The Hill’s 12:30 Report — Jan. 6 summer hearings wrap with fiery end
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–> A midday take on what’s happening in politics and how to have a sense of humor about it.*
*Ha. Haha. Hahah. Sniff. Haha. Sniff. Ha–breaks down crying hysterically.
TALK OF THE MORNING
That was a season finale-and-a-half:
The Jan. 6 committee concluded its summer hearings with fiery testimony on Thursday night, this time focusing on former President Trump’s actions during the hours that pro-Trump insurrectionists violently breached and ransacked the U.S. Capitol.
➤ HEARING HIGHLIGHTS:
Pence’s Secret Service detail left messages for their loved ones to say goodbye: That is how bad it was. From an unnamed official: “There was a lot of yelling. A lot of very personal calls over the radio, so it was disturbing. I don’t like talking about it, but there were calls to say goodbye to family members, so on, so forth.” The full exchange
New photos of Pence while he was still in the Capitol
Trump’s last words to a staffer before he left the West Wing on Jan. 6: “Mike Pence let me down.”
Want to see Trump’s outtakes from the video message about the riot?: For example, Trump said, “I don’t want to say the election is over. I just want to say Congress has certified the results.” Watch the outtakes
Video of the rioters watching Trump’s Jan. 6 video to his supporters: From NBC News’ Ryan J. Reilly
A text conversation between Donald Trump Jr. and Mark Meadows: “They will try to f*** his entire legacy on this if it gets worse,” Trump Jr. wrote to Meadows. Screenshot of the texts
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) acknowledged the pushback the women witnesses have received: “Cheney noting, correctly, the attacks on the young women testifying have been savage in ways they haven’t been on men, and she appears to anticipate them getting worse.” (From The New York Times’s Maggie Haberman)
Five takeaways from the hearing: From The Hill’s Niall Stanage
➤ HOW TRUMP REACTED TO THURSDAY NIGHT’S TESTIMONY:
“[Former President Trump] appeared to lose his temper after the Jan. 6 committee played a clip of McConnell’s speech on the Senate floor during Trump’s second impeachment trial in which he blamed the former president for inciting the attack on the U.S. Capitol.”
Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social: “Is this the same Mitch McConnell who was losing big in Kentucky, and came to the White House to BEG me for an Endorsement and help? Without me he would have lost in a landslide. A disloyal sleaze bag!”
More of Trump’s live reactions throughout the evening: From journalist Aaron Rupar
IT’S FRIDAY! I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here.
🔥 Jan. 6 hearing
➤ THE MOMENT THAT RILED UP TWITTER:
Remember the infamous photo of Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) raising his fist in solidarity with the Jan. 6 protesters?
Well, the committee showed footage of Hawley later fleeing from the Capitol as the riot broke out.
Watch the footage of Hawley running out of the Capitol
These side-by-side images tell quite the story: From CNN’s Jake Tapper
There were lots of jokes about this, including Dan Rather tweeting, “Run Hawley Run.” One Twitter user, @The_Mal_Gallery, even set the clip to several soundtracks. Watch the clip set to music. The first video has more than 3 million views so far.
Watch the hearing room react to the Hawley video: From @dprzygoda
➤ SIGHTS AND SOUNDS:
Tidbit: PBS’s Lisa Desjardins tweeted, “If Sarah Matthews looks cold at any point, it is because it is very cold in this room. (I mention her b/c Matthew Pottinger has a jacket.) I have a blanket over my shoulders.”
What Fox News covered during the hearing: Fox News’ Tucker Carlson ran a segment about a study of the benefits of being unvaccinated. Screenshot
The committee created graphics showing the presidential dining room and where it is located within the West Wing: Photos
Shot and chaser: The Hill’s Rebecca Beitsch tweeted, “At 1:49 DC’s metro police determined they were dealing with a riot. At the same moment Trump tweeted a link to his rally speech.”
Photo of Matthews and Pottinger taking the oath
Are there more hearings?: Yes, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) announced on Thursday that additional hearings will happen in September.
🌡 The heat
Stay safe, everyone:
The Hill’s Zack Budryk writes about the depressing loop that record heat is causing.
“The heat is killing people, energy grids are getting overwhelmed, and more people in more places will be looking for air conditioning in the future, creating an insidious and depressing loop.”
For context: “In the U.S., more than half of the states were under heat advisories as of Thursday morning, with highs hovering around 115 in Texas and Oklahoma. National Weather Service data indicates at least four states — Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas and Missouri — saw temperatures at least 10 degrees hotter than the historical average for this point in the year.”
What this means for people across the U.S. — and around the world
➤ ‘DANGEROUSLY HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL LAST THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH MILLIONS OF AMERICANS SET TO EXPERIENCE TRIPLE-DIGIT HEAT’:
The forecast from CNN
Op-ed: “Wildlife bakes alongside humans during climate change-fueled extreme heat.”
💊 In Congress
Cranking them out:
The House passed a bill on Thursday to codify access to contraceptives.
Why?: In Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’s abortion opinion, he referenced birth control as a potential case for the court to hear.
The vote: 228-195
Which House Republicans voted ‘yes’?: Reps. Liz Cheney (Wyo.), Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Anthony Gonzalez (Ohio), John Katko (N.Y.), Adam Kinzinger (Ill.), Nancy Mace (S.C.), Maria Elvira Salazar (Fla.) and Fred Upton (Mich.).
Plus: Reps. Bob Gibbs (R-Ohio) and Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) voted present. Six Republicans didn’t vote.
Would this bill pass the Senate?: It’s unclear.
What we know, via The Hill’s Mychael Schnell
🦠 Latest with COVID
➤ THE COVID-19 NUMBERS
Cases to date: 89.8 million
Death toll: 1,021,048
Current hospitalizations: 36,554
Shots administered: 601 million
Fully vaccinated: 67.2 percent of Americans
🐥Notable tweets
Someone make this race into a television drama, ASAP:
The Atlantic Council’s Emerson T. Brooking tweeted a screenshot of Republican Pennsylvania Senate candidate Mehmet Oz’s meme to attack Democratic rival John Fetterman.
It appears that Fetterman then used the photoshopped image for his Twitter profile.
Brooking commented: “Oz graphic design team just low key clocking hours for
@JohnFetterman now.”
CNN’s Jake Tapper weighed in: “I hear and agree with all the arguments that who is better on Twitter is not necessarily going to be decisive in a Senate race but holy cow.”
⏱On tap
The House and Senate are out. President Biden is isolating at the White House. Vice President Harris is Washington, D.C.
10:30 a.m.: Biden received the President’s Daily Brief.
Saturday: Harris travels to Richmond, Va., to meet with state legislators to discuss reproductive rights.
3 p.m. Monday: The Senate meets next. Monday’s Senate schedule
All times Eastern.
📺What to watch
12:30 p.m.: Harris participates in a conversation during a National Urban League Conference. Livestream
3 p.m.: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and COVID-19 Coordinator Ashish Jha hold a press briefing. Livestream
🍦 In lighter news
Today is National Penuche Fudge Day. Tomorrow is National Vanilla Ice Cream Day and Sunday is National Tequila Day!
You have my full attention:
Via WXIN News, “Candy Funhouse is looking to hire what it calls a ‘Chief Candy Officer.’ The company, which claims to be North America’s largest online candy retailer, will pay someone $100,000 a year to approve all candy in inventory.”
The minimum age requirement: 5 years old. Details and how to apply
And to leave you with a smile, here is an example of the two types of puppies in this world.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
