Good morning!

Here’s your Daily News for Monday, January 11.

 

1. Learning more about the Capitol riot and the rioters

• We are learning more about the nature of the assault on the U.S. Capitol Wednesday and the motivations of those who participated.
• Have you been told the attack was actually perpetrated by a bunch of Antifa thugs dressed as Trump supporters? Well, that’s not true, according to the FBI.
• More than 120 people have now been arrested and charged with crimes, and the FBI has vowed to bring additional charges against those who carried out the attack, launching a nationwide manhunt for dozens more suspects identified from photographic evidence.
• In the immediate wake of the attack, some attempted to blame the violence on left-wing Antifa thugs rather than supporters of President Donald Trump. Among them were Alabama Congressman Mo Brooks and Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz.
• “If the reports are true,” Gaetz said on the House floor just hours after the attack, “some of the people who breached the Capitol today were not Trump supporters. They were masquerading as Trump supporters and, in fact, were members of the violent terrorist group Antifa.”
• Steven D’Antuono, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington field office, told reporters that investigators had seen “no indication” Antifa activists were disguised as Trump supporters in Wednesday’s riot.
• A Washington Times article that was the basis for many of these claims has been removed from its website.
• Many of the rioters had taken to social media after the November election to claim the vote had been stolen in a vast international conspiracy. Several had openly threatened violence against Democrats and Republicans they considered insufficiently loyal to the president. During the riot, some livestreamed and posted photos of themselves at the Capitol. Afterwards, many bragged about what they had done.
• Among them was Lonnie Leroy Coffman, 70, an Alabama grandfather who drove to Washington to attend Trump’s “Save America Rally” in a red GMC Sierra pickup packed with an M4 assault rifle, multiple loaded magazines, three handguns and 11 Mason jars filled with homemade napalm, according to court filings. He was arrested carrying a 9mm Smith & Wesson handgun and a .22-caliber derringer pistol in his pockets.
• Read more about who perpetrated the attack HERE.
• Read more about the nature of the attack itself, along with newly-released video, HERE.

 

2. Pelosi attempts to move forward with impeachment

• There are only nine days remaining in President Donald Trump’s term.
• Nevertheless, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is pushing to remove the president from office and says the House of Representatives could move forward with articles as soon as today.
• The Senate, not currently in session, is still controlled by Republicans at the moment and would be required to try the impeachment and have two thirds majority to convict – a very unlikely scenario in ten days.
• In fact, Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has said an impeachment trial could not begin under the current calendar before Inauguration Day, Jan. 20.
• So why attempt to go ahead with the effort?
• It may be less about removing Trump from office and more about attempting to keep him from holding it again.
• Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution provides that among the sanctions for an impeached person include removal from office and potentially barring that person from “any office of honor, trust or profit under the United States.”
• But, no one has ever been impeached after having already left office, so this would be new constitutional territory.
• Read the latest from inside Congress HERE.

 

 

3. Lawmaker: Local school boards need say in extended school closures

• A north Alabama lawmaker wants local school boards, not just superintendents, to have decision-making power if schools need to be closed to in-person learning for more than a week in emergency situations.
• Rep. Jamie Kiel’s proposed legislation, which he plans to file early next month, would allow superintendents to close their local schools and establish online instruction in lieu of in-person class for up to five consecutive days. Continued closure would require approval of the board.
• Currently, a superintendent alone can close a system to in-person classes for an extended period of time, as Colbert County residents learned in November.
• On Nov. 12, then-Colbert County Superintendent Gayle Satchel cited increased COVID-19 cases when she dismissed in-person learning and closed the schools to extracurricular activities until Jan. 5.
• Keil, a Republican from Russelville, says one person shouldn’t be able to make that decision and his bill would apply statewide.
• “We’ve always known that the superintendent could call off schools emergencies, for instance if there’s an ice storm or a tornado, or some kind of other natural disaster, we knew that the superintendent had that power,” Kiel told Alabama Daily News. “But I don’t think anybody ever anticipated that the superintendent would be able to call off school or close facilities for an extended amount of time without someone’s approval or without working with someone else.”
• Full story from Mary Sell HERE.

 

 

4. New multi-state agronomy venture based in Decatur

 

• GreenPoint Ag, an agriculture supplier formed by the merger of three existing businesses, now operates 99 retail and wholesale locations in 10 states and is based in Decatur.
• GreenPoint Ag provides farms and rural businesses with seed, crop nutrients, crop protection and professional turf care products and offers several services, including consulting and soil and tissue sampling. It is owned by three parent company cooperatives, including Alabama Farmers Cooperative, also based in Decatur. Tennessee Farmers Cooperative and WinField United are the others.
• Jeff Blair, president and CEO, said the combining of operations into GreenPoint Ag creates a more efficient company and could drive better pricing for the farmers it serves.
• “From our perspective, we say we’re in the farmer success business,” Blair told Alabama Daily News said. “Our ultimate goal is to help the farmer get better and do better at what they do, because anybody in the agricultural chain knows if the farmer is not making any money and not winning, nobody else in the chain is gonna win.”
• The joint venture, announced last year, combines existing wholesale and retail business, and makes GreenPoint Ag one of the top wholesale and retail agronomy companies with more than $1 billion in annual sales.
• Read more from Mary Sell HERE.

 

 

5. Bama goes for 6th national title under Saban

• The first Nick Saban-coached Alabama team to win a national championship came in 2009 and is still the only Alabama team to finish unbeaten under Saban in 14 seasons of unprecedented dominance.
• The 2011 national champions had maybe the greatest defense of college football’s modern era of high-powered offenses. The current Crimson Tide team has one of the most prolific and talented offenses in the history of the sport.
• “Every team is different. Every team has its own personality,” Saban said Sunday. “But it’s hard to compare teams.”
• The top-ranked Tide (12-0) are set to face No. 3 Ohio State (7-0) tonight for the College Football Playoff championship in search of their sixth national title with Saban as coach.
• The final game of this taxing and strange season played through the coronavirus pandemic is on schedule to take place at Hard Rock Stadium, home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, as planned. Because of COVID-19, which caused the postponement or cancelation of nearly 130 games, nothing has been guaranteed this season.
• Read more about the game HERE.

 

 

Headlines

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Records show fervent Trump fans fueled US Capitol takeover

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Capitol assault a more sinister attack than first appeared

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Pelosi says House will impeach Trump

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Lawmaker: Local school boards need say in extended school closures

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – New multi-state agronomy venture based in Decatur

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – No. 1 Alabama looking for 6th title under Saban vs. Ohio St

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Alabama AG asks review of his GOP group’s rally involvement

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Technology, safety upgrades to State House in time for legislative session

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Ivey: Brooks ‘does not speak’ for all Republicans, Alabamians

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Alabamians 75 and older, first responders to receive COVID-19 vaccine

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Daily News Digest – January 10, 2021

 

AL.COM – Alabama Republicans not blaming Trump for actions of supporters who stormed Capitol

 

AL.COM – Rep. Barry Moore deletes Twitter account after suspension, controversial Capitol riot tweets

 

AL.COM – Ivey orders flags lowered in honor of fallen Capitol Police officers

 

AL.COM – Contributor Sanjay Singh: Beacon of hope shines bright on Birmingham

 

AL.COM – Bishop Glenda Curry installed as head of Episcopal Diocese of Alabama

 

AL.COM – COVID delays trial of Alabama sheriff facing theft, ethics charges

 

AL.COM – Medical marijuana proposals eyed in Alabama, Kentucky, South Carolina

 

Montgomery Advertiser – Tracy Larkin never left Montgomery but changed lives across the nation

 

Montgomery Advertiser – Alabama man among those arrested in U.S. Capitol riot; faces gun, ammo charges

 

Montgomery Advertiser – Steve Marshall: Dark money group’s involvement in pro-Trump rally was unauthorized

 

Tuscaloosa News – GARY COSBY JR.: Insurrection of the deceived causes chaos at the Capitol

 

Tuscaloosa News – Tuscaloosa City Council District 1 candidate emerges as incumbent steps aside

 

Tuscaloosa News – Tuscaloosa civic leader Jerry Belk dies at age 88

 

Decatur Daily – Limestone County schools delayed 2 hours Monday; state preparing roads for 

 

Decatur Daily – Morgan County Schools on two-hour delay Monday

 

Decatur Daily – Title game legacy: Hatton family continues tradition of watching Alabama play for championships

 

Times Daily – Arts center calling for youth art entries

 

Times Daily – Empty Table Fund climbing toward $60K mark

 

Times Daily – Muscle Shoals approves multi-jurisdictional hazard mitigation plan

 

Anniston Star – Power bill assistance available from Project SHARE in winter months

 

Anniston Star – Cheaha visitors enjoy a dusting of mountaintop snow

 

Anniston Star – Power bill assistance available from Project SHARE in winter months

 

YellowHammer News – Junior League to host virtual Anti-Human Trafficking Awareness Month series

 

YellowHammer News – UAB becomes nation’s first health-promoting university

 

YellowHammer News – Hospitals strained as Alabama sets record high of COVID-19 patients

 

Gadsden Times – Gadsden Airport Authority to meet Friday

 

Gadsden Times – Mayors’ roundtable: Could county benefit from comprehensive plan?

 

Gadsden Times – Construction of JSU’s new Merrill Hall passes halfway point

 

Dothan Eagle – Love ’em or hate ’em, orange barrels on Dothan’s thoroughfares are mainstays of growth

 

Dothan Eagle – United Way Wednesday: Nonprofit works to finish strong during tough fundraising year

 

Dothan Eagle – Pelosi says House will impeach Trump, pushes VP to oust him

 

Opelika-Auburn News – Citizens prepare to fight proposed granite quarry

 

Opelika-Auburn News – Capitol assault a more sinister attack than first appeared

 

Opelika-Auburn News – Biden faces challenge in guiding America past Trump era

 

WSFA Montgomery – Gov. Ivey directs flags lowered for US Capitol police officers

 

WSFA Montgomery – Woman killed in single-vehicle crash in Lowndes County

 

WSFA Montgomery – Could some see a wintry mix tonight/tomorrow morning?

 

WAFF Huntsville – Albertville activist group put up billboard, protest for removal of confederate flag and monument

 

WAFF Huntsville – Schools delay two hours on Monday due to the possibility of snow

 

WAFF Huntsville – U.S. Rep. Moore suspended from Twitter, deactivates personal account

 

WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – UAB doctor talks myths behind COVID-19 vaccine

 

WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – Unsung Heroes of the pandemic: Environmental Services

 

WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – Schools and colleges announce closings and delays ahead of winter weather advisory

 

WKRG Mobile – Two dead after head-on collison late Friday night

 

WKRG Mobile – Pensacola woman dies in early morning crash Sunday

 

WKRG Mobile – COVID-19 Vaccine Appointment Calls Overwhelm Alabama Hospitals

 

WTVY Dothan – Gov. Ivey directs flags lowered for US Capitol police officers

 

WTVY Dothan – Like Trump, Representative Barry Moore is off Twitter

 

WTVY Dothan – COVID-19 in Alabama: 2,286 new confirmed cases on Sunday

 

WASHINGTON POST – Outgoing Capitol Police chief: House, Senate security officials hamstrung efforts to call in National Guard

 

WASHINGTON POST – Pelosi moves ahead with efforts for Trump’s removal as Democrats split on how hard to push for impeachment

 

WASHINGTON POST – As Trump leaves office weakened, Republicans wonder if his wounds are fatal

 

NEW YORK TIMES – Inside a Deadly Siege: How a String of Failures Led to a Dark Day at the Capitol

 

NEW YORK TIMES – How Parler, a Chosen App of Trump Fans, Became a Test of Free Speech

 

NEW YORK TIMES – The Art of the Lie? The Bigger the Better

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL – House to Move to Impeach Trump After Push to Have Pence Remove Him From Office

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL – Twitter, Facebook and Others Silenced Trump. Now They Learn What’s Next.

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL – Markets Rally Highlights Bets on Recovery

 

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