5TYNK
1. Congress confirmed Joe Biden as the presidential election winner early Thursday after a violent mob of domestic terrorists loyal to cult leader Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn the election and undercut the nation’s democracy. Four people died in the riot. Earlier in the day, Trump held a rally in DC where speakers, including Trump himself, riled up supporters. Trump’s lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, said at the gathering, “Let’s have trial by combat.” Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram locked Trump’s accounts yesterday for inciting violence and spreading misinformation. (AP)
2. Trump acknowledged his loss in the election for the first time early Thursday morning. “Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th.” (CNN)
3. Four people on Tuesday (3 in Portland and 1 in South Portland) reported receiving threatening, homophobic letters that were addressed by hand to their homes. All of the letters contained an image of a rainbow pride flag with the Satanic Temple logo superimposed over it, along with a threatening message that contained a slur against gay people. Police are investigating. (PRESS HERALD)
4. The U.S. tops 21.3 million Covid-19 cases with over 361,000 deaths. The Maine CDC reported 3 new covid related deaths and 525 new cases on Wednesday. Maine’s death toll is 372. 191 Mainers are currently hospitalized w/ covid-19. Over 38,000 Mainers have been vaccinated.(WMTW)
5. The NCAA and city of Indianapolis have finalized plans to hold the entire men’s NCAA tournament in Indy. Last year the COVID-19 pandemic hit right before March Madness was about to begin, which forced the cancellation of the tournament. (INDY STAR)
