Giuliani says he won’t be on Trump impeachment defense team

Trump was impeached by the House for a second time last week.

President Donald Trump is slated to hand over control of the White House to President-elect Joe Biden in three days.

The House of Representatives voted to impeach Trump last Wednesday on an article for "incitement of insurrection" for his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol -- making him the only president to be impeached twice.


0

Acting AG Jeffrey Rosen appears on camera for 1st time since Capitol siege

One week after the violent attack on the Capitol by a pro-President Trump mob, Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen has appeared on camera for the first time in a video statement condemning the actions of the rioters.

Rosen spends most of the video seeking to assure the public of the department’s efforts to bring those who committed acts of violence to justice, and makes no mention of Trump or his role in inciting the rioters against the lawmakers certifying the vote for President-elect Joe Biden.

He also uses the video to “send a message” to anyone seeking to commit acts of violence in the coming days leading up to the Inauguration, saying the department will have “no tolerance” for anyone seeking to disrupt, or occupy any government buildings around the country ahead of the transfer of power on Jan 20.

-ABC News' Alexander Mallin


YouTube suspends Trump channel over concerns about 'potential for violence'

Following his bans from Twitter and Facebook, YouTube announced late Tuesday night that it was suspending Trump's channel for at least seven days.

"After review, and in light of concerns about the ongoing potential for violence, we removed new content uploaded to Donald J. Trump’s channel for violating our policies. It now has its 1st strike & is temporarily prevented from uploading new content for a minimum of 7 days," YouTube said in a statement Tuesday.

Trump's social media presence has come under severe scrutiny for the language and rhetoric he used leading up to after the Capitol was sieged by a mob of pro-Trump supporters.

The storming of the Capitol left at least five dead and forced Congress to evacuate and seek shelter.

"Given the ongoing concerns about violence, we will also be indefinitely disabling comments on President Trump’s channel, as we’ve done to other channels where there are safety concerns found in the comments section," YouTube said.


House passes 25th Amendment resolution, Pence said he won't act

The House voted 223-205, on H.Res. 21, which calls on Vice President Mike Pence to exercise his power under the 25th Amendment to convene the Cabinet and remove President Donald Trump from office.

"He is not protecting and defending the democracy itself, the process of electing the president. He is not respecting the peaceful transfer of power," Rep. Jamie Raskin D-Md. said of Trump during the hearing Tuesday night. "He is not taking care that the laws are faithfully executed. He is not protecting the republic against mob insurrection, invasion and hostility."

One Republican, Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger, voted in favor of the symbolic measure.

It is a nonbinding resolution that carries no force of the law.

Pence already Tuesday said he will not invoke the 25th Amendment.

"Last week I did not yield to pressure to exert power beyond my constitutional authority to determine the outcome of the election, and I will not now yield to efforts in the House of Representatives to play political games at a time so serious in the life of our Nation," Pence said in a letter Tuesday.

Democrats are expected to vote in an article of impeachment against Trump Wednesday. At least four Republicans have said they will vote to impeach Trump.

ABC News' Mariam Khan


House debating resolution on 25th Amendment

The House is now debating the merits of the resolution that calls on Vice President Mike Pence and members of the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment.

Given Pence's announcement earlier that he is not going to do so, this debate and vote are considered to be largely symbolic.

Members will be debating for one hour, split evenly between Democrats and Republicans. The final vote on the resolution is expected to begin by 10:30 p.m.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., kicked off the debate. Raskin authored the 25th Amendment resolution.

During a procedural vote ahead of the debate, the House voted to authorize fines against lawmakers who don't wear masks on the House floor: $500 for a first offense, $2,500 for the next. It gets taken out of their paychecks.


Biden administration will 'lead with science and truth'

Addressing the coronavirus pandemic, confronting the climate crisis and building public trust in science and technology will be among the Biden administration's key areas of focus, the president-elect said during a press briefing introducing four key members of his science team.

Building back the economy "to ensure prosperity is fully shared all across America" and ensuring the U.S. "leads the world in technologies and industries that the future" will also be a focus, Biden said Saturday during an address in Wilmington, Delaware.

Helping lead those initiatives will be Eric Lander, the presidential science advisor-designate, a position that for the first time will be a cabinet rank, Biden noted.

"I've always said that the Biden-Harris administration will lead with science and truth," Biden said. "We believe in both. This is how we're going to, God willing, overcome the pandemic and build our country back better than it was before. That's why for the first time in history, I'm going to be elevating the presidential science advisor to a Cabinet rank, because we think it's that important."

Frances Arnold and Maria Zuber will be at the helm of the first all-women team to lead the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

Alondra Nelson will also be deputy director for science and society for the Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Dr. Francis Collins, who was not present at the event, will also continue in his role as director of the National Institutes of Health.Biden thanked him for "being willing to stay on," saying that it wasn't his original plan.

"I've known Dr. Collins for many years. I worked with him closely," Biden said, accling him "brilliant, a pioneer, a true leader."

"This is the most exciting announcement that I have gotten to make in the entire Cabinet," Biden said of his picks. "These are among the brightest, most dedicated people, not only in the country but the world."