The January 6 insurrection at the Capitol:
the day white supremacists entered the Capitol
without having to get elected.
Yesterday, Congress held its first hearings
on what went wrong with security that day,
and the testimony from the people in charge
was not encouraging.
NEWSWOMAN: Former Capitol Hill security officials
and the acting chief of the D.C. metropolitan police
recounting the January 6 insurrection, highlighting
major communication failures that led to the deadly riots.
The day before the insurrection, an FBI memo
explicitly warning about the possibility of violence
was sent via e-mail, but never made its way to leadership.
NEWSWOMAN: Here's the intelligence.
"Be ready to fight. Congress needs to hear
"glass breaking, doors being kicked in,
"and blood from their BLM and Antifa slave soldiers
"being spilled. Get violent.
"Stop calling this a march or a rally or a protest.
"Go there ready for war.
We get our president or we die."
ROBERT CONTEE: I would certainly think that something as violent
as an insurrection of the Capitol,
uh, would warrant, um, you know, a phone call or something.
Yeah, man, I agree with this. In fact,
this was the first time in history an e-mail
should have been a meeting.
E-mail is the least effective way
to get an emergency message to anybody.
It goes: text, DM,
message in a bottle that you throw into the ocean,
and then e-mail.
And if it's really not important, a phone call.
I mean, this was an attempted overthrow of the government.
It's kind of important that they hear about it.
I'm just saying, like, if it was me,
I would have sent an edible arrangement.
You know how I know e-mail isn't an effective way
to get someone's attention?
Because whenever you send an e-mail,
what do you have to do immediately after that?
You have to send a text asking, "Did you get my e-mail?"
The problem with e-mail is that we just get so many.
You know? It's easy to miss the one that says
"Insurrection at the Capitol," you know?
'Cause it might be below another e-mail
with three siren emojis like,
"Last chance for ten percent off colored contact lenses!"
And, I mean, I know which one's getting my attention...
ladies.
But yesterday's hearing was just the beginning of a long process.
I mean, President Trump incited a mob
that stormed the Capitol, chanting
"Hang Mike Pence."
That's something that was super upsetting to everyone.
Well, almost everyone.
Former Vice President Mike Pence is standing by his former boss.
That's right, Pence told a group of conservative lawmakers
yesterday he maintains a close personal friendship
with the former president.
MANU RAJU: This is significant because of what happened
on January 6 and pro-Trump demonstrators
coming into the Capitol looking for Mike Pence,
and Donald Trump tweeting abo...
attacking Mike Pence,
even during the Capitol riot.
But he did not express, I’m told, any ill will
towards the former president.
Banks told me, "I got the sense they speak often
and maintain the same personal friendship and relationship now
that they have for four years.
(whoops)
Staying loyal after he sent a mob to kill you?
Man, that shows how committed Mike Pence is
to his principles: he won't even abort a friendship.
And I don't know where the line is between forgiving
and being a doormat,
but Mike Pence crossed it a long time ago.
I mean, yeah, the bible says to turn the other cheek,
but at the same time, one of the ten commandments
is thou shall not be a bitch-ass.
I guess, at this point, there's nothing that Trump can do
to Mike Pence that would make Pence turn on him.
They basically have the same relationship
that we have with our Alexa.
Ugh! Alexa, I hate you.
I wish you would die!
I'm sorry you feel that way.
Is there anything else I could help you with?
And, finally, an update on policing in America.
One of the big problems is that police are too often
called in to situations where they should
actually be the last resort.
So, many activists have said that
we should find alternatives to cops as first responders.
You know, maybe health care professionals
or community members.
And now the NYPD is saying, "All right, I hear you,
but what about robot dogs?"
NEWSMAN: Meet Digidog, the newest member of the NYPD's
technical assistance response unit--
yes, a robot dog that's hounding city streets--
assisting its handlers in saving lives
and protecting New York's finest.
Digidog took its first steps here in the Wakefield section
of the Bronx today. The four-legged robot
was reportedly responding to a home invasion,
climbing the stairs of an apartment
here on West 227th Street.
MAN: It allows the NYPD to have
eyes and ears and also
talk to individuals
in life-threatening situations.
This allows them to use
the least amount of force necessary
to resolve that situation.
Wow! A robot dog?
What a cool way for the police to say
they have too much money and should be defunded.
And this robot dog comes with tons of features.
It's got cameras, it's got a microphone,
it's even got an extra knife
that it can plant on an unarmed body--
all sorts of things!
But you got to give props to the police
for how they're marketing this robot.
"Oh, look at our adorable dog."
No, it's a cop made out of steel.
Like, they can call tear gas party smoke,
doesn't mean it's gonna sting any less
when they blast you with it.
It will be funny, though, to see how people
try to bribe a robot police dog.
Listen officer, how about we let this ticket slide and, uh,
I give you ten minutes with my laser printer,
no questions asked.
And, look, I’m not saying robot dogs won't ever be useful.
I mean, they'd be great to send into a hostage situation.
I want a million dollars
and a helicopter to get me out of here.
You hear me?!
-You guys... -(barks)
-what? -(barks)
-What do you want? -(barks)
No, I’m not taking you out.
-I'm doing a hostage thing. -(barks)
-No, I... -(barking)
Okay, fine, I'll take you to the end of the block
-and back, okay? You got that? -(barking)
All right, good boy, come on, come on.
Good boy. Yeah, look at you.