10 things you need to know today: May 20, 2021

House votes to form Jan. 6 commission, Netanyahu says airstrikes to continue as ceasefire pressure mounts, and more

Pro-Trump supporters storm the U.S. Capitol.
(Image credit: Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

1. House backs establishing Jan. 6 commission

The House on Wednesday passed a bipartisan proposal seeking to create an independent commission to investigate the deadly Jan. 6 attack against the Capitol by a mob of former President Donald Trump's supporters. The plan calls for Democratic and Republican leaders to appoint five members each on the 10-person commission. Both sides would have subpoena power. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) opposed the plan, but 35 Republicans joined Democrats in the 252-175 vote. The bill faces bigger hurdles in the Senate. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) came out against it on Wednesday, calling it "slanted and unbalanced." The panel would be modeled on the 9/11 Commission, whose chairs, former New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean, a Republican, and former Rep. Lee Hamilton, a Democrat, support the bill.

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.