Mayhem in MAGA World

In just days, the United States is likely to reach an unfathomable milestone in terms of numbers: 1 million lives lost to the coronavirus pandemic. How can we as Americans comprehend the devastating loss of so many of our fellow citizens? We can start by telling 1 million individual stories. Here are a couple of ways that people are sharing the stories of their loved ones who fell victim to the coronavirus pandemic. A sea of white flags, with each flag representing one person who has died from the virus in the United States, were planted in the National Mall. Many of the flags featured handwritten names and dedications to lost loved ones. The memorial, titled “In America: Remember,” was the work of Maryland artist Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg. Photos of the memorial, including images of individual flags, can still be viewed online at http://inamericaflags.org. The website includes a Lost Loved Ones interactive map. Another option is to follow @FacesOfCovid on Twitter, where people share stories of those lost to the coronavirus. Each day, there are several new tweets with stories and photos. We can also start by talking to one another. Ask each other whether they know someone who died. Listen to their story. Let us remember the individuals and not just the number. —Lynn Schmidt, Renew America Movement Fellow

Ed. Note: RAM National Spokeswoman Mary Anna Mancuso hosted a lively discussion with Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha and Republican strategist Mike Madrid on yesterday’s RAM Chat. In case you missed it, you can catch it on YouTube or Spotify.

• Fauci walks back coronavirus comments, says pandemic not over in U.S. —U.S. News & World Report

• Biden seeks $33 billion war chest to support Ukraine, Zelensky wants quick approval —Reuters

• DHS Sec. Mayorkas faces partisan divide over Title 42 in Capitol Hill hearings —NPR

• Feds seek $3M from Paul Manafort over failing to disclose offshore accounts —Politico

• Fed up with inaction, bipartisan pair urges leaders to put more on the floor —CNN

Don't let the smiles fool you

This was anything but a good week for Republicans. Amidst a steady flow of damning releases from the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, several key Dividers were caught in scandals that earned pushback from fellow conservatives and members of the GOP. Former Rep. Charlie Dent tore into party leadership for giving so much power to far-right lawmakers—whom they have acknowledged are a danger behind closed doors—in the first place. “The more they placate Trump on the insurrection, the fringe elements, they're empowering them,” Dent said. “There's too many members who are fearful. I'll call it the Fear Caucus. There's too many of them. By being silent, they simply empower the fringe, and the fringe dominates the narrative. And that's going to make governing that much more difficult.” —Raw Story

• Marjorie Taylor Greene. Rep. Greene said in an interview this week that the Catholic Church is controlled by “Satan” and accused church bishops of “destroying our nation” through their support of migrants. That drew the ire of the conservative Catholic League. Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu, in a speech on the House floor, called the comments “bigoted” and implored Republican leaders to condemn them. RAM Chief Strategy Officer Olivia Troye said the “repulsive” comments could “lead to threats” against Catholics. —America Magazine

• Madison Cawthorn. From trying to bring a loaded gun onto an airplane (again), to insider trading allegations around a “Let’s Go Brandon” meme coin, Democrats and Republicans both appear to be fed up with Rep. Cawthorn. Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who is backing Cawthorn’s primary challenger, called for an investigation into Cawthorn for insider trading. “Insider trading by a member of Congress is a serious betrayal of their oath,” Tillis tweeted. “There needs to be a thorough and bipartisan inquiry into the matter by the House Ethics Committee.” —Vanity Fair

• Doug Mastriano. Mastriano, who is leading among Republicans in the race for governor of Pennsylvania, attended a rally last Saturday at which conspiracy theories about JFK, 9/11, and a “global satanic blood cult” were treated like normal campaign rhetoric. During a speech, Mastriano mentioned that he’d received a subpoena from the House select committee for his involvement in the Jan. 6 attack. “I wear that proudly because it’s a badge of honor,” he said. “God has his hand over us. And they’re not gonna get me to cower.” Hoo boy. —The Philadelphia Inquirer

MORE: Chuck Ardo: We can't overlook the danger posed by Christian nationalists —Pennsylvania Capital-Star

Leibovich: Just call him a loser

“Trump’s bizarre and enduring hold over his party has made it verboten for many Republicans to even utter publicly the unpleasant fact of his defeat—something they will readily acknowledge in private. I caught up recently with several Trump-opposing Republican strategists and former associates of the president who argued this restraint should end. The best way for a Republican to depose Trump in 2024, they said, will be to call Trump a loser, as early and as brutally as possible—and keep pointing out the absurdity of treating a one-term, twice-impeached, 75-year-old former president like a kingmaker and heir apparent.” —Mark Leibovich in The Atlantic

Mark Leibovich is a staff writer at The Atlantic.

MORE: GOP races dominated by MAGA candidates—whether Trump has backed them or not —Newsweek

Focus on voting and elections

There have been eight known attempts to gain unauthorized access to voting systems in five U.S. states since the 2020 election, according to a new Reuters investigation. All of the breaches involved local Republican officeholders or party activists who have advanced Donald Trump’s stolen-election falsehoods or conspiracy theories about rigged voting machines. Experts in voting law say the extent of the violations is unprecedented in modern U.S. elections. Election officials are especially concerned because they break the chain of custody over ballots and tabulating equipment. —Reuters

• Florida. A number of voting rights groups in Florida have filed a legal motion to stop the enforcement of congressional redistricting maps that were designed and signed into law earlier this month by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The groups allege that the new maps are in violation of the “Fair Districts Amendment” in the state constitution, which prohibits political maps from being drawn and instituted if they disenfranchise marginalized communities or purposely favor one political party over another. They are asking a state judge to invalidate the maps for use in this year’s midterm elections. —TruthOut

• New York. New York's highest court on Wednesday rejected new congressional maps that had widely been seen as favoring Democrats. The panel of judges said the maps were gerrymandered, in violation of a 2014 constitutional amendment designed to root out political gamesmanship in redistricting. The judges ruled that a special court master will pass new district maps instead of the Legislature. It will "likely be necessary" to move the state’s primary elections from June to August. —NPR

• Oklahoma. Election security…or voter suppression? Republicans and Democrats in Oklahoma disagree. State Rep. Jim Olsen says HB 2974 and HB 2976 will strengthen election security oversight. HB 2974 directs district attorneys and law enforcement to investigate addresses housing 10 or more registered voters. HB 2976 requires coordination between state and county election boards and court systems on the felon status of registered voters. State Sen. George Young says the measures would discourage voters from participating in elections. —Fox 25

MORE: Michigan Republican resigns from GOP post citing 'delusional lies' —The Detroit News

Bernstein: Democracy is about more than voting

“[F]iguring out how to accept losing—elections, policy debates, even fights over symbols—while still supporting the underlying process turns out to be an extremely important element of democracy. That’s why democratic rituals, such as presidential general-election debates, can be valuable even if they’re worthless in terms of educating voters. It’s why President Donald Trump’s rejection of election rituals—such as conceding defeat, congratulating the winner, and participating in the presidential transition—was such a big deal, even putting aside his overt efforts to overturn the results.” —Jonathan Bernstein in Bloomberg

Jonathan Bernstein is a Bloomberg opinion columnist covering politics and policy. He taught political science at the University of Texas at San Antonio and DePauw University.

Russia plans to ‘shut down' Ukraine democracy

The U.S. accused Russia yesterday of planning to short-circuit Ukrainian democracy by forcing the government from power and dismantling local authorities. U.S. Ambassador Michael Carpenter said in an address to the Vienna-based Organization for Security and Cooperating in Europe that Russian officials and pro-Moscow rebels are developing a new government and new constitution. He said the Kremlin may be preparing "sham referenda" in areas of southern and eastern Ukraine that have been seized since Russia’s invasion began in February in an attempt to legitimize its military action and assert control over these areas. —Reuters

MORE: Sen. Rand Paul faces criticism for his comments on the Russian invasion of Ukraine —NBC News

Ghitis: Russia has created an opportunity for US

“Americans don't have to agree on everything. But to move forward, the country needs to come together on at least two crucial points: that democracy must survive, and that truth must be respected. That consensus is materializing not a moment too soon. Those who worried about a pro-Putin populist winning in France; about Twitter turning into a more powerful weapon for disinformation, hate, and division; and about the fate of Ukraine, have created an opening for responsible, eloquent, and principled political leaders. They must seize the moment and try to bridge the widening divisions that have emerged in the U.S. in order to put it back on a path to becoming a stronger, united, and lasting democracy.” —Frida Ghitis on CNN

Frida Ghitis is an author and world affairs columnist, frequently contributing to CNN, The Washington Post, and World Politics Review. 

It's been about a year and a half since Trump lost the election of 2020. And yet here we are still waiting for all the details of the “stolen election” to emerge. It's coming, just wait. Next week, next month, in a few months. You won't believe it.

Sound, or smell, familiar? Birtherism. Recall that Trump claimed he had sent investigators to Hawaii, and "you would not believe what they are coming up with." No doubt because he sent no one and they didn't come up with anything. “You just wait and you'll see,” we were told over and over. Week after week, month after month. For years. It was a trial run for their lies. Keep the story alive with promises and deadlines that are never met.

And here's the proof that it was and is all about racism. Mr. Obama was an illegitimate president, the birthers falsely claim, because he was not born in the U.S. One of his parents was a U.S. citizen, one was not, but he was born in Kenya and not in the U.S., they say. It all hinges, so goes the claim, on Mr. Obama NOT being born in the U.S.

Then along came 2015. Ted Cruz announced he was running for president. At that very moment, I thought it could not be any clearer and that it would be the nail in the coffin of birtherism. See, one of Ted's parents was a U.S. citizen, one was not. Ted was FOR SURE not born in the U.S. He was born in Canada. The case is too simple. How could birthers support Ted, as many prominent birthers did, and not spew a word about birtherism or his birthplace? How could the media and Democrats NOT pounce on this very simple case to highlight the lies, the hypocrisy, and the pure racism? But they didn't. No one did, no one does even now, as Ted may run again. Where are the birthers? Where are the Democrats and the talking heads?

There is no proof when it comes to birtherism, and there is no proof when it comes to stealing the election. It's like standing up to a bully. Until you do so, they will continually move the line because they are never held accountable. And here we are again, same methods, different topic. The line was just moved to the next lie. —Bill T., Arizona

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