A New Jersey man was charged Thursday with defacing an ancient rock formation in Salem, New Hampshire, carving the QAnon phrase “WWG1WGA” into the stone with a power tool in 2019, CNN reports.

Fifty-year-old Mark Russo, was taken into custody by law enforcement officials in Rockingham County, New Jersey and will be extradited to New Hampshire to face charges in the September 2019 vandalism.  He is expected to be charged with one count of felony criminal mischief.

Police were called to the rock formation, known as “America’s Stonehenge” and believed to be 4,000 years old, in August 2019, after people reported a man with power tools carving into the rocks.  When they arrived, they found the “WWG1WGA”–representing the QAnon motto “Where We Go One We Go All”–carved into the rock.

Throughout 2020, Fox News and conservatives barked about how people were fleeing regulation-heavy California for more “liberty-loving” states like Texas.  They offered no evidence of this, to paraphrase Bill Maher, “They don’t know it for a fact.  They just know it’s true.”

Well, it’s neither true nor a fact, according to research by the California Policy Lab released Thursday, which shows that most of the migration in California was done intrastate, not to other states, the Associated Press reports.

“While a mass exodus from California clearly didn’t happen in 2020, the pandemic did change some historical patterns, for example, fewer people moved into the state to replace those who left,” author Natalie Holmes said.  “At the county level, however, San Francisco is experiencing a unique and dramatic exodus, which is causing 50% or 100% increases in Bay Area in-migration for some counties in the Sierras.”

https://youtu.be/K811ImvlKro

With Wisconsin Republican Senator and serial pain in the ass Ron Johnson absent from the chamber, Maryland Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen took to the floor after the reading of the entire American Rescue Act bill ended at 2 a.m. Friday to move that debate of the bill be limited to three hours from the traditional 20 hours, thereby making the 17 hour stunt by Johnson moot.

With no Republicans there to object, the motion was passed without objection.  The Senate took up floor debate and the “vote-o-rama” at noon on Friday.

“Emailing his parents from jail, the Georgia teen [Brian Cua] who stormed the Capitol and pushed a cop says he now regrets his posts calling for mass executions. ‘I never realized I could really get in trouble for what I said on the internet, it seemed like everyone said whatever they want.'” —Jan Wolfe of Reuters

“The White House could announce President Joe Biden’s pick to lead NASA as soon as today, according to multiple people outside the government who are closely tracking the chatter. And the space community seems to be warming to the prospect that it will be former Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida. ‘I’ve heard agreement on the value of his connectivity to the president and his connectivity to the Hill,’ Mike French, vice president of space systems at the Aerospace Industries Association, described the sentiment among member companies. ‘I think that’s a widely shared view, how that can be very helpful to the agency.'”

“Nelson, who flew aboard the space shuttle, was also instrumental in writing the 2010 NASA authorization bill, which set the framework for the pioneering programs that now deliver cargo and astronauts to the International Space Station relying on commercial providers, French added. NASA declined to comment on any pending nomination” – Politico.

Axios: “House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has requested a meeting with President Biden to discuss the rising numbers of unaccompanied migrant children at the U.S.-Mexico border, in a letter sent on Friday. Biden is facing criticism from the right and the left as agency actions and media reports reveal spiking numbers of migrant children overwhelming parts of the U.S. immigration system. Recent data shows an average of 321 kids being referred to migrant shelters each day, as Axios reported. ‘I feel compelled to express great concern with the manner in which your administration is approaching this crisis, but with hope that we can work together to solve it,’ McCarthy wrote in the letter addressed to Biden.”

The United States added 379,000 jobs in February 2021, more than 75% higher than the expected 210,000 jobs economists predicted for the second month of the year, in a sign that businesses are preparing for a post-pandemic economy.

The jobs report was impacted by the severe weather that swept across the country during the month, perhaps driving down the number of jobs reported.  The number of jobs created in December 2020 and January 2021 were revised up a combined net 38,000 jobs.

Health care and social services led the sector growth with more than 46,000 jobs added, followed by retail (41,000) and manufacturing (21,000).  The hardest hit sectors with job losses were education on state and local levels (69,000) and mining (61,000).

I am joining @SenBryanHughes to announce a bill prohibiting social media companies from censoring viewpoints.

Too many social media sites silence conservative speech and ideas and trample free speech.

It's un-American, Un-Texan, & soon to be illegal.https://t.co/zSdirRa1pj

— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) March 5, 2021

Reuters: “Voting rights groups are calling on companies such as Coca-Cola Co and Delta Air Lines Inc to oppose efforts by Republican lawmakers in Georgia to enact sweeping new restrictions on voting access in the battleground state. The organizations, including Black Voters Matter, the New Georgia Project and the Georgia NAACP, launched a campaign on social media and in local news outlets this week asking the corporations to take a stand against legislation they said aims to curb turnout from Democratic-leaning Black voters.”

“Black voters were crucial to helping elect Democrat President Joe Biden in the November election and two Democratic senators in a January run-off in Georgia, a once unthinkable scenario in the traditionally Republican southern state.’Some of these companies have made beautiful statements for Black Lives Matter,’ said Cliff Albright, co-founder of Black Voters Matter, a group focused on increasing Black Americans’ voting access. ‘Yet here, in the moment where it matters most, they have been silent.’ Republicans in Georgia and across the country are using former President Donald Trump’s false claims of voter fraud to back state-level voting changes they say are needed to restore election integrity.”

California Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell has filed a civil lawsuit against Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Rudy Giuliani and Republican Congressman Mo Brooks of Alabama for attempting to block Congress from doing its Constitutionally-mandated duty to certify the Electoral College vote by inciting a riot on January 6th, the Daily Beast reports.

Following the lead of the lawsuit filed by Mississippi Democratic Congressman Bennie Thompson, Swalwell’s suit cites the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 in noting that there was an organized effort by the group to prevent federal officials from doing their jobs.

“The Defendants, in short, convinced the mob that something was occurring that—if actually true—might indeed justify violence, and then sent that mob to the Capitol with violence-laced calls for immediate action,” the suit alleges.

And whatever motivation for producing and distributing them for free to migrants definitely has no similarities to the situation BuzzFeed reported on in 2018 with “A Mysterious Imposter Account Was Used On Facebook To Drum Up Support For The Migrant Caravan“

“There’s a war on The Muppets. And ‘The Cat and the Hat!’ But Biden is busy. He has no time for all that. Over the past few weeks, Republicans have simmered over the ‘cancellation’ of seemingly innocent family favorites, including the venerated Mr. Potato Head toy and Dr. Seuss books. Glenn Beck has likened it to fascism. Fox News has covered it obsessively. In recent days, conservative legislators have made speeches at confabs and in the halls of Congress, warning about what they describe as out of control PC culture” Politico reports.

“And yet, even as it becomes all consuming on the right, White House advisers and Biden aides insist they’re unbothered by the culture-wars-du-jour. Unbothered, they say. They respond with a snore. (Okay, we’re done). ‘I don’t think there is any danger in ignoring a debate on Mr. Potato Head and Dr. Seuss,’ said John Anzalone, a Biden adviser and campaign pollster. Anzalone contends there’s no benefit to engaging in ‘meaningless’ topics, and that there may indeed be an upside in disregarding them as the Biden administration and Democrats close in on a massive Covid-relief package, amid more than 500,000 deaths from the pandemic. ‘The Republicans are in danger of ignoring getting Covid vaccine distribution money to states, funding to schools to reopen and checks in the pockets of struggling Americans,’ he added. Other aides to the president agree, pointing to the often-fleeting nature of the stories burning up conservative airwaves as proof there’s no need to weigh in.”

Axios: “The Senate on Thursday voted 51-50 – with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking the tie – to proceed to debate on President Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus rescue package, likely setting up a final vote this weekend. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) forced Senate clerks to read the entire 628-page bill on the floor, which took nearly 11 hours and lasted until 2:04 a.m. on Friday.”

“The Senate is set to return at 9 a.m. to debate the bill before considering amendments, which could drag into the weekend. Republicans are expected to propose a number of amendments – some unrelated to COVID relief – intended to force uncomfortable votes for Democrats, in a practice known as vote-a-rama. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) promised Thursday that the Senate will stay in session ‘no matter how long it takes’ to finish voting on the ‘American Rescue Plan.’ Because the bill is being considered under the budget reconciliation process, it only requires a simple majority to pass, rather than the usual 60-vote Senate threshold for major legislation. Speaking on the Senate floor ahead of the vote to proceed, Schumer accused Johnson of going to ‘ridiculous lengths’ to show his opposition to a COVID relief package widely supported by the American public – including a majority of Republicans.”

“The House GOP’s No. 3 leader recently urged Republicans to make clear they’re not the party of white supremacy. Two days later, one of their members spoke at a conference organized by a known white nationalist. The whiplash between Rep. Liz Cheney’s (R-Wyo.) plea and Rep. Paul Gosar’s (R-Ariz.) public speech underscores just how tough it is for GOP leaders to rein in members who cater to the extreme wings of the party. As Republicans increasingly grapple with how – or even whether – to exorcise the most radical elements from their party, their leaders’ jobs won’t get any easier.”

“The House GOP has so far confronted no large-scale blowback from Gosar’s speech to the America First Political Action Conference, or from other incidents that link a few of its members to far-right imagery or rhetoric. But some fear that if the conference – which just ushered in a historically diverse freshman class – doesn’t stomp out those political brush fires now, there’s a risk they will spread and engulf the party. Democrats are already trying to make QAnon, the far-reaching conspiracy theory labeled as a domestic terrorism threat by the FBI, the face of the GOP ahead of the midterms” – Politico.

BBC: “President Jair Bolsonaro has told Brazilians to ‘stop whining’ about Covid-19, as he criticised measures to curb the virus despite a surge in cases and deaths. His comments came a day after Brazil saw a record rise in deaths over a 24-hour period. Brazil is facing its worst phase of the pandemic yet, leaving its health system in crisis. In response some cities and states have imposed their own restrictions. Brazil’s health ministry says more than 260,000 people have died with Covid-19, the second-highest pandemic death toll in the world after the US. On Thursday, another 1,699 deaths were added to that tally, a slight decrease on Wednesday’s record 1,910. Meanwhile, a further 75,102 cases of coronavirus were reported, the second-highest daily rise on record.”

“The explosion of cases has been attributed to the spread of a highly contagious variant of the virus thought to have originated in the Amazon city of Manaus. Yet on Thursday Bolsonaro continued to downplay the threat posed by the virus. ‘Stop whining. How long are you going to keep crying about it?’ Bolsonaro said at an event. ‘How much longer will you stay at home and close everything? No one can stand it anymore. We regret the deaths, again, but we need a solution.'”

The favored Trump son-in-law, elevated to a position in the White House with a portfolio to solve Middle East peace, conquer the opioid addiction wave, completely revamp the VA medical system AND reform the bureaucracy to work “efficiently” like a corporation, Jared Kushner has dropped off the face of the Earth, no longer being listed as an advisor to the at-one-time important Florida retiree, CNN reports.

Kushner, who had his bony fingers in operations all around the White House, none of which ended successfully, has been conspicuously vacant from Donald Trump’s activities.

And it’s not just Kushner.  Kushner’s wife, Ivanka–Trump’s favorite daughter and recipient of creepily long looks from her father–has also dropped out of the political scene, with Ivanka telling friends she doesn’t even want to *here* anything about Washington.

Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch, the son of Fox News founder Rupert Murdoch, said that Fox News will take a predetermined opposition role to President Joe Biden, apparently regardless of the policy, as a way to regain viewership, NBC News reports.

“The main beneficiary of the Trump administration from a ratings point of view was MSNBC… and that’s because they were the loyal opposition,” Murdoch said of the rival cable network. “That’s what our job is now with the Biden administration, and you’ll see our ratings really improve from here.”

Murdoch failed to mention that MSNBC hit its viewership record in January and February, after Donald Trump was out of office.

A spokesperson for NBCUniversal News Group, which includes both NBC News and MSNBC, said in response that “our role, and the role of any legitimate news organization — whether it includes an ‘opinion section’ or not — is to hold power to account, regardless of party.”

Frederico Klein, a former political appointee in Donald Trump’s State Department, was arrested by the FBI Thursday for his role in the January 6th domestic terrorist attack at the Capitol, Politico reports.

The 42-year-old Klein, who was a 2016 Trump campaign worker and was rewarded by being named a special assistant in the State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, was arrested in Virginia, according to the FBI.  Specific charges were not released.

During his time with the Trump campaign, Klein served as a tech analyst and was paid $20,000, according to FEC filings.  Prior to joining the Trump campaign, he worked as researcher for the conservative Family Research Council and served as a Republican state convention delegate in Virginia, according to his LinkedIn page.

https://youtu.be/9Vjoc8rgG5Q

With no clear message to glom on to, Fox News has decided that the only way to continue is its classic “Fear the Immigrants!” programming, as evidenced by (alleged) drunk Jeanine Pirro.

Screaming at Geraldo Rivera, “YOU LISTEN TO ME!” Pirro went on a classic xenophobic rant reminiscent of Donald Trump’s campaign kickoff.  “They got COVID.  They got all types of diseases,” Pirro yelled.  “They’re being released into the United States.”

Fargo Forum: “In an unprecedented move, the North Dakota House of Representatives has expelled embattled Rep. Luke Simons over recently surfaced sexual harassment allegations. The Republican-dominated lower chamber voted 69-25 on Thursday, March 4, to remove Simons from office after a heated three-hour debate. The expulsion resolution required a two-thirds majority to pass. Simons is the first lawmaker to be expelled from the Legislature since North Dakota became a state, according to legislative officials. He declined to comment after the vote, referring questions to newly hired attorney, Lynn Boughey. The Mandan lawyer said he needed to speak with Simons before deciding how to proceed, but he noted that challenging his client’s expulsion in the state Supreme Court remained on the table.”

“The local GOP district committee in Dickinson will now be tasked with appointing Simons’ successor. GOP District 36 Chairman John Enderle said following Simons’ ouster he is stunned by the “level of cowardice among House members.” Enderle said he hopes and prays the expulsion will be overturned in the courts, but he expects to appoint Simons’ replacement soon. The chairman added that the district may hold another election after the legislative session since nearly four years are left on Simons’ term. A series of sexual harassment accusations against Simons surfaced last week, with multiple female colleagues and staffers saying the Dickinson Republican repeatedly made inappropriate comments and exhibited “creepy” behavior toward them over the last three years. Simons denies all wrongdoing and has said his accusers are politically motivated to bring him down because of his conservative views.”