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Added on the 24/09/2017 09:57:42 - Copyright : Wochit
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday placed the blame for the attack on the Capitol firmly at the feet of President Donald Trump. CNN reports the Kentucky Republican said on the Senate floor that Trump 'provoked' the violent insurrectionists on January 6th. The mob was fed lies. They were provoked by the President and other powerful people. US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell McConnell's comments came as the Senate prepares to hold an impeachment trial over the House's charge of 'incitement of insurrection.' He said the despite the violence, Congress did its duty by certifying the victory of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be sworn into office in front of the US Capitol around 12 p.m. on January 20. Celebrities Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez will perform at the ceremony. Biden and Harris will then speak to the nation via a TV special at 8:30 p.m. that will feature performances by Justin Timberlake, John Legend, Bruce Springsteen, and other A-listers. The inauguration is part of a five-day program with multiple virtual and socially-distanced in-person celebrations.
On Saturday, Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz said he would object to the certification of Electoral College votes on Wednesday. Pres. Elect Joe Biden won the race in November. Trump and a number of his Republican allies have refused to accept the results. Business Insider reports the GOP have used baseless claims of widespread voter fraud. A number of other senators are expected to join Cruz, according to Axios. Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri has already said he planned to object to the certification next week. Fox News reports that Hawley's effort is separate.
Just days before a hotly contested senate runoff election, GOP Sen. David Perdue of Georgia is going into quarantine. CNN reports the Republican senator and his wife have tested negative for COVID-19. However, after coming into close contact with someone who tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the pair have chosen to self-quarantine. Perdue is campaigning in a runoff against Democrat Jon Ossoff, who has raised tens of millions of dollars in donations. Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler is also fighting to hold onto her US Senate seat in Georgia against Democrat Rev. Raphael Warnock. If Democrats win both seats, they will control the Senate next year. Any 50-50 ties will be broken by incoming Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
(CNN) Sen. Kamala Harris broke barriers as America's first female, first Black and first South Asian vice president-elect. But after her exit in January to join the Biden administration, there will be no Black women in the Senate. Harris's departure left lawmakers and advocates urging California Gov. Gavin Newsom to choose a Black woman to replace her due to a lack of diversity in the chamber. And while his appointment on Tuesday of Secretary of State Alex Padilla as California's first Latino senator was historic, it comes with the reality that the 117th Congress will have no Black women in the upper chamber.
President Trump has asked the Supreme Court to block millions of votes from four battleground states. According to CNN, the four states predominantly voted for President-elect Joe Biden. Trump's request was made in a filing with the court. The lawsuit is being brought by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. In the suit, Paxton and President Trump are seeking to invalidate millions of votes. The four states that are at the center of the request are Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.