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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Maanvi Singh (now) and Vivian Ho (earlier)

‘This is not about me,’ AOC says as House censures Paul Gosar over violent video – as it happened

Today's politics recap

  • The House of Representatives voted to censure congressman Paul Gosar for tweeting an anime video depicting violence against congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
  • The self-described “QAnon Shaman” was sentenced to 41 months for his role in storming the US Capitol on 6 January.
  • Biden asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate oil and gas companies over the skyrocketing prices at the pump.
  • Steve Bannon will plead not guilty to criminal contempt of Congress charges.

– Vivian Ho

Fox News boss Rupert Murdoch has said Donald Trump should stop focusing “on the past” in a rare public rebuke of the former US president.

On Wednesday addressing the annual meeting of stockholders for News Corp Murdoch said: “The current American political debate is profound, whether about education or welfare or economic opportunity.

“It is crucial that conservatives play an active, forceful role in that debate, but that will not happen if President Trump stays focused on the past. The past is the past, and the country is now in a contest to define the future.”

Murdoch, who is also co-chair of Fox news parent Fox Corporation, has made few public comments about Trump, whose presidency was championed by most of Fox’s biggest commentators. Since his defeat Trump has continued to push unfounded conspiracy theories that the election was “stolen” by Joe Biden, who beat Trump by a margin of more than 7m votes.

Until now the 90-year-old media mogul has publicly stayed out of the fray and not commented on the election. But according to Murdoch biographer Michael Wolff in private he has called Trump “a fucking idiot”.

Trump has had a testy relationship with Fox claiming, without evidence, that its ratings had “completely collapsed” after the news channel made an early call for Biden’s victory in the last election. He has forged closer ties with Fox’s much smaller rivals OAN and Newsmax but has lost much of his online media presence after being banned by Twitter and Facebook.

Some 200 participants of a voting rights rally at the White House were arrested, the protest organizers said.

Approximately 800 protestors attended a rally today to push the White House and Congress to pass legislation to protect voting rights being eroded in Republican-led states. Protests led by the League of Women Voters of the United States, People For the American Way, and the Declaration for American Democracy have been urging lawmakers to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, both of which have been blocked by Republicans in the Senate.

Here’s more background on the stalled bills:

Updated

Exclusive: LAPD partnered with tech firm that enables secretive online spying

Sam Levin and Johana Bhuiyan report:

The Los Angeles police department pursued a contract with a controversial technology company that could enable police to use fake social media accounts to surveil civilians and claimed its algorithms can identify people who may commit crimes in the future.

A cache of internal LAPD documents obtained through public records requests by the Brennan Center for Justice, a non-profit organization, and shared with the Guardian, reveal that LAPD in 2019 trialed social media surveillance software from the analytics company Voyager Labs.

Like many companies in this industry, Voyager Labs’ software allows law enforcement to collect and analyze large troves of social media data to investigate crimes or monitor potential threats.

But documents reveal the company takes this surveillance a step further. In its sales pitch to LAPD about a potential long-term contract, Voyager said its software could collect data on a suspect’s online network and surveil the accounts of thousands of the suspect’s “friends”. It said its artificial intelligence could discern people’s motives and beliefs and identify social media users who are most “engaged in their hearts” about their ideologies. And it suggested its tools could allow agencies to conduct undercover monitoring using fake social media profiles.

The LAPD’s trial with Voyager ended in November 2019. The records show the department continued to access some of the technology after the pilot period, and that the LAPD and Voyager spent more than a year trying to finalize a formal contract. The documents show that the LAPD has had ongoing conversations this year about a continued partnership, but a police spokesperson told the Guardian on Monday that the department was not currently using Voyager.

The LAPD declined to respond to detailed and repeated inquiries on its trial with Voyager and its conversations about a potential long-term contract, as well as questions about its use of social media surveillance software.

The department has said in the past that social media can be critical for investigations and for “situational awareness” in monitoring major events for potential public safety issues. The city has seen large demonstrations in recent years, as well as clashes between activists over issues such as vaccination requirements.

But experts who reviewed the documents for the Guardian say they raise concerns about the LAPD’s pursuit of ethically questionable software. The department’s surveillance technology could be violating civilians’ free speech and privacy rights, the experts say, while facilitating racial profiling.

Read more:

US auctions off oil and gas drilling leases in Gulf of Mexico after climate talks

Just four days after landmark climate talks in Scotland in which Joe Biden vowed the US will “lead by example” in tackling dangerous global heating, the president’s own administration is providing a jarring contradiction – the largest ever sale of oil and gas drilling leases in the Gulf of Mexico.

The US federal government is on Wednesday launching an auction of more than 80m acres of the gulf for fossil fuel extraction, a record sell-off that will lock in years, and potentially decades, of planet-heating emissions.

The enormous size of the lease sale – covering an area that is twice as large as Florida – is a blunt repudiation of Biden’s previous promise to shut down new drilling on public lands and waters. It has stunned environmentalists who argue the auction punctures the US’s shaky credibility on the climate crisis and will make it harder to avert catastrophic impacts from soaring global heating.

Read more:

Today so far

  • The House of Representatives voted to censure congressman Paul Gosar for tweeting an anime video depicting violence against congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
  • The self-described “QAnon Shaman” was sentenced to 41 months for his role in storming the US Capitol on 6 January.
  • Biden asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate oil and gas companies over the skyrocketing prices at the pump.
  • Steve Bannon will plead not guilty to criminal contempt of Congress charges.

Updated

House censures Gosar over video depicting violence against AOC

In a 233 to 207 vote, the House of Representatives voted to censure congressman Paul Gosar for tweeting a video depicting violence against congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Gosar is the 24th member of the House to be censured in its history.

Updated

While the vote is still open, it appears that the House has enough votes to pass the resolution to censure congressman Paul Gosar and remove him from his committees.

Meanwhile, Canada prime minister Justin Trudeau is in Washington for the North American Leaders’ Summit. He stopped by the US Capitol for a photo op with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The House is voting now on the resolution to censure Arizona congressman Paul Gosar and remove him from his committees - oversight and natural resources.

Meanwhile, Joe Biden has arrived in Detroit and is now touring General Motors and its Factor ZERO electric vehicle assembly plant.

Majority leader Steny Hoyer is on the floor now to deliver us another history lesson:

For anyone out there who needs a little history lesson after the remarks from congressman Paul Gosar comparing himself to founding father and subject of the hit musical, Alexander Hamilton: Gosar meant that Hamilton was the first person that the House of Representatives attempted to censure.

Very big disclaimer: this is actually not what anime is.

Well this has devolved quickly.

Here is the full speech from congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, in which she questioned why Republican leadership was unable to condemn incitement of violence against a member of the House.

Congressman Paul Gosar is now on the floor.

Now congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is on the floor.

Updated

Republicans really appear to not want this resolution to pass.

Updated

We just has House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on the floor, speaking in favor of censure for congressman Paul Gosar. Now we have minority leader Kevin McCarthy, speaking against.

Debate begins on Gosar censure vote

Debate has kicked off for the vote on the resolution seeking to censure Arizona congressman Paul Gosar for tweeting a video depicting violence against Democrat congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Updated

Here’s a look at Republicans circling the wagons ahead of the vote on the resolution to censure Arizona congressman Paul Gosar over tweeting a video depicting violence against Democrat congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez:

Steve Bannon to plead not guilty to criminal contempt of Congress

Steve Bannon, a longtime ally of former president Donald Trump, is pleading not guilty to his criminal contempt of Congress charges, according to a notice he filed in federal court on Wednesday.

Bannon, Trump’s campaign chairman in 2016 and then White House chief strategist in the first year of Trump’s presidency, was indicted on Friday after defying a subpoena from the House committee investigating the deadly attack on the US Capitol on 6 January, by Trump supporters seeking to overturn the election.

Bannon faces two counts of criminal contempt: one for refusing to appear for a congressional deposition and the other for refusing to provide documents in response to the committee’s subpoena.

Each count carries between 30 days and a year in jail. The indictment is the first for criminal contempt of Congress in nearly four decades.

Quick update on the resolution to censure Republican congressman Paul Gosar over the video depicting violence against progressive Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez:

Capitol rioter who wore horned helmet sentenced to 41 months

Jacob Chansley, the self-described “QAnon Shaman” who was photographed marching through the US Capitol with a spear and horned helmet during the 6 January attack, was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison for his role in the insurrection.

The sentence is 10 months shorter than what prosecutors asked for, but one of the the longest sentences handed out among the hundreds of people who have been criminally charged in connection with the attack.

Scott Fairlam, a former mixed martial arts fighter who last week was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison for assaulting a police officer on 6 January.

Chansley was among the most high-profile of those criminally charged for storming the US Capitol on 6 January.

Chansley pleaded guilty in September of unlawfully obstructing an official proceeding. His attorneys argued that he never intended to harm or injure, and that he has mental health issues.

During his sentencing, Chansley addressed the court, calling himself “a good man who broke the law”. Chansley was the defendant that went on a week-long fast when he was not granted all-organic food in jail.

Updated

The American Petroleum Institute has responded to the letter that Joe Biden sent to the Federal Trade Commission today asking for an investigation into oil and gas companies over prices at the pump.

Frank Macchiarola, the senior vice president of policy, economics and regulatory affairs, called the letter “a distraction from the fundamental market shift that is taking place and the ill-advised government decisions that are exacerbating this challenging situation”.

US saw a 28.5% spike in drug overdose deaths

The Centers for Disease Control estimated that there were 100,306 drug overdose deaths across the country during a 12-month period ending in April - a 28.5% increase from the same period the year before.

In a statement, Joe Biden said that we “cannot overlook this epidemic of loss, which has touched families and communities across the country”.

“As we grieve those we’ve lost and honor their memories, my Administration is committed to doing everything in our power to address addiction and end the overdose epidemic,” Biden said. “Through the American Rescue Plan, we’ve delivered nearly $4bn to strengthen and expand services for substance use disorder and mental health. We’re working to make health coverage more accessible and affordable for all Americans, so that more people who need care can get it. We are strengthening prevention, promoting harm reduction, expanding treatment, and supporting people in recovery, as well as reducing the supply of harmful substances in our communities. And we won’t let up.”

Read more here:

Biden asks FTC to investigate oil and gas companies over gas prices

Joe Biden called on the Federal Trade Commission to look into oil and gas companies as prices at the pump continue to skyrocket.

In a letter to FTC chairwoman Lina Khan on Wednesday, Biden wrote that there is “mounting evidence of anti-consumer behavior by oil and gas companies”.

“This unexplained large gap between the price of unfinished gasoline and the average price at the pump is well above the pre-pandemic average,” the letter reads.

Here’s an update on negotiations on the reconciliation bill, AKA the Build Back Better Act:

Updated

Republican congresswoman Majorie Taylor Greene has racked up $63,000 in fines for refusing to wear a mask on the House floor, the Hill is reporting.

Greene, the QAnon-supporting businesswoman who had to issue an apology earlier this year after comparing rules on mask-wearing against Covid-19 to the Holocaust, told the Hill that the fines are deducted directly from her paycheck and proudly volunteered that she was also not vaccinated.

“I’m not vaccinated either,” she said. “And I won’t be getting vaccinated. And that’s my own personal choice. I support people that want the vaccine. If anybody wanted one, I would drive them to go get one because I support people’s freedom to make their own decision. But I do not want to get the vaccine myself, and I don’t need to wear a mask. It’s not changing anything,”

The House mask mandate was introduced last year, lifted in June then re-applied in July amid Republican protests.

First offenses merit a warning, while second offenses levy a $500 fine and subsequent offenses a $2,500 fine.

Senator Amy Klobuchar announced Wednesday that her first follow-up exam following her treatment for early-stage breast cancer this year showed that she remains cancer-free.

Klobuchar revealed in September that she underwent a lumpectomy and radiation treatment this year following a diagnosis. In August, her doctors determined that her “chances of developing cancer again are no greater than the average person”,

Today Joe Biden is flying to Detroit, where he will be visiting General Motors and its Factory ZERO electric vehicle assembly plant to talk about the bipartisan infrastructure deal that he signed into law earlier this week.

The president will speak about how the new infrastructure law will expand the green-energy manufacturing industry, with $7.5bn of the new infrastructure law set aside for electric vehicle chargers.

Meanwhile, back in Washington, negotiations continue for the reconciliation bill, also known as the Build Back Better Act. In a speech yesterday, Biden said he expected that Congress will pass the legislation by the end of the week.

House to vote to censure Gosar over video depicting violence against AOC

Howdy, live blog readers. Let’s get the party started.

The House of Representatives will vote today on a resolution seeking to censure Arizona congressman Paul Gosar and remove him from the House oversight committee.

This comes in response to the Republican representative tweeting an edited anime video depicting him striking the New York Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with a sword and appearing to threaten Joe Biden.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the tweet “an insult to the institution of the House of Representatives”. “We cannot have members joking about murdering each other as well as threatening the president of the United States,” Pelosi told reporters.

The resolution appears to have 60 co-sponsors at the moment, as well as widespread support from members of the House.

For those watching from home (read: us), this censure vote should prove to be a rare spectacle in the House of Representatives, the last occurrence of which took place more than a decade ago.

AOC spoke to Punchbowl News about how Gosar and Republicans “are essentially using a national platform to legitimize threats of violence on lower levels, and on the local levels, to intimidate people from participating in our democracy”.

Progressive Ocasio-Cortez has become a conservative bugbear, and she noted that this is not the first time that she’s faced threats at her job.

“I believe this is part of a concerted strategy,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “What we do here, our response, helps inform as a precedent for actions on the local levels.”

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