Trump could face criminal investigation over Capitol siege, says Cheney | First Thing

Senior Republican Liz Cheney suggests authorities might examine Trump’s role in the Capitol insurrection during their criminal investigation. Plus, protests against the Myanmar coup are mounting

Good morning.

Leading Republican Liz Cheney has suggested that Donald Trump could be criminally investigated for his role in provoking the siege on the US Capitol last month. Speaking on Fox News yesterday, the third most senior Republican in the House of Representatives referenced the “massive criminal investigation” under way in the US, saying it would look at “everyone who was involved” and that “people will want to know what the president was doing”.

Her comments come as the Senate prepares to begin Trump’s historic second impeachment trial, with arguments set to commence on Tuesday. The former president is accused of inciting the Capitol insurrection, which left five people dead, the building looted and smashed, and Senators cowering behind furniture.

The outcome looks inevitable, with Republicans expected to acquit Trump regardless of the merits of the case. But even if it doesn’t result in his conviction, the trial will bring to light previously-unknown details of the attack, with Democratic impeachment managers expected to present new video footage and eyewitness testimony. David Smith looks at the differences between Trump’s first and second trials, and what to expect as the event unfolds this week.

The trial could take longer than expected, after a leading member of Trump’s defence team asked that proceedings are halted during the Sabbath so that he can meet his obligations as an observant Jew. David Schoen wrote to senior figures in both the Democratic and Republican party to ask that the trial is postponed from 5.24pm on Friday until Sunday, apologising for any inconvenience but explaining “the practices and prohibitions are mandatory for me … so I have no choice”.

  • ‘This fever will break, but it’s been slow’: Republican Jeff Flake, a staunch critic of Trump, said he thought that support for the president would have dwindled by now. But in this interview, he explains why he is still confident that Republicans will migrate from Trump.

  • George P Shultz, Ronald Reagan’s secretary of state, has died aged 100. Shultz focused on improving relations with the Soviet Union and working towards peace in the Middle East, and was the longest serving secretary of state since the second world war.

Protests are growing against the coup in Myanmar

Demonstrations are gaining pace against the military coup in Myanmar, which saw democratically-elected de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi detained and army leaders seize power last week. Monday saw the third day of street demonstrations, with the highest number of protesters yet.

In the nation’s largest city of Yangon, monks marched with workers carrying Buddhist flags and banners in the colour of Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, with some estimates putting the number of protesters into the hundreds of thousands. While the demonstrations were largely peaceful, police in the capital, Naypyidaw, used water cannon on protesters, though appeared to stop after an appeal from the demonstrators. A day-long internet ban was lifted at the weekend.

  • Social media app Clubhouse is gaining traction in China, with users flocking to the app to have uncensored discussions about politics and human rights issues, including actions in Hong Kong and Taiwan and the persecution of Uighurs. There are concerns that the popularity of the app could lead to a crackdown from authorities.

Buccaneers beat the Chiefs at the Super Bowl this weekend

The underdog Tampa Bay Bucaneers took home a victory against Kansas City Chiefs at the Super Bowl this weekend, with star Tom Brady “bolstering his claim as the greatest quarterback ever”, writes Bryan Armen Graham in his roundup of the game. Brady, now 43, “continues to recalibrate our expectations of what’s possible on a football field”, winning seven Super Bowls; the highest any other quarterback has reached is four. Oliver Connolly writes about his “never-ending, nagging brilliance”.

The Weeknd headlined the iconic half-time show, putting $7m of his own money into the show and making the unusual decision to do it solo, though flanked by a cohort of backing dancers whose faces were largely covered with bandages. Despite a good half of his audience being cardboard cutouts, the star “largely delivered” with a “sometimes unnerving, rousing performance”, writes Adrian Horton in his review.

In other news …

  • Rescuers are searching for 202 people after a glacier collapsed in India, releasing a wave of water, rock and dust into a mountain valley. So far, 19 people are confirmed to have died.

  • Experts are calling for a rethink of coronavirus vaccination programmes after news that the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is significantly less effective against the South African variant of coronavirus. Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna, both used in the US, have also said the variant affects the efficacy of their vaccines, although this is based purely on lab studies.

  • California’s Punjabi farmers are rallying behind their counterparts’ protests in India, where demonstrations have been ongoing since the end of November against the introduction of new agricultural laws, encompassing hundreds of thousands of farmers. Outside of India, California’s Yuba City is home to one of the largest groups of farmers from Punjab, and the connection is evident, manifesting in largest support rally for the farmers outside India.

View from the right: Biden preaches unity, but must practise it too

With the gaps between Democratic and Republican parties widening, Biden must do more to reach across the divide if he is serious about his message of unity, writes Jonah Goldberg in the New York Post. Goldberg argues that seeking Republican support on his policies would bridge the political divide and strengthen the legislation itself, and that pushing through his coronavirus relief package on a party-line vote will have a cost which is “more than economic”.

Don’t miss this: all the president’s orders

Biden has signed a series of executive orders in his first weeks as president, from the environment, to immigration, to the pandemic. Our reporters explain what they are, and what they will mean for the US.

Last thing: can poo save an Australian coral reef?

Coral reefs are critical to environmental health, but are suffering under the effects of the climate crisis. Now scientists in Queensland are researching the importance of sea cucumber poo to their survival. The team estimate that 3m sea cucumbers on the Heron Island coral reef in Queensland excrete more than the mass of five Eiffel Towers each year. The poo aerates the upper surface of marine sediment, making a safe habitat for other organisms and releasing essential nutrients.

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Molly Blackall

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