Yes, it really was an insurrection

This week, the Republican National Committee indicated that it plans to amend its rules to prohibit future GOP presidential candidates from participating in debates sponsored by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates. Sen. Mitt Romney succinctly captured our collective reaction to this decision: “That would be nuts.” There is speculation that such a move would be made with one potential 2024 Republican candidate in mind. That's a strong possibility. But given the GOP’s track record in recent years—presenting no party platform in 2020, promoting candidates who prioritize divisive rhetoric over legislative accomplishment, demoting and marginalizing officials who don't toe the party line, and advancing state-level efforts that would allow the party to overturn future election results—this decision fits a disturbing and predictable pattern. American voters deserve to hear presidential candidates debate the issues that affect them and their families. It's been a vital part of the democratic process for decades, and should remain so. —Miles Taylor, Executive Director, Renew America Movement

• Supreme Court blocks Biden Covid vaccine mandate for businesses, allows healthcare worker rule —CNBC

• Biden to double free COVID tests, add masks to fight omicron —Associated Press

• Russia warns it will sever ties with the U.S. if it sanctions Putin over Ukraine crisis —Insider

• U.S. intelligence indicates Russia preparing operation to justify invasion of Ukraine —CNN

• RNC moves to require presidential candidates to skip traditional commission debates —The Hill

‘You can call it an insurrection, or you can call it a war or fight’

Some folks may shy away from calling the Jan. 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol an insurrection, but at least one person doesn't, and he, along with 10 others, have been charged by the Department of Justice with seditious conspiracy. Stewart Rhodes, the leader of the far-right extremist group the Oath Keepers, was among 11 co-conspirators alleged to have recruited members, stocked up on weapons, and organized to disrupt Congress' certification of the 2020 election. Rhodes said at a November 2020 online meeting, "We're going to defend the president, the duly elected president, and we call on him to do what needs to be done to save our country. Because if you don't, guys, you're going to be in a bloody, bloody civil war.” And the plotting didn't end with the Capitol riot. Rhodes and others met in Virginia later to "celebrate" the attack and "discuss next steps." Rhodes was taken into custody in Texas yesterday. —CNN

• Social media gets served. The House select committee investigating the Capitol attack subpoenaed social media giants Twitter, Reddit, and the parent companies of Facebook and Google yesterday after receiving “inadequate responses” to a request for records that the panel made last summer. “Two key questions for the select committee are how the spread of misinformation and violent extremism contributed to the violent attack on our democracy, and what steps—if any—social media companies took to prevent their platforms from being breeding grounds for radicalizing people to violence,” committee chair Bennie Thompson said. —CNBC

• And more subpoenas. The committee issued a round of subpoenas earlier in the week as well, demanding records and testimony from three individuals who were "involved in planning and preparations for the Jan. 6 rally at the Ellipse.” Ross Worthington is a former White House official who helped draft the ex-president’s rally speech, in which he called on his supporters to march to the Capitol. Andy Surabian and Arthur Schwartz, two advisers to Donald Trump Jr., communicated with Trump Jr., Kimberly Guilfoyle, and others about the rally at the Ellipse. Stay tuned. —CNN

• Who is Ray Epps? Far-right conspiracy theorists—and some Republican members of Congress—have been floating the name Ray Epps as the key to their theory that the Capitol assault was a coordinated operation led by the FBI. They claim Epps, who is seen on video from Jan. 6 encouraging protesters to enter the Capitol, was doing so at the behest of federal law enforcement agencies. The select committee disclosed this week that it had interviewed Epps in November. He denied all such claims. —The New York Times

MORE: Ken Paxton must release records related to Jan. 6 Trump rally, DA says —The Texas Tribune

Ed Board: Subpoena Kevin McCarthy

“[S]ubpoenaing House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is more than justified; indeed, the minority leader is such an important witness, it would be a poor investigation if the committee failed to compel his testimony. ‘He’s clearly trying to cover up what happened,’ committee vice chair Liz Cheney said Wednesday. ‘He has an obligation to come forward, and we’ll get to the truth.’ Subpoenaing the minority leader would be unprecedented, but his behavior amounts to a dereliction of his oath to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. In his quest to become the next GOP House speaker, Mr. McCarthy has instead thrown in his lot with the enemies of democracy.” —The Washington Post

MORE: McCarthy says Pelosi is the reason he's refusing to cooperate with Jan. 6 committee —Yahoo! News

Law enforcement bill would support local police

Renewer Rep. Jared Golden is proposing more federal funds to help support local law enforcement departments. This week, Golden introduced the COPS on the Beat Grant Program Reauthorization and Parity Act, which would triple funding for Community Oriented Policing Services, known as COPS, to nearly $1 billion a year for the next 10 years. Co-sponsors of the legislation include fellow Renewer Reps. Jaime Herrera-Beutler, Tom Rice, and Abigail Spanberger. “Some people think we should have less funding for police. Myself and my colleagues think the exact opposite,” Golden said. “We think that we need better-funded police departments with sufficient staffing, with the resources they need to be well equipped, well trained, and to do the very best job that they can for the communities that they serve.” —CBS News

Focus on voting and elections

Federal voting legislation is looking more and more like a pipe dream. While the House approved a measure yesterday combining the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Amendment Act, it’s unlikely to get any traction in the Senate. And the last-ditch effort to reform the filibuster to allow a voting-rights bill to pass? Not gonna happen. Citing a “disease of division,” Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, speaking on the Senate floor, blasted the wave of new state laws restricting ballot access as undemocratic, but drew the line at jettisoning the filibuster. President Biden, who met with Senate Democrats after Sinema’s speech, sounded defeated. “We missed this time,” he said. “As long as I have a breath in me, as long as I'm in the White House, as long as I'm engaged at all, I'm going to be fighting to change the way these legislatures have been moving.” —Reuters

• Ohio. The Ohio Supreme Court struck down Republican-drawn state House and Senate district maps as unconstitutional gerrymandering on Wednesday. Voters approved changes to the state constitution to limit partisan line-drawing in 2015. The high court ruled that the Ohio Redistricting Commission could not ignore parts of the constitution that require it to attempt to match the statewide voting preferences of voters. So it’s back to the drawing board for redistricting in Ohio. —The Columbus Dispatch

• Texas. A law newly in effect in Texas bars public officials in the state from promoting voting by mail. "They can put the information on their website—that is not illegal. What they can't do is say, 'Would you like to vote by mail?' They can't offer [it] when they're out registering voters. They can't give people an application to vote by mail," says Grace Chimene, president of the League of Women Voters of Texas. County elections offices in Texas are already prohibited from sending applications to vote by mail unless a voter specifically requests one. —Texas Public Radio

• Wisconsin. Circuit Court Judge Michael Bohren ruled yesterday that absentee ballot drop boxes are not allowed under Wisconsin law, and ordered the Wisconsin Elections Commission to rescind its guidance to clerks on how to use them. “In looking at the statutes, there is no specific authorization for drop boxes,” Bohren said, adding that the WEC had exceeded its authority when it issued the recommendations. The ruling, which sided with the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty in its lawsuit against the WEC, is all but certain to be appealed. —NPR

MORE: Pennsylvania Dems fume over redistricting court case —Politico

Bunch: What fake 2020 electors tell us about 2024

“In December 2020, the idea that state lawmakers could reject the presidential electors of the candidate who won fairly and squarely at the ballot box and replace them with electors from their own party on trumped-up grounds was too far out for most Americans to take seriously. After Jan. 6, it’s no laughing matter. There must be consequences for the people who actually thought this scheme could work in the 2020 contest, or else democracy may be murdered in broad daylight on or about Jan. 6, 2025.” —Will Bunch in The Philadelphia Inquirer

Will Bunch is the national columnist at The Philadelphia Inquirer.

MORE: Federal prosecutors called in to GOP electors probe —Newsweek

Roth: Democracy can defeat autocracy

“[D]emocracy’s fate depends in large part on the actions of democratic leaders. Will they address the major challenges before us, elevate public debate, and act consistently, both at home and abroad, with the democratic and human rights principles they claim to defend? Being the least bad system of governance may not be enough if public despair at democratic leaders’ failure to meet today’s challenges leads to public indifference, if not despair, about democracy. That opens the door for charismatic autocratic leaders. The defense of human rights requires not only curbing autocratic repression but also improving democratic leadership.” —Kenneth Roth in Foreign Policy

Kenneth Roth is the executive director of Human Rights Watch.

MORE: Covid exposing ‘weaknesses of democratic leaders,’ HRW says —Independent

I was just asked by an online poll if I approve of “President” Trump’s efforts to protect the country from Joe Biden. Not President Biden, just Joe Biden. Every Republican politician from dogcatcher to senator should be asked this question in every interview across all media: Is Donald Trump a liar? If they refuse give the only honest answer, which is yes, the interviewer should ask them why they themselves are lying to their constituents. The news media is letting liars off the hook too easily. If every Republican was called out for lying about the big lie, many would avoid legitimate journalists and news programs. Voters would then be able to see them for the cowards that they really are. —Bill M., Pennsylvania

The views expressed in “What’s Your Take?” are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff, the Renew America Movement, or the Stand Up Republic Foundation.