As of Tuesday, February 2, 2021, Montana reports 94,384 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 317 new cases reported in the last day: 42 in Yellowstone County, 33 in Gallatin County, 30 in Flathead County, 30 in Lewis & Clark County, 21 in Missoula County, and more new cases in 31 more Montana counties. The number of active coronavirus cases in Montana is 3,593. Statewide, 4,273 people have been hospitalized. Currently, 116 people are being treated in Montana hospitals for COVID-19. The most active cases are in Yellowstone, Flathead, Cascade, and Gallatin Counties. 1,249 people have died in Montana of COVID-19. Fifteen more deaths have been reported since yesterday. Nationwide, more than 443,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. There have been 26,400,000 cases of coronavirus in the US, and counting.

Former President Donald Trump’s responsibility for the Capitol riot is ‘unmistakable,’ House Democrats said in impeachment briefs filed Tuesday. Democrats call Trump’s actions “an impeachable offense of historic proportions” and say he should be prevented from holding future office. House impeachment managers included in their memorandum that “President Trump’s responsibility for the events of January 6 is unmistakable.” the 80-page document states that his “abuse of office threatened and injured our democratic order.”
“His conduct endangered the life of every single member of Congress, jeopardized the peaceful transition of power and line of succession, and compromised our national security,” the brief says. “This is precisely the sort of constitutional offense that warrants disqualification from federal office.” Trump is the first president to be impeached by the US House of Representatives twice. The impeachment trial now goes to the Senate.

Russian scientists say the country’s Sputnik V vaccine appears safe and effective against Covid-19, according to early results of an advanced study published in a British medical journal. The news is a boost for the shot that is increasingly being purchased by nations around the world who are desperate to stop the devastation caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Researchers say based on their trial, which involved about 20,000 people in Russia last fall, the vaccine is about 91 percent effective and that the shot also appeared to prevent people from becoming severely ill with Covid-19. The Russian vaccine uses a modified version of the common cold-causing adenovirus to carry genes for the spike protein in the coronavirus as a way to prime the body to react if Covid-19 comes along. That’s a similar technology to the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University.

Two East Helena brothers who were among the first 10 rioters to enter the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6 consented Monday to having their case heard in the District of Columbia, and they were detained pending further proceedings. Joshua Calvin Hughes and Jerod Wade Hughes appeared in federal court in Great Falls on Monday for a 90-minute hearing before Magistrate Judge John Johnston and will be transferred to Washington, D.C., by the U.S. Marshal’s office. They face charges for allegedly entering a restricted building, being on the Senate floor with the intent to disrupt the orderly conduct of official business, impeding a law enforcement officer, obstructing an official proceeding and damaging or aiding in damaging property of the United States. Their attorney, Palmer Hoovestal, said he was disappointed in the court’s decision. “These guys are extremely law-abiding people,” the attorney said. The brothers’ grandfather once served as police chief in Helena and they have other relatives in law enforcement. He said they were called to go to Washington due to Trump’s tweets and to be part of Trump’s supporters’ attack on the Capitol.

Groundhog Day 2021: Punxsutawney Phil predicts winter will hang on