House Committee Presents New Findings on U.S. Capitol Attack |
The House of Representatives committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol presented their findings (AP) during a prime-time hearing yesterday. Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS) said the attack was “the culmination of an attempted coup.” In interviews, people close to former President Donald Trump said they did not believe his claims that the 2020 election was stolen, and testimony highlighted the role of far-right groups the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers in organizing the attack. Vice Chair Liz Cheney (R-WY) said multiple Republican congressmen sought presidential pardons (NPR) “for their roles in attempting to overturn the 2020 election.”
The hearing is the first in a series that will continue on Monday. The House committee has interviewed (PBS) over one thousand witnesses.
|
|
|
| | | | “At a time of intense political polarization, members of the panel took pains to back up their assertions with clear evidence, turning frequently to videotaped testimony to drive home their points,” the New York Times’ Luke Broadwater writes.
“Watching the videos of what transpired on January 6, watching the violent mob in and around the Capitol, the word that comes to mind is defilement, the violation of what is meant to be a sanctuary of our democracy,” CFR President Richard Haass tweets.
|
|
| | |
|
|
U.S., Chinese Officials to Attend Asia Security Dialogue |
The Shangri-La Dialogue begins today in Singapore and runs until Sunday (Nikkei). Both the U.S. and Chinese defense ministers will give speeches.
South Korea: A truckers’ strike has disrupted production (Yonhap) at five plants, including Hyundai Motor Co.’s main plants. Producers are already suffering from the global chip shortage. |
|
|
UN Calls for Humanitarian Relief to Sri Lanka |
The United Nations launched an appeal (UN News) to donors for $47 million toward food and medical relief amid the country’s economic crisis. India: State fuel companies will provide monetary relief (Reuters) to sugar mills and other members of the ethanol production chain to compensate for high energy costs. |
|
|
Middle East and North Africa |
UN Watchdog: Iran to Remove Monitoring Cameras |
The removal of twenty-seven cameras used to monitor the country’s nuclear sites could be a “fatal blow” (WaPo) to stalled nuclear talks, the International Atomic Energy Agency chief said.
This Backgrounder unpacks the Iran nuclear deal.
Syria: Authorities suspended flights (Reuters) to and from Damascus following an air strike south of the capital. Syrian authorities said the attack came from Israel. |
|
|
In South Africa, Omicron Strains Causing More Child Hospitalizations |
For the first time, the proportion of children younger than nine years old admitted to hospitals for COVID-19 has surpassed (Bloomberg) that of adults over eighty. South Africa has been a bellwether for how COVID-19 strains behave. Ethiopia: Thirty-five children have died (AP) amid drought and conflict in the Afar region in recent weeks, aid workers said. A government official has denied any deaths due to food shortages. |
|
|
France Holds Parliamentary Elections |
The vote on Sunday will test (AFP) how well a new left-wing coalition performs against that of President Emmanuel Macron’s alliance, Renaissance. Ukraine: Between one hundred and two hundred Ukrainian troops are dying each day (BBC) as Russia bombards the eastern Donbas region, a Ukrainian presidential aide said.
For Foreign Affairs, CFR President Richard Haass argues that the West needs a strategy for a long war in Ukraine. |
|
|
Migration Pact to Be Announced at Americas Summit |
The pact, called the Los Angeles Declaration, will include new legal pathways (AP) for migrants to enter Western Hemisphere countries, as well as aid for communities most affected by migration, a senior U.S. official said. This In Brief lays out what’s at stake at the Summit of the Americas.
Nicaragua/Russia: The Nicaraguan government has authorized (Al Jazeera) Russian troops, planes, and ships to deploy to Nicaragua for training, law enforcement, and emergency response.
|
|
|
Council on Foreign Relations |
58 East 68th Street — New York, NY 10065 |
1777 F Street, NW — Washington, DC 20006 |
|
|
|
