House's 25th Amendment vote, Trump's Texas trip, lottery fever: 5 things to know Tuesday

Editors, USA TODAY
·5 min read
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Resolution to invoke the 25th Amendment goes to full House vote

House Republicans on Monday blocked Democrats from bringing up a resolution to urge Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove President Donald Trump from office. Democrats can now bring it up for a full House vote on Tuesday. Under House rules, it took only one lawmaker to block immediate consideration of the resolution aimed at pressuring Republicans to take power away from Trump. The resolution calls on Pence and the Cabinet to, within 24 hours, "declare what is obvious to a horrified Nation: That the President is unable to successfully discharge the duties and powers of his office." Pence has not shown an interest in triggering the never-used section of the amendment that could strip Trump of his authority.

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Trump visits Alamo, Texas, to give speech

As lawmakers call for his immediate removal – and plan a second impeachment – President Donald Trump plans to defend himself Tuesday with a speech in Alamo, Texas. Alamo is a small town on the Texas-Mexico border where Trump plans to discuss his immigration policy and promote his presidential legacy – a legacy very much tarnished by last week's attack on the U.S. Capitol building by enraged Trump supporters. The ostensible purpose of the visit is "to mark the completion of more than 400 miles of border wall – a promise made, promise kept – and his Administration’s efforts to reform our broken immigration system," said a White House statement.

New acting DHS secretary takes over as inauguration security looms

Pete Gaynor, who runs the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will take over as acting Homeland Security secretary after Chad Wolf's abrupt resignation Monday. Wolf's resignation comes as his agency leads critical security planning for the upcoming inauguration. Unlike other recent members of the Trump administration who have resigned, Wolf did not cite the U.S. Capitol riots as a reason. Last week, however, Wolf asked Trump and all elected officials to "strongly condemn the violence" that took place at the Capitol.

Man from photo inside Pelosi's office to appear in federal court

The Arkansas man who was photographed sitting at a desk in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office following the storming of the Capitol by a mob of President Donald Trump's supporters will make his initial appearance in federal court Tuesday, according to a statement from the Department of Justice. Richard Barnett, 60, of Gravette, Arkansas, is charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds; and theft of public money, property, or records. If he is convicted, he faces up to one year in prison. Barnett, who has identified himself on social media as a Trump supporter and gun rights advocate, turned himself in to FBI agents at the Benton County Sheriff's Office in Bentonville, Arkansas, an FBI spokesman said.

Mega Millions soars to largest prize haul in years

After a long stretch of relatively paltry prizes, the jackpot for Mega Millions’ Tuesday night drawing has climbed to $615 million, and the top prize in the Powerball game reached $550 million ahead of Wednesday’s drawing. It has been nearly two years since the two national lottery games offered such giant prizes and only the second time both jackpots have topped $500 million. The projected Mega Millions grand prize is the eighth largest in U.S. history, and the Powerball jackpot is the 12th biggest. But don't get your hopes up too soon: As fun as it can be to play the games, people should realize their chance of winning the big prizes are incredibly small. The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are one in 292.2 million, and the chances are even worse for Mega Millions at one in 302.5 million.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 25th Amendment vote, Trump's Texas trip: 5 things to know Tuesday