FRANKFURT — The European Union (EU) will fast track approvals of coronavirus vaccines adapted to combat mutations, the bloc’s Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said in a newspaper interview on Sunday.
“We have now decided that a vaccine that has been improved by the manufacturer on the basis of the previous vaccine to combat new mutations no longer has to go through the entire approval process,” she told Bavaria’s Augsburger Allgemeine.
“So it will be faster to have suitable vaccines available without compromising on safety.”
The European Commission has come under fire from EU member states over delays to deliveries of vaccines which has seen the bloc lag behind countries such as Britain, a former member, and the United States.
Ms. Kyriakides is a member of a new task force, led by Industry Commissioner Thierry Breton, to eliminate bottlenecks in production plants and adjust output to new variants.
While vaccinations in the first quarter of 2021 have started slowly, the second quarter would see a pick-up and by the end of September the EU expects to have received sufficient doses from licensed producers to cover over 70% of its population, Ms. Kyriakides said.
She also reiterated the Commission view that closing borders was not an effective weapon against infections.
“I think it is wrong for us to return to a Europe with closed borders, as in March 2020,” she said.
Germany will enforce entry bans on travelers from the Czech Republic and Austria’s Tyrol region from Sunday to prevent the spread of new variants. — Reuters
THE Philippine national men’s basketball team is set to add players to its pool from the rookie draft of the local professional league set for March.
Following its meeting with the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) last week, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) submitted a list of players it is interested in tapping to be part of the national team program in preparation for future international competitions.
The local basketball federation said it will be picking Jordan Heading, Tzaddy Rangel and Jaydee Tungcab from the special PBA rookie draft for Gilas on March 14.
The three players will join Isaac Go (Terrafirma), Matt Nieto (NLEX), Mike Nieto (Rain or Shine), Rey Suerte (Blackwater), and Allyn Bulanadi (Alaska), Gilas draftees in 2019, as full-time members of the Gilas Pilipinas pool.
The pool is part of the long-term plan of the SBP to ready the national team for international competitions, particularly the 2023 FIBA World Cup where the Philippines is one of the hosts along with Japan and Indonesia.
Mr. Heading is a 6-foot-2 guard from the California Baptist University and a product of the Batang Gilas program, while Mr. Rangel is a 6-foot-8 bruiser from the National University.
The two were teammates under San Miguel Alab Pilipinas in the ASEAN Basketball League.
Mr. Tungcab is a 6-foot-3 guard from the University of the Philippines (UP), who was supposed to play as an Asian import in the Japanese B. League before new strains of the coronavirus derailed it.
He is no longer a stranger to Gilas being part of the cadet squad that saw action in the second window of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Asia Cup Qualifiers last year.
The three are among the record of 97 players who have applied in the PBA rookie draft.
“We thank the three for their trust and commitment to the program. Over a short span, we’ve seen the development of the program and of the players’ individual talents as well and we’re confident that the upcoming Gilas draftees will benefit greatly under Program Director Tab Baldwin and his outstanding staff of coaches,” said SBP President Al Panlilio in a statement.
FIBA ACQ WINDOW BACK IN CLARK Meanwhile, Clark City in Angeles, Pampanga, is back as host of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifier third window.
Following the decision of FIBA last week to cancel the event in Doha, Qatar, because of the rising cases of the coronavirus there, the SBP stepped up anew and offered the Philippines as venue for the qualifying leg of the regional tournament.
It is actually a re-hosting for the country as it was originally set to host the third and final window this week until SBP decided to pull the plug late last month over concerns on the new strains of the coronavirus and heightened restrictions by the government because of them.
Qatar offered itself as host until the country, too, decided to drop out.
In Doha, three groups were set to play, namely A, B and E, from Feb. 17 to 23.
“The Qatar Basketball Federation was there to help out when we could not push through with our hosting and it’s just right for the SBP to be here for them and for FIBA as well,” said Mr. Panlilio in a separate statement.
“What we have to remember during these difficult times that the entire international basketball community is part of one team. We must do our best to help each other as much as we can. We know that our great fans from all over Asia draw a lot of inspiration from their respective national teams and this is why hosting these games holds a lot of value even during a pandemic,” he added.
In communication with FIBA, the SBP said it was decided that two groups will be playing in the Philippines and one group in Lebanon.
The schedule and logistics are currently being finalized.
Gilas Pilipinas currently leads Group A with a 3-0 record. Other teams part of the grouping are Korea (2-0), Indonesia (1-2), and Thailand (0-4).
EIGHT-TIME Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) champion coach Chot Reyes is back in the league with the TNT Tropang GIGA.
Mr. Reyes, 57, was announced at the weekend to take the head coaching duties for Smart Communications’ pro basketball team when the new PBA season unfurls later this year.
It will be a homecoming for the five-time PBA coach of the year and former Gilas Pilipinas bench tactician with the franchise, which he helped win four league titles, the last one in the 2011-2012 season (Philippine Cup). “It’s like a homecoming for Chot. He is a coach that gave us four championships. We look forward to a successful relationship with Coach Chot,” said Ricky Vargas, team governor and chairman of PBA Board of Governors, in a statement.
Mr. Reyes takes over from TNT active consultant Mark Dickel, who ran the team along with coach Bong Ravena for the last couple of years.
Mr. Dickel was asked to stay with the team, but declined the offer to look for new opportunities elsewhere.
In making a return to the PBA, Mr. Reyes, who was TV5’s top executive until 2019, expressed his excitement to be doing something he is truly passionate about.
“Throughout my career, I have always tried to live according to my passion and purpose. My passion has always been coaching and building teams, whether in sports or business. And my purpose is to further the advancement of Filipino coaches, so we can, in turn, help develop the next generation of Filipino leaders,” said Mr. Reyes.
“Coaching again in the PBA provides me an excellent platform to advance this advocacy. I have spent the best years of my career as a ka-Tropa, and I look forward to this new challenge,” he added.
With TNT, Mr. Reyes will lead a team bannered by veteran Jayson Castro, Roger Pogoy, Ray Parks Jr., Troy Rosario, and JP Erram.
Mr. Reyes started his PBA head coaching career with the Purefoods franchise in 1993. He also had stops with Sta. Lucia, Pop Cola, Coca-Cola, and San Miguel. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
THE newly recognized professional association Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) added another milestone in its development by holding its first-ever player draft at the weekend.
Done virtually last Saturday, 39 players were selected from a pool of 177 aspirants by teams, which are expected to compete this year in the first season as a pro of the WNBL.
Leading the roster of players drafted was former University of the Philippines standout and now-doctor Fille Claudine Cainglet, who was selected first by the Glutagence Glow Boosters in the draft presented by Chooks-to-Go and powered by Smar.
A 5-foot-2 guard, Ms. Cainglet, 32, played for the Fighting Maroons at the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) from seasons 69 to 73.
Ms. Cainglet was performing an operation at the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Hospital in Quezon City as she followed the draft and heard of the news of her selection.
Joining Ms. Cainglet in the Glow Boosters are the “Splash Sisters” Camille Claro and Khate Castillo as they were Glutgence’s back-to-back picks in rounds two and three.
The rest of Glutagence’s picks were 5-foot-10 center Camille Sambile of Far Eastern University, 5-foot-10 big April Lualhati of Lyceum, 5-foot-7 forward Nic Cancio of Ateneo, 5-foot-10 center Carol Sangalang of University of Santo Tomas, 5-foot-6 guard Raiza Palmera-Dy of FEU, 5-foot-2 point guard Nicky Garcia of La Salle, 5-foot-4 forward Samantha Tan of UP, 5-foot-4 guard Ays Hufanda of UP, and 5-foot-1 guard Camille Ramos of La Salle.
STAN Quezon, meanwhile, picked up Dianne Ventura, Kat Araja, Jo Razalo, Angelica De Austria, Karla Manuel, Nikka Tupaz, Jade Valenzuela, Marika Iida, Veronica Lio, and Bienca Ramos.
Despite entering the draft at round three, Pacific Water was still able to nab burly forward Snow Peñaranda. It, too, was able to draft UAAP Season 82 Finals MVP Monique Del Carmen in the ninth round.
The Queens also got Cara Buendia, Elaisa Adriano, Crislyn Mier, Tin Cortizano, Nef Taller, Janella Alba, and Jinky Balasta.
Parañaque, an original from the first season of the WNBL, for its part, was able to make the most of their eight picks, selecting AJ Gloriani, Mary Joy Galicia, Jhenn Angeles, Vanessa Santos, Tanya De La Merced, Jenina Solis, Sthefanie Ventura, and Jaira Baarde.
In the lead-up to the draft, all the teams were given a chance to “protect” at most seven players, who would not go through the draft.
The WNBL was recognized as a pro league last year after getting its license from the Games and Amusements Board (GAB).
The league hopes to provide a platform for women players to showcase their skills and share their passion for basketball long after their collegiate careers are over.
Saturday’s draft was supervised by GAB, with its chairman Baham Mitra gracing the event. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
MELBOURNE — Naomi Osaka saved two match points as she battled back from the brink to reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open with a (4-6, 6-4, 7-5) victory over in-form Garbine Muguruza on Sunday.
The Japanese third seed was chasing the match from the start on Rod Laver Arena and looked defeat square in the face in the third set when the Spanish 14th seed had two opportunities to win the match with a break of serve.
Osaka saved both match points — the first with an ace — to turn the tide in the contest decisively and Muguruza exited the tournament a couple of games later after failing to win a point in her final service. — Reuters
ADD the Minnesota Timberwolves to the growing list of National Basketball Association (NBA) teams, which have partnered with Philippine rum maker Tanduay.
In an announcement made last week, Tanduay said the Timberwolves were the latest NBA club it has been privileged to link up with as it takes its brand to more territories.
Tanduay also has existing partnerships with the Golden State Warriors, Brooklyn Nets, and the Milwaukee Bucks.
Under the deal with the Wolves, Tanduay will have TV-visible courtside rotation LED and basket pad LED signage, pole pads, and arena signage bearing its iconic name and logo.
Custom Timberwolves-Tanduay co-brand packaging for rums will also be released in Minnesota.
“As a global brand, we love bringing the world closer together, having fans experience flavors or products they haven’t tried before and offer something we know they’ll love,” said Ryan Tanke, Chief Operating Officer of the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Minnesota Lynx, of their decision to partner with Tanduay, in a statement shared by the Filipino rum manufacturer.
For Tanduay, its touts its partnerships with NBA teams as built on the shared culture of striving for excellence and fostering loyalty in the communities they serve.
“As we expand into new markets, we also create new relationships with organizations that share our commitment to bringing the best to our consumers. We are proud to have found that partner in the Minnesota Timberwolves,” said Tanduay President and COO Lucio Tan III.
Last year, despite the challenges presented by the pandemic, Tanduay was declared the World’s Number 1 Rum by Drinks International for the third consecutive year. It was also awarded “Brand of the Year” in the rum category by the Global Advisory Council of the World Branding Forum for the sixth consecutive year. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
BARCELONA — Lionel Messi scored with two scorching strikes as Barcelona hammered Alavés (5-1) on Saturday in La Liga to warm up for their upcoming Champions League clash with Paris St. Germain (PSG) in style.
Portuguese forward Francisco Trincão put Barça in front after a cut-back from 18-year-old debutant midfielder Ilaix Moriba and Messi thought he had doubled the lead later on when knocking in on the rebound, but the goal was ruled out for a marginal offside against Antoine Griezmann.
Messi then took matters in to his own hands from outside the area and thumped the ball off the far post with such venom that it landed just inside the opposite post.
Alavés’s Luis Rioja pounced on a mistake by Ilaix to reduce the deficit in the second half, but Barça came roaring back with a second strike from Trincão, another long-range missile from Messi and then a fifth goal crafted by Messi and Griezmann and finished off by left back Junior Firpo.
A seventh consecutive league win took Barça up to second in the standings on 46 points, eight behind leaders Atletico Madrid.
“Messi is in a fantastic moment of form,” said Barça coach Ronald Koeman.
“We know how decisive he is and right now he is in the mood. With him playing in this form, everything is easier. If we want to beat PSG, we need Leo and everyone else at the top of their game.”
Barça had suffered a painful 2-0 defeat to Sevilla in Wednesday’s Copa del Rey semifinal first leg and Koeman rotated his side to make for fresher legs for Tuesday’s first leg at home to PSG.
He rested Jordi Alba and started without Sergino Dest, Ousmane Dembele and Pedri, but there was no rest for Messi, who unleashed a ferocious shot for his first goal.
He also sparked the move for Barça’s third goal, racing on to a through ball and attempting to round keeper Fernando Pacheco, who succeeded in snuffing out Messi but could only parry the ball into the path of Trincão, who tucked it into the net.
Messi was hungry for a second goal of his own, however, and got one less than 60 seconds later, dribbling past two defenders outside the area and rattling a left-footed shot into the far corner.
Now toying with his prey, he released Griezmann with a delicious chipped pass and the Frenchman sent in a low cross for Firpo to complete the thrashing.
Koeman expressed his satisfaction with the team’s performance after making several changes and said they were feeling confident ahead of Tuesday’s showdown against PSG, who will be without an injured Neymar.
“We believe we can get through the tie. They have some injuries, but so do we, and we’ll have to play very well to knock them out,” added the coach.
“We have to be more efficient than ever in attack and strong in defense. I’m sure it’ll be a marvellous game.” — Reuters
DESPITE finishing just one under par on the day, Jordan Spieth managed to hold on to his lead and even separate himself slightly from the pack on Saturday at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in Pebble Beach, California.
As the tournament moved exclusively to Pebble Beach Golf Links for the weekend, Spieth capitalized on his second hole-out eagle of the tournament — a 160-yard shot from the fairway on the par-4 No. 16 — to shoot 71 and move to 13-under 203, good for a two-shot lead over a five-pack of players.
The players tied for second place at 11 under are Nate Lashley (68 on Saturday), Tom Hoge (68), Patrick Cantlay (70), Daniel Berger (72), and Scotland’s Russell Knox (69).
Hot on their heels at 10 under and tied for seventh place are Australia’s Jason Day (68), Brian Stuard (69), Maverick McNealy (69), and England’s Paul Casey (71).
The 27-year-old Spieth, coming off his best result in nearly a year, tied for fourth place in the Waste Management Phoenix Open last week. It was his first top-10 finish since he tied for ninth at Pebble Beach in 2020 and his first top-20 result since the Memorial last July.
It was a tale of two nines Saturday for Spieth, who won the 2017 Pebble Beach event for one of his 11 career PGA Tour victories, but hasn’t been victorious since claiming the 2017 Open Championship. After a bogey on No. 2, he rebounded with birdies on Nos. 4, 6 and 9 before giving them all back with bogeys at Nos. 10, 12 and 14.
Then came the eagle at No. 16.
Spieth said of his 8-iron shot that landed in the cup, “In the air I thought it was going to be really good, it was one of the only shots I kind of said, ‘Oh, be good.’ And as it landed it was just exactly where I was trying to hit it, certainly a bonus for it to drop… It’s a good lesson to learn for tomorrow: how quickly things can change out here.”
“It’s just Jordan doing Jordan things,” Berger said regarding his reaction to seeing Spieth hole out.
Spieth said of his current mindset, “I’m finally consistently doing things over the last two weeks that I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I think, obviously the more you continue to do that, the bounces go your way, like the hole out did today on 16.
“Someone may do that to me tomorrow or come shoot a 64 or something. I mean, it’s golf, and it’s Pebble Beach, and you can go low, and it can also be really challenging… What I’m asking for is a chance to win the golf tournament on 18.”
Berger was tied with Spieth at 13 under going into No. 18, but dropped two shots with a double bogey and finished even par for the day.
Kevin Streelman shot a bogey-free 67 to record the low round of the day. He started on the back and notched four birdies before posting one more after the turn, and he is tied for 13th place at 8 under.
Defending champion Nick Taylor of Canada posted an even-par 72 and is tied for 34th at 4 under. — Reuters
Who knows what the Jaguars were thinking when they hired the controversial Chris Doyle as their director of sports performance? All and sundry got wind of their decision when they raised the curtain on newly appointed head coach Urban Meyer’s staff last Thursday. And while most of the names got rave reviews, one received significant pushback. Rightly so, to be sure; inked hadn’t yet dried on the divorce papers the former college fixture was forced to sign with the University of Iowa after allegations of his bias against African-American players surfaced. For a franchise that purports to being dead serious in turning the corner, adding a headache was the last thing it needed.
To argue that the Jaguars’ wound was self-inflicted would be to understate the obvious. True, Meyer had carte blanche in choosing his assistants, a big reason he agreed to accept the job in the first place. Nonetheless, he should have been more circumspect when it came to Doyle, just eight months removed from being forced out of an otherwise-cushy situation as the highest-paid strength and conditioning coach in the United States. So intent were the Hawkeyes in parting ways with their trainer of two decades that they actually paid for it to happen, and fast, instead of letting due process, evidently in their favor, play out.
If there’s any consolation, it’s that the Jaguars quickly realized the error of their ways. Hours after the influential Fritz Pollard Alliance weighed in with a stinging rebuke of the ill-advised decision, they came out with a statement effectively withdrawing the hire. Granted, they did so while making Doyle the hero of the course correction; he “came to us this evening to submit his resignation and we accepted. Chris did not want to be a distraction to what we are building in Jacksonville.” Still, there can be no underestimating the value of their move. They could have dug in, just as Meyer initially did by saying “ I’ve known Chris for 20 years… We’ve had a relationship. I vetted him thoroughly, along with our general manager and owner.” Instead, they did the right thing, and it’s never too late to do the right thing.
Admittedly, not insignificant damage has been done. At the same time, it’s fair to argue that the development is but a reflection of how much work the National Football League needs to do when it comes to promoting diversity in this regard, Fritz Pollard Alliance executive director Rod Graves aptly noted, “Urban Meyer’s statement, ‘I’ve known Chris for close to 20 years’ reflects the good ol’ boy network that is precisely the reason there is such a disparity in employment opportunities for Black coaches.”
Interestingly, the Jaguars’ announcement of Doyle’s resignation, issued via e-mail as a “statement from Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer” late Friday night, was then re-sent the next morning as a “statement from Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer and general manager Trent Baalke.” Since all the information therein stayed the same, tongues could not help but start wagging. Perhaps the head coach refused to hang out to dry all by his lonesome. In any case, they’ll all need to be together and work as one from here on.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
US audio app Clubhouse said in a response to the study, published by the research group at Stanford University, that while it had opted not to make the app available in China, some people had found a workaround to download the app which meant the conversations they were a part of could be transmitted via Chinese servers. Screenshot via App Store.
SHANGHAI — US audio app Clubhouse said it is reviewing its data protection practices, after a report by the Stanford Internet Observatory said it contained security flaws that left users’ data vulnerable to access by the Chinese government.
The app said in a response to the study, published by the research group at Stanford University, that while it had opted not to make the app available in China, some people had found a workaround to download the app which meant the conversations they were a part of could be transmitted via Chinese servers.
“With the help of researchers at the Stanford Internet Observatory, we have identified a few areas where we can further strengthen our data protection,” the company said in a statement published by the research group on Friday.
“Over the next 72 hours, we are rolling out changes to add additional encryption and blocks to prevent Clubhouse clients from ever transmitting pings to Chinese servers. We also plan to engage an external data security firm to review and validate these changes.”
Clubhouse did not immediately respond to a request from Reuters for further comment on Saturday.
Launched in early 2020, the app saw global user numbers soar earlier this month after Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev held a surprise discussion on the platform.
Masses of new users joined from mainland China, taking part in discussions on topics that included sensitive issues such as Xinjiang detention camps and Hong Kong’s National Security Law. But their access to the app was blocked last week, triggering frustration and fears of government surveillance.
The Stanford Internet Observatory said that it had confirmed that Chinese tech firm Agora Inc. supplied back-end infrastructure to Clubhouse, and that Agora would likely have access to users’ raw audio, potentially providing access to the Chinese government.
It also said it observed room metadata relayed to servers it believed were hosted in China and audio to servers managed by Chinese entities. It added, however, that it believed the Chinese government would not be able to access the data if the audio was stored in the United States.
An Agora spokesman said the company had no comment on any relationship with Clubhouse, but that Agora does not have access to or store personal data, and does not route through China voice or video traffic generated from users outside China, including US users. Agora provides software that allows customers “to build their security and privacy infrastructure in a way that is both compliant and relevant to their end-users,” the spokesman wrote in an e-mail.
The Cyberspace Administration of China, which regulates the country’s internet, did not respond to calls for comment made during China’s Lunar New Year holiday.
“SIO chose to disclose these security issues because they are both relatively easy to uncover and because they pose immediate security risks to Clubhouse’s millions of users, particularly those in China,” the report said.
Data analytics firm Sensor Tower said the app, which is only available on Apple’s iPhone, had about 3.6 million users worldwide as of Feb.2, with 1.1 million registered in the prior six days. — Reuters
China refused to give raw data on early COVID-19 cases to the WHO-led team probing the origins of the pandemic, according to one of the team’s investigators, potentially complicating efforts to understand how the outbreak began.
WASHINGTON — The White House on Saturday called on China to make available data from the earliest days of the COVID-19 outbreak, saying it has “deep concerns” about the way the findings of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) report were communicated.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement that it is imperative that the report be independent and free from “alteration by the Chinese government,” echoing concerns raised by the administration of former President Donald J. Trump, who also moved to quit the WHO over the issue.
A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy fired back with a strongly worded statement, saying the United States had damaged multilateral cooperation and the WHO in recent years, and should not be “pointing fingers” at China and other countries that supported the WHO during the COVID-19 pandemic.
China welcomed the US decision to reengage with the WHO, but Washington should hold itself to the “highest standards” instead of taking aim at other countries, the spokesperson said.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Friday said all hypotheses were still open about the origins of COVID-19, after Washington said it wanted to review data from a WHO-led mission to China, where the virus first emerged.
A WHO-led mission, which spent four weeks in China probing the origins of the COVID-19 outbreak, said this week that it was not looking further into the question of whether the virus escaped from a lab, which it considered highly unlikely.
The Trump administration had said it suspected the virus may have escaped from a Chinese lab, which Beijing strongly denies.
Mr. Sullivan noted that US President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., had quickly reversed the decision to disengage from the WHO, but said it was imperative to protect the organization’s credibility.
“Re-engaging the WHO also means holding it to the highest standards,” Mr. Sullivan said. “We have deep concerns about the way in which the early findings of the COVID-19 investigation were communicated and questions about the process used to reach them.”
Mr. Biden, who is spending his first weekend at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, was due to meet with his national security advisers on Saturday, a White House official said.
China refused to give raw data on early COVID-19 cases to the WHO-led team probing the origins of the pandemic, according to one of the team’s investigators, potentially complicating efforts to understand how the outbreak began.
The team had requested raw patient data on 174 cases that China had identified from the early phase of the outbreak in the city of Wuhan in December 2019, as well as other cases, but were only provided with a summary, Dominic Dwyer, an Australian infectious diseases expert and member of the WHO team, told Reuters.
“It is imperative that this report be independent, with expert findings free from intervention or alteration by the Chinese government,” Mr. Sullivan said.
“To better understand this pandemic and prepare for the next one, China must make available its data from the earliest days of the outbreak,” he said.
The embassy statement did not address the data issue.
The WHO did not respond to queries for comment.
Going forward, all countries, including China, should participate in a transparent and robust process for preventing and responding to health emergencies, Mr. Sullivan said. — Andrea Shalal and Michael Martina/Reuters
The US Senate fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to convict former president Donald J. Trump on a charge that he incited the insurrection that left five people dead.
WASHINGTON — The US Senate acquitted Donald J. Trump on Saturday of inciting the mob that stormed the Capitol last month, sparing him from conviction in his second impeachment trial in a year despite broad condemnation of his role in sparking the deadly siege.
The Senate voted 57–43 in favor of convicting the former president, falling short of the two-thirds majority needed to do so, on a charge that he incited the insurrection that left five people dead, forced lawmakers to flee, and put his own vice-president in danger while overseeing the certification of Democrat Joseph R. Biden, Jr.’s election win.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who voted “not guilty,” in the trial, offered scathing remarks about Mr. Trump after the verdict.
“There is no question that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day,” he said. “The people who stormed this building believed they were acting on the wishes and instructions of their president.”
President Biden said that while the vote did not lead to a conviction, the substance of the charge was not in dispute, and a record number of Republicans had voted to convict Mr. Trump.
“This sad chapter in our history has reminded us that democracy is fragile,” Mr. Biden said in a statement. “That it must always be defended. That we must be ever vigilant. That violence and extremism has no place in America. And that each of us has a duty and responsibility as Americans, and especially as leaders, to defend the truth and to defeat the lies.”
In the vote, seven of the 50 Senate Republicans joined the chamber’s unified Democrats in favoring conviction after a week-long trial in the same building ransacked by Mr. Trump’s followers after they heard him deliver an incendiary speech on Jan. 6.
During the trial, senators viewed graphic video of the assault, including scenes of a police officer screaming in pain as he was crushed in a door, the mob chanting “hang Mike Pence” as it hunted the vice-president, and lawmakers having near-misses with rioters as security officers hurried the elected officials into hiding for their own safety.
Mr. Trump left office on Jan. 20, so impeachment could not be used to remove him from power. But Democrats had hoped to secure a conviction to hold him responsible for the siege and set the stage for a vote to bar him from serving in public office again.
“The bottom line is that we convinced a big majority in the Senate of our case,” said Representative Jamie Raskin, the lead Democratic prosecutor from the House of Representatives.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Republicans’ refusal to hold Mr. Trump accountable would be remembered “as one of the darkest days and most dishonorable acts in our nation’s history.”
The swift end to the trial allows Mr. Biden to move forward with his agenda to bolster the economy with a $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill and further confirmation of his cabinet members.
But divisions on Capitol Hill and around the country over his controversial predecessor will remain.
“This has been yet another phase of the greatest witch hunt in the history of our country,” Mr. Trump said in a statement after his acquittal.
Mr. Trump, 74, continues to hold a grip on his party with a right-wing populist appeal and “America First” message. The businessman-turned-politician has considered running for president again in 2024.
Republicans saved Mr. Trump in the Feb. 5, 2020, vote in his first impeachment trial, when only one senator from their ranks—Mitt Romney—voted to convict and remove him from office.
Mr. Romney voted for conviction on Saturday along with fellow Republicans Richard Burr, Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins, Ben Sasse, Pat Toomey, and Lisa Murkowski.
“His actions to interfere with the peaceful transition of power—the hallmark of our Constitution and our American democracy—were an abuse of power and constitute grounds for conviction,” Ms. Collins said after the vote.
DEEPLY DIVIDED NATION The acquittal unfolded against a backdrop of gaping divisions in a pandemic-weary United States along political, racial, socioeconomic and regional lines. The trial provided more partisan warfare even as Mr. Biden has called for unity.
Seventy-one percent of American adults, including nearly half of all Republicans, believe Mr. Trump was at least partially responsible for starting the Capitol assault, but only about half of the country thought he should be convicted of inciting insurrection, according to an Ipsos poll conducted for Reuters.
Mr. Trump is only the third president ever to be impeached by the House of Representatives—a step akin to a criminal indictment—as well as the first to be impeached twice and the first to face an impeachment trial after leaving office. But the Senate still has never convicted an impeached president.
Democrats forged ahead with impeachment despite knowing it could overshadow critical early weeks of Mr. Biden’s presidency.
The House approved the single article of impeachment against Mr. Trump on Jan. 13, with 10 Republicans joining the chamber’s Democratic majority. That vote came a week after the pro-Trump mob stormed the neoclassical domed Capitol, interrupted the formal congressional certification of Biden’s victory, clashed with an overwhelmed police force, and invaded the hallowed House and Senate chambers.
‘FIGHT LIKE HELL’ Shortly before the rampage, Mr. Trump urged his followers to march on the Capitol, repeated his false claims that the election was stolen from him through widespread voting fraud, and told them that “if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”
During the trial, nine House lawmakers serving as trial managers, or prosecutors, urged senators to convict Mr. Trump to hold him accountable for a crime against American democracy and to prevent a repeat in the future. They said Mr. Trump summoned the mob to Washington, gave the crowd its marching orders and then did nothing to stop the ensuing violence.
The defense lawyers accused Democrats not only of trying to silence Mr. Trump as a political opponent they feared facing in the future but of attempting to criminalize political speech with which they disagreed.
The words Mr. Trump used, they argued, were no different than those regularly employed by Democrats.
Mr. Trump’s acquittal does not end the possibility of other congressional action against him such as a censure motion, but Pelosi said such a measure would let Republicans who voted against conviction “off the hook.”
Mr. McConnell said Mr. Trump was now a private citizen and suggested he could still face criminal prosecution for his acts. “He didn’t get away with anything. Yet,” Mr. McConnell said. — Richard Cowan, David Morgan and Makini Brice/Reuters
