Wednesday Morning Briefing: Forty-five Senate Republicans backed a failed effort to halt Trump’s impeachment trial
The Reuters Daily Briefing
Wednesday, January 27, 2021
by Linda Noakes and Hani Richter
Good morning, .
Here’s what you need to know.
'A loss is actually a victory'
Forty-five Senate Republicansbacked a failed effort to halt Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, in a show of party unity that underscored the likelihood he will not be convicted of inciting insurrection.
Republican Senator Rand Paul made a motion that would have required the chamber to vote on whether Trump’s trial violates the U.S. Constitution.
Only five Republicans joined Democrats to reject the move, far short of the 17 votes needed to convict Trump.
“It’s one of the few times in Washington where a loss is actually a victory,” Paul told reporters. “Forty-five votes means the impeachment trial is dead on arrival.”
Top U.S. Capitol security officialsapologized for “failings” during the deadly attack on the building on Jan 6.
Meanwhile, Joe Biden tried to make good on his pledge to heal America's racial divide with executive orders including curbing the government’s use of private prisons and bolstering anti-discrimination enforcement in housing.
Today’s biggest stories
Pandemic
Global coronavirus cases surpassed 100 million as countries around the world struggle with new virus variants and vaccine shortfalls. Almost 1.3% of the world’s population has now been infected with COVID-19 and more than 2.1 million people have died.
The European Union is asking AstraZeneca to publish the contract it signed with the bloc on COVID-19 vaccine supplies, an EU official said, in an escalation of the row over delivery delays. The company pulled out of a meeting with the European Union scheduled for Wednesday.
Hundreds of police guarded the historic Red Fort in the heart of the Indian capital following violent clashes between farmers and authorities in which one person was killed and at least 80 injured.
With shops boarded up and riot police out in force, it was relatively calm in Dutch cities on Tuesday night after three days of violence during which nearly 500 people were detained. A nighttime curfew to curb the spread of the coronavirus prompted riots.
London has no desire for a bonfire of regulations to retain its positionas a top international finance center after Brexit but it is ready to act if the European Union blocks access, the City of London’s political leader said.
Nissan Motor said all its “new vehicle offerings” in key markets would be electrified by the early 2030s, as part of the Japanese automaker’s efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
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“Nobody would have predicted that I and Dr. Fauci would be so prominent in these really evil theories. I’m very surprised by that. I hope it goes away.”
