Good morning. It's Tuesday, Jan. 12, and we're covering impeachment charges, the college football national championship, and Cuba's blacklisting. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

Article of Impeachment

House Democrats introduced an article of impeachment against President Trump yesterday accusing him of inciting an insurrection, the first step in their bid to remove the president from office. The president gave a fiery speech to supporters on the White House ellipse just before the crowd stormed the US Capitol building last week (watch here). 

Barring changes, a vote on the article (read full draft) is expected tomorrow, after which the Senate would hold a trial on the charge under traditional rules. Though Democrats will have a slim majority after winning duel runoffs in Georgia, Senators-elect Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff won't be seated until the state certifies the vote—likely sometime after Jan. 20. 

Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has indicated the Senate wouldn't consider the charge until Jan. 20 at the earliest—Inauguration Day—at which point power will have transferred to the Biden administration. Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Pat Toomey (R-PA) have called for the president to step down, while Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) has said he will consider any potential charges.

Separately, a number of large companies—including Facebook, Microsoft, Google, BP, and JPMorgan Chase—said they would pause all political donations to reevaluate their spending in the wake of last week's events.

One Capitol Police officer is being hailed as a hero after luring part of the mob away from the unobstructed Senate chambers by himself. Two other officers have been suspended, while at least another 10 officers are under investigation, for their conduct during the day. More than 25 domestic terrorism cases have been opened by investigators connected to participants in the crowd.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R, CA-23) said yesterday there was "undisputedly" no evidence members of the leftist movement antifa led the siege, backing findings from the FBI. Claims that disguised anti-Trump protesters perpetrated the violence went viral almost immediately. See a separate fact check here.

See a timeline with diagrams of how the Capitol was breached here.

Roll Tide Roll

The Alabama Crimson Tide dominated the Ohio State Buckeyes in last night's College Football Playoff National Championship, 52-24. The victory, the program's 18th title overall, continues a nearly unprecedented streak that has seen the Tide win six championships in the past 12 years. Coach Nick Saban made history with his record seventh championship—six with the Tide and one with LSU in 2003.

Ohio State, playing without two starting defensive linemen due to COVID-19 concerns, couldn't keep up with Heisman winner DeVonta Smith. The speedy receiver racked up 215 yards and three touchdowns, mostly in the first half, before injuring his hand in the third quarter. Alabama Quarterback Mac Jones threw for 464 yards and five touchdowns.

Ready for next season? Here's a way-too-early top 25.

Cuba Designated as Terror Sponsor

The Trump administration returned Cuba to the list of state sponsors of terrorism yesterday, reversing an Obama-era decision that was part of a broader effort to rebuild relations with the communist country. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo cited Cuba's harboring of US fugitives—a long-running issue—and welcoming Colombian rebel leaders.  

Cuba joins just three other countries formally recognized by the list: North Korea, Syria, and Iran. The country was first added in 1982, three years after the list's inception, but was removed by former President Obama in 2015. Countries on the list are subject to a range of additional restrictions including prohibitions on economic assistance and a ban on the import of certain types of goods that may support military capacity. The US embassy is expected to remain open.

Separately, the US slapped sanctions on seven individuals and four organizations in Ukraine accused of assisting a Russia-linked disinformation network. 

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

Brought to you by Bright Cellars

> Comedian Kevin Hart signs major deal with Netflix to produce and star in four films (More) | Dr. Anthony Fauci says live theater venues could reopen this fall (More)

> Former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, Heisman winner Carson Palmer, among 13 tapped for 2021 College Football Hall of Fame class (More) | Philadelphia Eagles fire head coach Doug Pederson after a four-win season (More)

> New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick declines to receive Presidential Medal of Freedom in wake of last week’s events at the US Capitol (More)

Quiz time: Take the Bright Cellars seven-question quiz, and they'll use your answers to match you with perfect personalized wine selections, just for your taste. Better yet, our friends at Bright Cellars are offering 1440 subscribers 50% off your first six bottles. Use your discount while it lasts; take the quiz now. #Ad

Science & Technology

> CES 2021, the world's largest annual consumer electronics show, gets underway in an online-only format (More) | LG teases a rollable smartphone (More)

> Eli Lilly reveals Phase 2 clinical data showing its drug donanemab can clear amyloid plaques from the brains of Alzheimer's patients, slowing neurological decline (More)

> Astrophysicists find data possibly linked to the theorized gravitational background, a constant but nearly undetectable rippling of spacetime (More) | What is spacetime? (More)

Business & Markets

> US stock markets fall (S&P 500 -0.7%, Dow -0.3%, Nasdaq -1.3%) as investors await earnings season kickoff (More)

> Social media platform Parler sues Amazon for removing the company from its web hosting services; complaint alleges Parler was removed due to political and anticompetitive reasons (More)

> Shares of foam shoemaker Crocs soar 12% after company increases expectations to grow 55% in fourth quarter over last year (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> President-elect Joe Biden to nominate former Deputy Secretary of State Ambassador William Burns to lead the Central Intelligence Agency (More) | Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf resigns (More)

> Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D, NJ-12) tests positive for COVID-19 after huddling in close quarters during the Capitol raid (More) | The US reports 376,280 total deaths, up 1,730 from yesterday; see rolling averages (cases, deaths) | More than 25 million vaccine doses delivered in the US, with almost 9 million doses administered (More)

> Florida-Georgia water dispute to be heard by Supreme Court in February, the first such case before the high court since the 1930s (More) | See how the Atlanta region is driving a water dispute in the Southeast US (More)

IN-DEPTH

The Legend of Alex Trebek

The Ringer | Claire McNear. The final episodes of "Jeopardy!" with Alex Trebek, who recently passed away from pancreatic cancer, aired last week. Take a look back at the beloved host's impact on American culture. (Read)

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Outside | David Kushner. For decades, stories of a massive cave in the Andes with artifacts that could rewrite human history drew treasure hunters and paranormal-obsessed adventurers. Now one woman is fighting to tell the truth about the cave—and preserve it for the Indigenous people of the region. (Read)

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ETCETERA

The best (and worst) states to raise a family. 

Our alphabet may have been invented by people who couldn't read.

Saudi Arabia to build a 100-mile line of carless smart cities. (via YouTube)

Hubble Telescope captures six galactic collisions.

America's population growth is finally slowing down.

Key to the room Napoleon died in found in Scotland.

Turns out people liked commuting to work. ($$, WSJ)

Lost cat found after 11 days in LaGuardia airport.

Clickbait: Large-scale police search uncovers potato. 

Historybook: Author Jack London born (1876); Boxer Joe Frazier born (1944); HBD Howard Stern (1954); RIP mystery novelist Agatha Christie (1976); Earthquake in Haiti kills more than 100,000 (2010).

"Life is not always a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes playing a poor hand well."

- Jack London

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