(NEW YORK) — Here are today’s In Crisis headlines:
Nine in 10 Americans oppose Capitol attack; majority feel Trump bears some blame
Nine in 10 Americans oppose the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and seven in 10 feel President Trump bears at least some of the responsibility for it, according to a new ABC News/Washington Post poll. A 56% majority of those polled also favor congressional efforts to bar Trump from ever again holding elected office, which impeachment in the Senate would ensure. More broadly, 66 percent say Trump has behaved irresponsibly in his statements and actions since the November general election.
The poll also finds Trump leaving office with a 38 percent job approval rating, making his career average approval rating is the lowest for any president in modern polling, back to 1939. Trump is also the first president in that time never to achieve majority approval at any point during his time in office. The poll found Trump’s job approval and disapproval predictably divided along party lines, with a majority of Republicans continuing to look favorably on his performance. A majority 60% of Republicans feel the party should continue to follow Trump, with 33% saying the party needs to find a new direction.
Ahead of inauguration, Democrats allege Capitol Hill rioters had Republican lawmaker assistance
A week after rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol building, investigators are trying to determine whether they had assistance from the inside. Rep. Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey led a coalition of more than 30 Democrats who signed a letter requesting an immediate investigation into “suspicious behavior and access” for some visitors the day before the January 6 Capitol assault, alleging that unnamed lawmakers led “an extremely high number of outside groups” through the building. Until Wednesday, when President Donald Trump was impeached for the second time, Democratic leaders sought to downplay any immediate reprisals for Republican colleagues whom they allege have incited or assisted rioters though their rhetoric or otherwise.
The FBI has issued a warning that violent extremists may mount attacks around the country as Inauguration Day approaches, and on the day itself. At last word, at least 21,000 National Guard troops will be in Washington, D.C. January 20, an unprecedented show of force to help ensure security as President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris are sworn in on a day that is traditionally celebrated as an exemplar of the peaceful democratic transfer of power.
COVID-19 numbers
Here’s the latest data on COVID-19 coronavirus infections and deaths.
Latest reported numbers globally per Johns Hopkins University
Global diagnosed cases: 93,227,344
Global deaths: 1,996,626. The United States has the most deaths of any single country, with 388,705.
Number of countries/regions: at least 191
Total patients recovered globally: 51,475,424
Latest reported numbers in the United States per Johns Hopkins University
There are at least 23,314,663 reported cases in 50 states + the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. This is more than in any other country.
U.S. deaths: at least 388,705. New York State has the greatest number of reported deaths in the U.S., with 40,435.
U.S. total people tested: 273,074,188
The greatest number of reported COVID-19 cases in the U.S. is in California, with 2,883,699 confirmed cases out of a total state population of 39.51 million. This ranks first in the world. England is second in the world, with 2,834,341 cases. Texas is third, with 2,068,059 confirmed cases out of a total state population of 29 million.
Biden team reveals $1.9 trillion COVID-19 vaccination, economic plan, as US deaths soar
President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday released his promised COVID-19 vaccination and economic rescue legislative package. The plan would allocate more than $1 trillion of the $1.9 trillion price tag for direct stimulus, while $400 billion would go toward COVID-19-related projects, including the nationwide vaccination program, and $440 billion toward relief for communities and businesses. Biden is scheduled to speak publicly Friday about his vaccination plan.
Meanwhile, the Covid Tracking Project reports that U.S. deaths from COVID-19 are now 25% higher than during any other week since the pandemic began, with more people dying from the virus in the last seven days than the 22,000 people the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates died of the flu during the entire 2019-2020 season. An average 3,299 people died of COVID-19 every day in the U.S. over the last seven days, according to the Covid Tracking Project.
Approximately one in every 858 Americans has now died from COVID-19, a number that continues to shrink as that national death toll increases. As of Friday morning, Johns Hopkins University reports 388,705 total COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. since the pandemic began. At the current death rate, that number will likely reach 400,000 by Monday. The CDC’s latest forecast estimates between 440,000 to 477,000 deaths from COVID-19 in the U.S. by the week ending February 6.
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