Trump’s Puppy Speaks

Kevin McCarthy’s turnabout on a Jan 6th Commission proposal that was negotiated by his chosen negotiator and, by all indications, at his direction is a good reminder – for anyone who needed reminding, and really who are you who needed reminding? – of the reality of bipartisan negotiations in the Trump era. As I noted yesterday, Rep. Katko does not appear to have been freelancing. McCarthy chose him to negotiate on his behalf. And reporting suggests Katko worked from McCarthy’s directives and kept him in the loop. But once the deal was announced McCarthy felt he needed to torpedo it.

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Trump On The Stand In Capitol Riot Cases? Don’t Hold Your Breath

With all the focus on Trump’s rhetorical effect on dozens of Capitol attack defendants (I wrote about that here), it’s tempting to imagine the former commander in chief being grilled by prosecutors and defense attorneys in a D.C. courtroom.

Lawyers for some of the accused have sought to incorporate him into their cases, stating that their clients would not have participated in the events of Jan. 6 had they not believed they were ordered to do so by the then-president. 

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Thank You

I want to take a moment to thank all the former members who’ve rejoined over the last couple weeks. And thanks so much to those of you who’ve become members for the first time. Joining our community and supporting our team’s work is hugely important. It always has been. In many ways though it’s even more meaningful and important now. We get it. It’s been a really long five years of Trump. Trump was brutalizing for some, exhausting for many more. He made news both unwatchable but also unmissable. I long compared the experience of Trump as comparable to life with an abuser. It breeds hypervigilance. Or maybe it’s like news about a sick relative, the last thing you wanted to hear and the first thing you read.

Now that’s done. We don’t know for how long or whether it’s just an intermission. But right now we have a functioning, not-clearly-corrupt executive branch. We even have one that is expansive and reformist in its vision and scope of action. We may have an ex-President at war with the republic … but not a current one. And that, for now, makes all the difference.

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Cuomo Signs $5 Million Book Deal Amid Sexual Misconduct Allegations And Cover-Ups

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) has landed a lucrative deal with publisher Penguin Random House for his book on his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic –even though that handling is currently under investigation, and so are the multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against him.

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Christie Won’t ‘Defer To Anyone’ Including Trump In Weighing 2024 Presidential Bid

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) has said he will opt to take a different tact to some of the Republicans mulling presidential bids in 2024. 

During a “Ruthless” podcast interview out early Tuesday, he said that he won’t wait for former President Donald Trump’s decision to seek the GOP nomination to preclude him from throwing his own hat in the ring for president at the end of next year. 

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Capitol Rioters’ ‘Trump Defense’ Comes Up Again And Again. Will It Make A Difference?

A few weeks after his arrest for allegedly storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, the man known as the “QAnon Shaman,” Jacob Chansley, floated an idea that dozens of others have tried — that Trump himself deserved some of the blame for his actions. 

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AZ County’s GOP-Dominated Board Of Supervisors Rails Against State’s ‘Sham’ Audit

The board of supervisors of Maricopa County, Arizona railed against a review of the county’s 2020 election results ordered by the state Senate during a fiery board meeting Monday. 

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