On Impeachment, CA's GOP Sticks With Trump, With One Exception

State Officials Announce New Approach to Getting Vaccines to People 65 or Older The idea is to ramp up vaccine distribution to those at greatest risk of becoming hospitalized. This comes after deaths in the state continue to climb, with nearly 600 deaths on Tuesday, according to state data. Reporter: Laura Klivans, KQED Members of California's GOP Congressional Delegation Speak Out Against Impeachment Out of California’s 10 Republican members of congress, only the Central Valley’s David Valadao voted for impeachment. Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED Trump Ally Kevin McCarthy Stays Loyal to Trump When House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) spoke on the House floor yesterday, he said President Trump was partly to blame for inciting the insurrection. But, he added that impeaching the president would only divide the country further. Reporter: Scott Shafer, KQED With Accounts Frozen, 1.4 Million Californians Wait for Unemployment Benefits The Employment Development Department locked the accounts in another attempt to fight potential fraud. Applicants got notices saying their claims had been frozen for suspected fraud, and that staff would send instructions on how to unfreeze accounts starting January 6th. Reporter: Mary Franklin Harvin, The California Report Los Angeles Leaders Look to Toughen COVID-19 Mask Mandate The Los Angeles City Council voted Wednesday to have an ordinance drawn up that would add penalties for people who don’t cover their faces as infections reach new highs across Southern California. Reporter: Tara Atrian, KCRW Legislators Consider Whether to Continue Mailing Every Voter Ballots In an effort to prevent the spread of coronavirus at the polls, every registered voter in California was mailed a ballot last year. State Senator Tom Umberg of Orange County is introducing a bill to continue universal vote-by-mail for any election this year. Reporter: Guy Marzorati, KQED Coalition of Public Defenders Urges Biden Administration to Reform Immigration System Public defenders are demanding a halt in deportations for a year while repairing the damage they say was done by Trump anti-immigrant policies. The nearly 40 public defense offices also want President-Elect Joe Biden to slash the immigration detention budget and reinvest that money instead in offering lawyers to those who can’t afford one while fighting deportation. Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices