The Wider World

Pres. Trump is impeached again

THE HOUSE OF Representatives voted Wednesday to impeach President Donald Trump a second time. The charge is “incitement to insurrection” (Shutterstock).

President Donald Trump on Wednesday became the first president ever to be impeached a second time. The House of Representatives voted 232-197– with 10 Republicans joining all the Democrats – on a charge of “incitement of insurrection.”

According to the Associated Press, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, “He must go, he is a clear and present danger to the nation that we all love.”

Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), Senate Majority Leader, said the Senate would not take up the resulting trial until Jan. 19, the last full day before Joe Biden is sworn in as the next president.

Trump released a video condemning the Jan. 6 mob attack on the U.S. Capitol by right-wing extremists, many of who claimed they were acting to defend the president.

“Like all of you, I was shocked and deeply saddened by the calamity at the Capitol last week,” he said.  “Mob violence goes against everything I believe in and everything our movement stands for.” He added that “No true supporter of mine could ever disrepect law enforcement.

Five people died in the melee, including one Capitol police officer who was fatally beaten.

Because of the lateness of the impeachment process, removal from office will be rendered moot on Jan. 20. It may proceed anyway for the purpose of disqualifying Trump from serving in office again, blocking him from a possible run for a second term in 2024.

GALLUP POLL: A new poll released Wednesday by the Gallup Organization gave Trump a 39 percent approval rating. President-elect Biden had a 65 percent approval for his transition period.

News: California lifts “stay-at-home” for 13 northern counties

The State of California has lifted “stay-at-home” orders for 13 counties in the northern part of the state. The counties affected are Alpine, Amador, Butte, Colusa, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, Sierra, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba. Gov. Gavin Newsom said the change was due to a stabilization of ICU and positivity rates in those areas.

RISKY YOUTH: College-age Americans are accounting for 60 percent of cases of coronavirus among young people, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. United Press International is reporting that adults ages 18 to 24 were 1.7 million of the 2.9 million new cases in people under 24 from March 1 to Dec. 12. A separate report from a technical journal on biomechanics suggests that college campuses can be “super-spreaders.”

Sports: Harden from Rockets to Nets

Sports Illustrated is reporting that the Houston Rockets have agreed to trade star James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for eight future first-round draft picks and trades. Harden would be joining standouts Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Jarrett Allen would be sent to Brooklyn. The Rockets are off to a slow start at 3-6 and the Nets are doing so-so at 6-6. So far this season, Harden is averaging 24.8 points a game, with five rebounds and 10.4 assists.

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