The Ten News Explains: The January 6th Hearings🏛️
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Season 2: Special Report
The Ten News Explains: 🤔 Are you wondering about the January 6th hearings that have been in the news lately? 🗳️ It all goes back to January 6th, 2021 when a group of Trump supporters, angry about the election results, stormed the U.S. Capitol. 🏛️ Tune in to today's episode as we take a look back at what happened that day and get the latest update on the public hearings happening now with Correspondent Pamela Kirkland. 🎧 We recommend tuning in to today's episode with a grownup in case you have any questions about the Capitol insurrection.
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TRANSCRIPT:
Bethany Van Delft 0:01
Hey Ryan, you look like you got something on your mind. What's up?
Ryan Willard 0:05
Hey, Bethany. I'm wondering about these January 6th hearings that are always on TV lately. Do you know what's going on?
Bethany Van Delft 0:12
Yes, I do. It all goes back to January 6, 2021, When a group of Trump supporters believing lies that he was spreading about election fraud, stormed the US Capitol. Now, the committee investigating what happened is airing hearings to share what they've learned about that day. You might remember that the Ten News did a special report about the Capitol insurrection.
Ryan Willard 0:34
Oh, yeah, we definitely need to give that a listen so I can catch up.
Bethany Van Delft 0:37
You got it, Ryan. I'm Bethany Van Delft. It's Thursday, June 16th. And this is the Ten News.
Various Voices 0:43
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Bethany Van Delft 0:50
When the attack on the Capitol first happened on January 6, 2021, we were all shocked, scared, and sad. Let's take a listen back to how we, at the time, first talked about the events of that day and a special report we released a few days after. We recommend listening to today's episode with a grown-up just in case you have any questions or concerns about what happened that day. As of this recording, about 80 people have been arrested and tragically five people have died. The rest have almost all come after the fact and not during the riots. Compared to hundreds of arrests during the summer Black Lives Matter protests in DC. The scene at the Capitol was really scary and difficult to watch. For many people. It is very important to know that what happened this week at the Capitol was not a protest and to call it what it is. This was an insurrection a violent uprising against our democracy. But tenors know that no matter which President someone supports, there are election processes and laws in place that safeguard and ensure the will of the people on January 20, we will have a peaceful transfer of power. When Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th President of the United States. DC is not only our nation's capital, it's also home to hundreds of 1,000s of people. Our correspondent Bridget Todd is one of them. Let's get her perspective on being there. And on the damaging effects of misinformation.
Bridget Todd 2:24
So I'm not gonna lie, watching an insurrection unfold in the city where I live was kind of scary. It's not something I ever thought I'd see. Mayor Muriel Bowser asked for support from the National Guard. But, because DC isn't a state, she needed to wait for special authorization from the army. There was a 6pm citywide curfew. So I stayed inside watching everything unfold on the news. My mom called to ask if I was okay. I didn't want her to be worried. But I knew it was important to tell the truth. So that's what I did. Telling the truth matters. And what happened in Washington DC this week is actually a good example of what I mean. The people storming the Capitol thought President Trump won the election because he said it over and over and over again. He said the election was rigged against him on Facebook and Twitter. He said it on the news.
Sound Bit 3:11
Good evening, I'd like to provide the American people with an update on our efforts to protect the integrity of a very important 2020 election. If you count the illegal votes, I easily win. If you count the illegal votes, they can try to steal the election from us.
Bridget Todd 3:33
He said voting machines were rigged. He said votes for him are being destroyed. And that some of the votes for Joe Biden were actually cast by dead people. He talked about it a lot. Just one problem. None of it's true. In fact, there's no evidence of widespread voter fraud period. But that didn't stop his supporters from believing it. When someone spread a story that isn't true without meaning to it's called misinformation. But when someone's spread a story that isn't true, because they're trying to mislead you on purpose. It's called disinformation. Add in social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, where they don't always take down stories that aren't true. And misinformation can spread like wildfire. Studies show that if someone hears an untrue story enough times, eventually they can start to believe it. Disinformation and misinformation can confuse people. It can make them scared and angry. And worse, it can cause dangerous situations like the one in DC. The Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol did it because they believe the election was stolen from President Trump and they were angry. That's why it's so important to really understand what we read on the internet, what we see on TV, and yes, even what we hear in podcasts. Not every story is true. And not every source is one you can trust. So how can you tell? First you can do it I did speak up to the adults in your life, about stories they're seeing online or on television. They can help you figure out what's trustworthy and what's not. If you're not so sure about what you're seeing, you can try to find that same story from another source on Google If a lot of trustworthy sites are reporting the same thing, that's a good time. The most important thing is to not share stories that aren't true. The more misinformation spreads, the more people see it, and the more people believe it. And don't forget, you can always reach out to us here at the Ten if you're having trouble telling a story is true or not, even though I was scared to be in DC when the insurrection started, when it was over, I watched Congress come back to the Capitol late that night, the violent mob couldn't stop the wheels of democracy from turning. I watched them certify the election for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. And I felt proud to be in my city, Washington DC, watching it happen. And that's the honest truth.
Ryan Willard 5:41
A lot has gone down in the year and a half since the January 6th insurrection, which brings us to the public hearings that are happening now. Ten News correspondent Pamela Kirkland is here to help us understand what this all means.
Pamela Kirkland 5:53
Get your popcorn ready. The January 6th committee hearings to investigate the attack on the Capitol and what led up to January 6th, have begun. And they've been interesting to say the least. All the excitement on Capitol Hill has America watching. And let's be honest, congressional hearings are not usually something that is super popular to watch. The first hearing had about 20 million viewers. That's about the number of people who watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade or Sunday night football. So let's break down what's happening now. The January 6th committee said they would hold several public hearings investigating the attack on the Capitol. A hearing is a meeting of Congress usually open to the public, where they receive information or in this case, conduct an investigation. It's like a big research project you do in school. The purpose is for the committee to present unknown facts about January 6th, and show Americans what they found out about the efforts to overturn the election. The idea of these hearings is to go behind the scenes of President Trump's White House and reelection campaign to look into what was happening before the attack and what President Trump had done to encourage it, but it's more than just what was going on at the Capitol. Their goal is to show how President Trump tried to remain President after losing the 2020 election. That's a big constitutional nono. The committee used the hearing to go back to November 4, 2020. Election Night. Former campaign workers and White House advisors said they had told Trump not to say he won, votes were still being counted, and it would be days before a winner was announced. Well, instead of listening to his team, President Trump went on TV at 2:30 in the morning, saying he won the election and that the election was actually being stolen from him. In these hearings, the committee played interviews with people who worked for President Trump at the time to show how he planned to remain in power. The committee showed videos of his daughter Ivanka Trump, who worked in the White House, his former Attorney General Bill Barr, and some of the people closest to the president testifying they knew Trump had really lost the 2020 election, and how even though they told him over and over that he lost, he continued ahead with plans to remain President and ignore voters. They showed the days after the election, Trump started listening to crazy, untrue theories, explaining why he didn't have more votes. One theory was that voting machines were set up to change votes. Another was that German computers were manipulating the election. Those things never happened. But despite it not being true, some Trump supporters believed what the President was saying. What's also scary is that some of the people testifying said President Trump started to believe those lies and make money off of them. Okay, that's bad. It's become known as the big lie. The Big Lie is a big focus for the committee. In the weeks after losing the election, President Trump tried pushing this idea that a lot of people around the country voted legally and that's why he lost. Again, that's not true. And that's why it's called The Big Lie. President Trump called the 2020 election rigged and said it was stolen and that voter fraud or illegally changing the election outcome was the reason Joe Biden won the presidency. The committee is trying to show that present And Trump continuing to push the big lie led to the attack on the Capitol on January 6, it's important to mention that our democracy has systems in place to protect against an election being stolen and that if something went wrong and counting the votes, there's a process to question election results. So what happens next? Well, as the hearings continue, we'll hear from more and more people who had an idea of what President Trump was thinking and how things unfolded in the lead-up to January 6th. What might also happen is the Department of Justice, that's a department responsible for enforcing federal laws will decide whether to take anybody in Trump's inner circle or Trump himself to court.
Bethany Van Delft 10:52
Thanks, Pamela. So, Ryan how’s catching up on the events of January 6th, to help make sense of what's going on now.
Ryan Willard 10:59
Definitely, Bethany. It's good to be reminded of what happened and what it means for all of us here in the USA.
Bethany Van Delft 11:07
That's our show. 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. 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 staying informed and includes Tracey Crooks, Pete Musto, Ryan Willard, Adam Barnard, and Tessa Flannery. 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 Deflt, and thanks for listening to the Ten News. Ten'ers, Don't forget to make sure that news is coming from a trusted source. And of course, always check in with the trusted grownup if you have any questions or you're worried about anything.
