Tuesday, January 26 top news briefs

It is Tuesday, January 26. Here are today’s top news briefs.

Today is the one year anniversary of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven other people in Southern California as they were headed to a youth basketball tournament. The crash happened in very foggy conditions. The National Transportation Safety Board have been investigating the crash and said they would hold a meeting on February 9 to discuss and determine the probable cause of the crash. Many people posted tributes to Kobe on social media. |

President Joe Biden signed executive actions today to advance “racial equity for Americans.” The orders will direct federal agencies to redress (fix) racially discriminatory policies, end the federal government’s use of private prisons, and support tribal sovereignty. NPR reported that Biden has issued over 20 executive actions since being inaugurated.

Jackson Reffitt is a 18-year-old who is in the news because he reported to the FBI that his father was a part of the January 6 Capitol siege. He is from Texas. He told ABC News that his father, Guy Reffitt, told him that he was among the rioters and then later made a threat against the son that he would be considered a traitor and get shot if he reported him. Jackson said he didn’t believe that his father would actually hurt or kill him, but said his mind has been manipulated by extremist groups. He said it’s okay for people to go ahead and report others to the FBI. Guy was arrested on January 15 and accused of unlawful entry on Capitol grounds and obstruction of justice. He said he’s now in hiding and has cut ties with his family who are upset with him.

[SORENSON AD]

The acting U.S. Capitol Police Chief Yoganada Pittman told Congress that the department failed to adequately prepare a response to the assault on the U.S. Capitol. She was not the chief that week — the previous chief resigned. Pittman said the department already knew on January 4th that the protests had a strong potential for violence because militia groups and white supremacist organizations would be attending. She explained that the Capitol Police Board declined a request from the former chief to declare a state of emergency and receive National Guard support. So far, two key members of the board have resigned. Pittman said 1,200 officers worked around the Capitol on that day, but they were no match for the “tens of thousands of insurrectionists, some of whom were armed.” Pittman said some officers did not obey lockdown orders, which was obvious from videos that showed officers allowing protesters up the stairs and inside the building.

Twitter has permanently banned Mike Lindell, the CEO of My Pillow. Lindell is a strong supporter of Donald Trump and has tweeted false claims that Trump won the 2020 election. A Twitter spokesperson said the ban is because of “repeated violations of its civic integrity policy.” Lindell visited Trump at the White House during his final week on January 15 and was photographed with a paper that suggested Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy military troops into the streets and declare marital law. It is possible that Dominion Voting Systems will file a lawsuit against Lindell similar to its lawsuits against Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell.

Today 45 Republican Senators voted against holding an impeachment trial against Donald Trump, who is charged with inciting an insurrection. 55 Senators, 50 Democrats and 5 Republicans, voted to hold the trial. What this means is that it is doubtful that there will be enough Republican votes to convict Trump, as there are 17 Republicans needed to join with 50 Democrats to make a two-thirds majority. With 55 votes, the trial will happen in two weeks. We’ll see if more Republicans change their minds after they see the evidence and testimony during the trial. If Trump is acquitted, it is possible that we’ll see him run for president in 2024 and go up against President Biden if he wants another term.

First Lady Dr. Jill Biden announced on Twitter that her dogs have joined the Bidens in the White House. The dogs are German Shepherds and are named Champ and Major. Champ, the older dog, has been with the Biden since 2008, while Major was adopted two years ago through the Delaware Humane Association and is the first shelter dog to move in the White House. There were no dogs in the Trump White House.

That is all the top news briefs for today. Check out our Deaf News videos. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30775488/where-investigation-lawsuits-stemming-kobe-bryant-crash-stand-today

https://www.npr.org/sections/president-biden-takes-office/2021/01/26/960725707/biden-aims-to-advance-racial-equity-with-executive-actions

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/yogananda-pittman-capitol-police-chief-apologizes-riot/

https://kstp.com/minnesota-news/twitter-account-belonging-to-mypillow-ceo-mike-lindell-suspended-january-25-2021/5990234/?cat=12681

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/15/us/politics/mike-lindell-notes-west-wing.html

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/01/26/us/biden-trump-impeachment?referringSource=articleShare#impeachment-charge-senate

https://twitter.com/FLOTUS/status/1353750624446394369

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/joe-biden-dogs-white-house/