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55% of Trumpists Say Riots Were "Defending Freedom"
A new CBS poll asked Americans about their thoughts on the January 6th Capitol riots in the context of Congress getting ready to launch an investigation into the attack. According to the poll, 72% of Americans think there is more to learn about the events of that day whereas only 28% of people say we know all there is to know. Republicans specifically are not viewing the event as seriously as they did in the days after the insurrection. Back in January, 51% of Republicans strongly disapproved of the Capitol riots, but six months later, only 39% strongly disapprove. Trump voters are way off in how they view January 6th as compared to the general population. Sixty-seven percent of Americans overall believe the riots were done to try to overturn the 2020 election, whereas only 32% of Trump supporters believe that was the goal. When it comes to calling the event an “insurrection,” 56% of Americans agree with that framing, but only 20% of Trump voters would call it that.
This data show us quite a lot about the divide between the American left and right. Sixty-six percent of the country believes US democracy is being threatened, although both Democrats and Republicans would say it is for very different reasons. Democrats think it is because Donald Trump and Republicans did everything they could to overturn an election they clearly lost. Many Republican voters think democracy is under threat because they have been convinced that the election was rigged by Joe Biden and the Democrats. It’s also quite telling that the right-wing view on the Capitol riots is being whitewashed so effectively. The numbers show that over time, Republicans are viewing the attack less seriously. This means that they are being convinced by Donald Trump, who never saw it as that big of a deal and, in fact, on that day called the rioters “patriots” and told them “we love you.” It took a little while for right-wing politicians and media figures to get behind this message, but they eventually did, and now it is being reflected in the polling.
OH NO: 200 Americans Being Monitored for Monkeypox
More than 200 people across 27 US states are being monitored for a possible rare infection of monkeypox. Monkeypox was first discovered in 1958 after two outbreaks of the disease occurred in colonies of monkeys being held for research. The first confirmed human case of monkeypox was in 1970. African rodent species are suspected to play a role in transmission, although much about the disease remains unknown. There have only ever been 47 confirmed cases of monkeypox in the United States. The symptoms are similar to those of smallpox, however not as severe. They include fever, headache, muscle aches, and exhaustion. Monkeypox also causes lymph nodes to swell and the illness can last for 2-4 weeks. In Africa, monkeypox has been shown to cause death in as many as 1 in 10 people who contract the disease. Especially now, still dealing with a one-in-one hundred year pandemic, this is the last things humans need to be dealing with and we’ll continue to monitor the situation.
From yesterday’s show:
Rand Paul Demands Dr Fauci Be Criminally Charged
Senator Rand Paul and Dr. Anthony Fauci recently had another one of their heated exchanges during a congressional hearing. The topic was once again whether the US government helped fund gain of function research at the Wuhan Virology Institute. The idea is that if the cause of the coronavirus pandemic is determined to be a lab leak, Republicans would be able to hold Fauci and other members of the NIH and CDC partially responsible. However, Fauci has maintained that the funds given to China were not determined to be for gain of function research. Fauci famously told Paul, “you do not know what you are talking about.” And now Paul, having to overcome his embarrassment, has announced that he will seek a criminal probe into the charge of lying to Congress against the nation’s top infectious disease expert. This has no chance of actually happening, especially in Joe Biden’s Justice Department. However, Senator Paul’s announcement will get airtime in right-wing media and further push the narrative that Dr. Fauci is somehow enemy number one when it comes to COVID-19.
--More on the show:
--Caller wonders why Fox News is all of a sudden promoting vaccines
--Caller questions why socialism has been getting so popular lately
--Caller wonders if it makes sense to primary every centrist Democrat
--Caller asks if the US should get more involved in Latin America
--Caller talks about the difference between vaccine mandates and vaccine requirements
--Caller thinks Democrats should distance themselves more from communism
--Caller talks about immigrants to America who have right-wing politics
--Caller wonders if using reverse psychology on Trump supporters will trick them into getting vaccinated
--Caller offers a hot take on the Republican Party
--Caller asks if Europeans are proud to be European like Americans are proud to be American
--Audience Question: Why do some protests get media attention and not others?
--Audience Question: Should there be a maximum age to be president?
--Audience Question: What should Joe Biden do about Cuba?
--On the Bonus Show: Highlights from the Joe Biden town hall, Mississippi asks US Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, and much more...
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