Will the January 6 hearings change anything?

The MoJo Daily newsletter, Monday through Friday. [View in browser]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter](     June 13, 2022 Day two of the January 6 hearings centered on Donald Trump's demonstrably false claims that he won the 2020 election, and the so-called "evidence" he and his cronies presented to the public. The hearing proceeded more conventionally than last week's "[narrative MasterClass](," which at times resembled an HBO miniseries designed to captivate a distractible public. Today's hearing dug deeper into the Trump-driven conspiracy theories that proliferated in the aftermath of the election, featuring credible witnesses rebutting specific claims of voter fraud. It was also, in my opinion, more focused than the first hearing and arguably more damning: It's still pretty striking to hear Bill Barr call his boss's claims "bullshit" and to hear witness after witness describe a president growing more and more detached from reality. I'm still deeply skeptical that the January 6 committee will provide what some commentators have called a "[John Dean moment]("—a revelation so shocking that Trump's allies finally decide to turn on him. Most Republicans have so far circled the wagons, deeming the (bipartisan) committee a politically motivated smear campaign. And Fox News is giving the hearings [short shrift](, which means that the people who most need exposure to the realities of January 6 will be the least likely to get it. (To be fair, they covered today's [hearing](, which wasn't in primetime.) On the other hand, the committee does seem to be doing an effective job establishing for the record (and for historians) what actually happened after the election and erecting a compelling defense of the facts. A staggering [20 million viewers]( (at minimum) tuned in to the first hearing, and for ordinary people who haven't been following the twists and turns of the committee's investigation, the clear and convincing evidence on display might actually stand a chance of resonating. Anyways, this is just a long way to say that the jury's still out. Have you been watching? Let me know what you think. —Noah Y. Kim Advertisement [UC Press - Ebeling]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [Feds Expand Investigation Into Funding for Trump’s Media Empire]( DWAC SPAC whacked with new subpoena stack. BY RUSS CHOMA SPONSORED CONTENT BY GRADUATE THEOLOGICAL UNION   Explore the ongoing dialogue between psychedelic studies and religious studies The scientific realization that the use of psychedelic substances can be linked to significant spiritual experiences has led to a renaissance of psychedelic research within brain science. Learn about the latest research in the field by registering for “Psychedelics & Religion - Part 1” for free at [gtu.edu/x](. [Trending] [Here's what to really look for with the Senate deal on guns]( BY MARK FOLLMAN   [Here's one boat parade Donald Trump is going to hate]( BY STEPHANIE MENCIMER   [I can't stop thinking about the Thin Blue Line flags in the January 6 video]( BY TIM MURPHY   [An Uvalde mom reports that her grieving fourth grader nearly suffered cardiac arrest]( BY SAMANTHA MICHAELS Advertisement [UC Press - Ebeling]( [Special Feature] [Special Feature]( [Denver deployed mental health workers instead of police—and some crimes went down]( Plus, it saved money. BY SAMANTHA MICHAELS [Fiercely Independent] Support from readers allows Mother Jones to do journalism that doesn't just follow the pack. [Donate]( Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755