ABC13: “Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who is facing intense calls for his resignation, told ABC13 exclusively that his intent to oppose Joe Biden’s electoral win was based on legality and to fight voter fraud. In his first interview since the U.S. Capitol was under unprecedented siege by President Donald Trump’s supporters, Cruz also insisted that he did not agree and has never agreed with the sitting president’s rhetoric that fired up the chaos and left four people dead on Wednesday.”

“‘The president’s language and rhetoric often goes too far. I think, yesterday in particular, the president’s language and rhetoric crossed the line and it was reckless. I disagree with it, and I have disagreed with the president’s language and rhetoric for the last four years,’ Cruz said. He continued, ‘If you looked to what I have said, you will not find me say the same language or rhetoric.’ ‘I do think it’s really cynical for [Dems] to try and take advantage of what was a tragic event that occurred yesterday in Washington – the terrorist attack on the Capitol was despicable.'”

Hey liberals, do you notice that when conservatives lose races we don’t riot, scream, smash windows, burn cars, assault people, or need days off of work?

It’s amazing how mature and civil conservatives are

Please remember this and take notes when we get Trump re-elected in 2020

— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) November 7, 2018

“The violent assault on the U.S. Capitol by President Donald Trump’s supporters and his long refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election have jeopardized the president’s political future and tainted prospects for his top lieutenants and family members, current and former administration officials said. The Republican president has dangled the possibility of running for president in 2024, and political operatives had expected him to exert influence over the GOP for years to come.”

“But his behavior on Wednesday – goading supporters to march on the Capitol to encourage lawmakers to overturn Democrat Joe Biden’s win in the Nov. 3 election, and then failing quickly to call on them to stand down after violence ensued – has sickened people who work and used to work for him and, they said, changed the equation for his post-presidential relevance. ‘It was a dereliction of duty as commander-in-chief and I think he will be mortally wounded from a political career going forward,’ one former White House official who worked for Trump said on Thursday. ‘He has blood on his hands from yesterday. A woman died.’ Trump supporters broke into the Capitol, pushed past police, and roamed through the building, forcing lawmakers and Vice President Mike Pence to evacuate. One woman died after being shot by police; three other individuals died of medical emergencies. ‘There’s no recovering from what happened. It was sedition. I don’t see how there’s a future,’ said another former administration official, referring to Trump and his top aides. ‘I think the Cabinet members that stayed and that aren’t speaking out now or even quietly resigning have a stain forever'” – Reuters.

Wall Street Journal: “Ronna McDaniel, a President Trump ally, is poised to be re-elected the Republican National Committee chairwoman as the party weighs its future after losing control of the White House and both chambers of Congress in the past two years. Her expected re-election Friday comes at the end of a tumultuous week for the GOP, marked by its loss of two Senate seats in Georgia runoff elections and violence in and around the Capitol in Washington after pro-Trump rioters breached security. While Ms. McDaniel is running unopposed, the race for the co-chair position has become a proxy fight over how closely the national party wants to remain attached to Mr. Trump after he leaves the White House this month.”

“Texan Tommy Hicks Jr. , a longtime Trump family friend who became RNC co-chair in 2019, is facing a challenge. RNC members Bruce Hough of Utah and Jay Shepard of Vermont and RNC general counsel Doyle Webb of Arkansas are also seeking the job. Ms. McDaniel has indicated that she doesn’t plan to run for another term in 2023, potentially putting the co-chair in a strong position to take over the party’s leadership ahead of the next presidential election.”

“Lack of time may be the only thing that saves President Trump from becoming the first U.S. president to be impeached a second time, Hill sources tell Axios. Driving the news: House Democrats have a caucus call at noon to discuss that very topic. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) told Kasie Hunt on MSNBC’s “Way Too Early'”: ‘I think that Democrats are going to move forward with another impeachment because they do believe that he must be held accountable'” – Axios.

https://twitter.com/dbongino/status/1347511086824747011

Wall Street Journal: “On Wednesday, shortly before the president left the White House to deliver remarks to supporters, Mr. Pence told him that he lacked the constitutional authority to block certain electors from being counted, which the president had been pushing him to do, according to people familiar with the conversation. Mr. Pence said it would set a bad precedent if he veered off course, according to one of the people. The president was furious, the people said. ‘I don’t want to be your friend,’ Trump told Pence. ‘I want you to be the vice president.’”

Following an earlier premature report about the death of a Capitol Police officer, the department confirmed one of its officers succumbed to wounds sustained during yesterday’s insurrectionist attack at the Capitol, NBC News reports.

Officer Brian Sicknick died after he collapsed at the Division headquarters office after he clashed with the mob entering the Capitol.  Sicknick had joined the force in 2008.

No, Peanut. They are not Patriots. They are your flying monkeys,homegrown terrorists, QAnon actors. They are the douchebags that go out and do the evil bidding of people like you who like to wind them up like toys and let them do their worst. #keepingYourFilthyHandsclean #enabler

— Lucy Lawless (@RealLucyLawless) January 7, 2021

Prior to the attempted coup at the Capitol on Wednesday, Pentagon officials explicitly limited the role that the DC National Guard could play in controlling the protest, including limiting the equipment and resources at the Guard’s disposal, the Washington Post reports.

The Guard was not allowed to carry weapons or ammunition, nor could they deploy riot gear, even in reserve, according to Pentagon officials.  The members of the Guard were limited to performing traffic control; they were even barred from sharing resources with local law enforcement officers.

In a bit of poor planning, the Capitol Police hadn’t requested the assistance of the Guard prior to the rally, while the District of Columbia had not asked for Guard to help with riot or crowd control:  the Guard would handle routine operations by replacing DC police, who would help Capitol Police as needed.

But when the call came from Capitol Police seeking help with the insurrectionists, the Pentagon balked at sending the Guard onto the Capitol Plaza, saying they didn’t like the “optics” of having uniformed military at the Capitol. 

In the aftermath of an attempted coup by domestic terrorists at the US Capitol on Wednesday, the United States continued to see record-setting spikes in the coronavirus pandemic, according to the COVID Tracking Project.

The US registered 4,033 fatalities on Thursday, a record high, as a spike that began after the Thanksgiving holiday.  More than 132,000 people remain hospitalized, slightly lower than the record-setting number from the day before.

With more than 266,000 new cases logged on Thursday, the US hit its second-highest number of new infections.  The seven-day running average for new cases of 233,675 set a new record.

We'd rather be lonely than with that mob. AXE condemns yesterday's acts of violence and hate at the Capitol. We believe in the democratic process and the peaceful transition of power. https://t.co/vX727ZfvS8

— AXE (@AXE) January 7, 2021

Elinore McCance-Katz, the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, has announced her resignation from the Trump Administration, Politico’s Brianna Ehley reports.

In her resignation announcement, McCance-Katz said she intended to stay on to the end of the administration, “but my plans abruptly changed last evening when … I saw the violent takeover of the Capitol building. I believe that this behavior was totally unacceptable and, in my own heart, I simply am not able to continue.”

McCance-Katz is the third high-profile Trump administration official to announce her resignation in the last ten hours as a result of Trump stoking and coddling insurrectionists.

StarWarsFineJewelry.com, the premier online retailer for all of your Star Wars-inspired mid-market jewelry needs is currently out of stock of 66.6% of its pendant offerings specific to that popular streaming television series set in the Star Wars Universe.

It is unknown when this situation will be rectified, as no attempt was made by National Zero staff to contact the customer service staff at StarWarsFineJewelry.com to inquire and are extremely unlikely to ever visit again following publication of this article. Additionally, that $999.00 C-3PO-themed 10-karat yellow gold ring with white diamonds for women looks pretty chintzy.

Wall Street Journal:  “Education Secretary Betsy DeVos submitted her resignation to President Trump on Thursday night, saying the Capitol riot was an inflection point for her[.]”

Reuters : “President Donald Trump should be impeached and removed from office ‘immediately,’ House of Representatives Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler said in a statement on Thursday. ‘I am once again urging that the president be impeached and removed from office. We have a limited period of time in which to act. The nation cannot afford a lengthy, drawn out process, and I support bringing articles of impeachment directly to the House floor,’ Nadler said.”

“Impeachment has the virtue of being transparent and politically accountable. If there were enough votes to convict in the Senate, it would also seem less partisan. The best case for impeachment is not to punish Mr. Trump. It is to send a message to future Presidents that Congress will protect itself from populists of all ideological stripes willing to stir up a mob and threaten the Capitol or its Members. But impeachment so late in the term won’t be easy or without rancor. It would further enrage Mr. Trump’s supporters in a way that won’t help Mr. Biden govern, much less heal partisan divisions. It would pour political fuel on Wednesday’s dying embers.”

“If Mr. Trump wants to avoid a second impeachment, his best path would be to take personal responsibility and resign. This would be the cleanest solution since it would immediately turn presidential duties over to Mr. Pence. And it would give Mr. Trump agency, a la Richard Nixon, over his own fate” – Wall Street Journal Editorial Board.

Republican Missouri Senator Josh Hawley, whose book contract with Simon & Schuster was canceled by the company earlier in the day, took to Twitter to demonstrate his continued ignorance of the Constitution and literature.

“This could not be more Orwellian,” Hawley whined.  “Simon & Schuster is canceling my contract because I was representing my constituents, leading a debate on the Senate floor on voter integrity, which they now have decided to define as sedition.

“Let me be clear, this is not just a contract dispute.  It’s a direct assault on the First Amendment.  Only approved speech can now be published.  This is the Left looking to cancel everyone they don’t approve of.  I will fight this cancel culture with everything I have.  We’ll see you in court.”

Now let’s shred this statement:

pic.twitter.com/csX07ZVWGe

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 8, 2021