If you care about the economy, you should care about Jan. 6

For days now, we’ve been talking about something that happened 17 months ago, the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Congressional hearings into the events of that day started last week. The details can feel removed from the day-to-day economic struggles of the average American, but they are crucial. The Jan. 6 committee wants Americans to “understand that not only what happened was bad, it’s ongoing. This is still a threat to the country, is still a threat to democracy. And that if you do care about the economy, you need to make sure that we have a functioning government to confront those problems in the future too,” said Kyle Cheney, senior legal affairs reporter at Politico. On the show today, we’re talking about the aftermath of Jan. 6, what may come after the hearings and why this is important for the stability of our democracy and our economy. Later, we’ll discuss the rising tide of white nationalism and extremism after the arrests of dozens of people who police say were plotting to attack an LGBTQ pride event in Idaho. Also, crypto winter is here! Are the layoffs at Coinbase the first of many? Plus, listeners weigh in on the housing market and Taco Bell ditching dine-in service. Then, we end the show with a fatherly answer to the “Make Me Smart” question. Here’s everything we talked about today: Kyle Cheney’s Twitter feed “Jan. 6 panel makes case election fraud claims were Trump vs. ‘Team Normal’” from Politico FBI assisting investigation of Patriot Front, an alleged white nationalist group accused of planning riot at Idaho Pride event from CBS News “CDC Rescinds Order Requiring Negative Pre-Departure COVID-19 Test Prior to Flight to the US“ “Title 42 and its Impact on Migrant Families” from Kaiser Family Foundation “Coinbase says it will cut 18 percent of its work force.” from The New York Times Join us tomorrow for Whaddya Wanna Know Wednesday. If you’ve got a question you’d like our hosts to answer, send it our way. We’re at [email protected] and (508) 827-6278 or (508) U-B-SMART.