Trump ‘chose not to act’ during attack on US Capitol | First Thing

The January 6 committee shared testimony showing that the ex-president rejected pleas from even his family. Plus, Twitter reacts to footage of Josh Hawley fleeing rioters

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Good morning.

Donald Trump refused for hours to call off the deadly attack perpetrated by a group of his supporters at the US Capitol on 6 January 2021, the House select committee investigating the insurrection said last night.

What did the panel say about Trump? The committee member Adam Kinzinger said: President Trump did not fail to act during the 187 minutes between leaving the Ellipse and telling the mob to go home. He chose not to act."

What else was discussed? In chilling new testimony, the committee showed that members of the Secret Service detail for the vice-president, Mike Pence, so feared for his and their safety that they made calls to say goodbye to family members".

Has Biden declared a national emergency? Speaking in Somerset, Massachusetts, about the climate crisis on Wednesday, the president said that global heating is an emergency but failed to declare a national emergency, as activists hoped he would.

Are these heatwaves here to stay? It looks like heatwaves - which have spread throughout Europe and Asia this summer - will be a regular fixture. Climate scientists have warned that they will be more intense and prolonged if the climate emergency is not addressed.