A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things.

How Did We Get Here

You might be thinking, “Cristina, are you seriously talking about this Nicki Minaj testicle thing for a third day in a row?” and I regret to inform you that yes, I am, and that’s because the White House actually got involved yesterday.

• Minaj claimed she had been invited to the White House to discuss the COVID-19 vaccine amid what she dubbed “#BallGate,” the backlash over her allegation that the vaccine had caused her cousin’s friend’s testicles to swell.
• The White House said the rapper hadn’t been offered an invite, but they had reached out to her to make sure she knows the vaccine doesn’t, you know, do that.
  • “As we have with others, we offered a call with Nicki Minaj and one of our doctors to answer questions she has about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine,” the White House said in a statement.
• And now Trump stooges have found their patron saint in Nicki Minaj:

Nicki Minaj is a far more reputable source of information than Rachel Maddow.

One of them is censored by the regime. The other promoted by it. https://t.co/JbhD35Qsw2

— J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) September 15, 2021

The health minister of Trinidad & Tobago spoke out and said the entire story is bullshit. So, naturally: pic.twitter.com/RpPSaaLG25

— jordan (@JordanUhl) September 16, 2021

Hugs And Kisses

Matt Braynard, the ex-Trump campaign adviser behind the upcoming “Justice for J6” rally on Saturday, claimed there’ll be a “largely peaceful crowd” at the event as the U.S. Capitol Police re-erect fencing and prepare for the worst.

• Braynard refused to directly discourage extremists from coming to the event, telling CNN only that his message to attendees is that when they come “they don’t bring any kind of labels” and “that they come strictly to advocate for justice for the January 6 political prisoners.”
• What will happen on Saturday is unpredictable. Here’s what we know about the rally so far.
• One thing’s for sure: Braynard’s true goal for this rally is to whitewash the events of Jan. 6 and rebrand the insurrectionists as victims for being Trump supporters.
• The Capitol Police have asked the Pentagon for help on the day of the rally, according to Defense Department press secretary John Kirby.

"We have received a request from Capitol Police for some assistance for this weekend's protests."

— Pentagon Press Sec. John Kirby on this Saturday's "Justice for January 6" rally planned in D.C. pic.twitter.com/Pjoo6Y3mFY

— The Recount (@therecount) September 15, 2021

A Bleak Post-Jan. 6 Reality By The Numbers

56 percent of Americans believe democracy is under attack, and 51 percent think it’s likely that election officials whose party loses a future election will overturn its results, according to a new CNN poll.

• A staggering 93 percent of Americans believe democracy is at least being tested. Only six percent think democracy is safe.
• Republicans are much more fearful of danger to democracy than Democrats, with 75 percent of GOPers and 46 percent of Democrats saying democracy is under attack. 

With Friends Like These….

Some Democrats who keep stonewalling their colleagues’ progressive agenda, like Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), can at least semi-plausibly claim that their red state keeps them from going too far to the left. But a chunk of House Democrats who’ve been throwing wrenches into attempts to pass more ambitious policies actually represent safe blue districts.

• None of the House Democrats who voted against their colleagues’ prescription drug pricing bill, Reps. Scott Peters (D-CA), Kurt Schrader (D-OR), Kathleen Rice (D-NY) and Stephanie Murphy (D- FL), are in danger of losing their seats in the upcoming 2022 election, HuffPost notes. But they have received tens of thousands (and in some cases, hundred of thousands) of dollars in donations from pharmaceutical PACs this year and in the 2020 election cycle.
• Along similar lines, several members of the motley crew of House Democrats that attempted to force a vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill before reconciliation come from safe districts:

Reporters keep referring to the Gottheimer 9 as "moderates who represent swing districts," but more than half represent very safe blue seats:

Filemon Vela: D +10
Vicente Gonzalez: D +7
Jim Costa: D +9
Henry Cuellar: D +9
Ed Case: D +17

It's about corporate donations.

— Max Berger (@maxberger) August 24, 2021

Roger Stone Gets Served By A Process Server Mid-Interview

The Trump associate was chatting on a radio program when a process server showed up to deliver legal documents that seemed to come from the seven Capitol Police officers’ lawsuit against him over the Capitol insurrection.

• “Hold on a second, I have a process server at my front door about to serve me in the latest lawsuit,” Stone told the radio hosts before apparently answering the door and cheerfully greeting the process server.
• Stone bragged about the delivery when he returned to his interview, telling the hosts “Alright, I have just been served in the January 6th lawsuit — live, right here on your radio show.”
• The GOP operative noted that the documents were “a big, big stack of papers.” “Which is good, because we’re out of toilet paper,” he said.

While Roger Stone was live on the air this morning with ‘Real Talk 93.3’ (St Louis) doing an interview about the 2024 election, he gets served by a process server with the January 6 lawsuit. (Audio) pic.twitter.com/pnXBPQh3Vn

— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) September 15, 2021

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