Ginni Thomas told the Daily Caller she would agree to an interview with the January 6 Committee.
Said Thomas: “I can’t wait to clear up misconceptions. I look forward to talking to them.”
Giuliani Won’t Comment on Pressuring Mike Pence
Rudy Giuliani was asked at a press conference for his son’s gubernatorial campaign if January 6 Committee testimony earlier today is true — alleging he privately acknowledged on Jan. 6 that Vice President Mike Pence likely didn’t have authority to not certify election results.
Giuliani was silent at first, then said: “I shouldn’t really talk about that.”
Trump Wants ‘Equal Time’
Former President Donald Trump demanded “equal time” just before the start of today’s January 6 Committee hearing.
Biden Says Americans Are ‘Really, Really Down’
President Biden told the Associated Press that the American people are “really, really down” after a tumultuous two years with the coronavirus pandemic, volatility in the economy and now surging gasoline prices that are hitting family budgets.
He said a recession is not inevitable and bristled at claims by Republican lawmakers that last year’s Covid-19 aid plan was fully to blame for inflation reaching a 40-year high, calling that argument “bizarre.”
Said Biden: “They’re really down. The need for mental health in America, it has skyrocketed, because people have seen everything upset. Everything they’ve counted on upset. But most of it’s the consequence of what’s happened, what happened as a consequence of the Covid crisis.”
While certainly true, this probably isn’t the best midterm message.
Katie Britt Holds Big Lead In Alabama Runoff
A new Emerson College poll of Alabama runoff election for U.S. Senate finds Katie Britt (R) with a double-digit lead over Mo Brooks (R), 50% to 34% with 17% of Republican voters are undecided.
When these undecided voters are asked who they are leaning toward and allocated, Britt leads Brooks 59% to 41%.
Gavin Newsom Joins Truth Social
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced he has joined Donald Trump’s social network, Truth Social.
He says he is “going to be on there calling out Republican lies.”
Justice Department Seeks January 6 Transcripts
“The Justice Department on Thursday revealed a deepening rift with the Jan. 6 House select committee, accusing the panel of a ‘failure’ to share its 1,000 witness transcripts,” Politico reports.
“DOJ officials say those documents would aid the prosecution of people who breached the Capitol, including leaders of the Proud Boys.”
Insider: “The Justice Department previously requested transcripts in April, but Rep. Bennie Thompson, chair of the House January 6 committee, responded that it would be premature for the panel to share its work while its inquiry remains ongoing.”
Reaction to the Third January 6 Hearing — Part II
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Reaction to the Third January 6 Hearing
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Members get exclusive analysis, bonus features and no advertising. Learn more.
The Third January 6 Hearing
In its third day of public hearings, the January 6 Committee will focus on efforts by Donald Trump and his allies to prevent Vice President Mike Pence from certifying the 2020 election results.
Pence’s counsel Greg Jacob and retired federal appeals judge Michael Luttig are expected to testify in person. And there will almost certainly be more explosive video testimony.
The hearing begins at 1 p.m. ET. A live stream is available.
Leave your reactions in the comments.
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“It looks like you’re better now. Your neck was on a hinge for four years and just nodding up and down from January 20 to January 6 of, you know, 2021. So I’m glad to see you’re better.”
— Chris Christie (R), telling Fox News what he would say to Mike Pence if they shared a presidential debate stage in 2024.
The Simple Math of Voter Turnout
Ruy Teixeira: “Start with this: when Democrats persuade a voter to switch sides, that nets two votes for the Democrats (one less for the Republicans, one more for the Democrats). When Democrats turn out one more voter to vote Democratic that is, of course, a net of only one vote for them.”
“But it’s really worse than that. Typically, Democrats think of increased base turnout in terms of turning out more voters from various pro-Democratic demographic groups—young voters, black voters, Hispanic voters, college-educated whites, whatever. But not all the voters in these groups favor the Democrats so mobilization of more voters from a given group may well net less than one vote per additional voter. For example, looking at current Congressional ballot preferences, Democrats might net only a third of a vote for every additional Hispanic or young voter, six-tenths of a vote from every additional black voter and just a sixth of a vote from every additional college-educated white voter.”
“The math looks even more unfavorable when the following is considered: Democrats tend to assume that nonvoters from a given demographic are the same politically as voters from the same group… except they don’t vote. But a mountain of political science evidence shows that’s not so.”
Seattle to Consider Approval Voting
“The city of Seattle will decide whether to adopt a new style of voting that would allow them to choose as many candidates as they like in future election contests,” The Hill reports.
“The proposal, called ‘approval voting,’ allows a voter to select every candidate of whom they approve in primary elections. The two candidates with the highest number of votes would advance to a general election, when voters would be allowed to choose between the two.”
A New GOP Frontrunner
The PredictIt political futures market now has Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) as the frontrunner to win the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.
January 6 Committee Wants to Talk to Ginni Thomas
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), chairman of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, said the panel plans to invite Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, to be interviewed by the panel, the Washington Post reports.
“The conservative activist was not originally expected to be a focus of public hearings this June. But people involved in the investigation say newly obtained email correspondence between her and White House lawyer John Eastman have revealed that her efforts to overturn the 2020 election were more extensive than previously known.”
Ex-Lawmaker Runs Again After Prison Term
Convicted felon and former Rep. Corrine Brown (D-FL) will be running for Congress again in Florida’s 10th congressional district after serving two years in prison, WJXT reports.
Brown said that her experience has shown her firsthand the inequality of the American judicial system: “There are far too many innocent people wrongly imprisoned.”
Arkansas Governor Plans Possible Presidential Bid
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) continued to hint at a presidential run as he told a group of attorneys that he was starting to “lay the foundation” for a 2024 campaign, the Arkansas Democrat Gazette reports.
Said Hutchinson: “I am full of energy, and I am pretty concerned about our country and the direction of it and my party, and as you have all probably seen I want to be a voice of problem solving in government and not creating chaos, and so that is my mission.”
He added: “I am doing what is necessary to lay a foundation for 2024, but let me assure you my first priority through the remainder of my term is Arkansas.”
Russia Slashes Gas Flows to Europe
“Moscow’s move to slash natural-gas exports to Europe has pitched the continent’s energy crisis into a dangerous new phase that threatens to drain vital fuel supplies and kneecap the continent’s economy,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
