Top story: Democrats damning, Trump team rambles
Good morning, Warren Murray dropping the latest news into your lap this Wednesday morning.
A divided US Senate has voted to proceed with the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump. On the opening day, the prosecution argued the former president was singularly responsible for inciting the deadly assault on the US Capitol while the defence warned of further dividing the nation. The Senate voted 56 to 44 that it is constitutional to put an impeached former president on trial. Six Republicans joined with the Democrats to reach that determination.
House Democrats opened the trial with a chilling and dramatic video of the Capitol siege. Congressman Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the Democrat prosecuting the case, told the chamber: “If that’s not an impeachable offence, then there is no such thing.”
Trump’s legal team, Bruce Castor and David Schoen, appeared to adopt the rambling speaking style of their client as they sought to have the Senate dismiss the trial on constitutional grounds. Castor’s performance drew criticism as waffling and lacking in focus. The Louisiana Republican senator Bill Cassidy said the defence was “disorganised”, “random” and “did everything they could but to talk about the question at hand”. Susan Collins, another Republican senator, said she was “perplexed” by Castor – “he did not seem to make any arguments at all, which was an unusual approach to take”. Even Senator Ted Cruz, one of Trump’s staunchest allies, said he didn’t think the lawyers did “the most effective job” while praising Raskin, the Democrats’ lead prosecutor, as “impressive”.
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Midweek catch-up
> British police say they have arrested eight people as part of an investigation with US authorities into Sim-swapping hijacks of US celebrities’ phones. The National Crime Agency said criminals broke into the phones of sports stars, musicians and their families to steal money, bank details, bitcoin, information and social media logins.
> Protesters have returned to the streets of Myanmar’s capital, Naypyitaw, after the most violent day yet since a military coup removed Aung San Suu Kyi. Police use of water cannon, rubber bullets and live rounds has left one woman gravely injured and not expected to survive, and others wounded.
> China has cut off foreign consular aid for Hongkongers who hold dual nationality in a further tightening of Beijing’s grip. Dual nationals detained in Hong Kong had previously been able to receive diplomatic help from their second passport country.
> Pharmacists in England are considering strikes unless the Treasury writes off a £370m debt from a pandemic support package under which chemists helped deliver vaccines. The National Pharmacy Association says members face closure due to unsustainable debts.
> Japan will have to throw out 12m doses of Pfizer Covid vaccine because officials bought syringes that can’t get the full six doses out of a vial.
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Flammable cladding sold by default – The executive who sold the cladding used on Grenfell Tower knew it could burn but did not tell customers, she has admitted to the public inquiry. Debbie French said Arconic’s marketing strategy recognised that its more fire-retardant version was less likely to secure contracts on price. The cheaper, easier to burn version, offered to customers by default, was the main cause of the rapid spread of the fire, which claimed 72 lives. Claude Wehrle, Arconic’s technical manager, told French in an email about documents explaining the difference between the two products: “OH MY LORD!!! Where did you get that from??? For sure you’re NOT allowed to diffuse to the customer those documents.” Ministers are to announce today billions of pounds in extra support to address the cladding crisis that has left homeowners bankrupt and distraught, though key questions remain over how much leaseholders will be expected to contribute to its removal.
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Big oil blows in – The world’s largest oil companies will by the end of the decade be running more offshore wind turbines than oil rigs. BP has secured the rights to build two giant windfarms in the Irish Sea. Competitors say the £900m a year it will pay to lease the seabed is too high, but Jillian Ambrose explains that major oil companies are willing to pay top dollar because they need to diversify into cleaner renewables. Shell has teamed up with Dutch renewables company Eneco to build giant windfarms off the coast of the Netherlands; while France’s Total was also a winner in the UK’s latest seabed auction. Mark Lewis at BNP Paribas Asset Management, a major investor in renewables, says: “The UK and Europe must reduce their carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. So any oil company operating in the UK knows two things: one, that it needs to reduce the emissions from its operations and two, that it needs to find alternatives to oil for its future growth.”
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Pint glasses stand empty – Beer sales in British pubs halved in 2020 to their lowest since the 1920s, according to industry figures. Sales were down 56% in 2020 to about £6.1bn, a drop of £7.8bn compared with 2019. Rishi Sunak faces pressure to take action as the Resolution Foundation warns that more than half of pubs, cafes, restaurants and the like have less than three months of cash in reserve due to the financial damage from the pandemic.
Today in Focus podcast: One does not consent
Government memos discovered in the National Archives reveal that the Queen lobbied ministers to alter proposed legislation. The Guardian’s David Pegg follows the trail and explains its implications for a monarchy that is supposed to stay out of politics.
Lunchtime read: Belarus – a tyrant endures
Nearly six months after huge street protests over a rigged presidential election were met with a ruthless, violent crackdown by his riot police, the Belarusian autocrat Alexander Lukashenko still clings to power. A “people’s assembly” this Thursday, where Lukashenko initially promised reform, is now expected to be a loyal assembly that will rubber-stamp his staying on at the helm.
At the height of protests in August 2020 hundreds of thousands of protesters demanded new elections and backed the idea of a transitional government led by Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who many consider to have won the election against Lukashenko. After a meeting with Vladimir Putin, Lukashenko said he would proceed with constitutional reform and a transition to parliamentary government. But he has reverted to form in recent weeks, threatening a new wave of violence. Journalists have been arrested while hundreds of people remain in jail and thousands have left the country. And with supporters of Alexei Navalny challenging Putin’s own rule, Russia appears unlikely to bring pressure to bear for anything to change.
Sport
Manchester United have progressed to the FA Cup quarter-finals for the seventh season in succession after substitute Scott McTominay’s goal in extra-time sealed a 1-0 win over West Ham United. Bournemouth have reached the last eight for the second time in their 122-year history by winning 2-0 at Burnley. Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia demolished the women’s 1500m indoor world record by more than two seconds on an astonishing night that will fuel yet more talk about how new track spike technology has become a gamechanger for the sport. Eddie Jones has given a qualified vote of confidence to his captain, Owen Farrell, following last weekend’s Calcutta Cup defeat but says the captain will be treated “no differently” to other players if his form does not improve. Johanna Konta described herself as being in a “state of shock” as she began to come to terms with being forced to retire from her Australian Open first-round match against Kaja Juvan after picking up an abdominal injury early in the first set. Serena Williams is through to the third round. And the actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have completed their takeover of Wrexham in the National League.
Business
Hopes that Joe Biden will push through a massive taxpayer-funded boost to help the American economy recover from the Covid-induced downturn have sent stock markets in Asia to an all-time high overnight. MSCI’s index of Asian shares outside Japan rose 0.8%, to eclipse its record high set in January following a strong lead from Wall Street on Tuesday where the tech-heavy Nasdaq index closed at a record high. The FTSE 100 is looking at a jump of 0.6%, while the pound is buying $1.382 and €1.139. In another economic result of the coronavirus, the consumption of organic food has soared in the past year across the UK as people have eaten in more and as people fortunate enough to keep their jobs have had more money to spend on food. The Soil Association said the organic market rose 12.6% to £2.79bn.
The papers
The Metro’s front-page furniture is normally snappy but this lot takes some labouring through: “Travel crackdown – 10 days in a hotel room or it’s 10 years in a cell if you lie”. That of course is about Matt Hancock’s warning to people arriving in Britain. The Guardian has “Covid travel rule-breakers face risk of 10 years in jail”. Page one also continues our exposé about Queen’s consent and how Prince Charles vetted laws that stop his tenants buying their homes.
The Telegraph says it’s 10 years in jail if you “lie about going to Portugal” as the severity is called into question. The Times reports on the billions the government will pay towards fixing unsafe cladding. “New Covid variants ‘are under control’” says the i, bravely. Apart from the Covid jail threat, the FT has “KPMG boss apologises after telling pandemic-hit staff to ‘stop moaning’”. The Sun says “Every 1’s a winner” – the now-staple enlarged syringe adorns the numeral – as “just one Covid jab offers two-thirds protection”. The paper says this holds for both the Pfizer and Oxford vaccines. Michael Caine is pictured because he’s helping spread the word to get your shots.
The Mirror takes aim at a Covid “betrayal”: “£500 parking bill for NHS heroes”. It rails against the charge for those working at St Helier hospital, where staff have died of coronavirus. The Express is equally damning of this “Kick in the teeth for NHS heroes”. The Mail splash comes from an interview with Lady Brittan, whose late husband was subjected to the wrongful and “shambolic” VIP paedophile enquiry. The main headline is “Shameful ‘cover-up culture’ at top of the Met”.
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