Hey there! It’s Thursday. And there’s a lot of news to get to, so here’s what you need to know today.

1. Calls mount to remove Trump

More and more lawmakers are publicly calling for President Donald Trump to be removed from office for his role in inciting an attempted coup at the U.S. Capitol.

U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois reportedly became the first Republican in Congress to publicly call for invoking the 25th Amendment, which allows the vice president and a majority of cabinet members to remove the president.

“All indications are the president has become unmoored, not just from his duty or even his oath, but from reality itself,” Kinzinger said in a video posted on social media today. [WBEZ]

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer today called on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment. If that doesn’t happen, they say Congress should move forward with impeaching Trump for a second time. [NPR]

The Washington Post this morning reported that senior administration officials have informally discussed removing Trump but there is no concrete plan. [WaPo]

And Republicans who largely enabled Trump are now bailing on him. Several officials, such as the top two national security aides and the deputy chief of staff, have resigned in the last 24 hours.

“He screwed his supporters, he screwed the country and now he’s screwed himself,” a 2016 Trump campaign official told Politico. [Politico]

After Congress finished its electoral vote count early today, Trump for the first time acknowledged his election defeat to Biden and said there will be an orderly transition on Jan. 20. [AP]

Meanwhile, Trump has privately suggested to aides in recent weeks that he wants to pardon himself, something no other president has done, according to The New York Times. The newspaper reports that White House counsel Pat Cipollone warned Trump that he could face legal exposure for yesterday’s riot. [NYT]

2. Lawmakers demand investigation into the Capitol Police’s massive security failure

Several lawmakers are today calling for an investigation into how law enforcement handled yesterday’s attempted coup from pro-Trump extremists.

The U.S. Capitol Police, which is charged with protecting Congress, is specifically facing criticism for apparently not being prepared even though it was well known that thousands of Trump supporters would be in D.C. for protests this week.

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, said “it’s pretty clear that there’s going to be a number of people who are going to be without employment very, very soon because this is an embarrassment both on behalf of the mob, and the president, and the insurrection, and the attempted coup, but also the lack of professional planning and dealing with what we knew was going to occur.” [AP]

Why were authorities slow to react to the Capitol’s breach? The New York Times reports Trump initially “refused and resisted” calls to mobilize the National Guard. Defense administration officials told the newspaper that Pence had to step in and approve the order. [NYT]

Authorities also face criticism for the vastly different way they handled the pro-Trump mob compared to Black Lives Matter protests last year, which officials responded to with tear gas, Tasers and stun grenades. [NPR]

Meanwhile, harrowing stories of what happened inside the Capitol are coming to light.

The Washington Post reports: “Inside the Senate’s secure location, one senior officer ordered a set of underlings to go secure Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), a double amputee who lost both legs while serving in the Iraq War. She was hiding in her office three floors above, fearful of letting anyone in. The senior officer gave specific instructions of what to yell: ‘Senator Duckworth, Senator Klobuchar said come to the door.’ ” [WaPo]

3. Chicago Police union prez defends pro-Trump extremists who stormed the Capitol

John Catanzara, the president of Chicago’s Fraternal Order of Police lodge, said he supports the mob that breached the U.S. Capitol, reports WBEZ’s Chip Mitchell.

“There was no arson, there was no burning of anything, there was no looting, there was very little destruction of property,” Catanzara told WBEZ in a Wednesday evening phone interview. “It was a bunch of pissed-off people that feel an election was stolen, somehow, some way.”

Catanzara, who represents the city’s 12,000 rank-and-file police officers, also echoed Trump’s baseless claims that the presidential election was rigged. [WBEZ]

One of the people arrested during yesterday’s unrest in D.C. was a 48-year-old tattoo artist from Chicago’s western suburbs. David Fitzgerald, of Roselle, was charged with “unlawful entry” and breaking curfew in the 100 block of First Street NW, which is the location of the U.S. Capitol. [WBEZ]

And U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., faces mounting criticism for invoking Adolf Hitler at a rally hosted yesterday in D.C. by the conservative group Moms For America.

“If we win a few elections, we’re still going to be losing unless we win the hearts and minds of our children. This is the battle. Hitler was right on one thing. He said, ‘Whoever has the youth has the future,’” Miller said in a video clip posted on social media. [Chicago Tribune]

4. Illinois surpasses 1 million known cases of COVID-19

Illinois officials today announced 8,757 new confirmed and probable cases, bringing the state’s total to 1,008,045 cases since the beginning of the pandemic. Officials also announced 177 deaths, bringing the total number of fatalities to 17,272.

Illinois is the fourth state to surpass 1 million known cases. [WBEZ]

Are you an essential worker? WBEZ and several other newsrooms want to hear from you about what your biggest concerns are. [WBEZ]

Meanwhile, Dr. Anthony Fauci said the initial rollout of COVID-19 vaccines has been slow because of the holidays and if distribution does not improve, then “we really need to make some changes about what we’re doing.” [NPR]

5. Chicago Teachers Union unveils proposal for reopening schools, includes extending the school year

As some public school students are expected to return to classrooms on Monday, the Chicago Teachers Union recently unveiled a proposal to delay in-person learning until all school employees have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, reports the Chicago Tribune.

The union suggests in-person learning could move forward in the meantime if Chicago Public Schools allows teachers to voluntarily opt in. The CTU is also asking the district to work with them on creating an extended school year.

It’s not clear if CPS will take up the union on its offer. School officials did not respond to requests for comment from the Trib. [Chicago Tribune]

Here’s what else is happening

• Trump has been banned from using Facebook and Instagram for at least the remainder of his term in office. [Vox]
• The president withdrew the nomination of Chad Wolf as the head of the Department of Homeland Security. [CNBC]
• Elaine Chao, the transportation secretary who is married to Sen. Mitch McConnell, is resigning, becoming the first cabinet member to leave because of yesterday’s insurrection. [NPR]
• Several state capitols saw pro-Trump protests today. [NPR]

Oh, and one more thing …

I keep hearing people ask, “How did we get to this point?”

Extremism has been in this country for some time now. WBEZ’s Motive recently examined the youth white supremacist movement in the U.S. And I highly recommend listening to the podcast if you’re trying to understand the context of what happened yesterday. [WBEZ]

Tell me something good …

What’s one of your favorite songs from the ’80s?

@mojobaseball tweets:

“One of my favorite songs of the 80’s would have to be Neil Young’s ‘Rockin’ In The Free World.’ The way he sings about climate change, drug addiction, homeless people is timeless and still relevant today and a wake up call for all of us.”

And Mechelle Yeager writes:

“Something from the ’80s which always makes me happy (and usually have a kitchen dance party) is The The’s song ‘This is the Day.’ The lyrics may be a bit sad, but the song somehow conveys hope.”

What is one of your favorite songs from the ’80s? Feel free to email at therundown@wbez.org or tweet to @whuntah.

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