--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Good morning. It's Thursday, January 14th. I'm Duarte Giraldino. And I'm Shamita Basu.
--:-- Shamita Basu: This is Apple News Today. Each morning, hear about some of the most fascinating stories in the news and how the world's best journalists are covering them.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: The House of Representatives impeached President Donald Trump on Wednesday for inciting a violent insurrection against the U.S. government. On this vote, the ayes are 232. The nays are 197. The resolution is adopted without objection. The motion to reconsider is laid upon the table.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Ten Republicans voted to impeach. Nearly all of them did so quietly, but not Representative Dan Newhouse or Jamie Herrera Butler. They spoke on the House floor.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: These articles of impeachment are flawed, but I will not use process as an excuse. There is no excuse for President Trump's actions. My vote to impeach our sitting president is not a fear-based decision. I am not choosing a side. I'm choosing truth. It's the only way to defeat fear.
--:-- Shamita Basu: This is the first time ever in our nation's history that a president has been impeached twice. Only two other presidents have been impeached before. The next step is for the Senate to hold a trial. And Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made it clear yesterday a trial would not start before President-elect Biden is sworn into office, which also means Democrats at that point will control the chamber and the process.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: The concern for that party is that a trial could eat up time senators need to confirm Biden's nominees and pass his agenda into law. The Senate has never held an impeachment trial after a president has left office, but it has been done for other government officials. And as we've mentioned before, if the Senate convicts Trump, they could also bar him from ever holding office again.
--:-- Shamita Basu: After the House voted to impeach, President Trump released a video statement. He didn't mention the impeachment, but he did call on his supporters, many of whom were planning more armed uprisings in the coming days, to stand down.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: I want to be very clear. I unequivocally condemn the violence that we saw last week. Violence and vandalism have absolutely no place in our country and no place in our movement.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The FBI is warning armed uprisings are being planned in all 50 state capitals and Washington D The Washington Post is reporting the nation governors are bracing for the worst.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Minnesota Governor Tim Walz told The Washington Post he and other governors are worried about violence, about ransacked buildings and threats on the lives and safety of state lawmakers.
--:-- Shamita Basu: He says on January 6th, a group of armed protesters gathered outside his governor's mansion. One speaker in that crowd promised there would be casualties. Another said the governor and his family should be taken prisoner. His 14-year-old son had to be evacuated.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Walsh also tells the Post about regular calls where governors talk about how to prepare for the threat. He said they're discussing the longer-term damage done to our country too, and how to convince people to turn away from conspiracy theories, lies.
--:-- Shamita Basu: He thinks that's going to take a long time.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Every day this week, we've learned new details about what it was like to be inside the Capitol building on January 6th as lawmakers continue to process the traumatic events of the day.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez went on Instagram to talk about how she had a close encounter.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: I did not know if I was going to make it to the end of that day alive.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Republican Congressman Mike Gallagher served in Iraq. He was on NBC's Today show.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: You know, I never thought I'd be having a conversation with my staff about how to barricade the doors and what weapons to use and whether I could use the Marine Corps sword I have hanging on the walls of my office as a defensive weapon if the mob came.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The Hill spoke with dozens of lawmakers in the Capitol that day and details what they experienced.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: On the Senate side, Senator Chuck Grassley interrupted debate and called a recess shortly after 2 p.m. At the time, rioters were just minutes away from breaching the Senate chamber.
--:-- Shamita Basu: On the House side, Representative Tom Malinowski remembers hearing banging on the doors, orders to put on gas masks and move to an exit.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: There's this photograph of Representative Ruben Gallego. He's also a Marine who served in Iraq. He's standing on two chairs on the House floor, holding his mask and telling others how to put it on.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Congressman Mondaire Jones tells The Hill he and other lawmakers were instructed be ready to lie down on the floor in the event of gunfire.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: As Capitol Police started evacuating lawmakers Congressman Jason Crowe told The Hill he called his wife just to tell her that he loved her and that he was preparing to either make a stand or fight his way out.
--:-- Shamita Basu: You know, Crowe told MSNBC before the impeachment vote, some lawmakers were already questioning their safety.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: I had a lot of conversations with my Republican colleagues last night. And a couple of them broke down in tears talking to me and saying that they are afraid for their lives if they vote for this impeachment.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Now there's heightened security all around the Capitol. Thousands of National Guard troops are stationed around the perimeter of the building and inside.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Now when lawmakers walk the halls, they have to watch their step. Troops on standby have been sleeping on the marble floors.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Vaccines are on the move. You might know someone who's gotten their shot. It's all very exciting.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: And now you're wondering, how soon after I get a shot can I return to normal life?
--:-- Shamita Basu: Well, a recent article from Vox offers a really good explainer on what you can expect.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: And Vox says realistically, it's best to think about life after a vaccine in three stages.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Stage one. Let's say you and your friends and family are vaccinated. You should feel pretty good about renting a cabin in the woods together and feeling safe about interacting without masks on.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Nothing is 100% safe, but if you avoid people outside your group, you're probably okay.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Stage two, your city or state reaches herd immunity. This will be a big milestone. It'll mean things like indoor dining and movie theaters can open back up again.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: At this point, schools should have no problem going back to in-person learning.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Although Eleanor Murray, a Boston University epidemiologist, tells Vox, you'll probably still be asked to wear a mask until the whole country reaches herd immunity.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Dr. Anthony Fauci says we'll reach national herd immunity when 75 to 85 percent of the population has been vaccinated, which he estimates could be about mid-fall.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And then finally, stage three, global herd immunity and the possibility of open international travel.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Now Vox says this probably is not going to happen until 2022 or later because vaccine access is not equal around the world.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Mary the epidemiologist points out international travel is really going to come down to the question of infection and transmission.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: If it turns out the vaccine does not prevent transmission, that'll slow down restarting international travel.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Check out our show notes page for a link to this Vox guide.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: And if you're listening on the Apple News app, you can find our show notes page by tapping the notification that we sent you.
--:-- Shamita Basu: A pretty complex deal is just cut in the world of basketball.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: It tops all other trades, involves four teams, at least four intriguing players and draft picks all the way into the year 2027.
--:-- Shamita Basu: This epic deal is bringing James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: It also shows just how far a team is willing to go when they think one player is their ticket to winning the title.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Now, Duarte, you know this about me. I'm not a big basketball fan.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: But when I read about this in The Wall Street Journal, I could understand why it's being called a blockbuster mega trade. It's huge. It's complicated, too.
--:-- Shamita Basu: But I'll try to keep it simple. It goes something like this. James Harden is the NBA's former most valuable player.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: And he's been pretty openly unhappy playing for the Houston Rockets.
--:-- Shamita Basu: So the Brooklyn Nets saw this as an opportunity to scoop him up.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: And to get him, it meant giving up a pile of future first-round draft picks, potentially mortgaging their future.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Now to make this deal, the Brooklyn Nets had to give away a key player to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for them sending a player to Houston.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Oh, and the Cleveland Cavaliers got a couple of Nets players too, but don't worry about that detail.
--:-- Shamita Basu: All of this for James Harden.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: And the big question now for the Nets is, will all this wheeling and dealing be worth it?
--:-- Shamita Basu: The Wall Street Journal says it's a big gamble.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: But going all out to get a superstar made all the difference for the Toronto Raptors in 2019 and the L.A. Lakers in 2020.
--:-- Shamita Basu: We'll see if Harden can do it for the Nets.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And while you're there, check out some of our audio stories.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: We'll talk with you again tomorrow.
