'Culmination of an attempted coup'

The House select committee investigating Jan. 6 started off with a bang in its first public hearing last night. Chair Bennie Thompson led with a solemn reminder of the committee’s task—and ultimately the task for all Americans—to understand the truth of what happened and form a conclusion based on facts and evidence. It was Vice Chair Liz Cheney who then delivered some of that evidence, which we write about in more detail below. Suffice to say, it was a damning indictment of Donald Trump. But in many ways, it reflected nearly as poorly on those around him at that time. It is not news that Trump's own Cabinet debated invoking the 25th Amendment to remove him from office on a number of occasions during his presidency—I was privy to some of those deliberations. Last night we heard that some of Trump’s closest confidants not only knew he lost the election but also saw the 25th Amendment as part of the “playbook” following the attack that Trump incited. So what happened? We look forward to learning more in upcoming hearings. —Miles Taylor, Executive Director, Renew America Movement

Ed. Note: Thanks to all of our Topline readers who participated in RAM’s Unify Challenge this week. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did and found it to be an enriching experience. We'll keep you posted on any future opportunities!

• U.S. inflation hit a new 40-year high last month of 8.6% —Associated Press

• California man charged with attempting to murder Supreme Court justice said he needed ‘psychiatric help’ —CNN

• Biden, at Americas summit, works to hold together a divided region —The Washington Post

• Putin appears to hint at further invasions; Zelensky says Ukrainian forces holding on in the Donbas —CNBC

• U.S. ends COVID-19 test requirement to enter country —Bloomberg

• Uvalde's school district police chief said he intentionally left his radios behind —Insider

• Justice Department opens probe into Louisiana State Police —Associated Press

• Supreme Court allows ‘undated’ Pennsylvania ballots to be counted —The Washington Post

• Crime and homelessness tilted California primaries. What's next? —Los Angeles Times

• U.S. sees heightened extremist threat heading into midterms —Associated Press

‘He summoned the mob, assembled the mob, and lit the match’

The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol began to make its case to the American public in prime time last night. Pointing out the historical nature of the proceedings, the committee’s chair, Rep. Bennie Thompson, remarked in his opening statement, “Jan. 6 and the lies that led to insurrection have put two-and-a-half centuries of constitutional democracy at risk. The world is watching what we do here.” Vice Chair Liz Cheney was more blunt, calling out members of her own party who have gone out of their way to disparage the committee and its work. “Tonight, I say this to my Republican colleagues who are defending the indefensible,” she warned. “There will come a day when Donald Trump is gone, but your dishonor will remain.” Here’s a rundown of some of the key moments of the two-hour hearing. —NPR

• Caroline Edwards: Cheney said Trump had a seven-point plan for overturning the election, the final point of which was to do nothing to stop the violence once the assault on the Capitol began. Capitol Police Ofc. Caroline Edwards testified live about the violence she witnessed, which she compared to a war scene. “I couldn’t believe my eyes,” she said. “There were officers on the ground, they were bleeding, they were throwing up. … I saw friends with blood all over their faces. I was slipping in people’s blood.” Edwards was injured in the attack. —The Washington Post

• Mark Milley: In recorded testimony, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley said only former Vice President Mike Pence delivered orders to send the military and National Guard to the Capitol during the insurrection–not Trump. Pence, of course, was in particular danger, because he refused to take part in the coup. According to Cheney, Trump was aware of the rioters' chants to “hang Mike Pence” and responded, “Maybe our supporters have the right idea. Pence deserves it.” —Reuters

• Nick Quested: British documentary filmmaker Nick Quested, who was following the Proud Boys right-wing extremist group on Jan. 6, also testified live. He described what he witnessed, saying the crowd turned "from protesters, to rioters, to insurrectionists." The committee sees the Proud Boys and other far-right extremist groups as a key part of the coordinated, multi-step effort by Trump to overturn the results of the 2020 election. —ABC News

• Bill Barr: Former Attorney General Bill Barr told investigators in his on-camera deposition that he informed Trump his allegations of election fraud were "bullsh*t.” Others in Trump’s inner circle told him the same, including former campaign adviser Jason Miller and lawyer Alex Cannon. Barr later resigned, and Trump attempted to fill the position with a lackey, Jeffrey Clark, who would participate in his scheme. —NPR

• Ivanka Trump: Barr’s word was enough for White House adviser Ivanka Trump, who testified in a recorded interview, "I respect Attorney General Barr, so I accepted what he was saying." Her father, who earlier yesterday referred to the insurrection as the 'Greatest Movement in the History of Our Country', countered on social media, "Ivanka Trump was not involved in looking at, or studying, Election results. She had long since checked out and was, in my opinion, only trying to be respectful to Bill Barr and his position as Attorney General (he sucked!).” —CNN

• Jared Kushner: Another White House insider who rang alarm bells and threatened to resign over the plot was White House counsel Pat Cipollone. But that didn’t bother former White House adviser and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, who testified that his “interest at that time was on trying to get as many” pardons done as possible. He said he perceived Cipollone’s concerns “as just whining, to be honest with you.” Well then. —The New York Times

• Scott Perry: According to Cheney, “multiple” GOP lawmakers sought one of those precious pardons for their role in the coup plot, including Rep. Scott Perry. Some form of participation in or support for Trump’s scheme is widespread within the party, including among senators and state-level officials as well. Just this week, the FBI arrested Ryan Kelley, GOP candidate for Michigan governor, for his role in the Capitol riot. —Yahoo! News

• Sean Hannity & Kayleigh McEnany: All of this might explain why Republican-leaning Fox News was the only major news network that did not air the hearing last night. It probably didn’t help that one of its own hosts, Sean Hannity, was texting Trump’s press secretary in the wake of the attack and acknowledged with all the others that the election was not stolen, and Trump ought to stop saying it was. Those texts were presented last night. The next hearing will be held on Monday at 10 am ET. Tune in anywhere but Fox News to see it for yourself. —NPR

MORE: Lynn Schmidt: The insurrection comes to prime time television —St. Louis Post-Dispatch

‘We want to try to prevent another Jan. 6’

A bipartisan group of senators working to reform the Electoral Count Act has reached a general agreement and is working on legislative text. Sen. Susan Collins said the group has already drafted language that makes clear the ministerial role of the vice president in counting Electoral College votes. It also raises the threshold for triggering a challenge to a state's slate of electors from one member in each chamber to 20% of the members in each body. The group has also agreed to allow federal grants from the Help America Vote Act to be used for security for poll workers and election officials. Collins said there's "a sense of realism that we need to act this year to get it done.” Stay tuned. —CBS News

MORE: Matthew Weil: The next attack on our democracy could take place at the polls —The Hill

McConaughey: With rights come responsibility 

“Business as usual isn’t working. ‘That’s just how it is’ cannot be an excuse. The heinous bloodshed of innocent people cannot become bearable. If we continue to just stand by, we’re living a lie. With every right there comes a duty. For ourselves, our children, and our fellow Americans—we have a duty to be responsible gun owners. Please do yours and protect the 2nd Amendment through gun responsibility.” —Matthew McConaughey in Austin American-Statesman

Matthew McConaughey is an actor, the founder of the just keep livin Foundation, and a native of Uvalde, Texas.

MORE: Gun restriction bill passes House with support of five Republicans —Newsweek

Mary Anna Mancuso's June 7 column on the impending public hearings by the Jan. 6 committee was on the mark. Let’s also remember: the committee’s investigative results will be based on sworn testimony and affidavits given under penalty of perjury. This is a vital evidentiary standard that sets the proceedings apart from the narratives peddled by social media or fostered by algorithms intended to drive advertising revenue. The public will do well to consider this an important civics lesson for preserving the Republic. —Steve J., Pennsylvania

The Republican primary in Mississippi’s 4th District is a perfect example of how RAM needs to coalesce into a more tangible party. There are six people running against “divider” incumbent Rep. Palazzo. Without a single alternate candidate to support, all protest votes against him are useless, as he only has to win 1/7 of the votes to keep his seat. As much as I would love a nonpartisan Congress, I think we practically need to band together more formally. —Will C., Mississippi

Republican "celebrities" who previously ran for office usually had records of civic accomplishment before their first electoral attempt. Before Ronald Reagan ran for governor of California, he had been both the head of the Screen Actors Guild (albeit as a liberal Democrat) and a long-time speaker on behalf of conservative causes. Congressman and 1996 vice presidential candidate Jack Kemp was both head of the National Football League players union (where he demanded corporate sponsors offer Black athletes the same career training opportunities as White athletes) and an aide in the Reagan gubernatorial administration.

Contrast this with Utah Congressman Burgess Owens and Georgia Senatorial candidate Herschel Walker, who bring nothing to the table beyond name recognition for playing football. If this is the new Republican Party playbook for victory, should we really be surprised if in 2024 the GOP asks Americans to elect President Kardashian? —Jim V., New York

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 Renew America Foundation.