Investigate the 215 bodies discovered behind a Mississippi jail!

Daily Dose of Democracy:

VIDEO OF THE DAY: Matt Gaetz rocked by REPUBLICANS in ongoing investigation of sexual misconduct with a minor
The Republican-led House ethics committee investigating Florida Rep. and walking jockstrap Matt Gaetz formally reached out to the Justice Department AND the woman Gaetz allegedly had sexual relations with when she was 17 years old in a very bad sign for the very bad congressman. We repeat, REPUBLICANS have formally reached out to Justice Dept. officials AND Gaetz's alleged sexual assault victim. Turns out being the least popular guy in Congress has consequences that transcend even party lines.

Take Action: Tell President Biden to ban liquid natural gas exports for good!

Biden vows response at time "of our choosing" after three US troops killed and dozens wounded in "despicable" overnight drone attack in Jordan
The specter of a direct US-Iranian military conflict drew closer on Sunday when President Biden announced three US servicemen had been killed and more than 34 injured following a drone attack on a US base on the border of Jordan and Syria. Biden blamed Iranian-backed militia mainly based in Iraq for the "despicable" attack and vowed to "hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of our choosing." Iran has denied any involvement in the attack, but that hasn't stopped bloodthirsty Republicans from calling for direct attacks against Tehran. This is the latest and certainly not the last predictable global escalation in violence to come from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s brutal military response to the Hamas terror attacks on October 7, which has killed more than 26,000 Palestinians, displaced millions of civilians, and flattened Gaza.

Take Action: Demand the GOP stop their baseless Biden impeachment!

Big banks drive the climate crisis with YOUR money
Atmos Financial: JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citi Bank, Bank of America, you name it — collectively, they've poured a staggering $3.8 trillion into fossil fuels in the last five years. It doesn't have to be this way — but unless people start putting their money where their mouths are and taking action to show the big banks that we won't stand for this, things will never change. Will you add your name to stop big banks investing your money in climate-killing fossil fuels?

Arizona Republicans relentlessly boo Kari Lake on home turf following scandal
Arizona Republicans let failed gubernatorial hopeful and former TV talker Kari Lake have it this weekend as they hurled boos and jeers her way at a state GOP meeting following a scandal involving her and the former state party chairman, Jeff DeWit. The brutal reaction arrived following DeWit's resignation after leaked audio — which he claims was selectively edited — appeared to show him pressing Lake to refrain from running for Senate and just stay out of politics altogether. We don't agree with Republicans anywhere on much of anything, but this is one idea, selectively edited or not, we can really, really get behind.

Take Action: Stop right-wing billionaires from taking over the government!

CNN doc trolls Trump over "dementia" boast with 1 simple sentence
The serially indicted, disgraced ex-president has repeatedly insisted that the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) ― aka the infamous “Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV.” test he took in 2020 was "difficult." Dr. Jonathan Reiner, who is director of cardiac catheterization laboratories at George Washington University, clapped back with a doozy: "If you think a dementia screening test is very difficult, you may have early dementia." Your move, Donnie.

Take Action: Stop states from funding fake abortion clinics!

Infighting, rebellion threatens House GOP chair over surprise bipartisan tax deal
The House GOP's top tax writer doesn't just face blowback over the surprise, bipartisan deal he unveiled earlier this month: now the background chatter suggests Rep. Jason Smith could lose his gavel. Multiple GOP lawmakers blinded by team sports and furious over any semblance of progress fumed about how negotiations on the bipartisan tax deal were handled. "I don't know who the f*ck he's dealing with," an unnamed Republican lawmaker told Axios. "How does Jason Smith announce the deal before the speaker knows about it?" Sounds pretty serious. Maybe they should blow up their leadership team again and spend weeks trying to cobble together a new band of bozos also utterly incapable of governing.

IRS collected half a billion dollars in back taxes from delinquent millionaires in 2023, sentencing some to prison
In a just-released year-end progress report, the IRS revealed they collected $482 million from wealthy tax cheats last year and vowed to continue auditing large corporations, high-income individuals, and complex partnerships who are not paying their fair share of US taxes. President Biden's historic Inflation Reduction Act, passed in 2022, provided the additional money that paid for more IRS agents to conduct audits on the wealthiest tax defrauders, much to the chagrin of congressional Republicans who have pledged to gut the agency and shield their deep-pocketed benefactors should they retake the White House in 2024.

Trump's attempt to end the primary backfires
No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen: Wow.

Trump hit with more ballot bad news in Illinois
A former Republican judge appointed to hear arguments on whether to remove Trump from the Illinois primary ballot said on Sunday that he believed the disgraced ex-president engaged in insurrection by attempting to remain in office after the 2020 election. The decision, which The New York Times called a “symbolic setback for the former president,” will be presented to the bipartisan Illinois Board of Elections Tuesday, which will then vote on whether to remove the con man from the ballot or let him remain and continue threatening the fate of American democracy.

Powerful new role for Amy Coney Barrett’s father inside conservative Christian sect sparks controversy
Survivors of alleged sexual and physical childhood abuse inside the People of Praise, a secretive Christian sect that counts none other than Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett as a member, are voicing concerns after Barrett's father, Michael Coney, was recently promoted as the group's new legal counsel. PoP Survivors — as the group is known — has for years called for the PoP to be investigated and held accountable for its handling of historic claims of abuse, and there are growing fears that Conley may seek to block information about the group’s historic handling of sexual abuse becoming public.

In gridlocked Congress, unlikely issue of restricting cellphones in schools forges bipartisan bonds
There's not much that can bridge the political divide these days, but one issue that unites the largely ageing members of both houses of Congress is "why are those kids always on their damn cellphones" and also probably "why isn't my grandson calling me more!"