And another day of ‘brazen’ conspiracies, the US breaking down into conflict, warnings of more acts of violence, Scott’s plan to raise taxes on low-income Americans, a TX pastor promotes killing gay people, and NASA gets into UFOs comes to a close:
“Trump is a traitor. No doubt about it.” -- Brett Pransky
Deaths
US: 1,035,320 (+289)
World: 6,328,141 (+1591)
Cases
US: 87,114,740 (+126,069)
World: 538,715,936 (+603,570)
As the bipartisan House select committee investigating the violent attack on our Capitol on January 6, 2021, is set to hold its first public hearings on Thursday, I am looking for it to include a clear and consistent theme. Our democracy needs saving. To save it, we must not allow white supremacists to be the foot soldiers of any political leader, or this cancer will spread and violence will grow.
Takeaways: Jan. 6 panel says Trump led ‘brazen’ conspiracy. Thompson laid out the committee’s initial findings that Trump led a “sprawling, multi-step conspiracy aimed at overturning the presidential election.” The panel’s vice chairwoman, Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, called it a “sophisticated seven-part plan.”
Trump's inner circle admits to the Jan. 6 committee: He lost the election, but wanted to overturn it. The panel aired never-before-seen footage of the insurrection and featured statements from a Capitol Police officer who was injured during the riot. “It was carnage," she said.
'Trump asked us to come:' Video shows rioters saying they marched on Capitol at Trump's request. In the final video of the evening played by Thompson, several Trump supporters said plainly that they attended the Jan. 6 rally and stormed the Capitol because Trump asked them to. That testimony were just some the revelations during the first day of the Jan. 6 committee hearings, interspersed with shocking, never-before-seen video of the deadly attack and powerful statements from a Capitol Police officer who battled rioters. The panel says it is building a case that Trump was responsible for the events of the day.
Just how close is the US to breaking down into conflict? While the Democratic Party is “a pluralistic multiracial party,” Kalmoe and Mason continue, the GOP “has been overtaken by those who long for the stricter racial hierarchies of the old white South, who envision a Christian theocracy, and who steer government benefits to the rich.” Little wonder, then, that so many experts warn against downplaying the possibility of fresh political violence...What we found in our data was that, particularly on the right, Republicans who really hated Democrats the most were also the highest in racial resentment and sexism. And those who hated Democrats the least were those who were lowest in racial resentment and sexism. Actually, in our data, racial resentment is one of the most powerful predictors of Republicans hating Democrats. The reason I think that matters is that in general, as a country, we haven’t been very good at talking about racism or sexism in a nonviolent and calm and collected way.
Feds warn that Uvalde massacre, impending abortion ruling and midterm elections could spur more acts of violence. The Department of Homeland Security has issued a warning about a potential increase in extremist violence fueled by recent mass shootings, including the massacre in Uvalde last month; an expected Supreme Court ruling on abortion rights; and November’s midterm elections.
More than 600 conservatives, mostly in Texas, call for gun reform. More than 600 conservative gun rights supporters, including several major Republican donors, are urging Congress to pass gun control measures in the wake of mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and elsewhere in the United States.
House approves ‘red flag’ gun bill unlikely to pass Senate. The House approved a “red flag” bill Thursday that would allow families, police and others to ask federal courts to order the removal of firearms from people at extreme risk of harming themselves or others. It’s the Democratic-controlled chamber’s latest response to U.S. mass shootings and likely stands little chance in the Senate.
Michigan GOP hopeful charged in Jan. 6 riot, roiling primary. A Republican candidate for Michigan governor and ardent defender of former President Donald Trump was charged with misdemeanors Thursday for his role in the 2021 postelection riot at the U.S. Capitol, further complicating an already messy GOP primary.
Why this Republican senator just blinked on his proposal to raise taxes on low-income Americans. The current reality of our tax structure is that nearly half of Americans don’t pay income taxes because their taxable income doesn’t meet a minimum threshold. Which means that if you required all Americans to pay at least some income tax, you would be authoring a massive tax increase. Which isn’t exactly Republican dogma these days – or any day. And that’s why Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell quickly and repeatedly distanced himself from the Scott plan. “If we’re fortunate enough to have the majority next year, I’ll be the majority leader, I’ll decide in consultation with my members what to put on the floor,” McConnell said in March. “We will not have as part of our agenda a bill that raises taxes on half the American people, and sunsets Social Security and Medicare within five years. That will not be a part of the Republican Senate majority agenda.” (Part of Scott’s proposal includes a provision that all federal legislation have to be ended after five years and re-approved by Congress.)
Texas pastor says gay people should be 'shot in the back of the head' in shocking sermon. A Texas baptist church — labeled an "anti-LGBT hate group" by the Southern Poverty Law Center — has caused outrage after a pastor said gay people should be "lined up against the wall and shot in the back of the head." Pastor Dillon Awes of Stedfast Baptist Church in Watauga, a suburb of Fort Worth, made the comment and other controversial remarks during a Sunday morning sermon titled "Why We Won’t Shut Up." -- Fuck off.
New lawsuit filed over Texas trans family investigations. Abbott’s directive and the attorney general’s opinion go against the nation’s largest medical groups, including the American Medical Association, which have opposed Republican-backed restrictions filed in statehouses nationwide…The mother of one of the teens said her son attempted suicide and was hospitalized the day Abbott issued his directive. The outpatient psychiatric facility where the teen was referred reported the family for child abuse after learning he had been prescribed hormone therapy, she said in a court filing. — Republicans are full of hatred towards anyone that is not like them. They’re about controlling the lives of others, and their idea of freedom is whatever they allow you to do.
DeSantis weighs ordering child protective services on parents who take kids to drag shows. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suggested Wednesday that he might urge the state's child protective services to investigate parents who take their children to drag shows.
Justice Barrett’s $425K tops among Supreme Court’s authors. Supreme Court justices took in $800,000 in book royalties last year, a lucrative supplement to their judicial salaries, according to financial reports released Thursday. By far the largest payment went to Justice Amy Coney Barrett, $425,000 for a yet-to-be-released book and likely the first installment on a reported $2 million deal she signed soon after joining the court in 2020. Justices are being paid $274,200 this year for their work on the bench; Chief Justice John Roberts gets a little more, $286,700.
California animal shelter to require those adopting pets to support gun restrictions. “We believe that if we can make our voices heard on how we feel we can make an impact. We do not support those who believe that the 2nd amendment gives them the right to buy assault weapons,” Shelter Hope Pet Shop owner Kim Sill wrote on the organization’s website. “If your beliefs are not in line with ours, we will not adopt a pet to you.”
Geico ordered to pay Missouri woman $5.2 million after she contracted STD in a car. A Missouri woman was awarded $5.2 million in a settlement from insurance company GEICO after contracting a sexually transmitted disease from her partner in his vehicle, which was insured by the company, court documents show. The Missouri Court of Appeals upheld that award this week.
Here's why the new Nancy Reagan stamp prompted backlash from the LGBTQ+ community. Members of the LGBTQ+ community are calling a new stamp featuring former first lady Nancy Reagan a "slap in the face," as it was unveiled at the beginning of Pride month and because of the Reagan administration's role in the AIDS crisis of the 1980s.
Hungry for personnel, some airlines are relaxing dress codes for flight attendants: from high heels and gendered uniforms, some are allowing tattoos, sneakers, nose studs and more. The changes in the industry come as customer expectations shift, staff push to express their individuality, and airlines struggle to fill gaps in their workforce created during the pandemic.
NASA launches study of UFOs despite ‘reputational risk’. The space agency announced Thursday that it’s setting up an independent team to see how much information is publicly available on the matter and how much more is needed to understand the unexplained sightings. The experts will also consider how best to use all this information in the future. NASA’s science mission chief, Thomas Zurbuchen acknowledged the traditional scientific community may see NASA as “kind of selling out” by venturing into the controversial topic, but he strongly disagrees. “We are not shying away from reputational risk,” Zurbuchen said during a National Academy of Sciences webcast. “Our strong belief is that the biggest challenge of these phenomena is that it’s a data-poor field.”
Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.
Until next time, my friends. Stay safe and stay sane. Good night.
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