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A new photo obtained exclusively by ABC News shows then-Vice President Mike Pence and his family in hiding after rioters broke into the Capitol on Jan. 6 and he was evacuated from the Senate floor.

ABC News is publishing the image for the first time on the eve of the House Jan. 6 committee's hearing Thursday focused on former President Donald Trump's pressure campaign against Pence.

In it, Pence can be seen with members of his family -- second lady Karen Pence, his brother, Rep. Greg Pence and his daughter -- in the vice president's ceremonial office just steps from the Senate floor.

Caption: Vice President Mike Pence sits with daughter, Charlotte, and brother, Greg, as wife, Karen, draws the curtains, in ceremonial room off Senate floor where he was evacuated to on Jan. 6, 2021, as Trump supporters attacked U.S. Capitol, obtained exclusively by ABC News.

The White House

Taken just minutes after the mob had breached the Capitol and as Pence and his family were evacuated from chamber by his Secret Service detail, the photo shows Karen Pence hurriedly closing the curtains in the room, as her daughter looks on with fear.

According to a source who was in the room, the second lady could see rioters outside the Capitol, so she closed the curtains, worried that the attackers would see her and her family.

The photo was taken after the mob had already breached the Capitol, some of them chanting "Hang Mike Pence."

This and other photos were taken by the former vice president's official photographer, Myles Cullen, who was with Pence throughout the day and night of Jan. 6.

While they were previously described in "Betrayal: The Final Act of the Trump Show," they have never before been made public.

Minutes later, Pence and his family were rushed downstairs to a loading dock beneath the Capitol complex.

Vice President Mike Pence, with his daughter Charlotte, works on the speech he would give to the joint session when Congress reconvened to certify Joe Biden's election after he returned to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 , obtained exclusively by ABC News

The White House

In another White House photo obtained exclusively by ABC News, you can see Pence after he returned to the Capitol with his daughter -- working on the speech he would give when the joint session of Congress reconvened to certify the election of Joe Biden.

Vice President Mike Pence stands before Congress on Jan. 6, 2021 after order was restored to the Capitol, in a photo obtained exclusively by ABC News.

The White House

As seen in another photo ABC News obtained, Pence returned to the House chamber later that night, to preside as Congress successfully certified Biden's victory.

"Today was a dark day in the history of the United States Capitol. But thanks to the swift efforts of U.S. Capitol Police, federal, state and local law enforcement, the violence was quelled. The Capitol is secured, and the people's work continues," Pence said.

ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl is the author of "Betrayal: The Final Act of the Trump Show."

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Photo shows Vice President Mike Pence, family in hiding on Jan. 6: ABC ...

As the Jan. 6 hearings continue, women of The View think Mike Pence is starting to get a bit too much praise for his actions after the 2020 elections. On Friday, they took particular issue with the idea that the former VP is being seen as a hero for refusing to help former President Donald Trump stage a coup.

To kick off the days Hot Topics, moderator Whoopi Goldberg pointed out how much of Thursdays hearing focused on just how hard Pence was pressured by Trump and his allies to block the results of the 2020 election. Some are framing him as a hero who rose to the occasion, Whoopi said. But I kind of think he was actually doing his job. His job was qualify the election, right? So does this really qualify as heroic?

And for the most part, the answer of the table was no.

Doing your job should not label you heroic, co-host Ana Navarro said. It should label you responsible. He had one job that day: to certify the election. That was it.

Also Read:The View Hosts Dub Barry Loudermilk Lying Butter, Says Capitol Tour Footage Proves U.S. Rep Is Morphing the Truth (Video)

That said, Navarro did admit that shes of two minds on this one, simply because the possibilities of what mightve happened if Pence had caved are pretty terrifying.

When you take a look at the pressure campaign that Donald Trump engaged in, and his minions, for so long against against Pence listen, he was putting his political career and it turns out his life at risk, Navarro continued. We didnt know it at the time, he probably didnt know it at the time. And I dont know what we would have done if he had succumbed. If he had said, Im not going to certify these elections, or These elections are illegitimate, I dont know what would have happened that day with that mob out there already. You know, it could have led to terrible, terrible, terrible consequences. So I do think he needs to be commended for his actions that day.

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Navarro added though, that Pences refusal to overturn a free and fair election does not erase four years of complicity to Trumps other actions. At that, Joy Behar and Sunny Hostin readily agreed, with Behar questioning why Pence didnt step in after Trump tried to blackmail Ukraine and its president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

But, based on those past actions of Trump, Hostin noted that realistically, its hard for Pence to not look good in this instance.

Also Read:The View Hosts Melt Down When Bryce Dallas Howard Admits Shes Still Never Seen Happy Days: Go to Commercial! (Video)

I think that after being complicit for four years, he doesnt get hero status. But at this point, the bar is pretty low, Hostin said.

You can watch the full segment from The View in the video above.

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The View Hosts Say Mike Pence Is No Hero for Defying Trumps Election Lies: He Had One Job That Day (Video) - Yahoo Entertainment

Former Vice President Mike Pence will travel to Cincinnati on Thursday alongside Gov. Mike DeWine for a roundtable with members ofOhio's natural gas and oil industry.

While the topic will be domestic energy,Pence's visit comes amid a much bigger drama.

On the same day, the U.S. House Jan. 6 commission is expected to examine how former President Donald Trump pressured Pence to overturn the election.

Pence has not testified before the committee. But he's played a central role in the testimony about the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection. Pence's refusal to support Trump's plan to stay in power drew Trump's wrath, according to testimony from the Jan. 6 committee.

U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, a Wyoming Republican who serves as vice chair of the committee, said this past Thursday testimony will show Trump responded to the rioter's calls to "hang Mike Pence" by sayingthat maybe our supporters have the right idea" and that Mike Pence "deserves it.

More: Mike Pence says he could run for president in 2024 even if Trump also runs

The roundtable won't be open to the public. It will be hosted by the Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program.

Pence will also be in town to raise money for Rep. Steve Chabot's reelection campaign at the home of Nancy and David Aichholz, according to an invitation sent out by the GOP.

Individual tickets cost $500 and a "VIP roundtable" with Pence costs $2,900.

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Mike Pence comes to Cincinnati as he becomes focus of Jan. 6 committee - The Cincinnati Enquirer

In the years since 2003, Iraqs political system came under several challenges, including a Sunni political boycott, the threat of Kurdish secessionism, and two sectarian wars. The post-Saddam state survived these existential threats, but it now faces new instability as leading Shia political figures fight for domination among themselves. Shia infighting has prevented the formation of a government following the October 2021 parliamentary election and risks triggering popular protests among the Iraqi public, which is already frustrated with poor services and corruption. In their dealings with Iraq, European policymakers should understand that, as sectarian political fighting has diminished, intra-sect battles have taken centre-stage.

In Octobers election, the Sadrist Movement, a populist Shia party, won 73 seats, the largest secured by any party. Iraq operates a system of proportional representation designed to reflect the ethno-sectarian make-up of the country. As a result, no one party has been able to secure a majority since 2005. The last eight months have seen the country stuck in political limbo.

While some in the West will be tempted to view these events as a struggle between pro-Western and pro-Iranian camps, the reality is that the competing parties overlap in their ideological leanings.

Since Iraqis went to the polls, the Sadrist Movements leader, Muqtada al-Sadr, has been seeking to assert his own dominance and relegate his long-standing Shia rival, former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, to the political margins. He has attempted to translate his seat share into a bid to consolidate the Shia share of power, allying himself with the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Sunni Siyada (Sovereignty) Alliance. Sadr has rejected the traditional consensus model that incorporates all political parties, and instead wants to force other Shia parties into opposition. But this tripartite coalition lacks the two-thirds majority required to elect the president of the republic, who then designates the prime minister.

Having failed to form a majority government, Sadr has tried to persuade some of the Shia groups to join his coalition but to no avail. They are adamant on joining forces as one Shia bloc to prevent any single Shia party monopolising the political scene. Just as in the past when smaller parties worked with Sadr against Maliki to prevent the latter from forming a government alone, so today some of these same groups have switched sides to balance against Sadr.

In a bid to break the impasse Sadr has now directed his parliamentarians to resign. This move allows him to deflect blame for the delay in government formation. It also allows him to express his frustration with all political parties, including his allies, who he does not believe are committed enough to a majority government. However, because parliament is in recess, the new MPs have not been sworn in. As a result, Sadr is positioned to benefit from this move, as it forces his rivals to present more concessions such as offering lucrative ministries and his choice of prime minister to keep him in the system. Outside it, he poses a threat to the state, whether through delegitimisation of the political system, the mobilisation of protests, or the spectre of violence.

By having his MPs resign during the parliamentary recess, Sadr is also protecting himself from any backlash from summer protests, as his move attempts to demonstrate his own dissatisfaction with the political elite. In fact, he is in a position to co-opt potential protests and use them as a tool to pressure his political rivals. Even before the October poll, Sadr threatened not to support any government formed without him. Having invested in, and benefited from, the political system for years, Sadr will only leave it if he has concluded that the best route to political dominance is through mass mobilisation.

This is a battle for Shia dominance. While some in the West will be tempted to view these events as a struggle between pro-Western and pro-Iranian camps, the reality is that the competing parties overlap in their ideological leanings. Both Sadr and Maliki have longstanding albeit at times prickly relations with Tehran. For this reason, other Shia political figures (such as former prime minister Haider al-Abadi and Ammar al-Hakim), who are considered more Western-leaning, are opposing Sadr and siding with other Shia groups. These include groups such as the Fatah Alliance, which have more antagonistic views towards the West. Shia parties are invested in preserving the political equilibrium in order to maintain their share of the political spoils.

In fleeting moments of stability, Shia parties have challenged one another for power. After the 2008 civil war, Maliki attempted to establish himself as the dominant Shia leader and launched the Charge of the Knights military campaign, taking on Sadrs Mahdi Army. But in times of Shia internal conflict, the clerical establishment in Najaf normally intervenes to prevent instability in Iraq generally and among the Shia in particular. And, even though its ability to impose discipline on paramilitary groups in Iraq has weakened since the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, Irans role as a potential mediator between Shia political parties should not be underestimated.

This political uncertainty is hindering urgently needed governance reforms. In the past, supporters and allies of Shia leaders excused the neglect these leaders had shown to their communities because of the more pressing concerns of fighting terrorism and pushing back against secessionist Kurdish lobbying. Today, such threats are less immediate, and the Iraqi population is more focused on improvements in governance and services. This pressure has manifested itself through mass protests, which reached their zenith in the October protest movement in 2019, with hundreds of people killed in associated violence. Those protests effectively caused the collapse of the previous government and led to the most recent election. The wider Shia public could again turn to popular protest in response to the political impasse.

In examining the political situation in Iraq, European policymakers need to grasp that an important shift has occurred. Although the Iraqi political system no longer faces existential crises, the political infighting among the Shia risks creating a new form of crisis. In this struggle, Sadr may be considering moving the fight from parliament to the street.

High summer temperatures tend to expose the states inability to provide basic services, as rising demand for water and electricity goes unmet and creates cause for protest. In this environment of simmering public dissatisfaction, Shia political parties need to quickly recalibrate their role towards their Shia voter base and Iraqis as a whole. Iraqs political system may have withstood numerous challenges to it since 2003, but current public dissatisfaction, if manifested through revolution-orientated (rather than reformist) protest, could create a new existential crisis.

The European Council on Foreign Relations does not take collective positions. ECFR publications only represent the views of their individual authors.

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From parliament to street: Iraqs emerging politics of domination - European Council on Foreign Relations

Russia should warn the UK: Iraq to Libya but no nation trained to kill their soldiers

Kanako Mita, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker

Modern Tokyo Times

In the United Kingdom, austerity became a buzzword for the ruling Conservative Party. Now, the convulsions of the coronavirus and economic sanctions on the Russian Federation are leading to poorer members of society needing food banks. Also, others are making dramatic cutbacks concerning recent energy and food hikes. However, despite this and countless recent scandals that blight the leader of the United Kingdom and others within his party endless money is found to support the armed forces of Ukraine.

At no point did the Russian Federation seek to train the armed forces of Afghanistan, Iraq, or Libya to kill British soldiers. On the contrary, the IRA terrorist group obtained funding via NORAID in America during a period when many people were killed in Northern Ireland (and sometimes on the mainland).

The President Barack Obama doctrine in Syria was to bleed the armed forces of Syria and various terrorist groups to a standstill once ISIS (Islamic State IS) entered the fray. This concerns the armed forces of Syria and various Sunni Islamist terrorist groups supported by Gulf powers and NATO Turkey. However, with the support of the Russian Federation and Iran, the government of Syria managed to survive despite NATO Turkey and its continuing intrigue in Northern Syria (and Islamist terrorist groups in a limited area of the country).

However and of major importance the nations of America, Iran, the Russian Federation, and several European NATO powers implemented a policy to avoid clashes with each other. Also, to avoid air force mistakes or other types of military operations that might overlap concerning Iraq and Syria. Therefore, no nation openly trained the armed forces of others to attack another major nation involved in the ensuing chaos of Iraq and Syria.

Yet, the crisis concerning Ukraine and the Russian Federation sending in military forces to protect Russians and non-ethnic Russian speakers in the Donbas (Donbass) region and adjacent areas is out of control. This concerns European Union nations, NATO, and G7 countries that have put tough economic sanctions on the Russian Federation along with sending tens of billions of military hardware to the armed forces of Ukraine.

It is abundantly obvious that covert training of the armed forces of Ukraine is happening related to NATO powers. However, now Prime Minister Boris Johnson is openly gloating about training the armed forces of Ukraine to kill Russian Federation soldiers and Russian and non-ethnic Russian speakers who are bombarded by Ukrainian troops in the Donbas region. Therefore, the Russian Federation should warn the United Kingdom that they are crossing a line: if not, this line will be expanded by the United Kingdom and other NATO powers.

The Guardian reports, Boris Johnson has announced that the UK will oversee a new three-week training programme for Ukrainian soldiers, as he visited Kyiv for the third time this year for talks with the Ukrainian president,Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Johnson said, As Ukrainian soldiers fire UK missiles in defence of your nations sovereignty, they do so also in defence of the very freedoms we take for granted. That is why I have offered President Zelenskiy a major new military training programme that could change the equation of this war harnessing that most powerful of forces, the Ukrainian determination to win.

The working class got the vote earlier in the United Kingdom because of the convulsions of World War One. Then the armed forces of this nation protected its Empire that benefited the ruling elites. After the collapse of the Empire, the United Kingdom supported the genocide of Biafra concerning the support of the armed forces of Nigeria to the brutal deeds done in Indonesia along with America (two million killed related to the butchering of communists, East Timor, and the ongoing crisis in West Papua).

The nations of Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Yemen (UK military arms and training of the Saudi-led alliance that bombs Yemen) are failed states. America and the United Kingdom have killed untold numbers in these nations and deaths continue long after both nations leave. Indeed, after the Libya debacle: the entire Sahel is now awash with terrorism and millions of displaced people have little hope for the future.

The sovereignty of the nations above became violated by America and the United Kingdom (and other allies). However, no war crimes, no democracy to speak of that is functioning, and no modernity. Instead, broken nations that are now failed states, minorities barely surviving (Yazidis in Iraq to Christians of Syria), women facing greater hardship, and other horrendous convulsions.

It is time for the Russian Federation to draw red lines and for nations to seek an ending to the conflict. Since 2014, the European Union, G7 nations, and NATO countries didnt concern themselves with Ukrainian forces bombing the Donbas region. Therefore, a deal needs to be done that recognizes the annexation of Donetsk and Luhansk and other adjacent regions that support the re-alignment with the Russian Federation (the Soviet Union and the Communist Party altered the borders of Ukraine to the detriment of Russians and non-ethnic pro-Russian Federation groups).

At the same time, Ukraine should be outside the NATO bloc and the Russian Federation and Ukraine should sign an agreement that neither side will seek land changes agreed to or attack the other side. In other words, turn the crisis into a frozen conflict and then for both nations to develop economic and political dealings along with other nations.

The United Kingdom needs to pull back from its open hostility by stealth. Hence, nations should focus on the Iraq and Syria model where no nation sought open confrontation and no nation trained other armed forces to attack rival nations. Therefore, the Russian Federation should warn the United Kingdom to desist immediately.

It is hoped that wise heads will emerge because the armed forces of Ukraine are dying in increasing numbers NATO military hardware means the Donbas region is being bombed more extensively again and the international economy is fraying concerning energy, foodstuffs, and so on.

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Russia should warn the UK: Iraq to Libya but no nation trained to kill their soldiers - Modern Tokyo Times