Happy 2022, folks! A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things.
This Is Where We’re Headed
A stunning 34 percent of U.S. adults say citizens are justified in engaging in violence against the government, according to a new poll by the Washington Post and the University of Maryland, as the one-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 insurrection approaches this week.
The pro-violence numbers break down like this:
- 41% of independents
- 40% of Republicans
- 23% of Democrats
Here’s another depressing figure: 62 percent of Americans expect violence from the losing side in a presidential election in the future, according to a new CBS News/YouGov poll.
BBB Talks With Manchin Pick Up Again
The Senate is getting back to business today, meaning Biden and Democratic leaders’ seemingly endless tug-o-war with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) over the $1.75 trillion Build Back Better plan will start back up again.
- Democratic leadership is slated to hold a meeting tonight that Manchin will attend.
- Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is still planning on holding a vote on BBB this month regardless of where Manchin ultimately lands in the negotiations over the sweeping proposal.
- The talks with Manchin, who’s been reportedly trying to axe the proposed child tax credit expansions in BBB, come as the monthly child tax credits in the American Rescue Plan (which has kept millions of kids out of poverty) come to an end.
Fight Over Filibuster Changes Carries On
Some Democratic senators are gearing up to continue pushing for rule changes to the filibuster, which Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) refuse to blow up, to pass crucial voting rights legislation.
McCarthy Acknowledges Jan. 6 Anniversary By Attacking Dems
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) briefly noted in a letter to Republicans on Sunday that the one-year anniversary of Trump supporters’ attack on the Capitol is coming up.
- McCarthy accused Democrats of “using” the insurrection as a “partisan political weapon to further divide our country.”
- The House GOP leader, who shot down the House’s bipartisan effort to create a committee to study the attack and has fully sucked up to Trump since Jan. 6, also insisted that Republicans “have said from the start” that “the actions of that day were lawless and as wrong as wrong can be.”
- On the contrary, multiple Trump allies in the House have made it their mission to downplay the attack and paint the insurrectionists as “political prisoners.”
Jan. 6 Panel Has Direct Testimony Of Trump’s Apathy Toward Attack
According to House Jan. 6 select committee vice chair Liz Cheney (R-WY), the panel has “first hand testimony” of Trump sitting on his ass next to the Oval Office and watching his supporters storm the Capitol on TV.
- Some of that first hand testimony comes from Ivanka Trump, who was allegedly pleading with her dad in person at least twice to go on TV and stop the violence, Cheney said on Sunday.
- Committee chair Benny Thompson (D-MS) also confirmed on Sunday that the panel has “significant” testimony that the Trump White House was urged to do something about the attack.
Good New Laws That Went Into Effect When 2022 Began
Jan. 1 triggered minimum wage increases in 20 states and a federal ban on most surprise medical bills from from out-of-network health care providers.
MTG Gets (Kind Of) Banished From Twitter
Far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-GA) personal Twitter account has been permanently suspended after the lawmaker repeatedly lied about COVID-19 and the vaccine. Her official account is still up, though it’ll be a lot harder for her to try to own the libs there.
The New Head Of Sweeping Trump NY Probe
Meet Alvin Bragg, the newly sworn-in Manhattan district attorney who’s taking the reins in Cy Vance’s criminal investigation into the former president and the Trump Organization. Bragg was part of the New York attorney general’s lawsuit against the Trump Foundation, aka Trump’s so-called “charity,” in 2018 that led to it getting shut down.
Austin Comes Down With COVID
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced yesterday that he tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing “mild” symptoms.
Must Reads
- “Documents Reveal Basic Flaws in Pentagon Dismissals of Civilian Casualty Claims” – The New York Times
- “Throughout the pandemic, one Atlanta-area landlord has bombarded residents with eviction notices” – The Washington Post
Harry Reid To Lie In State In Capitol
Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda on Jan. 12.
WTFery Of The Day
Several football coaches at an Ohio high school are getting sued for allegedly forcing a student to eat a pizza against his Hebrew Israelite faith.
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