The two men arrested earlier this week for assaulting Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick during the January 6th domestic terrorist attack at the Capitol have each been indicted on ten additional charges by a grand jury, ABC News reports.

Julian Khater of Pennsylvania and George Tanios of West Virginia face charges including conspiracy to injure officers, assault on federal officers and civil disorder relating to using bear spray on three police officers, including Sicknick who later died.

The conspiracy charge in the indictment stems from the allegation that the pair “planned and discussed the timing of when to use the chemical spray,” which “did cause significant bodily injury.”  The two men are longtime friends, having grown up in New Jersey together, and arranged to meet to take part in the January 6th coup attempt.

Talking Points Memo: “House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) heatedly insisted Thursday that he did not try to overturn the 2020 election because he only voted against validating the results from two states – which wouldn’t have been enough, he reasoned, to overturn President Joe Biden’s win. CNN’s Manu Raju asked McCarthy about a contested election in Iowa that both parties are watching closely. Republicans have sought to cast the dispute as a nefarious bid by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to overturn an election. Raju asked McCarthy what the difference would be between such a scenario and former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election – which McCarthy himself played a role in.”

“‘I disagree with the premise of the question,’ he said before asking Raju if he knows how many electoral votes it takes to win the presidency. ‘If you challenge Arizona and Pennsylvania, would that have changed and lowered President Biden’s numbers below 270?’ he continued, referring to the Electoral College certifications from the two states he challenged on January 6. Currently, the House Administration Committee is considering the election results from Iowa’s second district. Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks won the election by just six votes, and a recount was conducted and the race certified by state officials. The Democrat, Rita Hart, pointed to issues in the recount process – she said that state law limited the recount to ballots initially counted after Election Day – and says she has identified 22 ballots that were improperly rejected due to election worker error. Hart filed a claim under the Federal Contested Elections Act which brought the case to the committee. The committee chair, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), last week instructed both sides to file an initial brief by March 22 and a reply to the other side by March 29.”

“Frank Artiles, the Republican political operative suspected of secretly arranging a sham candidate to run in a key 2020 state senate race, surrendered to a Miami-Dade County jail on Thursday to face felony campaign finance charges. Artiles, himself a former state senator, was seen arriving at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, along with his lawyer. His surrender came one day after the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office Public Corruption Task Force executed a search warrant at his Palmetto Bay house. Authorities are expected to announce details of the charges at a press conference Thursday afternoon.”

“Artiles is facing several charges, including felony charges for making illegal contributions and false swearing in connection to the election, according to a copy of the arrest warrant. Prosecutors say Artiles offered Alexis (Alex) Pedro Rodriguez $50,000 to run in the race to ‘siphon votes from the incumbent,’ Democrat Jose Javier Rodriguez. Half was to be paid during the election and the rest after the election, Alex Rodriguez told prosecutors. The warrant states that the actual amount paid by Artiles to Alex Rodriguez before and after the election totaled $44,708.03” – Miami Herald.

AP: “The U.S. is planning to send a combined 4 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to Mexico and Canada in its first export of shots, the White House said Thursday. Press secretary Jen Psaki said the Biden administration is in the process of finalizing efforts to distribute 2.5 million doses to Mexico and 1.5 million to Canada as a ‘loan.’ The details are still being worked out.”

“‘Our first priority remains vaccinating the U.S. population,’ Psaki said at the daily briefing. But she added that ‘ensuring our neighbors can contain the virus is a mission critical step, is mission critical to ending the pandemic.’ The AstraZeneca vaccine has not been authorized for use in the U.S. but has been by the World Health Organization. Tens of millions of doses have been stockpiled in the U.S. should it receive emergency use authorization, sparking an international outcry that lifesaving doses were being withheld when they could be used elsewhere. Psaki said multiple nations have requested access to the vaccines, but she didn’t have anything to add on further distributions.”

We must stand up for our brave law enforcement officers who risk their lives to keep us safe. I’m proud to join @SenThomTillis & colleagues to support our men and women in uniform and ensure those who wish them harm are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. https://t.co/WOZofz7b1v

— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) March 18, 2021

A Republican Wyoming state legislator wants schools to teach “different views” about slavery, claiming that the current viewpoint of slavery has “stuck” some Americans in a mindset “worse than slavery itself,” the Casper Star Tribune writes.

Jeremy Haroldson, a first-term Republican representative from Wheatland, argued during a state house debate that lessons about slavery being a bad thing in American history may be unjust to the practice, which he acknowledged, “Slavery was something that shouldn’t have happened in America, but it did.

“But we’ve created slavery into a place that has created a position of being stuck, in my opinion, for a people group,” Haroldson, a pastor, continued.  “And that’s a sad place to be. And that was probably, in my opinion, worse than the slavery itself, because we have created a place where people cannot get free from because of their past.”

But, Haroldson said, slavery needs to be taught not just as a crime against humanity, but as an to the United States that helped build the nation. “It needs to be brought forward and the different views, that slavery was not maybe what it has been painted in this nation completely.”

The European Union agency responsible for testing the safety of medications has determined that there’s no definitive link between the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine and a rare type of blood clot that has impacted a handful of people who got that inoculation, the Associated Press reports.

The European Medicines Agency recommended including a warning on literature about the vaccine warning medical professionals and consumers about the potential connection, because the head of the EMA, as Emer Cooke said Thursday, the agency “cannot rule out definitively a link.”

Overall, however, “Our scientific position is that is that this vaccine is a safe and effective option to protect citizens against COVID-19. It demonstrated that at least 60% efficacy in clinical trials and preventing coronavirus disease. And in fact, the real-world evidence suggests that the effectiveness could be even higher than that,” Cooke added.

The US Army denied the restoration of medals and the right to wear Special Forces insignia for a retired officer who was pardoned by Donald Trump for his role in the murder of a Afghan man he suspected was a Taliban bomb maker, USA Today reports.

Retired Major Mathew Golsteyn originally admitted that he helped to defile the body of a man suspected of making a bomb that killed two men under Golsteyn’s command in Afghanistan in 2010.  Golsteyn originally claimed that he had nothing to do with the man’s death, but during a lie detector test conducted by the CIA, Golsteyn admitted to killing the man himself.

In 2016, a year after retiring from the military, while appearing on a Fox News show, Golsteyn said he killed the man himself.  His admission on television led to the military to re-open an investigation into the event.

Golsteyn received a pardon from Donald Trump in November 2019, effectively closing the military investigation into the incident.  However, the Army had previously rescinded a Silver Star awarded to Golsteyn and denied him the right to wear a “Special Forces” tab even though he had served in the Green Berets. 

“Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) kicked off Thursday’s House hearing on violence and discrimination against Asian-Americans by railing against the Chinese Communist Party and extolling lynchings, saying he takes ‘justice very seriously.’ The House Judiciary Committee hearing, which was originally scheduled to address the marked increase in anti-Asian hate crimes and violence in recent months, took on added urgency after a 21-year-old white man went on a murderous rampage on Tuesday that left eight dead, including six Asian women” The Daily Beast reports.

“In his opening statement, Roy first acknowledged that the shootings were a tragedy and that the ‘victims of race-based violence and their families deserve justice.’ From there, however, the Texas lawmaker immediately criticized the very nature of the hearing while deploying some whataboutist logic. ‘The case we are talking about here the tragedy we just saw occur in Atlanta, Georgia,’ Roy declared. ‘I would also suggest that the victims of cartels moving illegal aliens deserve justice. The American citizens in south Texas, they are getting absolutely decimated by what’s happening at the southern border deserve justice.’ The conservative congressman continued: ‘The victims of rioting and looting in the street… last summer deserve justice. We believe in justice.'”

“As soon as Republicans wound up back in control, we wouldn’t stop at erasing every liberal change that hurt the country. We’d strengthen America with all kinds of conservative policies with zero input from the other side. How about a nationwide right-to-work law? Defunding Planned Parenthood and sanctuary cities on day one? A whole new era of domestic energy production. Sweeping new protections for conscience and the right to life of the unborn? Concealed-carry reciprocity in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Massive hardening of security on our southern border?” writes Mitch McConnell in a Wall Street Journal op-ed published Wednesday bitching about the Dems’ plans to end or modify the filibuster.

Nice for Mitch that the Wall Street Journal is giving him space to list off Republican legislative priorities that he’d get enacted when the GOP gets back full control of the government, but it’s also interesting that he’s threatening to do the things that he and the rest of the GOP members of Congress are at least theoretically supposed to be working on for their voters like every day. You know, actual goals rather than promises of revenge for making it easier for people to vote and other Center-Left priorities that might come from filibuster reform.

Kind of hard to imagine some MAGA hatter in Kentucky saying “Hey, if I vote to reelect Mitch McConnell, then I’ll get to carry my Glock in Washington, but only in 2025 – at the earliest – if the Dems get rid of a parliamentary roadblock that I don’t even understand”. Hell if anything I think they’d be actually furious with him if they understood the situation and realized that McConnell had the chance to make that happen for them four years ago but passed on it. Lucky for Mitch the vast majority of MAGA voters in Kentucky are fucking stupid and won’t catch on. Also helps to have Tucker Carlson and Frau Ingraham telling them to be angry about Dr. Seuss and Mr. Potato Head, while the Wall Street Journal subscribers who did read this column won’t say anything because legislative inertia has been damn good for them and their mutual funds.

“Virtuoso Travel, a booking agency catering to the luxury travel market, has dropped all Trump-branded hotels and resorts from its service. The change in policy, which affects all 10 hotels and resorts operated by the former U.S. president’s company, was not publicly announced by the agency. The change occurred the week of March 8, when Trump Organization facilities were no longer listed on its website. ‘As of March 8, 2021, Trump Hotels are no longer part of the Virtuoso network,’ said Misty Ewing Belles, managing director of global public relations for the agency. Belles did not elaborate on why this decision was reached. Trump hotels were still listed on the website on March 9, but have since been removed. ‘Virtuoso considers many variables when reviewing both existing and new network participation. Out of respect for all involved parties, and as a general policy, we do not share comments regarding our non-renewal and exit decisions,’ Belles said.”

“Virtuoso, which describes itself as a ‘by-invitation-only organization through which member travel advisers have privileged access to exclusive amenities, travel offers and rare experiences that you can’t get on your own,’ partners with hospitality companies to provide accommodations to clientele. Some properties with the former president’s name were struggling financially before the move by Virtuoso. After the Capitol riot in January, the Professional Golfers Association, as well as New York City and some banks, cut ties with the Trump organization” – Zenger News.

Joe Biden is now claiming he looked Vladimir Putin in his eyes and told him “You have no soul.”

Was that before or after he got arrested alongside Nelson Mandela?

Was it under sniper fire in Bosnia?

Was Corn Pop there?

So many questions.

— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) March 18, 2021

“It may be an overstated political cliché that if you’re explaining, you’re losing. But you’re almost certainly losing if you’re explaining, ahead of time, why the economic boom you’re expecting on your opponent’s watch shouldn’t be attributed to your opponent. One lesson of the volatility of the past dozen years is that fairly or not, the president’s party tends to get the credit or blame for the economy – or at least for the way people perceive the economy. Biden is visiting swing states this week to sell American Rescue Plan’s focus on giving Americans vaccines and money, but with economists across the ideological spectrum forecasting explosive growth, many veterans of the 2009 stimulus wars believe the economy will be all the sales pitch the bill needs” – Politico.

ABC News: “Tinder’s parent company, Match Groups, is readying to launch a new feature to make online dating safer by vetting your matches. Partnering with background check nonprofit Garbo, the feature will help put Tinder users at ease. ‘Having newer technology helps singles feel more safe,’ said Julie Spira, founder of the website Cyber Dating Expert. ‘Whether it’s the video dating or a background check, [it] makes the dating process flow quickly and safely.'”

“Through this feature, Match Groups says a user will be able to see public records of potential dates, including convictions, orders of protection or restraining orders and legal documents that report abuse, harassment or other violent crimes. Dating sites have long faced criticism for not doing enough to protect customers. According to Pew Research, 3 in 10 users say someone continued to contact them on dating apps after they said they weren’t interested.”

“The district attorney is sifting through millions of pages of his tax records. The state attorney general has subpoenaed his lawyers, his bankers, his chief financial officer – even one of his sons. And that’s just in New York. Former president Donald Trump is also facing criminal investigations in Georgia and the District of Columbia related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. And Trump must defend himself against a growing raft of lawsuits: 29 are pending at last count, including some seeking damages from Trump’s actions on Jan. 6, when he encouraged a march to the Capitol that ended in a mob storming the building. No charges have been filed against Trump in any of these investigations. The outcome of these lawsuits is uncertain.”

“Trump has raised more than $31 million for his post-presidential political action committee, which he could tap to pay legal fees. But the sheer volume of these legal problems indicates that – after a moment of maximum invincibility in the White House – Trump has fallen to a point of historic vulnerability before the law” – Washington Post.

AP: “Asian Americans were already worn down by a year of pandemic-fueled racist attacks when a white gunman was charged with attacking three Atlanta-area massage parlors and killing eight people, most of them Asian women. Hundreds of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders turned to social media to air their anger, sadness, fear and hopelessness. The hashtag #StopAsianHate was a top trending topic on Twitter hours after the shootings that happened Tuesday evening. ‘I think the reason why people are feeling so hopeless is because Asian Americans have been ringing the bell on this issue for so long… We’ve been raising the red flag,’ said Aisha Yaqoob Mahmood, executive director of the Atlanta-based Asian American Advocacy Fund, which does political and advocacy work across Georgia.”

“Many were also outraged that the suspect, 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long, was not immediately charged with hate crimes. Authorities said Long told police the attack was not racially motivated, and he claimed that he targeted the spas because of a ‘sex addiction.’ Six of the seven slain women were identified as Asian. Law enforcement needs ‘some training understanding what a hate crime is. This man identified targets owned by Asians,’ said Margaret Huang, president and CEO of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups. The gunman ‘was very clearly going after a targeted group of people.'”

A 64-year-old North Carolina man has been arrested after he alleged planted bombs at a number of locations, including  a church, in Transylvania County, CBS News reports.

Terry Lee Barham was arrested Tuesday afternoon and charged with three counts of terrorism, possession of a weapon of mass destruction, transportation of a weapon of mass destruction, manufacturing a weapon of mass destruction, malicious damage to a government building, attempted malicious damage to a government building, attempted malicious damage to a church, and attempted malicious damage to an occupied building.

Police allege that Barham placed an unexploded incendiary device at the First Baptist Church of Brevard on Sunday morning as church personnel were preparing the church for worship.  Searching the area, police found that devices had exploded at the Transylvania County Community Services Building and the American Legion Lodge.

If you think making your husband a sandwich is a sin, but popping your vagina into another woman’s vagina in front of the world is power— you are a lost soul.

— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) March 16, 2021

“New: Texas man arrested outside VP Kamala Harris’ official residence at the US Naval Observatory Wednesday was in possession of an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, 113 rounds of unregistered ammunition, and five 30 round magazines, according to DC police report.” —Jim Sciutto of CNN