And another day of testimony, fake electors, Uvalde’s ‘abject failure,’ the Senate compromises on gun violence bill, SCOTUS on religious schools, floods in India, a lifeguard shortage, Musk’s daughter, Cosby’s assault, and standing on one foot to predict how long you’ll live comes to a close:
“If you have no problem with what Trump did during & after the 2020 election, then we are political opponents. No matter where you stand on the issues. If you don’t care about January 6th & these hearings, then we are political opponents. No matter where you stand on the issues.” — Joe Walsh
Deaths
US: 1,038,900 (+515)
World: 6,343,571 (+1744)
Cases
US: 88,244,870 (+190,790)
World: 545,773,729 (+920,239)
7 takeaways from the fourth day of the January 6 hearings. Multiple witnesses told the committee that Trump was personally involved in the effort to put forward slates of fake electors in key battleground states – a key part of the broader effort to overturn Biden’s legitimate election victory...Tuesday’s hearing featured new details about two congressional Republicans played a role in Trump’s sprawling efforts to try to overturn his 2020 election loss...All of the witnesses who appeared at Tuesday’s hearing talked about the serious repercussions they faced as a result of the false claims that Trump and his team put forward. That included pressure to help in the effort to overturn the election, the repeated attempts to try to debunk the claims and the threats they faced from pro-Trump supporters for refusing to go along with Trump’s efforts...Yet again, the Democratic-run January 6 committee turned to Republican officials to make their case against Trump. In fact, the majority of the in-person witnesses so far have been Republicans. -- Everyone should be listening. Vote all Republicans out of office. Apathy has consequences.
1/6 panel: Local ‘heroes’ rebuffed Trump, then faced threats. The House 1/6 committee heard chilling, tearful testimony Tuesday that Donald Trump’s relentless pressure to overturn the 2020 presidential election provoked widespread threats to the “backbone of our democracy”— election workers and local officials who fended off the defeated president’s demands despite personal risks.
Wisconsin’s Johnson under heat for fake elector revelation. An aide for U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson told former Vice President Mike Pence’s staff that the Republican from Wisconsin wanted to hand-deliver fake elector votes from his state and Michigan, text messages revealed at Tuesday's Jan. 6 hearing showed. -- Another one who should be headed to prison.
Election 2022: Britt beats Brooks in Alabama Senate runoff. Katie Britt has won the Republican nomination for Senate in Alabama, defeating six-term Congressman Mo Brooks in a primary runoff after former President Donald Trump took the unusual step of rescinding his endorsement...Trump eventually endorsed Britt in the race’s final stretch after she emerged as the top vote-getter in the state’s May 24 primary.
Texas GOP’s swing to far right cemented with party platform. “It shows you how much QAnon may not be an outlier in the Republican Party,” Espinoza said. “Some people are very susceptible to conspiracy theory, and that appears to be a higher percentage the deeper you go into the Republican Party of Texas.”
Texas official says Uvalde classroom door was unlocked, calls police response an 'abject failure'. The admission from Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw, made at a state Senate committee hearing investigating last month’s mass killing, was another stunning addition to the list of failures he has acknowledged since the Robb Elementary School shooting.
“If there’s kids in there, we need to go in”: Officers in Uvalde were ready with guns, shields and tools — but not clear orders. A debate over whether the locked classroom doors could be breached gave way to the discovery that they may never have been locked at all…By the time Arredondo called dispatch, at least 11 officers had entered the school and at least two are seen in the video carrying rifles. But Arredondo told the dispatcher that he didn’t have the firepower to confront the lone gunman, according to a transcript reviewed by The Texas Tribune. — They were scared because they were outgunned. Says everything we need to know about banning assault weapons…unless, of course, that fear is outcome you’re striving for.
Senators reach bipartisan compromise on gun violence bill. Lawmakers released the 80-page bill nine days after agreeing to a framework for the plan and 29 years after Congress last enacted major firearms curbs. It cleared an initial procedural hurdle by 64-34, with 14 Republicans joining all 48 Democrats and two allied independents in voting yes. That strongly supported a prediction by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., of approval later this week. Passage by the Democratic-led House could follow quickly.
Supreme Court: Religious schools must get Maine tuition aid. The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Maine can’t exclude religious schools from a program that offers tuition aid for private education, a decision that could ease religious organizations’ access to taxpayer money. The 6-3 outcome could fuel a renewed push for school choice programs in some of the 18 states that have so far not directed taxpayer money to private, religious education. The most immediate effect of the court’s ruling beyond Maine probably will be in nearby Vermont, which has a similar program.
Dozens dead, thousands homeless in Bangladesh, India floods. Monsoon rains in South Asia typically begin in June. But this year heavy downpours lashed northeastern India and Bangladesh as early as March, triggering floods as early as April in Bangladesh.
US pools close, go without lifeguards amid labor shortage. A national lifeguard shortage exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted communities such as Indianapolis to cut back on pools and hours. In other spots around the United States, swimming areas go without attendants. That’s left some Americans with fewer or riskier options, even as a significant part of the nation endures a second heat wave in as many weeks. Public health experts say the risk of drowning decreases significantly when lifeguards are present.
Elon Musk’s child tells court she no longer wants ‘to be related’ to her dad. One of Elon Musk’s children has petitioned a California court to recognize her new name and gender, saying she no longer wishes to be related to her famous and wealthy father “in any way, shape or form.” Musk’s daughter turned 18 earlier this year and made the filing with a county court in Los Angeles soon thereafter. She requests that her legal name be changed to Vivian Jenna Wilson. Wilson is the last name of her mother, Justine Wilson, Musk’s ex-wife and mother of five of his seven children. -- Well, Musk is an asshole.
Jury finds Bill Cosby sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl at the Playboy Mansion in 1975, awards her $500,000. — Bill Cosby is an asshole.
10-second balance test may predict how long you'll live. For older adults, being able to balance briefly on one foot may predict how long they'll live. People who failed a 10-second balance test of standing on one foot were nearly twice as likely to die in the next 10 years, according to a report published Tuesday in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
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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