This guy – I saw the clip several times on the day of the attack and was confused about what was happening. Now it’s been explained.

A police officer is being hailed for his role steering an angry mob away from the Senate chambers during Wednesday’s deadly storming of the US Capitol by a pro-Trump mob.

Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman, identified by CNN reporter Kristin Wilson, could be seen in video footage distracting rioters away from the chamber as police raced to secure the area.

In the confrontation, Goodman puts himself between a man wearing a black QAnon T-shirt and a hallway leading to the Senate chambers, then shoves the person to induce him and the crowd to

Even Deutsche Bank has booted him.

Deutsche Bank became the latest large company to cut ties with Donald Trump, with the firm that has propped up the Trump Organization for two decades reportedly announcing it would no longer do business with the disgraced president.

…

The relationship has survived various scandals. In 2008, Trump sued the bank’s real estate division after he defaulted on a $40m repayment, used to fund the construction of the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago. He accused Deutsche of co-causing the financial crisis and demanded $3bn in compensation.

Instead of dumping him as a client, Deutsche’s private wealth division stepped in and loaned him more money to pay off the existing debt. Deutsche

They’d better be.

US officials are strengthening security measures in Washington DC and across the country as the FBI said far-right groups – many using social media – were continuing to threaten plots before Joe Biden’s inauguration as president on 21 January.

I wonder what they’re hoping for. Reinstatement of slavery? Repeal of all minimum wage laws? Sealed borders? Flat tax? Death penalty for abortions?

Probably.

The outgoing homeland security secretary, Chad Wolf, said on Monday that he had moved up the timing of the “national special security event” for Biden’s inauguration to Wednesday, instead of 19 January citing the “events of the past week”, along with an “evolving security landscape”.

The events of the past week, triggered by … Read the rest

Another gruesome bit of fallout from the insurrection:

Three lawmakers who had to shelter for safety during the US Capitol riot have tested positive for Covid-19.

Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat from Washington state, announced her positive result early on Tuesday, while chastising Republican colleagues who refused to wear masks while they waited in a secured room for more than five hours.

She’s the Democrat from Seattle; I’m in her district and of course voted for her. It’s simply disgusting that the Republicans refused to wear masks. Disgusting, contemptible, murderous, inexcusable.

The New Jersey representative Bonnie Watson Coleman, also a Democrat, said she decided to get tested because of the possibility of exposure and tested positive. She also tweeted that

Fascist Don regrets nothing.

An unrepentant Donald Trump has denied inciting an insurrection at the US Capitol last week, claiming his speech before the violence was “totally appropriate”.

So he’s saying it’s totally appropriate that five people were killed.

“So if you read my speech, and many people have done it, and I’ve seen it both in the papers and in the media, on television, it’s been analysed, and people thought that what I said was totally appropriate,” Trump insisted at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, ahead of a trip to Texas.

No, “people” didn’t. A small minority of Trump fans may think that, but generic “people” do not.

Shortly before noon last Wednesday, the president gave an incendiary

Medal of skunkery, it should be. Shirtsleeves Jordan gets his gong:

President Donald Trump on Monday awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, one of the outgoing president’s fiercest GOP allies.

And by “fiercest” PBS means most dishonest, most bullying, most shameless.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom, established by President John F. Kennedy, is meant to recognize those who have made an “especially meritorious contribution” to national security, world peace or ”cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.”

It’s not meant to recognize those who have done favors for a criminal president.

Last week, Trump awarded the Medal of Freedom to another Republican ally, Rep. Devin Nunes of California, in a private ceremony.

Another … Read the rest

Oh he’s so BUTCH.

First of all Hogan Gidley looks exactly like Alfred E. Newman, but more to the point – Trump, masculine??? The goldy hair dye? The ridiculous fluffy ferfy flippy wavey twirly hair arrangement? The heavy makeup? The whining? The pouting? The inability to walk a tenth of a mile?

The fear of cats? The endless bullying? The tiny fingers on the tiny hands? The stupid little mincey gestures?

There’s a confusion here. Trump is mean, and rude, and piggy, and a bully, but that doesn’t make him masculine…or feminine, either – it makes him an asshole.… Read the rest

Ok now they’ve gotten to him. Impeachment no big deal, but the PGA? Ouch!

He’s angry about impeachment, people who have spoken to him say. But the reaction to the PGA decision was different order of magnitude.

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) January 11, 2021

That is, a much bigger wound, not a much smaller one. You’d think the other way around, but no. Being president is just for giggles, golf is serious.

What did they do?

"The PGA of America Board of Directors voted tonight to exercise the right to terminate the agreement to play the 2022 PGA Championship at Trump Bedminster." — Jim Richerson, PGA of America President

— PGA of America (@PGA) January 11, 2021

Fore. https://t.co/xkBARjWlQX

He poisons everything.

Florida wildlife officials are appealing to the public for help after a manatee was found with U.S. President Donald Trump’s last name carved into its back.

…

The animal was reported to authorities over the weekend, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service told the Citrus County Chronicle. Anyone with information is being asked to contact Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation.

A harassment investigation is underway. A spokesperson for the FWS declined to comment to the Chronicle, citing the ongoing investigation. He added that harassing a manatee is a crime punishable by up to one year in prison and a US$50,000 fine.

It’s not the first time that a Trump tag has appeared on a

It wasn’t ideology, it was jihad. Ohhhh ok then, that’s completely different.

A man who stabbed three people to death in a Reading park believed he was carrying out “an act of religious jihad”, a court has heard.

Khairi Saadallah, 26, stabbed to death James Furlong, 36, David Wails, 49, and Joseph Ritchie-Bennett, 39, during the attack in Forbury Gardens in June.

As part of his sentencing, a hearing will decide if he was motivated by a religious or ideological cause.

Ok, seriously, what is the difference? One has a god (or gods) involved and the other doesn’t, but is that a distinction that makes any difference? I don’t see it, myself. Theocracy is an ideology, and Islamism is … Read the rest

More insurrection-cheerleading, this time from the woman who is married to Clarence Thomas.

She did the cheerleading before the insurrectionists smashed their way into the Capitol, but that still entailed cheerleading a campaign to overturn an election and hand it to the murderous corrupt criminal who lost. She shares in the evil.

On Wednesday morning, Ginni Thomas—wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas—endorsed the rally in Washington demanding that Congress overturn the election. She then sent her “LOVE” to the demonstrators, who violently overtook the Capitol several hours later. Two days later, Thomas amended her post with the addendum: “[Note: written before violence in US Capitol].” By that point, five people involved in the insurrection, including a Capitol

Queen Melania has issued a disgusting “statement” on official White House stationery.

With nearly every experience I have had, I found myself carrying many individual’s [sic] stories home with me in my heart.

Most recently, my heart goes out to: Air Force Veteran, Ashli Babbitt, Benjamin Philips, Kevin Greeson, Roseanne Boyland, and Capitol Police Officers, Brian Sicknick and Howard Liebengood. I pray for their families comfort and strength during this difficult time.

Her “heart goes out” to, first of all, the ex-military woman who tried to climb through the broken window of the door barring entry to the House floor. Legislators were crouched or prone on the floor of that chamber, hoping not to be slaughtered by people … Read the rest

Well we didn’t mean that…

Leaders from the Republican Attorneys General Association face mounting criticism after sending out a robocall that urged supporters of Donald Trump to join the 6 January march on the US Capitol that resulted in a deadly insurrection.

We thought it was going to be a protest! Not an insurrection! Please don’t impeach us.

“At [1pm”] we will march to the Capitol building and call on Congress to stop the steal,” a robocall from the Rule of Law Defense Fund (RLDF), a fundraising arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association, said.

Spot the irony? Good old rule of law, eh? Defend rule of law by forcing your way into the Capitol in hopes of killing … Read the rest

The arrests are up to 20.

Twenty federal criminal defendants related to last week’s deadly pro-Trump riot at the US Capitol have been rounded up across the country since the insurrection, with the allegations showing the danger of the mob.

Some of the defendants are accused of bringing weapons and bombs to Capitol Hill, indicative of the extremism of parts of the crowd. Others were photographed ransacking the building, smiling while posing with congressional items such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lectern or at her staffer’s desk, or publicly bragged about the crowd’s violent and destructive joyride.

The most unsettling of the allegations so far appear to be those against Lonnie Coffman, an Alabama man charged after authorities found

Trump is feeling defiant. It’s all good! Nobody can touch him! He’s going to go on a farewell tour to brag about his “accomplishments.”

Trump is confident Vice President Mike Pence and members of his cabinet won’t attempt to remove him under the 25th Amendment, the people said. Pence is dismissive of the idea of trying to use that authority to drive Trump from office, one person said.

The president and some allies also believe Democrats are overreaching by trying to once again impeach him over Wednesday’s mob at the Capitol, and think Senate conviction would be unlikely in any event.

Oh yes, overreaching, it’s shocking isn’t it, so unlike Trump’s sending his fans to make war on Congress.… Read the rest

A former governor of California, a Republican, says what he thinks of the attempted insurrection or coup the other day.

He grew up in Austria in the wake of WW2. He knows what Kristallnacht was.

It’s surprisingly powerful.

[Updating to add: I forgot to warn about the music. I did mean to. It’s very annoying.]

My message to my fellow Americans and friends around the world following this week's attack on the Capitol. pic.twitter.com/blOy35LWJ5

— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) January 10, 2021

… Read the rest

Foreign Policy posted an interesting conversation during the insurrection, about what exactly the name for it should be.

Naunihal Singh: This is not a military coup because that would involve the president using the military or the Secret Service or some armed branch of the government to get his way. Nor would I argue that it is what some people have called a civilian coup or an executive coup. Even autogolpes involve the threat of military force.

In a sense he was using them if he had arranged for them to do nothing.

…

JT: Let’s talk about that for a second. What we did have is the president inciting protesters, who then went to the Capitol to interfere

Jim Wright aka Stonekettle:

Now that Allied Forces have once again taken Washington, everyone is ashamed of being a Nazi.

I told you.

I did. I told you.

2021 gonna be the year of Republican redemption arcs. Why, I, um, I never liked that guy anyway! It’s true! No, really, I was, uh, RESISTING FROM INSIDE, yeah! That’s it, resisting from inside. Uh, uh, Defund the Police! Yeah! I’m one of you! <takes a knee

We’ll call it The General John F. Kelly Defense

Kelly was mouthing off on MSNBC the other night, as if he were some kind of resistance hero. It’s enough to make you puke.… Read the rest

At least Trump is miserable.

The president is “ballistic,” a senior administration official said after Twitter permanently took down his account, citing the possibility that it would be used in the final 12 days of Trump’s presidency to incite violence. The official said Trump was “scrambling to figure out what his options are.”

There aren’t any. I said this yesterday so sorry for the repetition, but there aren’t any. He can create his own platform blah blah but it won’t be Twitter, and neither will anything else. Parler isn’t Twitter, and if Trump started a new Twitter called Tritter or Ditter it still wouldn’t be Twitter.

In a statement issued by the White House, Trump said he’d been “negotiating