host of the PGA Championship in 2022, the golf major that was originally supposed to be held at Trump National in Bedminster, New Jersey. The PGA of America canceled Trump National's contract to host the event after the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol that former President Donald Trump is accused of having incited.

🏈BRADY'S PARENTS BOTH HAD COVID-19 LAST YEAR: Tom Brady's father revealed to ESPN Radio yesterday that both he and his wife had Covid-19 last year, saying it, quote, "stressed out" Brady as he started his first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tom Brady Sr. said he was hospitalized for three weeks at one point, and that both he and his wife, Galynn Bradly, both of them age 76, were, quote, "sick as a dog." Galynn, who is a breast cancer survivor, didn't have to be hospitalized. Brady will be leading the Buccaneers in the Super Bowl on February 7th against the Kansas City Chiefs.

➤JUDGE ORDERS KRAFT'S MASSAGE PARLOR TAPE DESTROYED: A federal judge has ordered that a video allegedly showing New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft paying for sex in a Florida massage parlor be destroyed, according to court documents. The Florida Sun Sentinel reported that the order Friday said that the videos of Kraft and other customers must be destroyed because the police surveillance of the massage parlor in Jupiter was found to be unlawful. A misdemeanor solicitation charge against Kraft was dropped in September after an appeals court ruled that the video evidence couldn’t be used.
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