Hi my name is Jackie, and I think I am a (classics) book snob.
Continue reading “The Great (Anti) American Novel: TPM’s Summer Reading Recommendations”
What Did Jim Jordan Know And When Did He Know It?
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things.
The Man Is A Witness
Did Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) ask Trump to intervene in the Jan. 6 riots?
- “Look, I don’t get into particulars about the conversation, I speak with the president all the time,” Jordan told local TV Monday night.
Could Jordan be called as a material witness by the House select committee?
- “I’ve got nothing to hide. I’ve got nothing to hide if they’re going to call us,” Jordan said in the same interview.
Everyone has … questions:
- “The idea that Jordan can’t remember when he spoke with Trump on Jan. 6 is difficult to stomach.”–Aaron Blake
- “You know, b****, what time you called the president, and you know what you said.”–Michael Steele
It’s not just Jan 6:
- Jordan was also present at a Dec. 21 meeting when Trump discussed with congressional Republicans how to overturn the election result.
- “Anyone who is a material witness to the key events leading up to the Jan. 6 insurrection doesn’t really belong on the committee,” Rep. Jamie B. Raskin (D-MD) told PlumLine last month.
Scoop
Jeffrey Bossert Clark, the midlevel DOJ official Trump considered installing as acting attorney general to perpetuate the Big Lie, is now working for a conservative legal group that is fighting COVID-19 mandates.
Two More Police Suicides In The Wake Of Jan. 6
Officials confirmed the third and fourth suicides of officers involved in responding to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capital.
- DC Metropolitan Police Officer Kyle DeFreytag was found dead on July 10.
- DC Metropolitan Police Officer Gunther Hashida was found dead inside his residence on July 29, TPM confirmed.
(Hashida’s death was confirmed publicly before DeFreytag’s, even though it occurred more recently.)
Utah Representin’
A total of seven people from Utah have been arrested so far for their roles in the Jan. 6 attack.
A TPM Shoutout
Jane Mayer’s big New Yorker article on “The Big Money Behind The Big Lie” includes a nice reference to Josh Kovensky’s piece on the bonkers ItalyGate conspiracy theory.
Not The Smartest Guy In The Senate
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) is increasingly cutting the figure of fringe talk radio host:
- Johnson is casting baseless suspicion that the FBI knew more about the planning before the Jan. 6 Capitol attack than it has revealed.
- Johnson leaps to the defense of … Alex Berenson?
This is the person a sitting U.S. senator is promoting. pic.twitter.com/vBBMaHDPzs
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) August 2, 2021
Most Popular at TPM
“Tucker Carlson Summers With Viktor Orban, Touted As Speaker At Budapest Far-right Gathering”
- Ironic chyron!
Tucker Carlson is broadcasting from Hungary pic.twitter.com/mljlWccI5P
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 3, 2021
House Progressives Agitatin’
The eviction moratorium is the focal point right now of tensions between progressives in the House and the Biden White House:
- Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus: “The president has also told me a couple months ago that he was looking forward to meeting with the Progressive Caucus, and we’re still waiting for that to happen.”
- The sit-in by Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) has been ongoing on the steps of the Capitol since Friday.
![WASHINGTON, DC - [DATE]: U.S. Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) (center) and Cori Bush (D-MO) (right) continue their protest for an extension of the eviction moratorium on the steps to the House of Representatives at the U.S. Capitol Building on August 1, 2021 in Washington, DC. The eviction moratorium put into place during the coronavirus pandemic expired on Saturday which raised the risk that many facing hardship from the pandemic would lose their homes. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)](https://talkingpointsmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234386455-804x536.jpg)
White House Loudly Announces It Won’t Pressure Breyer To Retire
Of course it won’t. That’d be crazy. But it’s a sign of the overwhelming desire for Breyer to step down while Biden is President that the White House made a statement about it:
- White House spokesman Andrew Bates: “The President’s view is that any considerations about potential retirements are solely and entirely up to justices themselves.”
- Brian Fallon of Demand Justice: “For Democrats to sit on their hands and be content to potentially watch a slow-motion replay of the RBG situation play out just goes to show the folly of our party’s passive approach to the courts over the years.”
Cuomo In the Wringer
Investigators spent 11 hours Monday grilling New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) under oath and on camera over sexual harassment allegations.
Blago Back?
Convicted ex-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) – granted clemency by President Trump – is suing to overturn the ban that keeps him from running for state or local office.
- Blago unconvincingly claims he’s not planning to run for office if his lawsuit succeeds.
- “Now, I’m not saying that I want to run for anything. And there’s a good chance my wife Patty is going to watch this and I want to be clear, sweetheart, I’m not thinking about running for anything in particular,”Blagojevich said.
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Text Of The Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill Has Arrived. What Cuts Will Make Their Way Into Reconciliation Bill?
After weeks of negotiations, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) introduced the bipartisan infrastructure bill on the floor on Sunday night by gleefully quipping: “I call up the Sinema-Portman substitute amendment!”
The finalization of the bipartisan infrastructure bill’s text, which runs more than 2,700 pages, came hours after negotiators Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) expressed confidence that the deal is on its way towards passage by the end of the week.
Schumer is now expected to detail the amendment process soon and has made clear that he is committed to a two-track process for passing infrastructure legislation. Following the bipartisan infrastructure legislation’s passage in the Senate, the majority leader plans to move onto “passing a budget resolution with reconciliation instructions.”
Democrats are now turning their focus to the $3.5 trillion reconciliation “human infrastructure” package.
We’ll be tracking what didn’t make the cut in the “physical infrastructure” bill that Democrats may try to include in their sweeping reconciliation bill, which can pass in the Senate without GOP support.
Follow along below:
Where Things Stand: DeSantis’ Balancing Act
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R) rise to Trumpy stardom is largely tied to his defiant stance against public health measures during most of the pandemic last year.
Continue reading “Where Things Stand: DeSantis’ Balancing Act”
Maricopa County Rejects New Subpoenas For ‘Never-Never Land’ AZ Audit
Maricopa County, Arizona’s board of supervisors told the Republican-controlled state Senate to shove it in response to subpoenas for even more election materials.
Continue reading “Maricopa County Rejects New Subpoenas For ‘Never-Never Land’ AZ Audit”
WSJ: Trump To Contest Tax Return Disclosure To Congress
Former president Trump will keep fighting a House bid to get his tax returns, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Continue reading “WSJ: Trump To Contest Tax Return Disclosure To Congress”
Trump DOJ Flunkie Now Battles COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates At Right-Wing Legal Group
It’s a short jump from one Big Lie to another.
The man who Trump sought to appoint as his pocket attorney general is now working for a non-profit that is fighting COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other public health authorities issued during the pandemic.
Continue reading “Trump DOJ Flunkie Now Battles COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates At Right-Wing Legal Group”
Third Police Responder To Capitol Attack Dies Of Suicide
A third police officer who responded to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol has died of suicide. Continue reading “Third Police Responder To Capitol Attack Dies Of Suicide”
What Is the Right?
This lovefest between Tucker Carlson and Viktor Orbán is fascinating on a number of levels.
One thing that a number of us have been saying for some time is that increasingly over the last decade-plus, the GOP has continued to present itself as a center-right party of government while increasingly operating as a rightist revanchist party on the European model. This intentionally conspicuous hobnobbing with Orbán is part of that story. Obviously, Carlson isn’t formally representing the GOP. But in practice he does. He’s far more influential in conservative politics than any elected official currently in office.
Tucker Carlson Summers With Viktor Orban, Touted As Speaker At Budapest Far-right Gathering
Fox News host Tucker Carlson is billed as a speaker at a far-right conference in Hungary on Saturday, according to a flier for the event. The appearance will come days after the Fox host met with the country’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.