A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo.
Just Look At That Guy’s Face Up There
Biden gave his first State of the Union address last night (check out our liveblog here), during which far-right Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) did … whatever this is:
- Seeking her own chance to shine, Boebert also heckled Biden as he brought up his late son, Beau, and the exposure to toxic burn pits that put veterans like Beau “in a flag-draped coffin.” “You put them there, 13 of them,” Boebert commented loudly. She was apparently referring to the 13 American troops who were killed in a bomb attack in Kabul last year.
Russian Troops Ramp Up Attacks On Major Ukraine Cities
The Russian offensive steadily intensified overnight, and now Moscow claims to have captured Kherson, a key port city, though Ukraine disputes that claim.
- New York Times: “Russia moves to encircle and capture critical cities in Ukraine.“
- CNN: “Brutal onslaught rages in Ukraine as Zelensky calls for more international support”
- Wall Street Journal: “Ukraine’s Kharkiv Front Line Holds Despite Russian Bombardment”
- The Guardian: “Researchers gather evidence of possible Russian war crimes in Ukraine”
Arizona GOPer Who Went To White Nationalist Con Gets Censured (Not For That Tho)
The GOP-controlled Arizona state Senate censured state Sen. Wendy Rogers (R), one of the lawmakers who went to the white nationalist America First Political Action Conference (AFPAC) this past weekend, on Tuesday for making threats against fellow Republicans online and calling for her enemies to be hanged.
- The censure didn’t say anything about the fact that she went to a white nationalist rally, or her many ties to white nationalism in general, or her racist and anti-Semitic posts online. The original draft of the resolution, which Rogers posted on social media, condemned her for “inciting general racial and religious discrimination.” That part got taken out.
- Rogers didn’t bother defending her comments on Tuesday during the censure vote, according to the Arizona Mirror.
Wisconsin GOP’s Election Investigator Pushes For 2020 Election Decertification
Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman, the guy who was appointed by Wisconsin Republicans to run their state’s sham election audit, told a state Assembly committee on Tuesday that the Wisconsin legislature should take “a very hard look” at decertifying the 2020 presidential election results.
- That’s legally impossible. And Gableman’s own “interim report” that he gave to state lawmakers on Tuesday not only says that the purpose of his report is “not to challenge certification,” but admits that magically decertifying the results “would not, on its own, have any other legal consequence under state or federal law.”
- Gableman, who’s admitted that he doesn’t know how elections work, still isn’t finished with his taxpayer-funded “investigation,” even though he was supposed to be done by 2021.
- Again: This guy has fully acknowledged that he doesn’t know how elections work. And he went to MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell’s whacky “Cyber Symposium.”
Former Trump Official-Turned-Candidate Can’t Answer Questions About Her Own District
Morgan Ortagus, who previously served as the spokesperson for the State Department under Trump, is now running for Congress in Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District–an area she doesn’t actually seem to know much about, if her painful radio interview with the Tennessee Star Report on Monday is anything to go by.
- Ortagus, who’s been endorsed by Trump, couldn’t answer any of the questions the radio host asked about the district. Not one.
- The ex-Trump administration official is a Florida native who didn’t start living in Tennessee until she moved to Nashville last year. The Tennessean notes that her address isn’t in the 5th District and that this is the first time she’s running for office.
- Sidenote: Trump’s endorsement of Ortagus, which came before she even announced her decision to run, actually pissed off his foot soldiers.
Congrats America, You Paid $1 Million For Trump’s Hotel And Travel Last Year
The former president racked up more than $1.3 million in hotel and travel expenses with the Secret Service while traveling between South Florida and New Jersey last year, according to the Daily Beast.
A Big Sad
So about that trucker “convoy” that was supposed swarm D.C. en masse Canada-style before Biden’s State of the Union address yesterday…..
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