Crowd vs. Crowd

In 1906, the British social scientist and mathematician Sir Francis Galton was astounded when he observed a contest at a rural livestock fair. An ox was on display, and the villagers were invited to guess its weight. Nearly 800 people took part, and Galton later calculated that the median estimate they came up with was exactly right -- 1,207 pounds (1,197 dressed), even though no individual among them had guessed the weight correctly.

In his book "The Wisdom of Crowds" published nearly a century later (2004), James Surowiecki used this incident as his opening example to illustrate his contention that aggregating information in groups can result in decisions that are often better than could have been made by any single member of the group.

I love that theory and often cite it but today I want to focus on an obliquely related yet distinct process, which is known as crowd-sourcing. This involves enlisting a large number of people to develop new information, such as solving a mystery and it is commonly used via social media by journalists.

One highly relevant example is the effort being coordinated by John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at the University of Toronto, who has been using Twitter this week to marshal the help of a very large group of people in identifying the individuals who led the riot at the U.S. capitol on January 6th.

Watch the CNBC report: <https://www.youtube.com/watchv=pZP2VB9bQ2A&feature=youtu.be>

Among the ringleaders the crowd has been able to identify is ae military veteran who carried zip-ties onto the floor of the Capitol, apparently aiming to handcuff members of Congress once they had been captured by the rioters. Larry Rendall Brock, Jr. is currently in the custody of law enforcement officials, thanks to this crowd-sourcing effort.

Investigators believe that the intention of Brock and some of the others that day may have been to capture political leaders like Pence and Pelosi, put them on trial, and possibly execute them on the spot.

This is just one of the extremely disturbing aspects of the mob attack that are still emerging, as authorities try to interpret clues about what may happen next and whether we are on the verge of a second civil war.

My purpose in mentioning Surowiecki's theory and Scott-Railton's work in the same breath today is to suggest that maybe what we need right now is to fuse the wisdom of the crowds with crowd-sourcing to answer the question looming large over the next few days: What will happen next? 

***

Last night, I submitted the form to the county where I am a resident to get the Covid-19 vaccination. Applications are now being accepted for those aged 65 and older. I urge anyone in this category to do so immediately.

The news:

* Pentagon authorizes 25,000 National Guard troops to deploy in Washington, D.C. (CNN)

* Three of the key advisers who helped engineer Donald Trump's' rise to the presidency in 2016, and who fell from grace under the weight of federal criminal charges, resurfaced during Trump's final days in office to help engineer his ill-fated attempt to cling to power. Roger Stone, Steve Bannon, and retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn all participated in efforts to promote the Jan. 6 "Stop the Steal" event that ultimately devolved into a riotous and deadly melee at the United States Capitol, leaving five dead and causing Trump to become the only president to be impeached for a second time. (ABC)

* Global virus death toll hits 2 million (AP)

* Unemployment Claims Rise Sharply, Showing New Economic Pain (NYT)

* Fast-spreading UK coronavirus variant could be dominant in U.S. by March, CDC says (Reuters)

* Experts warn of vaccine stumbles because Trump officials refused to consult with Biden team (WashPo)

* Pence, in call to Harris, offers congratulations (AP)

* Biden’s Stimulus Is a Two-Pronged Attack on Income Inequality (WSJ)

* Trump is spending his last days in the White House enveloped in rage and turmoil. Even as Trump spends time watching TV and venting to aides and confidantes, one tangible issue he has been focused on is how to apply his power to pardon before his term ends. He plans to depart Washington the morning of Joe Biden's inauguration to live at his Mar-a-Lago resort. [Reuters]

* Two rioters say Capitol officer told them, ‘It’s your house now,’ FBI says (WashPo)

‌* Federal prosecutors offered an ominous new assessment of last week’s siege of the U.S. Capitol, saying in a court filing that rioters intended “to capture and assassinate elected officials.” The filing asks a judge to detain Jacob Chansley, the Arizona man and QAnon conspiracy theorist who was famously photographed wearing horns. This comes alongside the arrest of a retired firefighter amid allegations that he threw a fire extinguisher at U.S. Capitol Police officers. [Reuters]

* Rioters storming Capitol came dangerously close to Pence (WashPo, CNN)

* Senate Plans Trial for Trump as G.O.P. Weighs Risks of Convicting (NYT)

* The Guatemalan military has detained hundreds of migrants at its border as thousands of Hondurans, including many families with young children, continued to walk north on Friday as part of a caravan hoping to reach the United States. (Reuters)

* Newly elected GOP Rep. Peter Meijer, who voted for Trump’s impeachment, said he’s buying body armor to protect himself from the president’s supporters. When MSNBC asked Meijer on Thursday if he had received death threats, the lawmaker said he wasn’t going to let anything deter him from his duty. [HuffPost]

* Our national security apparatus failed last week. Officials hope it will be ready for Inauguration Day. (WashPo)

* Trump Ignites a War Within the Church -- After a week of Trumpist mayhem, white evangelicals wrestle with what they’ve become. (David Brooks/NYT)

* Poll finds clear opposition to riot, support to bar Trump from serving again (WashPo)

* At least four airlines announced additional security measures as federal and local officials began increasing protection around the Capitol after last week's deadly riot. (HuffPost)

* Abandon Trump? Deep in the G.O.P. Ranks, the MAGA Mind-Set Prevails (NYT)

* Delta has put some of Trump’s most aggressive supporters on a no-fly list after they harassed Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham and Mitt Romney in airports last week. Delta Air LinesCEO Ed Bastian said that passengers who targeted the senators would no longer be able to fly on the airline. [HuffPost]

* Encrypted apps like Telegram and Signal are exploding since companies like Twitter and Facebook cracked down after the Trump-incited Capitol siege and with right-wing favorite Parler going dark. (Vanity Fair)

* Messaging app Signal facing technical difficulties (Reuters)

* U.S. troops in Afghanistan now down to 2,500, lowest since 2001: Pentagon (Reuters)

* A Raven Queen Vanishes, and Britain Checks a Prophecy -- One of the resident birds at the Tower of London is feared to have died. Legend says at least six must be kept there, or the nation will fall. (NYT)

***

Virgil Kane is the name
And I served on the Danville train
'Till Stoneman's cavalry came
And tore up the tracks again

In the winter of '65
We were hungry, just barely alive
By May the 10th, Richmond had fell
It's a time I remember, oh so well

The night they drove old Dixie down
And the bells were ringing
The night they drove old Dixie down
And the people were singing
They went, "Na, na, la, na, na, la"

Back with my wife in Tennessee
When one day she called to me
"Virgil, quick, come see,
There goes Robert E. Lee!"

Now, I don't mind chopping wood
And I don't care if the money's no good
You take what you need
And you leave the rest
But they should never
Have taken the very best

The night they drove old Dixie down
And the bells were ringing
The night they drove old Dixie down
And all the people were singing
They went, "Na, na, la, na, na, la"

Like my father before me
I will work the land
And like my brother above me
Who took a rebel stand

He was just 18, proud and brave
But a Yankee laid him in his grave
I swear by the mud below my feet
You can't raise a Kane back up
When he's in defeat

-- Robbie Robertson

-30-

Our Pandemic Fantasies

[Kate Greenaway's illustration from Mother Goose or the Old Nursery Rhymes (1881), showing children playing Ring Around the Rosy.]

When I was a young boy, and things around me became confusing or scary, I often created imaginary worlds. I did this when my father got angry or my mother got sad, which were usually unrelated events.

I had loving parents who never treated me badly, so this is not about them. It's about kids like me.

In my imaginary world, I was the narrator who got to tell his audience what was happening and how it all worked out. The characters in my world acted the way I wanted them to act, which often included heroic deeds.

It doesn't take a psych 101 textbook to figure out what that was all about.

But there's something else. Beyond family matters, in the 1950s, there was a pandemic that may have affected my emotional development. It was called polio. I almost never thought about it until these past ten months.

***

Kids today have a shortcut escape route to imaginary worlds. They can play video games. What is different from my childhood 60-some years ago and today is that they are escaping into an imaginary world of somebody else's making. So they are not their own narrator.

Among the studies I read yesterday is one reminding parents that tweens are old enough to understand that things around them are not normal during this pandemic but they are not necessarily old enough to understand why. This disparity, some child psychologists say, may leave them prone to anxiety and depression.

That leads me to a related fixation of mine, ADD. Most parents are aware that diagnoses of this condition have become quite common in recent decades. The average age when this happens, I'm told, is seven. 

Looking back, what was initially called "attention deficit hyperactivity disorder" (ADHD) was identified by British pediatrician Sir George Still way back in 1902. Interestingly, this was during the aftermath of the Third Plague, which killed millions of people in British Colonial India.

Eighty years later, ADHD's name was simplified to "attention deficit disorder" (ADD). The number of children diagnosed with it rose significantly in the 1990s, as doctors became more aware of the condition and -- most significantly -- effective medicines for treating it hit the market. 

Then as now, many parents questioned the wisdom of medicating children who have ADD, out of concern for what the long-term effects of those medications may be. 

In this context, I remember a conversation I had maybe a decade ago with the wonderful novelist Toni Morrison at 33 Irving Place below Gramercy Park one day about her role on the admissions committee of a prestigious university. She told me that a major problem facing each year's incoming freshman class was whether the students' doses of ADD medications were adequate to help them manage the stress they faced moving away from home.

Neither of us being doctors but both of us being parents, we speculated over whether the medicines actually helped children cope with anxiety or just masked the symptoms from their parents. We both suspected that the medicines might be doing more to treat parental anxieties than that felt by their kids.

All of these memories have been revisiting me during this pandemic, as I observe the palpable anxiety felt by some of the young children I know.

And I can't help wondering whether a heightened sense of anxiety may simply be a highly appropriate response to the exigencies imposed by a pandemic, as opposed to some sort of disease.

Then again, I'm not a doctor or a psychiatrist. I'm just a guy who created his own imaginary worlds a long time ago.

[33 Irving Place, New York City is the former site of The Nation Institute. The late Ms. Morrison and I were on its editorial board at that time.]

***

Talk about anxiety! It's come down to this.

The largest military mobilization in our nation's history is underway to create a perimeter to protect entire capital city from domestic terrorists during next week's the inauguration. The images on cable TV are startling and provocative. Will this ensure our leaders' safety or just further rile up the insurrectionists?

I don't know.

But it is hard to see what else the authorities can do, given the nature and the volume of the threats they are receiving. The intelligence agencies of the U.S. government seem to be freaked out to an extent I've not witnessed since the aftermath of 9/11 terror attacks.

Back then, to state the obvious, the enemies were foreign, but now they are domestic. The current crop aren't Arabs who yell "الله أكبر (Allahu  Akbar); rather they could be those disheveled guys hanging around the corner store.

What makes me anxious is that no one seems to know what is going to happen over the coming days, but everyone is expecting trouble. And this is not over in the Middle East; this is back home in the United States of America.

***

The news:

* Washington locks down, Delta bans guns to D.C.--As Washington locks down for President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, Delta Air Lines put new restrictions on passengers to the U.S. capital, while Democrats warned of possible political violence even after the Jan. 20 swearing-in. (Reuters)

* There is an enormous amount about the attack on the Capitol that we don’t know — the degree of coordination, whether the rioters had help within the Capitol, how Trump responded, specifically, to cries for help from the Capitol and why security forces were so unprepared. And investigators are clear: There is much more, shocking information to learn. (Politico)

* FAA issues special order aimed at cracking down on unruly airline passengers after Capitol riot (WashPo)

* Entire National Mall could be closed on Inauguration Day (NBC)

* A rehearsal for Joe Biden’s inauguration scheduled for Sunday has been postponed because of security concerns, according to two people with knowledge of the decision. (Politico)

* Republicans and Democrats agree — the country is falling apart (Axios)

* A number of extremists and private militia groups had discussed online and in emails the Jan. 6 rally in Washington, activity that should have been enough to put federal law enforcement on high alert, current and former government officials said. (WSJ)

* Rep. Lauren Boebert represents an increasingly clamorous faction of the party that carries Mr. Trump’s anti-establishment message and is ready to break all norms in doing so. (NYT)

* Far-right groups make plans for protests and assaults before and after Inauguration Day (WashPo)

* The more we learn about the siege of the Capitol, the more you realize how close we came to an even more catastrophic outcome. “This could have been a slaughter; the decapitation of the legislative branch of government,” a former senior homeland security official told me. (David Axelrod/Twitter)

* Trump brought leadership turmoil to security agencies in run-up to Capitol riot (WashPo)

* 

Biden to unveil plan to pump $1.5 trillion into pandemic-hit economy. (Reu

ters)

* New York City Renters Owe More Than $1 Billion in Unpaid Rent, Survey Finds (WSJ)

* House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said any lawmaker who refuses to pass through new metal detectors installed in the U.S. Capitol may be hit with severe fines under a proposed rule change, after several Republicans refused to do so. Pelosi said she would introduce a rule change on Jan. 21 that the House will then vote. House members will be fined $5,000 for the first offense and $10,000 for the second. [HuffPost] 

*

Years of white supremacy threats culminated in Capitol riots (AP)

* 

Dozens of people on the FBI’s terrorist watch list came to D.C. the day of the Capitol riot. Most are suspected white supremacists. (WashPo)

* President is isolated and angry at aides for failing to defend him as he is impeached again (WashPo)

* Campaigners to Biden: Environmental justice key to tackling climate change (Reuters)

* Facing New Outbreaks, China Places Over 22 Million on Lockdown (NYT)

* Lady Gaga will sing the national anthem at Joe Biden’s inauguration and Jennifer Lopez will give a musical performance on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol when Biden is sworn in as the nation’s 46th president next Wednesday. (AP)

* Nation’s governors gird for worst, warn of long-term dangers to their capitols (WashPo)

* New research set to publish Thursday outlines how the U.S. government could conjure the full force of its industrial might to build and deploy a massive fleet of machines to suck CO₂ from the sky. Doing so will be extremely expensive and energy-intensive. But the University of California, San Diego, researchers set out to model what a wartime budget could do to boost a technology that today remains nascent and controversial. [HuffPost]

* Medical system in Tokyo under extreme strain (NHK)

* A racing pigeon has survived an extraordinary 13,000-kilometer (8,000-mile) Pacific Ocean crossing from the United States to find a new home in Australia. Now authorities consider the bird a quarantine risk and plan to kill it. Kevin Celli-Bird said Thursday he discovered the exhausted bird that arrived in his Melbourne backyard on Dec. 26 had disappeared from a race in the U.S. state of Oregon on Oct. 29. Experts suspect the pigeon that Celli-Bird has named Joe, after the U.S. president-elect, hitched a ride on a cargo ship to cross the Pacific. (AP)

* Patches — a calico cat who was believed to have been killed alongside her owner in January 2018 when rainstorms sent debris sliding down Montecito hillsides in the wake of the Thomas Fire — was recently found alive and reunited with her owner’s partner. (AP) * ‘They Can’t Impeach Someone They Can’t See,’ Say Trump Boys Cramming Dad Into Homemade Bunker Under Oval Office Desk (The Onion) *** I don't care How many letters they sent Morning came and morning went Pick up your money And pack up your tent You ain't goin' nowhere -- Bob Dylan -30-

When Hope Dies

When the history of this era is written, analysts will note how the enforced periods of isolation and other pressures necessitated by the pandemic induced a kind of social pathology that intensified problems that were already plaguing our society.

Three examples: Addiction, Relationship Issues and Economic Insecurity.

1. Studies indicate that drug addiction rates are rising as people are confined to their homes with little chance of socializing. In San Francisco, it's been reported that drug overdoses are killing four times as many people as Covid.

2. The stress on relationships is palpable and is proving to be more than some can bear. I'm awaiting better data on this problem; the anecdotal evidence is disturbing.

3. The economic insecurity now forcing many people to wait in food lines and hope for financial aid from government is the worst since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

We probably all know people hurting in at least one of these ways. And when we try to help, our attempts to do so can seem inadequate, almost naive. 

***

So members of the House went ahead and impeached Trump quickly and efficiently. In the end they had little choice. Now the trial will move to the Senate. Depending on what evidence emerges about what actually happened on January 6th, he could be the first President ever convicted of high crimes and misdemeanors.

All we know at present is he summoned his followers to Washington, gave an incendiary speech, and they attacked the Capitol. That is enough for impeachment right there.

But there are disturbing signs that the assault on the nation's citadel of power was carefully planned for weeks and that the rioters had help from insiders, possibly including government representatives and Capitol Police.

If this is true, the problem goes much deeper than Trump, and removing him will only be the first step in fighting a cancer that threatens to destroy our system of governance.

This is the essence of the warning Garry Kasparov tried to raise, to no avail. As despicable as his actions were, Trump may be only a diversion from the real problem, which has been building up for years and infects every sector of society.

Now we enter a week of high tension. Will the mob strike again, and if so, where? Are there more traitors within the military, national guard, secret service, other law enforcement agencies?

How deep is the support for Trump's philosophy among those sworn to protect the republic?

*** 

As a writer, my attempts to speak out on behalf of unity, hope and tolerance are starting to feel somewhat naive and certainly inadequate. Why should anyone listen to me? Some commenters have been raising that point bluntly.

I don't have an answer.

It's difficult for all of us to avoid the utter exhaustion caused by a relentless news cycle when the news is all bad. New developments occur on a 24-7 basis but that is only one aspect of the intensity of this experience. Most journalists I know are showing serious signs of burnout. most non-journalists are too.

As for me, I have no excuse since I am not employed and nobody is requiring me to do this. Furthermore, I have loved ones dealing with the three issues detailed above and they need my sustained attention. We all have to recognize our limits. 

***

The news, annotated: 

* F.B.I. Urges Police Chiefs Across U.S. to Be on High Alert for Threats -- A joint intelligence bulletin warned that the deadly breach at the Capitol would be a “significant driver of violence” ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. (NYT) The next week could be the most dangerous time yet. (DW)

* Trump issues video call for end to violence. (CNN) Way too little, way too late. (DW)

* The impeachment of President Trump for a second time — in a Capitol ringed by troops — seemed like the almost inevitable culmination of four years that left the nation fractured, angry and losing its sense of self. (NYT) Trump brought this on himself. (DW)

* A ‘Stop the Steal’ organizer said three GOP lawmakers helped plan his D.C. rally (WashPo) We need to know more about what really happened on January 6th. (DW)

* QAnon reshaped Trump’s party and radicalized believers. The Capitol siege may just be the start. (WashPo) Let's hope not. (DW)

* Sen. Hawley Defends Decision To Object To Electoral Votes (NPR) His political future is doubtful. (DW)

* U.S. sets single-day virus death record, and new strains emerge (WashPo) The bigger crisis. (DW)

* Coronavirus cases among lawmakers who sheltered in lockdown show one vaccine dose may not immediately protect against infection (WashPo) Bad news. (DW)

* Some national veterans organizations have vowed to remove members who were charged in the Capitol riots, taking a stand against the violent attack last week. Organizations like the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) and AMVETS said they also plan to revoke memberships of those found guilty of illegal acts or violence. (CNN) The right thing to do. (DW)

* Airbnb Is Canceling All Reservations In Metro D.C. During Inauguration Week (NPR) Good.  (DW) 

*

Biden forgoing Amtrak trip to Washington over security fears (AP) Risks are too great. (DW)

* Restaurant and hotel workers reel as layoffs soar again (WashPo) Low-paid workers are the  main victims. (DW)

*  Republican Party faces rage from both pro- and anti-Trump voters (Reuters) Live with Trump, die with Trump. (DW)

* European Populists Who Looked to Trump Now Look Away -- The riot at the U.S. Capitol and bogus claims of election fraud have led former allies of President Trump to distance themselves. (NYT) Trump's isolation is complete. (DW)

* Israel launches unusually intense strikes on Iranian positions in Syria (WashPo) Major danger sign. (DW)

* 'Many Of Us Narrowly Escaped Death': Rep. Ocasio-Cortez Recounts Capitol Insurrection (NPR) Thank god for the Capitol Police. (DW)

* How Far Does Wildlife Roam? Ask the ‘Internet of Animals’ -- An ambitious new system will track scores of species from space — shedding light, scientists hope, on the lingering mysteries of animal movement. (NYT) A small ray of needed hope. (DW)

***

The wretched are the wounded, the hungry starve to death
In a place where no one goes, the air itself is a final breath
So discontinue the antiseptic care charade
As a cry of justice comes, a malignant fire fades
I am the reason your future suffers
I am the hatred you won't embrace
I am the worm of a pure gestation
I am the remedy, spit in my face
All your laws and rules are outdated
All your subjects are killing the kings
I could rattle off a million other reasons why
But does it matter when the only thing we love will die?

-- Songwriters: Fehn Christopher Michael / Crahan Michael Shawn / Taylor Corey / Root James Donald / Wilson Sidney George / Jordison Nathan J / Jones Craig A / Thomson Mickael G / Gray Paul D

-30-

A Plea For Unity

"At its core, democracy is an act of faith, a shared belief that the people can fairly act in the common good by choosing their leaders. Destroying the faith in the system will destroy the American experiment." -- Garry Kasparov

This in an extraordinary moment and an extraordinary voice has risen to meet it. The brilliant Russian-born chess master Garry Kasparov is uniquely suited to warn Americans of how easily the promise of democracy can devolve into the nightmare of authoritarianism.

He argues that impeachment is the wrong path to prevent our slide downhill. Whether you agree or disagree with him, now is the time to listen and think carefully about what is happening.

Those of us old enough to remember when the Berlin Wall fell, followed by the collapse of the Soviet Union, know how shocking it was when what Reagan called the "evil empire" imploded so quickly and completely.

How that happened is instructive. The hearts of the Russian people changed, and they chose freedom and liberty over the darkness of extremist tyranny. 

Today, as out nation teeters on the verge of possible collapse, it is because the hearts of a substantial number of our citizens have been infected with the fatal disease of authoritarianism.

As the Congress prepares to impeach Trump, the man who would be a dictator and is IMHO a traitor, fully 24 percent of the Republican Party still believe his lie that the election was stolen. And 73 percent believe Trump is "protecting" democracy.

According to our highest military and intelligence officials, his supporters are preparing to stage violent riots over the coming days leading to the inauguration of the rightful President, Joe Biden, and probably after that as well.

Getting Biden safely into and Trump out of the White House is not going to end this threat or solve the horrific divide in this nation. The Trump faction not only adheres to the most preposterous conspiracy theories instead of truth, they demonize those of us who do value truth and pray that it will prevail.

Unfortunately, impeachment will not help in that process. As Kasparov warns, political persecution in the heat of the moment is a rush to judgement that will not help the cause of democracy. 

IMHO, the best speech in today's debate was by minority leader Kevin McCarthy (R) of California, who denounced Trump but pleaded to his colleagues to reject impeachment. His was the voice of reason, while most Democrats spoke out of anger and revenge and most other Republicans spoke utter nonsense.

I have no doubt that in any coming confrontation, the military and police serving the U.S. government will prevail over the ragtag "militias" blindly devoted to Trump. The leaders of the insurrection of January 6th and whatever further disruptions lie in the immediate future will be hunted down, arrested, jailed, and convicted, and their rebellion will be crushed.

I trust that Trump himself as well as his closest lieutenants will face legal jeopardy for inciting the January 6th riot.

But what is rotten at the core of America will not be cured by repression or political revenge. It also will not be flattened by censorship by tech giants or federal communications regulations.

The difficult work of rooting out the cancer of anti-democratic doctrine will have to be fought person by person, gradually over a long period of time. Those of us who believe in the ideals of this country are going to have to commit to engaging in the hardest work of all -- persuasion.

During the coming stretch of time, our best hope is the governing coalition led by the centrist Joe Biden. This is not the time for the magical thinking by those who think because Trump lost the election, the country embraces a more radical view of how to reform society.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Biden squeaked by Trump nationally by 7 million votes or less than 4.5 percent of the more than 158 million votes counted. Your 3rd grade math teacher will tell you that is not a landslide.

More specifically, by a much smaller margin -- only a few thousand votes here and there in several swing states -- did Biden flip the areas Trump won in 2016. That, in turn, swung the Electoral College vote from the GOP to the Democrats.

As we all know, Trump and his supporters did not accept that result as legitimate and they still don't -- and *that* is the big, big problem. Sure, you can suppress their protest by force, but you will not persuade them to return into believers in the American experiment overnight.

Furthermore, there are many members of the military and the police who sympathize with the sentiments that fueled the extremists who attacked the Capitol. We need them to choose nation over sentiment. They will follow orders but they are watching, too.

The work that needs to be done is going to take many years.

Biden is the right man for the job because he is a centrist and the center is what needs to be strengthened, not the left, nor the right. Those two quarters of the loaf need to absorb the yeast of moderation for the broken bread to have any hope of being reassembled.

Throughout my career as a journalist, when I have produced my biggest stories with the biggest impact, invariably I have come under attack, including death threats, from the sectarian left and the sectarian right. The left attacked me for exposing the thuggery of the SLA and the Black Panthers. The right attacked me for exposing the thuggery of multinational corporations.

They both threaten democracy from opposite directions like two speeding trains bearing down on each other along the same track.

Right now the centrist portion of the country is ascendant, barely. The liberal wing is impatient and the conservative wing is buried beneath the ugly specter of Trumpism. We need to achieve enough unity to proceed with whatever healing is possible.

We need to unify the country. May cooler heads prevail and may the center hold.

 ***

The headlines, annotated:

* Garry Kasparov: What happens next. "As terrible as the events of Jan. 6 were -- and I'm on the record warning of 'the unimaginable' -- I'm going to repeat what I said after Election Day: It's not over. This battle against anti-democratic extremism didn't end when a right-wing mob invaded the United States Capitol and five people died, including one police officer. It didn't end when Twitter and other social media platforms finally muzzled President Donald Trump -- although that was a heavier blow in this fight than most. And it won't end when Joe Biden is inaugurated on January 20." (CNN) This essay is a must-read for anyone who cares what happens to our democracy. (DW)

* Exclusive: Facebook is tracking a rise in violent rhetoric tied to U.S. presidential inauguration (Reuters) This is a major warning flag. (DW)

* Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has reportedly told those close to him that he believes Trump committed impeachable offenses by supporting insurrectionists who violently attacked the U.S. Capitol last week, an incredible shift in thinking as Democrats take steps to remove the president from office. McConnell has privately indicated he is pleased with the Democrats’ effort, believing it's a chance for the Republican Party to purge Trump. [HuffPost] McConnell is a very smart politician. Impeachment is a trap. (DW)

* Secret Service launches massive security operation to protect Biden inauguration (WashPo) I hope this works. (DW)

* Google to pause all political ads from Jan. 14 (Reuters) Too little, too late. (DW)

* Evidence emerged that top officials, including at the F.B.I., had warnings about violence before the riot at the Capitol. (NYT) We need to know more. (DW)

* Before riot, Trump said ‘we got to get rid’ of Rep. Liz Cheney. Now she supports impeaching him. (WashPo) If I were her, I would too. (DW)

* Lawmakers Were Feet and Seconds Away From Confrontation With Mob (WSJ) Bless our Capitol Police. (DW)

* How the Republican Party Could Break -- After the Capitol Hill riot, the divide between reality and fantasy may become too wide to bridge. (NYT) This would be bad for the country. (DW)

* A growing chorus of congressional Republicans announced their support for the impeachment of President Donald Trump, a remarkable turn for a party that has been marching in lockstep with Trump for years. (HuffPost) That doesn't make it the right move. (DW)

* Trump defiant and unapologetic about his role in inciting Capitol mob attack (WashPo) Trump is an asshole. (DW)

* Prosecutors Expect to Arrest ‘Hundreds’ Tied to Capitol Riot (NYT) Good. (DW)

* As part of new safety precautions in response to last week's insurrection, lawmakers at the Capitol must now walk through metal detectors to enter the chamber and vote. But many Republican members of Congress threw a fit at the idea of going through the same security check that everyone else does when entering the Capitol. Democratic Rep. Cori Bush lambasted her Republican colleagues, saying lawmakers who refused to use new metal detectors should get another job. [HuffPost] Leave your guns at home. (DW)

* YouTube bans Trump from uploading videos for at least a week, cites ongoing potential for violence (WashPo) May it help. (DW)

* States Told to Vaccinate Everyone 65 and Over as Deaths Surge (NYT) Finally. (DW)

* Since last week's riot, inside cops-only message boards and other pro-law enforcement media groups online, police officers are grappling with how a group that usually proclaims “Blue Lives Matter” could turn its wrath on them. Instead of facing the uncomfortable implications of the Capitol siege, many are pushing the debunked conspiracy theory that the chaos was orchestrated by anti-fascist activists. [HuffPost] Major warning flag! (DW)

* Backlash to riot at Capitol hobbles Trump’s business as banks, partners flee the brand (WashPo) Good. (DW)

* National Guard Deployment to Grow to 20,000 Strong, Officials Say (WSJ) Fine. (DW)

* Hundreds of federally funded senior centers and regional agencies are holding together a frayed safety net for the elderly while teetering on the edge of a financial cliff. Financed by Congress under the Older Americans Act, these centers coordinate iconic programs such as Meals on Wheels. In the two COVID-19 relief bills passed in March, Congress set aside $1.05 billion in extra funds for the Older Americans Act, a fraction of the overall need. [HuffPost] This is a true crisis. (DW)

* Threats of ‘armed protests’ in multiple cities challenge National Guard support for inauguration (WashPo) God save us all. (DW)

* Amazon warned Parler about violent content before cutoff - court filing (Reuters) So? (DW)

* New York City will terminate business contracts with President Donald Trump after last week’s insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Wednesday. (AP) Good. (DW)

* As coronavirus stalks Brazil's Amazon, many die untreated at home (Reuters) This is a true tragedy. As they die, so does the Amazon. (DW)

* Second year of pandemic 'could even be tougher': WHO's Ryan (Reuters) Damn. (DW)

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