January 6 Committee Releases Final Report

The House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6^th Attack on the United States Capitol released its full final report Thursday night. You can read it here: https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/23514956/the-full-january-6-committee-report-text.pdf

The committee also released select materials earlier Thursday, including interviews from last September with star witness Cassidy Hutchinson, a White House aide to former President Trump and his chief of staff, Mark Meadows, in which Hutchinson was supplied a “pro-bono” attorney from “Trump world” who told her to downplay her role in, and knowledge of, the events surrounding the insurrection as, essentially, a secretary.

“You really have nothing to do with this,” the attorney told Hutchinson. “It’s Mark’s (Meadows) fault that you’re even involved in this. We’re completely happy to be taking care of you now. We had no idea you weren’t being taken care of last year. So we’re really happy that you reached back out to us. But the less you remember the better.”

Hutchinson found a different attorney to represent her in the investigation.

Comment in this column or on the right, or email editors@thehustings.news.

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Investing in Ukraine

UPDATE -- The House can go home now. That is, those who served as proxy for colleagues who weren't present for the House of Representative's 225-201 vote approving the $1.7-trillion omnibus spending bill, (The Washington Post) which now proceeds to the White House for President Biden's signature. The bill consists of $858 billion in defense spending and $773 billion in domestic spending.

Senate Passes Long-Term Spending Bill – The Senate passed the $1.7-trillion omnibus spending bill, 68-29, to fund the federal government through September 2023 and avert a shutdown deadline of midnight Friday. The bill includes $45 billion in military and economic aid to Ukraine, which is $8 billion higher than President Biden’s request.

The bill also reforms the Electoral Count Act of 1887 to prevent another January 6 by making the counting of Electoral College votes ceremonial.

No Charity Case -- Three-hundred days after Vladimir Putin’s Russia invaded his country, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told a joint session of U.S. Congress Wednesday evening that “Against all odds, Ukraine didn’t fall. …

“Ukraine is alive and kicking. … We defeated Russia in the battle for minds of the world. We have no fear, nor should anyone in the world have it. Ukrainians gained this victory, and it gives us courage which inspires the entire world.

“Americans gained this victory, and that’s why you have succeeded in uniting the global community to protect freedom and international law. Europeans gained this victory, and that’s why Europe is now stronger and more independent than ever. The Russian tyranny has lost control over us. And it will never influence our minds again.”

“Next year,” Zelenskyy said, “will be a turning point.” This, in spite of the Russian army using a cold winter as a weapon against the people of Ukraine and Putin showing no sign of giving up even as a reported estimate of 100,000 of his troops have been killed or have deserted.

“Your money is not charity,” Zelenskyy said. “It’s an investment in the global security and democracy that we handle in the most responsible way.”

The Biden administration announced Wednesday it is sending the advanced MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile system to Ukraine as part of a $1.8-billion package announced just ahead of Zelenskyy’s arrival in Washington, D.C., where he met with Biden and other officials ahead of his address to Congress.

--Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa

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COMMENTS: editors@thehustings.news

Bipartisan Support, Except for MAGA

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s plea for continued financial and military aid for his country’s defense from Russia was met with complete bipartisan support on Capitol Hill – almost. Then there are the MAGA Republicans, whose blatant backing of Vladmir Putin underscores their leader Donald J. Trump’s allegiance to the Russian dictator.

Retiring Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) called out two MAGA Republicans on Twitter: “I couldn’t imagine looking at myself in the mirror if I was @mattgaetz or @laurenboebert. Smugly sat on their hands while history was made and a real hero addressed us. Imagine caring more about performance art than real human issues.”

Conversely, Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) tweeted, “No more blank checks to Ukraine,” echoing would-be future House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who repeated his opposition to “blank checks” after calling Zelenskyy’s address, “Good speech.” (Washington Examiner.)

New York’s Daily News reports that Twitter deleted a tweet by Donald Trump Jr. with a faked picture of a naked Hunter Biden and calling Zelenskyy a “welfare queen.” The irony of Donald Trump Sr. withholding aid to Ukraine three years ago after a “perfect phone call” from which Zelenskyy declined to “investigate” Hunter Biden apparently was lost on Jr.

But in the Senate, Republican support appeared more solid, far-less MAGA, with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell backing the $45-billion package for Ukraine included in the omnibus budget passed Thursday.

And Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) tweeted: “Gr8 to be present for historic Zelenskyy speech Americans & Ukrainians partners for democracy Zelenskyy made that very clear.”

Comment in this column or on the left, or email editors@thehustings.news.

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Is Our Democracy Sufficiently Guarded?

By Ken Zino

The House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol alleges that four criminal statutes were defied by Trump. The committee unanimously voted to refer the former president for prosecution to the Justice Department. Among their charges is aiding an insurrection -- an effort to hold Trump directly accountable for his supporters who stormed the Capitol.

“In structuring our investigation and hearings, we began with President Trump’s contentions that the election was stolen and took testimony from nearly all of the president’s principal advisors on this topic. We focused on the rulings of more than 60 federal and state courts rejecting President Trump’s and his supporters’ efforts to reverse the electoral outcome”, the committee said in the executive summary.

“Despite the rulings of these courts, we understood that millions of Americans still lack the information necessary to understand and evaluate what President Trump has told them about the election. For that reason, our hearings featured a number of members of President Trump’s inner circle refuting his fraud claims and testifying that the election was not in fact stolen.”… Even key individuals … ultimately admitted that they lacked actual evidence sufficient to change the election result, and they admitted that what they were attempting was unlawful,” the committee said.

This Begs Questions

The biggest one: “Is the Justice Department Properly Named?” The answer to that lies in the future – maybe distant at DOJ’s pace -- when it acts or refuses to act on an overwhelming body of evidence that Trump is a criminal. Given the devastating case the 1/6 committee assembled means the given name “Justice” is in doubt in my mind.

How about the “Ethics Committee” of Congress?

The 1/6 committee subpoenaed several members, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Reps. Jim Jordan, Scott Perry, and Andy Biggs to obtain information related to the investigation.

The Committee noted “Representative McCarthy privately confided in colleagues that President Trump accepted some responsibility for the attack on the Capitol…

…“Jordan was a significant player in President Trump’s efforts. He participated in numerous post-election meetings in which senior White House officials, Rudolph Giuliani, and others, discussed strategies for challenging the election, chief among them claims that the election had been tainted by fraud.”…

“Rep. Perry was also involved in early post-election messaging strategy. Both Reps. Jordan and Perry were involved in discussions with White House officials about Vice President Pence’s role on January 6th as early as November 2020…

“Rep. Biggs was involved in numerous elements of President Trump’s efforts to contest the election results … Biggs texted Mark Meadows, urging him to ‘encourage the state legislatures to appoint fake electors … Rep. Biggs told Meadows not to let President Trump concede his loss. Between then (December 2020) and January 6^th … Biggs coordinated with Arizona State Rep. Mark Finchem to gather signatures from Arizona lawmakers endorsing fake Trump electors. He also contacted fake Trump electors … seeking evidence related to voter fraud …

“To date, none of the subpoenaed members has complied with either voluntary or compulsory requests for participation” the 1/6 committee said. “The rules of the House of Representatives make clear that their willful noncompliance violates multiple standards of conduct and subjects them to discipline. Willful non-compliance with compulsory congressional committee subpoenas by House members violates the spirit and letter of House Rule XXIII, Clause 1, which requires House members to conduct themselves “at all times in a manner that shall reflect creditably on the House.” As a previous version of the House Ethics Manual explained, this catchall provision encompasses “flagrant’ violations of the law that reflect on ‘Congress as a whole,’ and that might otherwise go unpunished,” the committee said.

Well, awaiting action if any by the alleged Ethics Committee means it is only a temporary moniker to me. Is it really worthy of the name?

I’m hoping that the Institutions guarding our Democracy are called what they really are.

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What's Next?

Just in time before the Democratic Party hands over a thin majority of the House of Representatives to the Republican Party’s thin majority in the 118^th Congress, the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6^th Attack on the United States Capitol has issued four criminal referrals to the Justice Department.

It is now in the hands of the DOJ’s special counsel, Jack Smith, appointed in November. Smith already has subpoenaed state and local officials in Georgia, New Mexico, Nevada, Michigan, Arizona, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, the seven states targeted by ex-President Trump’s allies in their attempt to overturn President Biden’s victory. Oh, and, there’s also that issue of confidential government documents seized from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago by the FBI on the special counsel’s plate.

So, happy 2023. Where do you think this is going? Enter your thoughts in the Comment section below or in the right column if more appropriate, or email editors@thehustings.news.

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Four Criminal Referrals for Trump

By Todd Lassa

The House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6^th Attack on the United States Capitol has issued to the Justice Department four referrals for criminal charges against former President Donald J. Trump over attempts to overturn the 2020 election. The charges did not include seditious conspiracy, the charges for which two Oath Keepers, including founder Stewart Rhodes III, were found guilty last month for their involvement in the attack.

The charges are: I.) Obstruction of an official proceeding; II.) Conspiracy to Defraud the United States; III.) Conspiracy to Make a False Statement; and IV.) “Incite,” “Assist,” “Aid or Comfort” an insurrection.

The fourth referral, if prosecuted by the Justice Department, would prevent Trump from running for any federal or state office.

“He is unfit for any office,” committee Vice Chairwoman Liz Cheney (R-WY) said.

John Eastman, the attorney who allegedly advised Trump that Vice President Mike Pence could reject the Electoral College results on January 6, also was named in the referrals. All referrals may be applied to “others” identified in the Justice Department’s investigation, panel member Adam Schiff (D-CA) noted in comments to reporters after the hearing.

Additionally, four Congress members will be referred to the House Ethics Committee for ignoring subpoenas to testify before the 1/6 committee, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) said. They are Reps. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Scott Perry (R-PA), Roll Call reports. A fifth, Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) is retiring and was left out of the referrals.

The House Ethics Committee currently has four Democratic and four Republican members, NPR says, and is unlikely to take actions against the four members before a new Congress convenes next month.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) said the panel has evidence of attempted witness tampering. An attorney for Trump told a witness to say under testimony that she didn’t “retain facts” and in exchange would be offered a job that “would make her very comfortable.”

In his post-hearing comments, Schiff said there was evidence that some witnesses may not have been completely forthright with the committee. Asked whether the panel has evidence backing star witness Cassidy Hutchinson’s second-hand testimony that Trump physically attacked a Secret Service agent who would not drive him to the Capitol as the insurrection began

https://thehustings.news/surprise-witness-cassidy-hutchinson/

Schiff said; “I found Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony to be entirely credible and I leave it to you to assess the witness’ credibility.”

The 1/6 committee released the first part of its final report here:

https://january6th.house.gov/report-executive-summary

The panel will release the full report before the end of this year, Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS) said.

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COMMENTS: editors@thehustings.news

Bad FanFic

By Stephen Macaulay

Let’s review:

“Beginning election night and continuing through January 6^th and thereafter, Donald Trump purposely disseminated false allegations of fraud related to the 2020 Presidential election in order to aid his effort to overturn the election and for purposes of soliciting contributions. . . .
“. . . Donald Trump refused to accept the lawful result of the 2020 election. Rather than honor his constitutional obligation to ‘take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed,’ President Trump instead plotted to overturn the election outcome.
“. . . Donald Trump corruptly pressured Vice President Mike Pence to refuse to count electoral votes during Congress’s joint session on January 6th.
“Donald Trump sought to corrupt the U.S. Department of Justice. . . .
“. . . Donald Trump unlawfully pressured State officials and legislators to change the results of the election in their States.
“Donald Trump oversaw an effort to obtain and transmit false electoral certificates to Congress and the National Archives.
“Donald Trump pressured Members of Congress to object to valid slates of electors from several States.
“Donald Trump purposely verified false information filed in Federal court.
“. . . Donald Trump summoned tens of thousands of supporters to Washington for January 6^th. . . . Donald Trump instructed them to march to the Capitol on January 6^th to ‘take back’ their country.
“Knowing that a violent attack on the Capitol was underway and knowing that his words would incite further violence, Donald Trump purposely sent a social media message publicly condemning Vice President Pence. . . .
“. . . Donald Trump refused repeated requests over a multiple hour period that he instruct his violent supporters to disperse and leave the Capitol, and instead watched the violent attack unfold on television. . . .
“Each of these actions by Donald Trump was taken in support of a multi-part conspiracy to overturn the lawful results of the 2020 Presidential election.”

Those are just highlights of what the January 6 Committee identified.

Consider this: last week Donald Trump said he was going to be making a “major announcement.” The former president of the United States announced what amount to digital playing cards. The images of the overweight, 76-year-old with a bad combover, were of him as a superhero, astronaut, fighter pilot. Is this guy 76 or 6?

That NFT folly goes a long way to explaining the man’s behavior before, during and after January 6.

He lost. He denied it. He was told he lost. He denied it. And the responsible people said that he was wrong. And so he tried to tear the whole thing down.

Have you visited a kindergarten classroom. . . ?

The NFTs sold out. The people who bought them and who weren’t being ironic are, like Trump, not to be convinced that he isn’t some sort of buff superhero, physical reality notwithstanding.

They are not going to be convinced otherwise.

He may be convinced otherwise should the Justice Department act on the January 6 Committee referrals.

He probably wouldn’t look as much an action-hero in an orange jumpsuit.

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Pence: Don't Charge Trump

The Justice Department should not bring charges against ex-President Trump related to the January 6^th attack on the U.S. Capitol – the one where rioters chanted “hang Mike Pence” when he refused to deny the Electoral College Count – ex-Vice President Mike Pence said on Fox News.

“Congress has no formal role in Justice Department decisions and they can make recommendations today,” Pence told America’s Newsroom. Though Pence, whose book So Help Me God was released in November, has not announced a bid for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, yet, he is considered a likely candidate and currently runs a distant third in Republican polls behind Trump – who has announced – and first-place Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who also has not announced, yet.

What do you think of Pence’s comments? Hit the Comment box in this column or if more appropriate, the one in the left column, or email editors@thehustings.news.

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Musk’s Twitter Suspends Journalists

Twitter has suspended the accounts of several journalist who cover the social media site and its new owner, Elon Musk. The seven-day suspensions are on journalists who cover a site that tracks private jet traffic, including those of Musk, NPR’s All Things Considered has reported.

The suspended journalists include Aaron Rupar, CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan, The New York Times’ Ryan Mac, The Washington Post’s Drew Harwell and the Intercept’s Micah Lee.

•••

Scroll down this column with the trackbar on the far-right to read Ken Zino’s column on Donald J. Trump’s demand the Constitution be suspended in order to re-instate him as president, “Truth Social Tells the Seditionist Truth.”

Go to Page 2 to read Zino’s column on Oath Keepers chief Stewart Rhodes’ conviction for seditious conspiracy in the January 6 Capitol insurrection, “Oath Keepers Done – Trump Next?”

Also, be sure to read Zino’s commentary, “Biden Outfoxes Republicans on the Economy … Again.” Click on The Gray Area.

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COMMENTS: editors@thehustings.news

…meanwhile…

One-Week CR Passed – The Senate approved a one-week continuing resolution to keep the federal government open to Friday, December 23 (Roll Call). Appropriations committee leaders sent final spending allocations to twelve subcommittees to prepare a huge omnibus spending package to be unveiled Monday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Defense: The Senate has sent the $858-billion National Defense Authorization Act to President Biden’s desk for signature, NPR reports. The bill is $45 billion, or about 5% more than Biden’s request, and includes a provision rescinding a 2021 provision requiring troops to be vaccinated for the coronavirus unless they have a religious or medical exemption, Roll Call says.

The bicameral NDAA, passed by the House December 8, is about 10% higher than last year’s defense bill, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

--TL

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(November’s annual Consumer Price Index eased to 7.1%, according to the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. Scroll down with the center-column trackbar for details.)

Fed Hikes Key Interest Rate by Half-Point – The Federal Reserve increased its key short term rate Wednesday by 0.5 percentage points, its seventh increase of the year and following three straight 0.75-point hikes, in its effort to curb inflation (AP). The rate now ranges from 4.25% to 4.5%, highest in 15 years.

More to Come: The Fed further signaled another 0.75-point increase would come before it holds the rate steady at 5-5.25% through the end of 2023. High interest rates seem to be taking hold, with the Consumer Price Index having eased from a high of 9.1% in June to 7.1% in November, though there are still fears the U.S. economy is heading for a recession to potentially spoil the Fed’s efforts for a “soft landing.”

•••

Appropriations, (Almost) Just in Time – Congress has until December 16 to pass a Fiscal Year 2023 appropriations bill to avoid a federal government shutdown, but that won’t happen by midnight Friday. The House and Senate were expected to pass a stopgap spending bill Wednesday to extend the deadline right up to Friday, December 23, and there is a lot of bipartisan support – at least among more seasoned Republican senators – to assure it will happen just before Christmas, extending funding to next September.

Senate Appropriations Chairman Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT) issued a statement late Tuesday, per Roll Call that negotiators had “reached a bipartisan, bicameral framework that should allow us to finish an omnibus appropriations bill that can pass the House and Senate and be signed into law by the president.”

Senate Appropriations ranking member Richard Shelby (R-AL) and House Appropriations Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) released similar statements, and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) told WBUR public radio’s Here & Now that shutting down the government and restarting it to make a point (or political points) is costlier than negotiating with the majority Democrats.

•••

Respect for Marriage Act Signed – We’d be remiss in failing to mention President Biden not just signing, but celebrating the Respect for Marriage Act Tuesday at the White House. The bipartisan bill protects same-sex marriage and interracial marriage from the Supreme Court after last summer’s overturning of Roe v. Wade. Among the bill’s compromises made to assure bipartisan support is that it assures same-sex marriages are recognized in all states, but does not require all states to legalize same-sex marriage ceremonies, according to Jezebel.

Republican Senators who Voted ‘Yay’: Per The New York Times, the Republicans who voted with Democrats to assure passage of the Respect for Marriage Act are Roy Blunt (MO), Richard Burr (NC), Shelley Moore Capito (WV), Susan Collins (ME), Joni Ernst (IA), Cynthia Lummis (WV), Lisa Murkowski (AK), Dan Sullivan (AK), Rob Portman (OH), Mitt Romney (UT), Thom Tillis (NC) and Todd Young (IN).

--TL

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November CPI Eases to 7.1%

(WED 12/13/22)

The Consumer Price Index rose 0.1% in November the Labor Department reports, to an annual rate of 7.1%. The Washington Postdescribes the rate, down from 7.7% in October, as “another sign of inflation easing.” It is the smallest increase since December 2021, the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics says.

Food, up 0.5%, and shelter, up 0.6%, more than offset a 1.6% decrease in energy prices, according to the BLS. Economists were expecting a monthly increase of 0.3%, compared to the actual increase of 0.1%, MSNBC’s Morning Joe reports.

Gas Prices: AAA says the national average for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline was $3.245 Tuesday morning. That’s down from an all-time high of $5.016 per gallon just last June 14.

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Bro Currency or Crypto-Ponzi? – In other business/economic news, the Securities and Exchange Commission has accused FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried of defrauding investors. SBF was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in the Bahamas, where cryptocurrency firm FTX is headquartered. Up to 1 million investors in FTX may be harmed by the firm’s collapse, The Washington Post reports.

--Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa

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COMMENTS: editors@thehustings.news

Poll: Republicans Favor DeSantis Over Trump

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis leads ex-President Trump in a Wall Street Journal poll of Republican voters and their primary preferences, by 52% to 38%. The poll finds DeSantis’ favorable ratings among Republican voters at 86%, to 74% for Trump.

•••

Scroll down this column with the trackbar on the far-right to read Stephen Macaulay’s column on Donald J. Trump’s demand the Constitution be suspended in order to re-instate him as president, “Angels & Delirium.”

[Hint: If you haven’t read our pundit-at-large until now, he leans conservative, and he is a never-Trumper.]

Go to Page 2 to read Macaulay’s column on Oath Keepers chief Stewart Rhodes’ conviction for seditious conspiracy in the January 6 Capitol insurrection, “One of These Days…”.

This is not social media, this is civil media.

COMMENTS: editors@thehustings.news.

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What’s Left

What are your thoughts about Sen. Krysten Sinema’s (I-AZ) departure from the Democratic Party? Will the party find a strong candidate to run against her in 2024?

Which criminal referrals with the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6^th Attack on the United States Capitol recommend to the Justice Department after its Sunday, December 11, meeting?

These news items and issues are up for discussion here and in the right-column Comments section, or by emailing editors@thehustings.news.

Also in the left column: Ken Zino on “Truth Social Tells the Seditionist Truth,” on this page, and “Oath Keepers Done – Trump Next?” on Page 2.

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…meanwhile…

Sinema Goes Indy – Sen. Krysten Sinema (pictured), formerly (D-AZ) is now Sen. Krysten Sinema (I-AZ) thus bringing the formal Democratic-to-Republican ratio down. Technically, the count is now 48 Democrats to 49 Republicans, with Sinema joining Sens. Angus King, of Maine, and Bernie Sanders, of Vermont, as registered independents.

However … King and Sanders caucus with Democrats, which gave the president’s party a 51-49 majority after Sen. Raphael Warnock’s re-election victory in Georgia December 6, but before Sinema’s announcement. Sinema told CNN she will not caucus with the Republicans, though her shift will affect negotiations between Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Republicans over makeup of the committees. According to The Washington Post, Sinema has voted with President Biden 90% of the time.

Quote: “Registering as an independent and showing up to work with the title of independent is a reflection of who I’ve always been and it’s a reflection of who Arizona is. We don’t line up to do what we’re told. We do what’s right for our state and our country. I’m going to be the same person I’ve always been.” – Sinema in a video announcing her departure from the Democratic Party.

Assignments: Sinema sits on four Senate committees; Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs, Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs, Commerce, Science & Transportation, and Veterans’ Affairs.

•••

January 6 Panel’s Due Dates – Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-SC), says the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6^th Attack on the United States Capitol will release its final report Wednesday, December 21. The panel has scheduled 1 p.m. Sunday, December 11, to discuss criminal referrals to the Department of Justice.

--Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa

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COMMENTS: editors@thehustings.news

What’s Right

Can the Republican Party retake the Senate through attrition? Will the GOP support Sen. Krysten Sinema’s (I-AZ) re-election attempt in two years? How long will West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin remain a Democrat?

Is the GOP finally done with ex-President Trump?

These news items and issues are up for discussion here and in the left-column Comments section, or by emailing editors@thehustings.news.

Also in the right column: Stephen Macaulay on “Oath Keepers Done – Trump Next?” on this page, and “One of These Days …” on Page 2.

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Journalism Competition and Preservation Act This Month?

The Journalism Competition and Preservation Act of 2022, S. 673, which would create a four-year safe harbor from antitrust trust laws for print, broadcast, or digital news companies to collectively negotiate with online contributors, is on-deck to be added to the National Defense Authorization Act this month. Meta, owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, is “staunchly opposed” to S. 673, according to Punchbowl News, which notes that the NDAA, passed every year for six decades, is “a real mess at the moment.”

The $857.9-billion NDAA is expected to take a full week for a vote on the Senate floor. Other expected riders include the Electoral Count Reform Act and Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) permitting reform bill. The Safe Banking Act, which would allow financial institutions to handle cannabis-related businesses already has been removed from the NDAA, despite bipartisan support.

Shameless Plug: As a media outlet, we support the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act, and think it is time for print, broadcast and digital news to extricate themselves from social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

Voice your own Comment in the box in this column or the one on the right, or email editors@thehustings.news.

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Griner Released in Swap

WNBA star Brittney Griner, detained August 4 at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport and later charged with possession of cannabis, has been freed from a Russian penal colony in an apparent prisoner swap with the U.S., and is on her way home, NPR reports.

“Moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner,” President Biden announced in a tweet (above, with Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner and with Vice President Harris in the left photo). “She is safe. She is on a plane. She is on her way home.”

Griner is being swapped in a one-on-one for “notorious arms dealer” Viktor Bout, who has been held in a U.S. prison for 12 years, the BBC reports. The U.S State Department continues to negotiate for release of Paul Whelan, businessman and former Marine who has been held in a Russian prison for nearly four years.

•••

German Government Contains its January 6 – German authorities arrested 25 people, including neo-Nazis and monarchists, suspected of planning to overthrow the government by storming the Bundestag in Berlin, Wednesday morning. Allegedly fueled by QAnon conspiracy theories, among those detained include “Prince Heinrich XIII”, a descendant of the German nobility that was abolished by the Weimar Republic after World War I, and active soldier and former members of police and elite special forces, The New York Times reports. A group known as the Reich Citizens Movement has pushed for reinstatement of the German monarchy for years.

NPR reporter Esme Nicholson describe on All Things Considered those detained as “not angry young men with shaved heads and black boots” but as doctors, lawyers and teachers – reminiscent of many of the 900+ arrested for the January 6 Capitol insurrection, including Yale Law School graduate and Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes III, who was found guilty of seditious conspiracy last month.

Organizers of the movement apparently contacted Vladimir Putin ahead of the attempted coup, but there is no indication the Russian president responded.

Meanwhile, in SCOTUS: The U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday heard arguments over the “Independent State Legislature” theory, a controversial neo-republican (small “r” intended doctrine that would give individual state legislatures the right to set “all manner of election rules and laws without review by state courts,” according to NPR’s Nina Totenburg.

The case, brought to the highest court by North Carolina Republican legislators seeks to strike down a North Carolina ruling that the legislators violated the state’s Constitution with an “extreme partisan gerrymander” after the 2020 U.S. Census.

At its extreme, Totenburg said on All Things Considered, a ruling in favor of the theory and against the South Carolina Supreme Court could “eliminate not just state judicial powers over elections, but governors’ vetos. … and it might allow state legislators to certify electors who were not approved by the voters.”

Sound Familiar?: That part about allowing state legislators to certify electors is what ex-President Trump attempted after his 2020 election loss.

Court Count: SCOTUS is split into three camps, according to Totenburg: Justices Clarence Thomas, Thomas Alito and Neil Gorsuch, who favor the Independent State Legislature Theory; Justices Sonya Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, who oppose it; and Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Brett Kavenaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, who are somewhere in the middle.

--Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa

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COMMENTS: editors@thehustings.news

Bipartisan Support for S. 673

Despite “staunch opposition” by social media and Washington lobbying giant Meta (Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp) the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act, sponsored by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) has bipartisan co-sponsors, seven from each party.

The co-sponsors are …

Republican Senators: John Kennedy (LA), Cynthia Lumis (WY), Susan Collins (ME), Lindsey Graham (SC), Bill Cassidy (LA), John Thune (SD) and Roger Wicker (MS). Sen. Paul Rand (KY) has withdrawn his support.

Democratic Senators: Cory Booker (NJ), Dianne Feinstein (CA), Sheldon Whitehouse (RI), Mazie Hirono (HI), Richard Blumenthal (CT), Richard Durbin (IL) and Joe Manchin (WV).

Shameless Plug: As a media outlet, we support S. 673, and think it is time for print, broadcast and digital news to extricate themselves from social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

Voice your own Comment in the box in this column or the one on the left, or email editors@thehustings.news.

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