Axios

Twitter announced Friday that the platform will permanently suspend President Trump's account effective immediately.

Driving the news: It's Twitter's strongest action against the president's account and comes in response to the "risk of further incitement of violence," per the social media company. The move follows Wednesday's siege at the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob as Congress was certifying the Electoral College votes for President-elect Joe Biden.

U.S. Capitol police confirmed that an officer shot and killed Ashli Babbitt on Wednesday during a siege of the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob as Congress was set to certify Electoral College votes for Joe Biden.

Catch up quick: Capitol police released additional details of their response to the mob on Thursday, saying that people used metal pipes and chemical irritants against officers while breaching the building. Only 14 people were arrested in total by the Capitol police.

The House is planning to introduce articles of impeachment against President Trump as early as Monday, several sources familiar with the Democrats' plans tell Axios.

What they're saying: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement Friday night that if Trump doesn't immediately resign: "I have instructed the Rules Committee to be prepared to move forward with Congressman Jamie Raskin’s 25th Amendment legislation and a motion for impeachment."

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) told the Anchorage Daily News on Friday that she wants President Trump to resign, and if the GOP cannot separate itself from the president, she would "sincerely" question her future in the party.

Why it matters: Murkowski’s comments come as some Republicans signal they may be open to the possibility of removing Trump from office over his actions before, during and after Wednesday’s deadly siege on the U.S. Capitol.

President Trump tweeted on Friday that he will not be attending President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration on Jan. 20.

Why it matters: It's a break from tradition that comes as Trump faces massive backlash over the storming of the U.S. Capitol by a mob of his supporters.

President-elect Joe Biden said at a press conference on Friday that he gave "serious consideration" to appointing Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) as his labor secretary, but instead chose Boston Mayor Marty Walsh.

Why it matters: Biden said he and Sanders agreed a Vermont special election for Sanders' seat could put Democrats' majority in the Senate — which the party just gained with the two runoff races in Georgia — in jeopardy.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is urging Democrats not to impeach President Trump for a second time following Wednesday's assault on the U.S. Capitol building.

What he's saying: "Impeaching the President with just 12 days left in his term will only divide our country more," McCarthy wrote in a statement. "I have reached out to President-elect Biden today and plan to speak to him about how we must work together to lower the temperature and unite the country to solve America’s challenges."

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) told the Washington Post Friday that he would "absolutely not" support passing a round of $2,000 stimulus checks as a first priority, a key component of President-elect Joe Biden's economic revival plans.

The latest: A spokesperson clarified Manchin's comments after the Post story published Friday, saying the senator is not drawing a red line against $2,000 checks — only that it should be the first priority, as Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer has stated.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wrote in a letter to members Friday that Congress will move forward with impeaching President Trump for a second time if he does not leave office "imminently and willingly."

Driving the news: House Democrats had a caucus call at noon to discuss the topic of impeachment. Assistant House Speaker Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) told CNN that Democrats could bring articles of impeachment to the House floor as soon as "mid-next week" if Vice President Pence and Cabinet members do not invoke the 25th Amendment.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a letter to members on Friday that she's spoken to the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley about blocking an "unhinged" President Trump from accessing the nuclear codes.

Why it matters: Pelosi's effort underscores the extraordinary nature of discussions among top political civilian and military leaders right now about what threats Trump may pose to national security following Wednesday's attack on the Capitol by his supporters.

Reddit has banned the subreddit group "r/DonaldTrump," a spokesperson confirmed to Axios.

Why it matters: While not an official group or page hosted by the president, it's one of the company's largest political communities dedicated to support for President Trump.

President-elect Joe Biden plans to release nearly all available coronavirus vaccine doses when he takes office, CNN reports.

Why it matters: Releasing nearly all doses would allow more people to get vaccinated with at least one dose. At the moment, the Trump administration is withholding half of U.S. vaccine production to ensure recipients receive their second dose, which is required by both the Moderna and Pfizer shots to ensure 95% efficacy.

The next round of Paycheck Protection Program loans will open on Monday, albeit not for everyone.

Why it matters: As evidenced by this morning's bleak jobs report, many businesses continue to be battered by the surging pandemic.

President-elect Joe Biden's final burst of Cabinet picks could have important roles to play in the new administration's climate change and energy agenda.

Driving the news: Biden plans to nominate Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo for Commerce, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh for Labor, and Judge Merrick Garland for attorney general.

Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) said in an interview on CBS "This Morning" that he would "definitely consider" any articles of impeachment against President Trump if the House decides to move forward with that process.

Why it matters: It signals that Republican senators, including those like Sasse who voted against convicting Trump in last year's impeachment trial, may now be open to the possibility of removing the president as a result of his conduct surrounding the Capitol insurrection.

Dominion Voting Systems on Friday filed a defamation lawsuit seeking $1.3 billion in damages against Sidney Powell, a pro-Trump lawyer who has pushed unfounded conspiracy theories alleging that the company was involved in an international communist plot to rig the election against President Trump.

The big picture: Dominion alleges that Powell acted "in concert with allies and media outlets determined to promote a false preconceived narrative about the 2020 election—caused unprecedented harm." In an interview with the Axios Re:Cap podcast last week, Dominion CEO John Poulos did not rule out suing Trump himself.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) is facing condemnation from members of the Republican Party and former supporters after leading an effort to object to the Electoral College certification, which many believe contributed to the violent siege of the Capitol on Wednesday.

Why it matters: Hawley, who was elected to the Senate in 2018, was viewed as one of the fastest-rising stars in the GOP and a potential 2024 presidential candidate. But the 41-year-old senator's future prospects are now at risk after he defied GOP leadership to become the first senator to say he would object to the certification of President-elect Biden's Electoral College win.

Americans, who are used to being winners, now look around and see a country that can't secure its own seat of government... that struggles to distribute a vaccine... that was cyber-looted by Russia... that was half a year late with a stimulus plan both sides wanted... that can't even orchestrate a peaceful transition of power.

Why it matters: This is weakness, not strength. The democracy that President-elect Biden will take over is tattered, archaic, precarious.

U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) officer Brian Sicknick has died from injuries he sustained while responding to the siege on the Capitol by a mob of President Trump supporters, the department said in a statement late Thursday.

The big picture: The officer's death is the fifth confirmed death stemming from the riot. A Capitol Police officer shot and killed Ashli Babbitt inside the Capitol, one woman died after being crushed during the breach, and two men died because of "medical emergencies," D.C. police said earlier on Thursday.

President-elect Joe Biden owes his upcoming Senate majority to game-changing turnout Tuesday by African American voters across Georgia, according to Axios’ analysis of state election data.

The big picture: Turnout in runoff elections usually pales in comparison to general elections. This time, in every Georgia county, the number of votes cast Tuesday was at least 80% of the turnout in November. In Randolph County, which is 62% Black, turnout was 96%.

Authorities are hoping a nightly curfew and far smaller crowd will keep President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration from descending into a repeat of Wednesday's Capitol chaos.

Why it matters: The fact that a crowd of Trump supporters breached the Capitol and scaled the platform where Biden is slated to take the presidential oath has led to criticism by political leaders, calls for investigations and reflection about how it will alter a normally festive day.

Joe Biden is considering asking Congress to help suffering Americans in two steps: give them the balance of their coveted $2,000 coronavirus payments, followed by a $3 trillion tax and infrastructure package.

Why it matters: Biden is confident he can get multiple packages through Congress after Democrats won both Georgia Senate elections. The president-elect's team also wants to get cash in Americans' hands as quickly as possible, according to people familiar with the matter.

The Wall Street Journal's editorial board on Thursday urged President Trump to resign to avoid a second impeachment, saying his actions before and after Wednesday's deadly siege on the U.S. Capitol crossed a "constitutional line."

Why it matters: It is one of the strongest editorial board rebukes of the president by the WSJ, which is owned by conservative media mogul and former Trump confidante Rupert Murdoch. The board was generally favorable of Trump for much of his presidency.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos submitted her resignation to President Trump Thursday night, a day after "March for Trump" protesters invaded the U.S. Capitol building, a senior White House official with direct knowledge of her letter tells Axios.

Why it matters: DeVos is the second Cabinet secretary to exit the administration in the wake of the deadly Capitol riot. Former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao submitted her resignation this week, effective Monday, Jan. 11.

The Rev. Rob Lee, a descendant of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, says the presence of the Confederate flag inside the U.S. Capitol this week was an "attack on democracy."

Why it matters: Historians say the flag — a symbol of white supremacy and racial segregation — never entered the Capitol with such fanfare during the Civil War. It was seen many times Wednesday in possession of white rioters who waved it without interference from police.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Thursday he has "requested and received" the resignation of Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Michael Stenger.

Driving the news: Capitol Hill law enforcement and security have come under heavy criticism over their response to Wednesday's siege on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Trump.

President Trump in a video on Thursday condemned the mob that violently stormed the U.S. Capitol one day earlier, saying the rioters "defiled the seat of American democracy."

Why it matters via Axios' Alayna Treene: We're only seeing this concession after his fiercest allies have begun to abandon him.