Thursday, January 7th, 2021
Mob Storms Capitol, 50-50 Senate & Amazon’s Pledge
All the news you need in about 10 min:
This episode is brought to you by Noom.com/newsworthy and www.Rothys.com/newsworthy
Story Summaries
All the news stories mentioned in today's episode are listed with links below, so you can spend as much -- or as little -- time as you want to peruse the latest happenings...
Protesters Swarm the U.S. Capitol
For the first time in more than 200 years, the U.S. Capitol was invaded and overrun. It all started with a peaceful rally. However, as Congress was meeting to certify and finalize President-elect Biden’s victory, Trump supporters forced their way into the Capitol. Lawmakers crouched under desks and put on gas masks as police tried, unsuccessfully, to barricade the building. Eventually, all members of Congress were safely evacuated. Throughout the day, police arrested dozens of people for various reasons, like assault and weapons charges.
Read More: AP, WaPo, USA Today, FOX News, NPR, FBI
U.S. Leaders Respond
While the riots were happening, the nation heard mixed messages from our current, past, and future leaders. First, President-elect Biden said, “This is not dissent, it’s disorder. It’s chaos. It borders on sedition, and it must end now.” Minutes later, President Trump posted a recorded video on social media. In it, Trump told protesters and rioters to go home and be peaceful, but also that, “We love you. You’re very special.” Meanwhile, all four living former presidents condemned the riots.
Read More: Biden, Trump, Bush, Obama, Clinton, Carter
Electoral College Votes Certified
Once the building was given the all-clear, lawmakers decided to come back to the Capitol last night to continue the process of certifying electoral votes. It took until nearly 4 a.m. ET, but when all was said and done, Joe Biden was certified as the next president of the United States. That was the final step ahead of Inauguration Day on January 20th. The final tally ended up being 306 electoral votes for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, 232 for Donald Trump and Mike Pence. In response, President Trump put out a statement, saying there would be an orderly transition.
Read More: Politico, CBS News, WSJ
White House Resignations
In the wake of the Capitol riots, a handful of White House staffers decided to call it quits a couple of weeks early. For example, President Trump’s Deputy National Security Adviser Matt Pottinger resigned, effective immediately. He was reportedly “dismayed” by the riot and President Trump’s role in inciting violence. Also, First Lady Melania Trump’s chief of staff stepped down, as well as the White House social secretary. All three are some of the longest-serving members of the Trump administration.
Read More: CNN, CNBC, Politico
State Capital Clashes
State capitol buildings all over the country had to go into lockdown in response to threatening protests. In Olympia, Washington, a large group of Trump supporters got onto the grounds of the governor’s mansion. Police had to escort Georgia’s secretary of state to safety too after militia members gathered outside the capitol building in Atlanta. State legislative buildings were also closed in New Mexico, Wyoming, Utah, and Texas. In some cases, employees were evacuated. There were peaceful protests elsewhere.
Read More: NBC News, The Hill, Newsweek
Dems Gain Control of U.S. Senate
Media outlets like the AP confirmed that Jon Ossoff defeated the incumbent Republican Sen. David Perdue in that Georgia runoff election. That’s the final seat that was up-for-grabs in the Senate. Rev. Raphael Warnock was already projected to beat the other incumbent Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler. Therefore, the Senate will be split between 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans. Democrats technically take the lead because Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will serve as the tie-breaker.
Read More: NY Times, Bloomberg, USA Today, FOX News
Biden Attorney General Pick
Reports say President-elect Joe Biden will choose Merrick Garland to be his attorney general. Garland was nominated by former President Barack Obama to serve in the U.S. Supreme Court, but Republican Senators blocked his nomination. Garland is currently a judge on a federal appeals court. He’s also a veteran of the Justice Department, most known for prosecuting the Oklahoma City bomber and the so-called Unabomber. Garland will still need to survive a Senate confirmation hearing before his new job is official.
Read More: CBS News, NY Times, WaPo, NPR
Dow Hits Record Despite Unrest
The Dow Jones closed at a new all-time high yesterday. The index surged more than 400 points to close with a 1.4% gain. The Dow “seesawed” throughout the trading day. The capitol riot likely played a role, but experts say the markets were also influenced by the two runoff races in Georgia. Some investors were worried Democratic control in the Senate would help usher in tax increases and regulatory changes. However, it could also lead to more COVID-19 economic relief.
Read More: Marketwatch, WaPo, CNN Business
Amazon Invests in Affordable Housing
Amazon is investing $2 billion in affordable housing. The online retailer says it will spend the money over the next five years. It wants to build tens of thousands of housing units in some big Amazon employment hubs: the Puget Sound area of Washington, which includes Seattle, as well as Arlington, Virginia, and Nashville, Tennessee. The company also plans to use part of the money to preserve existing housing in those areas as well. Apple, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft have previously vowed to do something similar.
Read More: The Verge, Fox Business, Ars Technica, Amazon
Thing to Know Thursday: 2020 Taxes
The IRS already started accepting returns and like every year, you have until April 15th to file. However, this time around it might be trickier for many people. For example, unemployed Americans may not realize their jobless benefits are taxable. If you collect unemployment, you can have taxes withheld from the start, but not everyone chooses that option. Also, some people have raised questions about those relief payments from the government. The good news is you don’t have to pay taxes on that money. If you qualified for a payment but never got one, or if you were underpaid, you can get your money through a tax credit this year.
Read More: AP, Business Insider, CNBC, IRS