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After a contentious week in Washington D.C. following the riot at the U.S. Capitol, President Donald Trump became the first president in history to be impeached twice, this time on the charge of "incitement of insurrection."
The final vote was 232-197. Ten U.S. House Republicans voted "yes" to the impeachment—not one was from Texas.
This is how Austin-area members of congress voted on impeachment:
- Michael McCaul (R), 10th district, against
- Pete Sessions (R), 17th, against
- Chip Roy (R), 21st, against
- Roger Williams (R), 25th, against
- John Carter (R), 31st, against
- Lloyd Doggett (D), 35th, for
The vote will now be taken to the Senate, which will make the final decision on whether or not Trump should be convicted. Texas Senators have been very vocal about where they stand on the matter.
Junior Senator Ted Cruz (R), was one of the six Senators who voted to reject the Electoral College votes. Cruz has shown support for Trump previously, despite running for president against him in 2016.
Though Cruz did condemn the violence at the U.S. Capitol, his track record says he is likely to vote no on impeachment.
Senior Senator John Cornyn (R), voted to certify the votes on Biden's win, stating that he did not want to vote for Trump's win "based on unproven allegations." However, Cornyn's certification letter praised Trump for what he believed were a multitude of successes during his presidency.
Earlier in the afternoon, the Associated Press reported that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would not approve the motion to hold an emergency session for the impeachment trial. As a result, the trial likely won't get underway until Jan.19, the day before President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, but if the vote is yes, it would stop a future Trump bid for president.
So where did Texas Representatives stand?
In the debate earlier today, Rep. Chip Roy (R), who represents the 21st district, said he believes Trump's actions to incite an insurrection were unconstitutional, but he still didn't vote to impeach him.
Roy said he believes the verbiage used in the articles of impeachment is harmful and will have negative repercussions in the future of free political speech.
"The president of the United States deserves universal condemnation for what was clearly, in my opinion, impeachable conduct, pressuring the Vice President to violate his oath of the Constitution to count the electors," Roy said. "Unfortunately, my Democratic colleagues have drafted articles that I believe are flawed and unsupportable. ... Danger for open speech and debate in this body and for the republic is high if the house approves the articles as written"
Earlier in the afternoon, Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D), who represents the 35th district, said the events on Jan. 6 were a reprehensible, "desperate" attempt to prevent the peaceful transfer of power.
During the debate, Doggett said he was demanding that the president be held accountable for his contributions.
"For years, Donald Trump has honored thugs worldwide who suppress democracy. For months, with a daily diet of lies, he has made clear his refusal to accept any election in which he was not the winner," Doggett said. "America, we did stop the steal. We stopped Donald Trump from stealing our democracy and imposing himself as a tyrant."
Though Roy and Doggett were the only representatives involved in the debate at the time of writing, other Texas Representatives gave hints as to how they would vote last week.
Rep. Roger Williams (R), who represents the 25th district, was one of the officials who voted to overturn the Electoral College results.
Rep. Pete Sessions (R), representing the 17th district, has been at the forefront on the "Stop the Steal" campaign and voted to overturn Electoral College results.
Rep. John Carter (R), representing the 31st district, condemned the storming of the U.S. Capitol the same day on Twitter, saying all offenders should be "prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
Peaceful protests are a fundamental right in the United States, but violence is absolutely unacceptable. Respect… https://t.co/RaghVT7YL4— Judge Carter (@Judge Carter)1609963886.0
Rep. Michael McCaul (R), representing the 10th district, also condemned the attack on the Capitol the same day on Twitter, saying he was disappointed that Trump was not reelected, but that the violence was "disgraceful and has to end."
Let me be clear, anyone who breached the Capitol today, or participated in the violence, should be arrested and pro… https://t.co/z1mD8efZnQ— Michael McCaul (@Michael McCaul)1609965174.0
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APD is searching for suspect Stephen Broderick.
Austin police lifted the shelter in place order after searching the area around 9600 block of Great Hills Trail near the Arboretum for a 41-year-old man named Stephen Broderick, who they believe is responsible for shooting and ultimately killing three people in Northwest Austin
As of 5 p.m., the suspect is still at large and considered to be armed and dangerous, though police do not believe he is actively targeting anyone else. During a press briefing at 4:45 on Sunday, APD Interim police Chief Joseph Chacon said they are switching the search from the immediate area to a fugitive search as they have exhausted all the leads they currently have.
Chacon confirmed during the briefing that Broderick was a former Travis County Sheriff's Office deputy. Chacon said they will remain on the scene for "several hours" and there were 75 FBI agents on the scene as of the briefing.
APD @Chief_Chacon provides updated media briefing in relation to Great Hills Trail incident. - PIO8 https://t.co/47siNWhARI
— Austin Police Department (@Austin_Police) April 18, 2021
Police believe the victims, who have been identified as two Hispanic women and one Black man, knew their assailant. Chacon said a child was involved but is now safely in police custody. Broderick was described as 5 foot, 7 inches with a medium build and was last seen wearing a gray hoodie, sunglasses and a baseball cap.
"We're very sorry that obviously that this has happened and we continue to try and locate this individual, we are transitioning from a search in this area to a fugitive search and those efforts will continue until this person is located," Chacon said. "I don't want anyone to think that we're packing up and going home. We're going to continue to look for this individual because he continues to pose a threat to this community."
At a 2:30 p.m. press briefing, Chacon said APD responded to a "shoot, stab, hot shot" call on Great Hills Trail and Rain Creek Parkway at 11:46 a.m. to find the three victims with gunshot wounds. APD was joined by the Austin Fire Department. ATCEMS, the local chapter of the FBI, the U.S. Marshals, Department of Public Safety, and the Round Rock Police Department for support.
Though Austin Travis-County EMS originally reported it as an active shooter situation, police now believe the incident was an isolated domestic event.
"This is still an ongoing and active investigation and we do not have this individual in custody yet," Chacon said during the first press briefing. "We would ask if you have your neighbors, phone numbers, call or text them check on them and make sure that they're okay. We are concerned that he might possibly take a hostage and be himself sheltered somewhere waiting for us to leave."
At this time the Great Hills Trail scene is still active. We are still asking residents to shelter in place and report suspicious activity. While a suspect is still at large it appears this is a domestic situation that is isolated and there is no risk to the general public. -PIO8
— Austin Police Department (@Austin_Police) April 18, 2021
Three helicopters and SWAT teams were sent to the area, as well as 18 ATCEMS response assets. According to Austin Police, the incident occurred at an apartment complex near Great Hills Trail and Rain Creek Parkway.
#texasshooting #masshooting Arboretum shooting Austin. pic.twitter.com/SkIsgDoYHt
— Jamie Hammonds (@jamie_hammonds5) April 18, 2021
APD announced at 1:02 p.m. that Loop 360 will be shut down in both directions from Spicewood Springs to 183 due to the incident. The roads will remain closed until law enforcement is able to wrap up the crime scene and units demobilize.
TRAFFIC UPDATE: Loop 360 will be shut down in both directions from Spicewoods Springs to 183 due to ongoing incident. - PIO8
— Austin Police Department (@Austin_Police) April 18, 2021
This is a developing story.
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Formula 1 is returning to Florida for the first time since 1959, announcing that the brand-new Miami Grand Prix will join the calendar in 2022 and Austin will no longer be the only F1 race in the U.S.
Held at the Hard Rock Stadium complex in Miami Gardens, this will be the first race in the Sunshine State in 62 years. With a new track setup, F1 will loop the stadium, home of the NFL's Miami Dolphins.
Excited for @F1 @f1miami @HardRockStadium - a Global Entertainment Destination. This event will bring opportunities for so many and will be world-class. Thank you to @gregmaffei #chasecarey #stefanodomenicali @MayorRHarris @Ogilbert @CommishDiaz @MayorDaniella pic.twitter.com/n6dDDD1cPX
— Tom Garfinkel (@TomGarfinkel) April 18, 2021
The new 3.36 mile circuit has 19 corners, three straights and potential for three DRS zones, with expected top speeds of 198 mph.
Now with two races in the U.S., F1 President Stefano Domenicali said they will avoid having back-to-back events by keeping the Miami Grand Prix separate from the U.S. Grand Prix, which is held at Austin's Circuit of the Americas.
The date of the race has yet to be confirmed, though Domenicali said he expects the first race in a 10-year deal to take place in the second quarter of 2022. Austin's race will take place on Oct. 24 this year.
"The USA is a key growth market for us, and we are greatly encouraged by our growing reach in the U.S. which will be further supported by this exciting second race," Domenicali said.
Miami will mark the 11th race location in the U.S. since the Championship began in 1950: Circuit of The Americas in Austin; Dallas, Texas; Indianapolis, Indiana; Sebring, Florida; Riverside, California; Watkins Glen, New York; Long Beach, California; Las Vegas, Nevada; Detroit, Michigan and Phoenix, Arizona. COTA was first opened in 2012.
Domenicali said F1 will be working with the FIA and the Hard Rock Stadium to leave a lasting impact on the community: discounted tickets for residents, a program to support local businesses and a STEM education program through F1 in schools.
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