Holiday Breakfast

A growing number of lawmakers -- including from Democratic leadership -- are calling for President Donald Trump to be removed from office either through impeachment or the 25th Amendment to the Constitution after a violent mob of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol on Wednesday.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer put out a statement Thursday denouncing the "insurrection" at the Capitol "incited by the President," and saying, "This President should not hold office one day longer." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi joined the call later Thursday at a news conference.
"I join the Senate Democratic leader in calling on the Vice President to remove this President by immediately invoking the 25th Amendment," Pelosi said. "If the vice president and the Cabinet do not act, the Congress may be prepared to move forward with impeachment that is the overwhelming sentiment of my caucus and the American people."
The calls have come largely from Democrats so far, but at least one congressional Republican has joined in. GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, a frequent critic of the President, has called for the 25th Amendment to be invoked, saying in a video message on Thursday, "the President must now relinquish control of the executive branch voluntarily or involuntarily."
Invoking the 25th Amendment would require Vice President Mike Pence and a majority of the Cabinet to vote to remove Trump from office due to his inability to "discharge the powers and duties of his office" -- an unprecedented step.
Any 25th Amendment push faces an unprecedented steep hill to come to fruition with little time left before Biden's inauguration. The calls in Congress, however, underscore the extent to which lawmakers are reeling and furious with the President in the wake of the devastation at the Capitol on Wednesday.
Sen. Patty Murray, the No. 3 in Senate Democratic leadership, has also said it's time to invoke the 25th Amendment.
"The most immediate way to ensure the President is prevented from causing further harm in coming days is to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove him from office. As history watches, I urge Vice President Pence and the President's cabinet to put country before party and act," she said in a statement.
House Oversight Committee chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, a New York Democrat, on Thursday backed removing Trump from office either through the 25th Amendment or impeachment.
"Invoking the 25th Amendment is the quickest way to do this, and expedience must be our goal," she said, adding, "If the Vice President and Cabinet fail to act, we have a duty to pursue impeachment."
Other prominent Democrats have urged impeachment in the wake of the mob violence at the Capitol that took place as a joint session of Congress met to count the electoral votes affirming President-elect Joe Biden's win amid false claims from Trump that the election was rigged against him.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic caucus chairman, tweeted on Thursday, "Donald Trump should be impeached, convicted and removed from office immediately."
Three members of the House Judiciary committee -- Reps. Jamie Raskin, David Cicilline and Ted Lieu -- are circulating to colleagues an impeachment resolution calling Trump's actions an abuse of power. They wrote that Trump violated the Constitution by "willfully inciting violence against the Government of the United States."
All four members of the progressive "squad" of Democratic lawmakers -- Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley -- have also spoken out in support of impeachment in the wake of the violent siege of the Capitol.
"I am drawing up Articles of Impeachment. Donald J. Trump should be impeached by the House of Representatives & removed from office by the United States Senate. We can't allow him to remain in office, it's a matter of preserving our Republic and we need to fulfill our oath," Omar tweeted...

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Protesters backing President Donald Trump massed outside statehouses from Georgia to New Mexico, leading some officials to evacuate while cheers rang out at several demonstrations as a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol.
Hundreds of people gathered in state capitals nationwide to oppose President-elect Joe Biden's win, waving signs saying "Stop the steal" and "Four more years." Most of them didn't wear masks amid the coronavirus pandemic, and some carried guns in places like Oklahoma, Georgia, Arizona and Washington state.
There were some scuffles in states like Ohio and California, with some instances of journalists or counterprotesters being pepper-sprayed or punched, but most demonstrations were peaceful — some of them quite small — and only a few arrests were reported.
New Mexico police evacuated staff as a precaution from a Statehouse building that includes the governor's office and the secretary of state's office, shortly after hundreds of flag-waving supporters arrived in a vehicle caravan and on horseback.
Demonstrators sang "God Bless America," honked horns and wrongly announced on a megaphone that Trump was the rightful election winner — though Biden won the vote in New Mexico by a margin of roughly 11%.
"It's the first time in the history of the United States that the peaceful transfer of power has been slowed by an act of violence,¨ Democratic House Speaker Brian Egolf said. "It is a shameful moment, and I hope that the Congress can recover soon."
Violent protests in Washington, D.C., came as Congress tried to affirm Biden's Electoral College victory. News that protesters had breached the U.S. Capitol set off cheers at pro-Trump protests in Minnesota and Arizona, where armed protesters marched at the Capitol in Phoenix and several men displayed a guillotine.
Georgia's secretary of state and his staff evacuated their offices at the Capitol as about 100 protesters gathered outside, some armed with long guns.
Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and his team decided to leave, according to Gabriel Sterling, a top official with Raffensperger's office.
"We saw stuff happening at the Georgia Capitol and said we should not be around here, we should not be a spark," Sterling told The Associated Press.
Trump has focused much of his ire on Raffensperger in the weeks following his loss by about 12,000 votes.
Republican Gov. Brian Kemp slammed the storming of the U.S. Capitol, calling it "a disgrace and quite honestly un-American." Kemp said he was extending an executive order from protests over the summer activating the National Guard in case they are needed to protect the state Capitol on Monday when the legislative session begins.
In Washington state, protesters broke through a gate at the governor's mansion and dozens of people gathered on the lawn. The crowd, some of whom were armed, repeated baseless allegations of election fraud. The State Patrol said authorities were responding and that Gov. Jay Inslee "and his family are in a safe location."
Earlier, dozens of people gathered at the state Capitol, demanding a recount of the U.S. presidential election and Washington's gubernatorial election, which Inslee, a Democrat, won by more than 500,000 votes. The Statehouse has been closed to the public for nearly a year due to the pandemic.
In Utah, the staff of Gov. Spencer Cox was sent home as several hundred people gathered in Salt Lake City, Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson tweeted. Salt Lake Tribune photographer Rick Egan said he was pepper-sprayed by a demonstrator who taunted him for wearing a mask and shoved him as he was shooting video of the protest. It wasn't immediately clear if anyone was arrested.
At least one person was arrested at the Oregon Capitol in Salem on suspicion of harassment and disorderly conduct as police in riot gear tried to get people — many of them armed — to leave.
Video showed protesters and...

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Former Prime Minister Helen Clark has joined a chorus of people around the world in condemning the riots and severe unrest in the US Capitol Building.
"Never in one's wildest imagination could one have envisaged the dangerous events involving mob violence unfolding in Washington DC today," Clark said on Twitter this morning.
"An invasion of the premises of a democratic legislature anywhere is an affront to democracy and the rule of law and must be condemned as such."
Her comments are in response to the US Capitol Building – which houses the US' main centre of Government – being stormed by pro-Trump rioters.
They have made their way to the Senate floor and have clashed with the few police on the scene – the National Guard has been called in.

Never in one’s wildest imagination could one have envisaged the dangerous events involving mob violence unfolding in Washington DC today. An invasion of the premises of a democratic legislature anywhere is an affront to democracy and the rule of law and must be condemned as such. https://t.co/FMrQGjgexX
— Helen Clark (@HelenClarkNZ) January 6, 2021
Senators and Vice-President Mike Pence have been evacuated but there are still a number of officials and journalists within the building.
There are reports of some of the rioters breaking into the heavily fortified office of Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
She has demanded that outgoing President Donald Trump call on the rioters to leave the Capitol Building.
So far, however, Trump has refused to do so despite the fact the riots have been on-going for hours.
But in a tweet, he did say: "I am asking for everyone at the U.S. Capitol to remain peaceful. No violence! Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order – respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue."
His tweets have come under fire for not explicitly asking the rioters to leave the building.
Trump has just 14 days left in the top job but for months he has been baselessly claiming the election was rigged.
He will be replaced by Joe Biden - who told reporters that what was happening was nothing short of an "assault on the rule of law" and an "assault on democracy".
He called on the "mob to pull back" and allow democracy to go forward and for Trump to "fulfil his oath" and demand an end to this siege.
The protesters are attempting to stop Congress from affirming President-elect Biden's victory in the November presidential election.
Congress was due to officially count the Electoral College votes - normally a formality - this morning (NZT).

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Foreign governments, including our own, are being urged to take a stand against what is happening in the United States.
The US Capitol was put into lockdown after thousands of Trump supporters descend on Congress, encouraged by claims of a stolen election and voter fraud. 
The Electoral College was forced to pause the certification process of incoming-President Joe Biden's election victory.
Robert Patman, director of international studies at the University of Otago, says it's important the rest of the world doesn't just stand by and watch what's happening.
He told Tim Beveridge this is a situation where a leader is refusing to accept the outcome of a democratic election.
"It's incumbent on other countries to remind Mr Trump that they do not find his behaviour acceptable."
He says that doing so would also help strengthen Biden's standing.
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Often we get to this time of year and people are taking a hard look at their health and lifestyle choices.
Dr Michael Mosley is a trained doctor, science journalist, television presenter, bestselling author of many, many health and wellbeing books.
He is also gut specialist and the brains behind the popular 5:2 intermittent fasting diet.
And he's back just in time for the New Year with a new book - a cookbook based on his Fast 800 diet.
Mosley joined Tim Dower to discuss how Covid has affected dieting, and what people need to do to stick to their diet goals.
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Newstalk ZB is back with another edition of Hidden Spots on Summer Breakfast.
This is where we take you on a bit of a virtual road trip around the country - and give you tips on attractions you may not know about.
Today we're on the West Coast of the South Island, where Barrytown Knifemaking needs a visit.
It's a whole day out, and there's axe throwing and target practice thrown in there too.
Steven Martin joined Tim Dower to explain why it’s a full day out.
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Almost everyone has become addicted to their cell phones.
An Australian study shows more than 99 percent of users are hooked to their smart phones.
NZ Tech Podcast host Paul Spain told Tim Dower Kiwis are no different - describing us as almost robots we're so closely connected to them.
"These numbers are pretty staggering, aren't they, because who do you know that doesn't have a smart phone these days? It's a pretty high percentage of the population."
Spain says it takes tremendous discipline to put them down.
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Most people have had a guts-full of pandemic reality, but now there's a new film about it.
HBO Max is bringing out a romantic comedy titled 'Locked Down' - about a couple pulling off a heist against the backdrop of quarantine.
Oscar winner Anne Hathaway and nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor play the unhappy pair, stuck together because of London's lock down.
Flicks.co.nz editor Steve Newell told Tim Dower it's an interesting creative stretch.
"Even while you might not feel you've got an appetite of anything that's touching on these themes because we're soaking it up all the time, there's still themes to drink in."
He says that lockdown and Covid-19 will be reflected by the entertainment industry for years to come. 
"These experiences that everyone's had are going to inform our viewing going forward for the next decade or so, but filmmakers will need to find interesting ways to incorporate it."

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Quarantine-free travel to Brisbane from Auckland's open - but it's still an ordeal to hop the ditch.
Air New Zealand operated the first flight to Queensland's capital city this morning, as part of the one-way trans-Tasman bubble.
Anyone travelling there must sign a travel declaration form - asserting they've been in New Zealand for the past two weeks.
And people wanting to come back to New Zealand will have to pay to stay in MIQ for 14 days.
Travel Agents' Association President Brent Thomas told Tim Dower Australian returnees take up most of today's plane seats.
"It definitely would be easier if there wasn't the requirement when coming back from Australia. Between there and the South Pacific, they use up about 40 percent of that managed isolation."
He says it's mostly people on business or going home - rather than holidays.
"What we are in seeing is some interest for further down in the year, but at this stage, it's still very, very minimal to what we normally would be seeing at this time of year."
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A number of European nations have kicked off 2021 in familiar fashion, locking down residents and struggling to curb Covid-19 cases. The tightened restrictions come as a new variant of the virus causes alarm among governments across the continent.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a strict new national lockdown in England on Monday. The restrictions will last for at least six weeks.
"It's clear that we need to do more together to bring this new variant under control while our vaccines are rolled out," Johnson said in an address to the nation on Monday evening.
"In England, we must therefore go into a national lockdown which is tough enough to contain this variant. That means the government is once again instructing you to stay at home," he added.
Covid-19 cases in the UK hit a new daily record on Tuesday, with 60,916 new infections reported, government data shows. The UK's death toll is now more than 76,000.
Johnson reimposed measures seen during the first lockdown last spring. From midnight local time on Tuesday, people in England are allowed to leave their homes only for limited reasons like shopping for essentials, exercise and medical assistance.
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also said Monday that most of mainland Scotland would go into lockdown starting at midnight. Wales and Northern Ireland -- the other two nations of the UK -- were already in lockdown.
Elsewhere in Europe, Italy's government announced on Tuesday that most of the coronavirus restrictions imposed in the country during the Christmas break would be extended until January 15.
People in Italy will be allowed to visit friends only once a day, in meetings capped at a maximum of two adults.
And according to a new government decree, travel between regions will be forbidden except for health or work reasons. Restrictions have also been imposed on the hospitality industry, with bars and restaurants only permitted to provide takeaway services.
Germany's government announced Tuesday it will extend the country's national lockdown -- which had been due to end on January 10 -- until the end of the month and will tighten restrictions on movement.
"We will have to harden measures," Chancellor Angela Merkel told journalists following a meeting with Germany's 16 regional leaders in Berlin, warning that hospitals across the country were already overwhelmed, particularly intensive care units.
Under the new measures, all non-essential stores, restaurants, schools and nurseries will be required to remain shut. People will only be permitted to meet one other person outside of their own home.
"We need to restrict contact more strictly...we ask all citizens to restrict contact to the absolute minimum," Merkel said.
And in Greece, the government has imposed a strict -- but brief -- lockdown, from January 3 until 6 a.m. on January 11.
"Covid-19 cases are still high and the pressure on the national health system continues," Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas said in a press briefing on January 2.
"We stay home for these few days, and on January 11 we return to the current situation with our schools open."
Schools shut their doors
At the heart of many of Europe's restrictions are school closures.
The UK government was initially reluctant to shut schools, attracting heavy criticism from teachers' unions when it insisted that they would reopen as planned this week, following the Christmas holidays.
But on Monday evening, the Prime Minister announced that all primary and secondary schools would close, with students moving to remote learning instead.
Johnson also said that GCSEs and A-Levels -- the key standardized tests for 16- and 18-year-olds -- would not be able to go ahead as planned at the end of the academic year.
Italy is taking a different approach. Its high schools will reopen on January 11, with 50% of the students being taught in class...

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