The House of Representatives will vote today on whether to impeach President Donald J. Trump over the charge of “incitement of insurrection,” one week after his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attack that left five people dead. The vote is expected to pass (NYT), with several Republican legislators saying that they would join Democrats to impeach the president. Trump would be the first president in U.S. history to be impeached twice, though the Republican-controlled Senate is unlikely to convict him.
Meanwhile, law enforcement officials have ramped up security in Washington (WaPo) in preparation for a potential assault ahead of President-Elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20. Reports that an FBI office received warnings of possible violence (WaPo) in Washington a day before the Capitol insurrection has heightened scrutiny of how law enforcement handled the events. Separately, the uniformed leaders of the U.S. military branches, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, issued a rare joint statement (Reuters) condemning the attack on the Capitol as a “direct assault” on the U.S. constitutional process.
Analysis
“The history of counterterrorism suggests that letting Trump off easily is exactly the wrong strategy. It will only encourage further extremism by his most fervent supporters,” Harvard University’s Juliette Kayyem writes for the Atlantic.
“If [Republicans] want to heal our divisions, they should come together with Democrats to expel Trump and prevent him from running for office again. If they fail to do that, they are the ones promoting disunity—and subverting our democracy,” CFR’s Max Boot writes for the Washington Post.
Pacific Rim
Chinese COVID-19 Vaccine Less Effective Than Originally Reported
Data from late-stage trials in Brazil showed that a COVID-19 vaccine developed by the Chinese company Sinovac is around 50 percent effective (WSJ), which is nearly 30 percent lower than the efficacy rate announced last week. The data came just as Indonesia started inoculating its citizens, including President Joko Widodo, with the vaccine. Sinovac defended its product (Reuters).
CFR’s Asia Unbound blog discusses how a good relationship between Kim and Biden could help avoid a nuclear crisis.
South and Central Asia
Gunmen Target Polio Workers in Pakistan
Gunmen in northwestern Pakistan opened fire on a van transporting polio vaccination workers and killed a police officer (DW) escorting them. The attack came on the second day of a five-day nationwide polio vaccination campaign.
Afghanistan: Nearly five thousand people died (RFE/RL) last year from diseases caused by air pollution, the country’s Health Ministry announced. Worldwide, air pollution kills an estimated seven million people annually.
Middle East and North Africa
Kuwait’s Government Resigns
Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sabah al-Khalid al-Sabah submitted his cabinet’s resignation (Reuters) to the country’s emir over tensions between the cabinet and parliament. Sabah was due to be questioned in parliament in the coming days. It is unclear whether Kuwait’s emir will accept the resignation.
Iran: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that al-Qaeda’s new home base is in Iran (Al Jazeera), though he did not offer evidence. Iranian officials denied the claim.
Sub-Saharan Africa
U.S. Cancels Plans to Observe Uganda’s Tense Elections
U.S. observers will not monitor (AP) Uganda’s hotly contested general election tomorrow because electoral authorities denied accreditation to most of the U.S. contingent. Uganda’s government has accused foreigners of supporting the opposition, including President Yoweri Museveni’s main challenger, the lawmaker known as Bobi Wine.
CAR: Security forces in the Central African Republic stopped an attack by rebels (Reuters) seeking to seize control of the capital, Bangui, authorities said. Armed groups have opposed President Faustin-Archange Touadera’s victory in the country’s December 27 election and attacked towns near Bangui last month.
Europe
Italy Opens Biggest Mafia Trial in Decades
More than three hundred suspected mobsters and corrupt officials face charges including murder, drug trafficking, and extortion in Italy’s biggest organized crime trial in decades. The trial began today (BBC) and is expected to last more than two years.
Estonia: Prime Minister Juri Ratas resigned after his Estonian Centre Party was named as a suspect (FT) in a criminal investigation over a property development. The head of the center-right Estonian Reform Party was invited to try to form a new coalition government.
Americas
Ontario Issues Stay-At-Home Order Over COVID-19
Canada’s most populous province, Ontario, ordered people to stay at home (CBC) except for essential activities as it struggles with a surge of COVID-19 cases. The province’s health-care system is close to becoming overwhelmed.
Brazil: The country’s main environmental enforcement agency handed out 20 percent fewer fines (Reuters) in 2020 compared to 2019, according to Brazil’s Climate Observatory. Deforestation, including in the Amazon Rainforest, has skyrocketed under President Jair Bolsonaro.
