Crash Course: Lauren Boebert's baffling financial report

[View this email in your browser]( Your daily update from [Salon](. Written by [Brett Bachman](. What is going on with Lauren Boebert's financial report? Since her election to the House of Representatives last year, Lauren Boebert has emerged as one of the more baffling personalities in a chamber chock full of them — and her most recent financial disclosure was similarly inscrutable. My colleague [Zach Petrizzo took a deep dive into the Colorado Congresswoman's finances]( and left with more questions than answers. For starters, she failed to file federally mandated reports by the deadline — but only missed the mark by a few days. And her salary last year from Shooter's Grill, the gun-themed restaurant she owns with her husband, Jayson, in Rifle, Colorado, is listed as exactly $1. In fact, she currently owns no stocks, bonds or income property — and claims that her personal assets in a checking account were valued at less than $15,000. Jayson Boebert, however, earned nearly half a million dollars last year from his gig at Terra Energy Productions — and is on track to earn more than $750,000 in 2021. But... Rep. Boebert wasn't required to disclose her husband's financial information under House ethics rules. It's unclear if she knew this, though all Congresspeople are required to attend trainings on proper financial reporting. And what happened to the couple's plane? Specifically, the red two-seater Aviat Husky A-1 cargo aircraft that either Boebert or her restaurant owned at one point (it's unclear based on the financial documents). The plane was reportedly sold in 2018 — though it's conspicuously absent from the Congresswoman's financial report for that year. Then, this Wednesday, news broke that the feds had questioned Boebert over four Venmo payments that her campaign had deposited in her personal account, totaling more than $6,000. In the filing, Boebert writes that the transactions occurred when a “personal expense of Lauren Boebert" was "billed to campaign account in error.” The filings also note: “Expense has been reimbursed.” In its inquiry, the FEC wrote: “If it is determined that the disbursement(s) constitutes the personal use of campaign funds, the Commission may consider taking further legal action.” It's a serious offense — just ask former GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter, who was sentenced to just under a year in prison for misusing campaign funds (before being pardoned by then-President Donald Trump). (Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images) How were COVID vaccines created so quickly? Decades of HIV research. Last year, as COVID-19 first began to sweep through the United States, Harvard immunologist Dr. Bruce Walker remembered thinking that his years of research into HIV may soon be incredibly useful. He was, of course, right — more right than even he could have predicted at the time. [Salon's Matt Rozsa spoke with Walker and other experts on HIV]( about how their decades of virology research acted as an ally-oop of sorts — if you'll forgive a sports metaphor — for the country's efforts to produce an effective vaccine in record time. For starters, the decades of virology research into AIDS had left the government with vaccines that could immediately be repurposed to develop medicines against COVID-19. And the robust clinical trial networks created to battle HIV and AIDS were incredibly important for fast-tracking the creation and testing of the COVID vaccines that are now in use. Experts told Salon that, for a number of reasons, effective HIV vaccines have proven especially difficult to produce — but the research into those myriad issues were what ultimately made the COVID vaccine easy to make. "By working so hard against a nearly impossible vaccine to make, we developed incredible tools and insight that made a rapid COVID-19 vaccine possible," Dr. Michael Farzan, chair of immunology and microbiology at the Scripps Research Institute, told Salon. It's also worth mentioning here that Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to both President Joe Biden and Donald Trump, spent much of his career researching HIV. - Federal prosecutors [asserted jurisdiction in hundreds of BLM protest cases]( on Trump's orders, resulting in stiffer charges and harsher penalties - Chadwick Boseman's [posthumous Marvel performance]( packs an emotional wallop befitting his legacy, our TV critic Melanie McFarland writes - Facebook [purged accounts linked to the infamous anti-vax "disinformation dozen"]( - [Alarming comments Mike Richards made]( that have resurfaced continue to cast a shadow over "Jeopardy!" - Covid skeptics [request "untainted" blood transfusions]( from unvaccinated donors - How do the ultra-rich get away with it? [An exclusive Salon interview with longtime tax expert]( Frank Clemente - Fox News [issues company-wide memo requiring employees to disclose]( vaccine status - And, finally, [make this salmon and pesto pasta]( that's perfect to fall in love to Not a subscriber yet? [Sign up]( to receive Crash Course. Proud Boys involvement turns anti-vax movement into violent threat "As the summer wears on, it seems that at least some of the violent, fascist anger that Trump has been stoking for years is now being aimed in a new direction: people who are trying to limit the spread of COVID-19," [Salon's Amanda Marcotte writes.]( She is, of course, referring to a recent incident this past Saturday in which a group of anti-vaccine protesters in Los Angeles physically assaulted journalists and brawled with counter-protesters — it wasn't the first instance when one of these gatherings turned violent, but it certainly seems as if the entire event was planned to provoke an escalation of this sort. One man was even stabbed by one of the apparent anti-vaxxers, and the assailant remains at large. The gathering comes on the heels of reports the Proud Boys have begun attending school board meetings in at least two states: Florida and New Hampshire, in an apparent attempt to incite violent confrontations over COVID-19 precautions. "I do understand the value of public meetings," Daily Beast reporter Kelly Weill, who has been looking into the right-wing outside agitator phenomenon, said on an episode of that outlet's Fever Dreams podcast. But "there should be some sort of 'I have a child in this district' threshold before you show up in a paramilitary group uniform." The irony of all this, Marcotte notes, is that vaccine mandates and strict COVID precautions are the best way to quickly get rid of the rules that these people claim to detest. But, as always, there's something more at play here — and "owning the libs" often takes precedent over any other strategy that may prove more effective. "Reasoning people into the shots is not working, so the only solution is mandating them. If that doesn't happen, we can expect the violence and rage to keep rising along with COVID-19 case rates." (Photo courtesy Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) - "[Trying—and Failing—to Save the Family of the Afghan Who Saved Me]( The New Yorker - "[We Told Our Wedding Guests They Had to Be Vaccinated. Here’s What Happened Next]( Philadelphia Magazine - "[Elon Musk unveils bizarre Tesla Bot, a humanoid robot utilizing Tesla's vehicle AI]( CNET - "[Work From Borg: Conflicted thoughts on Facebook's virtual office]( Galaxy Brain Substack newsletter - "[The Shadowy Business of International Education]( The Walrus Rep. Mo Brooks says he "understands" D.C. bomber Rep. Mo Brooks is currently fighting back litigation over his alleged role in inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol riot — but still took the time Thursday [to express sympathy for a man who allegedly tried to set off a bomb]( near the U.S. Capitol. Earlier in the day, a 49-year-old man named Floyd Roy Roseberry surrendered to authorities following an hours-long negotiation after he allegedly threatened to detonate a bomb in his pickup truck next to the Library of Congress. "Sadly, threats of violence targeting America's political institutions are far too common," Brooks said in a statement following the man's arrest. "Although this terrorist's motivation is not yet publicly known, and generally speaking, I understand citizenry anger directed at dictatorial Socialism and its threat to liberty, freedom and the very fabric of the very fabric of American society. The way to stop Socialism's march is for patriotic Americans to fight back in the 2022 and 2024 election." Rep. Brooks' comments drew widespread scorn online, especially in light of his past rhetoric ahead of the Capitol riot. "When it happens again," political commentator Brian Tyler Cohen responded, referencing the Jan. 6 insurrection, "people like you — and statements like this — will be why." (Photo courtesy Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) Have a tip for Salon? Feedback on this newsletter? [Let us know](mailto:brett.bachman@salon.com). [Share]( [Share]( [Tweet]( [Tweet]( [Forward]( [Forward]( Copyright © 2021 Salon.com, LLC, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in at Salon.com Our mailing address is: Salon.com, LLC 1000 N. West StreetWilmington, DE 19801 [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. [Mailchimp Email Marketing](