MSNBC host says being in US Capitol after Jan. 6 'feels like a visit to an historic battlefield'



Left-wing MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell declared in a tweet on Thursday that being in the U.S. Capitol felt like visiting a "historic battlefield."

"Today is my 1st time inside the Capitol since Jan 6. Everything looks the same but it doesn’t feel the same. Maybe I’ll get used to it again but now it feels like a visit to an historic battlefield. Out of every window you see the paths of the attackers," he tweeted.

People on social media responded to O'Donnell's dramatic post with ridicule.

"I don’t want to live in the same country with people like this," one person tweeted.

\u201cI don\u2019t want to live in the same country with people like this\u201d
— Jared Rabel (@Jared Rabel) 1675382739

"Cringe," someone else wrote.

"Get a grip, dude," someone else tweeted.

"Lmao this is so dramatic it's hilarious," another commenter noted.

"How embarrassingly maudlin," someone else wrote.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted to impeach then-President Donald Trump in the wake of the January 6 Capitol riot — 10 House Republicans were among the lawmakers who voted in favor of impeachment. The Senate did not vote until after Trump had already departed from office, and the vote fell short of the threshold for necessary for conviction.

"They are still arresting them. If you attacked the Capitol on Jan 6 & you haven't been arrested yet, please be patient," O'Donnell recently tweeted.

\u201cThey are still arresting them. If you attacked the Capitol on Jan 6 & you haven\u2019t been arrested yet, please be patient.\u201d
— Lawrence O'Donnell (@Lawrence O'Donnell) 1675197304

During Trump's tenure, O'Donnell claimed that Trump was "a Russian operative" and suggested that the "Trump regime" might be better described as the "Trump-Putin regime."

\u201cMSNBC\u2019s @Lawrence O\u2019Donnell: "The president is a Russian operative. That sounds like the description of a bad Hollywood screenplay, but it is real, and it is Vladimir Putin\u2019s greatest achievement.\u201d \n\nSays @RichardGrenell nomination came at Putin\u2019s direction.\u201d
— Tom Elliott (@Tom Elliott) 1582379837

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'Got a NYT journalist caught in my satire': NYT correspondent asks to interview man who tweeted that flight attendants removed their face masks and shouted 'this is MAGA airspace'



A New York Times journalist reportedly reached out to request to interview a man who made a social media post stating that flight attendants had removed their face masks aboard an airplane and shouted "this is MAGA airspace."

The tweet, which was satire, came on the day that U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle slapped down a federal mask mandate that required masks on public transportation — the ruling said that "the Court declares unlawful and vacates the Mask Mandate."

Jared Rabel, who describes himself in his Twitter biography as a "Christian" and a "libertarian on the old right," posted a tweet that said: "I boarded a plane today with my son and mid flight, the pilot announces that the mask mandate is over. Flight attendants pulled off their masks and sneezed directly into their hands while screaming 'this is MAGA airspace'. My son turned to me in tears. I don’t know what to do."

I boarded a plane today with my son and mid flight, the pilot announces that the mask mandate is over. Flight attendants pulled off their masks and sneezed directly into their hands while screaming \u201cthis is MAGA airspace\u201d. My son turned to me in tears. I don\u2019t know what to do.
— Jared Rabel (@Jared Rabel) 1650327134

Rabel did not label the tweet as satire, and Victoria Kim of the New York Times reached out and requested to interview him, according to a screenshot posted by Rabel.

"Hi Jared, I'm a New York Times journalist, I'd love to speak to you over the phone about what happened on your flight this evening. Can you please give me a call ... or let me know how I can reach you?" Kim wrote, according to the screenshot. "Hope this isn't coming too late in your day. Thank you, look forward to hearing from you."

Rabel tweeted that, "For those asking, this is 100% legit. I’m as surprised as you."

"Got a NYT journalist caught in my satire today," Rabel declared.

For those asking, this is 100% legit. I\u2019m as surprised as you
— Jared Rabel (@Jared Rabel) 1650339777

"I’m glad I could assist, even a little bit, in undermining the credibility of the corporate press. Their depravity is coming to light more and more, which is a positive thing for the republic," Rabel tweeted on Tuesday.

The federal government could potentially pursue a legal challenge in a bid to reinstate the mask mandate.

"On April 13, 2022, before the district court’s decision, CDC explained that the order would remain in effect while it assessed current public health conditions, and that the Transportation Security Administration would extend its directive implementing the order until May 3 to facilitate CDC’s assessment," the U.S. Department of Justice noted in a Tuesday statement. "If CDC concludes that a mandatory order remains necessary for the public’s health after that assessment, the Department of Justice will appeal the district court’s decision."

Video: Cop appears to punch protester in face, knock protester to street as demonstrators scuffle with police, refuse to disperse



A Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, police officer was caught on video apparently punching a protester in the face and knocking the protester to the street as demonstrators in the Pittsburgh-area borough scuffled with police and refused to disperse over the weekend.

What are the details?

Saturday's protest was for Jim Rogers, a homeless man who died last year after Pittsburgh police repeatedly tased him, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. The Justice for Jim Rogers organization also called for firing and charges to be filed against officers and EMS workers involved the day Rogers was arrested, WTAE-TV reported.

The march began in Pittsburgh and then crossed into Wilkinsburg, where video shows protesters stopping in an intersection and blocking traffic while a police officer on a loudspeaker says it's an "unlawful assembly" and that protesters "will be arrested" if they don't keep the march moving.

With that, a number of protesters converged upon a police vehicle and cursed out the officer, telling him "F*** you!" and "Let her speak!" and "We're not scared of you!"

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Failing to get the protesters to disperse from the intersection, the officer gets help from colleagues. As police move in and apparently try to arrest several protesters, a scuffle breaks out.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Soon an officer appears to deliver a punch to a protester's face:

A Wilkinsburg police officer strikes a protestor at the intersection of Penn Avenue and Center St during a march before arresting them and putting them in the back of a Edgewood police vehicle. \n\n@PGHCityPaperpic.twitter.com/6tYXe2WFLU
— Jared Wickerham (@Jared Wickerham) 1650130420

Here's video that begins with protesters refusing to disperse, then shows the scuffle and apparent punch, and ends with several arrests. (Content warning: language):

Police Attack Justice for Jim Rogers and Romir Talley March in Wilkinsburgyoutu.be

Who is the protester the cop apparently punched?

The Pittsburgh City Paper said the apparently punched protester was identified as Vuestro Merced. According to a Post-Gazette editorial, "Vuestro Merced then shoved Officer Taylor, who responded with a left cross that knocked the protester to the ground."

Image source: YouTube screenshot

The City Paper, citing a Twitter post, said Merced was later released from police custody.

They are out and safe with community. You may support them via cashapp at $kiskeyancougarpic.twitter.com/JG0NIkL5rV
— Miracle. ESQ. MSW. (@Miracle. ESQ. MSW.) 1650141726

Another Twitter user called Merced a "friend" as well as a "trans activist":

Woke up this morning to learn of the unsurprisingly vile behavior of @PghPolice against my friend and trans activist Vuestro Merced. @gainey_ed, fire this officer and hold him accountable now! @payouthcongress @QBurghMaghttps://www.pghcitypaper.com/pittsburgh/wilkinsburg-officer-strikes-protester-during-demonstration-against-police-brutality/Content?oid=21490359\u00a0\u2026
— Hansen Bursic (he/him) (@Hansen Bursic (he/him)) 1650214760

Here's a 2021 tweet mentioning Merced:

Vuestro Merced talks to the crowd about Iris Santos. Via @PghLesbian24 \u201cShe was a 22-year-old Latinx trans woman living in Houston, Texas. She is now the 20th transgender American to be murdered during 2021.\u201d https://www.pghlesbian.com/2021/05/22-year-old-latinx-trans-woman-iris-santos-killed-in-houston-chick-fil-a-parking-lot/\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/GMs5ATJgIs
— Katie Blackley (@Katie Blackley) 1619984419

Anything else?

Wilkinsburg Mayor Dontae Comans offered WPXI-TV the following statement after the incident: “The footage being shared shows what we do not want to see or experience when a community is expressing its hurt over police sanctioned violence...I have been in touch with the police chief and our officers body cameras were on, which will be used to investigate next steps.”

The City Paper said the Wilkinsburg Police Department didn't immediately comment on the incident.

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