Of Capitol Hill, and Atomic, Cover-ups

GOP may block January 6 probe--but my new film exposes a past crime. Plus: new Aretha film, and music from Dire Straits, Dylan & The Hawks, and John Lennon & The Beatles.

The first film I’ve written and directed, Atomic Cover-up, gets another festival screening this week, this time in Rio at the International Uranium Film Festival. I’m letting you know because it is also streaming online for all to view—and free for the first time—for the next ten days. As I’ve noted, it reveals the suppression of the most shocking and important footage of the aftermath of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki shot by both American and Japanese film crews—and why it’s so relevant today. Just go to the festival site here and find the film title at lower left, press play and expand to full screen (it runs for 52 minutes). For a preview, see below to watch two-minute trailer or click here for the early acclaim from notables. Thanks for watching, and then I would deeply appreciate any and all responses in Comments or in emails to me (gregmitch34@gmail.com).

News & Politics

Jimmy Kimmel on the probe of the January 6 insurrection: “Republicans say a commission should only be established if it can investigate other protests, including the demonstrations last summer following the murder of George Floyd. Right, good thinking: There’s got to be some way to blame Black people for this, and you found it.” Stephen Colbert: “One person I was surprised to learn voted ‘no’ on this measure was Indiana Rep. Greg Pence, who is Mike Pence’s own brother. Certainly changes the meaning of this text from Greg: Hey, bro, wanna hang this weekend?”

Meanwhile, from The Onion: “Slacker Congressperson Praying He Gets Some Bullshit Committee Assignment Like Climate Crisis.”

President Biden spoke to U.S. Coast Guard graduates yesterday. According to reports, when the grads didn’t applaud a Biden joke poking fun at the Navy, he called them out: “You’re a really dull class. Come on, man. Is the sun getting to you?”

Headline of the Day: Retired generals fooled by imposter “Rear Adm. Jack Meehoff” as they accuse Biden of being a Marxist.

As Israeli bombing continued overnight (despite claims of a ceasefire near), Peter Beinart, writer and editor-at-large, Jewish Currents: “The reason the American debate over Israel-Palestine could shift dramatically and quickly is that many Democratic politicians don't need to be convinced that what Israel is doing is wrong. They just need to be convinced that they can say so without hurting their careers.” Also: “This is one place where American Jewish communal leaders have really abdicated their responsibility and could make an enormous difference. So many of them also quietly believe that it's wrong, but are also fearful that saying so will hurt their careers.”

Latest tidbit from upcoming book on 2020 campaign by The Atlantic’s Edward-Isaac Dovere: Barack Obama told donors that Trump was a "madman" after 2017 when he took office. "I didn’t think we’d have a racist, sexist pig," Obama told one group. He also referred to Trump as "that f---ing lunatic" and a "corrupt motherf---er," according to Dovere.

Update on Trump’s legal woes, from CNN last night: “The New York attorney general's office has opened a criminal tax investigation into top Trump Organization officer Allen Weisselberg, increasing the legal pressure on the long-time aide to former President Donald Trump, people familiar with the investigation say.” James Corden: “It’s just like that old saying: Crime doesn’t pay, except for the first 74 years of your life, and then probably longer depending on appeals.”

Georgia On of Their (Crazed) Mind: Trump nuts now seeking to export pathetic Arizona 2020 vote count “audit” to Georgia.

A swarm meal: Yes, that NPR correspondent went ahead and deep-fried cicadas, added Old Bay and ate two, but told Politico today she “wouldn’t necessarily recommend it, at least not the preparation I went with.” But at least “my kids enjoyed laughing at me as I ate bugs, which was really what got this whole adventure started.”

More vax bribes: Ohio is the only state to offer a lottery for Covid vaccinated residents, but people in Kentucky who get the vax at participating Walmart and Kroger locations will receive a free lottery ticket for a statewide nightly drawing of $225,000. That can’t top Alabama which recently gave residents the opportunity to drive two laps in their own vehicle at the Talladega Superspeedway after getting a drive-through Covid test or vaccine at the racetrack.

Hated by many his own party in Georgia, and now facing primary challenge, but Brad Raffensperger sez: “Yes, I’m running again.”

Taking a bold step on health care, “Nevada is on the verge of passing a public option,” according to Vox.

Is SCOTUS listening? “Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signs into law one of nation’s strictest abortion measures, banning procedure as early as six weeks into a pregnancy.” Texas Tribune explains: “The signing of the bill opens a new frontier in the battle over abortion restrictions as first-of-its-kind legal provisions — intended to make the law harder to block — are poised to be tested in the courts.”

A new study finds that zombie forest fires, which smolder throughout the wet, cold winters in far northern forests and pop up again in the spring, are on the rise.

New from the AP (and you can watch the video if you dare):

Louisiana state troopers were captured on body camera video stunning, punching and dragging a Black man as he apologized for leading them on a high-speed chase -- footage of the man’s last moments alive that The Associated Press obtained after authorities refused to release it for two years.

“I’m your brother! I’m scared! I’m scared!” Ronald Greene can be heard telling the white troopers as the unarmed man is jolted repeatedly with a stun gun before he even gets out of his car along a dark, rural road.

The 2019 arrest outside Monroe, Louisiana, is the subject of a federal civil rights investigation. But unlike other in-custody deaths across the nation where body camera video was released almost immediately, Greene’s case has been shrouded in secrecy and accusations of a cover-up.

Internet Explorer is going away for good on June 15, 2022, Microsoft announced on Wednesday. Explorer had more than 90% market share at one point.

Music

On this day in 1964: Rudy Lewis of The Drifters was found dead at age 27 in a Harlem hotel room on the eve of singing lead on the recording of his soon-to-be-hit song “Under the Boardwalk” (which he wrote). No autopsy was performed. Only decades later would it emerge that he was a heroin addict and a closeted homosexual.

On this date in 1966: Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey grew tired of waiting for John Entwistle and Keith Moon to arrive for their gig in Windsor, England so they enrolled the bass player and drummer of local opener. When Moon and Entwistle \ arrived in the middle of the set, Townshend hit Moon on the head with his guitar. Moon and Entwistle quit the band, but rejoined a week later.

And on the very same date to the north: Bob Dylan and The Band played in Edinburgh, Scotland. Some members of the audience unhappy with Dylan “going electric” attempted to drown out the band—by playing their own harmonicas. Here are Bob and the boys playing “One Too Many Mornings” at that very gig, with no harp accompaniment.

Two years later on this date, in 1968, The Beatles, just back from India, met at George Harrison’s home in Surrey and taped 23 new songs, including “Blackbird,” “Cry Baby Cry,” “Revolution,” “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” and “Child of Nature”—a Lennon song that became his solo album “Jealous Guy,” see below.

Finally (whew) on this day in 1969—and this is new to me—while watching a baseball game in Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, singer Peter Cetera of Chicago was attacked by four Marines who didn't like his long hair. They broke his jaw, and he would spend two days in intensive care.

Film /TV

First trailer for Jennifer Hudson as Aretha bio-pic just out…So we’ll show some “Respect.”

Song Pick

Marking 43rd anniversary of Dire Straits’ first and perhaps greatest single, “Sultans of Swing,” below in a superior alternate version (or go here for 1977 demo).

“Essential daily newsletter.” — Charles P. Pierce, Esquire

“Incisive and enjoyable every day.” — Ron Brownstein, The Atlantic

“Always worth reading.” — Frank Rich, New York magazine, Veep and Succession

Greg Mitchell is the author of a dozen books, including the bestseller The Tunnels (on escapes under the Berlin Wall), the current The Beginning or the End (on MGM’s wild atomic bomb movie), and The Campaign of the Century (on Upton Sinclair’s left-wing race for governor of California), which was recently picked by the Wall St. Journal as one of five greatest books ever about an election. His new film, Atomic Cover-up, just had its world premiere and is drawing extraordinary acclaim. For nearly all of the 1970s he was the #2 editor at the legendary Crawdaddy. Later he served as longtime editor of Editor & Publisher magazine. He recently co-produced a film about Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.