After several lawmakers were hassled in airports, federal authorities on Saturday increased security for members of Congress when they travel to and from Washington through the inauguration, according to an internal memo obtained by Axios.
Why it matters: The unusual new safety measures reflect the increased incidents of angry Americans confronting lawmakers, and the hostile aftermath of Wednesday's siege of the U.S. Capitol.
The Federal Aviation Administration said Saturday that the agency will "pursue strong enforcement action against anyone who endangers the safety of a flight," after unruly behavior took place on several flights to and from the Washington, D.C. area this week.
Driving the news: American Airlines is investigating an unruly and frightening episode on a flight to D.C., the night before a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol. Alaska Airlines said it had banned 14 passengers after a rowdy flight from an airport near Washington, D.C., to Seattle on Thursday, per Bloomberg.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Saturday that he was lifting the "self-imposed restrictions" on the U.S.-Taiwan relationship.
The big picture: Pompeo's announcement comes as Kelly Craft, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, prepares to visit Taiwan next week to "reinforce the U.S. government’s strong and ongoing support for Taiwan’s international space.” The news of Craft's expected visit has angered China, which said the U.S. would pay a "heavy price for its wrong action."
Pope Francis told Italian broadcaster Mediaset this week that he was "astonished" by Wednesday's deadly Capitol riot by supporters of President Trump because Americans are "so disciplined in democracy."
What he's saying: "[T]here is always something that doesn’t work, people who take a path against the community, against democracy and against the common good," he said in an interview that will air on Sunday.
Derrick Evans, the West Virginia lawmaker who filmed himself at the U.S. Capitol during Wednesday's deadly siege, resigned from the state's House of Delegates on Saturday.
Why it matters: Evans, who faced calls to resign from those on both sides of aisle, has been charged in federal court with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol Grounds.
D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) this week renewed the call for Washington to become the nation's 51st state.
Why it matters: Democrats support D.C. statehood because it's likely to add two more senators from their party. Two turning points this week — the siege of the U.S. Capitol and Democrats new control of the Senate — have built momentum for the issue of D.C. statehood to come up at the start of the congressional session and President-elect Joe Biden's presidency.
At the Republican National Committee’s winter meeting Friday, party members, "one after another, said in interviews that the president did not bear any blame for the violence at the Capitol and indicated that they wanted him to continue to play a leading role in the party," the N.Y. Times' Jonathan Martin reports.
The big picture: The fealty to Trump was made plain with the unanimous reelection of Ronna McDaniel, Trump’s handpicked chair, and the reappointment of her co-chair, Tommy Hicks, first appointed because of his friendship with Donald Trump Jr.
A laptop was stolen from a conference room in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office during the deadly siege on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Trump, a Pelosi aide said Friday.
Why it matters: The theft of the laptop, as well as another computer taken from Sen. Jeff Merkley's office during Wednesday's riot have raised cybersecurity concerns.
House Democrats plan to move on a second impeachment of Donald J. Trump as early as Monday — and on Wednesday at the latest, depending on member travel, Hill sources tell me.
The state of play: There's just one article in the four-page draft: "Incitement of Insurrection." More than half of House Democrats instantly signed on.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Friday called the United States his country's "biggest enemy" and pushed to continue expanding North Korea's arsenal, according to text of his remarks at the Workers' Party Congress meeting published by state media.
Why it matters: Kim's comments come days before President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration.
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 preventing President Trump from accessing the nuclear codes.
Why it matters: Pelosi's message surfaced an uncomfortable reality about America's nuclear control structure: if the president wants to use nukes, there is no clear way to stop him.
Leaders in business, technology and culture are pulling the plug on their support for President Trump and some of his closest allies in the final days of his presidency.
The big picture: Trump's political power, and his popularity with a large swath of the Republican base, always protected him from a backlash from business and tech leaders — until now. The Capitol siege proved to be the final straw.
The attack on the Capitol was by far the most captivating story online in a consequential week, according to exclusive data from NewsWhip.
Why it matters: With control of the Senate in the balance, a nationwide vaccination effort to end the pandemic underway and discussion of $2,000 checks in play, the country's attention was instead dominated by legislative — and then riotous — efforts to subvert democracy.
Google has pulled Parler, a social media app for conservatives and far-right extremists, from its app store for not taking stronger action to remove posts that seek "to incite ongoing violence" in the U.S.
Driving the news: For weeks prior to Wednesday's deadly siege on the Capitol, far-right Trump supporters discussed the idea of a violent protest in D.C. on various social media and chat platforms, including Parler.
Apple on Friday morning demanded that Parler, a social media app favored by conservatives and far-right extremists, submit a “moderation improvement plan” within 24 hours or face removal from the app store, BuzzFeed reports.
Driving the news: In a letter to Parler executives, Apple said it had received several complaints that the app had been used to help plan and facilitate Wednesday's deadly siege on the Capitol by supporters of President Trump.
