What does the Republican party look like after Trump? Adam Kinzinger has a few ideas.

Last Sunday, the Republican congressman launched a political action committee with a soaring speech about the future of his party, urging the GOP to “turn back from the edge of darkness and return to the ideals that have long been our guiding light.”

It might seem like a loss for Democrats that former president Trump doesn’t plan on testifying under oath during his impeachment trial, but some legal analysts argue that’s not quite so.

The denial, which was probably expected, is part of some constitutional “jiu jitsu” on their part, MSNBC’s legal analyst Danny Cevallos said on Saturday, and could help strengthen a criminal case down the line.

Gino Spocchia has the details.

The FBI has arrested a woman seen on video participating in the Capitol riots last month while apparently directing the insurrectionists with a bullhorn and donning a pink hat, after the mother of eight defended her involvement in the deadly mob in a new interview.

Rachel Marie Powell was arrested by authorities on Thursday in Pennsylvania and charged with obstruction, violent entry/disorderly conduct, depredation of government property and entering a restricted building with a dangerous weapon. She could face decades in prison if convicted on all counts, reports said. 

The New Yorker’s Ronan Farrow interviewed Ms Powell before she was charged on Thursday for a report which detailed how she seemingly became influenced by conspiracy theorists like Alex Jones of Infowars ahead of the 2020 elections. 

CBS News’ Bo Erickson has tweeted a brief clip from Norah O’Donnell’s interview with Joe Biden in which the US president outlines why his predecessor Donald Trump will not be allowed access to intelligence briefings.

“I think not, because of his erratic behaviour unrelated to the insurrection,” Mr Biden said in response to questions of whether Mr Trump should receive briefings.

As the Trump administration was nearing the end of an unprecedented string of executions, 70 per cent of death row inmates were sick with Covid-19. Guards were ill. Travelling prisons staff on the execution team had the virus. So did media witnesses, who may have unknowingly infected others when they returned home because they were never told about the spreading cases.

Records obtained by The Associated Press show employees at the Indiana prison complex where the 13 executions were carried out over six months had contact with inmates and other people infected with the coronavirus, but were able to refuse testing and declined to participate in contact tracing efforts and were still permitted to return to their work assignments.

The New York Times has tweeted a brief video showing time-lapse footage in which Trump supporters can be seen heading straight from the president’s final rally on January 6 to the US Capitol.

Rioters once there stormed the Capitol building, threatening lawmakers and resulting in the deaths of a number of people.

Donald Trump has since been charged by Congress with inciting the insurrection. His impeachment trial starts next week.

The founder of the ‘Cowboys for Trump’ group, who is also a New Mexico county official, has been released from custody while awaiting trial on Capitol riot charges.

Couy Griffin was released on Friday by Judge Beryl Howell of Washington DC’s US District Court, who overturned a decision by a magistrates court last week to detain the pro-Trump official.

Mr Griffin, according to the judge, was not the most culpable for besieging Congress on 6 January, having been charged with a misdemeanour for breaching a restricted area around the US Capitol building.

A North Carolina couple have been charged for involvement in the insurrection at the US Capitol last month, NBC 4 investigative reporter Scott MacFarlane reports.

The FBI alleges the pair admitted there were inspired by Donald Trump’s rhetoric.

Rudy Giuliani’s conspiracy theories will now come with a lengthy disclaimer for listeners of his daily afternoon show on New York’s 77 Talk Radio WABC.

The former New York City mayor and personal lawyer to former President Donald Trump sounded furious on Thursday when he seemingly discovered the station would begin airing the disclaimer before his afternoon programmes just as he was going live. 

The disclaimer said the “views, assumptions and opinions” expressed by Mr Giuliani and his guests “are strictly their own” and “do not necessarily represent” that of the station or its advertisers. 

Iran’s foreign minister urged Washington to act fast to return to the nuclear accord, pointing out that legislation passed by parliament forces the government to harden its nuclear stance if US sanctions are not eased by 21 February.

Mohammad Javad Zarif also referred to elections in Iran in June. If a hardline president is elected, this could further jeopardise the deal.

“Time is running out for the Americans, both because of the parliament bill and the election atmosphere that will follow the Iranian New Year,” Mr Zarif said in an interview with Hamshahri newspaper published on Saturday

Iran’s new year begins on 21 March.

The parliament, dominated by hardliners, passed the legislation in December that set a two-month deadline for an easing of sanctions.