U.S. News

While the ranting and raving from Capitol attacker Landon Copeland scored most of the news Thursday, that same group of hearings involved Anthony Antonio, whose attorney claimed radicalization.

Huffington Post's Ryan Reilly cited the attorney claiming "Foxitus" and "Foxmania," saying that his client was radicalized to attack the U.S. Capitol after watching Fox News for six months. He then started "believing what was being fed to him" by the conservative network and President Donald Trump.

Just days after proclaiming that he'll do everything in his power to stop 100 percent of President Joe Biden's agenda, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell appears to be trying to walk the statement back.

"One hundred percent of my focus is standing up to this administration," the Kentucky Republican told the press on Wedneday. "What we have in the United States Senate is total unity from Susan Collins to Ted Cruz in opposition to what the new Biden administration is trying to do to this country."

Accused Capitol attacker Landon Copeland of Utah was in court Thursday and things were far from normal.

NBC News' Scott MacFarlane tweeted that Copeland called into the hearing, and the defendant began by screaming at the courtroom clerk, saying she was "evil."

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that the state will have a civil action against far-right activists Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman.

According to the statement from the AG's office, the two men, known for being "dirty tricksters," are accused of using lie-filled robocalls to suppress turnout among Black voters.

An Ohio Republican is being called out for hypocrisy for his legislation to outlaw distracted driving after attending a committee hearing while driving.

Gizmodo cited local newspaper, the Columbus Dispatch, for reporting state Sen. Andrew Brenner's (R) hilarious failure, still available on video from the Ohio Channel. He began sitting in his car with a background photo of his living room. Once Brenner put on his seatbelt and began driving, however, the cover was blown.

A case of racial profiling in a San Francisco grocery store ended in tears when an 11-year-old boy was accused of stealing a sandwich he'd just paid for, said KRON news.

Security guards at the Castro Safeway nabbed Ja'Mari Oliver after he bought his lunch.

When Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) attempted to run for president in 2016, his final stunt was to name his running mate before the nominating contest was even over yet. He named California businesswoman and former CEO Carly Fiorina. It wasn't a successful move and the two running mates lost the Republican primary to Donald Trump.

Since the feud against Trump, Cruz has become little more than a lapdog to Trump's every whim.

Federal Judge Amy Berman Jackson accused former Attorney General Bill Barr of lying about the Justice Department investigation into former President Donald Trump's obstruction of justice. She revealed this week that evidence proves that not only was there no investigation into Trump, Barr attempted to create a false paper-trail after the fact to falsify a legitimate decision. Judge Jackson intends to publish the proof in the coming weeks.

Writing for Washington Monthly, Law Professor Jennifer Taub explained that it's time for the Justice Department to crack down on white-collar crimes like Barr's and others like him.

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel cracked up over former President Donald Trump's new "social media platform" that he's been promising since being kicked off of Facebook and Twitter. Trump, who launched Tuesday, revealed his "free speech platform" that is nothing more than a blog where people can't even comment or reply.

Kimmel began by talking about Facebook's board deciding to punt back to Facebook whether Trump should continue to be banned from their website for organizing an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on their platform. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) posted a tweet attacking the platform, closing it with "mark my words!" She then deleted the tweet moments later.

Tucker Carlson has spent the better part of the past several months questioning the safety of the coronavirus vaccine. Instead of proclaiming that the vaccine is unsafe or whatever conspiracy de jour making its way through Facebook, Carlson asks what John Oliver called "bad-faith questions."

It happened again Wednesday night, when the Fox News host asked how many people have been killed by the vaccine. The information is available on the CDC's website, but Carlson didn't mention that.

A Zoom discussion about the University of Texas alma mater song being racist turned dark when a masked man appeared in the discussion, loaded and then brandished a gun.

NBC News reported Wednesday that a lecture led by history Prof. Alberto Martinez, outlined "the song has racist origins, contrary to the university's position."

On Wednesday, in discussion with CNN's Chris Cuomo, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) talked about his reverence for the Senate and his conviction that its existing rules can be used to forge compromise — but grew evasive and resistant when Cuomo reminded him the GOP's stated position is to block the Biden administration from doing anything.

"Robert C. Byrd used to explain to me ... he said Joe, the best way for me to explain it is why does every state — can you imagine the little state of Rhode Island, little state of Delaware, having the same representation in the great body of the Senate as California or New York, all these larger, much larger states, in landmass and population," said Manchin. "There's a reason for that. How these rules have evolved, the intent why they would have done — why they've done Jim Crow isn't acceptable. It wasn't acceptable then, is not acceptable now at all. I think we have to have a process but, also, you have to have a minority. If not, what we have is basically chaos. What goes around comes around here. I've been in the minority here."

Arizona Republicans are struggling to figure out new reasons to throw out some of the ballots cast for President Joe Biden.

The Republican Party was given all of the ballots where the absence of accountability could even allow GOP "auditors" to change votes and alter any of the paperwork without anyone knowing.