“Online misinformation about election fraud plunged 73 percent after several social media sites suspended President Trump and key allies last week, research firm Zignal Labs has found, underscoring the power of tech companies to limit the falsehoods poisoning public debate when they act aggressively,” the Washington Post reports.
Harris to Be Sworn In By Justice Sotomayor
“When Vice President-elect Kamala Harris takes the oath of office at Wednesday’s inauguration, the magnitude of her historic election will be marked not only in her remarks but in the details,” ABC News reports.
“The Vice President-elect will be sworn in by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, another historic female first. Sotomayor is the first Latina Supreme Court Justice.”
Boebert’s Top Press Aide Quits
The communications director for Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), a firebrand Republican freshman who boasts about carrying a gun to work, has quit after less than two weeks on the job, Axios reports.
Said Ben Goldey said in a statement: “Following the events of January 6th, I’ve decided to part ways with the office. I wish her and the people of Colorado’s Third District the best.”
Europe Shuts Schools Again
“As U.S. authorities debate whether to keep schools open, a consensus is emerging in Europe that children are a considerable factor in the spread of Covid-19—and more countries are shutting schools for the first time since the spring,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Closures have been announced recently in the U.K., Germany, Ireland, Austria, Denmark and the Netherlands on concerns about a more infectious variant of the virus first detected in the U.K. and rising case counts despite lockdowns.”
Trump May Leave a Hole In History
“The public won’t see President Trump’s White House records for years, but there’s growing concern the collection won’t be complete, leaving a hole in the history of one of America’s most tumultuous presidencies,” the AP reports.
“Trump has been cavalier about the law requiring that records be preserved. He has a habit of ripping up documents before tossing them out, forcing White House records workers to spend hours taping them back together.”
“The president also confiscated an interpreter’s notes after Trump had a chat with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Trump scolded his White House counsel for taking notes at a meeting during the Russia investigation by former special counsel Robert Mueller. Top executive branch officials had to be reminded more than once not to conduct official business on private email or text messaging systems and to preserve it if they did.”
Donor Backlash Fuels GOP Alarm About Senate
“Republicans are worried that a corporate backlash stirred by the deadly Capitol insurrection could crimp a vital stream of campaign cash, complicating the party’s prospects of retaking the Senate in the next election,” the AP reports.
“The GOP already faces a difficult Senate map in 2022, when 14 Democratic-held seats and 20 Republican ones will be on the ballot. That includes at least two open seats that Republicans will be defending because of the retirements of GOP Sens. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Richard Burr of North Carolina.”
Trump Finishes with Worst First Term Approval Ever
Harry Enten: “A big question during the Trump presidency was whether anything could actually move the public opinion needle. It turns out that the insurrection at the US Capitol last week did exactly that.”
“The result is that Trump’s final first term approval rating looks to be the lowest on record dating back since scientific polling began.”
Ivanka’s Political Future Comes Into Sharper Focus
Politico: “The senior White House adviser is set to decamp to Florida after her father’s presidency comes to a close. And though talk of her launching a primary challenge to Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) has given off the faint whiff of political [fan-fic], in reality, Trump officials say, there have been machinations behind the scenes.”
One person in contact with the president said that Jared Kushner is viewed as “working single-mindedly to protect and promote his wife’s ‘political career.'”
Lawmakers Not Told of Police Request for Backup
New York Times: “The Capitol Police asked the sergeants-at-arms to request that the National Guard be placed on standby. But the sergeants-at-arms, Michael C. Stenger of the Senate and Paul Irving of the House, rejected the request without raising the issue with either the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, or Speaker Nancy Pelosi.”
Follow the Selfies
Bloomberg reports that “selfie-snapping rioters” at the U.S. Capitol last week left the FBI a trail of over 140,000 images.
Prosecutors Expand Probe Into Trump Finances
“The Manhattan district attorney’s office has expanded its criminal investigation into the Trump Organization’s finances to include the family’s compound in Westchester County,” CNN reports.
“Prosecutors’ interest in the 212-acre property called Seven Springs is a significant widening of an investigation that began more than a year ago. It also draws closer to President Donald Trump’s son Eric Trump, executive vice president of the Trump Organization, who was directly involved in discussions about the property now under scrutiny.”
Bloomberg: Trump’s shambolic empire faces long odds for one more comeback.
The 15 Most Notable Lies of Trump’s Presidency
Daniel Dale: “Trying to pick the most notable lies from Donald Trump’s presidency is like trying to pick the most notable pieces of junk from the town dump.”
“There’s just so much ugly garbage to sift through before you can make a decision.”
Manchin Open to Expelling Hawley and Cruz
Sen. Joe Manchin asked by PBS about using the 14th Amendment to remove sent. Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz from Senate: “That should be a consideration.”
Politico: Senate Democrats eye punishing Hawley and Cruz for election objections.
We’re Just Finding Out How Bad the Riot Really Was
David Graham: “January 6 not only could have been much worse—it was much worse than was initially apparent. Sometimes real-time coverage of news events leans toward the sensational and overstates what happened. But because reporters were unprepared for the violence, and because of the fog of war (and tear gas), the horror of this event has emerged slowly.”
“Many people were able to see the stakes on January 6, but it was much harder to see how close a larger catastrophe was to occurring, much less how much harm was actually done.”
A Premeditated Election Lie Lit the Fire
Axios begins a series looking into President Trump’s final two months:
“For weeks, Trump had been laying the groundwork to declare victory on election night — even if he lost. But the real-time results, punctuated by Fox’s shocking call, upended his plans and began his unraveling.”
U.S. Takes Back Claim Rioters Wanted to ‘Capture’ Officials
“Justice Department prosecutors have formally walked back their assertion in a court filing that said Capitol rioters sought to ‘capture and assassinate elected officials,'” CNN reports.
“A federal prosecutor in Arizona asked a magistrate judge in a hearing on Friday to strike the line in a recent court filing about defendant Jacob Anthony Chansley, a man who is alleged to have led some in the crowd in the first wave into the Capitol with a bullhorn while carrying a spear and wearing a fur headdress.”
Flashback Quote of the Day
“The point is that we are all capable of believing things which we know to be untrue, and then, when we are finally proved wrong, impudently twisting the facts so as to show that we were right. Intellectually, it is possible to carry on this process for an indefinite time: the only check on it is that sooner or later a false belief bumps up against solid reality, usually on a battlefield.”
— George Orwell, writing in 1946, via Daring Fireball.
Prosecutors Interview Michael Cohen About Trump
“New York prosecutors conducted an hourslong interview Thursday of Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former personal attorney, asking a range of questions about Trump’s business dealings,” the AP reports.
“The interview focused in part on Trump’s relationship with Deutsche Bank, his biggest and longest standing creditor.”
