The America First movement must survive and thrive within the Republican Party.

— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) January 27, 2021

“Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the Proud Boys extremist group, has a past as an informer for federal and local law enforcement, repeatedly working undercover for investigators after he was arrested in 2012, according to a former prosecutor and a transcript of a 2014 federal court proceeding obtained by Reuters. In the Miami hearing, a federal prosecutor, an FBI agent and Tarrio’s own lawyer described his undercover work and said he had helped authorities prosecute more than a dozen people in various cases involving drugs, gambling and human smuggling.”

“Tarrio, in an interview with Reuters Tuesday, denied working undercover or cooperating in cases against others. ‘I don’t know any of this,’ he said, when asked about the transcript. ‘I don’t recall any of this.’ Law-enforcement officials and the court transcript contradict Tarrio’s denial. In a statement to Reuters, the former federal prosecutor in Tarrio’s case, Vanessa Singh Johannes, confirmed that ‘he cooperated with local and federal law enforcement, to aid in the prosecution of those running other, separate criminal enterprises, ranging from running marijuana grow houses in Miami to operating pharmaceutical fraud schemes.’ Tarrio, 36, is a high-profile figure who organizes and leads the right-wing Proud Boys in their confrontations with those they believe to be Antifa, short for ‘anti-fascism,’ an amorphous and often violent leftist movement. The Proud Boys were involved in the deadly insurrection at the Capitol January 6. The records uncovered by Reuters are startling because they show that a leader of a far-right group now under intense scrutiny by law enforcement was previously an active collaborator with criminal investigators” – Reuters.

Daily Beast: “A week after President Joe Biden’s inauguration, believers in the far-right QAnon conspiracy theory were looking for new hope. ‘I think Trump is gone,’ one wrote on the messaging platform Telegram. ‘If you think about it, he never said most of what we expected, Q said it, etc. We were putting phrases together and trying to read into things. Trust the plan can mean anything.’ Someone replied that they believed a plan – as long teased by ‘Q,’ an anonymous user on a fringe forum – to uproot Donald Trump’s enemies was still proceeding apace. But another member of the chat offered a more practical action plan: a fascist slogan, an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory, and a link to another, even more fringe Telegram channel.”

“The QAnon conspiracy theory falsely accuses Trump’s opponents of satanic pedophilia and cannibalism, and has merged with compatible theories that falsely accuse his opponents of election fraud. But with Trump out of office and no sign of the movement’s much-anticipated mass arrests, some Q believers are looking for new answers. And members of other violent movements are seeking out those disillusioned fans in the hopes of converting them to new and more militant ideologies. Among them are militia groups, members of a hate church, and advocates for secession from the United States. ‘QAnon is really ripe territory for recruitment,’ said Jessica Reeves, editorial director of the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism. At the heart of that crossover, Reeves told The Daily Beast, are shared conspiratorial beliefs between QAnon followers and other militant sects. That mingling was on full display at the deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, when Jacob Chansley, better known as the ‘QAnon Shaman,’ allegedly stormed the building alongside members of paramilitary groups. But some of the intermingling began long before Trump’s election loss. In the run-up to voting, members of far-right paramilitary groups like the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers endorsed elements of the discredited theory.”

“Melvin Capital closed out its short position in GameStop on Tuesday afternoon after taking a huge loss, the hedge fund’s manager told CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin. GameStop, hedge funds’ most-hated stock, was targeted by an army of retail investors who marshaled forces against short sellers in online chat rooms. In the Reddit forum ‘wallstreetbets’ with more than 2 million subscribers, rookie investors encouraged each other to pile into GameStop’s equity and call options, creating massive short squeezes in the stock. CNBC could not confirm the amount of losses Melvin Capital took on the short position. Citadel and Point72 have infused close to $3 billion into Gabe Plotkin’s hedge fund to shore up its finances. Plotkin told Sorkin that speculation about a bankruptcy filing is false. GameStop shares have more than doubled this week alone to nearly $150 apiece, driving its January gains to 685%. The stock was worth just $6 four months ago” – CNBC.

“If you want to spend all your time going on Fox and be an asshole, there’s never been a better time to serve, but if you want to spend all your time being thoughtful and getting shit done, there’s never been a worse time to serve” – Republican strategist Corry Bliss, quoted in the National Journal.

Axios: “Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows is joining the Conservative Partnership Institute, a group run by former South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint that operates as a ‘networking hub’ for conservatives, sources familiar with his plans tell Axios. Meadows, who is still in frequent contact with former President Trump and has been advising him ahead of his impeachment trial, will now operate behind the scenes to help create more members like Jim Jordan, Ted Cruz, and Josh Hawley – conservative firebrands with strong networks and staffs. The House Freedom Caucus founder will also play a key role in gathering grassroots support to oppose Biden nominees and policies in the first 100 days, the sources said. His first day is on Wednesday.”

“One thing to understand about Adam Kinzinger is that he knows how this will end. ‘The only hope you have is to accept the fact that you’re already dead,’ the Republican congressman from Illinois says. He is quoting a scene from the World War II series ‘Band of Brothers’ in which an officer dresses down a lieutenant who hid from battle. The officer continues: ‘And the sooner you accept that, the sooner you’ll be able to function as a soldier is supposed to function.’ Kinzinger, who is also a pilot with the Air Force National Guard, took those words as an order. His embrace of this fatalistic credo made it easier for him to fly planes into enemy territory during tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. It made it easier for him to object late last year as President Donald Trump and some of his congressional colleagues amplified the myth of a ‘rigged’ election, stoking violent revenge fantasies among the party’s politically valuable give-me-MAGA-or-give-me-death contingent.”

“And it made it easier for Kinzinger, a young, square-jawed Republican with his whole political life ahead of him, to vote to impeach Trump in the aftermath of the failed insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. ‘I’m willing to blow this whole thing out of the water at all times,’ Kinzinger said of his career in politics. The 42-year-old congressman, who last fall won reelection easily, spoke to The Washington Post from his office a week after the attack on the Capitol. He was the only Republican to vote in favor of a resolution urging Vice President Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment and strip Trump of his presidential powers and one of 10 Republicans to vote to impeach Trump for inciting a riot at the Capitol” – Washington Post.

AP: “Fulfilling a campaign promise, President Joe Biden plans to reopen the HealthCare.gov insurance markets for a special sign-up opportunity geared to people needing coverage in the coronavirus pandemic. Biden is expected to sign an executive order Thursday, said two people familiar with the plan, whose details were still being finalized. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the pending order ahead of a formal announcement.”

“Although the number of uninsured Americans has grown because of job losses due to the economic hit of COVID-19, the Trump administration resisted calls to authorize a ‘special enrollment period’ for people uninsured in the pandemic. Failure to repeal and replace ‘Obamacare’ as he repeatedly vowed to do was one of former President Donald Trump’s most bitter disappointments. His administration continued trying to find ways to limit the program or unravel it entirely. A Supreme Court decision on Trump’s final legal challenge to the Affordable Care Act is expected this year. The White House had no comment on Biden’s expected order, but the two individuals familiar with the plan said the new enrollment period would not go into effect immediately. Instead, the White House wants to provide time for the Department of Health and Human Services to mount a marketing campaign, and for insurers to get ready for an influx of new customers.”

After the Hall of Fame committee declined to elect any of the nominees to join the Hall, former pitcher and conservative gadfly Curt Schilling has told the nominating committee to take him off next year’s ballot, his last available nomination from the baseball writers’ association, ESPN reports.

Schilling, a pitcher with the Diamondbacks, Phillies, Orioles and Red Sox, could still be elected to the Hall by the veterans committee.

“I will not participate in the final year of voting. I am requesting to be removed from the ballot. I’ll defer to the veterans committee and men whose opinions actually matter and who are in a position to actually judge a player,” Schilling wrote in a Facebook post. “I don’t think I’m a hall of famer as I’ve often stated but if former players think I am then I’ll accept that with honor.”

If people need any other reason to see how far out of reality Fox News has fallen, look no further than the 7 p.m. ET show on the network during which Maria Bartiromo interviewed Steve Hilton, a weekend network host, and didn’t stop his rambling of debunked conspiracy theory.

https://youtu.be/_RSxP4rmLU8

Speaking of the lab in Wuhan, China–the region believed to be the source of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus strain, Hilton babbled, “Secretary Pompeo is exactly right, that was the most likely source of the leak in the lab that resulted in the pandemic.  But the question is, who commissioned the work?  Who started the work that they were doing in that lab.  And the answer, as I was reporting last Sunday on my show, comes back right here to our country to Dr. [Anthony] Fauci.”  [Editor’s note:  Hilton is not American; he’s British.  He has applied for citizenship but has not yet been granted it, therefore it’s unclear what he means by “our country.”]

Axios reports that a spokesman for House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy emailed them saying “These comments are deeply disturbing and Leader McCarthy plans to have a conversation” with racist QAnon fan Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene about her Facebook comments and likes calling for violence against prominent Democrats which, is wow, holy shit.

Marjorie’s in serious trouble now. Few have ever “had a conversation” with the big guy and came out of it with their careers still intact. Whoa. She is FUCKED dude. Wouldn’t want to be her tonight.

Former Trump economic advisor Larry Kudlow will return to his roots, hosting a show on the Fox Business network in his post White House career, Politico reports.

With a voice as soothing as a wood chipper and a personality as welcoming as Cruella DeVille, the 73-year-old Kudlow brings a record of poor economic insight and predictions to his new gig at Fox Business.

With no formal education in economics, Kudlow was brought on to the Trump administration to be the Director of the National Economic Council.  While in the administration, Kudlow repeated touted Trump’s economic record as one of the best in history, although Trump never exceeded 3.0% annual GDP growth and slowed job growth.  Trump left office as only the second president since 1900 to have lost jobs during his term in office, and he oversaw one of the worst economic downturns since the Great Recession.

The brother of New York Congressman received threatening text messages on the day domestic terrorists attempted a violent coup at the Capitol in Washington.

According to the New York Times, Hasan Jeffries, a history professor, received a text that read, “Your brother is putting your entire family at risk with his lies and other words. We are armed and nearby your house. You had better have a word with him. We are not far from his either.”  The text included a photo of a house from Hasan Jeffries’ neighborhood.

A text to an unspecified relative of ABC journalist George Stephanopoulos said that his “words are putting you and your family at risk. We are nearby armed and ready.”

Newsweek: “Rudy Giuliani, attorney for former President Donald Trump, responded Monday to a $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit filed against him by Dominion Voting Systems. Giuliani had publicly supported Trump’s baseless claims that widespread voter fraud had been a factor in President Joe Biden’s victory. Among the conspiracy theories peddled by Giuliani was an allegation that tabulation machines manufactured by Dominion Voting Systems had been programmed to flip votes from Trump to Biden. Many of the lawsuits filed by Giuliani and other members of Trump’s legal team, attempting to overturn the results of the election, failed. In its Monday filing, Dominion said that Giuliani’s allegations had damaged the company’s reputation.”

“During Monday’s edition of Giuliani’s Chat with the Mayor program on WABC, Giuliani scoffed at the billion-dollar lawsuit. ‘What do you think I am, some kind of jackass?’ Giuliani asked. ‘That’s intended to frighten me, you want to frighten me. You want to scare me, like you have some of these companies and stations that have gone ahead and kissed your you-know-what. Because they’re afraid of you.’ ‘Well, I tell you I’m a crazy guy, I really am, I’m just really crazy,’ Giuliani continued. ‘So not only haven’t you scared me, you’ve actually given me something that I couldn’t get through the censorship that’s been set up so nobody can see your machines.'”

Today, I made clear that if Democrats ever attack the key Senate rules, it would drain the consent and comity out of the institution. A scorched-earth Senate would hardly be able to function. It wouldn’t be a progressive’s dream. It would be a nightmare.

I guarantee it.

— Leader McConnell (@LeaderMcConnell) January 26, 2021

“The Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office has been tasked with attempting to return a $2 million stockpile of a malaria drug once touted by former President Donald Trump as a way to treat the coronavirus. In April, Gov. Kevin Stitt, who ordered the hydroxychloroquine purchase, defended it by saying that while it may not be a useful treatment for the coronavirus, the drug had multiple other uses and ‘that money will not have gone to waste in any respect.’ But nearly a year later the state is trying to offload the drug back to its original supplier, California-based FFF Enterprises, Inc, a private pharmaceutical wholesaler.”

“Alex Gerszewski, a spokesman for Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter, told The Frontier this week that the AG’s office was working with the state health department ‘to try to figure out a solution.’ Gerszewski said Hunter’s office had gotten involved at the request of the Oklahoma State Department of Health. Stitt was criticized last year for the $2 million purchase, a move viewed by some as a partisan move to curry favor with conservatives who were defending Trump amid criticism of his own support of the drug. But Stitt defended the purchase at the time by likening it to the race early last year to procure personal protective equipment for Oklahomans, believing it was better to have the hydroxychloroquine stockpile and not need it, rather than to later learn the drug was useful but not have it” – ReadFrontier.com

New York Post: “Goya Foods has voted to silence its pro-Trump CEO Robert Unanue following his recent television appearances questioning the results of the presidential election, The Post has learned. The Hispanic foods giant on Friday agreed to censure Unanue, 67, for controversial remarks in the wake of the deadly Jan. 6 invasion of the US Capitol building, including on Jan. 20 when he called President Biden’s election ‘unverified’ during an appearance on Fox Business.”

“The vote by a majority of Goya’s nine-member board means Unanue must now obtain board permission before making any more media appearances, sources close to the situation said. ‘Bob does not speak for Goya Foods when he speaks on TV,’ Goya board member and third-generation owner Andy Unanue told The Post last week leading up to the vote. ‘The family has diverse views on politics, but politics is not part of our business. Our political point of views are irrelevant.'”

“The will-he-or-won’t-he speculation surrounding a possible gubernatorial run by MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell is destined to continue at least a bit longer. Lindell told Axios that his focus is currently on proving his (baseless) claims of election fraud. He won’t make a decision until that fight is resolved. ‘Why would anybody want to run if they had the same machines with the election fraud?’ Lindell said Friday. ‘It will all get out there, and when it does, we’ll see what elections are going to have to be done with paper ballots and no machines. Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense to put in everybody’s resources and time'” – Axios.

UPDATE (10:07 p.m. ET):  Leahy was released from the hospital around 8:30 p.m. and returned home with no complications.

Senate President pro tempore, the Democratic Senator from Vermont is is the senior Democrat in the chamber, was taken to the hospital Tuesday evening after reportedly feeling unwell, according to Trish Turner of ABC News.

“‘This evening, Sen Leahy was in his Capitol office and was not feeling well.  He was examined in the Capitol by the Attending Physician.  Out of an abundance of caution, the Attending Physician recommended that he be taken to a local hospital for observation, where he is…now, and where he is being evaluated.’ -David Carle, Leahy spox” reported in a tweet.

Leahy is scheduled to oversee the Senate impeachment trial of Donald Trump, scheduled to start in two weeks.