I’m not sure where to even begin.
I cannot recall a morning when I woke up and was afraid – just downright scared – to look at the headlines. That happened today.
What occurred yesterday in our nation’s Capitol was nothing short of a travesty – an act of domestic terrorism by a group of individuals hell-bent on subverting the rule of law and upending the very foundation of our democracy.
So much has been said – far too much, in many cases. Sometimes it’s better to just let the facts speak for themselves. And so…
The US Capitol is once again secured, but four people are dead, after supporters of President Donald Trump breached one of the most iconic American buildings, engulfing the nation’s capital in chaos after Trump urged his supporters to fight against the ceremonial counting of the electoral votes that will confirm President-elect Joe Biden’s win.
Vice President Mike Pence presided over a joint session of Congress as lawmakers reconvened after a violent mob earlier halted the ratification of President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral college victory. Early this morning, they affirmed Biden’s win.
The Senate and House rejected objections to throw out Georgia and Pennsylvania’s electoral votes for Biden. Republicans also objected to Arizona, Nevada and Michigan’s electoral votes, but the motions failed before they reached debate.
After Pence announced the final electoral college tally, Trump said there would be an “orderly transition,” but still claimed the election was ‘stolen’ despite 50 states, a series of judges and now the Congress dismissing challenges to the result.
“Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th,” the president said in a statement posted to Twitter by a communications advisor.
Shortly after 1 p.m. yesterday, hundreds of pro-Trump protesters pushed through barriers set up along the perimeter of the Capitol, where they tussled with officers in full riot gear, some calling the officers “traitors” for doing their jobs.
Demonstrators got into the Capitol building, where there was an armed standoff at the House door. A Trump supporter was also pictured standing at the Senate dais earlier in the afternoon.
D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee said there were four fatalities: a woman who was shot by the U.S. Capitol Police, as well as three others — two men and one woman — who died in “separate medical emergencies.” Police had made “in excess of 52 arrests,” including 26 on U.S. Capitol grounds.
The Trump supporter shot and killed by Capitol Police was Ashli Babbitt, of California, who had 14 years of service in the Air Force and did four tours of duty.
Fourteen police officers were injured during the protests. One was seriously hurt after being pulled into a crowd and assaulted, one has serious facial injuries.
Biden called the violent protests that engulfed the U.S. Capitol an “assault on the most sacred of American undertakings: the doing of the people’s business” and called on Trump to immediately demand that his supporters stop the violence.
Trump released a video amid the attack on the Capitol, in which he sympathized with the rioters, saying “we had an election that was stolen from us,” and told them “we love you,” before urging them to go home.
Facebook and Twitter removed posts by Trump and and temporarily locked his accounts, as the social-media platforms worked to tamp down content that could further fuel riots in the U.S. capital.
Leaders and citizens around the world reacted with alarm to images of a mob supporting Trump forcing its way into the U.S. Capitol, calling it a shocking development in one of the world’s most stable democracies.
Former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter each condemned the mob of rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol — and lawmakers who sought to delegitimize the presidential election results beforehand.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell last night blasted the “thugs” who broke into the US Capitol in an attempt to prevent Congress from accepting Biden’s win in the Electoral College.
The stunning display of insurrection was the first time the Capitol had been overrun since the British attacked and burned the building in August of 1814, during the War of 1812.
Civil rights leaders blasted law enforcement agencies for their slow response to the rioters, noting the massive show of police force in place for Black Lives Matter demonstrations last year over police killings of unarmed Black men and women.
Kentucky state Rep. Attica Scott, who was arrested in Louisville during the months of protest over Breonna Taylor’s death in a botched police raid, said: “You can be arrested for walking while Black, but you can be white and riot and basically get away with it.”
Authorities say the Capital Police weren’t prepared for a riot of the size that took place yesterday, and had only planned to deal with protests with a small and minimally visible presence.
A newly elected West Virginia lawmaker was among the mob that stormed Capitol, filming as he stood among the crowd outside a door, rushed with them inside and then wandered the halls along with the scores of others who had breached the building.
Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar tweeted that she is drafting articles of impeachment after pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, sending lawmakers in the process of certifying Biden’s win running for their own safety.
A man photographed inside House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office during protests in Washington D.C. is believed to be an active supporter of Trump from Northwest Arkansas.
Stephanie Grisham, First Lady Melania Trump’s chief of staff, reportedly quit in outrage over the riots at the U.S. Capitol.
Rickie Niceta, the White House social secretary, also said she was resigning. And Sarah Matthews, a deputy White House press secretary, submitted her resignation, saying she was “deeply disturbed by what I saw today.” More resignations are expected.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered 1,000 members of the New York National Guard to Washington D.C.
“We must call this what it actually is, a failed attempt at a coup,” Cuomo said in a statement.
The mayor of Washington, D.C. has extended a public emergency order for 15 days.
Two people were arrested during protests near Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan last night.
The Peach State turned decidedly blue as 33-year-old Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jon Ossoff was declared the winner against 71-year-old Republican Sen. David Perdue, who held the Georgia seat for the past six years and had the strong Trump supporter.
Sen. Chuck Schumer will be the next Senate majority leader after two Democratic challengers won Georgia runoffs. But the challenges he’ll face in the narrowly divided chamber are sure to test his vaunted skills as a consensus-builder.
Biden plans to nominate Judge Merrick B. Garland, whose Supreme Court nomination Republicans blocked in 2016, to be attorney general, placing the task of repairing a beleaguered Justice Department in the hands of a centrist judge.
Garland, 68, is the widely respected former chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He has deep roots inside the Justice Department, where he launched his career decades ago.
The U.S. Justice Department has become the latest federal agency to say it was breached by hackers in the Russia-linked cyberattack that has ripped through government agencies and an unknown number of corporate networks.
The New York Stock Exchange will move forward with delisting three Chinese telecommunications companies targeted by an executive order from Trump, reversing course yet again after the NYSE said earlier this week that it wouldn’t delist them.
The United States set new records yesterday for coronavirus cases and deaths, according to reports. There were 268,840 cases reported, and 3,920 deaths, higher numbers than on any previous day.
With no robust system to identify genetic variations of the coronavirus, experts warn that the United States is woefully ill-equipped to track a dangerous new mutant, leaving health officials blind as they try to combat the grave threat.
The Trump administration this week will launch a federal program to give out vaccines at pharmacy stores to high-risk groups, including older people and frontline workers, federal health officials said.
A Florida doctor has died several weeks after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, although it’s not yet clear whether his death Monday was related to the shot he received on Dec. 18.
Severe allergic reactions appear to have cropped up more frequently in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines than is typical for flu shots, but they are still quite rare, the CDC said.
A new study shows 86% of people with mild COVID symptoms lost their sense of smell and taste.
Vaccinations are picking up pace in New York days after Cuomo threatened to fine slow-moving hospitals and warned that a highly contagious new COVID variant could cause trouble in the Empire State.
Home health aides and some police officers can now receive COVID vaccinations in New York after the state approved the expansion of its immunization program into an additional category of recipients.
Cuomo is calling on U.S. Customs and Border Protection to require international travelers to test negative for the coronavirus before boarding flights to the United States, or allow the state’s Port Authority to take on that role.
New York City’s bid provide the NYPD with thousands of COVID vaccinations was in tatters after the governor shut down City Hall’s attempt to move cops up in line by labeling them as medical first responders.
New York county government leaders say Cuomo ignored their own years-in-the-making mass vaccination plans — and is now stonewalling their ability to get the shots out fast.
Senior citizens in New York will soon be allowed to pre-register for COVID-19 vaccines in a bid to speed up the process — once state officials OK the jabs for their priority group.
New York lawmakers kicked off their 2021 legislative session with calls to alleviate the fiscal pain caused by the coronavirus pandemic and plans to consider the legalization of marijuana and online sports betting.
Cuomo announced his support for both legalizing cannabis for adult recreational use and mobile sports betting.
The governor has done an about-face on online sports betting, which he previously said would be prohibited by the state Constitution, but wants it run via the state lottery. (This is not popular among operators).
“New York has the potential to be the largest sports wagering market in the United States, and by legalizing online sports betting we aim to keep millions of dollars in revenue here at home, which will only strengthen our ability to rebuild from the COVID-19 crisis,” Cuomo said.
Sen. Joe Addabbo, chair of his chamber’s Racing and Wagering Committee, expressed concerns about the Lottery Division approach Cuomo is considering, saying it would sharply limit competition and, thereby, tax revenues and jobs.
A collection of groups seeking new taxes gathered outside Cuomo’s office in Manhattan, pushing six different tax bills that target high-earners and corporations.
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont has also proposed legalizing adult-use cannabis an sports betting to help his state recover from the pandemic-induced economic downturn.
Cuomo will skip this weekend’s Buffalo Bills playoff game to rework his State of the State speech, saying he plans to give his ticket to a nurse from Erie County Medical Center.
Empire State Development announced that more than $3 million would be going to New York restaurants during the pandemic. The “Raising the Bar” Restaurant Recovery Fund will give eligible restaurants up to $5,000 to assist with COVID-19 safety measures.
All over New York City, the restrictions put in place to contain the coronavirus have given rise to an unknown number of illicit clubs and bars — would-be speakeasies for the Covid-19 era — as previously legitimate bars and restaurants go underground to survive.
The Covid-19 pandemic will cast a long shadow over New York City’s economic recovery, impacting employment levels, real-estate sales and tax revenue for years to come, according to the city’s fiscal watchdog.
Even in a best-case scenario of rapid vaccinations and nationwide economic recovery, it will take years for employment in New York City to reach pre-pandemic levels, according to the Independent Budget Office.
Two people were taken to the hospital and one person is in custody after a stabbing yesterday afternoon in East Capitol Park in Albany connected to a pro-Trump protest and counter protest.
Alexander Contompasis, 37, was arrested for felony assault and two people were transported to Albany Medical Center Hospital with stab wounds, according to State Police, who were reviewing video footage in an attempt to piece together what unfolded.
Nine more residents are dead in Albany County because of the coronavirus, but four of those deaths occurred at a nursing home between Dec. 12 and Jan. 3 and are only being reported now because the county just found out about them.
The Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that at least one parent was home during a Dec. 18 underage drinking party that caused an outbreak of COVID-19 in neighboring Warren County and led to the shut down of Glens Falls city schools.
Two Capital Region high schools and a middle school are shifting students to remote learning format just three days after they returned from winter break.
Trader Joe’s has signed a lease to open a store in Harlem, marking the grocery-store chain’s 13th location in New York City.
The Maj. Gen. Phillip John Schuyler statue in front of City Hall isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, as it will cost roughly $40,000 to move the bronze statute of the Revolutionary War hero whose ownership of slaves ignited efforts to move the monument.
Mega Millions, the massive lottery game spanning 45 states, is approaching a $500 million jackpot, the lottery agency said.
Jennifer Bonjean, a Brooklyn attorney who recently argued on behalf of disgraced comedian and convicted sexual predator Bill Cosby, has joined the legal team of NXIVM leader Keith Raniere.
Dr. Dre, the music producer and entrepreneur who leveraged his fame in hip-hop into billion-dollar businesses with the Beats brand of headphones and a music streaming service, confirmed that he had been hospitalized in LA and that he was “doing great.”
