NATIONAL APRICOT DAY UPDATES
-Over 1200 people were arrested in Brazil after supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro stormed the legislative building in Brasilia in an apparent attempt to occupy and eventually overturn the election Bolsanaro lost last year. Bolsonaro refused to concede defeat and did not attend the inauguration of President Luiz Inacio Lula de la Silva – and in fact continued to feed his supporters verifiable lies that the Brazilian election was corrupted. If that sounds eerily familiar, it is – self-styled (after a corpulent homeless heroin addict) “revolutionary” Steve Bannon was a constant presence feeding lies into Brazil via social media (and continued doing so after the assault yesterday), and Bolsonaro has been spending the last month with his mentor Ex-President Trump at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago compound. As President Biden and other Democratic Party leaders condemned the assault, some also called on the White House to make Bolsonaro leave the United States so as not to appear supportive of his actions. No Republicans have condemned the attack.
-Speaking of borders, President Biden did something the right has been screaming he should do for the last two years: visited the border of Mexico to examine conditions there. Biden did so as part of a state visit to Mexico, and predictably the same GOP press asking why Biden was “ignoring” the border pivoted and claimed the visit was solely for public relations. This as the newly-installed House majority plans to … hold a hearing on the border at the border. Womp womp.
-On the first official day of Kevin McCarthy’s (SINO-R, CA) speakership, a bill setting up legislative rules for the 118thCongress comes to the floor today. The package will begin to display the compromises, deals, giveaways and pleadings he made over the course of the last week and 15 House votes to secure the title, and observers note that it is also where it will be seen just how much the MAGAt Ultra-Right will be in the months to come. There is some question about how easily the package will be passed given both last week’s activities and anger among the silent GOPers whose opportunity to move up in House committees were blown up in the name of the true House leadership, including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Z-Q-R, GA), Jim “Gym” Jordan (OtheR Way, OH) and James Comer (HunteR!!, KY).
-Greene, in fact, is so sure of her new power that she dropped a video featuring her slow-motion-walking through the House hallways wearing a red jacket with a Snoop Dogg beat underscoring her “power.” Exactly what she will be doing is not quite known yet, but given her constant demands to impeach President Biden (because reasons) and Dr. Anthony Fauci (who cannot be impeached for anything and is now retired anyway), the suspicion is that’s where her ‘focus’ will be in the weeks to come. (Excited yet?)
-A Special Grand Jury looking at Ex-President Trump’s attempts to manipulate and overturn the 2020 Presidential results in GA (won by President Biden) has disbanded in Fulton County, GA. This Grand Jury must issue a written report by January 24, and while it does not have the ability to indict Trump or others, it can make recommendations that Fulton County DA Fani Willis can then take to a regularly empaneled Grand Jury that could do so. Reports indicate Willis can move without such a recommendation, and all indications are she is inclined to do so. Stay tuned …
-In Russia, international reporters debunked a claim by Russia that it successfully attacked a barracks full of Ukrainian soldiers, killing nearly 600 in doing so. When reporters went to the buildings allegedly attacked, they found them standing, with only minimal damage next door. The claim came after a verified attack by Ukraine on Russian troops was estimated to kill 600 Russian conscripts. Weird, huh?
-Slava Ukraini!
-On this date in 1776, Thomas Paine’s COMMON SENSE is published. On this date in 1839 the daguerreotype – an early version of photography – was introduced in France. On this date in 1972, the Los Angeles Lakers lost a game, ending a 33-game winning streak that still stands as the longest win streak in the history of American professional sports. On this date in 1991, Peter Rose was banned from baseball for gambling (although he did place the first legal sports bet in OH earlier in the month). And, this is a big date for Apple – it introduced iTunes on this date in 2001 and the iPhone on this date in 2007.
-Happy Birthday to Carrie Chapman Catt, Karel Capek, Simone de Beauvoir, Fernando Lamas, Vic Mizzy, Lee Van Cleef, Judith Krantz, Brian Friel, Bart Starr, Bob Denver, Dick Enberg, Joan Baez, Jimmy Page, Bill Cowsill, David Johansen, Crystal Gayle, J.K. Simmons, Imelda Staunton, A.J. McLean, Amber Ruffin, Sergio Garcia, and Kate Middleton.
-Rest in Peace/Rest in Power to Johann Strauss, Peter Cook, Will McDonough, Peter Yates, Bob Saget, Dwayne Hickman, and this morning, Bernard Kalb.
-Feed the Worms: Richard Nixon entered Earth on this date.
-Dave Matthews was born on this date. You decide if it is a Happy Birthday or if he Feeds the Worms.
-The #1 Nonfiction Book in America: in 2023, THE LIGHT WE CARRY by Michelle Obama … in 2013, KILLING KENNEDY by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard … in 2003, BUSH AT WAR by Bob Woodward … in 1993, THE WAY THINGS OUGHT TO BE by Rush Limbaugh (who the Hell was he?) … in 1983, AND MORE by Andy Rooney … and in 1973, I’M OK – YOU’RE OK, by Thomas A. Harris, M.D.