Republicans block inquiry into deadly riot at Capitol

(Julio Cortez/AP)

Republicans in the US Senate have blocked the creation of a bipartisan panel to study the January attack on the Capitol, rejecting the independent investigation in a show of loyalty to former president Donald Trump and an effort to shift focus away from the violent insurrection by his supporters.

The Senate vote was 54-35 — short of the 60 votes needed to take up a House-passed bill that would have formed a 10-member commission evenly split between the two parties.