Maybe there’s some hope for the country yet, given Republican leader Mitch McConnell’s decision to break with the Trump faction and label the Jan. 6th riot a “violent insurrection” as opposed to the Republican National Committee’s absurd assertion that it was "normal political discourse."
McConnell also rejected the party’s sanctions against Reps Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for serving on the House panel investigating that insurrection.
This comes on the heels of Mike Pence defending himself against Trump’s claims that he could have legally overturned the results of the 2020 election on the day of the riot.
I must say that McConnell and Pence are getting close to becoming likable.
This is an election year, of course, and these guys are veteran politicians. I am using the word “hope” because they probably aren’t taking these positions as a matter of principle but as an indication of a split in the GOP on the question of whether to continue following Trump.
The stakes are clear. The mid-term elections this November will determine which party will control Congress for the next two years of Biden’s Presidency. If McConnell thought the Trump/QAnon faction had the upper hand, presumably he would follow their lead.
That he isn’t doing that is a positive sign that the Republican Party may yet return to sanity in a post-Trump era. It’s only one sign, but as I am an optimist by default, I’m grabbing on to it.
***
The other big item today is long-time Internet guru Tim O'Reilly debunking the hype around Web3: "Get ready for the crash," he tells CBS. The hubbub around cryptocurrency, NFTs and the metaverse, including sky-high valuations for startups, has a familiar ring to O'Reilly, who sees echoes of the dot-com boom and bust in the breathless boosterism around blockchain.
TODAY’s NEWS (43):
Putin Is Operating on His Own Timetable, and It May Be a Long One (NYT)
VIDEO: European Leaders Warn Russia Against Attack on Ukraine (AP and Reuters)
What Satellite Images Reveal About Russia’s Military Buildup Around Ukraine (WSJ)
Ukraine and Russia to launch parallel military drills as U.S. nears deal on potential sanctions (WP)
Americans Are Frustrated With the Pandemic. These Polls Show How Much. (NYT)
What a bottle of ivermectin reveals about the shadowy world of COVID telemedicine (NPR)
Violent crime to labor shortages: Mayors say Covid's toll on cities is far-reaching (Politico)
Pence rebuked Trump -- and received an outpouring of GOP support in response (CNN)
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell rebuked the RNC for calling the Capitol riot "normal political discourse" and for censoring Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for serving on the Jan. 6 House panel. McConnell said the RNC shouldn't be sanctioning Republicans “who may have different views from the majority.” He also broke with many Trump-allied Republicans in calling the riot a “violent insurrection” meant to stop the peaceful transition of presidential power. [HuffPost]
Government Reveals Trove of Evidence in First Jan. 6 Trial (NYT)
Republican and Democratic lawmakers across the United States are drawing political maps that will likely deepen polarization and encourage more extreme candidates by eliminating competitive congressional seats, a new Reuters analysis shows. (Reuters)
The Incredible Vanishing Trump Presidency — The Presidential Records Act was not designed for a president as lawless and shameless as Trump. (Atlantic)
One in five applicants to white supremacist group tied to US military (Guardian)
‘Freedom Convoy’ protests disrupt another U.S.-Canada border crossing as more arrests are made (WP)
New Zealand convoy clogs streets near Parliament to protest vaccine mandates (NPR)
Congress moves toward banning members from trading stocks (CNBC)
More than 40 members of the Congressional Black Caucus urged Attorney General Merrick Garland to be “relentless” in challenging state laws restricting voting rights. The lawmakers said in a letter that the “future of our democracy is at stake,” highlighting a spate of GOP-led laws have disproportionately disenfranchised Black voters since the 2020 election. “Our message is simple: Be creative. Be relentless. Be unapologetic in your commitment to do whatever it takes to ensure that every American has their vote counted,” the letter says. [HuffPost]
Abductions, beatings cause Afghan women’s rights activists to go quiet (WP)
New COVID surge batters Afghanistan’s crumbling health care (AP)
Living in a woman’s body — The Taliban fear our beauty, strength – and resistance (Guardian)
Failed and on fire: New poll details citizen anger at climate change responses (Politico)
The manatees are starving — Florida’s beloved “sea cows” shouldn’t have to eat lettuce. Yet here we are. (Vox)
Scientists may have discovered the first quadruple asteroid in the solar system, a space rock with three orbiting moons. (NYT)
Astronomers Watch a Star Die and Then Explode as a Supernova – For the Very First Time (SciTechDaily)
U.N. postpones space diplomacy talks after Russia asks for more time (Politico)
Major breakthrough on nuclear fusion energy (BBC)
Hong Kong’s young journalists decry the ‘death of free press’ (Financial Times)
Journalists won a major settlement after attacks by the Minnesota State Police during protests. (HuffPost)
It’s Your Friends Who Break Your Heart — The older we get, the more we need our friends—and the harder it is to keep them (Atlantic)
Love and logins: Who gets custody of passwords in a breakup? (AP)
Facebook owner Meta Platforms is struggling to stop counterfeiters from pushing fake luxury goods from Gucci to Chanel across its social media apps, as the company barrels into ecommerce. (Reuters)
Silicon Valley is no longer the edgy tech frontier as workers flee Google and Amazon for crypto and Web3 startups, recruiters say (Business Insider)
Internet guru Tim O'Reilly on Web3: "Get ready for the crash" — The hubbub around cryptocurrency, NFTs and the metaverse, including sky-high valuations for startups, has a familiar ring to O'Reilly, who sees echoes of the dot-com boom and bust in the breathless boosterism around blockchain.(CBS)
Hijab ban sparks protests among students in India (NHK)
An advocacy group filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board against the N.C.A.A., the Pac-12 Conference, U.C.L.A. and the University of Southern California — the latest step in a push to give employee status to college athletes. (AP)
SF DA Boudin fires back at Police Chief Scott as feud intensifies (KTVU)
New Zealand parrot steals camera and films airborne escape – video (Guardian)
A new program in Canada gives doctors the option of prescribing national park visits (NPR)
Maine family’s lost cat turns up after six years – in Florida (Guardian)
Study Finds Average Squirrel Lives Through Human Equivalent Of 7 Action Films Every Day (The Onion)
No comments:
Post a Comment