MIKE PENCE, former vice president, has been subpoenaed by the Justice Department (Shutterstock).

A subpoena has been issued to former vice president Mike Pence requiring him to testify about former president Donald Trump’s role in efforts to overturn results of the 2020 presidential election.

According to the Associated Press, the Justice Department’s special counsel Jack Smith is seeking to discover what Trump and his allies did – or attempted to do – to prevent the certification of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as president and vice president.

As vice president, Pence had the ceremonial job of certifying the election results before Congress on Jan.  6, 2021. Trump argued that Pence had the power to reject the Electoral College results.

Under the Constitution, if no president is seated by noon on Jan. 20, the Speaker of the House – in this case, Nancy Pelosi – would have become acting president.

Quake death toll passes 20,000

OVER 20,000 people have died as a result of the quake that hit Turkey and Syria (Shutterstock).

Over 20,000 people have been killed in Turkey and Syria by a massive earthquake that hit those countries three days ago.

According to The New York Times, nearly 18,000 of the dead were in Turkey. An estimated 100,000 rescue workers are in Turkey seeking to rescue victims, bury the dead and provide for those injured or rendered homeless by the quake.

Also in the news …. Burt Bacharach, composer of pop classics such as “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head” and “Do You Know the Way to San Jose” died at the age of 94.

Sports: Lakers, Clippers make changes

The Los Angeles Lakers traded guard Patrick Beverly to the Orlando Magic for center Mo Ramba on Thursday. They also swapped center Thomas Bryant to the Denver Nuggets for Davon Reed and three second round draft picks.

The Los Angeles Clippers traded Reggie Jackson, Luke Kennard and John Wall.  Jackson, a  guard, is going to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Mason Plumbee, a center.

Kennard is off to Memphis in exchange for draft picks and Wall is headed for the Houston Rockets.

Also in sports: Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been named the NFL Most Valuable Player for the second time.

Weather: Winter’s not gone yet

The West Orange County area is in store for a bit of winter weather, with partly cloudy skies forecast for the next five days.

Friday’s daytime high will hit 79 with an overnight low of 50. But the high will drop to 62 on Saturday (46 overnight). Sunday will be slightly cooler at 61 (45) and Monday slightly warmer at 64 (51).

The long range forecast calls for daytime highs in the 60s through Feb. 23.