“I thought it was an insurrection at that time. I still think it was an insurrection today.”
— Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD), quoted by the Washington Post, on Tucker Carlson’s attempt to whitewash the January 6 riots.
U.S. Ends Covid Testing for Travelers from China
“U.S. officials are set to relax coronavirus testing requirements on travelers from China as soon as Friday, a decision that comes amid declining covid cases in that country,” the Washington Post reports.
Hill Democrats Blindsided by White House Again
Punchbowl News: “We reported this morning that the White House blindsided House Democratic leadership about President Joe Biden’s intention to sign the GOP-authored disapproval resolution overturning D.C.’s new criminal code.”
“Guess what? Top House and Senate Democrats were caught completely off guard by this New York Times story disclosing that the Biden administration is considering bringing back the Trump-era policy of detaining migrant families as the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border worsens. And they’re not happy about it.”
McConnell Says Fox News Made a ‘Mistake’
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said Fox News made “a mistake” by depicting Jan. 6, 2021 as largely peaceful, The Hill reports.
Said McConnell: “I want to associate myself entirely with the opinion of the chief of the Capitol police about what happened on Jan. 6… Clearly the chief of the Capitol Police, in my view, correctly described what most of us witnessed first hand on Jan. 6.”
Record-Low 15% View China Favorably
Gallup: “A record-low 15% of Americans view China favorably, marking a five-percentage-point, one-year decline in this rating, which Gallup has measured since 1979.”
“China has been gradually falling in the U.S. public’s esteem in recent years and is down a total of 38 points since 2018.”
GOP Lawmaker Drops Bill to Rename Highway After Trump
“A Republican-backed proposal to rename of a portion of Nashville’s Rep. John Lewis Way after former President Donald Trump is off the table,” the Tennessean reports.
Biden’s FCC Nominee Withdraws
“President Biden’s pick to serve as a telecommunications regulator is withdrawing her nomination to the Federal Communications Commission, following a bitter 16-month lobbying battle that blocked her appointment and opened her up to relentless personal attacks,” the Washington Post reports.
“Gigi Sohn, a longtime public interest advocate and former Democratic FCC official who was first nominated by the White House in October 2021, said her decision to withdraw follows ‘unrelenting, dishonest and cruel attacks’ seeded by cable and media industry lobbyists. The announcement is a defeat for consumer advocates, who had rallied behind Sohn during three Senate confirmation hearings.”
“But it is a devastating blow to the Biden administration, whose ambitious internet agenda has been mired in limbo for more than two years, amid a deadlock at the FCC.”
Florida Republicans Seek to Further Restrict Abortion
“Florida’s Republican-led legislature on Tuesday filed bills that would ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy but offer exemptions for victims of rape and incest if they can provide official proof of the crime,” Politico reports.
Gang Members Hold Positions in Sheriff’s Department
A blistering new official investigation decries violent, lawless “deputy gangs” that continue to wield extraordinary power within the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, Rolling Stone reports.
The report identifies at “least a half dozen” active gangs and cliques — and names them: the Executioners, the Banditos, the Regulators, the Spartans, the Gladiators, the Cowboys, and the Reapers.
Perhaps most alarming, the investigation reveals that in recent years “tattooed deputy gang members” have risen to “the highest levels” of department leadership.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“Just not tracking that. I mean, if I had a… crystal ball, then I can tell you… If I can feel her aura.”
— White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, when asked if President Biden is annoyed by Marianne Williamson (D) announcing her 2024 presidential bid.
Supreme Court Hints It May Duck Two Big Cases
“Two of the most consequential Supreme Court cases this term may fizzle out, recent orders from the justices suggest, meaning the court may not rule on the role of state legislatures in conducting federal elections or on whether Republican-led states may challenge a pandemic-era immigration measure,” the New York Times reports.
“The end of the term, probably in late June, will still be busy, with the court poised to deliver decisions on affirmative action, a clash between gay rights and claims of religious liberty, the scope of a law protecting internet platforms and the Biden administration’s plan to cancel more than $400 billion in student debt.”
“But the justices may dismiss two of the thorniest questions before them.”
Trump Promises a Second Term of Spite
“Donald Trump has for decades trafficked in the language of vengeance, from his days as a New York developer vowing “an eye for an eye” in the real estate business to ticking through an enemies ledger in 2022 as he sought to oust every last Republican who voted for his impeachment,” the New York Times reports.
“But even though payback has long been part of his public persona, Mr. Trump’s speech on Saturday at the Conservative Political Action Conference was striking for how explicitly he signaled that any return trip to the White House would amount to a term of spite.”
For members: Trump Is Not Just Another Choice
GOP Lawmaker Charged in Hit and Run
Virginia Del. Matthew Fariss (R) has been charged after state police say he struck and injured a pedestrian while driving an SUV and left the scene, the AP reports.
A Troubling Sign for 2024
Barton Gelman: “November’s midterm election was the first in the country’s history to feature hundreds of candidates running explicitly as election rejectionists. Enough of them were defeated to mark a salutary trend: Swing voters did not seem to favor blatant, self-serving lies about election fraud. That was an encouraging result for democracy, and a balm to many Americans eager for a return to something like political normalcy.”
“But it was not the whole story. Election deniers won races for secretary of state—the post that oversees election administration—in Alabama, Indiana, South Dakota, and Wyoming. They make up most of the Republican freshman class in Congress. Even some of the losers came very close.”
Is Remote Work Causing a Baby Boom?
The Atlantic: “In the past half century, Americans have had fewer and fewer babies with almost every passing decade; in 2020, the U.S. reported the lowest official fertility rate on record. But last year, statisticians observed a surprising baby bump. Researchers weren’t entirely sure what had happened. Maybe this was random noise. Maybe, like so many pandemic effects, it was a weird one-off phenomenon.”
“A new paper puts forth a fascinating theory: Maybe remote work is making it easier for couples to become parents—and for parents to have more children.”
Capitol Police Chief Rips Tucker Carlson
U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger on Tuesday ripped into Fox News host Tucker Carlson over his commentary about footage from the January 6, 2021, insurrection that he aired Monday night, saying the host “cherry-picked” from the footage to present “offensive” and “misleading” conclusions about the attack, CNN reports.
Ron DeSantis Keeps Wearing Heels
“As a follower of Florida Gov. and likely presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis’ (R) varying moral crimes against queer kids, marginalized people, and even books that dare to mention LGBTQ+ issues, I feel obligated to direct your attention now to the irony of him continually wearing high heels,” Jezebel reports.
GOP Senator Says Tucker Carlson’s Claims are ‘Bullshit’
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) said that Tucker Carlson’s claims about the January 6 riots are “bullshit,” NBC News reports.
Said Tillis: “When you see police officers assaulted, all of that… if you were just a tourist, you should’ve probably lined up at the visitors’ center and came in on an orderly basis.”
