This is what you need to know Keep up to date and get on with your day.
(You can also receive “5 things you need to know today” in your inbox daily. Sign up here.)
1. Riot of the Capitol
2. White House
Two cabinet members have resigned following the Capitol riot. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao resigned, saying she was “deeply concerned” about the Capitol events. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos later resigned and said President Trump’s role in spurring the Capitol mafia was “the turning point.” Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her leadership team are considering a speedy removal process if Vice President Mike Pence and the cabinet refuse to take steps to remove Trump from office in the coming days. Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and other Democratic lawmakers have called on the administration to invoke the 25th Amendment and deprive Trump of his presidential powers. Trump yesterday publicly acknowledged his November election defeat for the first time and acknowledged that a transfer of power is taking place.
3. Coronavirus
The U.S. reported for the first time yesterday more than 4,000 deaths from Covid-19 in a single day, as more statistics piled up. In Los Angeles County, the number of people who die of Covid-19 in a day is now equivalent to the number of homicide deaths the city sees in an entire year. China has shut down Shijiazhuang, a city of 11 million people near Beijing, to contain the country’s worst outbreak in months. In Japan, Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures have entered a state of emergency today. Here’s some good news: A new study offers early evidence that Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine could be effective against the two new coronavirus variants, first identified in South Africa and the United Kingdom, which are now emerging all over the world.
4. Iran
The U.S. military flew two B-52 bombers to the Middle East to demonstrate its “continued commitment to regional security and deterrence against aggression,” the Air Force said. It is the fourth such show of strength in the last two months, as tensions over the anniversary of the death of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani fade with tensions leading to the transfer of presidential power to the US. There is a broad sense of concern that opponents may take advantage of the domestic turmoil in the United States, but so far there is no concrete evidence that anything is ready. Meanwhile, a Baghdad investigative court judge has issued an arrest warrant for Trump when he stepped down for the assassination of an Iraqi paramilitary leader during Soleimani’s assassination last year.
5. Boeing
Boeing has reached a $ 2.5 billion deal with the Justice Department over criminal charges that the company defrauded the Federal Aviation Administration when it obtained approval for its destroyed 737 Max aircraft. The deal includes a $ 243.6 million criminal fine, $ 1.777 million in compensation to Boeing Airlines customers and $ 500 million in a fund to compensate relatives of accident victims. The planes were landed by the FAA in 2019 after two fatal crashes that killed 346 people, and the Justice Department said Boeing was not honest about the safety and performance of its planes. The FAA approved the planes to fly passengers in November, but not before serious changes were made to the faulty safety system that caused the crashes.
EXPLORE BREAKFAST
2020 was tied to the hottest year on record, but climate change-driven disasters set it apart
It was not a fantastic year for many things, including weather issues.
The company that makes mahjong sets apologizes after critics say its game designs were culturally insensitive.
It’s hard to improve on a beloved classic.
Elon Musk surpasses Jeff Bezos to become the richest person in the world
Your net worth? $ 191 billion.
‘Bridgerton’ starred in the hottest stars of 2021
Ah, that sweet, sweet escapism of the Regency.
Keep your 2021 goals simple to succeed, like putting on clothes and talking to other people
Posing clothes? Speaking of … people? Mmmm, it sounds like a stretch.
TODAY’S ISSUE
$ 91,000
It is what a South Korean judge has ordered the Japanese government to pay damages to each of the twelve survivors of war sexual slavery. Girls and women forced to have sex during World War II were known as “women of consolation.”
TODAY’S BUDGET
“The job of reuniting America, of really repairing what is broken, is not the job of any individual politician or political party. It’s up to each of us to do our part. Reach out. Listen and keep close to the truth and to the values that have always carried this country forward. It will be an awkward and sometimes painful process. But if we get into it with an honest and unshakable love for our country, maybe maybe we can finally start healing. “
Former first lady Michelle Obama, in a statement on Wednesday’s violence at the U.S. Capitol
TODAY’S WEATHER
Check out the local forecast here >>>
AND FINALLY
The exquisite hour
The first time I heard this play by Reynaldo Hahn, sung here by Susan Graham, it moved me to tears. Here we hope to bring you some peace after a difficult week. (Click here to see it.)