A political newsletter for normal people
WTF Just Happened Today? is a sane, once-a-day newsletter helping normal people make sense of the news. Curated daily by Matt Kiser and delivered to 200,000+ people every afternoon around 3 pm Pacific.
Day 195: "Flu-like symptoms."
Today in one sentence: A third D.C. police officer who responded to the 1/6 insurrection committed suicide; Lindsay Graham tested positive for COVID-19; Kevin McCarthy joked that it would be hard not to hit Nancy Pelosi with the gavel if the GOP wins back the House; Jihadists are flooding the pro-Trump social media platform with propaganda; Senators unveiled the details of the $1 trillion infrastructure proposal; and the Treasury Department is preparing "extraordinary measures" after Congress miss the deadline to raise the debt ceiling.
1/ A third police officer who responded to the U.S. Capitol insurrection has died by suicide, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. Officer Gunther Hashida was found dead in his residence on Thursday, July 29. This is the third known suicide of an officer who responded to the Capitol during the attack, and it is the second known suicide by a D.C. officer specifically. (CNN)
2/ Lindsey Graham tested positive for COVID-19 and has had “flu-like symptoms,” despite being vaccinated. Graham announced Monday that he now has only “mild symptoms” and is very glad he had been vaccinated because “without vaccination I am certain I would not feel as well as I do now.” Graham, before he got his results, was in the Senate on Monday morning, according to people who talked to him. He was wearing a mask at the time. (CNN / Reuters)
3/ House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy joked that “it will be hard not to hit” Nancy Pelosi with the gavel if he becomes House speaker. “I want you to watch Nancy Pelosi hand me that gavel. It will be hard not to hit her with it,” McCarthy said at a Saturday night event. Democrats are calling on McCarthy to apologize. (CNN / Washington Post)
4/ Jihadists are flooding the pro-Trump social network with propaganda. GETTR, the new platform started by members of the former president’s inner circle, is awash with beheading videos and extremist content. (Politico)
5/ Senators unveiled the final details of the $1 trillion infrastructure proposal. The more than 2,700-page bipartisan bill was finalized Sunday night, and it includes money for roads, transit systems and high-speed internet access. It’s the first phase of President Biden’s infrastructure plan. (NPR)
6/ The Treasury Department plans to invoke “extraordinary measures” after Congress missed the deadline to increase the debt-ceiling. The Treasury Department will begin conducting emergency cash-conservation steps to avoid busting the U.S. debt ceiling. Economists say those so-called extraordinary measures will allow the Treasury to pay off the government’s bills without issuing new debt for up to three months. (CNBC)
poll/ 40% Americans say the COVID situation is getting better, down from 89% in June. 45% say it’s getting worse. Most Americans now expect COVID disruption to persist through end of 2021 or later. (Gallup)
A political newsletter for normal people
WTF Just Happened Today? is a sane, once-a-day newsletter helping normal people make sense of the news. Curated daily by Matt Kiser and delivered to 200,000+ people every afternoon around 3 pm Pacific.
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