California reports a record 585 new deaths in the past 24 hours. (KABC-TV)
Cannabis in the United States Initiative 190 comes into effect in Montana, making it the 13th state to legalize recreational cannabis. (Great Falls Tribune) (KRTV)
On New Year's Day, Pope Francis livestreams his message from the library of the Apostolic Palace. He states "the Virgin Mary’s motherly care encourages us to use our God-given time for building up the world and peace, not destroying it." In the Catholic Church, January 1 is the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God. (Catholic News Agency)
The Philippines includes the United States in its travel ban of countries and territories reported to have new variants of SARS-CoV-2, which comes into effect on January 3. The move comes after the United States reported its first case of a new variant from the United Kingdom on December 30. (Xinhua)
The United States surpasses 20 million cases of COVID-19. (CBS News)
New York surpasses one million cases of COVID-19, becoming the fourth state to do so after Texas, California and Florida. (Bloomberg)
At least 18 people are killed during a funeral in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India, when the roof they were sheltering under during heavy rainfall collapses. Police dispatch rescue workers and sniffer dogs, and they say that the rescue operation has been completed. (Reuters)
New York reports its first case of the new SARS-CoV-2 Alpha variant in a man in his 60s from Saratoga County who tested positive for COVID-19 despite having no travel history. (WNBC-TV)
A federal judge bans Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio from entering Washington, D.C. (Forbes)
Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley announces that no charges will be made against Rusten Sheskey, the Kenosha police officer accused of shooting Jacob Blake. (USA Today)
The U.S. surpasses 21 million cases of COVID-19, just four days after surpassing 20 million cases. (CNN)
COVID-19 vaccination in Morocco Morocco approves AstraZeneca's vaccine. (The Washington Post)
Killing of Breonna Taylor The Louisville Metro Police Department announces the firing of Myles Cosgrove and Joshua Jaynes, the two officers involved in the botched raid of Breonna Taylor's home. (CBS News)
The Louisville Metro Police Department announces the firing of Myles Cosgrove and Joshua Jaynes, the two officers involved in the botched raid of Breonna Taylor's home. (CBS News)
The United States Capitol Police says that the Capitol was secured by 6 p.m. The Electoral College certificates were also secured. (USA Today) (WHNS-TV)
Three more people die during the United States Capitol riots during "separate medical emergencies", bringing the total death toll to four. (CNN)
A United States Capitol Police officer injured in yesterday's riot in Washington, D.C., is revealed to be on life support as a result of the events. After being erroneously reported as having died earlier, he was finally reported as deceased by the Capitol Police, who name him as Brian D. Sicknick. (CNN) (ABC News)
Brazil surpasses 200,000 deaths of COVID-19, becoming the second country to do so after the United States, as a record 87,843 cases are reported in the past 24 hours. (France 24) (Bloomberg)
Connecticut reports its first case of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 in two people, aged 15 and 25, who live in New Haven County. One had traveled to Ireland and the other to New York. (WVIT-TV)
Donald Trump on social media Facebook announces that it has extended the lock of Donald Trump's official account for at least the remainder of his term due to the heightened risk of political violence. Snapchat also bans Trump from posting on the app until further notice. (Bloomberg)
Facebook announces that it has extended the lock of Donald Trump's official account for at least the remainder of his term due to the heightened risk of political violence. Snapchat also bans Trump from posting on the app until further notice. (Bloomberg)
Illinois surpasses 1 million cases of COVID-19, becoming the fifth state to do so after California, Texas, Florida, and New York. (Chicago Sun-Times)
New York reports a record 17,636 new cases in the past 24 hours, according to Governor Andrew Cuomo. It also reports 197 new deaths, which is the highest single-day total since the second week of May. (WNBC-TV)
The United States reports a world record of more than 4,000 deaths for the first time. (CNN)
Twitter announces that it has permanently suspended American attorney and conspiracy theorist L. Lin Wood for violating their rules. (The Hill)
Twitter suspensions Twitter announces that it has permanently suspended American attorney and conspiracy theorist L. Lin Wood for violating their rules. (The Hill)
Brazil surpasses 8 million cases of COVID-19, becoming the third country to do so after the United States and India. (CNA)
California Governor Gavin Newsom sets a goal of vaccinating 1 million people by January 17. (The Los Angeles Times)
Donald Trump on social media Twitter permanently suspends Donald Trump's account. According to Twitter, he was suspended to end "the risk of further incitement of violence." (NBC News)
New York City Police Commissioner Dermot Shea tests positive for COVID-19. (Patch.com)
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei calls for a ban on the American Pfizer and British AstraZeneca vaccines. (DW)
The Department of Justice indicts 15 people involved in the assault on the Capitol. The department says that more charges are expected. (AFP via The Straits Times)
The United States Attorney for the District of Columbia announces that West Virginia delegate Derrick Evans is expected to face charges for illegally entering the Capitol. (CBS News)
Twitter permanently suspends Donald Trump's account. According to Twitter, he was suspended to end "the risk of further incitement of violence." (NBC News)
California reports a record 695 new deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the cumulative death toll in the state to 29,233. (KTLA-TV)
Mass shootings in the United States Three people are killed and four others injured in a shooting spree through several neighborhoods in the South Side area of Chicago, Illinois, as well as Evanston. The shooter, a 32-year-old man, was shot during a shootout with responding Evanston police officers and later died in a hospital. (WMAQ-TV)
The United Kingdom surpasses 80,000 deaths and 3 million cases of COVID-19, becoming the fifth country to do so after the United States, Brazil, India, and Russia. (BBC News) (The Guardian)
The United States Attorney for the District of Columbia announces that Jacob Chansley (also known as Jake Angeli or "QAnon shaman"), who was photographed wearing horns during the Capitol riot, has been arrested. Additionally, Adam Christian Johnson is also expected to face charges for carrying House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's lectern. (The Guardian) (TMZ)
The United States surpasses 22 million cases of COVID-19. (NBC News)
Three people are killed and four others injured in a shooting spree through several neighborhoods in the South Side area of Chicago, Illinois, as well as Evanston. The shooter, a 32-year-old man, was shot during a shootout with responding Evanston police officers and later died in a hospital. (WMAQ-TV)
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announces that detachments of the Virginia National Guard and Virginia State Police will remain stationed at the United States Capitol through the inauguration of Joe Biden on January 20. (WWBT-TV)
West Virginia delegate Derrick Evans resigns a day after being arrested for illegally entering the United States Capitol. (West Virginia MetroNews)
A mother and her three daughters are found dead in a house fire in Glen Waverley, Victoria. Police are investigating it as a possible mass murder. (News.com.au)
Crime in Australia A mother and her three daughters are found dead in a house fire in Glen Waverley, Victoria. Police are investigating it as a possible mass murder. (News.com.au)
Six inmates escape from a jail in California. Their whereabouts are unknown and being sought by California police. The six men are considered to be armed and dangerous. (WGNTV)
2021 efforts to remove Donald Trump from office Democrats in the House of Representatives introduce an article of impeachment against Trump for "incitement of insurrection". (ABC News)
Airbnb says it will ban bookings for hate groups and rioters in Washington, D.C. ahead of Biden's inauguration. (CNET) (Washingtonian)
Democrats in the House of Representatives introduce an article of impeachment against Trump for "incitement of insurrection". (ABC News)
Facebook bans "Stop the Steal" content ahead of Biden's inauguration. (NBC News)
Portugal reports a record 122 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 7,925. (The Washington Post)
The Parler social networking service goes offline after Amazon discontinued providing cloud computing services. The company's chief executive said that the service will be down "longer than expected" as "most people with enough servers to host us have shut their doors to us." (CNBC)
Three police officers are killed, two by gunfire and one in a hit-and-run, after a carjacking in Isla Verde, Puerto Rico. A fourth police officer is also injured. This is the first time in Puerto Rico's recent history in which multiple police officers were killed in one incident. The suspect remains at large. (AP)
Yogananda Pittman is named as acting United States Capitol Police chief, making her the first woman and first African-American to lead the agency. (NPR)
COVID-19 vaccination in the United States The outgoing Trump administration announces that they will make changes to their vaccine distributions in an effort to speed up the rollout. (NPR)
The CDC announces that they will expand their order to require travelers from the United Kingdom to test negative for COVID-19. (U.S. News & World Report)
The outgoing Trump administration announces that they will make changes to their vaccine distributions in an effort to speed up the rollout. (NPR)
The United States reports a record 4,197 new deaths in the past 24 hours. (CNN)
Spanish telecommunications company Telefónica announces that it will sell its cell sites in Europe and Latin America, which are owned by its subsidiary Telxius, to American company American Tower for an estimated €7.7 billion (US$9.4 billion). (Buenos Aires Times)
Automotive manufacturer Toyota announces that it will pay a civil penalty of US$180 million minimum for violating United States vehicle emission standards by not reporting emissions defects to authorities. (AFP via News24)
British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announces a ban on all travellers from South American countries, as well as Portugal, Panama and Cape Verde due to a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 that was identified in Brazil. The ban will come into effect tomorrow at 4:00 a.m. GMT. (BBC News)
Texas reaches past 1 million vaccinations, becoming the first state to do so. (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
Texas surpasses two million cases of COVID-19, becoming the second state to do so after California. (AP)
The number of daily deaths in New York reaches 200 for the first time since May 12. (WNBC-TV)
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announces that the state will distribute the vaccine to seniors, including people aged 65 or older. (The Washington Post)
Paraguay approves the emergency use of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine, becoming the fourth South American country to approve the use of the vaccine against COVID-19, after Argentina, Bolivia and Venezuela. Supply of the vaccine will be facilitated by the Russian Direct Investment Fund. (PR Newswire)
Russia says that it will withdraw from the Treaty on Open Skies, following the U.S. withdrawal from the treaty last year. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that the U.S. withdrawal has "significantly upended the balance of interests of signatory states". (AP)
Russia–United States relations Russia says that it will withdraw from the Treaty on Open Skies, following the U.S. withdrawal from the treaty last year. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that the U.S. withdrawal has "significantly upended the balance of interests of signatory states". (AP)
Argentina receives their second batch of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine. (U.S. News & World Report)
COVID-19 vaccination in Argentina Argentina receives their second batch of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine. (U.S. News & World Report)
Los Angeles County surpasses one million cases of COVID-19, becoming the first county in the United States to do so. (NBC News)
Louisiana reports their first case of the UK variant of SARS-CoV-2 in the Greater New Orleans area. (Office of the Governor of Louisiana)
California becomes the first U.S. state to surpass three million cases of COVID-19. (AP)
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan receives the Moderna vaccine at the State House in Annapolis. (The Washington Post)
A memorial at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is held, honoring the 400,000 Americans who have died as a result of COVID-19. Additionally, bells are rung at the Washington National Cathedral and a moment of silence is held. (Reuters) (NBC News)
Bishop Daniel Thomas of the Diocese of Toledo issues statements on the deaths of a suspect and police officer, and the vandalism and arson at Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral in Toledo, Ohio. (CNS)
