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Politics

Job Seekers With Trump White Home on Their Résumés Face a Chilly Actuality

Others are still weighing their options.

Hope Hicks, a senior advisor who left the White House in 2018 and got an important job as Fox Corporation’s chief communications officer before returning in March, has told people near her that she is planning an extended vacation.

Hogan Gidley, a former White House deputy press secretary and campaign spokesman whose duties recently included naming Mr. Trump on Fox News the “manliest” president in American history, said he was considering “various things” and not concerned about the search before him.

“I think it’s an exaggeration,” said Gidley of the challenges he and his colleagues may face in the months ahead. But then he paused. “Let me put it this way, I hope it’s an exaggeration.”

While former advisers ponder their future in Washington, a small group of advisors will stay with Mr. Trump in Florida and assist him in building his post-presidency presence.

The group of loyalists who have followed him include Dan Scavino, a former White House deputy chief of staff for communications, and Nick Luna, the former personal bird of Mr. Trump. A larger group of aides, including Brian Jack, the former White House political director, are considering staying in Trump country but have not yet made any final decisions.

Others, including Margo Martin, a former press office worker, and Molly Michael, an assistant to Mr. Trump, are government employees who are paid by the General Services Administration and will help Mr. Trump with the transition process.

While her former colleagues spent the weekend grappling with the cold reality of life in a Washington state where the Democrats are now in charge, Ms. Martin posted a photo of her surroundings in Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump’s sun-drenched resort in, on Instagram Palm Beach, Florida.

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Politics

How Republicans Are Warping Actuality Across the Capitol Assault

Representative Peter Meijer, a Republican freshman who voted for the indictment against Mr. Trump, said in an interview with The Daily, the New York Times audio podcast, that the spread of false information in the base of “two worlds” among the Republicans of Congress – one based on reality and another based on conspiracy.

“The world that said this was actually a landslide victory for Donald Trump, but everything has been stolen and changed and the votes have been flipped and the Dominion voting systems,” Meijer said, describing what he called the “fever swamp of conspiracy theories.”

In a video press conference on Friday, Senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina appealed directly to the still dubious Republicans. “Biden actually won,” he said. “The election was not rigged.”

Your words, contrary to Mr. Trump’s own message and that of many supporters, underscore a challenge to the Republican Party. The rioters targeted police officers, members of Congress and even Vice President Mike Pence. However, much of the party’s base and many of its leaders at the local and state levels remain loyal to Mr Trump.

Another Republican who backed the impeachment, South Carolina representative Tom Rice, admitted in an interview with The Associated Press that in his re-election efforts in 2022, his vote would likely make him face a major opponent of the GOP – a threat to the another nine Republicans who voted for impeachment will likely face too.

“FIRST GOP Primary Challenger Announces Run in Michigan Against Freshman Rep. Meijer – One of 10 GOP Turncoats,” read a headline on Gateway Pundit, the right-wing and often conspiratorial news agency that influences Mr. Trump’s grassroots.

Reached by email, the website’s founder, Jim Hoft, did not respond to questions but sent in several of his own news articles relating to allegations that Antifa was involved in the Capitol attack – citing the case of one Man named John Sullivan, who has the right-wing media named an “antifa leader” to prove his infiltration theory. He was the same man quoted by Mr Giuliani in tweets threatening to “blame John and the 226 members of Antifa who started the Capitol’s” uprising. “

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Business

Confessions of a Digital Actuality Gymnasium Rat

Unlike Peloton and its imitators, Supernatural has no living element. Classes are recorded and although you can compare your stats with your friends on a leaderboard, you cannot compete with them in real time. The company recently added guided meditations to its offerings and plans to add more types of classes and community functions.

Supernatural was built before the pandemic but has peaked in recent months as more and more people look for alternatives to the home gym. (The company wouldn’t say exactly how many subscribers it had, but Chris Milk, CEO of Within, told me it was five numbers.) The Supernatural official Facebook page is filled with enthusiastic fans, many of them that don’t fit the stereotypical image of a VR-obsessed gamer.

Mr Milk, who produced virtual reality content for the New York Times Magazine, said the difference between Supernatural and other types of fitness at home is that it feels more like a game than an exercise.

“The fundamental flaw in most fitness systems is that you are essentially doing something that isn’t fun, whether you’re pedaling a stationary bike or running on a treadmill,” he said. “We use VR’s tool to transport you beyond the walls of your apartment and offer you an activity that is fun in itself.”

One downside to Supernatural that goes beyond the monthly subscription costs is that it is currently only compatible with the Oculus Quest and Quest 2 headsets. These headsets aren’t cheap (base Oculus Quest 2 models start at $ 299) and are little available this year. Another downside for the privacy conscious: Oculus is owned by Facebook, which recently caused a sensation in the VR world when Oculus users were asked to log in with their Facebook accounts.

The other downside to Supernatural is that – how do you put that carefully? – You look like a big fool who does it. I feel this pain more acutely than most. I don’t have a room in my house that is big and free enough to swing my arms safely, so I often exercise outside on my patio. My wife has learned to tolerate it, but I feel sorry for my neighbors who have no doubt noticed the strange, sweaty man crouching angrily, throwing himself up and waving his arms as Skrillex roars from the box on top of his head.

But if you can ignore the fun look, VR workouts should be a try. They’re cheaper than a peloton, more fun than YouTube workout, and healthier than watching The Crown. While it doesn’t quite scratch the itch in the gym, it’s a good alternative until a vaccine makes it safe to breathe hard again in public.