Here's the biggest news you missed this weekend
Donald Trump begins one of the most perilous weeks of his presidency Monday as momentum for a second impeachment soared over the weekend and a growing number of Republicans broke ranks to openly call for his removal.
And authorities investigating Wednesday's siege of the U.S. Capitol made more arrests amid revelations from a white supremacist monitoring group that the attack was openly planned online for weeks. Here's the biggest news you missed:
More arrests made as fallout from Capitol riot continues
Federal authorities continue to round up and arrest people charged in the deadly insurrection in the U.S. Capitol, including the man seen carrying House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's lectern. Through Friday, the Justice Department filed at least 55 criminal cases tied to the riot at the Capitol that left five dead. Among the charges are: carrying a loaded hand gun and Molotov cocktails and making a threat against Pelosi.
Trump permanently banned from Twitter; Parler suspended from app stores
Twitter has permanently banned Trump, citing the risk that he would incite further violence. Late Friday, President Trump tweeted from the @POTUS Twitter account, accusing Twitter of silencing him and his supporters. All four tweets were then deleted. Twitter also permanently suspended the @TeamTrump account for ban evasion.
And a day after Parler was removed from the Google Play Store, Apple made a similar step. The social network, launched in 2018, became popular among conservatives and an unmoderated home to more extreme views in 2020 when both Facebook and Twitter tightened up their content moderation and labeling.
Capitol riot planned openly, a month of 'rampant strategizing and incitements'
Rita Katz, director of the SITE Intelligence Group, a non-governmental organization that tracks online activity of white supremacists and jihadist groups, says many Americans don’t understand how openly the riot was planned. Katz tweeted late Saturday that the riot, which led to scores of arrests and five deaths, came after a month of "rampant strategizing and incitements ... to storm and occupy Congress and kidnap/arrest lawmakers." Katz said protesters were urged to "consider bringing zip ties" and make citizens arrests.
Physician says Congress members may have been exposed to COVID-19
Dr. Brian P. Monahan, the attending physician for Congress, urged all elected officials and their staff to observe public health measures and get tested for the coronavirus after potentially being exposed to someone infected with COVID-19 while the Capitol was locked down during Wednesday's armed incursion by pro-Trump rioters.
US Capitol Police officer, 51, dies; cause not released
A U.S. Capitol Police officer died while off duty on Saturday. Howard Liebengood, 51, had been with the department since 2005 and was assigned to the Senate Division, police said. The department's statement did not say the cause of Liebengood's death. It is unclear if Liebengood was at the Capitol when pro-Trump rioters stormed the building. At least one police officer was killed amid the riot; four other people also died.
Real quick
- Man shoots seven people in series of Chicago-area attacks before dying in shootout with police, authorities say.
- Trump pressured a Georgia election investigator to "find the fraud" in December phone call.
- "Washed out mess": Vogue puts Kamala Harris on the cover, but Twitter users aren't happy.
- Trump's incitement of mob at Capitol is an "impeachable offense," Chris Christie says.
- CES 2021: Hologram technology inspired by "Star Wars" could bring "new dimension" to smartphones.
- Arnold Schwarzenegger blasts Trump as "worst president ever" in powerful video rebuke.
Pelosi outlines Democrats' path to impeachment vote
House Democrats will move forward with plans to remove President Donald Trump from office this week, starting with a resolution that calls on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment. On Monday, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., will request unanimous consent for the “Raskin Resolution,” which calls on Pence to convene the Cabinet and activate the 25th Amendment. If they don’t receive consent – which is almost guaranteed since only a single Republican would have to object – Democrats will vote on the measure on Tuesday. "We are calling on the Vice President to respond within 24 hours" after the resolution is passed, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said. If Pence does act before that deadline, House Democrats will introduce articles of impeachment against Trump.
- Momentum for Trump impeachment soars as some in GOP say it's warranted after Capitol riot.
Indonesian divers find parts of Boeing plane wreckage in Java Sea
Divers on Sunday located parts of the wreckage of a Boeing 737-500 in the Java Sea — a day after the jet lost contact with air traffic controllers following takeoff from Indonesia’s capital with 62 people on board, officials said. “We are sure that is the point where the plane crashed," Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto said in a statement. Fifty-six passengers and six crew members were onboard. Indonesia, the world’s largest archipelago nation with a population of more than 260 million, has been plagued by transportation accidents on land, sea and air because of overcrowding on ferries, aging infrastructure and poorly enforced safety standards.
1 in 15 Americans test positive for COVID-19; new variants reported
The United States surpassed more than 22 million reported COVID-19 cases on Saturday, meaning 1 in every 15 Americans has tested positive. Over the last month, 31 states and nearly 1,200 counties have reported their worst weekly death tolls of the entire pandemic. At the same time, frustration is growing over the distribution of the coronavirus vaccine. Through Friday, states had received 22.1 million doses. Of those, only 6.7 million have been administered.
In addition: Two major variants of the virus have emerged in recent weeks, experts say, but neither is more dangerous than the virus that has circulated for the last year. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned there is a chance the mutations will cause some tests to return false-negative results, but it's unlikely most tests will miss people who are contagious.
'Super Wild Card Weekend' kicks off in the NFL
The NFL’s inaugural "Super Wild Card Weekend" kicked off Saturday – a result of the league’s new playoff format that includes seven teams from each conference. Buffalo, home to one of the more beleaguered fanbases in the NFL, won its first playoff game in a quarter century, as the second-seeded Bills took care of the Indianapolis Colts, 27-24. The Los Angeles Rams survived after a worrisome hit to starting quarterback John Wolford, who was taken to the hospital and later released. The Rams marched out of Seattle with a 30-20 win over the Seahawks. Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady tacked on yet another playoff win to his storied career – his first in a Bucs uniform – by taking care of the underdog Washington Football Team, 31-23. In Sunday's first game, former MVP Lamar Jackson got his first playoff win, downing the Tennessee Titans.
- NFL wild-card winners and losers from Saturday's playoff openers: Rams, Bills and Taylor Heinicke.
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This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Contributing: Associated Press