Democrats push forward with impeachment

Petra Cahill
·5 min read

Good morning, NBC News readers.

House Democrats are moving forward with plans to vote on impeaching President Donald Trump on Wednesday as the FBI warns of more potential armed protests across the country.

Here is what we're watching this Tuesday morning.

Democrats press forward with impeachment push

Moving forward with great haste, House Democrats introduced one article of impeachment against President Donald Trump on Monday for "incitement of insurrection" for urging his supporters to march on the U.S. Capitol last week.

They also introduced a separate measure calling on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office, a move Republicans immediately blocked.

The House will vote on the 25th Amendment measure as soon as Tuesday evening and the impeachment measure Wednesday — one week to the day after the deadly mayhem in Washington and a week before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.

The riot has left Democrats grappling with how to impeach Trump and punish him for his role in inciting the mob without hindering Biden's agenda once he takes office.

The calls for his second impeachment have also left Trump increasingly isolated as he heads into his final week in office.

With few allies left and no social media megaphone, the president is scheduled to make his first public appearance since the Capitol riot Tuesday along a stretch of the Texas border wall.

But the president remains defiant, two sources familiar with his thinking tell NBC News. He has no plans to resign despite the bipartisan calls for him to do so and he continues to falsely claim that he won the election.

Meantime, angered over his treatment by the president, Pence is charting his own way forward to make it through the next eight days and beyond.

Trump and Pence met in the Oval Office Monday evening, the first time the pair had spoken since the deadly riots. But despite years of loyally standing by Trump's side, the vice president is striking out on his own: Pence has said he will attend Biden's inauguration next week, while Trump has said he will not.

Follow our live blog for all the latest developments.

'Several' Capitol police officers suspended as FBI warns of further protests

As the fallout from the deadly pro-Trump insurrection continues, officials said Monday that "several" U.S. Capitol Police officers were suspended and at least 10 more are under investigation.

Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, who chairs one of the committees that oversees the Capitol Police, told reporters that "Capitol Police are looking at everybody involved that could have potentially facilitated at a big level or a small level."

The news comes as the FBI continues to go through the more than 70,000 tips it has received as it seeks to arrest those who took part in the melee.

Many of the rioters have given investigators a leg up on their search since they weren't exactly shy about concealing their identities as they ransacked the Capitol. Here's what we know about some of the people arrested so far.

Authorities are fearful there may be more violence. The FBI sent a memo to law enforcement agencies across the country warning about possible armed protests at all 50 state capitols starting Saturday through Biden's inauguration on Jan. 20.

Here are some other developments:

Want to receive the Morning Rundown in your inbox? Sign up here.

Plus

THINK about it

Who is helped by Democratic Senate win? (Spoiler alert: Not progressives) political analyst David Mark writes in an opinion piece.

Live BETTER

Sleep, exercise or diet? Which of the "three pillars of health" is most linked to better mental health?

Shopping

From treadmills to headphones, here are new and notable products to help make your New Year's resolutions reality.

Quote of the day

"Many Republicans still refused to take the bare minimum COVID-19 precaution and simply wear a damn mask in a crowded room during a pandemic — creating a superspreader event on top of a domestic terrorist attack."

— Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said in a statement announcing she had tested positive for Covid-19 after the Capitol lockdown.

One creative thing

With the help of her parents, 7-year-old Hayley Orlinsky creates colorful friendship bracelets and sells them to raise money to help supply doctors and nurses at Chicago’s Lurie Children’s Hospital with PPE.

So far, she's made more than 10,000 of them and raised $30,000.

The bracelets "represent hope during a really dark time," says Hayley.

Thanks for reading the Morning Rundown.

If you have any comments — likes, dislikes — send me an email at: petra@nbcuni.com

If you'd like to receive this newsletter Monday to Friday, please sign-up here.

Thanks, Petra