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In the DOJ's first on-camera response to the Capitol riot, Acting A.G. Jeffrey Rosen vowed "no tolerance whatsoever" for any further violence from "wrongdoers" - a move, many observed, that would have been far more reassuring if it hadn't come a week late, at midnight, on YouTube, from a weird guy with pandemic hair who blinked too much while seeming to try to sell us a can opener in a badly filmed hostage video from the 1970s. The consensus: "He inspires absolutely no confidence. Like, at all."

In the Justice Department's first on-camera response to the Capitol riot, Acting A.G. Jeffrey Rosen vowed "no tolerance whatsoever" for any violence or other criminal acts at Biden's inauguration from "wrongdoers" who will be held accountable "until justice is done." Rosen's pre-recorded statement - coming as Trump was suspended from the platform and after an earlier briefing featured speakers from the FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office but nobody from DOJ - was widely considered as bonkers as all the other events of the last week, and many people had questions. Why was it released after midnight, a week after the event, on YouTube? Why were the two cameras not coordinated, and was Camera 2 really manned by Christopher Wray, who will reportedly be making his own statement on Tik Tok once he works out the dance moves? Is this sing-songy weirdness part of the whole coup thing, or is it just the same old well-oiled machine that is the Trump administration at work? Does Rosen look like everybody's 7th grade Social Studies teacher, or just some people's, and how acting is he, like are we talking Meisner Technique or more improv? Why does this look like the worst hostage video EVER by a guy who just got unchained from a radiator in the White House basement? Why does Rosen look like a cartoon villain in a pandemic hairdo, or a 1980s TV salesman trying to sell can openers, or a Just Say No PSA, and what do his blinks spell out in Morse Code? Why doesn't this make me feel any better? Are we in the upside down? The basic consensus: Yes. Given the past week, one observer deemed, the surreal video was, "Perfect. Damn Perfect." Also: "This would be funny, if it wasn't," "Was having trouble sleeping but I think I'm good now," "Make/Acting Attorney Generals/Give Normal Press Conferences/Again," "He inspires absolutely no confidence. Like, at all," and, "This dude is in charge. Everyone will die." Possibly.

This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |

In the Justice Department's first on-camera response to the Capitol riot, Acting A.G. Jeffrey Rosen vowed "no tolerance whatsoever" for any violence or other criminal acts at Biden's inauguration from "wrongdoers" who will be held accountable "until justice is done." Rosen's pre-recorded statement - coming as Trump was suspended from the platform and after an earlier briefing featured speakers from the FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office but nobody from DOJ - was widely considered as bonkers as all the other events of the last week, and many people had questions. Why was it released after midnight, a week after the event, on YouTube? Why were the two cameras not coordinated, and was Camera 2 really manned by Christopher Wray, who will reportedly be making his own statement on Tik Tok once he works out the dance moves? Is this sing-songy weirdness part of the whole coup thing, or is it just the same old well-oiled machine that is the Trump administration at work? Does Rosen look like everybody's 7th grade Social Studies teacher, or just some people's, and how acting is he, like are we talking Meisner Technique or more improv? Why does this look like the worst hostage video EVER by a guy who just got unchained from a radiator in the White House basement? Why does Rosen look like a cartoon villain in a pandemic hairdo, or a 1980s TV salesman trying to sell can openers, or a Just Say No PSA, and what do his blinks spell out in Morse Code? Why doesn't this make me feel any better? Are we in the upside down? The basic consensus: Yes. Given the past week, one observer deemed, the surreal video was, "Perfect. Damn Perfect." Also: "This would be funny, if it wasn't," "Was having trouble sleeping but I think I'm good now," "Make/Acting Attorney Generals/Give Normal Press Conferences/Again," "He inspires absolutely no confidence. Like, at all," and, "This dude is in charge. Everyone will die." Possibly.


In the Justice Department's first on-camera response to the Capitol riot, Acting A.G. Jeffrey Rosen vowed "no tolerance whatsoever" for any violence or other criminal acts at Biden's inauguration from "wrongdoers" who will be held accountable "until justice is done." Rosen's pre-recorded statement - coming as Trump was suspended from the platform and after an earlier briefing featured speakers from the FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office but nobody from DOJ - was widely considered as bonkers as all the other events of the last week, and many people had questions. Why was it released after midnight, a week after the event, on YouTube? Why were the two cameras not coordinated, and was Camera 2 really manned by Christopher Wray, who will reportedly be making his own statement on Tik Tok once he works out the dance moves? Is this sing-songy weirdness part of the whole coup thing, or is it just the same old well-oiled machine that is the Trump administration at work? Does Rosen look like everybody's 7th grade Social Studies teacher, or just some people's, and how acting is he, like are we talking Meisner Technique or more improv? Why does this look like the worst hostage video EVER by a guy who just got unchained from a radiator in the White House basement? Why does Rosen look like a cartoon villain in a pandemic hairdo, or a 1980s TV salesman trying to sell can openers, or a Just Say No PSA, and what do his blinks spell out in Morse Code? Why doesn't this make me feel any better? Are we in the upside down? The basic consensus: Yes. Given the past week, one observer deemed, the surreal video was, "Perfect. Damn Perfect." Also: "This would be funny, if it wasn't," "Was having trouble sleeping but I think I'm good now," "Make/Acting Attorney Generals/Give Normal Press Conferences/Again," "He inspires absolutely no confidence. Like, at all," and, "This dude is in charge. Everyone will die." Possibly.
