Capitol

Michelle Jubelirer, the chair and CEO at of Capitol Musical Group, announced Tuesday that she is leaving the company. Jubelirer, who has been Capitol for more than a decade, sent a memo to staff informing them of her decision, which is effective on Wednesday. “I am deeply saddened that I will no longer be at the company we rebuilt and took to new heights over the past two years. As I’ve said before, I don’t think any label group has been able to turn things around as quickly as we have managed…

The shocking events of Jan. 6, 2021, signaled a major break from the nonviolent rallies that categorized most major protests over the past few decades.What set Jan. 6 apart was the president of the United States using his cellphone to direct an attack on the Capitol, and those who stormed the Capitol being wired and ready for insurrection.My co-authors and I, a media and disinformation scholar, call this networked incitement: influential figures inciting large-scale political violence via social media. Networked…

The shocking events of Jan. 6, 2021, signaled a major break from the nonviolent rallies that categorized most major protests over the past few decades.The Oath Keepers were following Washington law by not carrying the weapons in the district, while waiting for Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act, which gives the president the authority to deploy the military domestically for law enforcement.The militia was waiting for orders from Trump. That was all that kept U.S. democracy safe from armed warfare that day.Social media…

A Satanic altar was put up in the Iowa State Capitol by the Satanic Temple of Iowa last week, causing total mayhem amongst political representatives and locals alike.The display, which will reportedly be up through the end of this week, consists of an altar with the “seven fundamental tenets” of the Satanic Temple and the group’s seal, surrounded by electric candles, as per HuffPost.Behind the altarpiece proudly stands Baphomet, a deity that has been incorporated into various occult and Western esoteric traditions.A…

Michigan is deploying artificial intelligence (AI) technology to detect guns in the state’s Capitol amid an increase in political violence in recent years. On Monday, Michigan became the first state Capitol in the country to launch the use of the gun detection platform made by ZeroEyes. “As the political climate grows increasingly tumultuous, it’s imperative that we remain vigilant and attuned to our surroundings,” Michigan State Capitol Commission Executive Director Rob Blackshaw said in a press release.…

They described one another as grifters, prima donnas, and clowns. They lied, reflexively and clumsily, in pursuit of money and relevance. Through the power of social media, they would change the course of American political history.In the aftermath of January 6, reporters and investigators would focus on intelligence failures, White House intrigue, and well-organized columns of white nationalists. Those things were all real. But a fourth factor came into play: influencers.Donald Trump was, in a way, the ultimate…

A blockbuster House committee hearing with the CEO of TikTok was met with a wave of influencers and creators from both sides of the online culture wars coming to Capitol Hill. On Wednesday, TikTok creators, artists, small business owners, educators, parents and advocates joined Reps. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) and Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) for a press conference outside the Capitol to highlight why they value the app, and to question the motivations behind calls to ban it. Concerns about the…

A group of Silicon Valley executives, including investor Peter Thiel, and Washington lawmakers are quietly mobilizing against China’s involvement in the U.S. tech industry ahead of TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew’s Capitol Hill testimony next week.They plan to meet for a private dinner on Wednesday to discuss China, national security and the intensifying competition between the tech sectors of the U.S. and China. Mr. Chew is scheduled to testify the following day.…

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Wednesday, Feb. 22. I’m Anita Chabria, a columnist for The Times, coming to you from Sacramento, where a false spring has sprung, leaving cherry blossoms spiraling in the wind of our impending statewide storm. That’s a bit of foreshadowing to a tale of political turbulence.The Legislature is in full swing, cranking out bills on social media (regulating it), police dogs (banning them in chases) and fentanyl (bipartisanly considered bad). In fact,…

Sen. Ted Cruz has previously advocated for the continued decentralization of cryptocurrency.Image: Greg Nash-Pool (Getty Images)There’s no such thing as a free lunch (or snack) and Texas Senator Ted Cruz knows this, which is why the conservative wants to bring cryptocurrency into Congress.On Wednesday, Cruz introduced the ACCEPT Resolution, which stands for Adopting Cryptocurrency in Congress as an Exchange of Payment for Transactions Resolution. If adopted, the resolution could see the U.S. government contracting with…