MSNBC News
"That Pence had a military aide and a briefcase was a surprise to many who aren’t familiar with the command and control of strategic nuclear forces. Suddenly the import of what happened acquired a new salience: Did Trump’s inaction place not only his vice president, but the security of the nuclear deterrent in jeopardy?"
The more we learn the worse it gets.
CNN
"I think it speaks to the former President's mindset," said Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, an Ohio Republican who also voted to impeach Trump last month. "He was not sorry to see his unyieldingly loyal vice president or the Congress under attack by the mob he inspired. In fact, it seems he was happy about it or at the least enjoyed the scenes that were horrifying to most Americans across the country."
After four years I knew this but I'm still surprised at the basic lack of human empathy at play here.
New York Times
"Is it enough that nearly every judge they faced booted out their cases unceremoniously? Is that sufficient deterrence to other attorneys to refrain from the egregious conduct that unnecessarily expended court resources, but also kept alive a fraudulent narrative advanced by the president that the election had been “stolen,” which ultimately led to the violent attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6? Obviously not."
Will there be any professional accountability for enabling a coup attempt?
Vox
"In the video, after Trump urges thousands of his supporters to march toward the Capitol, a powerful series of clips shows how people stormed the building, overwhelmed Capitol Police, and broke in."
This video makes a powerful case on its own. Disturbing to relive this day, but necessary so we never repeat it.
impeachment.fyi
The historic second impeachment of a President trial begins tomorrow. Dan Sinker will follow the details so you don't have to. Impeachment.fyi was a great daily summary last time around and I'm already looking forward to not following every twist and turn myself again.
New York Times
"All of this is a choice. Every Senate rule can be changed by a simple majority vote. A simple majority could end or reform the filibuster — as we saw when Democrats ended it for most executive branch nominations and most judicial nominations in 2013, and when Republicans ended it for Supreme Court nominees in 2017."
This is a good summary of the problems with using budget reconciliation to pass legislation. Democrats should kill the filibuster. Kilibuster.
New York Times
"But the Trump campaign spent only a tiny fraction of its haul on lawyers and other legal bills related to those claims. Instead, Mr. Trump and the G.O.P. stored away much of the money — $175 million or so — even as they continued to issue breathless, aggressive and often misleading appeals for cash that promised it would help with recounts, the rooting out of election fraud and even the Republican candidates’ chances in the two Senate runoff races in Georgia."
Following the Big Lie money.
MIT Technology Review
To Rowe, the doctor at Connecticut Children’s, it’s frustrating to see so much innovation in making vaccines, and so little in actually getting them to people. “How much money was put into the science of making the vaccine? How much money is being put into the distribution?” she asks. “It doesn’t matter that you made it if you can’t distribute it.”
Just over here screaming internally after every paragraph of this article.
shkspr.mobi
"Are you developing public services? Or a system that people might access when they’re in desperate need of help? Plain HTML works."
Good reminder that web design can fail without accessibility.
Bloomberg
"Companies issue stock to fund projects, stocks go up because investors think companies have good projects to fund, companies use their stock price to recruit employees and pay for mergers and make decisions about what projects to pursue in the real world. I don’t know, I feel like a moron typing all of this. But I just have to type it! Think of how GameStop’s board must feel! The market is telling them something, but it is hard to hear what it’s saying through its maniacal laughter."
Fascinated by this story of market manipulation not by the usual suspects.

Update: Now small investors can’t buy GameStop stock. Free market?
NBC News
Useful! Here’s a brief summary of each executive order day by day.

Music: Shape Note Orchestral

Shape note music is hard to describe. It's protestant a capella hymns from the 1800s that were written in an unusual music notation that was meant to be easier for people to read. Singing in a shape note group is a great experience and I recommend it even if hymns aren't your regular cup of tea. I found a video on YouTube that explains shape note singing in a way that's very similar to my experience: Art Zone: Kevin Barrans explains Sacred Harp singing.

I've been missing the music so I arranged a few of the songs in GarageBand and thought I'd share:

Africa by William Billings
Poland by Timothy Swan
Antioch by F.C. Wood
If you're curious about what shape note music is supposed to sound like, there are many examples on YouTube. Here are versions of these songs: Africa, Poland, and Antioch.

Really looking forward to a time when it's safe for people to get together and sing.
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