What We Learned About Trump, Pence, and the January 6th Mob

Susan B. Glasser breaks down the hearings so far. Plus: new gun legislation; the cracked wisdom of Dril’s Twitter account; and can a country singer make it big on the Internet? View in browser | Update your preferences Friday, June 17, 2022 Help us continue to improve The New Yorker’s Daily newsletter. Take a brief survey » In today’s newsletter: • Reasons to be hopeful about gun legislation • The cracked wisdom of Dril’s Twitter account • Can a country singer make it big online? What We Know About Trump, Pence, and January 6th The third hearing on the attack on the Capitol revealed that the Proud Boys would have killed the Vice-President “if given the chance.” Photograph by Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / Getty “The explosive ending of the Trump Presidency has always been a story about the rift between Trump and Pence—two of the most mismatched figures ever to be thrown into a marriage of political convenience.” That’s Susan B. Glasser, reflecting on the disturbing evidence presented during yesterday’s hearing of the January 6th House select committee, which captures some of then President Donald Trump’s most vicious supporters making direct threats on his Vice-President’s life. “If Pence caved we’re going to drag motherfuckers through the streets,” one rioter said. “He deserves to burn with the rest of them,” another said. Glasser also examines more of the committee’s findings so far, including: How Trump attempted to pressure Mike Pence to block the confirmation of Joe Biden’s victory, with scenes right out of “The Godfather.” How, according to witnesses, Trump called Pence a “wimp” and a “pussy.” Later, during the attack, Trump tweeted that Pence lacked “courage.” “It felt like he was pouring gasoline on the fire,” a former White House official testified. How the lawyer John Eastman “concocted the absurd legal theory that Pence could unilaterally overturn the election,” while also pursuing a pardon for himself at the same time. —Ian Crouch, newsletter editor Read the story If you like the New Yorker Daily, please share it with a friend. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Sign up here. From the News Desk Daily Comment Looking for Reasons to Be Hopeful About Gun Legislation Canada initiates more real progress and, in this country, something would be better than nothing. By Adam Gopnik Daily Comment The Shameless Farce of Boris Johnson’s Attempt to Send Refugees to Rwanda A plane was on the runway when the European Court of Human Rights interceded. Now Britain may leave the court. By Sam Knight Editor’s Pick Pop Music A Rising Country Singer Tries to Win Over Nashville’s Gatekeepers Hailey Whitters has won critical acclaim and fans on the Internet. But radio still determines who gets to be a star. By Kelefa Sanneh Dept. of Adaptations Photograph courtesy Netflix Today, Netflix has released a new film inspired by the pages of The New Yorker: “Spiderhead,” adapted from a short story by the longtime contributor George Saunders, in which inmates at a prison undergo a cruel but intriguing series of experiments, while being monitored by a warden and drug developer named Abnesti. Read the original story and a conversation between Saunders and the fiction editor Deborah Treisman. Culture Dept. Rabbit Holes The Cracked Wisdom of Dril A chaotic Twitter account has become one of America’s most incisive ongoing works of social criticism. By Colin Marshall The Front Row “Cha Cha Real Smooth,” Reviewed The filmmaker Cooper Raiff has a gift for dramatic detail, but his new film has a cloying self-regard. By Richard Brody Fun & Games Dept. Name Drop Play Today’s Quiz Can you guess the notable person in six clues or fewer? By Matt Jackson Daily Shouts Better Ways to Answer “How Are You?” Instead of: “Work is killing me.” Try saying: “I’m fortunate to work for the fine people at Blackheart Universal Conglomeration.” By Harris Mayersohn Crossword A Themed Puzzle: Wildlife Funds Flying nocturnal predator: three letters. By Alex Eaton-Salners Daily Cartoon Friday, June 17th By Ali Solomon P.S. Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors won the N.B.A. championship last night, beating the Boston Celtics in six games. Last year, Vinson Cunningham wrote about how Curry, the league’s all-time three-point shooter, redrew basketball’s map of possibilities: “He runs with his torso slightly bent over, with his feet set at a noticeably wide stance—the better to spring into the holistic motion, big toe to the tip of his pointer finger, that makes the net shiver, no matter how far away.” Today’s newsletter was written by Ian Crouch. Thanks for reading. Let us know your thoughts about today’s edition. Plus, browse more newsletters and invite a friend to sign up for The Daily. You’re receiving this e-mail because you signed up for The Daily from The New Yorker. Manage your preferences | View our Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe Copyright © Condé Nast 2022. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.