Collected Links (06/09/2022)

• “‘Needless to say’ is needless to say, needless to say.” — Enoch Haga, via Futility Closet
• A (simplistic) slyt video on the Langland Project in mathematics, video by Quanta Magazine Science Channel, link via Nag on the Lake.
• Fox News has been pestering me with stuff today, none of which suggests I watch (or which even references) tonight's Congressional hearings regarding the events of January 6, 2021. It does have an article regarding the hearing on its website. They suggest George Takei doesn't understand the Second Amendment because he says the millions of AR-15 rifles Americans have could be better used in Ukraine to fight the war there (yeah really, Fox News said that -- it is liberally mixing idiocy and mendacity on this one); "Fox News contributor Joe Concha took sharp aim at late-night host Jimmy Kimmel's ‘tee ball’ interview with President Biden [hitting] Kimmel for being a ‘political activist’ and leaving all of Biden's claims unchallenged" (Concha's description of the interview is inaccurate, to be kind, but it's particularly absurd for a supposed news channel regularly engaging in distortion to accuse an overt comedian of not asking hard enough questions); Fox News claims false that "dem leaders" are supporting "menacing protests" outside of Supreme Court Justices homes (that is ridiculous and false for several reasons -- such protests have been denounced by "dem leaders" -- and such protests are not new or one sided); Fox News calls (or supports calling) Democrats "the party against civil rights" by seeking a ban on assault rifles; "Kayleigh McEnany blasts Biden's [supposed] silence on Kavanaugh murder attempt: 'Where are you, President Biden?'" -- these are just stories Fox News is pushing to me on social media -- its other overage remains the same shit-storm of bias and dishonesty it always is.
• Meanwhile, in Missouri the Governor signed a bill that, among other things, shields doctors who write and pharmacists who fill ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine prescriptions. That's because these medicines "work so well" in treating COVID that we better make sure the doctors and pharmacists don't face consequences for using them. 
• Key points from the Congressional hearing regarding January 6, 2021, tonight:
• Donald Trump was explicitly told by the Attorney General and others that the evidence showed Trump was (a) going to lose the election as the votes were counted, and (b) lost the election;
• An independent investigatory body was sought originally: the Republicans in Congress torpedoed that;
• Trump and Mark Meadows were explicitly told by Trump's and the Republican's actual election experts, as well as their Attorney General (Bob Barr), that the allegations of fraud were groundless, and their claims regarding Dominion Voting Systems were false.
• Trump and his cronies lost over 60 lawsuits claiming the election was rigged;
• Donald Trump spent millions of dollars of campaign funds advertising his claims of election fraud even though he knew those claims were groundless and what he was saying was false;
• Trump and Jeffrey Clark at the Justice Department falsely claimed the Attorney General supported the fraud claims and tried to get Clark appointed as Attorney General so he could support Trumps false claims;
• Trump repeatedly pressured Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the election -- Pence refused and knew if he had capitulated to the pressure it would be illegal;
• John Eastman, a lawyer, hatched a legal plan to try to get the Vice President to not properly certify the election but send it back to the States even though he knew the legal arguments for that action was meritless;
• Trump secretly met at the Whitehouse with cronies, excluding his Whitehouse advisors and lawyers, to hatch a plan to overthrow the election;
• Immediately following that secret meeting Trump tweeted, calling for his supporters to come to D.C. and engage in action against certifying the election results on January 6;
• Jared Kushner took the threats by Whitehouse counsel and others to resign as "whining" -- many officials, of course, had threatened to resign (and some did);
• On January 5 Steve Bannon said that "all hell is going to break loose tomorrow";
• At a speech on January 6 to a large crowd Trump told the crowd to march on the Capitol and to "fight like hell";
• The Joint Chief of Staff did not immediately act regarding the January 6 events because although the Vice President repeatedly and forcefully called for action, the President did not;
• Very compelling video of the January 6 attack on the Capitol shown;
• A police officer (Officer Edwards) testifies about her experience of the attacks -- it was very violent -- she was left unconscious -- she describes the officers injuries and calls it carnage -- she says she was in the middle of a battle -- hours of hand-to-hand combat;
• A documentary filmmaker (Mr. Quested) testifies about his experience on January 6 as well as a meeting between the leaders of the Proudboys and Oathkeepers the night before, which he filmed. The Proudboys and Oathkeepers on January 6 headed to the Capitol while the President was speaking -- he describes the events there as very violent;
• Rioters (on video) stated that Trump asked them to come and march on Capitol.