Impeachment: Democrats build damning case
Donald Trump was “singularly responsible” for the storming of the US Capitol on 6 January, House impeachment managers argued on Wednesday. Video of the assault, including some previously unseen footage, was shown to the senators who will ultimately decide Trump’s fate. The Guardian has clips from five key moments. The disturbing scenes, which The Guardian says played to the raw emotions of the senators, included rioters shouting “hang Mike Pence” and getting into within 30 or so metres of the former vice president. Fox News host Chris Wallace said on Wednesday that Pence’s team told him later that Trump’s failure to call off the mob and or even enquire about his safety was the “ultimate betrayal”. The mob also came close to getting their hands on Mitt Romney and Nancy Pelosi, the videos revealed. “President Trump put a target on their backs,” impeachment manager Stacey Plaskett told the senators. “He built this mob over many months with repeated messaging,” Californian congressman Eric Swalwell said. “On January 6th, President Trump left everyone in this Capitol for dead,” Joaquin Castro said. The Washington Post says its analysis of public records show that nearly 60% of those facing charges related to the 6 January riot had financial difficulties.
Bailey calls to reject EU demands
The governor of the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey, used a keynote speech on Wednesday to call EU demands for the City of London unacceptable. Addressing the annual Mansion House dinner, attended by City executives, Bailey said the EU was seeking assurances from the UK about how it may change its rules going forward that it was not imposing on other countries to which it had granted equivalence status. “That is rule-taking, pure and simple,” Bailey said. The Guardian reports and the Bank of England has the speech in full.
Von der Leyen admits vaccine mistakes
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesdayacknowledged that the EU was not where it wanted to be in terms of its vaccination rollout, and that mistakes had been made. “We were late to authorise. We were too optimistic when it came to massive production,” she told the European Parliament. However, she defended the decision to make deals with vaccine producers for the whole bloc rather than leave it to member states individually. “In economic terms it would have been nonsense and it would have been I think the end of our community.” The BBC and Wall Street Journal have more.
Biden talks with Xi Jinping
Chinese president Xi Jinping and US president Joe Biden have spoken for the first time since the latter’s inauguration. According to reports, Biden expressed concern about “Beijing’s coercive and unfair economic practices” and also brought up China’s human rights record. Chinese state television said that Xi Jinping warned Biden that confrontation would hurt both sides and that “co-operation is the only choice”. The FT, CNBC and CNN have details.
Talks of anti-Trump third party
In an exclusive report, Reuters cites four people involved in discussions to form a centre-right breakaway party from the Republican party. More than 120 former elected Republicans, officials from the four last Republican administrations, ambassadors and strategists held a Zoom call to discuss a platform of “principled conservatism”, the sources say.
US sanctions on Myanmar generals
Joe Biden’s administration has imposed sanctions on the military in Myanmar, including denyingaccess to $1bn of funds held in the United States. The sanctions come amid reports that police were using live ammunition against protestors calling for the release of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. One woman was shot in the head in the capital Nay Pyi Taw. The BBC and The New York Times have more.
Bumble worth over $8 billion
Online dating business Bumble sold shares at $43 apiece, raising $2.2bn in its initial public offering on Wednesday. The company will begin to trade on Thursday morning and is likely to have market capitalisation of $8.2bn. The FT and TechCrunch report.
Catastrophic year for Luxembourg brewery
Despite the successful launch of its Lodyss mineral water brand, Luxembourg brewer Brasserie Nationale saw its turnover reduced by 18% to €8.9m in 2020, Delano and Paperjam reported on Wednesday.
Remote working until summer, survey suggests
A study of office workers in the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain suggests that remote working a few days a week is not only likely to become a permanent feature of jobs, but that many employees don’t foresee a return to the office at all before June. The research by a unit of US bank Morgan Stanley shows that around 50% of office-based staff hoped to work from home for about two days a week in future. The Guardian has details.
Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Duncan Roberts