10 Things to Know About January 6, 2021 🏛️
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Season 2: Episode 54 Description
In today's episode: 🏛️ Host Bethany Van Delft reflects on what exactly happened in Washington D.C. one year ago on January 6, 2021. But, what's happened since? 🔟 Correspondent Pamela Kirkland shares 10 things we need to know about the storming of the U.S. Capitol. And, test your knowledge of Democracy on today's Trivia on the Ten. ✅
Sources:
The 2020 Presidential Election/Provisions of the Constitution and U.S. Code (archives.gov)
Warnings of Jan. 6 violence preceded the Capitol riot - Washington Post
How Many Died as a Result of Capitol Riot? - FactCheck.org
Social Media Effects: Hijacking Democracy and Civility in Civic Engagement (nih.gov)
“Misinformation” vs. “Disinformation”: Get Informed On The Difference - Dictionary.com
democracy - Features of ideal democracy | Britannica
direct democracy | Definition, History, & Facts | Britannica
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TRANSCRIPT:
Bethany Van Delft 0:02
One year ago today violence shook Washington DC.
Sound Bit 0:06
Breaking News Tonight the deadly seize on Congress as an angry pro-Trump mob stormed the US Capitol. A stunning scene at the heart of American democracy, what happened and why? And what's next? Today, we're talking about the US Capitol insurrection one year later. I'm Bethany Van Delft. It's Thursday, January 6th, and this is the Ten News.
Various Voices 0:32
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Bethany Van Delft 0:39
It's been one year since Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol in one of the scariest days for American democracy. Let's get caught up on what exactly happened on January 6, 2021. It was the day that the results from the 2020 presidential election were about to be certified by the US Congress, a normal step in the election process but nothing about this election was normal. Ever since President Biden won the popular vote and the electoral college votes on Election Day. Former President Donald Trump claims that he had won the 2020 presidential election, which is not true. Many of his supporters believed him though and followed his instructions together in Washington on January 6, 2021, to protest congress officially accepting the election results. In the days leading up to January 6th, hundreds of experts warned that Trump supporters were talking about bringing guns to DC. Unfortunately, the FBI ignored these experts and what some thought would simply be a large protest turned into an insurrection, a violent uprising against the government. Trump's supporters smash their way through Capitol police barricades and into the Capitol building. Members of Congress and then Vice President Pence were evacuated thanks to the quick thinking of Capitol Police and congressional security. Lawmakers staff even, Trump's kids, asked them to tell the insurrectionists to stop and he finally did three hours after the violence began. The National Guard arrived in Washington almost five hours after the attack began. And at 8 pm, seven hours after the violence started, the Capitol was secured but not without casualties. Four people died during the violence including, one Capitol police officer, and in the days and weeks following a further five people died from their injuries, believing that democracy needed to continue even in the face of threats. Congress members went back into the building to finish certifying the election results Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be the President and the Vice President according to the ballots that have been given to us. They declared Joe Biden president at 3 AM. So, what's happened since? Ten News correspondent Pamela Kirkland is here with 10 things to know.
Pamela Kirkland 3:13
Number one, what happened to all the people who were at the Capitol on January 6? More than 725 people have been charged for crimes that happened during the insurrection. That means federal authorities have identified them as being at the Capitol, and the government told them what official crimes they were being accused of committing. Number two, in addition to the lives lost that day, the attack caused about $1.5 million worth of damage to the Capitol building itself. That's according to the Architect of the Capitol. Their office is responsible for taking care of the Capitol and the grounds around it. Aw, man. Number three, the FBI's main goal since last year has been to take a look at the videos of what happened and identify everyone involved. And even with all of those rioters who were already charged, the FBI is still identifying suspects in the case and is collecting tips. For some of the rioters who've been charged, it was friends and family who tipped off authorities through social media posts, showing them at the capitol that gave them away. Number four, meanwhile, some members of the United States Congress are also taking a look at videos from that day, the US House of Representatives voted to form the January 6th Committee to investigate what happened and how the insurrection was planned. It's about time. Number five, there is a reason that we have a committee in Congress instead of a commission. So what's the difference? In February, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi proposed Congress form a commission to investigate. A commission is independent of Congress and can be made up of both members of Congress and experts. This commission would have been made up of an equal number of both Democrats and Republicans, but they couldn't get enough Republicans in the Senate on board with the plan. The commission would have been asked to put together a fair or neutral report on what happened. So instead, the house January 6th Committee was formed made up of mostly Democrats. Okay. Number six, is there a difference in what a committee can do versus a commission? While a commission is independent, it would make recommendations and report them to Congress. But that's really all they can do. A committee can also make recommendations, but a committee made up of mostly Democrats is going to have a hard time getting Republicans to take those recommendations seriously. Bummer. Number seven, former President Donald Trump's role in the days and hours leading up to the January 6th attack is a big focus of the Congressional investigation. But, Trump is also trying to stop the committee from being able to see documents from his time in the White House that might give more information about the Capitol riot. He's claiming something called executive privilege. Executive privilege is the right of the President of the United States to keep certain information secret under certain circumstances. Number eight, other key members of former President Trump's administration are also being questioned about what the White House knew. Former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark, and former adviser Steve Bannon have all refused to tell the committee what they know. Although Meadows did provide some documents and text messages that showed some of what was happening behind the scenes that day. Well, well, well, number nine, misinformation from Trump that the 2020 election was stolen from him, fueled the capital attack. Those claims also damaged some people's faith in something called election integrity. All that really means is that we as Americans can trust our election results. Oh, geez. Number 10, there's a lot happening around us when it comes to the January 6th investigation. But here's something you can do for democracy. You can learn about what elections are happening and encourage the adults around you to vote and talk about the candidates or policies they're voting for. You can reach out to your elected officials where you live and tell them about issues you care about. And you can do what you're doing right now. And stay informed.
Bethany Van Delft 8:04
That's really helpful info Pamela, but what happens now?
Pamela Kirkland 8:09
Well, Bethany, the January 6th House committee plans to release a report on all of their findings this summer. And while most of their work has happened behind closed doors and been pretty secret in Washington, they plan to hold some public hearings in the next few months.
Bethany Van Delft 8:34
Did you know that social media played a role in the January 6th insurrection? Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter are great tools to spread news and information. Unfortunately, they're also used to spread misinformation and disinformation. What does that mean? Misinformation is false information that spread to others, even if it's accidental, disinformation is spreading rumors and lies on purpose. Trump spread disinformation on social media by lying that he had won the 2020 election, that lie became misinformation spread even further by his supporters. Then using sites like Facebook, groups of Trump supporters planned the attack on the Capitol fueled by the misinformation. Okay, that's bad. While social media can be a great connector when it is used to spread false information. It can be very dangerous. You should always fact-check or verify things that you see online. And it's super important to make sure you're getting information from trustworthy sources. We've put a few helpful suggestions in our show notes for how you can check your sources. Nice.Coming up next...
Various Voices 9:51
What, what, what's the big idea
Bethany Van Delft 9:55
Trivia on the Ten. Today's trivia question is all about democracy. Maybe you've heard there are two types of democracy, direct and representative and as the United States we have a representative democracy. We elect representatives who vote on our behalf. Our elected officials work for us the people. In a direct democracy, there are no representatives, each voter votes on laws and issues directly. Do you know which country had one of the first direct democracies? Is it a) Rome? b) Greece or c) Egypt? Did you guess it? The answer is b) Ancient Greece, especially the Athenian state voted by the assembly, citizens who are allowed to vote themselves voted on important laws. Today, they're still direct democracies. Switzerland's one and even US citizens get to practice direct democracy. When we vote on referendums or propositions. Cool. Don't worry, Ten'ers, you'll be casting your vote in no time. Time's up. But before we go, here's a quick note for the grownups. Thanks for listening to the Ten News. Look out for our new episodes on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and extras on Saturdays. You can always go deeper into today's stories by visiting thetennews.com. The Ten News is a coproduction of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcasts and is distributed by iHeartRadio. The Ten News creative team is reading up for the next election and includes Tracey Crooks, Pete Musto, Andrew Hall, Tessa Flannery, and Nathalie Alonso. Pamela Kirkland contributed to this episode. Our production director is Jeremiah Tittle. And our executive producers are Donald Albright and show creator Tracy Leeds Kaplan. I'm Bethany Van Delft and thank you for listening to the Ten News. Don't forget to check your facts!
