Donald Trump's relentless pressure to overturn the 2020 presidential election led to widespread personal threats against election workers and local officials who fended off his efforts, a congressional panel said on Tuesday.
The House of Representatives special committee heard emotional testimony from election workers who felt their lives were in danger after their personal information was published online following Mr Trump's defeat.
"Pressuring public servants into betraying their oaths was a fundamental part of the playbook,” the committee’s chairman, Bennie Thompson, said of Mr Trump and his allies.
"A handful of election officials in several key states stood between Donald Trump and the upending of American democracy.”
The committee has spent nearly a year investigating the deadly January 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol.
In a series of hearings outlining its findings, the panel has described how Mr Trump was responsible for fuelling the anger that led to the riot.
His pressure campaign on election workers was most intense in the state of Georgia, where Democrat Joe Biden narrowly won after years of Republican presidential.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and his deputy, Gabriel Sterling, testified about becoming two of Mr Trump's top targets as he floated conspiracy theories and they refused to back down to his pressure.
The committee played audio of the call where Mr Trump asked the officials to “find 11,780” votes that could flip the state to prevent Mr Biden’s election victory.
“There were not votes to find,” Mr Raffensperger said.
He said he and his team went through “every single allegation” and down every “rabbit hole” that Mr Trump and his allies presented to state election officials.
But Mr Trump would not accept it. He told Mr Raffensperger that it could only be dishonesty or incompetence that they could not find the necessary amount of votes.
Competing against his lies was like a “shovel trying to empty the ocean", Mr Sterling said.
He said he could not convince even some of his own family members that the election outcome was valid.
The hearing also examined how Mr Trump’s threats put state officials in danger.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson described how her “stomach sunk” when she heard the sounds of protesters outside her home one night after the election when she was putting her child to bed.
She wondered if they had guns or were going to attack her house.
“That was the scariest moment,” not knowing what’s going to happen, Ms Benson said.
Another Michigan official, Senate majority leader Mike Shirkey, told the committee about receiving 4,000 text messages after Mr Trump published his phone number online.
Bryan Cutler, the Pennsylvania House Speaker, said his information was also revealed online, prompting protesters to show up at his house when his 15-year-old son was home alone.
Arizona’s Republican state House Speaker Rusty Bowers, who testified in person at the hearing, spoke about phone calls from Mr Trump and his allies asking him to decertify Arizona’s legitimate electors and replace them.
Mr Bowers said he repeatedly asked Mr Trump’s attorneys to show evidence of widespread fraud, but they did not provide any.
Mr Bowers said people stood outside his house with loudspeakers and said one man with a gun verbally threatened his neighbour.
He teared up as he spoke of his daughter, who he said was “gravely ill", and his wife becoming upset as people swarmed outside.
As the House of Representatives select panel focuses attention on what it says was an illegal scheme backed by Mr Trump to overturn the results of the 2020 elections, a poll shows most Americans believe the former president should face charges.
In three earlier hearings, Trump advisers said they had warned him of the illegality of trying to overturn Democrat Joe Biden's victory by persuading then vice president Mike Pence to block a normally pro forma process.
One committee member, Adam Schiff, told CNN on Sunday that calling in Mr Pence was “certainly a possibility”.
“We're not excluding anyone or anything at this point,” Mr Schiff said.
Mr Pence faced intense pressure from Mr Trump to break with history and refuse on January 6 to formally certify Mr Biden's victory.
But even after Trump supporters stormed the building, with some chanting “Hang Mike Pence”, he refused to leave the complex and returned to the Senate chamber late at night to carry out the certification.
Mr Trump remains as divisive a political figure as ever, inspiring furious loyalty among followers and great disdain from his critics.
The public's division came through starkly in a new ABC News/Ipsos poll about the committee's work.
The poll, taken on June 17 and 18, found that 58 per cent of Americans believed Mr Trump should be charged with a crime for his role in the January 6 events, up from 52 per cent in April.
But while nearly all Democrats said Mr Trump bore considerable responsibility for the January 6 riot, only a quarter of Republicans agreed.
And significantly, only 9 per cent of Americans said they were following the hearings very closely.
- News agencies contributed to this report.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
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THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
More on Quran memorisation:
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
6.30pm Meydan Classic Trial US$100,000 (Turf) 1,400m
Winner Bella Fever, Dane O’Neill (jockey), Mike de Kock (trainer).
7.05pm Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Woven, Harry Bentley, David Simcock.
7.40pm UAE 2000 Guineas Group Three $250,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner Fore Left, William Buick, Doug O’Neill.
8.15pm Dubai Sprint Listed Handicap $175,000 (T) 1,200m
Winner Rusumaat, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi.
8.50pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 Group Two $450,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner Benbatl, Christophe Soumillon, Saeed bin Suroor.
9.25pm Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner Art Du Val, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
10pm Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Beyond Reason, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
ENGLAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers Henderson, Johnstone, Pickford, Ramsdale
Defenders Alexander-Arnold, Chilwell, Coady, Godfrey, James, Maguire, Mings, Shaw, Stones, Trippier, Walker, White
Midfielders Bellingham, Henderson, Lingard, Mount, Phillips, Rice, Ward-Prowse
Forwards Calvert-Lewin, Foden, Grealish, Greenwood, Kane, Rashford, Saka, Sancho, Sterling, Watkins
Top 10 most polluted cities
- Bhiwadi, India
- Ghaziabad, India
- Hotan, China
- Delhi, India
- Jaunpur, India
- Faisalabad, Pakistan
- Noida, India
- Bahawalpur, Pakistan
- Peshawar, Pakistan
- Bagpat, India
DUBAI%20BLING%3A%20EPISODE%201
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The%20specs
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nag%20Ashwin%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPrabhas%2C%20Saswata%20Chatterjee%2C%20Deepika%20Padukone%2C%20Amitabh%20Bachchan%2C%20Shobhana%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%E2%98%85%E2%98%85%E2%98%85%E2%98%85%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Company profile
Company: Rent Your Wardrobe
Date started: May 2021
Founder: Mamta Arora
Based: Dubai
Sector: Clothes rental subscription
Stage: Bootstrapped, self-funded
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
The biog
Name: James Mullan
Nationality: Irish
Family: Wife, Pom; and daughters Kate, 18, and Ciara, 13, who attend Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS)
Favourite book or author: “That’s a really difficult question. I’m a big fan of Donna Tartt, The Secret History. I’d recommend that, go and have a read of that.”
Dream: “It would be to continue to have fun and to work with really interesting people, which I have been very fortunate to do for a lot of my life. I just enjoy working with very smart, fun people.”
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Mykonos, with a flight change to its partner airline Olympic Air in Athens. Return flights cost from Dh4,105 per person, including taxes.
Where to stay
The modern-art-filled Ambassador hotel (myconianambassador.gr) is 15 minutes outside Mykonos Town on a hillside 500 metres from the Platis Gialos Beach, with a bus into town every 30 minutes (a taxi costs €15 [Dh66]). The Nammos and Scorpios beach clubs are a 10- to 20-minute walk (or water-taxi ride) away. All 70 rooms have a large balcony, many with a Jacuzzi, and of the 15 suites, five have a plunge pool. There’s also a private eight-bedroom villa. Double rooms cost from €240 (Dh1,063) including breakfast, out of season, and from €595 (Dh2,636) in July/August.
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Financial considerations before buying a property
Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.
“If it’s a rental property, plan for the property to have periods when it does not have a tenant. Ensure you have enough cash set aside to pay the mortgage and other costs during these periods, ideally at least six months,” she says.
Also, shop around for the best mortgage interest rate. Understand the terms and conditions, especially what happens after any introductory periods, Ms Glynn adds.
Using a good mortgage broker is worth the investment to obtain the best rate available for a buyer’s needs and circumstances. A good mortgage broker will help the buyer understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage and make the purchasing process efficient and easier.
Five hymns the crowds can join in
Papal Mass will begin at 10.30am at the Zayed Sports City Stadium on Tuesday
Some 17 hymns will be sung by a 120-strong UAE choir
Five hymns will be rehearsed with crowds on Tuesday morning before the Pope arrives at stadium
‘Christ be our Light’ as the entrance song
‘All that I am’ for the offertory or during the symbolic offering of gifts at the altar
‘Make me a Channel of your Peace’ and ‘Soul of my Saviour’ for the communion
‘Tell out my Soul’ as the final hymn after the blessings from the Pope
The choir will also sing the hymn ‘Legions of Heaven’ in Arabic as ‘Assakiroo Sama’
There are 15 Arabic speakers from Syria, Lebanon and Jordan in the choir that comprises residents from the Philippines, India, France, Italy, America, Netherlands, Armenia and Indonesia
The choir will be accompanied by a brass ensemble and an organ
They will practice for the first time at the stadium on the eve of the public mass on Monday evening
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