in a few minutes. >> i've heard a number of options as to what we can do to hold the president accountable. >> we're hearing from east bay congressman eric swalwell, one of the lawmakers leading today's proceedings. >> good morning, everyone. we're going to go into the special report right now. i think we are going to go into that special report right now. >> good morning, we're coming on the air now with a major moment in american history. >> i hear george, so i'm going to be quiet >> this is just seven days since the events at the capitol, like we have never seen before. the f united states capitol by a mob of supporters of president trump, who are encouraged by the president himself at a rally before they moved down constitution avenue, towards the capitol, breached

the barricades, and rampaged through the capitol for hours last wednesday. horrifying members of congress, five dead in the wake of that insurrection. and that is why president trump is being impeached today, a resolution citing him for incitement of insurrection. he's been engaged in high crimes and misdemeaners. and this resolution reaches a powerful conclusion, i'll read the conclusion for you. it says in the actions of president trump, he gravely endangered the security of the united states and its institutions of government, he threatened the integrity of the democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transition of power, and imperiled a co-equal branch of government. he there by betrayed his trust as president to the manifest injury of the people of the united states.

donald john trump thus warrants impeachment and trial, removal from office and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust or profit under the united states. that resolution has united all democrats they came out with stunning force to call for his impeachment. joined by republicans now as well, including the number 3 republican house liz cheney, who said she couldn't imagine a greater betrayal of the presidential office. let's listen in. actually, we thought they would be reading the pledge of allegiance there. one week since those events, this happened with such stunning speed, such stunning force. >> we sat here with the last year with this first impeachment, the history that will be made today, this impeachment, the second time only in history, first time that a president would be impeached twice. you mentioned liz cheney, i don't think you can overstate the significance of that

development overnight, that she said i will vote to impeach the president. you mentioned that key line. you said never a greater betrayal by a president of the united states of his office. another big difference, as you know, is that republicans are breaking ranks. we know at least five, potentially six could vote to impeach today. they have already declared this they will. that's a big difference from what we saw in the first impeachment when we had no republican votes in the house. the other key difference here is that this played out in front of the american public, this isn't about a hidden phone call behind the scenes with a leader of another country, applying pressure as we were talking about, the last go round. this is about what members of congress witnessed themselves, the fear inside that capitol, and their interpretation about whether or not he incited this insurrection. >> one of the reasons that moved with this kind of speed is that

every single day that was gone by we have learned more about what was goinging on inside the capitol, which is why the pressure is building on president trump. >> and think about it like this, less than 24 hours ago, the president was calling the impeachment proceedings against him a hoax. as it is stated now, some members are saying they will vote to impeach and while a lot is being made about the historical context and aspect of this with regard to the president potentially being the first ever in american history to be impeached twice, we have to think about the historical behavior that led and contributed to this when you talk about the idea of these angry white mobs, who have tried or successfully overthrown governments and burned buildings and murdered people and seized state houses. this happened in 1876 in new orleans. it happened two months later in alabama. it happened in 1898 in wilmington, north carolina and 1906 in atlanta. so while many lawmakers today are deciding if impeachment is the right remedy for this acute

situation that played out last week at the capitol, many americans are wondering when are we finally going to tackle and confront the chronic illness that ails this country, which is the original sin of this country, of racism and shy of that, history will continue to repeat itself. >> it is being confronted today. there is no question about that. lindsey, thank you very much. let's go to capitol hill. mary bruce, our chief congressional correspondent, is there. you're on the steps of the capitol where we saw the protesters last week. what a different scene today. >> reporter: george, it is remarkable, night and day. it to give you a sense, there are army national guard everywhere here. right in front of me i'm watching yet another bus load of them unloading. the presence here is just tremendous. almost overwhelming. you see this massive new barrier fence erected around the capitol complex. much of that security, of course, that so many were asking, just a week ago, where was it? we did not see this presence, and anything close to this presence a week ago here and yet

today, here they come, you're about to watch them march past again. they have been here around the clock, we have seen members of the national guard sleeping on the floor in the capitol basement, trying to get some rest as they work these around the clock shifts. and it is just a remarkable change in the course of a week. just has been the change here politically. republicans today are grappling with the question that a week ago would have seemed unimaginable, whether they should abandon president trump or continue to enable him politically. it is a huge political calculus for republicans, in addition to, of course, being a question of morality. what is right and what is wrong? and we have seen his support from top republicans crumbling. in the last 24 hours, just the fact that i can stand here today, george, and say mitch mcconnell, the republican leader in the senate thinks the president committed an impeachable offense and is pleased the democrats are takint is stunning in and of itself fit the floodgates may be beginning to open. then, of course, y liz

cheney come t, number three house republican. in a statement that wasn't just damning, but also unequivocal and stunning in saying that this would not have happened had the president not behaved in the way that he did. now, we know today that at least five republicans in the house are going to join democrats. i'm told that number could rise to between 15 to 25. and right now especially given the language coming from mitch mcconnell, on down, it is possible that you could see if this heads to a trial in the senate that 17 republicans could side with democrats to convict. there are still a lot of unknowns here. but certainly the tide is turning on president trump. >> thank you. i want to bring that to john carl. the president is isolated inside the white house. his numbers are dwindling, surrounded by a loyal few. we're not quite at the situation we saw in 1974 where hugh scott and barry goldwater went to the president, and said you have to resign, but the pressure is growing on the president to take

that move. >> i think that we actually are to a degree, george, at that point. the problem is that unlike richard nixon, donald trump is not prepared to urgings and that marthy who is an ally as he has had in republican leadership over the past four years, bluntly told the president before his trip to texas before his public appearance yesterday that he needed to get out there, that he needed to call joe biden, that he needed to come to terms with the fact that he lost the election, the election is over, and he lost. and mccarthy warned him that if he doesn't come out and take these steps and also plea for calm, that he would face a choice of certain impeachment and quite probable conviction in the senate or resignation. that was the advice he got from an ally. and ob not do that yesterday, he came

out and he said that he did nothing wrong. that his speech before that capitol riot was entirely appropriate, that everybody knows that. and he certainly has not called joe biden, he hasn't come out and come to terms with his loss in the election. so i just don't know, all the republican leaders there are could go down to the white house and tell him to resign and no indication he would listen to that. >> that is the open question right now, cecilia vega, to you as well, because we have seen resignations from the president's cabinet, top white house officials. we even know his white house counsel who is still talking to him at this point said he will not serve as the president's counsel during an impeachment trial. >> and the counsel he does have is private lawyer rudy giuliani could be facing disbarment. there is a move to see that effort under way in new york. there is no question right now that donald trump is a man on an island by himself. in addition to all of those

resignations at the top level of his administration and in his circle that you just mentioned, he's been muzzled, his one vehicle that he uses to communicate with his supporters, his primary vehicle, twitter, he's no longer allowed to use that and now today, in addition to all of that, we're seeing so much of corporate america start to back away from support of president trump and his party. as john just said, i guess perhaps one of the more astounding things we're seeing now, in some ways is not yet surprising, donald trump facing all of this, a pariah in his party, in many ways, is showing zero contrition and not, george, he's only showing zero contrition, he's now still blaming, he's threatening joe biden and the democrats saying this could come back to haunt him, be careful what you wish for. so if you're looking for any kind of contrition from president trump, we certainly haven't seen it up to this point. i don't think we're going to see it going forward. >> cecilia vega, thank you very much. it comes on the backdrop of those events of last week, where arrests are still being made by

the fbi, nationwide investigation. i want to bring in pierre thomas for more on that. every day that goes by, a new arrest, more horrifying details. >> you're absolutely right, george. and we heard words from the u.s. attorney for the district of columbia yesterday, sedition and conspiracy. that that is part of the investigation. they're looking at the real prospect that some of the people planned this well in advance, they came with communication devices, they came with weapons, the bombs, we learned yesterday hade did not know. this situation is incredibly dangerous. george, as i drove in this morning, just before 6:00, the barriers extending from the white house, layers upon layers of security now in place. several blocks away from the white house. you can not drive near it. law enforcement officials saying they are going to create a scenario where people cannot move quickly in the city, and also you now have a national

guard. some of them armed. george, i got intelligence yesterday that was briefed to the house, that the concern is more than 10,000 trump supporters could be coming toward the city, many of them armed, that is the concern and that's why there is so much preparation, george. >> and pierre, they're looking backwards at the fact there were fbi reports warning of possible action last week. yet they don't seem to have been acted on anything close to inadequate manner. >> that information, where there was discussion of war, that people needed to die to get their president that they wanted into the job, officials say yesterday that information was provided to local law enforcement officials here in washington. and, george, all the information now according to my sources is pointing to what did the capitol police leadership, leadership, what did they do with that information? why did they not have adequate perimeter defense around that

building to give support to their own people. everyone i'm talking to,t builn valiantly, overwhelmingly, did have some doing things like taking a selfie. that was very much the minority. the issue is did those rank and file police officers get the support they needed and the answer is a resounding no, so far. >> pierre thomas, thanks very much. martha r mart martha radditz, on the highest of alert at this point, the united states military concerned about possible threats, vulnerabilities to our national security, in these final days of president trump and as you reported, this morning on "good morning america," delivering an extraordinary warning to members of the military. >> absolutely, george. the senior military leadership, the joint chiefs of staff including the chairman reminding all service members that they took an oath to the constitution, saying the rights of freedom of speech do not give

anyone the right to resort to violence, sedition, and insurrection, really extraordinary that they had to remind them of that. but there is a reason for that, and that is because they saw several former military members in that crowd, during the siege, some have already been arrested, these are officers, enlisted personnel, they want to send out a reminder to the military. the military in the past and currently and it is something they have been addressing has had a problem with white supremacy. the pentagon will say there is no room for that, they will investigate anyone who took part in that siege. they are also preparing for the coming days, they know there may be protests and violence already, already starting, people planning things, as pierre said, and those calls to wage war, as you know, the national guard, couple hundred, 340, i believe, was the number

last wednesday when i was standing there. but they weren't at the capitol until hours later until the national guard, all of them were called up, i think people forget also that there are civilians, so they were called from their home, it was actually a pretty quick response once they were called in to tamp down the siege. but before that, the mayor of d.c. called for soft cap. she didn't want them to be dressed in tactical gear, she didn't want them to look like the military as they did during the riots over george floyd. last summer. what happened is the guard was not there at the capitol. the guard was doing traffic control instead at the capitol as others had suggested they be. >> martha, thank you. i want to bring in terry moran as well. members of the military may have been involved in part, individual members of the military may have been involved, individual police may have been involved, allegations that republican members of congress may have been escorting some of the protesters, rioters through

the capitol. and, of course, the encouragement and complicity of the president himself. it is so hard to wrap your head around the idea that this happened here, with this kind of participation. >> george, i think you're exactly right. i think that's one of the things we're seeing is gradually, our political leaders and each of us as citizens coming to terms with something we haven't seen since the civil war. we have got the prosecutors, talking about seditious conspiracy. they wanted to overthrow the government. we're talking -- we're hearing about the generals, the leaders of our military, talking about insurrection, because that is what it was. and as the evidence comes out, and there are -- there is evidence they were -- there was much more organization in that mob than it looked like, there were commandos essentially who were trying to direct that they may have had schematics of the capitol, a member of congress who says she believes some of her colleagues were taking tours of some of these people who ended up in the protests as

reconnaissance missions. no proof of that. that's where we are. and then there is the president as you say who encouraged and incited and the evidence is yet to come about what nature of involvement he might have had. he certainly did nothing, he did not lift a finger to stop it. perhaps thinking he could benefit from it and that is where we are. >> and that is why we're here today for the second impeachment, the house is back in session now. they're reading the rule, which will set the terms of the debate for the day. let's listen in. >> -- or demand for division of the question. except two hours of debate vided a controld the judiciary or their respective designees. section two, until completion of proceedings enabled by the first section of this resolution, a, the chair may decline to entertain any intervening motion, resolution, question, or notice and, b, the chair may decline to entertain the

question of consideration. three, upon adoption of this house resolution 24 a house resolution 40 is hereby adopted and b, no other resolution incidental to impeachment relating to house resolution 24 shall be privileged during the remainder of the 117th congress. section four, section five of house resolution eight degreed to january 4th, 2021, is amended by striking january 28th, each place that it appears and inserting february 11th. >> the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized for one hour. >> mr. speaker, for the purposes of debate only, i yield the customary 30 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from oklahoma. >> this is chairman of the house rules committee. >> during the consideration of the resolution, all team yielded for the purposes of debate only, i ask unanimous consent that all members be given five legislative days to revise and

committee -- yesterday the rules committee met and reported a closed rule, house resolution 41, providing for consideration of hres 24 impeaching donald john trump, president of the united states, for high crimes and misdemeanors. the rule provides two hours of debate equally divide and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the committee on the judiciary. the rule also provides that upon adoption of hres 24, 40 is here by adopted. finally, the rule extends recess instructions suspension of authority, and same day authority through february 11th, 2021. mr. speaker, we are debating this historic measure at an actual crime scene. and we wouldn't be here if it weren't for the president of the united states. on wednesday, january 6th, congress gathered here to fulfill our constitutional duty, tallying the electoral college victory of president-elect biden

and vice president-elect harris after a free and fair election. this is largely a.onends a mess worlnd t ll jt ail aha down , ae stoking the anger of a violent mob. a member of this very body proclaimed on that stage today is the day american patriots start taking down names and kicking ass. trump's personal attorney rudy giuliani called for trial by combat. then donald trump told the crowd we're going to have to fight much harder, you'll never take back our country with weakness. even though according to his own administration that this election was the most secure in our history, donald trump

repeated his big lie, that this election was an egregious assault on democracy. vice president pence, he said, was going to he to come ro t thi mob to walk the capitol. the signal was unmistakable. these thugs should stage a coup so donald trump can hang on to power. the people's will be damned. this beacon of democracy became the site of a vicious attack. rioters chanted hang mike pence, as a noose and gallows were built a stone's throw from the capitol steps. capitol police officers were beaten and sprayed with pepper spray. attackers hunted down lawmakers to hold them down hostage or worse. staff barricaded doors. people sent text messages to their families to tell them they loved them. they thought they were saying good-bye, mr. speaker. this was not a protest. this was an insurrection.

this was a well organized attack on our country that was incited by donald trump. domestic terrorists broke into the united states capitol that day. and it is a miracle more people didn't die. as my colleagues and i were being evacuated to safety, i never, ever will fhat i i sa evil, mr. speaker.er re our country came under attack, not from a foreign nation, but from what -- from within. these were not protesters, these were not patriots, these were traitors. these were domestic terrorists, mr. speaker. and they were acting under the orders of donald trump. some of my colleague on the other side have suggested that we just move on from this horror. but to gloss over it would be an abdication of our duty. others on the republican side have talked about unity. but we can't have unity without truth and without

accountability. and i'm not about to be lectured by people who just voted to overturn the results of a free and fair election. america was attacd andreon eve t person, we vowed to defend the constitution. the actions of donald trump have called each of us to fulfill that oath today. i pray that we rise to this responsibility because every moment donald trump is in the white house, our nation, our freedom is in danger. he must be held to account for the attack on our capitol that he organized and he incited. i solemnly urge my colleagues to support this rule and the underlying article. the damage this building sustained can be repaired, mr. speaker. but if we don't hold donald trump accountable, the damage done to our nation could be irreversible. i reserve the balance of my

time. >> the gentleman from massachusetts reserves. the gentleman from oklahoma is recognized. >> thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, before i begin my formal remarks -- >> tom cole, the ranking republican on the house committee. >> from my friend mr. mcgovern, for all who come to the chamber today to speak and devote, for our wonderful staff that makes this possible, and most especially for the men and women of the capitol police and the other affiliated law enforcement agencies that are here to protect everybody, and to make sure this proceeding can go forward. with that, mr. speaker, i want to thank the gentleman from massachusetts, my very good friend, the distinguished chairman of the rules committee, mr. mcgovern. yielding me the customary 30 minutes. and i yield myself such time as i may consume. thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, today is a sad day for all of us. for me personally, for the rules committee, for the entire house of representatives, and most certainly for the american people. for the second time in 13 months, we're meeting to discuss

the impeachment of the president of the united states. our meeting today does not arise in a vacuum. and comes at what i hope and pray is the end of a tumultuous period for our country. less than one week ago, congress met to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election. what started out as a peaceful protest turned into a riot. as an untold number of individuals stormed the capitol building, six people died as a result of this mob. and it is only by the grace of god and the brave acts of the u.s. capitol police, the washington, d.c. metropolitan police, the fbi, the atf and other responding agencies that there was not more bloodshed. violent acts such as these have no place in our republic. these shocking and sobering events rest high on our minds today. as well they should. certainly january 6th, 2021 will live in my memory as the darkest

day during my time of service as a member of this house. after these grave events, we as a nation and as an institution have an opportunity to come together. president trump has conceded the 2020 election. congress certified the results of the election. and next wednesday president-elect biden will be sworn in as the president of the ress and the nation can move forward, knowing that the political process was completed as designed, and the constitutional framework that has governed our republic since 1789 held firm. but instead of moving forward as a unifying force, majority in the house is choosing to divide us further. with only a week to go, in this term, the majority is asking us to consider resolution impeaching president trump. and they do so knowing full well that even if the house passes this resolution, the senate will not be able to begin considering the charges until after president trump's term ends. mr. speaker, i can think of no

action the house can take that is more likely to further divide the american people and the action we are contemplating today. emotions are running high and political divisions have never been more apparent in my lifetime. we desperately need to seek a path forward, healing for the american people. so it is unfortunate that a path to support healing is not the path the majority has chosen today. instead, the house is moving forward erratically, with a truncated process that does not comport with the modern practice and that will give members no time to contemplate the serious course of action before us. in every modern impeachment inquiry, an investigation and committee action has proceeded bringing an impeachment resolution to the floor. in part, this is to ensure that members have the full facts, the opportunity to engage expert witnesses, and have a chance to be heard. it also provides due process to the president of the united states, and, again, in every

modern impeachment inquiry the president has been given an opportunity to be heard in some form or another. this is necessary in order to ensure that the american people have confidence in the procedures the house is following. it is also necessary not because of the president's inappropriate and reckless words or deserving of defense, but because the presidency itself demands due process and the impeachment proceedings. unfortunately the majority has chosen to race to the floor with a new article of impeachment, forgoing any investigation, any committee process, or any chance for members to fully contemplate this course of action before proceeding. professor jonathan turley is correct when he called this a, quote, dangerous snap impeachment. impeachment that effectively would go to a vote without the deliberation or inqriesf arg. prof that, quote, the damage caused

by the rioters this week was enormous. however, it will pale in comparison to the damage from a new precedent of a snap impeachment, unquote. the majority's failing to provide the house with an opportunity to review all the facts, which are still coming to light. to discuss all the evidence, to listen to scholars, to examine the witnesses and to consider precedence. this is not the type of robust process we have followed for every modern impeachment. and the failure to do so does a great disservice to the institution, and to this country. mr. speaker, i can think of nothing that will cause further division more than the path the majority is now taking. rather than looking ahead to a new administration, a majority is again seeking to settle scores against the old one. rather than seeking to heal america, they're seeking to divide us more deeply. and rather than following the appropriate processes the house

used in every modern impeachment, majority is rushing to the floor, tripping all over themselves and their rush to impeach the president a second time. what is worse, though the majority seems to believe this course of action is self-evident, and that's simply not the case. i have to tell them it is not. members that have reviewed the same conduct have come to dramatically different conclusions. legal scholars like professor turley and professor alan dershowitz, both of whom condemned the president's statements, believe his statements are not impeachable. i know other scholars have different points of view. given this difference of opinion, shouldn't we have a better process than this? shouldn't we have a chance to examine witnesses, discuss the matter with legal scholars and consider this in committee? on a matter as grave and consequential as impeachment, shouldn't we follow the same process we have used in every modern impeachment rather than rushing to the floor?

on behalf of generations of americans to come, we need to think more clearly about the consequences of our actions today. the fact of the matter is, mr. speaker, there is no reason to rush forward like this. other than the very obvious fact that there are only seven days left until the new president takes office. what is worse, as professor dershowitz pointed out, because of this senate's rules, the case cannot come to trial in the senate until 1:00 p.m. on january 20th. one hour after president trump leaves office. this is an ill advised course in my opinion, mr. speaker, even senator joe manchin, a democrat, agrees. senator manchin is quoted this week as having said, quote, i think this is so ill advised for joe biden to be coming in, trying to heal the country, trying to be the president of all the people, when we're going to be so divided and fighting again. let the judicial system do its job. unquote. so what then is the point of the

rush to impeach? we're coming off a horrific event, that resulted in six deaths. we have an opportunity to move forward, but we cannot if the majority insists on bringing the tu country through the trauma of another impeachment. it will carry forward into the president's next term, ensuring he will struggle to organize his administration. which worse, it will continue to generate the bitterness so many of us have opposed. why put us through that when we can't actually resolve this before the end of the president's term? mr. speaker, i think my colleagues in the majority need to think about this more soberly. we need to recognize we are following a flawed process. we need to recognize that people of goodwill can differ. we need to recognize that while the house may be done with this matter after today's vote, it will not be done for the country, it will not be done for the senate, and it will not be done for the incoming biden administration.

the house's action today will only extend the division longer than necessary. finally, mr. speaker, i would note there are other remedies that can be pursued. the president is expected to face litigation over his role in last wednesday's events. there will be criminal proceedings against the perpetrators, and i hope all of those who stormed the capitol will be brought to justice. and some members have proposed an alternative procedure, censuring the president, which could garner significant bipartisan support in the house. i do not think impeachment is a wise course, mr. speaker. i would urge my friends in the majority to reconsider, there is still time to choose a different path, one that leads to reconciliation and hope for a better and bright are days. with that, i urge opposition to the rule, and i reserve the balance of my time. >> gentleman from oklahoma reserves. >> opening arguments on the rules to set the terms for this debate today on the impeachment of president trump. you saw two senior members of the house, democrat and republican, the differences are

stark right here. you heard the democrat say this is a crime scene, we are reporting from a crime scene that was created by the president of the united states saying there is no way the congress can move forward without moving to impeach president trump. you heard the argument there from tom cole, the senior republican, no personal defense of the president calling this a sad day for all of us. even calling last week's events the darkest days of his terms in congress. saying the president needs due process, he can't get that with a rush, a snap impeachment. and then a strong political defense there is aing if the democrats move forward, it would divide the country. i want to bring in our legal team, i'll start with you right there. it was striking, there are no personal defense of the president, a procedural argument there from the house republicans. >> right, and that's very different than what we heard from the first impeachment proceeding. there was this outrage that this was even happening. questions about pure politics,

here you have a recognition that something bad happened. that there will be a accountability, but this isn't the right venue. it is basically the argument there. that may end up being a sort of successful argument in the senate when it comes to conviction. but with regard to the american public, it is nowhere near as persuasive as suggesting that this is all a fraud. this never should have been brought. this never should have happened. there is nothing there. that's not what they're saying here. what they're saying is this isn't the right way to do it. and that's a very different type of argument. >> thank you, dan. there will be questions of whether you can actually try the president after he leaves office. >> that's right. those questions have been raised in an op-ed by mike ludig and others too. there is no clear cut constitutional answer to the question of whether you can try a president in the senate after the end of the president's term.

we never tried to do it. there is precedent for a post departure trial of other federal officials. and there is actually substantial evidence around the drafting of the constitution that the founders were very familiar with, post departure or post government service impeachment and trial. i think there are arguments in both directions. i think the arguments are stronger that it is permissible. and one additional issue, would a court ever even decide if president trump were to face trial after january 20th, and seek to challenge that in a supreme court, the supreme court said that impeachment is in the control of congress, it is not for the court to decide what permissible impeachment procedures look like, so i'm very skeptical that the supreme court would resolve this question at all. to be honest, if the senate wants to try him after january 20th, i think it has the constitutional power to do that. >> kate shaw, thank you. it is clear the republican party is saying he's leaving already,

let's not pile on. >> representative cole said this is going to divide the country further in the final days of president trump's time in office. but we heard from the democrats and we knew this from the select few who wrote this article of impeachment, while still hunkered down in the capitol. they state president trump's own words with the hope this would bring some republicans into this argument with them and we heard it this morning from congressman mcgovern, you will never be able to take back our country with weakness, vice president pence is going to have to do the right thing, they draw the connection to moments later hearing rioters chanting hang mike pence, the text messages to families, those who thought they weren't going to survive this insurrection at the capitol. he said these were not protesters, these were domestic terrorists acting on the orders of donald trump and that's what we're going to hear this afternoon. >> and linsey davis, the question will be how many republicans stay unified behind this argument of due process of dividing the country. >> the partisan division was still clear, as evident as it

has ever been, it seems like you have on one side this is about healing, on the other, it is about accountability, one side, this is about a protest, on the other side, this is about insurrecti insurrection. while so many of us have those images seered in our minds of the breaching of the capitol and the breaking of the glass, it was a nice moment to hear from the congressman, personalizing it as far as text messages, i love you to the family members and at this point, you know, whatever happens, it will be a historic, the outcome. the idea that it is profound this is all playing out, this debate is taking place as it was stated today at the scene of the crime. >> and the possibility that there could be an impeachment trial just an hour after joe biden is inaugurated president of the united states next week. back to rachel scott on capitol hill. give us an idea of how this day is going to go now, they're debating the rule, that will be followed by the actual debate on the impeachment resolution. >> that's right, george. this initial debate and then procedural votes and right around lunch time, we are going to see them start to debate the

actual article of impeachment, we expect that to last for about two hours and that will be followed by the actual vote. as we know, if this is successful, president trump will be impeached for a second time. big questions here on just how soon those -- that article of impeachment will get over to the senate, we know democrats are signaling they're looking to fast track this, and, george, i have to say, i walked through the halls of congress, i saw national guard taking naps here right in the halls of congress, there is a massive law enforcement presence here on the scene. something we just didn't see a week ago, george. >> they cannot get caught flat footed again. thank you very much. our coverage of the rules committee proceedings, rules hearing is going to continue on abc news live. on the network, we'll go back to regular programming. but we'll be coming back on when they begin to debate the impeachment resolution itself as rachel said. that's likely to be around lunch time. we'll be back for that. have a good morning. lunchtime. we'll be back for that.chtime. have a good morning.

>> this has been a special report from abc news. that was abc news with a special report with the house of representatives there debating the impeachment rules, hearing from both parties and it was a very stark difference, you hear democrats saying that basically they're debating at a crime scene, and that the president has to be held accountable for this. and top republicans there in the rules committee saying this is not the way to do it, the president deserves due process, this is a snap impeachment. we're seeing the arguments that both sides are making here. >> yes, and you heard that there are five republicans that have said they could vote in favor of impeachment, but you also heard from abc reporting that it could be actually much higher than that. perhaps as many as 15 or also seeing members of the senate possibly going in that direction as well with lindsey graham indicating he may support impeachment. that vote, today, is what we're going to be looking at closely to see what the numbers are and specifically how many

republicans have jumped ship over to favoring impeachment. and, again, this is the first time we have seen a president impeached twice. and just a reminder that if the house does vote for impeachment, that means president trump has been impeached. it does not mean that he would be removed. it would have to go to the senate for that process to begin. mo california phones offers free specialized phones... like cordless phones. - ( phone ringing ) - big button, and volume-enhanced phones. get details on this state program. visit right now or call during business hours.

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gold bond champion your skin now california phones offers free devices and accessories bond for your mobile phone. like this device to increase volume on your cell phone. - ( phone ringing ) - get details on this state program visit right now or call during business hours. welcome back, everyone. we're monitoring the impeachment hearing that is happening right now. we're going to take you there live on capitol hill and you can also stream this right now at abc7news.com. now to covid-19 information, another new mass vaccination site is opening today to get the bay area their shots as quickly as possible. shots will be administered at a drive through site at the sonoma county fair grounds. cow palace is in talks with san mateo county and college of san mateo is urging approval of a vaccination site to be used as

early as next week. our i-team dug through state data to find the backlog is actually getting slightly worse. only 26% of available vaccine doses have been used, that's down from 31%. there is some good news, our team prompted t state and local counties to recruit nursing students who have been ready and trained to give shots. we asked the governor on monday if he would allow them to administer shots state wide. >> yeah. enthusiastically so. our fire agencies and our nursing schools will be essential. >> nursing colleges say they want to see an actual plan in place. for now nursing students are being allowed to administer shots at the county level. oftentimes the red cross is

urging you to make an appointment today so you can donate in the next few weeks at your convenience. jobina explains why donations are needed now more than ever. jobina? >> thank you, kumasi. the red cross tells me the number one reason why people do not donate blood is because they weren't asked. so today we are asking and putting a special call out to our black and latinx community members and anyone that has fully recovered from covid-19. >> the need for blood is constant. that's a saying we always had pre-covid and holds true today. >> reporter: justin miller is the regional executive for donor services of the red cross. he said pre-covid 19, 20% of the blood drives were at colleges and high schools. distance learning ended that. >> a lot of the schools have the very diverse donor base that now is unable to donate at their schools. why that's so important is when you look at sickle cell disease and the reality is that sickle cell disease really impacts folks in the black community and

the latinx community. >> it is an inherited red blood cell disorder. s complitions fr high risk o coronavirus infection. >> this is the time to take care of one another. >> we don't have donors coming out that are from those communities, we're not able to get to those really type specific products to the patients that have the needs. >> reporter: understandably some are weary of giving blood during the pandemic. miller says blood drives look much different right now. temperature checks, face masks, social distancing, and prescreenings are required. plus, in walk-ins. all in the interest of >> you'll need folks to make the appointments in the upcoming days, the upcoming weeks and the upcoming months, the need is not going away. >> reporter: all blood products are tested for covid-19 antibodies in hopes the plasma can be used for coronavirus treatment. if you need another inspiring reason to give, just listen to someone like melissa mayorcas.

things were stable, but at the beginning of the pandemic, parker's heart started to give out. >> he was having some very dangerous arrhythmias, his heart was failing rapidly. >> reporter: over the course of 95 days at the hospital, she says parker received 33 units of blood. >> 33, each one of these red beads know ta notates a time he blood. >> reporter: parker finally got a new heart last halloween. this is him holding his old heart. scarred and enlarged. the journey here was a physical and emotional one for the family. they are blood donors, and hope you will consider being one too. >> you can absolutely change the life of somebody else. >> our blood drive starts today, and you can give when and where it is convenient for you. you can check availability and

sign up at abc7news.com. >> thank you, jobina. new this morning, president-elect joe biden announced ambassador samantha power as his nominee for administrator for united states agency for international development. the position is now elevated to become part of the national security council. power served in the obama administration from 2013 to 2017 as the 28th u.s. permanent representative to the u.n. after calls for her to resign, senator dianne feinstein has filed initial paperwork to run for re-election in 2024. if the 87-year-old california senator were to run, she would be 91 by the 2024ovbe last month, liberal commentators called for her retire, that included uc ir pro rick hasten w la mtheinstein tolth l.a. tot feel her diminished. now to your morning money report, mayor london breed says relief for small san francisco

businesses is on the way. in the form of $62 million. the mayor says the program targets businesses that are located in high need neighborhoods and operated by people who have had less success accessing existing programs. that includes businesses owned by women and people of color. the relief plan still requires aproval from the board of supervisors. and we are awaiting first trade for san francisco based affirm. the founder and ceo rang the nasdaq opening bell alongside the company's team in a virtual bell ringing ceremony. this is the first tech ipo of 2021. its initial public offering is priced at $49 a share and this gives the payment technology company a $12 billion market value. affirm provides loans to online

shoppers, allowing them to pay for purchases in installments. now let's look at the new york stock exchange, trading gets under way this morning. you see we're down now slightly about 3 points. russian river brewing is going to be available for you to buy online later this month. the annual brew usually creates really long lines outside the brewery in santa rosa and windsor. that will not be the case this year because of the pandemic. in a new instagram post, the brewing company announced presales will start online in two weeks on january 28th at 11:00 a.m. i guess this is one good thing. you don't have to sit in that line, that line was serious. >> it was. i always got the feeling they were having fun. i don't know. >> maybe. >> like the same group every year. it is almost like, you know, a pilgrimage, if you will. it is usually in the 20s or 30s when they're out there in the

morning. so they'll save them from freezing too. hi, everybody. the south bay sunrise almost as spectacular as yesterday. just not as many clouds and it is a little more pink. yesterday was a little more orange. nonetheless, enjoy that view. so some morning sprinkles possible. especially across the north bay, we had some measurable rain down to about 400 feet, couple hundredths of an inch. afternoon mix of sunshine and clouds, warming trend begins this afternoon. king tides and rough surf, this round ends today and warmer than average lows and highs through at least sunday. here is a look at today's temperatures. you see a lotf alghe ans. we have t rgh wh to . stay o the rocks, the anou on leashes. let's talk about what is going to happen tonight. sloogt slightly cooler, a little more fog than what we're dealing with this morning. the high clouds won't be around

nearly as much as they are right now. keeping the fog at bay. see that area of high pressure off the baja, notice the clouds just to the west, northwest of that. notice how they're boeing bowin more. it will aid in the warming trend. we have a slight cooling trend for friday. temperatures still above average and warmest days will be saturday and especially sunday. that's when we'll make our best run at some record high temperatures. lows will fall back to the 30s monday and tuesday. that's why the highs won't be as warm in the afternoon hours. have a good day. >> thank you, mike. crab season is finally here. the fishing boats returning from the morning with the first catch of the season. that means you can have fresh crab on the dinner table tonight. they got a late start this year due to a price disagreement between the fishermen and wholesale buyers. look at this, this was quite a beautiful sight off the coastin

released this video of a baby grey whale, migrating south wit the warm waters off the protected lagoons in baja, california. sometimes moms give birth along the way and they believe this is what happened in this case. in the east bay, some hard hit arts programs are finally getting some good news. $900,000 in federal covid-19 funds is being split between 157 different groups in alameda county. so this is going to help everything from the berkeley symphony and livemore shakespeare festival to the pinball museum in alameda. >> there is all of these unique creative and just extremely important aspects of our arts and cultural community we were able to give funding to. i'm glad we were able to support them during this challenging time. >> each group received an amount based on their size.

>> a new season of the conners premieres tonight on abc. sara gilbert says returning to the set as coronavirus rages in southern california was not an easy cull. >> i would say we feel safe, but not too safe. >> she says a lot of safety measures are in place for production of the show and you can watch the conners premiere tonight at 9:00 here on abc 7. new this morning, emmy and academy award winning actress regina king is getting awards buzz for her work behind the camera. >> we have to be there for each other. ♪ >> that is part of the clip from the trailer from first film called "one night in miami." the film is earning rave reviews and there is talk that it could even be nominated for an oscar. that would make her the first woman of color to be nominated for a best director oscar. regina king is live on gma

talking about her directorial debut and what made her start is is a cing at 7:00 er career. right here on abc 7. look how everybody, the lighting, just, everybody. >> i don't want to put too much pressure on her. because she would be the first person to be nominated for a best director after already winning a best actor category. so -- but, again, regina, not trying to put too much pressure on you, i've been watching you since southland, such a good show. did you watch that? >> i didn't watch that. >> it was good. so i'm just really rooting for her. i don't know who she is going to be up against. >> let's just claim it for her. >> it is done. regina, come on "midday live". coming up next, seven things you need to know today. >> abc 7 launched a new

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it is 6:58. here are seven things to know this morning. number one, the house of representatives has started impeachment proceedings against president trump. if they vote to impeach, as expected, he would become the only president in u.s. history to be impeached twice. >> number two, bay area congressman eric swalwell is one of nine lawmakers preparing to lead the impeachment, in charge of presenting and arguing the case. >> number three, major security preparations are under way in washington, d.c. ahead of inauguration day. the national guard, police, federal agents, all implementing street closures, fences with razor wire and barricades. >> number four, sonoma county will begin mass vaccinations at the countyhare partri witth cntye

trend begins today, look where it leads us. temperatures up to 15 degrees above average, a touch of spring, look at the south bay, 70s tomorrow through at least monday. >> number six, taking a live look right now at the bay bridge toll plaza, unlike yesterday, we do not have mitering lights on and it is very clear there. >> and number seven, a combined $1.3 billion will be up for grabs in powerball and mega millions in the next few days. tonight's powerball jackpot is $550 million. and friday night's mega millions jk pot has million. >> there's that. >> i don't even -- >> i didn't win with my one ticket. >> you got one ticket. >> $2 in my wallet.

>> "gma" continues now. > go, america. impeachment showdown. president trump on the verge of being impeached for an unprecedented second time after inciting the insurrection on capitol hill. overnight vice president pence declines to invoke the 25th amendment. now the house just hours away from voting as the president's support among republicans crumbles. the president showing no moakg respsifirst public appearance since the siege. razor wire and barricades going up in the nation's capitol. plans for 10,000 to 15,000 national guard members to be armed and on patrol for the inauguration. as new intelligence points to thousands of angry pro-trump faout. coming to the explicit new details from the fbi that were sent the day before the siege on capitol hill. warning extremists headed to