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| THE BIG STORY
After multiple deaths and a mob riot, Donald Trump finally admitted his presidency is ending
After weeks of lies and bullshit, President Donald Trump has admitted for the first time that there will be a new administration on January 20th — but only after his supporters staged a deadly insurrection at the US Capitol.
In a video posted to Twitter — where else? — Trump said, “a new administration will be inaugurated on January 20th. My focus now turns to ensuring a smooth, orderly, and seamless transition of power.”
The video happened to be the first tweet from the president’s account after it was locked for 12 hours by Twitter following the mob riots.
The bloody riot came as Congress was certifying President-elect Joe Biden's election victory, and left several people and one police officer dead. The mob set off towards the Capitol following a Trump rally in which he urged his supporters to show force.
The immediate consequences:
👉 Federal investigators may investigate Trump for his role in the storming of the Capitol.
👉 The pro-Trump activists who helped plan the insurrection feel betrayed by the president. “For weeks people were saying how ready they were to fight. The moment it happens everyone starts pearl clutching,” one popular post said. Tasos Katopodis / Getty Images STAYING ON TOP OF THIS
A Capitol police officer has died of injuries from Trump supporters’ riot
Officer Brian D. Sicknick died Thursday night after being injured while on-duty during Wednesday's attempted coup, a Capitol Police spokesperson announced.
Sicknick was injured while “physically engaging” with rioters, then returned to his division, where he collapsed, police said. He was taken to a hospital, where he later died.
Early on Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the response by the Capitol police department “a failure of leadership.” The people charged with defending the building the people inside it were easily overwhelmed by the insurrectionists.
Later in the day, the Capitol Police chief Steven A. Sund resigned from his post., Sund had earlier described the attack on the Capitol as unlike anything he'd seen in his 30-year career. MORE READING ON THE CAPITOL RIOTS
👉 In addition to the woman who was fatally shot by police, three people, including a man who had a heart attack, died following medical emergencies at the Capitol. Kevin Greeson, a 55-year-old from Alabama who has advocated for violence online, had a heart attack “in the midst of the excitement,” his wife told BuzzFeed News
👉 Facebook has banned Trump for at least two weeks. This is the first time a major platform has done this after he’s spent years using social media to spread lies and hatred.
👉 A facial recognition company says that viral Washington Times “Antifa” story is false. Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz cited the story on the floor of the House as supposed evidence that antifa was involved in the Capitol assault. But the company says it’s “outright false.”
👉 Joe Biden said Black Lives Matter protesters would’ve been treated “very differently” than the Trump mob was.
👉 The mob may have put national security at risk. At least one laptop believed to contain sensitive information was among the items stolen from Congress. A Trump supporter confronts police inside the Capitol, Jan. 6. Mike Theiler / Reuters SNAPSHOTS
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has resigned, citing the deadly riot as her “inflection point.” The billionaire Republican megadonor was embattled for much of her tenure in the Trump administration.
As Trump is about to leave office, a new ICE policy could make it harder for immigrant children to get asylum. One expert told us, “If implemented aggressively, this policy could significantly decrease the number of children who ultimately receive asylum in the United States.”
Trump announced he withdrew the nomination of Chad Wolf to run the Department of Homeland Security after he criticized the riot. White House officials said the withdrawal, taking place two weeks before the end of Trump's term, was not connected to Wolf's statement. WITHOUT A PLAN
The COVID vaccine rollout is such a mess that in some places people are sleeping in their cars to get doses
Let’s rewind to the time when news of the COVID-19 vaccine seemed to offer a glimmer of hope. Finally, we have a key weapon to fight a pandemic that has killed more than 364,000 people in the US.
But with no plan or guidance from the federal government on how the rollout should be conducted, states have had to tackle the logistics of what is one of the world's largest inoculation efforts.
In some cases, states themselves have since passed the task on to county governments, producing a hodgepodge of rollout efforts that have left many people confused.
Some counties are organizing the rollout through Eventbrite, a platform best known for concert and event tickets.
When actor Todd Buonopane called to check on his mother, she told him she needed a “ticket” to get the vaccine. He told us, “I said, ‘Mom, that's where I get tickets to see drag queens. Why are you getting vaccines through Eventbrite?’” WEEKEND LONGREADS
Let’s pull back a little and sit with these longreads
There’s a straight line from Charlottesville to the Capitol. Scaachi Koul writes about how the attempted coup was a “natural extension of a presidency spent giving insurgents permission to come inside, kick their feet up, and tear down democracy.”
The pro-Trump mob was doing it for the ‘gram. This one’s from me, on the odd spectacle of watching thousands invade the highest centers of power and how the first thing they did was... take selfies and videos?
The Wilds isn’t just Lord of the Flies with girls — it’s so much better than that. The new drama from Amazon unpacks trauma in a way that's relatable, despite the fantastical premise, writes Lauren Strapagiel. Post contains spoilers. Give yourself space to be connect with your own thoughts today, Elamin P.S. If you like this newsletter, help keep our reporting free for all. Support BuzzFeed News by becoming a member here. (Monthly memberships are available worldwide). 📝 This letter was edited and brought to you by Brandon Hardin and BuzzFeed News. You can always reach us here. Show privacy notice and cookie policy.
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