Daily Beast: “A rioter who stormed the U.S. Capitol last week wearing a sweatshirt with the phrase ‘Camp Auschwitz’ on it has been arrested, according to media reports. The individual, whom CNN identified as Robert Keith Packer, was arrested in Newport News, Virginia. CNN and CBS News first reported the arrest. Photos from the riot show Packer inside the Capitol wearing the sweatshirt that makes reference to the Nazi concentration camp in Poland where over 1 million people were killed during World War II. The bottom of the sweatshirt also said ‘Work brings freedom,’ which is a translation of the phrase that was on concentration camp’s gates.”

“Majority Leader Steny Hoyer made clear House will not hold back article of impeachment, saying ‘presumption is within a very short time’ it will be transmitted to the Senate. Asked if the House would hold back the articles, Hoyer said emphatically: ‘No'” reports CNN’s Jim Sciutto.

In a blistering response to a lawsuit filed by Parler for terminating its web hosting services, Amazon said that it pulled Parler from its platform as a last resort after Parler refused to pull content that supported violence and broadcast threats, CNN reports.

“This case is about Parler’s demonstrated unwillingness and inability to remove from the servers of Amazon Web Services (‘AWS’) content that threatens the public safety,” Amazon wrote in a court filing, “such as by inciting and planning the rape, torture, and assassination of named public officials and private citizens.”

Amazon’s lawyers provided the Court with examples of posts promoting violent insurrection against the United States; threats against the lives of Democratic politicians and tech executives like Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey; and posts “inciting and planning the rape, torture, and assassination of named public officials and private citizens.”

“U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) sent a letter to President-Elect Joseph Biden, Jr. urging him to support stand-alone legislation to increase the direct economic impact payments to Americans struggling due to the pandemic from $600 to $2,000, without delay and without getting tied up with other legislative issues. ‘It would send a powerful message to the American people if, on the first day of your presidency, you called on the House and Senate to send you legislation to increase the direct economic impact payments to Americans struggling due to the pandemic from $600 to $2,000,’ Rubio wrote. ‘Although I share many of my colleagues’ concerns about the long-term effects of this additional spending, we simply cannot ignore the fact that millions of working class families across the nation are still in desperate need of relief. At a time when they need it most, we must recognize the positive message it would send to the American people and the entire world if all Republicans and Democrats came together on January 20, 2021 to put the American people first'” – Press release posted on Rubio’s Senate.gov website.

Axios: “Top Republicans want to bury President Trump, for good. But they are divided whether to do it with one quick kill via impeachment, or let him slowly fade away. A House impeachment vote, which would make Trump the first president to be impeached twice, is expected in mid-afternoon. Sources tell Axios Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would be more likely than not to vote to convict Trump – a green light for other Republican senators to follow.”

“House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy would love a Trumpless world, but doesn’t want to knife him with fingerprints. This school of thought wants to let Trump do himself in, without a big party fight over his sins and sentence. The fade-away caucus sees a danger that the impeachment-conviction route is, as a prominent conservative put it, ‘making him Jesus. … Truly stupid.'”

“NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio announces on MSNBC that the city of New York is ending all contracts with the Trump Organization, citing ‘criminal activity.’ Adds that Trump Organization profits $17 million a year at four sites in the city” reports Politico’s Elena Schneider.

Politico: “Tarnished by last week’s riot at the Capitol, Donald Trump is ending his presidency with his lowest-ever poll numbers. A new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll pegs Trump’s approval at just 34 percent, the lowest in four years of tracking opinions of the president’s job performance. More than six in 10 voters – 63 percent – disapprove. That matches other polls conducted over the past week showing Trump’s approval rating sliding roughly 10 points following the Capitol riots – which Democrats and some Republicans say Trump incited with his false and bellicose rhetoric about the 2020 presidential election.”

“For nearly four years, Trump’s approval ratings have been extraordinarily stable, ranging between the high 30s and high 40s. Trump’s denial of the election results and the sacking of the Capitol, however, have managed to do what a failed effort to repeal Obamacare, the white-supremacist violence in Charlottesville, Va., impeachment and other scandals couldn’t: erode his once-durable support to new lows. Trump’s slide means he will leave the Oval Office historically unpopular compared with most of his predecessors. Instead of going out as a popular figure, Trump is set to join George W. Bush, Jimmy Carter and Richard Nixon as presidents who exited with significant majorities disapproving of their job performance.”

“One Coweta County [Georgia] School Board member, Linda Menk, appeared to have posted on Facebook that she had attended the January 6 Trump rally that culminated with a siege of the U.S. Capitol. In her post, Menk claimed, ‘Just FYI. I’m here in DC for the Trump march.’ Menk shared another post, reiterating her attendance and blaming Antifa for the violence. ‘Why was she there,’ asked parent Kenya Brantley. Brantley has kids in the school district, and believes Menk is unfit to hold her position following the claim. ‘For you to be able to associate with people like that, I think it says a lot about you and a lot about your character'” CBS46 reports.

“‘I’m all for everyone’s freedom of speech, and if she wants to protest and do those things that’s fine,’ said parent Ashley Salsman, continuing, ‘But, being so vehemently divisive about it and dismissive of the fact that there was any violence…’ Some parents are also concerned about other posts on Menk’s Facebook page, a few of them political in nature, but the Coweta County Board of Education Chair, Amy Dees, says the posts do not involve the business of the school board. ‘The fact that she’s in a position that makes decisions and has influence over our children – it’s very troublesome,’ Salsman said.”

CBS News: “Even as they widely condemn the violence at the Capitol last week, Americans say there could be more in the days to come: 74% think it at least somewhat likely that there could be more acts of violence attempted next week, during President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. Seventy percent of Americans don’t want to see President Trump’s supporters hold protests next week. But most of Mr. Trump’s 2020 voters, who are less likely than Americans overall to think violence is likely next week, would favor protests. More immediately, a majority of Americans feel President Trump should be impeached now, as the House prepares to take up the matter.”

“Democrats and independents are largely in favor of this – they feel impeachment would, among other things, ‘help prevent Donald Trump from running for president again,’ ‘send a signal that his behavior was wrong,’ and ‘show the world that democracy will defend itself,’ but they also think it could cause his supporters to protest more. They find agreement on this from 15% of Republicans, while 85% of Republicans oppose impeachment and are more likely to feel that it would create more division in the country.”

“Rep. Mikie Sherrill, during a live webcast Tuesday evening, said she witnessed some members of Congress leading people through the Capitol on Jan. 5 in what she termed a ‘reconnaissance for the next day’ when insurrectionists took part in a deadly siege on the legislative branch. During the Facebook Live, Sherrill (D-11, Montclair) addressed her constituents to explain why she voted for a resolution to ask Vice President Mike Pence to remove President Donald Trump from office by invoking the 25th Amendment. That measure passed late Tuesday 223-205, but Pence had notified House Speaker Nancy Pelosi earlier in the day that he would not comply with the request.”

“That makes it likely that the House will, for the second time, impeach Trump on Wednesday. Sherill said she intends to support an article of impeachment against Trump for ‘incitement of insurrection.’ After laying out her reasons for seeking Trump’s removal, Sherill moved on to those of her congressional colleagues who, she said, ‘abetted’ the president’s attempt to overturn the results of the election and undermine democracy by inciting a violent mob. ‘I’m going to see they are held accountable, and if necessary, ensure that they don’t serve in Congress,’ she said, speaking sedately, but severely” – NorthJersey.com.

“President Donald Trump is on the verge of being impeached for a second time, the House planning the unprecedented vote one week after he encouraged a mob of loyalists to ‘fight like hell’ against election results and the U.S. Capitol became the target of a deadly siege. While the first impeachment of Trump last year brought no Republican votes in the House, a small but significant number of leaders and other lawmakers are breaking with the party to join Democrats on Wednesday, unwilling to put American decency and democracy at further risk, even with days remaining in the president’s term.”

“The stunning collapse of Trump’s final days in office, against alarming warnings of more violence ahead by his followers, leaves the nation at an uneasy and unfamiliar juncture before Democrat Joe Biden is inaugurated Jan. 20. ‘If inviting a mob to insurrection against your own government is not an impeachable event, then what is?’ said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., a drafter of the articles of impeachment. Trump, who would become the only U.S. president twice impeached, faces a single charge of ‘incitement of insurrection'” – AP.

Washington Post: “Lisa Montgomery was executed in Indiana early Wednesday morning, becoming the first woman to die under the federal death penalty in nearly seven decades. Her sentence was carried out after the Supreme Court late Tuesday lifted one stay and declined to grant another last-minute request for a delay from her attorneys. Montgomery, 52, was convicted in 2007 of a grotesque crime: strangling a Missouri woman who was eight months pregnant, and cutting the baby from her abdomen. The infant survived and was raised by her father.”

President Trump will remain in office.

This Hail Mary attempt to remove him from the White House is an attack on every American who voted for him.

Democrats must be held accountable for the political violence inspired by their rhetoric. https://t.co/qGip33jShI

— Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) January 13, 2021

Washington Republican Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler announced on Twitter that she will vote “yes” on the articles of impeachment that will be presented on the House floor Wednesday morning.

“The President’s offenses, in my reading of the Constitution, were impeachable based on the indisputable evidence we already have. I understand the argument that the best course is not to further inflame the country or alienate Republican voters. But I am also a Republican voter. I believe in our Constitution, individual liberty, free markets, charity, life, justice, peace and this exceptional country. I see that my own party will be best served when those among us choose truth,” Herrara Beutler stated.  “I believe President Trump acted against his oath of office, so I will vote to impeach him.”

Herrera Beutler joins Liz Cheney of Wyoming, John Katko of New York, Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and Fred Upton of Michigan as House Republicans who have all said they would vote for articles of impeachment.  The impeachment articles are expected to gain support of all Democrats, meaning it will pass even without Republican support, but having bipartisan support signifies bipartisan unity condemning Trump’s conduct.

Democratic Pennsylvania Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon detailed some of the injuries sustained by Capitol Police offices inflicted by those Trump supporters attempting a coup by invading the Capitol.

https://youtu.be/WVd61i8XjFk

During the floor debate on a resolution encouraging Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Donald Trump, Scanlon noted one officers was killed.  Others were repeatedly tased and beaten with pipes.  One had his weapon taken away from him and used on him.  Another sustained injuries that will likely result in the loss of an eye.

In an historic vote, the US House of Representatives passed House Resolution 21, a non-binding resolution, calling on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment by calling a meeting of Cabinet Department leaders to decide if Donald Trump is capable of managing the duties of the Office of the President of the United States.

By a 223-205 margin–with all 219 Democrats and one Republican voting in favor of the resolution–HR 21 marks the first time in US history that the House pushed a Vice President to consider removing a President under Section 4 of the 25th Amendment.  All 205 “nay” votes were Republicans.  There were seven members who did not cast votes.

Pence has already sent a letter to Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi stating he would not take actions to invoke the 25th Amendment.

The text of the resolution notes that Trump has repeatedly subverted his oath of office to uphold and defend the Constitution through his consistent undermining of the democratic election process, which voted him out of office effective January 20th.

According to CNN, the Democratic leadership of the House have named the following people to serve as Impeachment Managers should the article of impeachment for incitement of insurrection that is expected to pass the House tomorrow:

• Jamie Raskin (Maryland), Lead Manager
• Joaquin Castro (Texas)
• Madeleine Dean (Pennsylvania)
• Diana Degette (Colorado)
• David Cicilline (Rhode Island)
• Ted Lieu (California)
• Joe Neguse (Colorado)
• Stacey Plaskett (US Virgin Islands)
• Eric Swalwell (California)

Disney has added its name to the growing list of corporations who will not donate money through its PAC to the campaigns of those members of Congress who chose to undermine the Electoral College vote, Elena Schneider of Politico reports.

In a statement, Disney said that the support of the efforts to undermine the election, which led to the insurrectionist violence at the Capitol that left five dead, was un-American and against its corporate values.

“The insurrection at our nation’s Capitol was a direct assault on one of our county’s most revered tenets:  the peaceful transition of power,” the statement reads.  “In the immediate aftermath of that appalling siege, Members of Congress had the opportunity to unite–an opportunity that some sadly refused to embrace.  In light of these events, we have decided to not to make political contributions in 2021 to lawmakers who voted to reject the certification of the Electoral College votes.”

Disney joins at least 14 other major American corporations who have refused to donate to those members of Congress who objected to Electoral College electors.  At least another 26 have said they will make no political contributions at all this year.

New York Times: “For Vice President Mike Pence, the moment of truth had arrived. After three years and 11 months of navigating the treacherous waters of President Trump’s ego, after all the tongue-biting, pride-swallowing moments where he employed strategic silence or florid flattery to stay in his boss’s good graces, there he was being cursed by the president.”

“Mr. Trump was enraged that Mr. Pence was refusing to try to overturn the election. In a series of meetings, the president had pressed relentlessly, alternately cajoling and browbeating him. Finally, just before Mr. Pence headed to the Capitol to oversee the electoral vote count last Wednesday, Mr. Trump called the vice president’s residence to push one last time. ‘You can either go down in history as a patriot,’ Mr. Trump told him, according to two people briefed on the conversation, ‘or you can go down in history as a pussy.'”