The Next Attack

So roughly a third of the way through January, what's clear is that 2020 doesn't want to admit it lost the battle for a second term on New Year's Eve. It's demanding a recount and insisting there must have been fraud for 2021 to win, even though officials have checked the Times Square Ball over and over and they say it really did fall.

That's not good enough for 2020's true believers, however, because they know it's possible for that ball to get stuck. Hasn't anyone seen "New Year's Eve," the movie?

Sorry about that. But even if you don't like my sense of humor (I don't), you've got to admit I'm funnier than the real world is these days.

You know, there are times as a journalist that I truly wish I didn't find out some the things I do, because my inner tranquility might be enhanced by a greater degree of ignorance. But I keep finding out disturbing things anyway.

So on to reality. After an evening of checking and cross-checking with those in a position to know, here is the rundown:

A buildup of extremist threats and rhetoric similar to that detected prior to the January 6th assault on the U.S. Capitol is being monitored by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. This time, the noise suggests that a new wave of attacks will occur on or before Inauguration Day, which is January 20th.

The main targets this time appear to be state capitols like Sacramento, because Washington is finally armed to the teeth with police and military forces. 

The evidence I've seen is chilling and suggests that plans by right-wing extremists to violently protest Biden's ascension to power have reached advanced stages of planning. Fortunately, in the wake of the January 6th attack, U.S. intelligence agencies are now on extremely high alert and may be able to disrupt some of these plans.

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The headlines:

* Pelosi is demanding that Pence begin the procedure mandated by the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office or she will initiate the impeachment process this week. (CNN)

* But the House may wait until after Biden's first 100 days in office to actually send the new impeachment articles to the Senate (CNN)

* The mob that stormed the capitol came from around the country with different affiliations — QAnon, Proud Boys, elected officials, everyday Americans — united by one allegiance to Trump. (NYT)

* Wide segments of the Democratic party are eager to see investigations and prosecutions of Trump and his allies, while President-elect Biden is taking a more measured approach. (NYT)

* Trump scrambles to find a new social network after Twitter ban. (WashPo)

* Many residents of Murdock, Minn., said they were horrified that an organization condemned by watchdogs as a white supremacist hate group would open a church. City leaders said they had little choice but to grant a permit. (NYT) 

*

Trump legacy on race shadowed by divisive rhetoric, actions (AP)

* Police departments across the U.S. open probes into whether their own members took part in the Capitol riot (WashPo)

* In a December call, Trump told a Georgia election investigator that the official would be a “national hero” for finding evidence of fraud. White House officials’ pressure on the federal prosecutor in Atlanta to resign was also revealed (NYT)

* With Democrats poised to take over, Supreme Court’s Breyer faces calls to retire (WashPo)

* In encounters with their constituents this week, Republican lawmakers have grappled with the consequences of their yearslong alliance with Trump: an angry, misinformed base. (NYT)

* 

Oil companies lock in drilling, challenging Biden on climate (AP)

* Hunting as a pastime spikes during pandemic. Conservationists are glad. (WashPo)

* Foreign ministers from the United States, Canada, Britain and Australia condemned last week's arrest of over 50 democracy activists in Hong Kong in a joint statement on Sunday, calling on China to respect the freedom of the people on the island. (Reuters)

* Singapore’s three major universities have reported zero cases of Covid-19. Their secret: technology, tough penalties and students willing to comply. (NYT) 

* How To Talk To Kids About The Riots At The U.S. Capitol (Mind/Shift - KQED)

* No Amount Of Training Could Have Prepared Cat For First Experience Seeing Mouse In Real Life (The Onion)

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You really took me by surprise / You're someone I've needed for a lifetime

Your heart was cleverly disguised / But it didn't look that way in my mind

With no explanation / I gave you everything I had

I didn't know that you would take it / With sweet consideration

And after all that we've been through / I can't believe it's true

Until I hear you say

-- Written by: DAVID FOSTER, BECKIE FOSTER, BILL LABOUNTY, LINDA THOMPSON-JENNER

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