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Impeached again

Evening Briefing
Bloomberg

In a historic rebuke, the U.S. House of Representatives approved an article of impeachment charging President Donald Trump with incitement of insurrection, one that resulted in the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol by his followers on Jan. 6. The vote makes Trump the first president in the 245-year history of the country to be impeached twice. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell indicated there would be no Senate trial before President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in next week. Some in Congress are hoping to use any eventual conviction to bar Trump from running for president in 2024. Tensions around Washington remained high with warnings of possible new attacks by far-right groups. However, unlike last week, there is now a massive military presence. —Margaret Sutherlin

Here are today's top stories  

After another day of more than 4,000 deaths, U.S. officials recommended states offer vaccines to all residents 65 and older, as well those with conditions that make them vulnerable to illness. It opens the door for 128 million more people to be vaccinated in what has been a botched rollout with limited availability of approved shots by Pfizer-BioTech and Moderna. Johnson & Johnson's highly anticipated single-dose vaccine may not be authorized until March, weeks later than U.S. officials have said. In one small bit of good news, hospitalizations this week were flat for the first time in months. Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention contends recent Covid-19 outbreaks haven't been driven by in-person schooling. Here is the latest on the pandemic.

A nurse tends to a Covid-19 patient in the intensive care ward of a hospital in Apple Valley, California 

Photographer: Ariana Drehsler/AFP

Once again, markets shrugged off the turmoil in Washington and the pandemic. Led by technology stocks, indices rose and benchmark Treasury yields retreated. On Thursday, Biden is expected to unveil his economic stimulus agenda. Incoming Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has pressed the next president to propose more than $1.3 trillion in additional spending for Covid-19 relief. Here's your markets wrap

The Trump Organization is losing more business after last week's attack by white supremacists and other far-right groups. New York City said it will cancel all contracts with Trump's businesses. Real estate firm Cushman Wakefield followed Deutsche Bank and the PGA of America in saying it would stop working with the Republican.  

Intel named VMware chief Pat Gelsinger as its CEO, replacing Bob Swan, who stepped into the position last year after his predecessor was fired.

 

Since at least 2003, there were clear warnings to the U.S. government: You're vulnerable to a cyber-attack. Now in the aftermath of a massive hack allegedly perpetrated by Russia (the Kremlin denies it), a Pentagon cybersecurity project is on hold again. Why? Because the systems failed to detect intruders. 

Airbnb is canceling all reservations in Washington during the week of the inauguration. Residents fearful of more violence by Trump followers are asking short-term rental platforms to take a more aggressive approach.

Supporters of President Donald Trump in Washington Jan. 5, the day before thousands of his followers attacked the Capitol.

Photographer: Erin Scott/Bloomberg

Bitcoin has fallen more than 15% since reaching its all-time high last week at $40,000. While the jury is still out on whether the cryptocurrency is a bubble, one thing is certain: it's unlike any bubble we've seen. The interest in Bitcoin has never been higher, with eToro fielding so much demand that it warned customers they may encounter problems filling orders. 

What you'll need to know tomorrow 

What you'll want to read tonight in Businessweek

Elon Musk Loves China; China Loves Him Back

Tesla's unprecedented success in China has helped Elon Musk become the world's richest man. It's been fair to wonder if Musk has become President Xi Jinping's favorite foreign capitalist. But after years of protectionism and intellectual property theft, miserable U.S.-China relations and human rights abuses, few American CEOs are willing to publicly praise China anymore. So how long will the good times last? 

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Tesla CEO Elon Musk

Photo Illustration: Bloomberg

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