It’s Thursday.
We’ve arrived at What Fresh Hell is This?, Day 70.
Our first stop on Day 70 of What Fresh Hell is This?, is going back in time to Wednesday.
On Wednesday the 45th President of the United States **Donald J. Trump made history, becoming the only sitting president to be Impeached by the House, twice.
This time around, unlike the first time in December of 2019, when the vote to Impeach was tallied, ten Republicans joined the Democrats and voted to Impeach their party leader.
Senate Majority Leader Republican Mitch McConnell offered a statement following the House Impeachment, signaling his intent to hold off on the Senate trial until after President-Elect Biden is sworn-in next week.
For more thoughts on Impeachment @ the News Blender.
We move to Biden-Harris Inauguration news.
There are just this many days to go before President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris are sworn-in.
In light of the attempted coup on our Capitol January 6th, 2021, and with the coronavirus concerns still a thing, this years Presidential Inauguration will be different than past events.
This morning the Washington Post is reporting that the Washington Mall will be closed amid security concerns.
According to two people familiar with the matter the entire National Mall will be closed only accessible by the media and security personnel. It’s the latest step in a series of security measures in the hopes of preventing another coup attempt as we saw on January 6th, 2021.
The entire National Mall will be closed for Inauguration Day, only accessible by media and security personnel, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security issues.
The extraordinary closure is the latest in a series of security measures to harden the city against the type of violence that rocked the Capitol on Jan. 6. Local and federal officials had already established a downtown security zone and called up more than 20,000 National Guard troops to protect the presidential swearing in on Jan. 20.
Washington Post. 01/14/2021.
Not to damper the typical celebratory mood that surrounds the Inauguration this morning the Biden Inaugural Committee announced the ceremony line-up.
The #InaugurationDay ceremony lineup is here! 🥳
— Biden Inaugural Committee (@BidenInaugural) January 14, 2021
Invocation – Fr. Leo O’Donovan
Pledge of Allegiance – Andrea Hall
National Anthem – @ladygaga
Poetry Reading – Amanda Gorman
Musical Performance – @JLo
Benediction – Rev. Dr. Silvester Beaman pic.twitter.com/IkTAwH3wgu
Lady Gaga performed the National Anthem, at the Superbowl in February 2016.
I won’t lie, I’m less than familiar with Jennifer Lopez’s performances outside American Idol, where she was a judge. It’s not clear what song she’s performing on January 20th, 2021, so, here’s the judges performance from my favorite ever American Idol season 13, which aired in 2014.
And since I know y’all are dying to know how come it’s my favorite season. Here’s why… His name is Caleb Johnson and by far, the best singer, outside of Carrie Underwood to perform on the Idol stage. But having said that, season 13 was probably as a fan, the best season of Idol, there were not bad singers, or okay singers, everyone could sing, and most of them never had a “bad” performance. To be fair, Johnson, with his classic 80’s style rock voice, was performing at 13 while everyone else was at 9’s and 10’s. They really did not have a chance to beat the eventual winner of season 13.
With both security and health safety concerns, the Biden team is begging, and pleading, please don’t show up, please watch from home, virtually. Where you are safe from both potential unrest and a deadly virus.
You won't want to miss it! Tune in on the morning of January 20 to watch this group come together for @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris's historic moment.
— Biden Inaugural Committee (@BidenInaugural) January 14, 2021
Watch it here:https://t.co/6RkLHKz3ffhttps://t.co/XCHkaphXO5https://t.co/x5tZ181DDb
We move on to the only person that didn’t see that coming was Rudy news.
On Wednesday evening following the second Impeachment of President Twice Impeached–Double Dipped in Impeachment the Washington Post reported that he is more isolated, sullen, and wait for it….shockingly “vengeful”.
According to people with knowledge of the dynamics between Twice Impeached Covered in Failure and his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani their relationship is fracturing. *tear*
Trump has instructed aides not to pay Giuliani’s legal fees, two officials said, and has demanded that he personally approve any reimbursements for the expenses Giuliani incurred while traveling on the president’s behalf to challenge election results in key states. They said Trump has privately expressed concern with some of Giuliani’s moves and did not appreciate a demand from Giuliani for $20,000 a day in fees for his work attempting to overturn the election.
[He’s sad that more people aren’t strongly defending his failed coup attempt]
As he watched impeachment quickly gain steam, Trump was upset generally that virtually nobody is defending him — including press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, economic adviser Larry Kudlow, national security adviser Robert C. O’Brien and Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, according to a senior administration official.
[He is less upset with his losing the Presidential election, ha ha ha, right okay, but sure it makes sense he’s more focused on his post White House life, aka conning more people out of money].
Trump has been more concerned with other actions that could have serious consequences for his post-presidential life, according to people familiar with the president’s concerns. The developments include Twitter and other social media companies suspending his accounts, the PGA of America canceling a golf tournament at one of his properties, and Deutsche Bank announcing it would no longer finance his developments.
[Unlike the first time around, this second Impeachment did not yield much defense from the White House].
Still, in a stark illustration of Trump’s isolation, the White House did not mount a vigorous defense Wednesday as House members debated his fitness for office and, ultimately, voted to impeach him. The president’s aides did not blast out talking points to allies. His press secretary did not hold a briefing with reporters. His advisers did not do television interviews from the White House’s North Lawn. His lawyers and legislative affairs staffers did not whip votes or seek to persuade lawmakers to vote against impeachment.
[While some blame, privately, Trump for his actions, Mark Meadows the Chief of Staff, is getting hate for wait for it….allowing Trump to be deluded that the election was rigged].
Several aides laid blame for the situation not only on Trump but also on Meadows, because the chief of staff indulged Trump’s delusion that the election was rigged and fed him misinformation about alleged voter fraud.
“He is the one who kept bringing kook after kook after kook in there to talk to him,” one adviser said.[He’s really sad].
“He is feeling increasingly alone and isolated and frustrated,” this official said. “One of the metrics by which he’s often judged any number of things is: ‘Who’s out there saying good things about me or fighting on my behalf?’ And he never seemed to think there were enough people doing it strongly enough.”
Now, in the final days, this official said, “it’s like death by a thousand cuts.”
Washington Post. 01/13/2021.
To warp up What Fresh Hell is This?, Day 70….
In you don’t say news…
In it’s a good start news.
AJC is reporting that Georgia Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan has demoted three Republicans State Senators who have “backed attempts to overturn the presidential vote in Georgia over baseless allegations of irregularities.”
State Sens. Brandon Beach of Alpharetta, Matt Brass of Newnan and Burt Jones of Jackson were sapped of their political influence on the second day of the winter session.
Duncan stripped Beach of his chairmanship of the Transportation Committee, while Jones will no longer lead the Insurance and Labor Committee. Neither will serve as even a rank-and-file member on the two panels they once led.
And though state Sen. Matt Brass of Newnan will still be a committee chairman this term, he was shelved to a lesser posting. Instead of serving as chairman of the committee that is set to redraw the political map later this year, he’ll oversee a banking committee.
AJC. 01/13/2021
One more to finish out the day…
In good luck to you news.
This is an Open Thread.
