CategoryPolitics

• President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil gathered around him the president of the supreme court and the governors or vice-governors of each state, the senators, the attorney general, and congressional representatives to condemn the coup and reclaim the vandalized buildings.
• Police have arrested about 1500 participants and have warrants for the arrest of two key law enforcement officials close to Bolsonaro.
• Former Trump advisor Steve Bannon remains adamant that Lula must be replaced, while Bolsonaro is in the U.S. on an A-1 visa.
• The House voted on the rules package McCarthy promised to the far-right Republicans, which includes a threat to McCarthy and plum committee assignments for the far-right group.
• Jim Jordan will chair the select subcommittee in the Judiciary Committee to investigate the “weaponization of the federal government”.
• President Joe Biden’s lawyers found “a small number” of classified documents from his vice-presidential years in a locked closet in Biden’s former office and immediately contacted the National Archives and Records Administration.
• Former Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg was sentenced to five months in jail at New York’s Rikers Island complex and five years probation after pleading guilty to 15 felonies.

Published January 11, 2023. Visit Letters from an American to read Heather Cox Richardson’s original post.

• Supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro attacked the presidential palace, congress, and supreme court in Brazil, demanding military intervention to remove current president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from office.
• Bolsonaro is a far-right leader who has attacked LGBTQ people, women, and democracy.
• International democratic leaders, including Secretary-General of the U.N. António Guterres and President Emmanuel Macron of France, condemned the rioters in Brazil.
• As of 11:00 tonight, neither House speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) nor Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) had any comment on the events in Brazil.
• By Sunday night, Brazilian police had retaken control of the vandalized buildings and arrested 170 rioters.

Published January 8, 2023. Visit Letters from An American to read Heather Cox Richardson’s original post.

• Kevin McCarthy of California was elected speaker of the House of Representatives after 15 ballots, the most since 1860.
• McCarthy made concessions to extremist Republicans to win their votes, weakening his position as speaker.
• In his acceptance speech, McCarthy promised a right-wing wish list of investigations, deregulation, and attacks on immigration.
• He thanked President Trump for his influence and support.
• Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries gave a barn-burning speech, praising Nancy Pelosi and calling for Democrats to continue the fight for lower costs, better paying jobs, safer communities, democracy, and economic opportunity for all.
• Republicans in Ohio and South Carolina have passed laws to restrict voting rights.

Published January 7, 2023. Visit Letters from An American to read Heather Cox Richardson’s original post.

• Two years ago, a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election, believing Democrats had stolen it.
• This attack was the result of decades of rhetoric from the Republican Party, which had become increasingly hostile to the liberal consensus of the New Deal and civil rights laws.
• Republicans have since manipulated the electoral system and gerrymandered districts to gain control of the House of Representatives, where they are now threatening to take the government into default in order to dismantle the liberal consensus.
• On this day, President Biden awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal to fifteen people who defended democracy on January 6, 2021, reminding the audience of FDR’s 1941 “Four Freedoms” speech.

Published January 6, 2023. Visit Letters from An American to read Heather Cox Richardson’s original post.