House Impeaches Trump – President Trump was impeached for the second time in his presidency this week, with all House Democrats and 10 Republicans voting to impeach him over a single charge of “inciting violence and insurrection” in the lead-up and during the Capitol Hill riot last week. The impeachment, the most bipartisan impeachment vote in history, made Trump the first president to be impeached twice in his presidency. To be removed from office, two-thirds of the Senate would have to vote to convict him on the charge. That would require 17 GOP senators to vote to convict him – an unlikely but possible scenario. However, Senate Leader Mitch McConnell said that he will not reconvene the Senate until January 19th – a day before President Trump’s term expires – meaning he will fill out the rest of his presidency in office. There is talk though of the Senate possibly continuing with an impeachment vote even after he leaves, followed up by a second vote to permanently bar him from running for federal office again.
Investigation Opens Into Riot – The Inspector General of the Capitol Hill Police said that he is opening a full-scale investigation into the surroundings of the January 6th riot at the US Capitol which will include an inquiry into intelligence failures, planning failures, and leadership and management failures. The investigation is separate from another being conducted into the actions of 17 Capitol Hill police officers during the storming of the Capitol. Two officers have already been suspended after footage showed one taking a selfie with protesters and the other was seen giving directions to individuals in the Capitol building itself.
Scientists Say 2020 Tied For Hottest Year Ever – Earth’s global average surface temperature in 2020 tied with 2016 as the warmest year on record, according to an analysis by NASA. Continuing the planet’s long-term warming trend, the year’s globally averaged temperature was 1.84 degrees Fahrenheit (1.02 degrees Celsius) warmer than the baseline 1951-1980 mean, according to scientists at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York. 2020 edged out 2016 by a very small amount, within the margin of error of the analysis, making the years effectively tied for the warmest year on record. “The last seven years have been the warmest seven years on record, typifying the ongoing and dramatic warming trend,” said GISS Director Gavin Schmidt. “Whether one year is a record or not is not really that important – the important things are long-term trends. With these trends, and as the human impact on the climate increases, we have to expect that records will continue to be broken.”
Biden Unveils Massive Covid-19 Bill – President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday unveiled a $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief package, which would include giving $1,400 checks directly to Americans, which would be in addition to the $600 checks passed by Congress last month. It also allocated $415 billion to fight the virus and $440 billion in relief for small businesses. Speaking about the bill, Biden said, “The very health of our nation is at stake. We have to act and we have to act now.”
Space Force HQ To Be In Alabama – The newly formed US Space Command selected Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama to be the location of its headquarters. The site was chosen because Redstone Arsenal because it has a qualified workforce, good schools, and solid infrastructure. Additionally, the Army is allowing Space Command to work there free of charge until a permanent headquarters building is erected for the Space Force.
Mossad Chief Briefs Biden Team On Iran – Mossad chief Yossi Cohen this week briefed incoming Biden administration officials regarding the intelligence Israel has on Iran’s missile and nuclear programs. The Mossad chief is expected to be Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s main liaison to the Biden administration because of his previous relationship with Biden and many of his officials, including incoming national security adviser Jake Sullivan from his time as head of Israel’s National Security Council.