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Ringside Politics – January 8, 2021

Written by on January 8, 2021

Welcome to another edition of Ringside Politics with Jeff Crouere

Today’s Hot Topics:

1) After a mob of pro-Trump supporters violently stormed the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., during a joint session of Congress, Facebook took the unprecedented step of indefinitely blocking the president’s account.

As pressure mounts and social media companies are being forced to respond to their alleged culpability in the events that unfolded, some experts say now can be a moment of reckoning and change for these tech giants that have been left largely unregulated in the arena of political speech.

2) Former governor of Alaska Sarah Palin has claimed without evidence that Capitol rioters may have been Antifa dressed as far-right Trump supporters.

Speaking to Fox News host Martha MacCallum on Wednesday, Ms Palin argued that it was unclear who was instigating the riots labelling the escalating violence “mayhem”.

“There’s so much frustration out there that some misguided very, very wrong-headed yahoos are out there causing this mayhem”, Ms Palin said.

“Keep in mind we don’t know who all were the instigators in this, of these, horrible things that happened today. I think a lot of it is the Antifa folks,” she added, citing “pictures” she had seen.

3) With 13 days left in his term, President Donald Trump finally bent to reality on Thursday amid growing talk of trying to force him out early, acknowledging he’ll peacefully leave after Congress affirmed his defeat.

Trump led off a video from the White House by condemning the violence carried out in his name a day earlier at the Capitol. Then, for the first time, he admitted that his presidency would soon end — though he declined to mention President-elect Joe Biden by name or explicitly state that he had lost.

“A new administration will be inaugurated on Jan. 20,” Trump said in the video. “My focus now turns to ensuring a smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power. This moment calls for healing and reconciliation.”

He also spoke out against Wednesday’s violence, calling it a “heinous attack” that left him “outraged by the violence, lawlessness and mayhem.”

4) Political leaders demanded late Wednesday to know why law enforcement did not better fortify the United States Capitol after extremist groups for days chattered online about their plans to react violently to the final formal step of certifying President Donald Trump’s 2020 election defeat.

“How did so many rioters get into this building from so many directions? How was it breached?” Rep. Karen Bass, a California Democrat and House Judiciary Committee member, told ABC News. “You saw people with ropes scaling the building. You [normally] can’t even get into this building with a purse.”

Ken Cuccinelli, the Department of Homeland Security’s acting deputy secretary, told ABC News he was “quite surprised” to watch on television an instance in which the doors of the Capitol were breached with no obvious police resistance — even as U.S. Capitol Police officers with shields withstood the force of a mob armed with pepper spray at other locations.

Today’s Guests:

1)  Senator Ted Harvey; Chairman of Committee to Defend the President – calls in the first hour to talk about his PAC and the final days of the Trump presidency

2) Donna Carol Voss, Ringside All-Star and author – Joins the show in the final segment to discuss the hot topics of the day and take questions from callers.