The Capitol Will Face Its Biggest Security Test Since Jan. 6 On Saturday
WASHINGTON — With a far-right rally planned for Washington, D.C., on Saturday, the Capitol will face its first large-scale security test since the Jan. 6 attack on the seat of American democracy. Much has changed since the deadly insurrection attempt by supporters of former President Donald Trump: Three new officials oversee Capitol security, Congress has […]
Conservatives Want To Boot Cheney, Kinzinger From House GOP
WASHINGTON — Conservative lawmakers want to boot Republican Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger out of the House GOP. That’s because the two defied party leaders and joined the chamber’s special committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack by supporters of then-President Donald Trump. The effort by the hard-right House Freedom Caucus faces uncertain prospects. […]
Northern Illinois Couple Latest Charged In Capitol Breach
CHICAGO — A northern Illinois couple is facing federal charges alleging they breached the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection. Seventy-one-year-old John Schubert and 61-year-old Amy Schubert of Crest Hill were charged in a criminal complaint filed in Washington with misdemeanor unlawful entry of a government building and misdemeanor disorderly conduct. They appeared separately […]
Pelosi Has Chosen A 2nd Republican, Rep. Adam Kinzinger, To Serve On Jan. 6 Panel
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has appointed Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, one of the rare vocal critics inside the Republican Party of former President Donald Trump, to serve on the special committee charged with investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. […]
Pelosi Bars Trump Allies From Jan. 6 Probe; GOP Vows Boycott
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is rejecting two Republicans tapped by House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy to sit on a committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. McCarthy denounced the decision Wednesday as “an egregious abuse of power” and said the GOP wouldn’t participate in the investigation if Democrats won’t accept the members he […]
Duckworth Calls On Congress To Immediately Reimburse National Guard For Jan. 6 Deployment Costs
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth says Congress needs to get the National Guard reimbursed for the half billion dollars it spent responding to the Jan. 6 insurrection and its aftermath on Capitol Hill. Duckworth said it does a disservice to service members to allow the issue to fester in limbo. “I mean, we spend […]
GOP Leader McCarthy Taps 5 Republicans To Serve On Jan. 6 Select Committee
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has nominated five Republican representatives to serve on the House select committee to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. His list for the Democratic-led probe into the deadly melee includes three lawmakers who voted against certifying the 2020 presidential election results after the attack. To lead the GOP contingent […]
Democrats Push Resolution ‘Condemning’ GOP Lawmaker For Attendance At Jan. 6 Rally
SPRINGFIELD — Nearly three dozen Democratic members of the Illinois House of Representatives signed onto a resolution Monday to “condemn” a southern Illinois Republican lawmaker for attending a Jan. 6 rally in Washington, D.C. that preceded the violent riot at the U.S. Capitol. House Resolution 132 also references a complaint filed Monday with Illinois Legislative Inspector […]
Dems Seek Probe Of Illinois GOP Lawmaker With Militia Decal
CHICAGO — Democratic county leaders are seeking an investigation of a Republican legislator from Illinois after he displayed a decal of an anti-government militia movement on his pickup truck parked at the U.S. Capitol during January’s deadly insurrection. The Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association asked for the state investigation of state Rep. Chris Miller on […]
GOP Rep. Kinzinger Starts PAC To Resist Party’s Trump Embrace
WASHINGTON — Rep. Adam Kinzinger was one of the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump. Now, the Illinois congressman is launching a political action committee to push back against a House GOP leadership team and party that he says have become too closely aligned to the former president. Kinzinger announced the “Country 1st” […]
Trump-Supporting Illinois Couple Charged In US Capitol Riot
CHICAGO — Federal authorities say they have charged an Illinois couple who posed for a photograph inside the U.S. Capitol decked out in Trump attire during the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection. Forty-six-year-old Christina Gerding and 50-year-old Jason Gerding of Quincy were arrested Thursday on charges including violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. In […]
Cline Center Designates Capitol Violence As ‘Attempted Coup’
URBANA — The violence at the US Capitol on January 6th was an attempted coup d’état. That’s the conclusion of The Cline Center for Advanced Social Research at the University of Illinois. The Cline Center has been curating data on coups and attempted coups since 2013. Illinois Newsroom’s Brian Moline spoke with The Cline Center’s […]
Biden Administration Announces Plans To Assess Domestic Violent Extremism
WASHINGTON – President Biden has asked the director of national intelligence to draw up a comprehensive threat assessment on domestic violent extremism in the country as the new administration seeks to tackle what it calls a “serious and growing national security threat.” The move is one of several the White House press secretary announced Friday to address […]
Senate To Begin Trump’s Impeachment Trial Week Of Feb. 8
Updated at 6:58 p.m. ET WASHINGTON – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the sole article of impeachment for incitement to insurrection against former President Donald Trump will be delivered to the Senate on Monday and a trial against the Republican will begin the week of Feb. 8. “The Senate will conduct a trial on […]
Minute By Minute Updates: America’s Change Of Power
WASHINGTON (AP) — Here are the latest details on Joe Biden’s presidential inauguration from the Associated Press (all times local): 7:15 p.m. White House press secretary Jen Psaki is delivering the first news briefing of Joe Biden’s presidency, a once standard part of past administrations that was largely sidelined during the Trump era. Psaki said Wednesday […]