'How close the country came to total catastrophe'

Former acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, a central witness in investigations into Donald Trump's efforts to undermine the 2020 presidential election, spoke with the Senate Judiciary Committee in a seven-hour closed session on Saturday. "There were some very relevant and important facts," Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a panel member, said. "There were some highly significant leads that unquestionably the Judiciary Committee should pursue."

• — Rosen repeatedly rebuffed Trump's efforts to cast doubt on the election results in the final days of the administration. His testimony came a week after a House committee released documents showing how Trump urged Rosen to publicly declare that the election was "corrupt."
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• — During a phone call on Dec. 27, Trump urged Rosen to take action, saying "people are angry" and blaming the Justice Department for failing to respond to claims of voter fraud. "You guys may not be following the internet the way I do," Trump said, according to notes by former acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue.
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• — Rosen pushed back, informing Trump that the DOJ had conducted "dozens" of investigations and "hundreds of interviews" but had found no evidence to support the claims. "We are doing our job. Much of the info you're getting is false," Rosen told the ex-president. Unfortunately that made no difference to Trump. —USA Today

Marcus: The more we learn, the worse it gets

"What happened on Jan. 6 was horrifying: an attempted coup, inflamed by social media, incited by the defeated president, and televised in real time. What happened before Jan. 6, we are coming to learn, was equally horrifying: a slow-motion attempted coup, plotted in secret at the pinnacle of government, and foiled by the resistance of a few officials who would not accede to Donald Trump's deluded view of the election outcome." —Ruth Marcus in The Washington Post

Ruth Marcus is the deputy editorial page editor for The Washington Post.

MORE: Mark Meadows timeline: The chief of staff and the schemes to overturn the 2020 election —Just Security

Cuomo loses his right hand

In a bad sign for the New York governor, Andrew Cuomo's top aide, Melissa DeRosa, resigned last night, as her now-former boss fights for his political survival. The report released by the New York State attorney general last week, which determined that Cuomo had sexually harassed nearly a dozen women, also concluded that DeRosa had spearheaded efforts to retaliate against one of the women who had spoken out about her allegation in December. In her role as secretary to the governor, DeRosa also came under fire earlier this year for her involvement in the administration's efforts to obscure the full extent of nursing home deaths caused by COVID-19. —The New York Times

MORE: New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul prepares for a Cuomo resignation —The Wall Street Journal

Belarus earns more sanctions

Joining the United Kingdom, President Biden signed an executive order today expanding sanctions on the regime of Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, who has continued his year-long campaign to squash dissent and tighten his hold on power. The Treasury Department is also issuing its largest round of sanctions to date against members of the Lukashenko regime, as well as the Belarusian National Olympic Committee and the state-owned company Belaruskali OAO. "The U.S. will continue to stand up for human rights and free expression, while holding Lukashenko accountable, in concert with our allies and partners," Biden said in a statement. —The Hill

MORE: Belarusian Olympic sprinter auctions medal to support athletes caught up in crackdown —Reuters

Capehart: The deplorable treatment of the Capitol heroes

"Police aren't perfect. And because they wield the power of life and death with the backing of the state, we have every right to hold them to a higher standard and to demand that they be held accountable when they get it tragically wrong. But this doesn't blind me to the importance of law enforcement or their countless acts of heroism. That's why I thank Officer Michael Fanone and fellow Metropolitan Police Officer Daniel Hodges and U.S. Capitol Police Officers Harry Dunn and Aquilino Gonell for their commitment to ensuring that America knows the truth of what happened on Jan. 6." —Jonathan Capehart in The Washington Post

Jonathan Capehart is a member of the editorial board at The Washington Post, where he writes about politics and social issues.

MORE: Democrats hire former congressman Denver Riggleman to serve as adviser to Jan. 6 committee —Politico

Focus on the pandemic

Oh what a difference a month makes. In May and June, things were really looking up in the U.S. as far as the coronavirus pandemic was concerned. Then July happened. And now, in early August, COVID-19 cases are again skyrocketing, thanks to the Delta variant. Public health experts say it's difficult to predict what will happen next, so that creates an uncertain situation at the White House. For now, the economy is holding steady, with a blockbuster July jobs report indicating a robust economic recovery. But President Biden, whose approval is inextricably tied to the pandemic, stressed that the continuing recovery is dependent on more people getting vaccinated. —The Hill

• — Pentagon mandates vaccination. The coronavirus vaccine will become mandatory for all Defense Department employees in mid-September or as soon as the Food and Drug Administration formally approves it, whichever comes first. In his memo to staff today, Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin said, "To defend this nation, we need a healthy and ready force. I strongly encourage all DoD military and civilian personnel—as well as contractor personnel—to get vaccinated now and for military service members to not wait for the mandate." —Defense One
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• — "Circumstances have changed." Public health experts are urging businesses and local officials to enact mask and vaccine requirements to slow the spread of the virus as well. Teachers unions that initially opposed a vaccine mandate for educators have reversed course—to protect kids heading back to school in the coming weeks. Noting that immunization requirements have been in schools since the 19th century, Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, explained her decision, saying, "It weighs really heavily on me that kids under 12 can't get vaccinated." —The Washington Post
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• — At least one Republican supports mask mandates. And for ideologically conservative reasons to boot. Sen. Bill Cassidy has criticized Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' recent order banning mask mandates in schools. "I'm a conservative. I think you govern best when you govern closest to the people being governed," Cassidy said, indicating that school districts should make the decisions based on local conditions. "I don't want to top-down from Washington, D.C., I don't want to top-down from a governor's office," he added. —National Review

Rolón: Immigration reform needs security and compassion

"For centuries, Americans have helped persecuted people rebuild their lives safely and without hostility. In moving to restore America's leadership on this front, I hope the Biden Administration receives bipartisan support to do what is right and make meaningful immigration reform a reality." —Orlando Rolón in Orlando Sentinel

Orlando Rolón is the chief of police for the Orlando Police Department.

MORE: Senate Democrats push ahead two-track infrastructure votes —Reuters

While it may be correct to describe autocratic leaders as "strongmen," that does not mean that they are brave or determined men who possess great strength of character. When I heard the former 45th president speak, what I mostly recall is that he often whined about how unfairly he was treated by the press, or how he was not given credit for his tough stance on Russia. I saw his performance in Helsinki.

I have also observed how the self-described "patriots" who chanted, "Hang Mike Pence" on Jan. 6, like to project strength onto their leader. I saw one of them display a Rambo-like image, with a very muscular Donald Trump playing the lead role. Those self-described "patriots" were also heard calling out, "Where are you, Nancy?" The Nancy they were stalking was 80-year-old Nancy Pelosi. Unfortunately for those brave "patriots," who looked like they should have been comic extras from a "Mad Max" movie, their target displayed real courage and still did her duty, even after her life was threatened by a hoard of thugs.

Contrast her conduct with Minority House Leader Kevin McCarthy, who made a factual statement about Trump's responsibility for the Jan. 6 insurrection, and then flew down to Florida to kiss his ring. Does he really think that anyone who has ever faced a schoolyard bully does not recognize him for what he is? If anyone wants to see examples of real courage under fire, Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger epitomize it. By the way, If Nancy Pelosi had been forced to engage in hand-to-hand combat with that bunch of brainless goons, I would have bet on her. —Bill M., Pennsylvania

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