Cleveland Grover Meredith Jr. (images via social media) Some news items you might have missed: • NY Times: Cleveland Grover Meredith Jr. (above) was charged with threatening Nancy Pelosi, the House speaker, after he traveled to Washington for the pro-Trump rally on Wednesday and sent a text message saying he would put “a bullet in her noggin on Live TV.” Meredith had been staying at a Holiday Inn in Washington and had weapons in his camper-style trailer, including a Glock handgun, a pistol, a Tavor X95 assault rifle and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. • Instinct Magazine: A reboot of Sex and the City is officially a go on HBO Max. Titled And Just Like That… the show will star Sarah Jessica Parker (Carrie Bradshaw), Cynthia Nixon (Miranda Hobbes) and Kristin Davis (Charlotte York Goldenblatt). Kim Cattrall, who played Samantha Jones in the original series, will not be returning. A scene from Sex and the City • OUT: Beauty and the Beast star Luke Evans confirmed that he has split from his art director boyfriend Rafael Olarra. He also opened up about his desire to start a family, and said that maybe the time is right to start a family on his own. • Newsweek: An insurrectionist photographed hanging from the balcony of the Senate Chamber has begged for forgiveness, saying he got “caught up in the moment.” Josiah Colt, from Boise, Idaho, said his actions had been inappropriate and that he had not intended to “stain on our great Country’s Democratic process.” Colt took to social media to brag about his rampage through the Capitol.
• Washington Post: The organizers of the PGA Championship canceled plans to hold the event at President Trump’s Bedminster, N.J., golf club in 2022 in the wake of last week’s Trump-inspired riot at the U.S. Capitol. • CNN: Two Capitol Police officers have been suspended and another person has been arrested for their alleged involvement in the riot on Jan. 6, said Rep. Tim Ryan, who is chair of the House Appropriations subcommittee handling the investigation into the police response to the Capitol attack last week. “One was the selfie officer and another was an officer that put a MAGA hat on that started directing some people around,” the lawmaker said. Capitol Police officer takes selfie during invasion of U.S. Capitol • Miami Herald: Adam Christian Johnson, the man captured in viral photo carrying Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lectern from House chambers during the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, has been arrested. He has been charged for numerous offenses including one count of theft of government property. • Fox News: In a rather odd exchange, Trump campaign national press secretary Hogan Gidley was asked by Fox anchor Bill Hemmer if Donald Trump feels “emasculated” after being kicked off social media. Gidley answered: “I wouldn’t say emasculated. The most masculine person I think to ever hold the White House is the president of the United States.” #OhReally?
Fox News Anchor Bill Hemmer asks Trump National Press Secretary Hogan Gidley if the president feels emasculated from “the social media crackdown.” pic.twitter.com/lIirtRXWhN
UPDATE: USA Today has fact-checked this and determined the man in the video was asked to deplane for violating the airline’s mask requirement, not because he was on a no-fly list.
In the aftermath of the insurrectionist violence perpetrated on the U.S. Capitol this past week, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, issued a statement asking the TSA and FBI add all identified individuals involved in the attack to the federal No-Fly list and keep them off planes. In the video below, it looks like one of the ‘identified individuals’ had just been informed he was not going to flying the friendly skies any time soon. Says the invasion participant: “[Unintelligible] every single one of you! That’s what they do to us! They kicked me off a plane and called me a fucking terrorist! They want to fucking ruin my life!” No doll, you did that yourself. Actions have consequences. As one commenter wrote, it’s amazing that “they thought they could fly to DC, sleep in a hotel, stage a riot/insurrection, go back to the hotel, drink in the bar, sleep overnight, then fly back home – like it was no different than a trip to Comic-Con.” The hashtag #NoFlyList began trending shortly after this hit the Twitterverse. I’ve added a few more of the ‘fine people’ who found themselves banned thanks to their own actions.
People who broke into the Capitol Wednesday are now learning they are on No-Fly lists pending the full investigation. They are not happy about this. pic.twitter.com/5GfHo1eVU8
It amazes me that they thought they could fly to DC, sleep in a hotel, stage a riot/insurrection, go back to the hotel, drink in the bar, sleep overnight, then fly back home – like it was no different than a trip to Comic-Con. These people have no idea of the hell they unleashed
The only way these MAGA extremists have any hope of being deprogrammed is by having to face legal consequences for their behavior and/or being publicly shamed. Nothing else seems to work. Generally though it seems they are a lost cause, lost to the cult.
[Morgan Freeman as the Narrator]: “Bob believed the reaction to his attempt to overthrow the government was a little overblown. Little did Bob know, he was about to get a visit from the FBI.”
Kevin Greeson (image via Parler) Some news items you might have missed: • Snopes: The venerable fact-checking site says there’s no truth to the rumors that a Trump supporter tasered himself in the balls causing a heart attack. Kevin Greeson (above) has been confirmed as one of the five people who died during the invasion of the U.S. Capitol, but his wife said he did not have a taser. • New York Times: House Democrats intend to introduce articles of impeachment against Donald Trump for his role in the insurrection against Congress if he refuses to resign. • Deadline: The final show featuring longtime Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek aired Friday, and a special tribute at the end of it captures everything that audiences loved about the man. In a video montage, Trebek jokes, banters with contestants, and generally delivers the same warm, naturally smooth, humble and reassuring presence that guided his performances through 36 years.
• Wall Street Journal: White House officials pushed Atlanta’s top federal prosecutor to resign before Georgia’s U.S. Senate runoffs because Donald Trump was upset he wasn’t doing enough to investigate the president’s unproven claims of election fraud. A senior Justice Department official, at the behest of the White House, called Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney Byung J. Pak and told him he needed to step down because he wasn’t pursuing vote-fraud allegations to Mr. Trump’s satisfaction. • Business Insider: Top aides have said Trump has been spiraling out of control for weeks, but now he’s directed much of his ire toward his heretofore loyal vice president. A source told The Wall Street Journal that the president was furious, telling Pence: “I don’t want to be your friend — I want you to be the vice president.” • Billboard: Taylor Swift’s Folklore finishes 2020 as the top-selling album of the year in the U.S., and the only album to sell at least a million copies during the year, according to MRC Data. Plus, the superstar has now claimed the top-selling album of the year five times — becoming the first act to earn the honor.
Derrick Evans (photo: West Virginia legislature) A West Virginia lawmaker resigns as he faces federal charges for taking part in the invasion of the U.S. Capitol this week. Derrick Evans, who was recently sworn in as a member of West Virginia’s House of Delegates, has resigned in a short statement. “I hereby resign as a member of the House of Delegates, effective immediately,” Evans wrote in a one-page letter. From the Justice Department:
Derrick Evans, 35, of West Virginia, was charged with one count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; and one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol Grounds. Evans was taken into custody Friday.
It is alleged that on Jan. 6, 2021, Evans, a recently elected member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, streamed live to his Facebook page a video of himself joining and encouraging a crowd unlawfully entering the U.S. Capitol. In the video, Evans is allegedly seen crossing the threshold of the doorway into the U.S. Capitol and shouting, “We’re in, we’re in! Derrick Evans is in the Capitol!”
Initially, Evans denied the allegations that he was part of the violent mob that broke into the Capitol building, but his own video footage shows differently. As late as Friday, Evans told the press that would not resign. The House released a lengthier statement from Evans that expressed regret for his actions.
“I take full responsibility for my actions, and deeply regret any hurt, pain or embarrassment I may have caused my family, friends, constituents and fellow West Virginians.
“I hope this action I take today can remove any cloud of distraction from the state Legislature, so my colleagues can get to work in earnest building a brighter future for our state. And more importantly, I hope it helps to begin the healing process, so we can all move forward and come together as ‘One Nation, Under God.’”
Five people died during the riot including a Capitol Police officer. Think about all the time and effort he put into running for office, all the people who worked on his behalf and donated money, all so he could go act like a fool and piss it all away.
Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick (image via 6ABC Philly) From the New York Times:
A United States Capitol Police officer died Thursday night from injuries sustained when he engaged with a pro-Trump mob that descended on the U.S. Capitol the day before.
Officer Brian D. Sicknick died at about 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, the Capitol Police said in a statement. He had been with the agency since 2008.
Mr. Sicknick was responding to the riots on Wednesday and “was injured while physically engaging with protesters,” the agency’s statement said, although officials didn’t immediately elaborate on the nature of his injuries or how he interacted with the crowd. After sustaining the injuries, Mr. Sicknick returned to his division office, collapsed, and was taken to the hospital.
In another article, the New York Times reports that Sicknick was struck by a fire extinguisher during the bedlam at the Capitol. Officer Sicknick is the 5th person to die amid the hideous events that took place on Wednesday. He is the 4th Capitol Police officer to be killed in the history of the force.
Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund tendered his resignation on Thursday after several congressional leaders demanded answers to the epic failure to protect the Capitol building.
Stunning >> MULTITUDE of officers line the front of the Capitol in silence, honoring fallen US Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick… Rest In Peace#breaking@WUSA9@CBSNewspic.twitter.com/swKVbSKcQe
The death of Brian D. Sicknick, the US Capitol Police Officer reportedly bludgeoned with a fire extinguisher during the siege of the Capitol, will be investigated as a homicide. https://t.co/0N7vWkThbd
After hours of violent insurrection by mobs of MAGA cultists, Donald Trump asked his cultists who violently breached the U.S. Capitol to go home while still pushing his baseless claims of election fraud.
I know your pain. I know you’re hurt. We had an election that was stolen from us. It was a landslide election. And everyone knows it. Especially the other side.
But you have to go home now. We have to have peace. We have to have law and order. We have to respect our great people in law and order. We don’t want anybody hurt.
It’s a very tough period of time. There’s never been a time like this, where such a thing happened, where they could take it away from all of us. From me, from you, from our country. This was a fraudulent election. But we can’t play into the hands of these people. We have to have peace.
So go home. We love you. You’re very special. You’ve seen what happens. You see the way others are treated that are so bad and so evil. I know how you feel. But go home and go home in peace.
As you can see, Twitter tagged the video for its “disputed claim of voter fraud.”
Prior to Trump’s video, President-elect Joe Biden issued his own message calling on Trump to call off the domestic terrorists. “I call on President Trump to go on national television now to fulfill his oath and defend the Constitution and demand an end to this siege,” Mr. Biden said from Wilmington, Delaware. Biden urged the insurrectionists to end what was effectively an armed occupation of the Capitol. Biden also called out Trump for not speaking out against the violence. “At their best, the words of a president can inspire. At their worst, they can incite,” said Biden. “This is not dissent. It’s disorder. It’s chaos. It borders on sedition, and it must end now. I call on this mob to pull back and allow the work of democracy to go forward.”
BREAKING: President-elect Joe Biden: “At this hour, our democracy is under unprecedented assault.”
