Monday, Jan. 11

á           Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) demanded the Pentagon investigate allegations that troops and military retirees were among the far-right reactionaries who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6. ÒIf accurate, it would be a disgraceful insult to the vast majority of servicemembers who honorably serve our Nation in accordance with the core values of their respective Services,Ó Duckworth, who is a veteran herself, said.

á           Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) urged Defense Secretary Chris Miller to detail how the Pentagon could ensure faster military deployment in emergencies at the Capitol in the future following the D.C. National GuardÕs Òtotally inadequateÓ response to the Jan. 6 riot.

á           House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Cal.) purportedly told fellow House Republicans that President Donald Trump bears some blame for the deadly Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol and privately accepts some responsibility for the violence, contrary to public statements.

á           Powerful businesses like AT&T, Comcast, Hallmark, MasterCard and American Express announced they were cutting off political contributions to Republicans who challenged the Nov. 6, 2020, presidential election results.

á           Trump declared a state of emergency in Washington, D.C., citing Òemergency conditionsÓ in the lead-up to President-elect Joe BidenÕs inauguration.

á           Biden announced former ambassador to Russia and Jordan, William Burns, as his pick for CIA director.

á           Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the United States has designated Cuba as a Òstate sponsor of terrorism,Ó accusing the country of Òmalign interference in Venezuela and the rest of the Western Hemisphere,Ó further complicating foreign policy for the incoming administration.

á           Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf abruptly resigned less than a week after pledging to remain in office. He cited a legal challenge to his leadership that surfaced months ago as reason for the resignation.

Tuesday, Jan. 12

á           The Trump administration changed its vaccination program Operation Warp Speed to no longer hold back second does of coronavirus shots and to ask states to start vaccinating older adults and people with high-risk medical conditions.

á           A federal judge ordered the Justice Department to delay the executions of two condemned murderers until at least March 16 to allow them time to recover from COVID-19, while a different judge blocked a scheduled execution of the only woman on federal death row citing mental illness. She was nevertheless executed later that night, after the U.S. Supreme Court lifted the stay imposed by the lower court.

á           Politico reported that Deutsche Bank, one of TrumpÕs main lenders, decided it will no longer do business with Trump or his company going forward, according to unnamed sources within the German bank.

á           Jason Schmid, a top Republican congressional aide and longtime senior House Armed Services Committee staffer, resigned with a letter slamming GOP members of Congress for supporting TrumpÕs bid to overturn the 2020 election and encouraging the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.

á           Soon-to-be Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) vowed to move forward on coronavirus relief and to confirm BidenÕs Cabinet nominees, saying that congressional Democrats are Òcommitted to delivering the bold change our country demands, and the help that our people need.Ó

á           Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) announced that she will vote to impeach Trump for his role encouraging the Jan. 6 insurrection, becoming the highest-ranking Republican leader to do so. ÒThe President could have immediately and forcefully intervened to stop the violence,Ó Cheney explained in a statement. ÒHe did not. There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.Ó

á           The House passed a resolution to call on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to declare Trump incapable of executing the duties of his office and to immediately take over as acting president.

Wednesday, Jan. 13

á           Over 30 House Democrats cosigned a letter to the acting House and Senate sergeants-at-arms and acting head of the Capitol Police demanding information about certain ÒsuspiciousÓ visitors to the Capitol the day before the insurrection. The letter said these visitors Òappeared to be associated with the rally at the White House the following day.Ó

á           Pence rejected the use of the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office, saying that it was not in the countryÕs Òbest interest.Ó

á           Acting Washington, D.C., police chief Robert Contee said more than 20,000 members of the National Guard will be stationed throughout the city after federal officials authorized a 5,000 member increase to provide dramatically amped up security ahead of BidenÕs inauguration.

á           The House voted, with 10 Republicans breaking ranks to join the Democrats, to impeach Trump again, this time for inciting violence.

á           Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told Republican colleagues that he had yet to make up his mind on whether he will join the House in voting to impeach Trump.

á           Trump released a statement urging against further violence and unrest in the nation. ÒIn light of reports of more demonstrations, I urge that there much be NO violence, NO lawbreaking and NO vandalism of any kind,Ó he said, although privately he was reported as blaming ÒAntifa peopleÓ for the insurrection.

á           Kelly Craft, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, had her trip to Taiwan cancelled suddenly after the White House called off all official engagements as part of its transition effort.

á           Biden picked Samatha Power, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under President Barack Obama, as head of the United States Agency for International Development.

á           The U.S. blacklisted two Iranian foundations, as well as their subsidiaries, that are controlled by IranÕs Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, claiming these institutions enabled IranÕs elite class to keep a ÒcorruptÓ system of ownership over most of the Iranian economy in place.

á           The U.S. imposed a region-wide ban on cotton and tomato products from ChinaÕs western Xinjiang region following allegations that they are made with forced labor from detained Uighur Muslims.

Thursday, Jan. 14

á           Biden unveiled a $2 trillion pandemic relief package. Significant monies are directed at expanding testing, accelerating vaccine deployment, safely reopening schools, extended unemployment insurance, housing and nutrition aid and $1,400-per-person checks.

á           Biden nominated Shalanda Young, currently clerk and staff director for the House Appropriations Committee, to the second highest post in the Office of Management and Budget.

Friday, Jan. 15

á           House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Cal.) said lawmakers found to have aided any aspect related to the mob violence and insurrection on Jan. 6 could face prosecution.

á           A federal judge blocked an Arkansas judgeÕs decision granting permission to Richard Barnett, who participated in the Capitol riots and ransacked PelosiÕs office, to return home under house arrest to await trial.

á           The Interior Department closed the National Mall to the public until after BidenÕs inauguration in an attempt to curb further violence.

á           The Washington Post reported that when Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced Tuesday that the federal government would begin releasing coronavirus vaccine that had been held in reserve for second shots, no such reserve existed because the administration had already begun sending all available doses two weeks earlier.

á           Biden transition spokesperson Jen Psaki announced the White House will resume releasing its visitor logs to the public once Biden takes office. The Trump White House has kept visitor logs to core offices private, a policy that was criticized from the beginning as a degradation of transparency.

á           The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that the new, twice-as-transmissible variant of the novel coronavirus first discovered in the United Kingdom, could become the dominant strain in the U.S. by March.

á           The Treasury Department sanctioned CubaÕs Interior Ministry, accusing it of serious human rights abuses.

Saturday, Jan. 16

á           The Trump administration carried out its 13th and final federal execution: Dustin Higgs, who killed three women in Maryland in 1996, died by lethal injection. No president in over 120 years has overseen as many federal executions.

á           The Treasury Department sanctioned companies in Iran, China and the United Arab Emirates for shipping materials like steel, which the State Department claims are used in IranÕs nuclear, military or ballistic missile programs, to or from Iran.

á           House committee leaders launched a probe into the Jan. 6 riot response Òto understand what warning signs may have been missed,Ó according to a letter that also explains how emerging evidence shows federal intelligence and law enforcement officials received information ahead of time about potential violence at the Capitol and that a breakdown in the information-sharing process left the Capitol vulnerable.

Sunday, Jan. 17

á           Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) asked Schumer to support a vote dismissing the HouseÕs article of impeachment against Trump. ÒWe will be delaying indefinitely, if not forever, the healing of this great nation if we do otherwise,Ó Graham said.

á           House Intelligence Chair Adam Schiff (D-Cal.) said Trump should be barred from daily intelligence briefings immediately and remain cut off once Biden is sworn in. ÒI donÕt think he can be trusted with it now, and in the future, he certainly canÕt be trusted,Ó Schiff said.

á           The National Security Agency announced it is moving forward to install Trump loyalist and former Republican operative Michael Ellis as the agencyÕs general counsel.