Yesterday, the leader of the Republican Party claimed that the January 6th riot was “staged by the government”. He didn’t explain why he, as head of the government, did nothing to stop the riot as the afternoon wore on or why juries have since convicted hundreds of the riot’s participants, including, given his assessment, many government agents.

That he is still the leader of the party tells us a lot about Republican voters and politicians. It also provides context for Tom Tomorrow’s latest bulletin from This Modern World.