The long gap in Trump's Jan. 6 phone calls

White House call logs turned over to the House committee investigating the events of January 6 show a more than seven-hour gap; Poland is the first EU country to stop buying Russian gas in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Jariel Arvin.

Seven hours and 37 minutes, missing

Win McNamee/Getty Images

• There’s a seven-hour-and-37-minute gap in White House January 6 call records, raising concerns that former President Donald Trump communicated through back channels during the insurrection, or purposely destroyed the records. [Washington Post / Bob Woodward and Robert Costa]
• Available records show Trump spoke with eight people the morning of the insurrection, including with advisers on how to overturn the election, such as Steve Bannon and Rudy Giuliani, and made another 11 calls in the evening. [BBC / Anthony Zurcher]
• There’s no record of calls between 11:17 am and 6:54 pm, the time when rioters stormed the Capitol. Public reports, however, show Trump spoke with then-Vice President Mike Pence and top House Minority Leader Jim Jordan among others during that time, leading to concern Trump may have used burner phones to avoid putting conversations on record. [Associated Press / Mary Clare Jalonick, Colleen Long, and Jill Colvin]
• On Tuesday, Trump insisted he has “no idea what a burner phone is.” However, former national security adviser John Bolton said he and Trump had discussed how the devices could help avoid detection. [CBS / Robert Costa]

• Wednesday, it was reported that at least one call Trump made was not recorded in the internal log, further raising the possibility that Trump officials deleted or tampered with official records. [Guardian / Hugo Lowell]

• The House committee investigating January 6 is attempting to understand who Trump spoke to during that seven-hour gap and what was said as it tries to understand whether Trump broke the law. Its preliminary report is expected in June. [CBS / Ellis Kim, Sara Cook, and Zak Hudak]

Poland is the first EU country to ditch Russian gas

• On Wednesday, Poland became the first country in the European Union to commit to weaning itself off of Russian oil and gas by December 31, 2022, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. [Al Jazeera]
• “We are presenting the most radical plan in Europe for departing from Russian oil by the end of this year,” Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said at a news conference. On Tuesday, Poland committed to cutting off Russian coal by May.  [AP / Monika Scislowska and Frank Jordans]
• Meanwhile in Germany, which is heavily dependent on Russian energy, the German government is asking people to conserve natural gas amid fears Russia could cut off all supplies if it doesn’t receive payment in rubles. [Washington Post / Isaac Stanley-Becker]
• Morawiecki urged the rest of Europe to follow Poland’s lead. A new pipeline bringing gas from Norway is opening this year, and Poland also plans to invest more in renewable energy. [National Public Radio / Joanna Kakissis]

Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) is causing tension within the GOP after claiming conservative lawmakers and officials invited him to orgies and used cocaine in front of him. [Politico / Olivia Beavers]

• The Supreme Court will take up a case between a photographer and Andy Warhol's foundation over an image of the late musician Prince. [NBC / Pete Williams and Daniel Barnes]
• A Texas school has agreed to pay $90,000 to a former student for violating her First Amendment rights by making her write the Pledge of Allegiance. [Washington Post / Jonathan Edwards]
• On Wednesday, Jamie Wallis became the first British member of Parliament to come out as transgender. [Al Jazeera]

“The only time there should be a seven-hour gap is when you’re trying to remember what happened on St. Patrick’s Day.”

[Late-night host Jimmy Fallon joking about the missing White House phone records]

Making sense: Sight unseen

Close your eyes and try to imagine an apple. Can you see anything? Aphantasia is the inability to see with your mind’s eye. Since it was discovered, scientists have been asking the question: What is the mind’s eye even for? 

Read more from Vox

Mexico City and the pitfalls of becoming a remote work destination

The real scandal behind billionaire Eric Schmidt paying for Biden’s science office

The January 6 committee is seemingly moving toward recommending charges for Trump

How to get your kid to do stuff without having to constantly remind them

NASA’s moon dust monopoly is finally ending

This email was sent to you. Manage your email preferences or unsubscribe. If you value Vox’s unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring contribution.

View our Privacy Notice and our Terms of Service.

Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Floor 12, Washington, DC 20036.
Copyright © 2022. All rights reserved.