U.S. News

MSNBC host Joy Reid took on Christopher Rufo, the think-tank "scholar" who claimed to be an expert on race because he works as a "scholar" at a conservative think tank. Speaking Wednesday, Reid got him to confess that he's neither an expert in race nor in law, which is where the idea of critical race theory is generally taught.

Rufo claimed that Reid was attacking him on air, which she corrected, saying that she was doing nothing more than reading the quote from his own documents.

On Wednesday's edition of CNN's "The Situation Room," correspondent Jim Acosta reacted to the news that Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are silently moving to "distance" themselves from former President Donald Trump as he continues to lie about the 2020 election and push conspiracy theories about fraud.

"It is interesting that they try to distance themselves from Donald Trump because he could use a family intervention right now with the crazy conspiracy theories he is glomming onto," said Acosta. "Think about all of the different projects that Jared Kushner was in charge of at the White House. The coronavirus pandemic. Middle East peace. Criminal justice reform. Immigration, including the border wall. Navigate the politics of a wall on the border. Modernizing the government in addition to a campaign adviser."

Dr. Michael Eric Dyson unleashed an epic sermon-like commentary denouncing people like Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) and Fox News host Tucker Carlson for losing their minds over a manufactured culture war around "critical race theory."

An ordained minister and Vanderbilt Divinity School professor, Dyson attacked the men for generations of people, telling children that they should strive to get into ivy league schools. Now, however, they're claiming that those people are somehow too smart or are part of the elite intellectual class. Dyson said that they need to decide which side they're on because it can't be both. People like Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) are part of that intellectual elitism, something host Nicolle Wallace said she's counting on their supporters not to google.

On Wednesday, the Wisconsin State Journal Editorial Board tore into former President Donald Trump's ongoing conspiracy theories about the presidential election in an editorial demanding the GOP "shut down the circus" of Arizona's partisan "audit" — and noted that even one of the most powerful Republicans in the state has started to run away from the nonsense.

"Gullible Trump believers have spread the conspiracy theory that tens of thousands of ballots from China were dumped into Arizona's vote total so President Joe Biden could win," noted the board. "Despite no evidence to support the wild accusation, Arizona has gone on a state-sanctioned search for bamboo fibers in the paper of ballots in Maricopa County, where most Arizona voters live."

In an epic takedown of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Fox News hosts like Tucker Carlson, Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley flattened the idea that somehow the military is weaker as a result of women and LGBT people serving. Carlson's latest war is against the manufactured conspiracy "critical race theory" that is destroying American youth and somehow now the military.

MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace noted that as Gen. Milley was responding, Gaetz "made quite a face."

On Wednesday, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) took to Facebook to rage against a poster from the Internal Revenue Service advertising the expansion of the Child Tax Credit to millions of new families, one of the many new programs created under President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan.

"Infuriating," wrote McCarthy of the poster, which was headlined "A monthly check to you." "The IRS is literally spending taxpayer money to advertise a government handout. This is welfare without work requirements."

Speaking about the dramatic increase in mass shootings (as many as ten in a weekend), President Joe Biden questioned pro-gun groups who claim that the Second Amendment is necessary "to take on the government."

According to many pro-gun groups, the Second Amendment protects the right to have weapons of war in order to "form a well-regulated militia." The only reason to form a militia would be to take on the government, as a well-regulated militia exists as the U.S. Military.

Robert Maurice Reeder of Maryland pleaded guilty today to one count of "parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building" -- a misdemeanor. He agreed to pay $500 restitution for damages to the building.

Reeder's sentencing was set for August 18. The plea deal leaves terms of that sentencing in the hands of a judge, but the agreement appears similar to the one offered to Anna Morgan-Lloyd, who became the first person sentenced today -- and who avoided jail time. Morgan-Lloyd received a sentence of 40 hours of community service, three years of probation and $500 restitution.

During the sentencing hearing of a Capitol attacker, the judge invoked Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA) for what he said are lies being spread by Republicans in office.

Anna Morgan-Lloyd is the first Capitol attacker to be sentenced for her participation. Ahead of the sentence, she made a statement apologizing for her role and the violence. But it was Judge Royce Lamberth, a Ronald Reagan appointee, went off on Republicans lying about what happened, tweeted Reuters reporter Jan Wolfe.

A trial is set to begin in Aug. for a Tallahassee-based political organization, reported the Miami Herald.

"The eight-month investigation is focused on former Sen. Frank Artiles, a Republican operative, Alexis 'Pedro' Rodriguez, an auto-parts dealer with financial woes and an alleged plot to successfully sway the outcome of Miami-Dade's Senate District 37 race in favor of the Republican candidate," the Herald explained.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) isn't having a very good press day this Wednesday. This morning, news of Gaetz being schooled by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spread across the web. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley was even more annoyed, bringing down the right-wing think tank-created culture war issue of "critical race theory."

But then things got worse. VICE News quoted Gaetz, "If Democrats want to defund the police, they should start with the FBI." He then deleted it in about one minute.

Speaking to CNN's Don Lemon on Tuesday, senior political analyst Ron Brownstein predicted that one of the things Democrats in the leadership might be doing is holding these votes over and over again to show Sens. Joe Manchin (R-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema that good, bipartisan legislation continues to die as a result of the filibuster.

Thus far it's happened with the COVID-19 stimulus, the Jan. 6 Commission bill, and even Manchin worked to make the voting rights legislation more conservative and Republicans still wouldn't stand with him.

Writing for the Washington Post Tuesday evening, award-winning reporter Peter Stevenson writes that the Democrats are running out of options after the Republicans blocked the debate on the voting rights bill.

Despite their best efforts, no Republican was willing to support the bill. While Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said that she was willing to move forward for a bipartisan option, her bill will be just as pointless until she can deliver nine votes along with it.