January 7, 2021 4:10 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump says there will be an “orderly transition on January 20th” now that Congress has concluded the electoral vote count certifying President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. Trump issued a statement early Thursday acknowledging his term in office is coming to a close just minutes after Congress certified his loss to Biden. Trump says he totally disagrees with the outcome of the election, and claims falsely that the facts bear him out. The final action of the presidential election comes after Trump appeared to excuse the violent occupation of the U.S. Capitol by his supporters on Wednesday.
January 7, 2021 4:09 am
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) – President-elect Joe Biden is calling for the restoration of “simple decency” after a mob incited by his predecessor stormed the U.S. Capitol and delayed Congress from certifying Biden’s election victory. Biden had planned to deliver remarks on the economy and the coronavirus pandemic in a speech in his native Delaware on Wednesday. But shortly before he was to begin speaking, demonstrators broke into the Capitol, reaching as far as the House floor and Senate chamber. In his remarks, Biden said the nation’s democracy “is under unprecedented assault unlike anything we’ve seen in modern times.”
January 7, 2021 4:07 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Violent protesters loyal to President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol and remained for hours on Wednesday, forcing lawmakers into hiding before being ejected by police. Earlier, at a huge rally near the White House, the president had urged his supporters to march to Capitol Hill to protest his election defeat, which he continues to say was actually a victory. Authorities said Capitol Police shot one woman to death, and three other people died from medical emergencies during the protest. Even besides the demonstration, it was a stunning day as a number of lawmakers tried unsuccessfully to overturn the election and keep Democrat Joe Biden from replacing Trump in the White House. Congress eventually resumed after the protest.
January 7, 2021 4:02 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – California reported its second-highest number of daily coronavirus deaths Wednesday with 459 lives lost. That brings the death toll to 2,504 in the last week as more than a quarter-million newly reported weekly cases portended a continued overwhelming crush on hospitals. The California Hospital Association says Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration should immediately remove bureaucratic red tape that is hobbling medical workers. It says the state should begin coordinating patient care at a statewide level. State officials did not immediately respond to the criticism of their ban on certain elective surgeries in the hardest hit hospitals and requirement that hospitals accept patients from others that have exhausted their intensive care beds.
January 7, 2021 4:02 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund is defending his department’s response to the storming of the Capitol. In his first public comment on the mayhem from Wednesday, Sund says officers “acted valiantly when faced with thousands of individuals involved in violent riotous actions.” He says rioters “actively attacked” Capitol police and other law enforcement officers with metal pipes, discharged chemical irritants, and took up other weapons. Lawmakers from both parties have pledged to investigate law enforcement’s actions and questioned whether a lack of preparedness allowed a mob to occupy and vandalize the building. The city’s mayor calls the police response “a failure.”
January 7, 2021 3:58 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – A divided state court is throwing out a victims’ rights Pennsylvania constitutional amendment that voters apparently supported by a wide margin. Commonwealth Court on Thursday ruled the so-called Marsy’s law amendment bundled too many changes together. The ruling means officials may not tabulate the votes for it in November 2019. Court filings have said unofficial tallies indicated it massed by a wide margin. The judges say it ran afoul of a Pennsylvania Constitution provision that requires amendments to address a single subject only.
January 6, 2021 3:43 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – One person has been shot at the U.S. Capitol as dozens of supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the building and violently clashed with police. That’s according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday on condition of anonymity amid a chaotic situation. The exact circumstances surrounding the shooting were unclear. The person said the victim had been taken to a hospital. Their condition was not known.
January 6, 2021 2:21 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. Capitol locked down Wednesday with lawmakers inside as violent clashes broke out between supporters of President Donald Trump and police. An announcement was played inside the Capitol as lawmakers were meeting and expected to vote to affirm Joe Biden’s victory. The skirmishes occurred outside the building, in the very spot president-elect Biden will be inaugurated in just two weeks. Protesters tore down metal barricades at the bottom of the Capitol’s steps and were met by officers in riot gear. Some tried to push past the officers who held shields and officers could be seen firing pepper spray into the crowd to keep them back. Meanwhile, Capitol Police are evacuating some congressional office buildings as well. Police told congressional staff members they should evacuate the Cannon House Office Building and the building that houses the Library of Congress. As a result, the certification vote has been paused as protesters breach the capitol. (Photo: CNN)
January 6, 2021 2:16 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – Republicans have mounted their first challenge to Joe Biden’s win during a joint session of Congress. An objection made by Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar and signed by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has forced votes in both the House and Senate. The two chambers now have two hours to debate the challenge. Trump’s allies are acting out the pleas of supporters at his huge rally up Pennsylvania Avenue outside the White House to “fight for Trump.” The last-gasp effort is all but certain to fail, with bipartisan majorities in Congress prepared to accept the November results.
January 6, 2021 4:12 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Dr. Dre says he will be “back home soon” after the music mogul received medical treatment at a Los Angeles hospital for a reported brain aneurysm. The rapper and producer said in a social media post Tuesday night that he’s thankful for the “well wishes.” TMZ reported that he suffered a brain aneurysm Monday and was recovering at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Dre, whose real name is Andre Young, has produced hits for Tupac, Snoop Dogg, Eminem and more. He’s won six Grammys.
