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In a 229 to 202 vote yesterday, the House found Donald Trump’s ally Steve Bannon in criminal contempt of Congress over his refusal to comply with a subpoena issued by the select committee investigating the 6 January attack on the US Capitol.
“We need to make it clear that no person is above the law, we need to take a stand for the committee’s investigation and for the integrity of this body,” said the committee chair, Bennie Thompson.
With the House referral, the attorney general, Merrick Garland, and the Office of Legal Counsel are required by law to weigh a prosecution and present the matter before a grand jury.
Bannon could face up to a year in federal prison and $100,000 in fines should the justice department secure a conviction – but even then that would not guarantee his compliance.
Bannon and other senior Trump administration officials had been instructed by Trump and his attorney to defy orders issued by the select committee.
Sources told the Guardian that Bannon was a key architect in the plan to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s election win, the impetus behind the Capitol attack. He also appeared to predict the attack itself, saying on his War Room podcast the day before the insurrection that left five dead and 140 injured: “All hell is going to break loose tomorrow.”
Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun that killed director of photography on set
Halyna Hutchins, the 42-year-old director of photography on the movie Rust, died last night after Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun on a set in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The incident also injured the film’s director, Joel Souza, 48.
The local sheriff’s office said Baldwin came in voluntarily to speak to authorities and no charges had been filed.
Human remains found in Florida confirmed as those of Brian Laundrie
The partial human remains discovered this week in a Florida wilderness area were confirmed to be those of Brian Laundrie, the fiance of Gabby Petito, the woman who disappeared while on a road trip with Laundrie.
Laundrie, 23, had been a person of interest in the killing of Petito, who was reported missing on 11 September by her parents. Her body was found in Grand Teton national park on 19 September and coroners have said she died of strangulation.
The Queen spent the night in a hospital after cancelling a Northern Ireland visit
The Queen, 95, had her first overnight stay in a hospital in eight years this week after cancelling a two-day trip to Northern Ireland. Known for her strong constitution, she was seen using a walking stick for the first time last week.
In other news …
The California family found dead on a hike in a case that baffled investigators for months were killed by extreme heat and probable dehydration, authorities said.
Joe Biden said the US would come to the defense of Taiwan and had a commitment to defend the island, which China claims as its own.
Fellow actors criticized William Shatner for his recent space flight: “Let’s take care of this planet first before we start going off.”
The Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot Justine Damond, an unarmed dual US-Australian citizen who had called 911 to report a possible rape happening behind her home, was sentenced to nearly five years in prison.
Stat of the day: at least 34,000 women in Poland sought illegal or foreign abortions since the law changed last year
Last year Poland’s constitutional court ruled that terminations would be allowed only in cases of rape, incest or if the mother’s health was at risk, which made up only about 2% of legal terminations at the time of the ruling. Since then, Abortion Without Borders, an organization that helps women access safe abortion services, estimates that the number of Polish women seeking illegal or foreign abortions has skyrocketed.
Don’t miss this: the many lifetimes of Elton John
At the age of 74, Elton John has scored the eighth UK No 1 single of his career, as well as a new right hip. The superstar is at a different place in his life, but remains vibrant and youthful in not just his energy but his music: his new album, The Lockdown Sessions, includes accompaniments with artists such as Dua Lipa, Lil Nas X and Rina Sawayama, as well as raps from Young Thug and Nicki Minaj.
Climate Check: checking Kyrsten Sinema
Climate advocates who helped elect the Democrat Kyrsten Sinema to the US Senate are furious with her efforts to block the multitrillion-dollar “human infrastructure” legislation that addresses social services and environmental measures. “The climate crisis is here – it has already arrived in Arizona,” said Vianey Olivarria, a director of Chispa Arizona, the state branch of the League of Conservation Voters. “We don’t have a lot of time to waste.”
Last Thing: a real trip
A growing pool of artists, academics, and entrepreneurs are shaping psychedelic research and therapy with music, with the artist Jon Hopkins timing out his new album, Music for Psychedelic Therapy, to the length of a ketamine high. “We’re entering an era where this kind of therapy is going to be legal and widespread, and you need to have music for it,” said Hopkins. “I’ve got to be really careful of sounding too grandiose, but it really feels to me like there is a frontier here – a new genre of music.”
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