House votes to hold Mark Meadows in contempt in Jan. 6 probe
The House voted Tuesday to hold former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows in contempt of Congress after he ceased to cooperate with the Jan. 6 Committee investigating the Capitol insurrection — making it the first time the chamber has voted to hold a former member in contempt since the 1830s. The near-party-line 222-208 vote is the second time the special committee has sought to punish a witness for defying a subpoena. The vote is the latest show of force by the Jan. 6 panel, which is leaving no angle unexplored — and no subpoena unanswered — as it investigates the worst attack on the Capitol in more than 200 years. Lawmakers on the panel are determined to get answers quickly, and in doing so reassert the congressional authority that eroded while former President Donald Trump was in office.
Pfizer’s COVID pill works well, company confirms in final analysis
Pfizer announced Tuesday that its COVID-19 pill was found to stave off severe disease in a key clinical trial and that it is likely to work against the highly mutated omicron variant of the virus. The results underscore the promise of the treatment to ease the burden on hospitals as the United States braces for a mounting fourth wave of the pandemic. If the Food and Drug Administration authorizes the drug, which could happen within days, then patients might begin receiving it by the end of the year. Public health experts are hopeful that the pills might curb the worst outcomes from the disease, no matter the variant.
Senate passes $2.5T debt limit increase
A divided Senate on Tuesday approved legislation that would raise the debt ceiling by $2.5 trillion, a move to stave off the threat of a first-ever federal default until at least early 2023. All Democrats supported the measure, which passed the Senate 50-49 along party lines, sending it to the House for final passage and then to President Joe Biden for his signature. One Republican, Sen. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, was absent, and the rest of the Republican conference opposed the measure. The action came a week after party leaders announced a deal to establish a one-time fast-track process to increase the debt ceiling on a simple majority vote.
Judge dismisses Trump’s bid to keep his taxes from Congress
A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit by Donald Trump that sought to block Congress from obtaining his tax returns, ruling that the law gives a House committee chairman broad authority to request them despite Trump’s status as a former president. In a 45-page opinion, Judge Trevor McFadden of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, held that the Treasury Department can provide the tax returns to the House Ways and Means Committee, which can publish them. McFadden, however, stayed his ruling for 10 days to give Trump time to file an appeal, which he is very likely to do.
Early study suggest omicron illnesses may be milder
An early study of coronavirus test results in South Africa suggests that, so far, patients infected with the omicron variant may be hospitalized less often than patients infected with earlier versions of the virus. The study —released Tuesday and is based on only three weeks of data — also shows that vaccines are not as effective against the variant, which poses a higher risk of breakthrough infections. Public health researchers have cautioned that data from a few more weeks will be needed to draw firmer conclusions, in part because omicron has not yet spread widely.
Fuel tanker explodes in Haiti, killing more than 60
More than 60 people were killed and scores more were wounded early Tuesday when a truck carrying gasoline exploded in northern Haiti, officials said. The truck, carrying some 9,000 gallons of fuel, swerved and toppled over in a residential area of the city of Cap-Haïtien, according to local officials and witnesses. A crowd then gathered to siphon off its gas before the truck exploded around midnight, scorching everything in a 100-yard radius. Haiti’s electrical grid is unreliable, so much of the country — including banks, hospitals and businesses — relies on generators for power.
Duterte says he won’t run for Philippines senate after all
President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines on Tuesday surprisingly ended his bid for a Senate seat in next May’s elections. Duterte is constitutionally barred from seeking another six-year presidential term. He had previously announced plans to run as vice president, in what critics charged was part of a scheme to hang on to power unofficially and ward off possible prosecution by the International Criminal Court. A report from that court has said there was sufficient evidence to show that crimes against humanity had been committed in Duterte’s bloody drug war.
Blinken, in Indonesia, stresses soft power to counter China
Downplaying direct confrontation between the United States and China, Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday pledged to strengthen relations with Indo-Pacific nations through billions of dollars in U.S. investment and aid and, in doing so, counter Beijing’s regional pull. “We all have a stake in ensuring that the world’s most dynamic region is free from coercion and accessible to all,” he said. But China now overshadows U.S. trade in nearly every country in the Indo-Pacific. In Southeast Asia alone, two-way trade with China reached $685 billion in 2020, more than double that of the United States.
By wire sources
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