WeekDay AM: 10 Things you need to know this morning
Rioters pardoned, passports go digital, and why octopuses may inherit the Earth

 
today's international story

Capitol riot leaders set free

What happened
Prominent leaders of the US Capitol riot four years ago, including former Proud Boys leader Henry "Enrique" Tarrio and Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes (pictured above), have been released from prison as President Donald Trump freed more than 1,500 people connected to the insurrection.

What had been a prison vigil swiftly turned into a Maga rally with a "carnival atmosphere", said The Telegraph, as the prisoners were released.

Who said what
In the Oval Office on Monday, Trump said his pardons would cover "approximately 1,500 for a pardon – full pardon". Former House speaker Nancy Pelosi called Trump's action "an outrageous insult".

"It's redemption, but also vindication," Rhodes told reporters outside the Washington DC jail.

More than 1,580 people were charged over alleged actions related to the riot and more than 1,270 of those were convicted. Seven people, including a police officer, died in connection with the attack on the Capitol.

Craig Sicknick, whose brother, Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, was assaulted during the riot and died of multiple strokes the next day, called Trump "pure evil".

Trump's clemency is not about those he has set free, said Jeffrey Toobin in The New York Times. Rather "Trump just pardoned himself". These were "tokens of gratitude, expressions of vengeance, payments for future consideration and acts of political provocation".

What next? 
Polls show that the pardons are unpopular. A recent Associated Press survey indicated that only one in five Americans approved of pardoning most of those involved.

 
 
today's technology story

UK passports to go digital

What happened
UK citizens could soon carry their passports in a digital wallet on their phones – alongside their driving licence and birth and marriage certificates – as part of a new smartphone app designed to simplify government services.

Who said what
"The overflowing drawer rammed with letters from the government and hours spent on hold to get a basic appointment will soon be consigned to history," said Peter Kyle, the secretary of state for science, innovation and technology.

The digital wallet – which would be similar to the wallets on Apple and Google devices – would be tied to an individual ID, according to officials. The technology "has been developed in the past six months since Labour took power", said The Guardian.

What next?
The first credentials to be rolled out in the new digital wallet when it launches in June will be driving licences and veteran cards. Student loans, vehicle tax, benefits, childcare and local councils will be made available in future updates.

 
 
Today's planning story

Reeves avoids question of Heathrow expansion

What happened
Rachel Reeves has refused to comment on reports that she is set to announce the government's support for the construction of a third runway at Heathrow Airport, which campaign groups have called "catastrophic" and "irresponsible".

Bloomberg reported that Reeves was poised to back expansion plans at Heathrow, along with those for London's Luton and Gatwick airports. But when asked in the Commons yesterday about the rumours, the Chancellor replied: "I'm not going to comment on leaks."

Who said what
"Approving airport expansions would be a catastrophic misstep for a government that claims to be a climate leader," said Alethea Warrington, from climate charity Possible. Jenny Bates, transport campaigner at Friends of the Earth, called the proposal for another runway at Heathrow "hugely irresponsible in the midst of a climate emergency".

What next?
The aviation proposals are thought to be symbolic of a wider push within the government to advance long-delayed planning decisions and infrastructure projects in a bid to stimulate economic growth.

 
 

It's not all bad

Bangladesh has achieved near-universal electricity access, rising from just 14% in 1991 to 99% in 2021, according to Our World in Data. The feat of electrification coincided with a dramatic reduction in poverty, from 44.2% in 1991 to 18.7% in 2022. Half of households now enjoy high-tier electricity access, powering appliances like refrigerators. As the world's most densely populated large country, Bangladesh's progress underscores a remarkable advancement in global human development and living standards.

 
 
under the radar

Octopuses could be the next big species after humans

Last year speculative fiction author Ray Nayler published his first novel "The Mountain in the Sea", depicting a not-too-distant future in which humankind is faced with an awe-inspiring (and deeply disquieting) possibility: that our singular perch atop the evolutionary ladder may not be quite so singular after all.

In the novel a newly discovered community of hyper-intelligent octopuses off the coast of Vietnam develops its own advanced language and the ability to use complex tools.

While Nayler's story is wholly fictional, it is not without basis in a very real school of zoological thought, one which holds that octopuses are indeed unique within the animal kingdom as we understand it today. So much so that they may be Earth's next big species if ours ends up going the way of the dinosaurs.

Octopuses are some of the "most intelligent, adaptable and resourceful creatures on Earth", Oxford University biologist Tim Coulson told The European. Their "advanced neural structure, decentralized nervous system and remarkable problem-solving skills" make certain types "well suited for an unpredictable world", given the right circumstances.

Dexterity and problem-solving skills aside, however, octopuses are unlikely to create a "human-like society because of their social habits", University of Sydney Philosophy of Science Professor Peter Godfrey-Smith told Popular Mechanics. In large part that's because octopus parents are virtually non-existent in their babies' lives, meaning that in order to develop anything resembling a "culture" as we understand it, they would need to evolve to foster "more intergenerational connections".

Given that octopuses have been evolving for hundreds of millions of years without those sorts of multi-generational cultural advantages, it's "unlikely that this will change anytime soon", said the magazine.

 
 
on this day

22 January 1973

The US Supreme Court ruled in the case of Roe v. Wade, legalising abortion in all 50 states. The court overturned the ruling in 2022. Nineteen states have since banned or restricted abortions, while others have implemented new protections. Reproductive rights are increasingly a wedge issue, particularly among young Americans.

 
 
Today's newspapers

After Axel Rudakubana pleaded guilty on the first day of his trial for the Southport attack, The Times reports that a Home Office review found Rudakubana was "obsessed with massacre and extreme violence". The Mirror quotes the Home Secretary, who says it is a "total disgrace" that Rudakubana was able to buy a knife on Amazon. The Telegraph says that a proposed anti-fraud law would see benefit cheats banned from driving for two years to bring down the welfare bill. 

See the newspaper front pages

 
 
tall tale

Ozempic stitches up Savile Row

Savile Row's bespoke tailors have a "new adversary", according to The Times. "And it's not business rates, VAT and rent", but the "latest craze of the moneyed and image-conscious: Ozempic". The rapid weight loss of many of Savile Row's most extravagant clients mean that hundreds of suits are being altered to fit their new svelte physiques, leaving tailors "rushed off their feet" and working "flat out" to keep up with demand. "Our big worry," said veteran tailor Terry Haste, "is that at some point they will come off this drug and, inevitably, they will put the weight back on."

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Arion McNicoll, Harriet Marsden, Sorcha Bradley, Ross Couzens, and Chas Newkey-Burden, with illustrations by Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Roberto Schmidt / AFP / Getty Images; Oscar Wong / Getty Images; Andrew Holt / Getty Images; Illustration by Julia Wytrazek / Getty Images.