Steve Bannon agrees to give evidence to January 6 committee

Donald Trump's former right-hand man Steve Bannon has agreed to testify before the House committee investigating the attack on the Capitol January 6, 2021, adding more drama to a week poised for climactic public hearings.

Mr Trump has scorned the January 6 committee, which on Tuesday will reveal how the former president encouraged right-wing extremist groups to storm the Capitol. Thursday's expected prime-time hearing will examine Mr Trump's actions between the start of the riot and when he told his supporters to go home.

Mr Bannon was charged with contempt of Congress for previously refusing to give evidence, setting up a trial start date for July 18.

Memorable quotes from January 6 committee hearings - in pictures

Panel members believe Mr Bannon and other advisers to Mr Trump could have information on links between the White House and the mob on the day that Congress was due to certify Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election.

Lawyers for Mr Bannon had previously claimed that because he was protected by executive privilege he did not have to co-operate with the committee, even though he was not a White House official at the time of the riot.

Mr Trump's withdrawal of a claim of executive privilege to shield Mr Bannon means the former adviser could now provide revelations between him and the former president — or he could stonewall the committee.

Mr Bannon’s reversal of his refusal to testify was outlined in a letter from his lawyer Robert Costello to Bennie Thompson, US representative and committee chairman, late on Saturday.

“Mr Bannon is willing to, and indeed prefers, to testify at your public hearing,” it said.

Zoe Lofgren, US representative and January 6 committee member, said it was unlikely Mr Bannon would give evidence at a public hearing.

“Ordinarily we do depositions,” Ms Lofgren told CNN’s State of the Union. “We want to get all our questions answered and you can’t do that in a live format.”

Adam Kinzinger, one of two Republicans on the committee, said Thursday's hearing would focus on Mr Trump's actions between the start of the assault on the Capitol and until he tweeted, asking his supporters to go home.

“The president obviously had to have known there was an insurrection,” Mr Kinzinger said on ABC’s This Week on Sunday. “So where was he? What was he doing? It’s a very important hearing. Pay attention.”

Bloomberg contributed to this report

Desert Warrior

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Rating: 3/5

What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

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It's up to you to go green

Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.

“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”

When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.

He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.

“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.

One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.

The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.

Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.

But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”