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HISTORY COOKED
MAGA disciples staged a far-right jamboree in D.C. to honor the fifth anniversary of the January 6 insurrection, as Donald Trump doubled down on his efforts to rewrite history.
A throng of right-wingers festooned in MAGA memorabilia marched to the Capitol once again this morning, to commemorate the day that President Donald Trump unleashed a mob on that building and urged them on with claims of a stolen election five years ago. The rag-tag crowd of several dozen loped along, embracing each other and bellowing slogans, as if to prove the old line that history repeats itself, first as a tragedy, then as a farce.
This twisted family reunion basked in its good luck: President Donald Trump is back in office, just as they wanted. He pardoned everyone convicted of crimes, even those who assaulted police officers. And he has never tired of fighting to reframe what happened that day, to cast blame on his opponents and to insist his supporters were in the right.
Several prominent far-right activists, including former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, showed up. David Clements, a former professor who rose to fame as a staunch election denier, shared his message to Trump: “Don’t forget… this is the life force of MAGA,” he said. “These are the most hardened MAGA supporters.”
A bearded man sported a white suit with words written in faux bloodstains, accusing the Capitol police of “murdering” insurrectionist Ashli Babbit. ”This is about redemption,” the man said into his phone, mounted to a handheld tripod, apparently recording a video. It served as a reminder that the far-right remains hyper-online, and largely disconnected from reality.
Another man said: “We don’t like antifa. And nobody was standing up to antifa.” Nearby, a cowboy boot-wearing activist carried a toothpick in his mouth, and sported a t-shirt that read: “Ashli Babbitt murdered by Capitol police,” with her face on the front. Another wore a sweatshirt that read “J6 2X pardoned.”
Trump rang in the anniversary with a fresh round of gaslighting over who was really to blame for the deadly riot.
The White House launched a page [ [link removed] ] today dedicated to Trump’s false version of what happened on January 6, defending his pardons and taking aim at those who tried to hold him accountable. The insurrectionists “were unfairly targeted, overcharged, and used as political examples,” the website reads. There was “no evidence of armed rebellion or intent to overthrow the government…. It was the Democrats who staged the real insurrection.”
Trump repeated this delusion in an appearance before House Republicans at their annual retreat this morning. “The election was rigged,” the president said, repeating the debunked claim that he actually won. “We got to straighten this out before it gets too crazy.” he added, reviving his longstanding push for national voter ID laws.
House Speaker Mike Johnson also took a brazen stand — against heroic police officers. Two years after the insurrection, lawmakers approved the plaque, which would name the officers “who responded to the violence that occurred.” But Johnson’s office said that the plaque as written is “not implementable,” and that alternatives created by Democrats “do not comply with the statute.”
While MAGAworld celebrated, small groups of anti-Trump protestors also gathered near the Capitol building. “Trump is a traitor,” one sign said. Another: “Trump tried to overturn democracy.” A man chanted into a loudspeaker: “Eat shit Donald Trump.”
The president literally loomed large over the day’s events: A massive banner [ [link removed] ] of his face still hangs over the Department of Labor, gazing at the site of the insurrection he encouraged five years ago.
CIA, AYE?
Why did Donald Trump brush off Venezuela’s main opposition figure, Maria Machado, as a possible leader for the embattled country, after he kidnapped its now jailed ex-president Nicolas Maduro?
As I noted yesterday, he’s reportedly seething with jealousy over her Nobel Peace Prize, which he covets for himself. But there’s another reason: The CIA also told him to ditch Machado, according to the [ [link removed] ] Wall Street Journal [ [link removed] ]. [ [link removed] ]
The agency concluded Machado might not be able to hold the country together in the face of resistance from regime hardliners, narco cartels and pro-Maduro security forces. That’s one reason Trump decided to back Maduro’s VP, Delcy Rodriguez, instead of Machado, drawing ire from some U.S. lawmakers.
So, what next? Trump said the U.S. may subsidize [ [link removed] ] U.S. oil companies’ development of Venezuelan resources in a project that could last 18 months, as he re-upped threats to send in troops if Rodriguez doesn’t do what he says. House Speaker Mike Johnson, however, said last night that “we don’t expect troops on the ground.”
The Trump administration is reportedly setting up meetings [ [link removed] ] with oil companies about the future of oil production in Venezuela, underscoring the reality that all Trump cares about is seizing the country’s black gold.
WHAT ELSE? 👀
What A Day exclusive: Will Texas ever turn blue? Or at least purple? Here’s a fresh sign of optimism that it continues to head that way. A Democratic candidate for state senate in Texas is getting a big boost in his special election with a $500,000 ad buy from VoteVets, a progressive advocacy group that supports veterans running for office. The ad for candidate Taylor Rehmet focuses on affordability and his service [ [link removed] ] in the Air Force — a combo that has helped boost candidates [ [link removed] ] in other competitive races across the country recently. The election in the red-leading district is expected to be competitive after Rehmet took a surprise lead [ [link removed] ], sparking a runoff. We’ll watch with interest!
Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) died today at 65. [ [link removed] ] His unexpected passing makes House Republicans’ majority even slimmer. LaMalfa had been a reliable vote for Trump’s agenda.
Is Greenland next on Trump’s hit list? [ [link removed] ] His cronies keep signaling it could be. Trump aide and part-time undead poltergeist Stephen Miller materialized on cable news to insist that no country would dare use force to stop the U.S. from seizing control of the island territory. “As a source of shock value, mission accomplished and moneymaking, Trump always has Greenland,” the Financial Times writes [ [link removed] ]. “His temptation is only likely to grow.”
Travelers from seven more countries [ [link removed] ], including Botswana, Namibia and Turkmenistan, will be forced to pay $15,000 visa bond deposits if they want to visit the United States, according to a new Trump policy. The fees now affect travelers from 13 countries, most of which are in Africa.
Where are all those Epstein files? [ [link removed] ] The Department of Justice admitted that it’s still reviewing some two million documents related to deceased child sex predator Jeffrey Epstein, who was once a close friend of the president. One Epstein nugget you may have missed over the holidays: In 2020, a federal prosecutor wrote that [ [link removed] ] Trump flew on Epstein’s private jet “many more times than previously has been reported (or that we were aware).”
Former FBI deputy director Dan Bongino [ [link removed] ] issued a foul-mouthed take-down of pro-MAGA former congressman Matt Gaetz on social media, hours after Bongino quit his job to go back to right-wing blowhard podcasting. The entire exchange is kinda gross, and includes the phrase, “Grifting off your daddy like a suckling little doggie.” Did Bongino, uh, quit his job… just so he could torch Gaetz on X?
Someone call Punxsutawney Phil: [ [link removed] ] It’s about to feel like spring in many Central and Eastern states later this week, with temperatures hitting the 60s and 70s. It’s expected to be even hotter in the South, as parts of Texas prepare for the 80s and 90s. Temps are predicted to go back to normal next week, thank goodness.
LIGHT AT THE END… ☀️
Congress is a weird place, [ [link removed] ] and it could become even weirder this year: Content creator Trisha Paytas is weighing a bid for office in California. “I know, it sounds so crazy to me, too,” she said in a video [ [link removed] ]. The idea “came to me in a dream, a vision if you will.” It’s hard to explain exactly how Paytas rose to fame — but she’s perhaps now best known for the “Trisha Payta’s Baby Theory [ [link removed] ],” an illogical meme in which fans believe her babies are reincarnated celebrities. (You thought Ozzy Osbourne was gone? Think again.)
Remember that Trump Mobile phone [ [link removed] ] the president’s family announced last year? It was supposed to be cheaper than rival smartphones, made in America, and launched last summer. But it still hasn’t been released, and there’s no clear indication of when it may be — or even if the project *cough flim-flam cough* is still happening. Fingers crossed!
Nineteen states raised their [ [link removed] ] minimum wages this month, including both Republican and Democrat-controlled states. An estimated 8.3 million workers will now receive better pay, and 30 states have minimum wages higher than the $7.25 per hour national minimum wage.
ADHD drugs work by targeting the brain’s reward [ [link removed] ] and wakefulness centers — they don’t actually help you pay more attention, according to new research. The study changes how scientists have long believed the drugs, which help millions of Americans, function.
The Milan Cortina Olympics are coming up [ [link removed] ], [ [link removed] ] and keep your eyes peeled for a little-known thrill-seeking sport called skeleton. In essence: It’s extreme sledding. Competitors get a running start and then sled through an icy chute at some 80 mph, steering with subtle shifts of their bodies. I think we need a petition to make skeleton a form of public transit — these guys go way faster than the trains here.
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