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Oath Keepers founder spent six hours on Zoom with Jan. 6 panel

The founder of a right-wing group whose members have been charged with seditious conspiracy in connection with the attack on the U.S. Capitol spent about six hours Wednesday talking to the Jan. 6 committee on a Zoom call from a jail in Oklahoma. Elmer Stewart Rhodes III, who is in the custody of the U.S. […]

Army To Immediately Start Discharging Vaccine Refusers

The Army said Wednesday it will immediately begin discharging soldiers who have refused to get the mandatory COVID-19 vaccine, putting more than 3,300 service members at risk of being thrown out soon. The Army’s announcement makes it the final military service to lay out its discharge policy for vaccine refusers. The Marine Corps, Air Force […]

National Archives Will Turn Over Pence Records To House Panel Investigating Capitol Riot

The National Archives is preparing to turn over some of former Vice President Mike Pence’s records to the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. David Ferriero, the archivist of the United States, sent a letter to former President Donald Trump on Tuesday saying the documents would be delivered […]

StephCast W 2-2-22

StephCast T 2-1-22

Pence’s former chief of staff testifies before Jan. 6 committee

Marc Short, who was chief of staff to former Vice President Mike Pence, recently testified before the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot, two sources familiar with the matter confirmed Monday. One of the sources said the deposition took place Wednesday, confirming a CNN report. The committee declined to comment, and Short could not […]

Some Trump Documents Given To Jan. 6 Committee Had Been Torn Up

Some documents in the National Archives from the Trump White House had been ripped up and needed to be taped back together to be given to lawmakers investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol. The National Archives said in a statement Monday that “a number of torn-up records that had not been […]

Moderna Announces Full FDA Approval For Its COVID-19 Vaccine

Moderna announced Monday that U.S. health regulators granted full approval to its COVID-19 vaccine, a shot that’s been given to tens of millions of Americans since its emergency authorization over a year ago. The action by the Food and Drug Administration means the agency has completed the same rigorous, time-consuming review of Moderna’s shot as […]

Trump Reportedly More Directly Involved In Proposal To ‘Seize’ Voting Machines

Former President Donald Trump was more directly involved with plans to use branches of the federal government to seize voting machines after his loss in the 2020 election, personally asking his Cabinet members and his lawyer if they could help him as his tenure in the White House was running out, The New York Times […]

Charlie Pierce: This Is Parents and Legislators Under the Sway of a Media Industrial Complex

Can we now all agree that voting for your local school board is important? Because local school boards have begun to lose their minds. For example, down in Tennessee, the McMinn County school board has become nationally famous this week for banning Art Spiegelman’s classic graphic novel, Maus. The minutes of the school board meeting leaked and, […]

StephCast M 1-31-22

Lindsey Graham Praises Rumored Biden Supreme Court Candidate, Argues for Diverse Court: Let’s Make it ‘More Like America’

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) pushed back on his fellow Republicans attacking President Joe Biden’s commitment to nominate an African American woman to replace Stephen Breyer on the Supreme Court. CBS’ Margaret Brennan interviewed Graham on Sunday for Face The Nation, and asked the senator about Biden’s reaffirmed promise to nominate a Black woman as Breyer’s […]

It’s Rams and Bengals in Super Bowl LVI

The Los Angeles Rams took the NFC championship Sunday evening by defeating the San Francisco 49ers and will face the Cincinnati Bengals at home in the Super Bowl on Feb. 13. The Rams beat the 49ers 20-17 in front of a hometown crowd after Cincinnati beat the Kansas City Chiefs 27-24 in overtime to take […]

Trump suggests he might pardon Jan. 6 defendants if he returns to White House

Former President Donald Trump said Saturday he would consider pardoning defendants charged in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol riot if he returns to the White House. “Another thing we’ll do, and so many people have been asking me about it, if I run and if I win we will treat those people from January […]

‘Neil Young Fan’ Joe Rogan Apologizes, Vows Changes As Pressure On Spotify Grows

Podcaster Joe Rogan apologized on Sunday to anyone who is offended by his frequent broadcast of misinformation about the coronavirus and the vaccine as pressure increases against Spotify, which hosts his show. “If I pissed you off, I’m sorry,” Rogan said on Instagram. “And if you enjoy the podcast, thank you.” However, Rogan also took […]

The Rude Pundit: One More Time… Nearly Every Parent Is Too F***ing Dumb to Decide on School Curriculum

In the early 1970s, my mom became the secretary for Gus Sakkis, the Superintendent of Schools in Pinellas County, Florida. Sakkis got the job during an insanely tumultuous period in the school system, what with desegregation, teacher walkouts, student protests, and more. It was enough to have driven several superintendents out after a short time on […]

Eric Boehlert: 3 Covid stories the press is getting wrong right now

Wednesday’s Wall Street Journal brought troubling news about Covid-19 deaths as the paper detailed how they “have reached the highest level since early last year,” emphasizing that the virus “spread wildly through the country and caused record-shattering count cases.” The Journal article painted a dismaying picture of pandemic America, depicting the Omicron variant that was ravaging a defenseless nation as […]

SM Happy Hour Videocast 01-28-22 Harry Litman & Hal Sparks

StephCast F 1-28-22

Poll Shows Biden Leading DeSantis and Trump Bigly in Hypothetical 2024 Matchups

A stunning new poll from Marquette University Law School shows President Joe Biden significantly leading both former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) in a set of hypothetical matchups. The wide-ranging poll, like others released in recent months, shows Biden  underwater with voters. A mere 15% of the survey’s respondents said they strongly […]

Biden: Black Woman Justice On Supreme Court Is ‘Long Overdue’

President Joe Biden strongly affirmed Thursday that he will nominate the first Black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court, declaring such historic representation is “long overdue” and promising to announce his choice by the end of February. In a White House ceremony marking a moment of national transition, Biden praised retiring Justice Stephen Breyer, who […]

Biden Says Russian Invasion Of Ukraine A ‘Distinct Possibility’

The White House says President Joe Biden warned Ukraine’s president Thursday that there is a “distinct possibility” Russia could take military action against Ukraine in February. The Kremlin likewise sounded a grim note, saying it saw “little ground for optimism” in resolving the crisis after the U.S. this week again rejected Russia’s main demands. Russian […]

StephCast Th 1-27-22

Biden said he’d put a Black woman on the Supreme Court. Here’s who he may pick to replace Breyer

In what will be one of the most monumental endeavors of Joe Biden’s presidency, the retirement of Stephen Breyer sets the stage for an immensely important decision by the President. Breyer’s seat may be the only one that Biden fills on the Supreme Court, and it may not be one he fills at all — […]

Spotify says it will remove Neil Young’s music, according to reports

Spotify will no longer stream the music of Neil Young. For what it’s worth, he asked for it. One day after the musician expressed in a now-deleted post on his official website that he no longer wanted his music on the platform over its relationship with divisive podcast host Joe Rogan’s comments about Covid-19 vaccinations, […]

U.S. offers Russia ‘serious diplomatic path forward’ but rejects NATO ban on Ukraine

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that the U.S. had formally responded to Russia’s security demands in a letter he described as a “serious diplomatic path forward” to de-escalating threats against Ukraine. Blinken said that there had been “no change” in the Biden administration’s position that NATO maintains its open-door policy for countries to […]

Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer to retire at end of term

Justice Stephen G. Breyer, the most senior member of the U.S. Supreme Court’s liberal wing and staunch defender of a nonpartisan judiciary, will retire from the bench at the end of the current term, fulfilling the wish of Democrats who lobbied for his exit and clearing the way for President Joe Biden’s first high court […]

StephCast W 1-26-22

Trump lawyer ordered to respond to January 6 committee subpoena for his Chapman University emails

A federal judge is forcing a conservative lawyer who had worked for then-President Donald Trump before the January 6 insurrection to respond to a House select committee subpoena of Chapman University for his emails — setting congressional investigators up to receive access to information they’ve wanted for months but had not been able to get. […]

Biden administration withdraws vaccine-or-test mandate for large employers

The Biden administration is withdrawing its Covid vaccination-or-test requirement for large employers, citing the Supreme Court’s recent decision to block the rule. The Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, said Tuesday that the withdrawal of the emergency mandate would be effective Wednesday. Read the rest of the story at NBC News

Nancy Pelosi Announces Run For Reelection In 2022

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced her bid for reelection in the 2022 midterms. “While we have made progress, much more needs to be done to improve people’s lives,” Pelosi said in a post on Twitter. “This election is crucial: nothing less is at stake than our Democracy.” Pelosi, 81, who has been in Congress […]

StephCast T 1-25-22

Biden caught cursing about Fox News reporter on a hot mic

President Joe Biden was caught on camera Monday cursing about Fox News reporter Peter Doocy. “What a stupid son of a bitch,” Biden said as reporters, including Doocy, were being ushered out of a room after he made remarks about inflation. Biden spoke quietly, but the insult was caught on his microphone, which was still […]

Fauci expects most states to reach peak omicron by February. Close to half already have.

Covid case surges have started to wane. As of Sunday, the number of omicron cases peaked and is trending downward in 24 states and territories, plus Washington D.C., according to an NBC News analysis of Covid case numbers tallied from state and county health departments. Case numbers nationwide declined to 706,000 average cases per day […]

Pentagon puts 8,500 troops on ‘heightened alert’ as U.S. weighs military action against Russia

The United States is discussing the deployment of American military forces to Eastern Europe with its NATO allies, a senior administration official said Monday, as President Joe Biden weighs options for responding to Russian threats against Ukraine. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has placed 8,500 troops on “heightened alert” to assist with the defense of NATO allies, […]

Georgia DA Granted Special Grand Jury In Trump Election Interference Probe

An Atlanta-area prosecutor investigating former President Donald Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia has been permitted to seat a special grand jury this spring to aid in her probe. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis requested last week to seat a special grand jury in the investigation starting May 2. […]

Charlie Pierce: Rudy Giuliani’s Cockamamie Scheme Was the Master Thread Through the Labyrinth of Stupid

Since we are currently engaged in further Adventures in Orthopedics, we have been hors de blogging, but you’d have to be a case study for CSI: Pluto not to notice one development above all others: life is coming after the Camp Runamuck alumni awfully damn fast. The master thread through this labyrinth of stupid seems to have been that […]

StephCast M 1-24-22

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema formally censured by Arizona Democratic Party

The Arizona Democratic Party’s executive committee formally censured Sen. Kyrsten Sinema on Saturday morning as a result of her inaction on changing the filibuster rules to pass voting rights reform. “…on the matter of the filibuster and the urgency to protect voting rights, we have been crystal clear. In the choice between an archaic legislative […]

U.S. weighs troop deployment near Ukraine, orders embassy families out

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin briefed President Joe Biden on Saturday about U.S. options for responding if Russia invades Ukraine, as well as options for U.S. military movements in advance of an invasion, according to a defense official and a senior administration official. Among the options presented for the U.S. military in advance of an invasion were bomber […]

Trump Accuses Jan. 6 Panel Of Going After ‘Children’ For Contacting 40-Year-Old Ivanka

Former President Donald Trump slammed the House committee investigating the Capitol riot for requesting that his daughter and former senior adviser Ivanka Trump cooperate with the probe, accusing lawmakers of going after “children.” “It’s a very unfair situation for my children. Very, very unfair,” Donald Trump told the Washington Examiner in an interview for an […]

Former AG Bill Barr Has Spoken To Jan. 6 Committee, Chairman Says

The chair of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol said Sunday that former Attorney General William Barr has already spoken with investigators, a major revelation that at least some former Trump administration officials are cooperating with the probe into the deadly insurrection. “To be honest with you, we’ve […]

Eric Boehlert: Biden’s getting doomsday press — just like Obama did

It wouldn’t be surprising if President Joe Biden felt a strong sense of déjà vu as he marked his first year in office and the D.C. press eagerly writes him off as a failure buried by a mountain of crises, while at the same time erasing his accomplishments. (Record job gains, ending the Forever War.) […]

The Rude Pundit: Martin Luther King Would Still F*** Our S*** Up (2022 Edition)

It’s more frustrating than ever to hear conservatives who are opposed to legislation that would expand voter participation, supportive of gerrymandering that specifically reduces the power of non-whites, and losing they goddamned minds over teaching the hard truths about the United States’s racial history quote Martin Luther King, Jr. like they actually give a single […]

SM Happy Hour Videocast 1-21-22 Beth Lapides & Ayman Mohyeldin

StephCast F 1-21-22

Va. attorney general files motion to dismiss lawsuit against order ending mask mandate

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares filed a motion with the Supreme Court of Virginia Thursday to dismiss a lawsuit aimed at blocking Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s executive order ending mask mandates in schools. In a statement, Miyares said he moves to dismiss the petition to restore parents’ authority to make “the best decision for their children.” […]

DA for Atlanta area requests special grand jury to probe Trump’s election interference

A district attorney in the Atlanta area investigating former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in the state has requested a special grand jury to gather evidence and compel witnesses to testify in relation to her probe. The request to seat a special grand jury — nearly a year after Fulton […]

Giuliani Reportedly In Charge Of Fake Electors Who Filed Fake Certificates For Trump

Donald Trump acolyte and former personal attorney Rudy Giuliani coordinated the filing of forged election certificates by slates of fake Republican electors in five states for the 2020 presidential race, The Washington Post and CNN reported Thursday. Now Democrats are investigating if crimes were committed as part of the operation and how closely Trump may […]

Jan. 6 Committee Asks Ivanka Trump To Cooperate In Investigation

The House panel investigating last year’s Capitol riot asked former President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump, who at the time was a White House senior adviser, to provide information for their inquiry. In a letter to Ivanka Trump on Thursday, the committee wrote requesting her “voluntary cooperation” around “a wide range of critical topics” relating […]

StephCast Th 1-20-22

Biden administration to distribute 400 million N95 masks to the public for free

The Biden administration will make 400 million N95 masks available to Americans for free starting next week, a White House official told CNN, the latest federal step aimed at reining in the US’ Covid-19 surge. The masks — which are coming from the Strategic National Stockpile — will be made available at a number of […]

In Rebuke to Trump, Supreme Court Allows Release of Jan. 6 Files

The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused a request from former President Donald J. Trump to block the release of White House records concerning the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, effectively rejecting Mr. Trump’s claim of executive privilege and clearing the way for the House committee investigating the riot to receive the documents hours later. […]

Biden predicts Russia will invade Ukraine

President Joe Biden predicted Wednesday that Russia will invade Ukraine, just as the United States launched a fresh effort to resolve the standoff and Moscow continued to mass troops on its neighbor’s doorstep. “My guess is he will move in, he has to do something,” said Biden during a news conference marking his first year […]

Manchin, Sinema join Senate GOP in rejecting filibuster rule change, dooming voting bills

Senate Republicans voted in unity Wednesday to block the advancement of a package of sweeping election legislation pushed by Democrats in a tense showdown over national voting rights. The vote on the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act was 49-51. It broke evenly along party lines, but Majority Leader […]

Barbara McQuade: Oath Keepers sedition indictments are just the beginning for DOJ

The most interesting aspect of the recent indictments of 11 people accused of involvement in the Jan. 6 attack on charges of seditious conspiracy isn’t who has been charged — but who might be charged next. The Justice Department unveiled a 48-page indictment Thursday accusing the 11 defendants of conspiring to oppose by force the government’s transition of presidential […]

Olivia Troye: Mike Pence’s choice… Throw in fully with the Trumpites or tell the truth about the election

Once again, my former boss, Mike Pence, is making headlines. He’s back in the news with an op-ed in the Washington Post that veers into breathtaking whataboutism. Pence’s argument equates the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol with Senate Democrats’ consideration of changing Senate rules to pass their voting rights reform package, the Freedom to Vote […]

StephCast W 1-19-22

Eric Trump and Kimberly Guilfoyle’s phone records subpoenaed by January 6 committee

The House committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol has subpoenaed and obtained records of phone numbers associated with one of former President Donald Trump’s children, Eric Trump, as well as Kimberly Guilfoyle, who is engaged to Donald Trump Jr., sources tell CNN. It appears to be the first time the select […]

Jan. 6 committee subpoenas Giuliani, 3 other Trump allies, accuses them of pushing election lies

The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol issued subpoenas Tuesday to Rudy Giuliani and three other allies of former President Donald Trump who were involved in efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. The committee said Giuliani, Jenna Ellis, Sidney Powell and Boris Epshteyn “publicly promoted unsupported claims about the […]

NY AG says investigation into Trump and his business found ‘significant evidence’ suggesting fraud

New York Attorney General Letitia James disclosed new details Tuesday night about her civil investigation into former President Donald Trump’s business, saying the probe has uncovered evidence suggesting the fraudulent valuing of multiple assets and misrepresentations of those values to financial institutions for economic benefit. James, who launched her probe in 2019, also said in […]

Joe Biden Reveals Plan To Provide Free Masks Amid Omicron Wave

The Biden administration has announced that it will distribute hundreds of millions of free, high-quality masks throughout the country — something the public has long requested, particularly amid a wave of the highly transmissible COVID-19 variant omicron. President Joe Biden revealed on Wednesday that the White House will distribute 400 million non-surgical N95 masks from […]

StephCast T 1-18-22

Virginia’s new GOP governor meets resistance from some school districts planning to keep mask requirements

Newly inaugurated Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has been in office for mere days, but the Republican is already rolling back the priorities of his Democratic predecessors and running into opposition from counties he lost months earlier, specifically on the hot-button issue of mask requirements in schools. The tension over school mask requirements echoes the way […]

Representative Matt Gaetz’s ex-girlfriend granted immunity in sex trafficking probe

Prosecutors granted immunity to an ex-girlfriend of Representative Matt Gaetz before she testified last week in front of a federal grand jury hearing evidence in the investigation of the congressman, according to a source familiar with the matter. Gaetz has been under investigation to determine if he violated sex trafficking laws and obstructed justice in […]

‘A crucial time’: Senators travel to Ukraine to warn against Russian aggression

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators traveled to Ukraine to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other officials on a trip to show solidarity amid fears of Russian aggression. “We believe that this is a crucial time for us to come,” Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, told reporters between […]

Schumer Vows To Press Ahead With Filibuster Reform: ‘We Will Never Give Up’

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) pledged to move forward with his party’s plans to change the chamber’s filibuster rules and pass expansive voting rights legislation, despite ongoing stonewalling by two members of his party, Sens. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Krysten Sinema (Ariz.). Schumer made the comments at a National Action Network event on Martin […]

Charlie Pierce: The Supreme Court’s Vaccine Mandate Decision Was an Opening Shot Against Regulating Anything

I miss the days when the Supreme Court had an element of suspense and mystery to it. There would be the oral arguments and then six months of silence until Decision Day, when there occasionally would be a surprise twist ending to our Very Special Episode. As should be obvious to everyone who paid attention […]

Stephcast M 1-17-22

Trump Administration Exerted ‘Unprecedented’ Census Engagement In Bid For Political Gain: Memo

Former President Donald Trump and his administration demonstrated “unprecedented” engagement in the census process in a brazen bid for Republican political gain, according to a newly released memo written by a frustrated Census Bureau official. The scathing memo from September 2020 appeared to be written by Census Bureau Deputy Director Ron Jarmin and sent to […]

An Annoyed Trump Reportedly Trashes His Potential 2024 Rival DeSantis: ‘No Personal Charisma’ and ‘Dull Personality’

Former President Donald Trump is getting increasingly fed up with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), according to a new report by Axios’ Jonathan Swan, trashing the governor as having “no personal charisma” and “a dull personality.” The report comes after the two Republicans have found their names in headlines together several times recently. Thus far, Trump has […]

Martin Luther King III wants no ’empty promises’ when it comes to voting rights

Martin Luther King Jr. and his fellow leaders and legions of foot soldiers who battled segregation and racial discrimination marched in countless acts of civil disobedience and defiance that fueled the civil rights movement.  Decades later, to mark this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday observances, King’s eldest son, Martin Luther King III, his […]

Hostage-taker at Texas synagogue identified as British citizen

The FBI identified the gunman who held four people hostage at a synagogue in Texas on Saturday, leading to an hours-long standoff outside the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Malik Faisal Akram, 44, a British citizen, held the hostages against their will at the Congregation Beth Israel, a Reform synagogue in the city of Colleyville, according to […]

Eric Boehlert: Inflation’s a global dilemma — the press blames Biden

News that U.S. inflation inched up 0.5 percent last month set off another round of excited media reports, as news outlets pounded one of their favorite themes in recent months. Convinced that rising prices are the defining economic issue of the day — not huge job gains, record-setting GDP predictions, or boosted wages — the press continues to portray inflation as a uniquely American problem […]

The Rude Pundit: Covid Tests, Sick Leave, and More… This Country Has Lost Its Ability to Give a S*** About You

It’s sadly fucking hilarious and hilariously fucking sad how the Biden administration is rolling out its at-home COVID-19 tests. Sure, 500 million will be available for free, but, for most of us, we’ve learned that our health insurance will be forced to cover the price of any we buy at the local Walgreen’s. Which means, likely, […]

SM Happy Hour Videocast 1-14-22 – Brian Karem & Rep. Robin Kelly

StephCast F 1-14-22

January 6 committee meets with former NYC police commissioner Bernard Kerik for eight hours

Bernard Kerik, the former New York City police commissioner, met with the House select committee investigating the January 6 Capitol Hill insurrection for eight hours Thursday. Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat and the panel’s chairman, said the interview began Thursday morning.   Kerik appeared virtually for the voluntary interview along with his lawyer Tim […]

Oath Keepers leader and 10 others charged with ‘seditious conspiracy’ related to US Capitol attack

The Justice Department escalated its January 6 investigation by bringing seditious conspiracy charges against 11 defendants, including the leader of the Oath Keepers, Stewart Rhodes. The latest accusations — with a charge that had not previously been brought in the department’s US Capitol attack prosecutions — remove any sense that prosecutors believe the riot emerged […]

Schumer says Senate will take up voting rights Tuesday

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Thursday evening the Senate will delay its scheduled January recess and take up voting legislation on Tuesday despite major obstaclesthat appear to have closed off a path for Democrats to achieve that ambition. “Make no mistake, the United States Senate will for the first time this Congress debate voting […]

Supreme Court blocks Biden vaccine-or-test mandate for large businesses but allows mandate for some health care workers

The Supreme Court on Thursday issued a stay of the OSHA vaccine-or-test requirement on private businesses of 100 or more workers, dealing a setback to the Biden administration’s effort to control the COVID pandemic. By a 6-3 vote, with the three liberal justices — Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan — dissenting, the court […]

StephCast Th 1-13-22

Biden concedes he has ‘more work to do’ on fighting price hikes as inflation frustrations threaten his domestic agenda

President Joe Biden on Wednesday said the latest report on inflation in the US shows there is more work to do on lowering consumer prices, which are threatening his domestic agenda and political prospects as he enters his second year in office. Stubbornly high inflation has proved one of the biggest hurdles for Biden as […]

Mitch McConnell calls Biden’s speech ‘incoherent’ and ‘beneath his office’

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell blasted President Joe Biden’s speech pushing for the Senate to change its filibuster rules to pass voting and elections legislation, saying it was a “rant,” “incoherent,” “incorrect,” “beneath his office” and “unbecoming of a President of the United States.” “How profoundly — profoundly — unpresidential,” the Kentucky Republican said Wednesday […]

McCarthy says he will not cooperate with January 6 committee probe

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said he will not cooperate with a request from the House select committee investigating the January 6 riot, hours after the panel asked the California Republican to voluntarily provide information, including details about former President Donald Trump’s state of mind during the Capitol attack and in the weeks after. “As […]

4 states have fewer than 10% of ICU beds left as health care staffing shortages complicate care

As a record number of Americans are infected with Covid-19, largely due to the rapidly spreading Omicron variant, some states’ health care systems are beset with nearly full intensive care units. Four states have less than 10% remaining capacity in their ICUs, according to data Wednesday from the US Department of Health and Human Services: […]

StephCast W 1-12-22

Signals show Omicron may be headed for a rapid drop in Britain, US

Scientists are seeing signals that COVID-19′s alarming omicron wave may have peaked in Britain and is about to do the same in the U.S., at which point cases may start dropping off dramatically. The reason: The variant has proved so wildly contagious that it may already be running out of people to infect, just a […]

January 6 Committee subpoenas Trump allies who helped plan “Stop the Steal” rally

The House select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol is directing its latest batch of subpoenas to Trump allies who allegedly helped plan the former president’s rally at the Ellipse hours before the riot.  The panel on Tuesday issued a subpoena to former White House advisor Ross Worthington, whom the committee believes […]

Fauci destroys Rand Paul in Senate hearing as COVID cases rise: “You are distorting everything about me”

During a Senate committee hearing on the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci and Senator Rand Paul had a heated exchange with Fauci accusing Paul of “distorting everything about me” after the Republican from Kentucky accused Fauci of organizing a smear campaign to denounce conservative academics who had opposed shutdown measures in 2020.  Paul used a […]

Biden Endorses Changing Senate Filibuster For Voting Rights

President Joe Biden, in a speech Tuesday in Atlanta, directly challenged the “institution of the United States Senate” to support voting rights by backing two major pieces of legislation and the carving out of an exception to the Senate’s 60-vote requirement, going so far as to compare senators who opposed the legislation to the segregationists […]

StephCast T 1-11-22

Chicago students headed back to class after city reaches deal with teachers union

Chicago public school students are set to return to class Wednesday after the city and the teachers union reached an agreement with the district over Covid-19 issues, officials announced Monday night. Classes in the nation’s third-largest public school district have been canceled since last week in the disagreement. Monday, the fourth day of canceled classes, […]

GOP senator spars with Trump after calling out stolen election lie

Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., hit back at Donald Trump on Monday after the former president issued an insult-laden statement blasting the senator for not supporting his baseless claims of a stolen election. The back and forth began when Rounds told ABC News in an interview Sunday that the 2020 presidential election was “as fair as […]

U.S. Hospitals Letting COVID-Infected Staff Stay On The Job

Hospitals around the U.S. are increasingly taking the extraordinary step of allowing nurses and other workers infected with the coronavirus to stay on the job if they have mild symptoms or none at all. The move is a reaction to the severe hospital staffing shortages and crushing caseloads that the omicron variant is causing. California […]

Biden To Directly Challenge Senators Today In Atlanta Voting Rights Speech

President Joe Biden, in a speech Tuesday in Atlanta, will directly challenge the “institution of the United States Senate” to support voting rights by backing two major pieces of legislation and the carving out of an exception to the Senate’s 60-vote requirement. Coming a week before Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Biden’s speech at the […]

Charlie Pierce: Of Course Joe Biden’s Speech Was Political. January 6 Saw Political Violence With a Political Goal.

Not to employ yet another cliche that was devalued under the previous administration*, but Thursday was the day that Joe Biden became president. He became president because he called out his predecessor for the threat to the American republic that he continues to be, and, just as important, he arraigned the political party from which […]

StephCast M 1-10-22

Negotiations between Chicago Teachers Union and city officials stretch into another week as school is canceled for the fourth day

Negotiations between the Chicago Teachers Union and city officials stretched into another week Monday as students will miss their fourth consecutive school day amid a disagreement over how schools should handle the city’s Covid-19 surge. The union wants a period of remote learning, while the city wants kids in classrooms.   As of Friday, Chicago […]

Rep. Jim Jordan indicates he won’t meet with January 6 committee

Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio indicated he doesn’t plan to cooperate with a request to meet to meet with the House select committee investigating January 6, according to a defiant letter he sent to committee Chair Bennie Thompson on Sunday. While Jordan — a top congressional ally of former President Donald Trump — did […]

Bob Saget, comedian and ‘Full House’ star, dead at 65

Bob Saget, the comedian and actor arguably known best by audiences as wholesome patriarch Danny Tanner on the sitcom “Full House,” has died, his family confirmed in a statement to CNN. He was 65.   “We are devastated to confirm that our beloved Bob passed away today,” the Saget family said in their statement. “He […]

Election overhaul push gains steam in Congress as Biden prepares Ga. speech

The somber Jan. 6 anniversary has renewed determination among President Joe Biden and other Democrats to act on voting rights legislation, which they say would protect future elections and the institutions of U.S. democracy. Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Ky., became emotional on Capitol Hill as he wrestled with the impact of the deadly attack one year […]

Eric Boehlert: Jan. 6 committee keeps dragging Fox News

For the second time in three weeks, Fox News has been shoved into the insurrection spotlight by the House select panel investigating Trump’s coup attempt. It probably won’t be the last time the Congressional body sets its sights on Rupert Murdoch’s propaganda network. The unprecedented glare is highlighting just how duplicitous its hosts are, as we learn […]

The Rude Pundit: Notes on the Anniversary of a Failed Coup

The riot/insurrection/coup on January 6, 2021 was violent. We know that various members of law enforcement were beaten, gassed, cut, crushed, and more. We know that a great deal of property was damaged. If you had been on the receiving end of it, it would have fucked you up. And if you had been a […]

SM Happy Hour Videocast 1-7-22 Jaime Harrison & Rep. Maxine Waters

StephCast F 1-7-22

Dick Cheney comes to Capitol on Jan. 6, says he’s ‘deeply disappointed’ in GOP leadership

While most Republicans were absent on Capitol Hill for the Jan. 6 anniversary Thursday, one of the party’s most prominent elder statesmen was there. ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl spoke to former Vice President Dick Cheney just off the House floor. Asked why he came to the Capitol this day, Cheney said, “It’s […]

Supreme Court to consider Biden vaccine and mask requirements in unusual Friday session

The Supreme Court will meet in a highly unusual session Friday to hear arguments on two Biden administration measures intended to help stop the spread of Covid in the nation’s workplaces. The justices were not scheduled to return to the courtroom until Jan. 10, but they agreed late last month to take up emergency appealsinvolving […]

Biden condemns lies of ‘defeated former president’ as an attack on America’s soul

In one of the most forceful speeches of his political career, President Joe Biden took sharp aim at former President Donald Trump on Thursday, accusing him of inciting the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol last year with a “web of lies” about the 2020 election because he could not accept his legitimate […]

Kamala Harris Was Inside DNC When Pipe Bomb Was Discovered On Jan. 6

Then-Vice President-elect Kamala Harris was inside the Democratic National Committee’s headquarters on Jan. 6, 2021, when police discovered a pipe bomb outside the building, once again revealing how real the threat of violence was that day. U.S. Capitol Police began investigating the pipe bomb outside the DNC at 1:07 p.m., according to an official timeline […]

StephCast Th 1-6-22

CDC signs off on Pfizer Covid vaccine boosters for adolescents

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory panel on Wednesday voted to recommend Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 booster shot for kids ages 12 to 15, a critical step in distributing additional shots to adolescents this week. The panel, called the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, voted 13-1 in favor of giving 12- to 15-year-olds the boosters […]

Merrick Garland: ‘Committed’ DOJ Will Hold Jan. 6 Perpetrators ‘At Any Level’ Accountable

Attorney General Merrick Garland, seeking to reassure Americans about the status of the federal investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by a mob of angry supporters of former President Donald Trump, said Wednesday that the Justice Department will “follow the facts wherever they lead.” Garland, speaking in the Justice Department’s Great […]

Biden To Blast ‘Shadow of Lies’ That Led To Jan. 6 Riot At U.S. Capitol

President Joe Biden, in a speech marking the anniversary of the U.S. Capitol riot, plans to blast the “shadow of lies” that led to a failed insurrection meant to nullify his election victory over Donald Trump. Biden is set to speak at the U.S. Capitol at 9 a.m. Thursday, with his address expected to focus […]

INSURRECTION: ONE YEAR LATER

The Stories Behind The Viral Photos From The Capitol Riot HuffPost talked to some of the lawmakers and staffers who were captured in widely shared pictures about what the past year has been like for them. BY  AMANDA TERKEL   Capitol Riot A Distant Memory In The Senate: Seems ‘As If It Never Happened’ While […]

Dr. Irwin Redlener: Covid vaccine efforts can’t let up because of new pills from Merck and Pfizer to treat the virus

New oral medications that fight Covid-19 are here, and they represent a major advance in the fight against the pandemic. Last week, in a controversial 13-10 vote, the Food and Drug Administration expert advisory committee recommended that the agency grant emergency use authorization to the first oral medication designed to treat Covid-19. The drug, named molnupiravir by […]

StephCast W 1-5-22

Chicago Cancels Classes After Teachers Union Votes For Remote Learning During Coronavirus Surge

Leaders of Chicago Public Schools canceled classes Wednesday after the teachers union voted to switch to remote learning due to the surge in COVID-19 cases, the latest development in an escalating battle over pandemic safety protocols in the nation’s third-largest school district. Chicago has rejected a districtwide return to remote instruction, saying it was disastrous […]

Biden Calls COVID Testing Situation ‘Frustrating,’ Vows Improvements

President Joe Biden acknowledged Tuesday how “frustrating” it is for Americans trying to access COVID-19 tests during this recent surge in cases but said the situation should soon be rectified. “I know this remains frustrating,” Biden said. “Believe me, it’s frustrating to me. But we’re making improvements. In the past two weeks, we’ve stood up […]

House Committee Requests Cooperation From Sean Hannity In Inquiry On Capitol Riot

The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol is asking Fox News host Sean Hannity to cooperate with its inquiry. In a release from the committee on Tuesday, Reps. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) said they were requesting that Hannity, a frequent Trump apologist, voluntarily answer questions from […]

Trump Cancels Jan. 6 Press Conference Due To Lack Of Media Interest

Seemingly annoyed by the lack of TV coverage it would receive, former President Donald Trump canceled his Thursday press conference marking the anniversary of the attack at the U.S. Capitol. Trump said he would deliver his remarks instead at a rally next week in Florence, Arizona. In a statement from his post-presidency PAC, Trump — […]

StephCast M 1-4-22

Charlie Pierce: For Christmas, We Received a Hopeful Week

This has been a bit of a hopeful week as weeks go these days. The U.S. Army seems to be closing in on a vaccine that will work against all variants of coronavirus—not just COVID, but SARS, as well. There are now not one, but two antiviral pills aimed at treating the virus in affected individuals and moderating its […]

New polling shows rising acceptance of political violence 1 year after January 6 riot

A year after the January 6 Capitol Hill insurrection, Americans are increasingly likely to say political violence can be justified. This is the disturbing reality laid bare in two recent polls that capture a deeply divided country with much reckoning left to do over the deadly riot and its place in US history.   Read […]

White House investing $1 billion to boost competition in meat-processing industry and lower consumer prices

The White House on Monday announced it would allocate $1 billion in funding from the American Rescue Plan to independent meat and poultry producers as part of an effort to boost competition in the meat-processing industry and lower prices for consumers. President Joe Biden met virtually with family and independent farmers and ranchers on Monday […]

Schumer announces vote to change filibuster rules but faces resistance from Manchin and Sinema

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Monday that the chamber will take a vote on whether to change the Senate’s legislative filibuster rules by Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 17. In a new letter to his colleagues, Schumer said the Senate will “debate and consider changes to Senate rules” if Republicans block Democrats’ […]

Biden will make ‘brief remarks’ today on rapid spread of the Omicron variant

President Joe Biden on Tuesday will make brief remarks addressing the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus in the US and the steps his administration is taking to address it, according to the White House. “The President will meet with his Covid-19 Response Team to receive an update on the Omicron variant […]

StephCast M 1-3-22

Ex-New York City police commissioner Bernard Kerik provides documents to January 6 committee

Bernard Kerik, the former New York City police commissioner, has agreed to a voluntary interview with the House select committee investigating January 6 and provided some documents. Kerik was subpoenaed by the committee in November.   Timothy Parlatore, Kerik’s attorney, sent a letter Friday to the committee, obtained by CNN, which includes a Dropbox link […]

CDC considering testing guidelines for the asymptomatic, Fauci says

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now considering adding testing requirements to its new isolation guidelines for asymptomatic Covid patients, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci. Last week, the CDC shortened its isolation recommendations for those who have tested positive for Covid but show no symptoms from 10 days to five. Fauci, the president’s […]

Jan. 6 Committee Prepares To Go Public As Findings Mount

They’ve interviewed more than 300 witnesses, collected tens of thousands of documents and traveled around the country to talk to election officials who were pressured by Donald Trump. Now, after six months of intense work, the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection is preparing to go public. In the coming months, members of the […]

Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Personal Twitter Account Permanently Suspended

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s personal Twitter account has been permanently suspended after repeatedly violating the social media site’s COVID-19 misinformation policy, the company said Sunday. The far-right Georgia Republican got the boot following what was her fifth suspension from the social media platform, resulting in her permanent removal under Twitter’s COVID-19 policy guidelines. Read the […]

Eric Boehlert: How the NY Times covered white, male VP’s before Kamala Harris

For anyone not convinced that the Beltway press is using a new double standard to cover Vice President Kamala Harris, and has subjected her to an unprecedented level of scrutiny, the proof is in the print. Here are a sample of New York Times headlines from the daily’s coverage of white, male VPs, taken from their first year […]

The Rude Pundit: The Year of Unmagical Thinking

If we hung out, sometimes you might ask me why, seemingly out of nowhere, I’ve gotten angry. It’s not like there aren’t thousands of reasons all the time to be angry, but, mostly, we all keep that in check. This last two years, though, I haven’t really been able to, and I’d get morose and […]

SM Happy Hour Videocast 12-17-21 Elie Mystal & Glenn Kirschner

StephCast F 12-17-21

Michael Cohen Sues Donald Trump and the Feds, Claims Second Prison Stint Was Retaliation for Tell-All Book

Michael Cohen, former President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer and “fixer,” filed a lawsuit on Thursday against Trump, former Attorney General Bill Barr, the federal government, and others claiming they conspired to throw him back in prison as retaliation for publishing a tell-all book. Cohen was released from prison to home confinement in April of 2020, […]

CDC recommends people not get J&J vaccine if Pfizer, Moderna are available

People shouldn’t get the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine when the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna shots are available, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. The recommendation, from CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, came hours after members of the agency’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted in favor of the guidance. The panel convened […]

House Jan. 6 Committee Subpoenas ‘Coup PowerPoint’ Author

The author of a PowerPoint slideshow advocating for the overturning of the 2020 presidential election that wound up in the possession of Donald Trump’s chief of staff was subpoenaed by the House Jan. 6 committee Thursday. “The document he reportedly provided to administration officials and members of Congress is an alarming blueprint for overturning a […]

Biden Warns Unvaccinated: Winter Of ‘Severe Illness And Death’ Ahead

President Joe Biden warned unvaccinated Americans they face a winter of “severe illness and death” amid the spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19 and an ongoing surge in new infections. Biden made the comments during a meeting with medical advisers on Thursday as scientists are still racing to understand the threat of the omicron […]

StephCast Th 12-16-21

Covid battering NBA, NFL, NHL, sidelining key players and postponing games

Covid-19 is disrupting the NFL, NBA and NHL, sidelining dozens of players, including some of the leagues’ biggest stars. New cases this week have battered the leagues and prompted NBA and NHL postponements. The NFL is grappling with the virus’ wrath with the playoffs beginning next month. The NFL reported the number of positive cases […]

Democrats Likely To Put Off Vote On Build Back Better To Next Year

Unable to reach an agreement among themselves on several key provisions, Democrats are likely to push back a vote on their social spending and climate package, the Build Back Better Act, into the next year. The stalling of a big Democratic priority is a blow for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who had hoped […]

Fauci: COVID-19 Boosters Are Enough To Fight Omicron Variant

A vaccine specifically targeting the omicron coronavirus variant is not needed so long as individuals are entirely caught up on their vaccines, including their booster shot, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday, citing recent data on vaccine longevity. “Our booster regimens work against omicron,” the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said […]

Rep. Jim Jordan Admits To Sending One Of The Texts Revealed By Jan. 6 Committee

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) confirmed Wednesday that he forwarded a message to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows on Jan. 5 that was revealed in part this week by the House select committee investigating the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6. The text outlined a legal argument that then-Vice President Mike Pence had […]

StephCast W 12-15-21

Biden heads to Kentucky as residents cope with death, destruction left by deadly tornados

President Joe Biden will get a first-hand look at the devastation wrought by this weekend’s deadly tornadoes when he travels to Kentucky on Wednesday, as recovery efforts ramp up and the scale of the disaster comes into sharper focus.  Biden will travel to Fort Campbell for a storm briefing and then will visit Mayfield and Dawson Springs, two of […]

Fox News hosts blast House committee for releasing their Jan. 6 text messages to Meadows

Fox News hosts Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham lashed out at the Jan. 6 committee Tuesday night for releasing text messages they sent to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows during the attack on the U.S. Capitol. The messages — provided to the committee by Meadows and read aloud Monday evening by Rep. […]

House finds Mark Meadows in contempt over defiance of Jan. 6 committee subpoena

The House voted Tuesday night to refer former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to the Justice Department for a potential criminal charge over his refusal to answer questions about the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Lawmakers passed the measure largely along party lines in a 222-208 vote. Two Republicans voted with […]

U.S. COVID Deaths Surpass Grim Milestone Of More Than 800,000

The United States has now surpassed 800,000 confirmed COVID-19 deaths, according to data tracked by Johns Hopkins University. That’s more than the population of Seattle (about 737,000), Denver (about 715,000), or Washington, D.C. (about 690,000). It’s roughly equivalent to all of Kansas City, Missouri, (about 508,000) and Pittsburgh (about 303,000) combined. It’s also the highest […]

Elie Mystal: Gavin Newsom’s Gun Stunt Is Inspired—and Doomed to Fail

California Governor Gavin Newsom has done what tons of progressives want elected Democrats to start doing: fight like Republicans. Over the weekend, he announced that his office is working on a bill modeled after Texas’s Senate Bill 8—the one that empowers private bounty hunters to take away the constitutional rights of women and pregnant people […]

StephCast 12-14-21

House Panel To ID Republican Lawmakers Newly Linked To Capitol Riot Turmoil

The identities of Republican lawmakers and aides linked to the Capitol riot by documents provided by former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows will soon be revealed by House investigators, a key congressman said Monday. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), chair of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection, told reporters that the […]

Factory Workers Say They Were Told They’d Be Fired If They Left Job Amid Tornado Warning

Workers at a Kentucky candle factory destroyed by a tornado said supervisors threatened to fire them if they left their jobs early to try to avoid the twister’s path. The Mayfield Consumer Products factory in Mayfield was destroyed on Friday after a tornado barreled through the area. Eight people were confirmed dead and eight remained […]

House Capitol Riot Panel Recommends Holding Mark Meadows In Contempt Of Congress

The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol voted Monday in favor of a resolution recommending criminal charges be filed against former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows for his failure to comply with a congressional subpoena. “History will not look upon any of you as martyrs. History will […]

Fox News Hosts, Don Jr. Texted En Masse To Get Trump To Do Something Amid Capitol Riot

Fox News hosts, Republican lawmakers and Donald Trump’s oldest son all texted the former president’s chief of staff, Mark Meadows, as the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol was unfolding, pleading for the then-president to do something and stop the destruction unfolding in the halls of Congress, according to text messages read during […]

Charlie Pierce: The Water Is Rising Fast Around Mark Meadows

I’m no expert at being a former White House chief of staff with a congressional committee nipping at my heels, but to the untrained eye, Mark Meadows seems to be in a world of shit. On Sunday, the January 6 committee released a 51-page report backing up its recommendation that Meadows be held in criminal contempt for […]

StephCast M 12-13-21

Rescuers hunt for survivors after deadly tornadoes rip through several states

Desperate search and rescue efforts continued Sunday morning as the extent of the damage from catastrophic tornadoes that ripped through Kentucky and other states became clear. At least 29 people died as devastating twisters destroyed a candle factory in Kentucky, battered a nursing home in Arkansas, leveled an Amazon distribution center in Illinois and wreaked havoc […]

Meadows allegedly said National Guard troops would protect Trump supporters Jan. 6

A report out Sunday that recommends that Trump administration chief of staff Mark Meadows be held in contempt of Congress alleges that he said National Guard troops would keep President Donald Trump’s supporters safe Jan. 6. In bullet points listing urgent questions for Meadows, the report by the House committee investigating the Capitol riot cites […]

CA Gov. Newsom Calls For Assault Weapons Ban Modeled After Texas Abortion Law

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said he wants to give private citizens the ability to sue illegal gun manufacturers and assault weapon dealers in his state, after Texas implemented similar tactics to restrict abortion rights. “If the most efficient way to keep these devastating weapons off our streets is to add the threat of private […]

Fauci Says Those Who Want To Be ‘Optimally Protected’ Should Get COVID-19 Booster

Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday that while he remained concerned about the threat of the omicron variant of COVID-19 and an ongoing surge in cases linked to the delta strain, the U.S. had all the tools needed to “protect ourselves” including widespread access to booster vaccinations and social distancing measures. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious […]

Eric Boehlert: New poll confirms media are burying us in bad economic news

By a staggering ratio of six-to-one, Americans say they are seeing and hearing bad economic news more often than they are positive reports. The new polling results confirm the deep disconnect the media have constructed, as news outlets stress. discouraging news regarding the Biden economy, while often ignoring or downplaying the cascading positive developments. Still […]

The Rude Pundit: They Really Thought They Could Overturn the 2020 Election

In the lunatic Powerpoint that Donald Trump’s former Chief of Staff and loyal cumrag Mark Meadows turned over to the committee investigating the January 6, 2021 coup attempt, there are two words that completely undo any assertion that there was any real fuckery in the election. Without those two words, these weak-minded, strong-arming fucktoads could have perhaps […]

SM Happy Hour Videocast 12-10-21 Jaime Harrison & Allison Gill

StephCast F 12-10-21

Appeals court rejects Trump’s bid to keep January 6 documents from House committee

A federal appeals court Thursday ruled against former President Donald Trump in his effort to block his White House records from being released to the House select committee investigating January 6. However, the DC Circuit Court of Appeals paused its ruling for two weeks so that Trump could seek a Supreme Court intervention.   “The […]

Jussie Smollett found guilty for filing false police report in hoax attack

After just 10 hours of deliberation, a Chicago jury has found actor Jussie Smollett guilty on five of six counts for filing a false police report related to the hoax racist attack he suffered at the hands of two men in January 2019. The “Empire” actor alleged he was attacked, doused with an unknown liquid, […]

NYC lawmakers pass bill giving noncitizens right to vote

Noncitizens in New York City would gain the right to vote in municipal elections under a measure approved Thursday by the City Council that would give access to the ballot box to 800,000 green card holders and so-called Dreamers. Only a potential veto from Mayor Bill de Blasio stood in the way of the measure […]

Jan. 6 committee postpones deposition after Trump adviser engages with panel

The congressional panel investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol postponed a deposition by Jason Miller, a longtime Trump adviser, after he began engaging with the committee, a House aide said Thursday. The House committee had been scheduled to depose Miller on Friday. It was unclear when a new deposition might take place. […]

StephCast Th 12-9-21

Hillary Clinton reveals emotional message to her mother in ‘acceptance speech’

In the speech she says she would have given had she won the 2016 presidential election, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would have challenged the country and spoken to her mother about becoming the first woman elected to the White House, according to excerpts of a video made public Wednesday. “Fundamentally, this election challenged […]

Pressley introducing resolution to strip Boebert of committee assignments

Progressive Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts is introducing a resolution, cosigned by other progressives, that would strip Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert of her committee assignments for her anti-Muslim and racist comments toward Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. Whether the resolution will get a vote is largely up to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. […]

Mark Meadows sues Jan. 6 committee after panel vows contempt proceedings

Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows sued the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol just hours after the panel said it plans to move forward with contempt proceedings against him. In the lawsuit, which names members of the Jan. 6 committee and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., as […]

Senate Votes To Disapprove Of Biden Vaccine Mandate

The Senate voted Wednesday to reverse the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine-or-test mandate under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a GOP-led effort against public health measures designed to bring an end to a pandemic that has cost nearly 800,000 lives in the U.S. But the 52-48 vote amounts to little more than a symbolic rebuke […]

StephCast W 12-8-21

Dr. Irwin Redlener Covid vaccine efforts can’t let up because of new pills from Merck and Pfizer to treat the virus

New oral medications that fight Covid-19 are here, and they represent a major advance in the fight against the pandemic. Last week, in a controversial 13-10 vote, the Food and Drug Administration expert advisory committee recommended that the agency grant emergency use authorization to the first oral medication designed to treat Covid-19. The drug, named molnupiravir by […]

The Atlantic: Trump’s Next Coup Has Already Begun

technically, the next attempt to overthrow a national election may not qualify as a coup. It will rely on subversion more than violence, although each will have its place. If the plot succeeds, the ballots cast by American voters will not decide the presidency in 2024. Thousands of votes will be thrown away, or millions, […]

U.S. hospitalizations rise, driven by COVID surges in four states

Covid-19 hospitalizations are rising in the United States, driven by surges in four states that represent nearly half the increase nationwide. Overall, the seven-day average number of people hospitalized with covid-19 has risen by nearly 12,000, or 29 percent, since Nov. 10, when about 40,000 covid patients were hospitalized, according to the Centers for Disease […]

House passes agreement on deal to allow Democrats to address debt ceiling

The House voted overwhelmingly along party lines Tuesday evening on a bipartisan agreement that allows Congress to move closer to raising the nation’s debt ceiling. The vote came after leadership in the Senate, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., announced an agreement Tuesday that would create a one-time process to allow […]

Biden warns Putin of ‘strong’ response if Russia invades Ukraine

President Joe Biden told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday that the U.S. would pursue “strong economic measures” and increase military aid to the region should Russia invade Ukraine. Biden told Putin that in addition to sanctions, the U.S. would provide additional defense materials to Ukraine and build up military capabilities in nearby countries that […]

Jan. 6 Committee Threatens Mark Meadows With Pursuit Of Criminal Charges

A third member of former President Donald Trump’s inner circle could face the possibility of criminal charges for refusing to cooperate with the House’s Jan. 6 panel: Mark Meadows. Meadows informed the House committee investigating the U.S. Capitol riot on Tuesday that he does not intend to cooperate any further with their efforts to uncover […]

StephCast T 12-7-21

White House announces diplomatic boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics over human rights concerns

The U.S. will stage a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics over concerns about China’s record on human rights, the White House said Monday. “The Biden administration will not send any diplomatic or official representation to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games given the PRC’s ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity […]

GOP Rep. Devin Nunes to leave Congress to lead new Trump media company

Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., one of former President Donald Trump’s most loyal defenders, is leaving Congress to become CEO of the Trump Media and Technology Group, NBC News confirmed Monday. “Congressman Devin Nunes is a fighter and a leader. He will make an excellent CEO of TMTG,” Trump said in a statement released by the […]

Pence’s former chief of staff cooperating with Jan. 6 committee

Marc Short, who was chief of staff to then-Vice President Mike Pence, is cooperating with the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, according to two people familiar with the panel’s activities. “He is,” one of the sources said. “So far.” A second source, who confirmed that Short had been subpoenaed, […]

Biden to warn Putin of ‘very real costs’ should Russia take military action against Ukraine

President Joe Biden will make it clear to Russian President Vladimir Putin that there would be “very real costs” should Russia take military action against Ukraine when the two leaders meet on a video call Tuesday, a senior administration official said. During the call, which comes as Russia has deployed more than 90,000 combat troops […]

Charlie Pierce: The Events of January 6 Are Starting to Look About as Spontaneous as Operation Overlord

Pretty soon, we can only hope to see all of them turn, to paraphrase Shakespeare, like dogs upon their masters. Almost daily, more details leak out indicating that the events of January 6 were approximately as spontaneous as Operation Overlord. On Monday, Politico had the latest witness for the prosecution.  Charles Flynn, of course, is the brother […]

StephCast M 12-6-21

Dana Mibank: The media treats Biden as badly as — or worse than — Trump. Here’s proof.

“Biden tries to calm nerves about 2024.” “The case for why Biden is screwed.” Even the extraordinary news that jobless claims had dropped to the lowest level in 52 years came with a qualifier: “BUT, BUT, BUT … don’t expect [the numbers] to immediately change Americans’ negative perceptions of the economy.” It isn’t just Politico. My impression […]

Former senator David Perdue to challenge incumbent Brian Kemp for Georgia governor

David Perdue, the former senator from Georgia who lost his seat to Jon Ossoff, plans to challenge Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp in the Republican primary, according to three people familiar with the decision who spoke on the condition of anonymity to freely discuss the upcoming announcement. Perdue will announce his intentions Monday, as first reported […]

Michigan school shooting suspect and his parents were isolated in the same facility and under suicide watch, sheriff said

Following Tuesday’s deadly school shooting in Oxford, Michigan, and subsequent manhunt and arrest of the suspected shooter’s parents, authorities said the three were being housed at the same facility and monitored under suicide watch. Staff at the Oakland County Jail facility in Pontiac were checking on the three “multiple times an hour,” Oakland County Sheriff […]

Omicron COVID-19 variant found in 12 states as Delta variant cases are rising

At least 32 cases of the Omicron COVID-19 variant have been reported across 12 states — 7 cases in California, 1 in New Jersey in a Georgia resident, 1 in Utah, 2 in Colorado, 1 in Missouri, 1 in Pennsylvania, 3 in Maryland, 6 in Nebraska, 1 in Hawaii, 8 in New York, 1 in […]

Ilhan Omar Calls McCarthy A ‘Coward’ For Defending Bigotry In His Party

Rep. Ilhan Omar said on Sunday that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is a “liar and a coward” for defending Rep. Lauren Boebert after the Colorado Republican made bigoted comments about her. The Minnesota Democrat has faced repeated anti-Muslim attacks from Boebert, who last month made a joke to a crowd insinuating that the […]

The Rude Pundit: The Conservatives on the Supreme Court Want to Punish Women

If things go as awfully as they very well may in 2024, we might end up with a Republican president and Congress. Surely, this will be the result of multiple levels of GOP fuckery, from gerrymandered districts to restricted voting rights to outright refusing to accept slates of electors from states that voted for the […]

SM Happy Hour Videocast 12-03-21 Greg Giberson & Glenn Kirschner

StephCast F 12-3-21

Biden tells Americans ‘we have so much ahead of us’ during National Christmas Tree lighting

President Joe Biden expressed optimism for the future of the country during the National Christmas Tree lighting ceremony on Thursday in Washington, telling the American people that “we have so much ahead of us.” “Over the course of the past 99 years, presidents have continued this great American tradition of lighting the national Christmas tree […]

Omicron Variant Now Detected In At Least Five States

The Omicron variant has now been detected in at least five states, after multiple states announced their first cases of the strain on Thursday night. At least 10 total cases have now been reported in the U.S., as local leaders are warning that the variant is now spreading within some communities. New York, California, Hawaii, […]

Biden outlines expanded effort to combat Covid amid rising cases, omicron variant

President Joe Biden outlined his plans Thursday to combat the coronavirus this winter with measures that would largely put the U.S. out of step with other countries that are clamping down with the arrival of the new omicron variant. The administration’s strategy will focus mostly on ramping up existing Covid-19 procedures and promoting vaccinations and […]

Avoiding shutdown, Congress approves bill to fund government through Feb. 18

Congress on Thursday passed a short-term government funding bill that will prevent a shutdown before the Friday night deadline, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden for his signature. The Senate voted 69-28 to advance the continuing resolution, acting quickly hours after the bill was approved by the House. It will now be sent to […]

StephCast Th 12-2-21

Michigan suspect recorded video about killing students night before shooting, officials say

Authorities investigating a shooting that left four high school students dead in Michigan found videos on the suspect’s phone that showed him talking about killing students, a sheriff’s official said Wednesday. The disclosure was made before the arraignment of the suspect, Ethan Crumbley, 15, who was charged in Oakland County district court with four counts […]

First U.S. case of omicron variant is found in California

The omicron variant of the coronavirus has been detected in California, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday. The CDC said in a statement that the California Department of Public Health and the San Francisco Department of Public Health confirmed the case in a traveler who returned from South Africa on Nov. 22 — […]

Sotomayor suggests Supreme Court won’t ‘survive the stench’ of overturning Roe v. Wade

Justice Sonia Sotomayor used her questions during a Supreme Court hearing Wednesday on abortion rights to urge her conservative colleagues to follow precedent and not politics in deciding the case. She noted that the sponsors of the 2018 Mississippi abortion law, which would ban most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, had said they were […]

Trump May Have Infected Gold Star Families, White House Staff, Others, Per His Former Chief

Former president Donald Trump knowingly put at risk the lives of Gold Star families, wealthy donors at a Minnesota fundraiser, then-Democratic nominee Joe Biden, White House staff, the crews of Air Force One, White House reporters, and others, according to a new book from his former chief of staff. Trump finally admitted he had contracted […]

StephCast W 12-1-21

Supreme Court set to dive into Mississippi abortion case challenging Roe v. Wade

The Supreme Court will take up the most direct challenge to Roe v. Wade in nearly three decades when it hears oral arguments Wednesday over a Mississippi abortion law. The showdown, which centers on whether the Constitution provides a right to seek an abortion, focuses on a 2018 Mississippi law, blocked by lower federal courts, […]

White House considering stricter international travel testing requirements amid omicron variant

The Biden administration is considering tightening requirements for international travel amid growing concerns about the omicron variant of the coronavirus, a White House official told NBC News on Tuesday. The official said the administration is continuing “to evaluate the appropriate measures to protect the American people from Covid-19 and the new variant, including “considering more […]

Muslim Lawmakers Condemn Republicans’ Inaction After Boebert’s Islamophobic Remarks

Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and André Carson (D-Ind.) came together to condemn Republican lawmakers’ inaction after Rep. Lauren Boebert’s (R-Colo.) repeated Islamophobic remarks against Omar. “When a sitting member of Congress calls a colleague a member of the ‘jihad squad’ and falsifies a story to suggest I will blow up the Capitol, […]

Mark Meadows Is Now Cooperating With Jan. 6 Committee

The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol said Tuesday that Mark Meadows, Donald Trump’s former chief of staff, is cooperating with its probe. Trump has been wagering an aggressive battle to withhold documents related to the Jan. 6 attacks, claiming that they’re protected by executive privilege. Meadows had been […]

StephCast T 11-30-21

Pfizer expected to seek FDA authorization for boosters for those ages 16 and 17

Pfizer is expected to seek authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration for its vaccine booster shot for those who are ages 16 and 17, a source familiar with the plan told CNN on Monday. Currently only those 18 and up are eligible for booster shots six months after their second dose of the […]

Boebert and Omar have contentious call amid backlash for anti-Muslim remarks

Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota spoke on the phone, the two members of Congress confirmed Monday, amid criticism of Boebert’s anti-Muslim remarks aimed at Omar. The call did little to calm tensions between the two lawmakers, as Omar says she hung up on Boebert, after she “refused […]

House January 6 committee to meet on holding Trump ally Jeffrey Clark in contempt

The House January 6 select committee is preparing to advance a contempt of congress charge against a former Trump administration official, the panel announced Monday. The select committee investigating the deadly attack on the Capitol plans to meet Wednesday to vote on whether to recommend if the full House should hold Trump ally Jeffrey Clark, […]

Biden says Omicron variant is “cause for concern, not a cause for panic”

President Biden on Monday urged Americans to remain calm as scientists work to determine the strength and the transmissibility of the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus, saying the U.S. has the ability to deal with the new strain that is circulating the globe. The president, flanked by chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci and Vice President […]

Charlie Pierce: The Geniuses Behind January 6 Really Don’t Know When to Shut the F*ck Up

Once the good people of America completely convert this old republic into a Dollar Store dictatorship, I am still going to be astonished at how baffled the January 6 insurrectionists apparently are by the concept of covert operations. Yes, the person who left the pipe bombs in front of the two national party headquarters remains […]

StephCast M 11-29-21

Matthew McConaughey won’t run for governor of Texas “at this moment”

Matthew McConaughey will not run for governor of Texas “at this moment”, the Oscar-winning actor said Sunday, after months of speculation that he would make the leap into politics. The 52-year-old’s political ambitions had caused excitement in liberal circles, and particularly among Texans appalled by Governor Greg Abbott, who signed a highly restrictive law banning […]

Rep. Lauren Boebert issues half-hearted apology for anti-Muslim remarks about Rep. Ilhan Omar

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado) issued an apology on Friday for remarks she made that used anti-Muslim tropes to refer to Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democratic representative from Minnesota and one of only three Muslim members of Congress. Later on Friday, Omar sent a tweet calling for House leadership to take “appropriate action.” Omar added that […]

Schiff: January 6 committee decision on criminal contempt charges for Mark Meadows could come this week

The House select committee investigating the January 6 insurrection will make a decision “this week” on whether it will refer Mark Meadows for criminal contempt charges for defying a subpoena before the Thanksgiving recess, California Rep. Adam Schiff, a member of the panel, said Sunday. “I think we will probably make a decision this week […]

More Omicron Coronavirus Cases Pop Up As World Rushes To Learn More

Cases of the omicron variant of the coronaviruspopped up in countries on opposite sides of the world Sunday and many governments rushed to close their borders even as scientists cautioned that it’s not clear if the new variant is more alarming than other versions of the virus. The variant was identified days ago by researchers […]

Eric Boehlert: The media’s glaring new double standard for first woman VP

By any traditional measure, Vice President Kamala Harris has enjoyed a productive November: • While President Biden went under anesthesia on Friday for the routine medical procedure, she became the first woman to assume the powers of commander in chief. • She traveled to France and helped smooth over relations with a longtime U.S. ally. […]

The Rude Pundit: Be Thankful for the Health Care Workers Not Being Driven From Their Jobs By Anti-Vaxx Morons

Last year, the country was filthy with tributes to health care workers – doctors, nurses, hospital staff – who had to deal with the coronavirus-driven near apocalypse of our medical system. The number of patients was overwhelming, a tsunami of death and suffering that tested the limits of available equipment and the strength and nerve […]

SM Happy Hour Videocast 11-26-21 Harry Litman & Soledad O’Brien

StephCast W 11-24-21

Charlie Pierce: It Was Another Violent Weekend During Our National Nervous Breakdown

Well, it was a helluva weekend in the greatest country there absolutely ever was. Leaving aside that Kyle Rittenhouse, a killer if not a murderer, now seems to have recovered nicely from his extended trauma, and is well on his way to a correspondent’s gig with the Fox News network, there was the guy at […]

StephCast T 11-23-21

Defense lawyer prompts outrage for bringing up Ahmaud Arbery’s toenails in closing arguments

A sentence uttered by a defense attorney in the trial of those accused in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery brought an audible gasp from people in the courtroom Monday — and elicited outrage from his family and legal experts. The defense attorneys for Gregory and Travis McMichael, who are charged with Arbery’s murder, repeatedly have […]

Biden to announce U.S. will release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve

A senior White House official confirmed Monday night to CBS Evening News anchor and managing editor Norah O’Donnell that President Biden will announce on Tuesday a plan to release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, in coordination with other countries. The administration has been pushing China, India, Japan and South Korea to join in a […]

Suspect accused of driving into Wisconsin Christmas parade has lengthy record

Milwaukee prosecutors admitted Monday that they had requested “inappropriately” low bail for a man facing homicide charges who is accused of plowing an SUV into holiday revelers in Waukesha, Wisconsin. At least five people were killed Sunday when the vehicle tore through a Christmas parade in the Milwaukee suburb, leading to the arrest of the […]

Jan. 6 Committee Subpoenas Alex Jones, Roger Stone, Others Who Organized Rallies

The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol subpoenaed five more associates of former President Donald Trump and organizers of rallies challenging the results of the 2020 presidential election on Monday. The House issued subpoenas for Dustin Stockton and his fiancé, Jennifer Lawrence, who were reportedly involved in organizing rallies […]

Harry Litman: Can Jan. 6 panel corral Mark Meadows? It’s tricky.

Now that Stephen K. Bannon has surrendered, snarling and vengeful, to face charges of criminal contempt of Congress, the attention of the Jan. 6 House Select Committee turns to President Trump’s last chief of staff, Mark Meadows, who followed in Bannon’s footsteps last week in refusing even to show up for a scheduled deposition or […]

GOP violence is the most important political story in America

The New York Times recently ran an important piece about the rising specter of violence within mainstream Republican Party circles. The article was noteworthy not only because it spotlighted the frightening instances of violent rhetoric and actions the conservative movement is eagerly unleashing in America, but because the Times used clear and concise language to […]

StephCast M 11-22-21

‘No time for parlor games’: Buttigieg denies rivalry with Harris

Pete Buttigieg insists things are good with Kamala Harris. Asked Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” about recent headlines speculating a rivalry with the vice president, the Transportation secretary emphasized the two make a strong team. Buttigieg denied any strains on his dealings with the vice president and dismissed developing narratives on a rivalry between […]

Americans should get boosters ahead of possibly ‘dangerous’ winter spike, Fauci says

Americans who have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus should get booster shots ahead of a winter spike that could potentially be “dangerous” due to the rampant spread of the virus among the unvaccinated, said Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert. “Get vaccinated if you’re not vaccinated and boostered if you have […]

Austria enters nationwide lockdown to fight soaring cases

Austria went into a nationwide lockdown early Monday in a desperate effort to contain spiraling coronavirus infections. The lockdown in the Alpine nation comes as average daily deaths have tripled in recent weeks and some hospitals have warned that their intensive care units are reaching capacity. The lockdown will last at least 10 days but […]

5 dead, more than 40 injured when SUV slams through Wisconsin parade

At least five people were killed and more than 40 were injured when an SUV plowed into a holiday parade in downtown Waukesha, Wisconsin, on Sunday afternoon, the city tweeted. Area hospitals reported treating at least 28 people from the parade, including 15 who were taken to Children’s Wisconsin in Milwaukee and 13 at Aurora […]

The Rude Pundit: Hey, Parents, Most of You Are Too F***ing Dumb to Decide on Your Kid’s School Curriculum

A vile undercurrent has always existed whenever bullshit arguments erupt over What My Precious Angels Are Learning in School: that parents know better than educators what should be taught in the classroom. The presumption is that, for some reason, the expertise of educators is worthless and only the gut feelings and rank prejudices of the […]

SM Happy Hour Videocast 11-19-21 – Joyce Vance & David Gosar

StephCast F 11-19-21

Travis McMichael testifies Ahmaud Arbery was “just running” and did not threaten him before fatal encounter

The defense has rested its case in the murder trial of the three men charged with killing Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, Georgia, last year. The judge told the jury they were free to go until Monday morning, when closing arguments are expected to begin. Travis McMichael, the man who fired the fatal shots, spent several […]

Kyle Rittenhouse jury completes third day of deliberations without verdict

The jury at Kyle Rittenhouse’s murder trial deliberated for a third day without reaching a verdict Thursday, while the judge banned MSNBC from the courthouse after a freelancer for the network was accused of following the jurors in their bus. The jury members will return on Friday morning to resume their work. Unlike on previous […]

In shift, McConnell begins talks with Schumer to stave off debt crisis

The two top leaders in the Senate have opened discussions to find a way out of a looming debt crisis, a sharp departure from the standoff a month ago that took the United States to the brink of a first-ever default. With Republicans buoyed by their chances to take back Congress in next year’s midterms, […]

Democrats delay Build Back Better vote to today after GOP leader stalls with record, hourslong speech

House Democrats postponed a much-anticipated vote on President Joe Biden’s social safety net and climate package early Friday morning after Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy delayed a final vote with a record-long, wide-ranging and often angry speech. The House is now slated to meet at 8 a.m. on Friday to finish consideration of the Build Back […]

Heartland Signal: Midwest media outlet launching with backing from Dem donor

A major Democratic donor is funding a new media outlet that launched Thursday, aimed at covering state and local races in the Midwest as the latest entrant into the growing partisan-media landscape. The outfit combines Heartland Signal, a new digital news site that will focus on midterm coverage, and WCPT, an existing progressive talk radio […]

StephCast Th 11-18-21

Biden promotes infrastructure law in Detroit, pushes for social safety net bill

President Joe Biden visited Detroit on Wednesday to promote the recently enacted infrastructure law and made the case for a social safety net and climate package that the House could vote on as soon as this week. Speaking from a General Motors plant that was renovated to build electric trucks and SUVs, Biden said his […]

Paul Gosar Censured For Violent Anime Video Targeting Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

The House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to censure Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) and to strip him of his committee seats after he posted an anime video depicting him killing Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and threatening President Joe Biden. The vote passed mostly along party lines, with only two Republicans — Reps. Liz Cheney (Wyo.) […]

Fauci Warns Of Uptick In Hospitalizations Among Fully Vaccinated, Touts Boosters

Dr. Anthony Fauci warned in an interview Wednesday that hospitalizations are increasing among fully vaccinated Americans who get breakthrough cases of COVID-19, but he stressed that unvaccinated people are still by far the most vulnerable to the disease. “What we’re starting to see now is an uptick in hospitalizations among people who’ve been vaccinated but […]

StephCast W 11-17-21

FDA expected to authorize Pfizer booster for all adults this week

The Food and Drug Administration is expected to authorize Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 booster shot for all adults within days, according to a person familiar with the plans. The FDA’s action could come as early as Thursday. The news was first reported by The New York Times. The Centers for Disease Control and Preventon’s vaccine advisory committee […]

Trump lawyers press judge to block Congress from getting his tax returns

Lawyers for former President Donald Trump argued Tuesday that a federal judge should not dismiss a lawsuit seeking to block the Treasury Department and the IRS from giving his tax returns to the House Ways and Means Committee. Trump’s attorneys said during more than three hours of courtroom arguments that the reason given by committee […]

Biden sells infrastructure law in visit to ‘structurally deficient’ New Hampshire bridge

President Joe Biden on Tuesday visited an 82-year-old steel bridge in rural New Hampshire that he pointed to as an example of how one of his biggest legislative victories will benefit communities across the country. Biden said the bridge, which crosses the Pemigewasset River in the town of Woodstock, is just one of hundreds in […]

Paul Gosar Faces Censure Vote Over Violent Anime Video Of Ocasio-Cortez, Biden

The House of Representatives will vote Wednesday on whether to censure Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) over an anime video he posted online last week that depicted him killing or threatening monsters with the faces of Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and President Joe Biden. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters on Capitol Hill Tuesday that she […]

StephCast T 11-16-21

Wyoming GOP votes to stop recognizing Liz Cheney as a Republican

The Wyoming Republican Party will no longer recognize Liz Cheney as a member of the GOP in its second formal rebuke for her criticism of former President Donald Trump. The 31-29 vote Saturday in Buffalo, Wyoming, by the state party central committee followed votes by local GOP officials in about one-third of Wyoming’s 23 counties […]

Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon surrenders on contempt of Congress charges

Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon surrendered to federal authorities Monday in Washington, where he’s facing two charges of contempt of Congress. “We’re taking down the Biden regime,” a defiant Bannon said on his way into the FBI field office to have his arrest processed. He appeared in court later in the day, and was released […]

Kyle Rittenhouse jurors to begin deliberations Tuesday

The fate of 18-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, who gunned down two men and injured another during a 2020 protest, is in the hands of Wisconsin jurors, who are set to begin deliberations Tuesday morning. His trial concluded Monday after Kenosha County Assistant District Attorney James Kraus had the last word in a rebuttal of the defense’s […]

Joe Biden Signs Infrastructure Bill, His Second Major Accomplishment, Into Law

President Joe Biden on Monday signed the bipartisan infrastructure bill into law, his second major legislative accomplishment as president following the coronavirus relief package earlier this year, and one Democrats are hoping will lift his shaky political standing ahead of next year’s midterm elections. Biden hailed the bill as “proof that despite the cynics, Democrats […]

Charlie Pierce: The Trump Administration Created Its Own Reality on the Pandemic and Failed the Country

There was only one story worth coverage in our politics as the week began. The story was that, for four years, the United States of America, the world’s oldest democracy, was governed by monsters, and that a substantial portion of the population seems to want some of the monsters back. These were death-dealing scum who […]

StephCast M 11-15-21

Eric Boehlert: Good grief, CNN’s promoting feel-good special on Chris Christie

I wonder what CNN host Don Lemon thinks about the network’s inexplicable decision to schedule a Chris Christie primetime special for Monday night. Christie still holds the dishonor of being the most unpopular governor in American history while he ran New Jersey, and he famously flamed out as a presidential candidate in 2016, surviving only one primary contestwhere […]

The Rude Pundit: What We Can Learn from Germany on Teaching the Hard Past

While the first history textbooks in postwar Germany were light on the subject of the Nazis, by the early 1960s, less than two decades after the fall of the Third Reich, things changed. In textbooks that were used at different levels comparable to middle and high school in the United States, authors began confronting the […]

Bannon Indicted On Contempt Charges For Defying 1/6 Subpoena, to turn himself in today

Steve Bannon, a longtime ally of former President Donald Trump, was indicted Friday on two counts of criminal contempt of Congress after he defied a subpoena from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The Justice Department said Bannon, 67, was indicted on one count for refusing to appear for […]

Michael Flynn Demands ‘One Religion Under God’ At Far-Right Rally

In his latest journey to the edge of extreme, Donald Trump’s former national security adviser and felon Michael Flynn called for a single religion in America. “If we are going to have one nation under God — which we must — we have to have one religion,” Flynn said in San Antonio at a stop […]

Biden to sign landmark infrastructure package today in major win for domestic agenda

On Monday, President Joe Biden is set to sign into law a sweeping bipartisan infrastructure package, an integral component of his domestic agenda and the largest investment in the country’s infrastructure in decades. The bill, priced at $1.2 trillion, will tackle nearly every facet of American infrastructure, including public transportation, roads, bridges, ports, railways, power grids, broadband internet, as well […]

SM Happy Hour Videocast 11-12-21 Joe Madison & Miles Taylor

StephCast F 11-12-21

All California adults who want a COVID booster shot can get one now, state says

All California adults who received their original COVID-19 shots six months ago and think they would benefit from a booster should get one, California’s top health official Dr. Mark Ghaly said Wednesday. Speaking at a press conference in Los Angeles, Ghaly said that guidance is in line with the federal government’s eligibility rules for booster […]

Defense rests its case at Kyle Rittenhouse trial

The defense wrapped up its case Thursday at the homicide trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, the 18-year-old charged with killing two people and wounding a third last summer. Closing arguments are expected to begin on Monday — both parties will have two and a half hours each for arguments and rebuttals. Defense lawyers tried to drive […]

House January 6 committee gives Meadows ultimatum: Appear Friday or risk criminal contempt

The House select committee investigating January 6 is demanding former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows appear for a deposition and turn over documents Friday or risk a criminal contempt referral, according to a letter Thursday from panel Chairman Bennie Thompson. Meadows has been facing new pressure to cooperate with the committee after he […]

Appeals court temporarily blocks Jan. 6 committee from obtaining Trump White House records

A federal appeals court Thursday granted former President Donald Trump’s request to temporarily block the National Archives from turning over his White House records to the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. The committee had been set to receive the first batch of documents, which lawmakers say is key to […]

StephCast Th 11-11-21

Judge Overturns Texas Ban On School Mask Mandates In Blow To GOP Governor

A federal judge said Wednesday that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates in schools violates the Americans With Disabilities Act, bringing a major victory to advocates who filed suit over the Republican governor’s aggressive efforts to limit COVID-19 protections. U.S. District Court Judge Lee Yeakel’s ruling will renew school districts’ authority to impose […]

House Democrats Move To Censure GOP Rep. Paul Gosar Over Violent Video

Ten House Democrats said Wednesday they will introduce a resolution to censure Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) for posting an altered anime video that depicted him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and attacking President Joe Biden. In a statement, the lawmakers, led by Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), co-chair of the Democratic Women’s Caucus, said it was […]

Kyle Rittenhouse sobs on witness stand, says he gunned down men after attacks

Kyle Rittenhouse told Wisconsin jurors Wednesday he had no choice but to fatally shoot two men and seriously wound a third, saying he was stopping “the person who was attacking me.” Testifying in his own defense, Rittenhouse said he was protecting private property in Kenosha and providing first aid on Aug. 25, 2020, when his […]

Biden to sign infrastructure bill Monday during bipartisan ceremony

President Joe Biden will sign the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill into law on Monday, joined by a bipartisan group of members of Congress during a ceremony at the White House, according to a White House official. A bipartisan group of governors and mayors, as well as labor union and business leaders, would also join Biden […]

StephCast W 11-10-21

Rep. Paul Gosar Bizarrely Defends Anime Video Attacking Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) is claiming the reaction to a violent video he posted depicting him killing Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is all due to a misunderstanding. The far-right Republican posted a video Monday that altered the opening credits of the Japanese animated series “Attack on Titan” to show Gosar slashing the neck of a […]

Biden hits the road with Baltimore port stop to tout infrastructure win

President Joe Biden plans to kick off the public promotion of his recently-passed $555 billion infrastructure bill with a visit to the Port of Baltimore on Wednesday as the White House tries to capitalize on the legislative win. While the bill has yet to be signed and many projects are years away from being completed, […]

Jan. 6 committee subpoenas Stephen Miller, Kayleigh McEnany and other top ex-Trump aides

The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol issued a new round of subpoenas Tuesday to 10 former officials who worked in the Trump administration, including Kayleigh McEnany and Stephen Miller. McEnany was White House press secretary on the day of the riot, a position she held from April 2020 until […]

Trump loses bid to keep Jan. 6 records from House committee investigating riot

A federal judge on Tuesday sided with the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot by refusing to block the release of scores of White House documents from the Trump administration. The ruling from Judge Tanya S. Chutkan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia means the first batch of disputed documents […]

StephCast T 11-9-21

Rep. Gosar under fire for anime tweet showing him attacking Rep. Ocasio-Cortez

Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar was facing criticism after he tweeted a video that included altered animation showing him striking Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with a sword. In a tweet Monday night, Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., referred to Gosar as “a creepy member I work with” and said he “shared a fantasy video of him killing me.” She added […]

Pfizer to request OK for boosters to all adults: Source

Pfizer is likely to seek authorization from the Food and Drug Administration for a coronavirus vaccine booster shot for people 18 and older as soon as this week, a government official with knowledge of the situation told ABC News. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the Pfizer booster shot for certain groups […]

Jan. 6 Committee Subpoenas Trump Campaign Officials, Author Of Infamous ‘Coup Memo’

The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol incited by former President Donald Trump has issued subpoenas to another half-dozen of his associates, including top Trump campaign aides and the author of the now-infamous memo advising then-Vice President Mike Pence to simply declare Trump the winner of the 2020 election. […]

Charlie Pierce: Ted Cruz Picked a Fight With Big Bird and Lost

Because I am a man of Christian charity whose heart is forever bursting with concern for my fellow man, I would like to begin the week by saying that I have grown concerned about Tailgunner Ted Cruz, the Republican senator from the great state of Texas. Frankly, on its way off the rails, I think […]

StephCast M 11-8-21

Biden says his plans are working after October jobs report beats expectations

President Joe Biden touted the progress the US is making in recovering from the coronavirus pandemic, and cited his policies as the reason, after the jobs recovery gathered some steam last month and employers added 531,000 positions in October. “America is getting back to work. Our economy is starting to work for more Americans,” Biden […]

Here’s what’s in the bipartisan infrastructure bill

Congress passed a $1.2 trillion infrastructure package Friday, approving a signature part of President Joe Biden’s economic agenda. It will deliver $550 billion of new federal investments in America’s infrastructure over five years, touching everything from bridges and roads to the nation’s broadband, water and energy systems. Experts say the money is sorely needed to […]

Trump Attacks McConnell, House ‘RINOs’ Over Passage of ‘Non-Infrastructure’ Bill

Former President Donald Trump on Sunday denounced Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Republicans over the passage of President Joe Biden‘s infrastructure bill through the lower chamber. The U.S. House passed Biden’s infrastructure bill late Friday in a 228-206 vote largely along party lines. 13 Republican representatives broke with the party to vote in […]

U.S. Lifts Pandemic Travel Ban On Mexico, Canada And Most Of Europe

The U.S. lifted restrictions Monday on travel from a long list of countries including Mexico, Canada and most of Europe, allowing tourists to make long-delayed trips and family members to reconnect with loved ones after more than a year and a half apart because of the pandemic. Starting Monday, the U.S. is accepting fully vaccinated […]

Eric Boehlert: Virginia lesson for Democrats… The media are not your friend

After triumphant election cycles in 2018 and 2020, Democrats suffered stinging setbacks on Tuesday when they lost the Virginia’s governor’s race, and barely held on to win the same contest in New Jersey, a state Joe Biden won by 16 points last year. Democrats have been down this rocky road before. In November, 2009, just […]

The Rude Pundit: The F**, Joe Manchin?

Yesterday morning, Joe Manchin, Democratic senator from West Virginia and cockblocker extraordinaire, was on CNN’s New Day (which would be far more entertaining if it was a Canadian show called “Nude, Eh?”). As we all know, Manchin, along with Arizona’s most dickish dress-up doll, Kyrsten Sinema, has been the biggest asshole on the stupidly-named Build Back Better […]

SM Happy Hour Videocast 11-6-21 Jen Kirkman & Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA)

StephCast F 11-5-21

January 6 committee chair said he has signed about 20 new subpoenas that are going out ‘soon’

Rep. Bennie Thompson, who chairs the House select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, told reporters that he has signed about 20 subpoenas and that they are going out “soon,” possibly by Friday. Thompson would not confirm if former Trump lawyer John Eastman, who CNN has reported the committee plans to […]

Justice Department Sues Texas Over New Voting Restrictions Law

The Department of Justice sued the state of Texas on Thursday, alleging that the package of voting restrictions Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law in September violates federal law. The Texas law violates the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by restricting the ability of voters with disabilities to receive certain types of assistance at […]