Detailing the insurrection

Plus: Big SCOTUS cases and a new justice [View this email online]( [NPR Politics]( July 2, 2022 This week, we looked at the latest from the Jan. 6 committee, Supreme Court rulings and election conspiracies. --------------------------------------------------------------- The Big Picture: Detailing the insurrection Brandon Bell/Getty Images The Democrat-led Jan. 6 committee has now held half a dozen hearings and are promising at least two more sometime this month. So we figured it’s a good time to reflect on what we’ve learned so far. - For Trump, the crowd was armed, dangerous – and welcomed: The former president knew the crowd had weapons, knew of the intelligence that violence could come on Jan. 6, but, [according to a White House aide testifying this week]( he didn’t care. - A president with a flash temper and desperate to hold onto power: Plates (and ketchup) against the wall. Grabbing the steering wheel of a presidential vehicle. This week’s witness, Cassidy Hutchinson – who worked for former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows -- described a president unhinged and desperate to cling to power. - No one was too big or too small for Trump’s pressure campaign: We’ve heard from witnesses that everyone from his vice president to GOP state elections officials felt the pressure to accept baseless fraud claims about the 2020 election. Georgia [election worker Shaye Moss testified]( that her personal life had been ruined, “all because of lies.” - The potential for criminal prosecution may be growing: The committee is leaving lots of bread crumbs for prosecutors to peck at with details of a fake electors scheme, Trump insiders seeking pardons and now oblique threats against committee witnesses. - The credibility of the witnesses is hard to dismiss: [Trump World is trying]( to undermine the testimony. Witnesses have been under oath. Trump and those casting aspersions are not. Almost everyone who has testified has been a Republican with ties to Trump. The conspiracy has to run pretty deep for them all to have an ax to grind. — [Domenico Montanaro]( NPR’s senior political editor/correspondent --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- ICYMI: Top Stories Joe Raedle/Getty Images Major SCOTUS cases: The Supreme Court finished its term this week and handed down major rulings in three key cases: - The court [sided with a public school football coach who led prayers on the field after games.]( The 6-3 decision was the latest example of the court's conservative supermajority requiring more accommodation for religion in public schools and less separation between church and state. - The court [dealt a major blow to the EPA’s ability to regulate carbon emissions that cause climate change]( setting the stage for further limitations on the regulatory power of other agencies. - The Biden administration got a rare victory at the court as a 5-4 majority ruled [the administration could end the controversial Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” program.]( The court also said it would hear arguments in a [controversial election-law case that could radically change how federal elections are conducted]( and give state legislatures broad, unchecked power over those elections. Harris on Roe: [Vice President Harris told NPR]( that people who support abortion rights need to stand together and channel their disappointment into political action on the issue ahead of the November midterm elections. She also called on Congress to codify abortion rights into federal law. Biden backs filibuster change: President Biden says he supports [a change to the Senate filibuster rules to enshrine abortion rights]( into federal law. [He also warned that]( a Republican-controlled Congress would try to pass a national ban on abortion. Election conspiracies grow: An NPR investigation found that since Jan. 6, 2021, [the election denial movement has moved from former President Trump's tweets to hundreds of community events]( — in restaurants, car dealerships and churches — led by a core group of election conspiracy influencers. The growing numbers of events show that the election denial movement is building grassroots support across the U.S. Wins by the Christian Right: There's an influential minority of Americans who envision the United States as a Christian nation. Recent rulings from the Supreme Court reversing Roe v. Wade and protecting prayer in schools are major victories for the movement [at a time when a growing majority of Americans strongly oppose their views.]( — [Brandon Carter]( NPR Politics social media producer --------------------------------------------------------------- Become a NPR Politics+ Subscriber Hey y'all. Want to show your support for our podcast and even listen to sponsor-free episodes? Try subscribing to The NPR Politics Podcast+ and get your political insights, news and analysis without the distraction. Learn more at [plus.npr.org/politics]( or at the link below. [Subscribe Today]( --------------------------------------------------------------- The Shot: Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson Fred Schilling, Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States When Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson [made history this week]( as the first Black woman sworn in to the Supreme Court, she did so using a Bible with special significance to the high court. As she repeated the constitutional and judicial oaths at a ceremony Thursday, Jackson's left hand rested on a stack of two Bibles held by her husband: a family Bible and one called the "Harlan Bible," which was donated to the Supreme Court by Justice John Marshall Harlan in 1906. Justice Harlan, known as "The Great Dissenter" during his 34-year tenure on the court, was the only "no" vote in Plessy v. Ferguson, the 1896 case that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the "separate but equal" doctrine. Thursday's ceremony capped a months-long process that essentially began February, when President Biden, fulfilling a campaign promise to nominate the first Black woman to the Supreme Court, announced Jackson, 51, as his pick to replace Justice Stephen Breyer, 83. Breyer — whom Jackson clerked for after she graduated from Harvard Law School in 1996 — officially retired Thursday, paving the way for her to be sworn in. — [Heidi Glenn]( NPR Politics digital editor --------------------------------------------------------------- Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. [Listen Live]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Twitter]( What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [nprpolitics@npr.org](mailto:nprpolitics@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! [They can sign up here.]( Looking for more great content? 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