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First Thing: Police tell panel of trauma of Capitol attack

<span>Photograph: Xinhua/REX/Shutterstock</span>
Photograph: Xinhua/REX/Shutterstock

Good morning.

The House select committee investigating the 6 January attack opened on Tuesday with harrowing testimony from police officers who were beaten and assaulted while protecting the US Capitol.

  • “All of them were telling us: ‘Trump sent us’,” said Sgt Aquilino Gonell of the US Capitol police.

  • “I was grabbed, beaten, Tased, all while being called a traitor to my country,” said Michael Fanone, a Metropolitan police department officer who suffered a heart attack and a brain injury.

  • US Capitol police officer Harry Dunn, who is Black, said he was repeatedly called the N-word as he sought to protect the Capitol.

  • In subsequent hearings, former Trump officials will be allowed to testify, according to a Department of Justice letter obtained by the Guardian.

Biden to require vaccines for all federal workers

Joe Biden speaks about the nation’s economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic at the White House
Joe Biden speaks about the nation’s economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic at the White House. Photograph: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

As the Delta variant of the coronavirus surges, Joe Biden has said requiring all federal workers to get vaccinated is “under consideration”, while sources told CNN that the president was poised to announce a vaccine or regular testing requirement imminently.

This came as California and New York City announced such mandates for their jurisdictions.

States brace for ‘avalanche’ of evictions as federal moratorium ends

Community members protest against evictions outside the Bronx housing court in August 2020
Community members protest against evictions outside the Bronx housing court in August 2020. Photograph: Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images

The federal moratorium on evictions imposed by the Centers for Disease Control during the pandemic expires at the end of the week, putting millions of Americans at risk of losing their homes. States with weak renter protections, such as Florida, are bracing for an “avalanche” of evictions.

Simone Biles will not compete in Olympic all-around gymnastics

Simone Biles reacts after competing in the artistic gymnastics vault event of the women’s qualification during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics
Simone Biles reacts after competing in the artistic gymnastics vault event of the women’s qualification during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Photograph: Lionel Bonaventure/AFP/Getty Images

Simone Biles has withdrawn from the women’s all-around gymnastics final at the Tokyo Olympics. This comes after her decision to stop competing in the women’s team event on Tuesday, citing her mental health.

Julian Assange stripped of Ecuador citizenship

Ecuador has revoked the citizenship of the WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, who is currently in jail in Britain.

Assange received Ecuadorian citizenship in January 2018 as part of a failed attempt by the government to turn him into a diplomat to get him out of its embassy in London. He stayed at the embassy for seven years to avoid extradition to Sweden to face allegations of rape and sexual assault, which he denies.

His attorney said the decision to revoke his citizenship had been made without due process.

In other news…

The former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee on stage with his daughter Sarah, the former White House secretary
The former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee on stage with his daughter Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the former White House secretary. Photograph: Octavio Jones/Reuters
  • The former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has promoted the “Trump vaccine”, and urged the people of Arkansas to “pray on it” before getting it. Sanders is running for governor of Arkansas.

  • The influential Democratic donor Ed Buck has been found guilty in the fatal meth overdoses of two men. Activists have long alleged that Buck escaped criminal charges for his sexual exploitation of vulnerable men because of his wealth and political ties.

  • The Atlanta spa shooter has pleaded guilty to four charges of murder in the of being sentenced to life without parole, but still faces the death penalty if he is convicted in the other four deaths.

  • The US government has sold “Pharma bro” Martin Shkreli’s Wu-Tang Clan album, which was unreleased and worth $2m. Shkreli forfeited the album after his securities fraud conviction.

  • Scientists led by Harvard University will search for signs of extraterrestrial life by looking for advanced technology possibly left behind in a new international endeavor called the Galileo Project.

Stat of the day: the recent heatwave in the Pacific Northwest likely led to the death of more than 1bn marine animals

Sockeye salmon are the latest creatures believed to be suffering the consequences of the recent heatwave. A conservation group has found they have broken out in red lesions and white fungus after being exposed to unlivable water temperatures.

Don’t miss: the app complicating caregiving in the US

The Obama administration passed legislation requiring that a digital tool called electronic visit verification be implemented to manage all in-home personal care services paid for by Medicaid. But the app is frequently glitchy, and worse, makes workers feel as if they are constantly surveilled and under suspicion.

Climate check: oil and wind

The Anschutz Corporation amassed a fortune in the 19th century from the oil-rich shale deposits of Wyoming. Now the company that controls the Washington Examiner, the Los Angeles Kings hockey team and the Coachella music festival is building a 732-mile power line to carry renewable energy from wind turbine farms in Wyoming to cities including Los Angeles and Phoenix.

Want more environmental stories delivered to your inbox? Sign up to our Green Light newsletter to get the good, bad and essential news on the climate every week.

Last Thing: Spice up your life

For those who have thoroughly exhausted their sourdough starter after 18 months at home and are desperately looking for a change, some of Britain’s best chefs have given the Guardian their best flavor hacks and taste combinations to shake up a tired palate.

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