The House GOP's 'weaponization' subcommittee is already imploding

[Daily Kos Morning Roundup]( A morning roundup of worthy pundit and news reads, brought to you by Daily Kos. [Click here to read the full web version.]( - [The House GOP's 'weaponization' subcommittee is already imploding]( The House GOP's 'weaponization' subcommittee is already imploding, Hayes Brown, MSNBC Opinion Writer/Editor It’s hard to see how Rep. Jim Jordan will be able to extricate himself from this slow-moving train wreck. Let’s take a look at the several ways that Jordan and the committee are poised to fail. First, there’s how much he and other members of the pro-Trump wing have invested in the grievances and conspiracy-mongering that animates the GOP base these days. Many of these tales of federal malfeasance follow a simple formula. A legitimate investigation or policy (such as the investigations into former President Donald Trump or Justice Department concerns about threats toward teachers and school board members) is recycled and spun in conservative media into another strand in the left-wing’s web of oppression. - [Here’s Why the Science Is Clear That Masks Work]( Here’s Why the Science Is Clear That Masks Work, Zeynep Tufekci/NY Times The debate over masks’ effectiveness in fighting the spread of the coronavirus intensified recently when a respected scientific nonprofit said its review of studies assessing measures to impede the spread of viral illnesses found it was “uncertain whether wearing masks or N95/P2 respirators helps to slow the spread of respiratory viruses.” Now the organization, Cochrane, says that the way it summarized the review was unclear and imprecise, and that the way some people interpreted it was wrong. “Many commentators have claimed that a recently updated Cochrane review shows that ‘masks don’t work,’ which is an inaccurate and misleading interpretation,” Karla Soares-Weiser, the editor in chief of the Cochrane Library, said in a statement. “The review examined whether interventions to promote mask wearing help to slow the spread of respiratory viruses,” Soares-Weiser said, adding, “Given the limitations in the primary evidence, the review is not able to address the question of whether mask wearing itself reduces people’s risk of contracting or spreading respiratory viruses.” - [2023 has gotten off to a rough financial start for Daily Kos. Our revenue is down and we need to lean more and more on our readers and activists to cover our expenses. Can you help by donating $3 right now?]( - [Shrugging in the shadow of a monster]( Shrugging in the shadow of a monster, Radley Balko, Substack The right-wing media despises its own supporters. That's dangerous for all of us. The Daily Wire’s Michael Knowles made national news last week when, during a speech at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, he called for the “eradication of transgenderism from public life.” In response, several publications reported or put in a headlines that Knowles had called for the eradication of trans people — which sounds pretty Hitlery. Or at least, say, Milosevician. Knowles and his defenders have since howled that these publications had libeled him. He only called for the complete eradication of an ideology, he claims, not of actual people. This in turn led to conservatives — including at least one sitting U.S. Senator — to (again) call for the U.S. Supreme Court to repeal NY Times v. Sullivan, the 1964 case that lays out the parameters of U.S. libel law. This is all performative bullshit, and in normal times the smart advice would be to withhold from Knowles and Lee the attention for which they’re so desperately pining. But we aren’t living in normal times. - [Trump Is Losing His Grip on the Grassroots]( Trump Is Losing His Grip on the Grassroots, Seth Masket, Politico A new survey of GOP leaders shows Ron DeSantis edging out the former president. Republican grassroots leaders are increasingly losing interest in former President Donald Trump — and eyeing Ron DeSantis for the 2024 presidential campaign. That’s according to a new survey I conducted with GOP county chairs across the country, the first survey in an ongoing project that will be featured in POLITICO Magazine over the next year. It’s designed to track the shifting state of what’s often called the “invisible primary,” that lengthy, and critical, period between now and when actual voting in the 2024 presidential primaries begins. Future surveys will focus on the views of Democratic Party chairs, and some will survey both parties at once. - [Enjoy the Daily Kos Recommended email with a cup of coffee from a Daily Kos mug. Click here to get yours now]( - [Ron DeSantis is just getting started with his rightwing agenda. That should worry us all]( Ron DeSantis is just getting started with his rightwing agenda. That should worry us all, Margaret Sullivan, The Guardian It’s appalling to see the media lavish DeSantis with so much fawning coverage. Especially after all he has done The Florida governor Ron DeSantis likes to brag that he’s just getting started with his rightwing agenda. “You ain’t seen nothing yet,” was how he put it in one recent speech. He means it as a promise, but it ought to be heard as a threat. That’s particularly true for women whose abortion rights already are being dangerously curtailed and for gay and transgender students who are already being treated as lower life forms. It’s particularly true for those who care about voting rights and press rights, and for those who cherish the power of books and free expression as a foundation of societal wellbeing. Of course, if DeSantis should somehow capture the presidency (he’s undeclared thus far but the Oval Office is clearly on his mind), that threat would extend to our entire nation and to the world beyond. - [House conservatives issue new spending demands in debt ceiling debate]( House conservatives issue new spending demands in debt ceiling debate, Tony Romm, Jeff Stein and Marianna Sotomayor, Washington Post The House Freedom Caucus insisted on steeper spending cuts than some GOP lawmakers had been considering, along with caps on future spending, as the fight over the debt ceiling intensifies. A powerful group of far-right Republicans on Friday issued a new set of demands in the fight over the debt ceiling, stressing they may only supply their votes to raise the limit if they can secure about $130 billion in spending cuts, cap federal agencies’ future budgets and unwind the Biden administration’s economic agenda. The ultimatum from the House Freedom Caucus — led by Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) — threatened to deal a massive blow to government health care, education, science and labor programs. Seeking tougher work requirements on welfare recipients and the repeal of federal funds to fight the coronavirus and climate change, the conservatives’ wish list appeared to complicate efforts to clinch a deal and avert a looming fiscal calamity. ICYMI: Popular stories from the past week you won't want to miss: - [The Governator stuns with a 12-minute speech against fascism that’s a must-see]( - [Leave Tucker Carlson alone]( - [Bakhmut holds, and Russia has more to worry about than just Ukraine]( Want even more Daily Kos? Check out our podcasts: - [The Brief: A one-hour weekly political conversation hosted by Markos Moulitsas and Kerry Eleveld]( - [The Downballot: Daily Kos' podcast devoted to downballot elections. New episodes every Thursday]( Want to write your own stories? [Log in]( or [sign up]( to post articles and comments on Daily Kos, the nation's largest progressive community. Follow Daily Kos on [Facebook](, [Twitter](, and [Instagram](. Thanks for all you do, The Daily Kos team Daily Kos Relies on Readers Like You We don't have billionaire backers like some right-wing media outlets. Half our revenue comes from readers like you, meaning we literally couldn't do this work without you. 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