The Topline: Democracy's Daily Digest
The hearings on the Hill since the Jan. 6 insurrection have been frustrating at best. They have clarified that the U.S. has a serious domestic extremism problem, that a disinformation campaign surrounding the election directly led to the Capitol attack, and that intelligence and security officers were woefully unprepared for the violence that took place that day. Or were they? It didn't take an expert to notice that extremists were publicly calling for a "war" over the election. And the commanding general of the D.C. National Guard testified today that he had troops ready to go; he was just waiting for the word from above to deploy them. So was it incompetence, bureaucratic morass...or something else? That's the question that hasn't fully been addressed—or answered—yet. —Melissa Amour, Managing Editor
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'It was criminal'
A Senate joint committee hearing was held today to scrutinize the security and intelligence failures leading up to the U.S. Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6—and what steps are being taken to counter domestic extremist violence. Maj. Gen. William Walker, commanding general of the D.C. National Guard, testified that it took more than three hours for the acting secretary of defense to greenlight the deployment of troops after U.S. Capitol Police made an urgent request for backup on that fateful afternoon. Walker said concerns about "optics" delayed the response, and noted that there were no such concerns expressed when the Guard was deployed in response to social justice protests last summer. —Associated Press
— "We've tried to emphasize that this is a top concern." FBI Director Christopher Wray testified at a similar hearing yesterday. Domestic terrorism "has been metastasizing around the country for a long time now, and it's not going away anytime soon," Wray said, revealing that the FBI currently has a caseload of 2,000 domestic terror cases. —The Washington Post
— The White supremacist threat. Experts say far-right groups such as the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, members of which were engaged in tactical preparation for the insurrection for months, are fracturing under pressure from law enforcement—at least for now. "What you are seeing right now is a regrouping phase," says Devin Burghart of the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights. "They are trying to reassess their strengths, find new foot soldiers, and prepare for the next conflict." —Insider
— Disinformation is a driver. An Associated Press review of the social media accounts of nearly 1,000 federal, state, and local Republican officials nationwide reveals that a significant faction is continuing to push lies, misinformation, and conspiracy theories that echo those that inspired the Capitol siege. There are heightened concerns that a similar attack could occur tomorrow, March 4, which was the original date that U.S. presidential inaugurations were held. —MarketWatch
MORE: Disinformation fuels distrust and even violence at all levels of government —NPR
Nasty tweets matter again
Last night, President Biden withdrew Neera Tanden's troubled nomination to lead the White House Office of Management and Budget. Some Democrats privately grumbled that Tanden was always destined for a difficult confirmation process, due to her often-personal Twitter attacks on Republicans. Others pointed out the double standard seemingly applied to Tanden after years of Republicans' refusing to condemn Donald Trump's insulting tweets. Tanden's withdrawal marks the first Cabinet defeat for Biden. —Politico
MORE: Biden's Cabinet half-empty after slow start in confirmations —Associated Press
Ignatius: Honor Khashoggi by protecting journalists
"[Journalist Jamal Khashoggi] was a victim of a world where autocrats and their stooges seemed to have the upper hand, and the United States didn't speak out in his defense. News organizations and human rights activists should be vigilant to make sure the Biden Administration delivers on its new promise to protect the brave men and women who follow Khashoggi's example." —David Ignatius in The Washington Post
David Ignatius is a columnist covering foreign affairs at The Washington Post.
MORE: Journalists detained for covering democracy demonstrations in Myanmar face prison —NPR
Guaido's first call
Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido spoke for the first time with Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday to discuss the country's "urgent humanitarian needs." The U.S. has recognized Guaido as Venezuela's rightful leader since January 2019, when he invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency, arguing that President Nicolas Maduro's re-election was fraudulent. Maduro has held onto power with backing from the military and allies in Russia, China, and Cuba. Blinken stressed to Guaido the importance of a return to democracy in Venezuela through "free and fair elections." —Reuters
MORE: Americans put low priority on promoting democracy abroad —Pew Research Center
Litman & Willis: Voting rights are in the Supreme Court's hands
"Democracy in this country is already fragile. This case could be a breaking point, if the court were to give a pass to what look like neutral laws that have the same practical impact as overtly discriminatory ones. That outcome would further empower politicians to make voting easier for people who support them and to ensure that casting a ballot is complicated and burdensome for everyone else." —Leah Litman & Jay Willis in The New York Times
Leah Litman, a law professor, and Jay Willis, a journalist and former lawyer, write about the federal courts, civil rights, and voting rights.
MORE: Supreme Court case could limit options to fight voting restrictions —The New York Times
Focus on the pandemic
President Biden announced late yesterday that there will be enough doses of the coronavirus vaccine available for the entire U.S. adult population by the end of May, moving up his initial target by two months. He urged people to remain vigilant in the meantime by wearing masks. The faster production of the vaccine is the result of a deal brokered by the White House with pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. to help manufacture the newly authorized Johnson & Johnson single-shot coronavirus vaccine. "There is light at the end of the tunnel," Biden said. —CNN
— Give 'em an inch... Texas and Mississippi decided to take a yard, casting off their COVID-19 restrictions yesterday. Both states' governors issued executive orders to lift their mask mandates and allow all businesses to reopen at full capacity. Clay Jenkins, a Dallas Co., Tx., judge, said Texas Gov. Greg Abbott did not consult with local officials before the announcement. "It doesn't take much of a shift in [mask] compliance to set us back months and months, to set us back in herd immunity," said Jenkins. —Politico
— Toughest on kids. Texas and Mississippi, as well as Louisiana, are among the worst states for children during the pandemic, according to a study from Save the Children. The study ranks states on factors such as child hunger, adult difficulty with paying bills each month, and access to technology for remote learning. Black and Hispanic students and households struggled more than their White counterparts in all of the criteria, according to the study. —The Hill
— Back to school in California? The majority of California's 6.1 million public school students could be back in the classroom by April, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced this week. If a statewide plan is approved by the legislature, the state would set aside $2 billion to pay districts that return students to classrooms by the end of the month. It would not force districts to comply or compel parents to send children back. Crucially, the legislation also does not require districts to have an agreement with teachers' unions or require all teachers to be vaccinated. —Associated Press
MORE: Zeynep Tufekci: 5 pandemic mistakes we keep repeating —The Atlantic
Allen & Carrese: Bring back civics education
"We should desire to compete on the world's stage as the kind of society we are, namely, a constitutional democracy. We can do so only if we have civic strength at home. And that requires civic education to support the knowledge, skills, and civic virtues needed for a healthy republic." —Danielle Allen & Paul Carrese in The Washington Post
Danielle Allen is a professor and political theorist at Harvard University. Paul Carrese is the founding director of the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership at Arizona State University. They are members of the executive committee for the Educating for American Democracy Initiative.
MORE: Arizona Supreme Court task force refocuses on disinformation —Albuquerque Journal
I wonder if an option for minimum wage might be considered that I haven't yet heard mentioned: something tied to the cost-of-living for particular areas. For example, a higher minimum wage that approaches a living wage might be required in states like New York or California, but might be lower in states like North Dakota. Even applying it state by state might be too broad a stroke. Nevertheless, the complaints by businesses that a higher minimum wage might put them out of business might at least be less defensible if such an index-correlated wage were part of the increases. —Read G., Utah
The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff or the Stand Up Republic Foundation.
Got feedback about THE TOPLINE? Send it to Melissa Amour, Managing Editor, at editor@thetopline.com.
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