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THE BEST OF THE U.S. AND INTERNATIONAL MEDIA Insurrection How Trumpism devolved into domestic terrorism Pages 4, 17, 40

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Editor’s letter “This is not who we are.” That was the cry that went out from Far from being un- American, such explosions of brutality politicians of all stripes after last week’s deadly pro-Trump in- and tribal violence have long been a part of this nation’s story. surrection at the U.S. Capitol. The behavior of the 8,000-strong Up to 750,000 died during the fratricidal Civil War, and nearly mob was “entirely un-American,” read a statement from a bipar- 4,000 African- Americans were lynched by white mobs in the Jim tisan group of lawmakers including Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) Crow South from 1877 to 1950. Today, violence remains a fact and Mark Warner (D-Va.), while House Minority Leader Kevin of American life. The U.S. has the highest rate of mass shootings McCar thy (R-Calif.) deemed the violence the antithesis of “the in the Western world and a gun homicide rate 25 times higher American way.” President-elect Joe Biden said the scenes of chaos than those of similarly developed countries. During the Capitol in Washington “do not reflect the true America.” Yet the peo- siege, young staffers for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi took cover ple who stormed Congress weren’t some alien other, but everyday in a conference room, barricaded the door, turned off the lights, Americans who—fed a diet of conspiracy theories—believed they and hid under a table in silence— survival tactics they had learned were doing the patriotic thing. They included the CEO of a data growing up with active- shooter drills in schools. We will never be analytics firm from suburban Chicago, a Florida firefighter, the able to treat the sickness that led to last week’s insurrection un- son of a New York Supreme Court judge, two Virginia police offi- less we recognize this is part of who we are. It might be America cers, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, and an Olympic gold– at its ugliest, but it is America. Theunis Bates winning swimmer who wore his Team USA jacket to the riot. Managing editor

NEWS 4 Main stories A bloody insurrection in Editor-in-chief: William Falk Washington; the House Managing editors: Theunis Bates, impeaches President Mark Gimein Trump; the U.S.’s slow Assistant managing editor: Jay Wilkins Deputy editor/International: Susan Caskie Covid vaccine rollout Deputy editor/Arts: Chris Mitchell Senior editors: Chris Erikson, Danny Funt, 6 Controversy of the week Michael Jaccarino, Dale Obbie, Will the Democrats’ Zach Schonbrun, Hallie Stiller Senate wins in Georgia Art director: Dan Josephs Photo editor: Mark Rykoff energize President-elect Copy editor: Jane A. Halsey Joe Biden’s agenda? Researchers: Joyce Chu, Alisa Partlan Contributing editors: Ryan Devlin, 7 The U.S. at a glance Bruno Maddox A coronavirus outbreak Chief sales and marketing officer: in Congress; investigating Adam Dub SVP, marketing: Lisa Boyars the Nashville bombing Executive account director: Sara Schiano West Coast executive director: Tony Imperato 8 The world at a glance National Guardsmen rest inside the U.S. Capitol. (pages 4, 16, and 17) Director, digital operations & advertising: A massive Covid surge Andy Price Manager, digital campaign operations: in the U.K.; China cracks ARTS LEISURE Andrea Crino down in Hong Kong 23 Books 30 Food & Drink North American CEO: Randy Siegel 10 People Chief operating & financial officer: A celebration of wood, A sofrito-enhanced Kevin E. Morgan George Clooney’s the material that built meatloaf; three spirits that Director, financial reporting: parenting lesson; Dan Arielle Starkman human civilization will take you on a journey VP consumer marketing: Yanna Wilson- Levy’s battle with Fischer crippling anxiety 24 Author of the week 31 Coping Consumer marketing director: George Saunders How to break pandemic Leslie Guarnieri 11 Briefi ng deconstructs addictions; get perspective Senior digital marketing director: How the pandemic is Mathieu Muzzy storytelling with the Hubble telescope Manufacturing manager, North America: exacerbating economic Lori Crook inequality in the U.S. 25 Art & Music HR manager: Joy Hart The rise of BUSINESS Operations manager: Cassandra Mondonedo 12 Best U.S. columns Instagram- 34 News at a glance Chairman: Jack Griffin Merrick Garland’s Dennis Group CEO: James Tye friendly huge task at Justice; Corporations turn off Group CRO: Julian Lloyd-Evans immersive conservative victimhood political donations; Intel U.K. founding editor: Jolyon Connell y art ousts CEO Bob Swan t t Company founder: Felix Dennis e

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THE WEEK January 22, 2021 4 NEWS The main stories... The Trumpist insurrection at the Capitol What happened the cornerstone of our democracy: the The Trump presidency was in full col- peaceful transfer of power. When his lapse this week, as fallout mounted from followers turned violent, he “declined an insurrection by thousands of Trump for far too long to call them off”; when supporters who launched an assault on the he finally addressed the mob, he spouted U.S. Capitol—killing a police officer, injur- more lies about a stolen election. All this ing dozens more, and leaving the nation “crosses a constitutional line” and is “im- deeply shaken. Before the riot, President peachable.” He doesn’t have the grace to Trump told a crowd of rabid supporters resign—but he should. the election had been stolen and to march on the Capitol, warning, “If you don’t fight Trump’s congressional enablers are like hell, you’re not going to have a coun- “complicit in the deadly violence,” said try anymore.” A mob of thousands then the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Sens. Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz, and other “two-faced, smashed windows, broke down doors, ran- The angry mob pours into the Capitol. sacked offices, smeared feces in hallways, lying populist politicians” failed repeat- and sent panicked lawmakers into hiding, delaying the certification edly to “stand up and condemn Trump’s dangerous rhetoric.” of Joe Biden’s election win. Armed with flex cuffs and tasers, some Now they deserve to be “cast into political purgatory.” These same sought out Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Republicans are “suddenly calling for unity” and “healing,” said Pelosi; several legislators who only narrowly escaped the mob said The Washington Post. “There is a minimum price of entry” for they feared for their lives. Five people died in the melee, includ- reconciliation: Issue an “unequivocal acknowledgment” that there ing a police officer attacked was no vote rigging and that Joe Biden won “fair and square.” • A massive security failure, p. 16 with a fire extinguisher and • Can Trump be prosecuted? p. 17 a QAnon follower shot by What the columnists said • International reaction, pgs. 14, 15 police. Rioters were seen Responsibility for this “horrific” spectacle falls squarely on Trump, • The Trump social media ban, p. 20 beating a prone cop with said Jim Geraghty in NationalReview.com. He incited his followers • Inside the insurrection, p. 40 sticks and an American flag; for weeks with baseless claims of election fraud, misled them into others erected a gallows and believing Pence could “alter the outcome” of the certification vote, noose outside the Capitol to hang Pence and other “traitors.” and then sent them seething with rage to the Capitol. “At each step” Trump could have steered his supporters away from “violent More than 70 of the rioters—whose ranks included firefighters, confrontation.” At each step, “he chose the opposite path.” police officers, active-duty military, and business owners along with members of militias and white supremacist groups—have been ar- The blame runs far deeper than Trump, said Zack Beauchamp rested, and charges may include trespass, assault on police, theft of in Vox.com. “The Capitol Hill mob was the logical culmination national security information, and felony murder. The number of of years of mainstream Republican politics.” For years the GOP arrests will “grow geometrically,” said the acting U.S. attorney in has vilified Democrats as extremists who represent “an existential Washington, Michael Sherwin. “The gamut of cases we’re looking threat to America” and whose election victories are inherently at is mind-blowing.” fraudulent. That “delegitimizing rhetoric” has long fueled the conservative movement—and the Capitol violence was “the logical Blowback against Trump and his congressional allies came on next step.” This was about more than anger over a single election, multiple fronts. The House impeached Trump for the second time said Hakeem Jefferson in FiveThirtyEight.com. It was an explo- (see adjacent page). Over a dozen administration officials resigned, sion of rage by whites who see their dominance threatened by the including Education Secretary Betsy “multiracial coalition of Americans DeVos, Transportation Secretary Elaine What next? who brought Biden to power.” Car- Chao, and former Chief of Staff Mick Alarmed by an unprecedented threat of “violent rying Confederate flags, they weren’t Mulvaney. The PGA pulled its 2022 assault” against Joe Biden’s Jan. 20 inaugura- fighting just to defend Trump but also championship from Trump’s New Jersey tion, the Secret Service and federal law enforce- to defend a white America whose “hold golf club, and Trump’s longtime creditor ment agencies have launched a security effort on power has become increasingly Deutsche Bank said it would no longer precarious.” “unlike any in modern U.S. history,” said Carol do business with him. Meanwhile, law Leonnig in The Washington Post. The capital will enforcement officials warned lawmak- be fortified by as many as 20,000 armed National The overriding question now, said ers of a host of ominous new threats, Guard troops, “thousands of police and tactical Charlie Sykes in TheBulwark.com, including plots to disrupt the inaugura- officers, and layers of 8-foot steel fencing.” Of- is whether this was “a last gasp” of tion, attack state capitols, and harm ficials plan subway closures, roadblocks, vehicle the Trumpist era “or the beginning of elected officials. The nation faces “a checkpoints, and “Amtrak sweeps,” and Airbnb something ugly.” Faced with the “con- continuing crisis,” said Maryland Rep. has canceled all local reservations for the week. sequence of putting a demagogue in Jamie Raskin. “It is not over yet.” Once “even Trump’s most ardent supporters” re- power,” some Republicans are “crawl- alize he’s leaving the White House for good, said ing out from the detritus of Trumpism What the editorials said Paul Waldman in WashingtonPost.com, “their and trying to return to a modicum of President Trump has abased his office, rage will only increase.” We may be facing an era sanity.” But we remain a deeply divided and should be finished “as a serious in which “right-wing domestic terrorism” is “a country, and dark days may lie ahead. political figure,” said The Wall Street “Unfortunately, it is just one small step y

regular feature of our politics.” t t e

Journal. He incited a direct assault on from coup d’etat to civil war.” G Illustration by Fred Harper. THE WEEK January 22, 2021 Cover photos from AP, Reuters (2) ... and how they were covered NEWS 5 House impeaches Trump—again What happened What the columnists said House lawmakers voted to impeach President Trump’s grip on Republicans is clearly “fizzling Donald Trump for a second time this week, on out,” said Greg Sargent in The Washington a charge of “incitement of insurrection,” with Post. Not only did 10 Republicans in the 10 Republicans joining Democrats in a historic House vote to impeach, but McConnell, a key 232-197 vote. The House charged Trump with Trump ally for most of his term, is reportedly inciting supporters to attack the U.S. Capitol, pleased that Democrats impeached Trump and and also cited other efforts to “subvert and told GOP colleagues he will decide whether obstruct” the certification of the election re- to convict based on “the legal arguments.” sults, specifically detailing a Jan. 2 phone call in McConnell is said to blame Trump for costing which Trump demanded that Georgia Secre- Republicans the Senate, and feels impeachment tary of State Brad Raffensperger “find 11,780 The charge: Incitement of insurrection will make it easier for the Republican Party to votes.” The House moved to impeachment move on. after Vice President Mike Pence refused to invoke the 25th Amend- ment and remove Trump from office. Rep. Liz Cheney (D-Wyo.), Yes, “Trump must be held accountable” said Kaylee McGhee in the third ranking House Republican, said Trump “lit the flame of WashingtonExaminer.com. But impeachment is more trouble than this attack,” and that there had “never been a greater betrayal by it’s worth. “Like it or not,” 74 million people voted for Trump and a president.” An unrepentant Trump said his comments before the most still believe his lies about election fraud. Removing him from insurrection were “totally appropriate” and warned that impeach- office would only strengthen their belief the government “is out to ing him was “causing tremendous anger” among his supporters. get them” and drive them deeper into “Trump’s web,” when the goal should be extricating them from it as quickly as possible. The Senate remains in recess until Jan. 19—and will not reconvene beforehand. A Senate conviction, which could include language Impeachment still may not be the best strategy to keep Trump barring Trump from holding office again, requires a two-thirds from holding office again, said Bruce Ackerman and Gerard vote. Several Republicans have signaled they could vote against Magliocca in The Washington Post. There’s a less divisive, Trump, including current Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. simpler—and more effective—means of sanctioning Trump. The President-elect Joe Biden asked the Senate to split time between the 14th Amendment was passed in 1866 to prohibit former Confed- upcoming trial and his agenda and nominations. “We’re going to erate officers and officials from holding office. To invoke it the have to do several things at once,” said Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senate would need only a simple majority rather than two-thirds who will take over as majority leader. demanded by impeachment. Covid vaccination effort stumbles What happened have adopted President-elect Joe Biden’s plan to release “every With the U.S. recording up to 300,000 new Covid-19 cases a day, available dose” to states, after initially reserving half the supply to and daily deaths hitting a record 4,400, the Trump administra- ensure that everyone vaccinated can get a booster shot after sev- tion this week sought to streamline a disastrously bungled vaccine eral weeks. So what happens if that booster is delayed by weeks rollout. States were urged to expand eligibility for available doses or months? Some experts think that will have a minimal effect on to anyone over 65 and those with pre-existing conditions, rather vaccine effectiveness, yet there’s no evidence to back this asser- than limit the first vaccines to over-75s and health workers. The tion. And if there is a long delay, “will the entire vaccine series change, intended to accelerate the pace of vaccination as mil- need to start over”? lions of doses remain in storage, means 152 million Americans are now eligible for shots. Moderna and Pfizer likely won’t have “It is time for simplification,” said Paul Peterson in The Wall enough doses of their vaccines to meet that demand until summer. Street Journal. Doses are wasting away in freezers because of Only 10 million people had received a jab as of this week, and overcomplicated eligibility rules. Here’s a fix: “The older the many state-led efforts have struggled: Florida’s first-come, first- person, the higher the priority.” In Massachusetts, the average inoculated policy forced seniors to camp out overnight at vac- age of patients who die from Covid-19 is 80; in Florida, over-65s cination sites; New York City’s crash-prone appointment portals account for more than 80 percent of fatalities. Prioritizing the proved impossible for many residents to navigate. elderly is a simple and practical solution until supply increases.

The raging pandemic, which has killed more than 380,000 Ameri- “The hardest work still lies ahead,” said Sarah Zhang in cans, is forcing overwhelmed health systems to ration care. In Los TheAtlantic.com. The first phase of the vaccination campaign Angeles County, ambulance crews were told not to transport pa- targeted hospitals and long-term care facilities, where people tients who have little chance of survival. A more contagious vari- eligible for shots are concentrated and easy to find. In the com- ant of the virus that was first detected in the U.K. is now spreading ing months, state and local health departments will need to run in the U.S. and is expected to further strain health services. vaccination centers that can handle thousands of people a day. When the pool of eager vaccine recipients is exhausted, officials What the columnists said will need to persuade the reluctant and the skeptical to get shots The U.S. “is failing at getting vaccines into arms,” said Dr. Leana if we’re ever going to reach herd immunity. “This is the challenge, Wen in WashingtonPost.com. To speed things up, Trump officials and the end of the pandemic depends on it.” P A

THE WEEK January 22, 2021 6 NEWS Controversy of the week Georgia runoffs: What a Democratic Senate means for Biden

It was understandably “overshadowed by the Jonathan Chait in NYMag.com. Until last storming of the U.S. Capitol,” but “it’s hard to week, it seemed Biden’s greatest achievement overstate the importance” of what happened would be “saving the country from a second the night before in Georgia, said Chris Cillizza Trump term.” Now, thanks to Georgia, “he in CNN.com. Democrats won both Senate can have a real presidency.” With Democratic runoff elections in that former Republican control of the Senate, Biden can appoint stronghold last week, securing unified control Cabinet members, federal judges, and Supreme of government and ending Mitch McConnell’s Court justices without obstruction. But the reign as Senate majority leader. And they did so filibuster for legislation remains in effect, with two candidates who stand as harbingers requiring 60 votes to overcome, so unless of how much the country is changing. Rev. Ossoff and Warnock celebrating centrist Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Raphael Warnock is only the second black Virginia drops his opposition to scrapping it, senator ever elected from a former Confederate state. Jon Ossoff, passing actual laws will be much harder. But Biden may find will- meanwhile, will be the first Jewish senator from the South since the ing partners in moderate GOP senators such as Mitt Romney and 19th century, and at 33 the youngest new senator since Joe Biden in Lisa Murkowski, and Senate rules should let Democrats pass at 1972. Democrats should “profusely thank activist Stacey Abrams,” least one “budget reconciliation” bill—a sweeping law that could who led a tireless six-year effort to register Democratic voters in deliver pandemic relief, shore up Obamacare, and raise taxes on the Georgia, said Jennifer Rubin in WashingtonPost.com, but President wealthy. Conservatives should be nervous, said the New York Post Trump also deserves credit. His shameful, post-defeat claims that in an editorial. If there’s a single defection, “death, or retirement” America’s electoral system was fraudulent probably depressed in the GOP caucus, Democrats can “go radical despite Manchin.” Republican turnout and made “the difference between a GOP and Democratic Senate majority.” What sweet “cosmic justice.” While Democrats look to the future, Republicans need a postmor- tem, said Eric Levitz in NYMag.com. In November, Ossoff received The wins give Democrats “an immediate expectations problem,” 2 percent fewer votes than GOP incumbent David Perdue, but he said Jennifer Haberkorn in the Los Angeles Times. With Congress beat Perdue by 1 percent last week. What accounts for this 3-point and the White House now in Democratic hands, the party’s pro- swing? Was it mainly the fact that Trump himself wasn’t on the gressives will demand ambitious wish-list items, such as the Green ballot, even though both Perdue and Loeffler ran as Trump loyal- New Deal and statehood for Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. ists? With Trump headed off to exile in disgrace, a GOP whose But with a wafer-thin 10-seat majority in the House, and a 50-50 brand is “Trumpism without Trump” will be in big trouble. “Let tie in the Senate—only Vice President Kamala Harris’ tie-breaking Georgia be a lesson” for the GOP, said Kaylee McGhee White in vote gives Democrats control—those plans “are likely moot.” WashingtonExaminer.com. Unless conservatives want to follow Trump into the political wilderness, it’s time to “start disentangling Still, the Georgia victories reshape the political landscape, said themselves from the anchor weighing them down.”

Good week for: Only in America In other news Metrosexuals, after a Trump spokesman told Fox News that the QJacob Chansley, the shirt- heavily made-up, intricately coiffed, very chubby 45th president is Biden names CIA director less, horn-wearing insur- “the most masculine person ever to hold the White House.” President-elect Joe Biden this rectionist who stormed the Rescue dogs, which have become so popular during the pan- week tapped career diplo- Senate chamber in the Capitol mat William Burns to head riot, has demanded an organic demic, because of the human need for companionship, that animal the CIA. Burns, 64, formerly diet in jail. Chansley, 33, aka shelters are running out of them. “They’re going like hotcakes,” spent 33 years with the State “The QAnon Shaman,” told an said Cindy Sharpley of Last Chance Animal Rescue in Maryland. Department, serving as deputy Arizona judge that he eats only Play selection, after New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick secretary of state and ambas- organic, and the judge ordered canceled plans to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom from sador to Jordan (1998–2001) jail staff to alter his diet ac- President Trump at the White House. Formerly a Trump supporter, and Russia (2005–2008). Burns cordingly. “He gets very sick if Belichick, 68, said he could not accept a medal from this president is credited with jump-starting he doesn’t eat organic food,” while “remaining true to the people, team, and country I love.” talks between the Obama explained Chansley’s mother, administration and Iran in Martha, with whom he lives. Bad week for: 2013—negotiations that led QRosanne Boyland, 34, one Taking a stand, after a lawyer for Adam Johnson, 36, arrested to a 2015 agreement, since scuttled, to limit Iran’s nuclear of five people killed during last after the Capitol riot, agreed that the instantly iconic photograph week’s Capitol riot, was report- activities. Since his 2014 retire- of his client cheerfully carrying off Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lectern ment, he’s been president of edly trampled to death while could “be a problem” for his defense. “I’m not a magician,” said carrying a “Don’t Tread on Me” the Carnegie Endowment for flag. The yellow “Gadsden attorney Dan Eckhart. International Peace, a think Flag” dates from the Revo- Denial, after Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, 87, filed formal tank, and a frequent critic of lutionary War and was later paperwork to run for another six-year term in 2024. “You do get President Trump. He vowed to adopted as a symbol of Tea older, that’s true,” said Feinstein, who reportedly has been told by provide intelligence “with- Party conservatism. Rioters fellow Democrats she is showing signs of “cognitive decline.” out a hint of partisanship.” If pushing other rioters forward confirmed, he will succeed AXE body spray, after a can of the fragrant masculine deodorant Gina Haspel, who was the first “created a panic,” said Boy- was photographed lying among the wreckage of the Capitol riot. land’s friend Justin Winchell. woman to head the agency in

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THE WEEK January 22, 2021 The U.S. at a glance ... NEWS 7

Lansing, Mich. Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C. Weapons limits: The Michigan State Veto override: The House and Senate Covid riot: Three Capitol Commission banned the open overturned President Trump’s veto of the Democratic House lawmak- carry of firearms inside the state capitol $740 billion annual National Defense ers tested positive for the building this week as the FBI warned Authorization Act that funds the U.S. coronavirus this week of armed demonstrations at all 50 state military. The override, the only one of after sheltering in capitols in Trump’s term in office, came after the place during the the run-up to president objected to a part of the bill that Capitol riot with Watson Coleman Inauguration required the military to drop the names Republican law- Day. The of bases honoring Confederate generals makers who refused to mask. Those six-person such as Robert E. Lee and Braxton Bragg. who tested positive included Rep. Bonnie body’s unani- Trump also wanted to use the bill as a Watson Coleman (D-N.J.), a 75-year-old mous move vehicle to punish tech companies, asking lung cancer survivor. Rep. Brad Schneider No more open carry inside comes after to include a provision to end protections (D-Ill.) said he was “angry at the selfish- the deadly Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol that limit legal liability for tech platforms. ness and arrogance” of his GOP col- Building in Washington, D.C.—and after The House voted 322-87 to overturn leagues. He and others were forced to years of claims from the commission and the Senate 81-13. The veto override, huddle in offices and conference rooms as that it did not have the authority to ban which happened two weeks ago, pre- the mob marauded through the Capitol’s firearms inside the state capitol building. served a nearly six-decade streak of pass- halls. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Open carry will still be permitted on the ing the so-called NDAA. Trump, however, who also tested positive, accused capitol’s outdoor grounds and concealed said the bill failed “to respect our veterans Republicans of creating “a superspreader carry inside the building itself. Some state and our military’s history.” House Speaker event on top of a domestic terrorist lawmakers have worn bullet-resistant Nancy Pelosi said Trump’s veto was “an attack.” Video from the Capitol shows vests while inside the capitol. In act of staggering recklessness.” Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) April, an armed mob, many with and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene military-style semi-automatic (R-Ga.) spurning masks even weapons, stormed the Michigan after two are offered them capitol in protest of emergency by Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester pandemic restrictions Gov. (D-Del.). “I am angry,” Watson Gretchen Whitmer enacted to Coleman said, “that the attack on stall the spread of the coronavi- the Capitol and my subsequent illness rus. Members of a paramilitary have the same cause: my Republican group were arrested last year colleagues’ inability to accept facts.” and charged with a plan to kid- nap and possibly kill the governor. Washington, D.C. Defamation suit: Dominion Voting Kenosha, Wis. Systems slapped onetime Trump lawyer No charges: Rusten Sidney Powell with a $1.3 billion lawsuit Sheskey, the police officer last week, accusing her of repeatedly who shot African-American making “wild” and “demonstrably false” resident Jacob Blake in an Nashville claims about the company as part of a Aug. 23 incident that Motive unknown: Police said this week campaign to overturn the presidential sparked protests that they were still trying to find the election results. Citing “mountains of evi- in Kenosha and motive that drove 63-year-old loner dence,” Dominion said Powell peddled a around the country, Sheskey Anthony Quinn Warner to detonate an conspiracy theory that the company was will face no charges. RV full of explosives in the heart of the secretly created by Venezuelan commu- Kenosha County District Attorney city on Christmas Day. The blast outside nists to sway the election for President- Michael Graveley concluded that Sheskey an AT&T switching facility damaged 41 elect Joe Biden. The suit enumerates acted in self-defense and to prevent harm buildings, impaired telecommunications 40 instances in which Powell besmirched to others. Police were responding to a throughout the Southeast, and injured at Dominion’s reputation. Thomas Clare, call from the mother of Blake’s children, least three people. Warner, who died in a lawyer for the Canadian company, who said that Blake, who had outstand- the bombing, sent apolitical screeds to said additional lawsuits could follow, ing warrants for felony sexual assault and pals beforehand in which he ranted about including one against President Trump. domestic violence, had taken the keys to 9/11 conspiracy theories, aliens, and lizard “We have not ruled anyone out,” he her rental SUV and put their three kids in creatures masquerading as human beings. said. Powell called the lawsuit “base- it. Sheskey shot Blake, 29 and now para- City Police Chief John Drake said authori- less,” despite hand recounts proving lyzed from the waist down, seven times in ties are investigating a 2019 warning from the accuracy the back as he started to get into the SUV. Warner’s ex-girlfriend’s lawyer that he was of Dominion Prosecutors maintain that Blake had a building a bomb. At the time, cops visited machines. 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A father, Jacob Blake Sr. ball,” said Throckmorton. Powell’s claims. Dominion machines

THE WEEK January 22, 2021 8 NEWS The world at a glance ...

London Turnberry, Scotland Covid surge: A more contagious Trump not welcome: Scottish lawmakers are asking British authori- strain of coronavirus is ripping ties to bar President Trump from visiting his Scottish golf course, through the U.K., with over calling him a threat to public order. Scottish First Minister Nicola 50,000 people testing positive for the Sturgeon last week dispelled rumors that Trump would spend the disease every day for the past two inauguration of Joe Biden at his Turnberry resort, saying that cur- weeks. In London alone, 1 in 30 peo- rent coronavirus restrictions bar Trump from traveling to Scotland Burying a coronavirus victim ple now has Covid-19. Of the 83,000 simply to play golf. But since last week’s mob attack on the U.S. Britons who have died of the corona- Capitol, at least four Scottish lawmakers have demanded a perma- virus so far, 30,000 died in the past month. Scientists and opposition nent travel ban on Trump. Citing the loss of life in Washington, politicians have faulted Prime Minister Boris Johnson for failing to Joan McAlpine of the Scottish National Party called the president place all of England under lockdown during the Christmas holidays a “dangerous criminal” who had launched a coup attempt, while even as the virus was spreading rapidly. Paramedic Ben Schischa said Liberal Democrat Mike Rumbles said he should be designated an emergency Covid calls have “exploded exponentially” in London “undesirable person” and barred from the U.K. and patients are waiting hours in ambulances before hospitals can make space to admit them. “It’s become like a war zone again.” Naples, Italy Massive sinkhole: A monster sinkhole opened up in the park- ing lot of a Naples hospital last week, swallowing three cars and forcing the temporary evacuation of six Covid-19 patients from a nearby treatment facility. There were no injuries or deaths from the collapse at Ospedale Del Mare, or Hospital by the Sea, which authorities said was caused by intense rains over the past few weeks. “Frankly, we were also worried about the collapse of all utilities and that the activity of the hospital could be jeopar- dized,” regional Gov. Vincenzo De Luca said. “Thank God, that did not happen.” The resulting chasm is 66 feet deep and encom- passes 22,000 square feet. The hospital’s Covid treatment facility— constructed from trailer-like modules—was set up in the parking lot at the height of Italy’s first coronavirus wave last spring. Tulum, Mexico Americans hit the beach: Despite spiking Covid-19 cases in both the U.S. and Mexico, and despite warnings against unnecessary travel from both countries’ govern- ments, Americans are flocking to Mexico’s tourist regions. Over the past few months, the number of American tourists visiting Quintana Roo state—home to the resort towns of Tulum and Cancún—was up 23 percent compared with the previous year’s numbers. And some of these tourists are contracting or spreading the coronavirus: After Tulum held an international arts festival in November, its main hospital said, nearly all the Covid-19 tests requested by foreign attendees came back positive. Mexico has officially registered 135,000 deaths On vacation from the virus, the fourth-highest number in the world. But given that Mexico saw some 250,000 excess deaths in 2020, the true number of Covid-19 fatalities is likely much higher. Buenos Aires Havana Abortion tourists: Following Blacklisted: Cuba reacted with fury this week after the Trump the legalization of abortion in administration re-designated the communist country as a state Argentina late last month, women sponsor of terrorism. The Cuban government called the decision from across Latin America are travel- “cynical and hypocritical,” saying the outgoing Trump administra- ing to the country to receive terminations tion had proved itself “morally bankrupt” and in no position to that would be illegal in their own nations. Cheering legalization judge other nations. Cuba was removed from the list in 2015 as The Brazilian nonprofit Miles for Women’s part of the Obama administration’s agreement to restore relations Lives said it had arranged for 13 women to head to Argentina for with the island. Only three other countries—Syria, Iran, and North abortions in January. In Brazil, abortion brings a prison sentence Korea—are currently listed as for both patient and doctor unless the pregnancy is the result of sponsors of terrorism. Cuba’s rape or the fetus is unviable. Argentine lawmakers legalized the designation “makes a mockery procedure for any reason up to the 14th week of pregnancy, a vic- of what had been a credible, tory for women’s groups that had spent more than a decade cam-

objective measure of a foreign paigning for abortion rights. President Alberto Fernández, elected in ) 3 (

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government’s active sup- late 2019, had made legalization a key campaign promise. Uruguay, A

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port for terrorism,” said Sen. Cuba, and Guyana are the only other Latin American countries e t u e

Cuba is back on the U.S. terrorism list. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.). that have legalized elective abortion. R

THE WEEK January 22, 2021 The world at a glance ... NEWS 9

New Delhi Shijiazhuang, China Not backing down: India’s Supreme Lockdowns as WHO visits: China has put Court this week temporarily sus- much of Hebei province back under strict pended a string of new pro- market lockdown following the detection of at agricultural reforms that provoked least 600 Covid-19 cases, most in the pro- massive nationwide protests by vincial capital of Shijiazhuang. It quickly farmers, who said the laws put their tested all 11 million people in the city, and livelihoods at risk. The court said its a second round of testing is underway. Getting tested Farmers protest. decision “may assuage the hurt feel- Beijing is eager to quash any outbreak ings of the farmers and encourage them to come to the negotiating before the Lunar New Year holidays next month, when hundreds table.” But the tens of thousands of farmers who have camped out- of millions of Chinese are expected to take trips across the country side New Delhi for six weeks refused to disperse, saying the ruling to visit family. The lockdown comes as World Health Organization was a trick. “This is the mischief of the government,” said protest experts visit Wuhan, where the coronavirus was first detected in leader Balbir Singh Rajewa. The group wants a full repeal of the late 2019, as part of an investigation into the origins of the virus. laws, which allow farmers to sell their products to anyone, skipping “It is really important to see the locations and the settings,” said the state middleman. Farmers say that will put them at the mercy epidemiologist Fabian Leendertz, “the wet market in Wuhan, the of large corporations and drive prices below subsistence level. virology institute, to see the wildlife farms, the potential interface between the virus and humans.” Taipei, Taiwan Sudden U.S. outreach: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo this week lifted rules barring American diplomats from direct contact with Taiwanese diplomats, upending decades of U.S. policy intended to ensure a stable relationship with China. U.S. ambassadors abroad immediately began publicizing meetings with their Taiwanese counterparts. The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Kelly Craft, had been scheduled to meet in Taipei with President Tsai Ing-wen, but the trip was canceled amid the fallout over the U.S. Capitol riot. Such a meet- ing would have inspired the wrath of China, which considers Taiwan a renegade province. In another shot at Beijing, the Trump administration abruptly declassified—two decades early—its national security strategy toward Asia, which identifies the expansion Ambassador Craft of China’s influence as America’s primary challenge.

Hong Kong Mass arrests: In a shocking pre-dawn crackdown, 1,000 police officers fanned out across Hong Kong last week and raided the homes and offices of dozens of pro-democracy activists, arresting 53 people. It was the starkest signal yet that Beijing intends to fully impose control over the semi-autonomous former British colony. Among those arrested on charges of “subversion” was American human rights lawyer John Clancey; if convicted, the group could face life in prison. The arrests were made under a law that sparked Sanaa, Yemen massive protests in Hong Kong when Beijing imposed it last year. U.S. designation hits aid: The Trump “It is clear that the National Security Law is being used to eliminate admin i stra tion was rushing this week to designate dissent and opposing political views,” said American, Australian, Yemen’s Shiite Houthi rebels as a terrorist organiza- British, and Canadian officials in a joint statement. tion, a move that aid groups say will exacerbate the coun- try’s humanitarian catastrophe. The Iran-backed Houthis, who Jakarta are battling Saudi-backed Yemeni forces, control northwestern Plane plunges into sea: A Boeing 737-500 this week crashed into Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa. The terrorist designation will the Java Sea just four minutes after taking off on a domestic flight take effect on Jan. 19, the day before President-elect Joe Biden’s from Jakarta, killing all 62 people on board. Sriwijaya Air Flight inauguration, and will make it illegal for U.S. citizens to render 182 made an unexpected turn to the northwest soon after takeoff. any “material support or resources” to the group. That will bar Air traffic controllers attempting to query the pilots were unable to aid groups funded by the U.S. from supplying food and medicine make contact, and the plane disappeared from radar. Wreckage and to Houthi-held areas. About human remains were found north of Jakarta, and divers retrieved 80 percent of Yemenis are the craft’s black box. Investigators said the small dependent on humanitarian aid. size of the debris field indicates that the jet was “People will suffer and die” intact when it hit the water. The 737-500 does because of the designation, said not share the same anti-stall system blamed ) 2 ( Rep. Gregory Meeks, chairman in the 2018 crash of a Boeing 737 P A

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3 of the House Foreign Affairs Max, operated by Indonesia’s Lion ( s r e Committee. “Those deaths are Air, that nose-dived into the Java Sea t u e

R Houthi loyalists entirely preventable.” after taking off from Jakarta. Recovering wreckage

THE WEEK January 22, 2021 10 NEWS People

How Levy overcame his anxiety Dan Levy may be popular and charismatic today, but he had debilitating anxiety as a child, said Anna Peele in Bustle.com. The star and co-creator of the Netflix show Schitt’s Creek refused to go to summer camp, birthday par- ties, or anything that involved social interac- tion. “Fear of being ridiculed,” he explains. “Fear of being ‘othered.’” He believes this fear manifested as iritis, a severe inflammation of the eye that doctors warned might rob him of sight. “I think that came from a deep- rooted fear of knowing that I was gay and not being able to be free,” says Levy, 37. “It led to a very confusing time.” To provide a safe way of interacting with people, he began acting in and directing school plays. “It was like a decoy version of myself that I was putting out there to not have to live with the reality that when the bullying was happening—if someone was calling me a f----t or whatever it was—they were speaking the truth.” It took years for him to stop hiding his true self—even after coming out. “I really got to a point where I felt like if I didn’t make an active choice to pull myself out of this shell,” Levy says, “I would not be the adult that I want to be.” Burstyn’s chats with her dead mother Ellen Burstyn had a difficult relationship with her mother, said Ryan Gilbey in TheGuardian.com. The actress’ parents divorced Clooney’s parenting lesson when she was a child, and she and her two brothers went to live George Clooney has been thinking a lot about how he was raised, with her often violent mother, Correine. “I’m sure if [she] and I said Tom Lamont in TheGuardian.com. The father of twin 3-year- could sit down and talk about it today, she would say she was olds has been putting in a lot of parenting time as he rides out sorry,” says Burstyn, 88. When her mom was still alive, Burstyn the pandemic in his Hollywood home with his wife, Amal, and did bring up “being hit so much” when she was young. “She said, their children, Ella and Alexander. “There’s a lot of things you ‘I’d never do it again.... Not now I know how much trouble it try not to do that your own parents did,” says Clooney, 59. “Not caused,’” Burstyn recalls. “I’m glad she understood that before she because your parents were bad parents. But because you can see left.” Despite the painful memories, the actress misses her mother the way it has affected you.... You’re trying to break the chain.” Clooney recalls how his own father, Nick, a TV news anchorman and often talks to her in her own mind. “I think it’s just to go and radio broadcaster, pressured him not to pursue a career back over the past,” she says. “I wish I could’ve been more help- in Hollywood. “My dad really went after me,” Clooney says. “I ful then and understood her point of view. And I do talk. I talk remember him saying, ‘You’re giving up your education!’ He to the mother that lives inside of me.” She believes that enduring wasn’t wrong.” Since then, the actor says, he learned the futility a painful childhood has made her a much better actress. For each of “presupposing anything on to your children in terms of what role, the Oscar winner digs deep into a catalog of memories, often you want from them.” He hopes that when his son and daughter hurtful, from which she draws the necessary emotion. She says if are older and have confessed some reckless decision to him, he she hadn’t learned to “abide trouble and suffering,” she might not will muster the serenity to allow them the space to fail and learn have developed the bravery necessary “to haul up those uncom- on their own. “I hope I will be at a place where I can say, ‘All fortable things.” right. Make your mistakes.’”

ing to get divorced,” leading Kardashian to a series of older girlfriends. Wilde directed discuss her husband’s struggles with bipolar Styles last year in an upcoming thriller, and Q Kim Kardashian and Kanye West “are disorder. Kardashian has “had enough,” a their friendship led to a secret romance. The over,” the New York Post reported last week, source told the Post, but another source told two held hands at a California wedding last but friends claim a divorce is not a done deal. CNN.com that while “divorce is something week. A source told Us Weekly that Wilde’s Kardashian, 40, has consulted a celebrity that has been discussed off and on,” a final relationship with Styles had “blindsided” divorce attorney, and West, 43, decision hasn’t yet been made. Married Sudeikis and led to their split. since 2014, the couple share four children spent the holidays away from Q Ivanka Trump was “surprised and hurt” his family at his Wyoming and a colossal estate, including a futuristic after her sister-in-law, model Karlie Kloss, ranch, the Post reports. A Calabasas, Calif., mansion they reportedly called Trump’s support for the Capitol Hill rift opened up last year spent $60 million to buy and renovate. rioters “anti-American.” After Ivanka tweeted as West mounted an Q British pop star Harry Styles and direc- that the insurrectionists were “American erratic, hopeless presi- tor Olivia Wilde are dating, and Wilde’s Patriots,” Kloss, 28—who is married to dential campaign and ex-fiancé, actor Jason Sudeikis, isn’t happy Joshua Kushner, younger brother of Ivanka’s made a rambling speech about it, People reported last week. Wilde, husband, Jared—tweeted, “Accepting the in which he said God had 36, and Sudeikis, 45, broke off their seven- results of a legitimate democratic election m o

prevented him from agree- year engagement last November, and a is patriotic. Refusing to do so and incit- c s w

ing to abort their first child. “heartbroken” Sudeikis reportedly thinks ing violence is anti-American.” Asked by a e N

, In July, West publicly at- his relationship with Wilde, with whom he Twitter user why she hasn’t confronted her P A

,

tacked Kardashian’s mother has two children, fell apart because of her brother- and sister-in-law, Kloss, who openly m o c s

and tweeted, “I been try- budding romance with Styles, 26, who’s had supported Joe Biden, replied, “I’ve tried.” w e N

THE WEEK January 22, 2021 Briefing NEWS 11 The pandemic windfall Large companies and the very rich made a killing last year, while the U.S. wealth gap became wider than ever.

Who has benefited? could put them at a permanent, dire Tech giants, many major corporations, disadvantage. “Once you kill competi- and Wall Street investors have had eye- tion, it’s always hard to restore it,” popping gains during the pandemic, even said Matt Stoller, director of research as the Covid-19 recession has devastated at the American Economic Liberties major sectors of the economy. Apple’s Project. “This is an e xtinction- level total stock value climbed to $2.29 trillion, event for small businesses.” up 133 percent since March. Amazon’s share price increased by 70 percent. As How are workers faring? the stock market set r ecords—fueled by It depends on their tax bracket. White- stuck-at-home Americans dependent on collar job losses were mostly recovered online shopping and aggressive Federal by late summer, while millions of low- Reserve interventions—the fortunes wage workers remain out of work, especially in restaurant, hotel, and of the 659 U.S. billionaires grew by Homeless people sleep outside a New York City bank more than $1 trillion, making the elite other service industries. The major- group’s wealth nearly double that of the bottom 50 percent of ity of last year’s layoffs occurred at small businesses, millions of Americans—165 million people. Meanwhile, just 12 million jobs of which could go under as massive Covid-19 surges force states to the 22 million lost last spring have been recovered, and more than reimpose safety restrictions. Those crackdowns led the U.S. to lose 400,000 small businesses have closed for good. Economists predict 140,000 jobs in December, the first month of losses since the early a “K-shaped” recovery, with the poor getting poorer and the rich months of the pandemic. Tent encampments of homeless people getting richer, especially those at the very top. dot cities across the U.S., and in the week before Thanksgiving, 26 million adults said their households were short on food. Who did best? Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ net worth has rocketed up $70 billion, Is the wealth gap widening? to an estimated $182 billion, and four men have joined him in the Profoundly. About 84 percent of stocks owned by U.S. households ranks of “centibillionaires”: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, are held by the wealthiest 10 percent of Americans. Without the whose wealth increased by about 80 percent; Microsoft co-founder chance to spend their money eating out, attending cultural events Bill Gates, who made about $20 billion; French luxury brand and ballgames, or traveling, affluent Americans have every incen- tycoon Bernard Arnault, whose fortune doubled to $117 billion; tive to save and invest. Millions of workers, on the other hand, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the world’s richest man as of last have lost jobs or seen their hours or pay reduced and are barely week. With investors betting that the pandemic will accelerate the scraping by. Nearly 12 million renters owe thousands in back rent shift to electric cars, Musk’s net worth grew from $24.6 billion in and utilities, according to Moody’s Analytics. The $2.2 trillion March to $185 billion now—p erhaps relief package that Congress passed the fastest accumulation of wealth Not much trickle-down in March initially caused overall ever. Google’s Larry Page and Oracle’s poverty to decline, thanks to $1,200 When the economy cratered, several prominent Larry Ellison saw their wealth grow CEOs vowed to look after their workers. Chuck stimulus checks and a $600 weekly by a mere 40 percent. Robbins, CEO of the software giant Cisco, said in federal unemployment supplement. April, “It’s just silly for those of us who have the By August, however, poverty had Why the big payday? financial wherewithal to absorb this, for us to add returned to pre- pandemic levels. Life under quarantine has been a to the problem.” But four months later, Cisco began boon for e- commerce retailers like laying off thousands of employees. The Washington How does the future look? Amazon, Target, Walmart, and Post found that although 45 of the top 50 publicly For big corporations, bright. Wall Best Buy; food delivery services like traded U.S. firms turned a profit last year, 27 of Street is bullish, expecting a recov- DoorDash; and streaming services them laid off employees, collectively cutting more ery similar to the one that followed like Netflix. Restless consumers not than 100,000 workers. As billions of dollars were the 2008 crisis, when large banks spending money on restaurants and paid out to investors, record profits did not trickle and private- equity firms gobbled up travel are splurging at Home Depot down to workers, not even to those whose jobs in weakened competitors at fire-sale and Lowe’s for home-i mprovement warehouses or checkout lines put them at risk of prices, and the top 1 percent of earn- projects, and on video games for infection. Amazon raised its minimum wage of $15 ers took in 95 percent of income escapism. Restaurant chains that pri- an hour and hired more than 250,000 new workers, gains made from 2009 to 2012. oritize drive-through and takeout, like paying warehouse workers an extra $2 an hour dur- Inequality scholar Chuck Collins of McDonald’s and Popeye’s, are thriv- ing the early months of the pandemic before ending the Institute for Policy Studies says ing, while communications services that practice this summer. But Bezos’ wealth has that as consumers learn to depend soared by $11.5 million every hour. The three heirs Zoom and Slack hit the jackpot when entirely on giant corporations, it to Walmart founder Sam Walton have seen their becomes increasingly difficult for millions of Americans began working fortunes grow by $40.7 billion, or 26 times the total from home. Independent merchants hazard pay Walmart provided its entire workforce damaged small businesses to com- and brick-and- mortar retailers can of 1.5 million associates last year. Thousands of pete, resulting in empty downtowns barely compete, because of pandemic Amazon and Walmart employees still have incomes and more and more wealth concen- restrictions and well-founded public so low they receive food stamps, meaning that tax- trated among conglomerates and bil-

y fear of indoor gatherings, and have lionaires. “We’re at risk of seeing an t payers subsidize these booming businesses. t e

G lost so much market share that it oligarchic death spiral,” Collins said.

THE WEEK January 22, 2021 12 NEWS Best columns: The U.S.

If he’s confirmed as the new U.S. attorney general, Merrick Garland Garland’s will have “one of the toughest jobs in the Biden administration,” said It must be true... Chris Truax. President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee to head the Justice I read it in the tabloids huge task Department is widely respected for his “careful, thoughtful, and cen- at Justice trist jurisprudence” over 25 years as an appellate court judge in the QA man in western Michigan District of Columbia. Before that, as a federal prosecutor, he oversaw has successfully sued his Chris Truax several major domestic terrorism cases, including the Oklahoma City parents for destroying his USA Today bombing— experience that will serve him well in a nation now threat- pornography collection. ened by white-supremacist violence. Garland, of course, is best known as David Werking told a federal President Obama’s nominee to fill Antonin Scalia’s Supreme Court seat; judge that he moved back that nomination was blocked by Republicans for 293 days. He will head home with his folks for a critically important department that was left in ruins by Donald Trump 10 months after getting a and Attorney General William Barr, who blatantly used its powers as a divorce, and that they admit- tool to protect the president and punish his opponents. Garland clearly ted throwing out 12 large moving boxes filled with understands the stakes he faces. At his nomination press conference, pornographic movies and Garland vowed to protect “the independence of the department from magazines he claims were partisan influence” and to establish clear new guidelines for FBI investi- worth $29,000. His parents gations and federal prosecutors. What a refreshing change that will be. maintained that they had a right to remove the collec- “The central concept in modern conservatism is victimhood,” said tion because it was in their The politics home, but the judge sided David Frum. Since Barack Obama was elected president, a political phi- with Werking and said he is of perpetual losophy that once emphasized personal responsibility has degenerated entitled to compensation. His into a sour collection of grievances and delusional claims of persecution. father, Paul, didn’t see it that victimhood In recent years, conservative media has led “a group-therapy session for way. “Frankly, David, I did Trump believers,” validating their paranoia and resentments and offer- you a big favor,” he said. David Frum ing them “a safe space” shielded from contrary facts. After the president TheAtlantic.com triggered a violent attempted coup, “the mood in the pro-Trump world became one of profoundest self-pity.” As Facebook and Twitter ban QAnon diatribes and threats of violence, his supporters are comparing themselves “to victims of Stalin’s purges” or the South’s Jim Crow laws. Many of Trump’s Republican defenders, of course, “never intended for things to spin out of control.” They wanted the Fox News spotlight, big social media followings, and in some cases, to extract money from Americans they cynically whipped into a frenzy. “But if the conservative world is to pull itself out of the moral wreck into which it has been led by Trump,” its leaders will have to reckon with their d escent into a poli- QMotorists were startled to tics of fear, resentment, and “inflammatory deceit.” see a naked man wearing only a panda mask roller- blading down an eight-lane As Republicans once again become the party of opposition, said Ramesh Ohio highway. The streaker, What does Ponnuru, they need to offer an alternative vision. With the Democrats who carried a golf club in holding very thin majorities in the House and Senate, the GOP will no one hand, traveled at a high the GOP doubt fight Joe Biden’s proposed tax increases, environmental regu- rate of speed down I-670 in lations, expansion of Obamacare, and immigration policies. As the Columbus. He managed to stand for? small-government party, Republicans have often chosen not to adopt elude police, and his identity specific policy proposals to pressing problems, and that has cost them remains unknown. “This Ramesh Ponnuru dude’s on the freeway na- NationalReview.com politically. When Obamacare passed, for example, “Republicans pledged ked!” exclaimed one shocked to repeal and replace it,” but a decade later have never united behind driver in a now-viral video. any health-care plan. The GOP failed to resolve “how high a priority it should be to ensure high levels of insurance coverage” or how to protect QA Kentucky man used a people with preexisting conditions. In 2018, Republican incoherence on flamethrower to clear the snow from his driveway. In health care helped drive a blue wave that gave Democrats the House. If an online video, Timothy Republicans hope to regain power, opposition to the Democrats’ ideas Browning is dressed in a will not be enough. “If those of us who are not progressives don’t have white bathrobe, black socks, a different sense of how our country should be governed, then why are and sandals as he calmly we engaged in politics in the first place?” sprays long lashes of fire from the weapon, instantly Viewpoint “Post-truth is pre-fascism, and Trump has been our post-truth president. melting the snow. With his Without agreement about some basic facts, citizens cannot form the civil off-hand, he puffs on a cigar society that would allow them to defend themselves. Like historical fascist leaders, Trump has pre- and takes long swigs from a sented himself as the single source of truth. His use of the term ‘fake news’ echoed the Nazi smear can of beer. He concludes the Lügenpresse (‘lying press’); like the Nazis, he referred to reporters as ‘enemies of the people.’ work by triumphantly throw- Trump lied at a pace perhaps unmatched by any other leader in history. To believe in all of them ing the beer can into the was to accept the authority of a single man, because to believe in all of them was to disbelieve snow. “God bless American s rednecks!” he said. r e

everything else.” Historian Timothy Snyder in The New York Times t a C

THE WEEK January 22, 2021 Upper Class Just Got Lower Priced Finally, luxury built for value— not for false status

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He remarked on the detailed guilloche face, gilt winding crown, and the crocodile-embossed leather band. He was intrigued by the three interior dials for day, date, and 24-hour moon phases. He estimated that this fine timepiece would cost over $2,500. We all smiled and told him that the Stauer price was less than $100. A truly magnificent watch at a truly magnificent price! Try the Magnificat II for 30 days and if you are not receiving compliments, please return the watch for a full refund of the purchase price. The Stauer The precision-built movement carries a 2 year Magnificat II is warranty against defect. If you trust your own good taste, the Magnificat II is built for you. powered by your Stauer Magnificat II Timepiece own movement Offer Code Price $99 + S&P SAVE $300! You must use the offer code to get our special price. 1-800-333-2045 Your Offer Code: MAG535-08 Rating of A+ • Luxurious gold-finished case with exposition back 14101 Southcross Drive W., ® • 27-jeweled automatic movement Stauer Ste 155, Dept. MAG535-08 Burnsville, Minnesota 55337 www.stauer.com • Croc-embossed band fits wrists 6¾"–8½" † Special price only for customers using the offer code versus the price on • Water-resistant to 3 ATM Stauer.com without your offer code. Stauer… Afford the Extraordinary.® 14 NEWS Best columns: Europe Europe: U.S. insurrection shows threat to democracy “America has fallen into anarchy,” said Stefan Kornelius in the election result.” Even after the riot, eight GOP senators and more Süddeutsche Zeitung (Germany). President Donald Trump, than 130 representatives challenged Biden’s win on the floor of “who despises the country and its laws,” roused the masses Congress. That bodes ill for America, said Malcom Kyeyune in last week and exhorted them to storm Congress and prevent Goteborgs-Posten (Sweden). It’s easy to dismiss the rioters “with Joe Biden’s election victory from being certified. The sight of their flags and caps as frivolous and a bit ridiculous.” Yes, their police officers being beaten by Trump supporters and thugs in violence was real, you might say, but a few thousand angry voters T-shirts emblazoned with neo-Nazi slogans walking the halls can’t topple the republic. That misses the point. What “makes of power have chilled every European, and “these images of systems fall is when the political elite becomes so internally shame will engrave themselves into the collective memory of fragmented” that it cannot function. the U.S.” Five people died, and lawmakers were lucky to escape unharmed. In most countries, such an insurrection would be Trump’s coup might have failed, said Peter Lohmus in ERR.ee labeled an attempted coup, and Trump would have been swiftly (Estonia), but there are other, subtler ways to destroy democracy. handcuffed. Why does he still walk free? This “black day” was The path to autocracy is straightforward: Purge professionals well foreshadowed, said Le Monde (France) in an editorial. Trump from the bureaucracy and appoint loyalists in their place, pack “never made a secret of his seditious intentions.” He had long the courts, create a slavish media, invent external enemies such said he would reject the results of the election if he lost, and he as billionaire George Soros, and undermine the legitimacy of had already told extreme right-wing groups like the Proud Boys to elections. “At some point, there is no turning back.” Republicans “stand by.” The United States, cradle of modern democracy, has under Trump—and, alas, likely after Trump—have followed reaped “what its populist, demagogic, narcissistic president sowed this autocratic playbook. That’s why the free world must rally for four years, with the complicity of the Republican Party.” to Biden, said William Hague in The Daily Telegraph (U.K.). Global surveys show “a growing loss of faith in democracy Republicans should have known how the Trump presidency among young people.” Nationalist ruling parties in Hungary and would end, said The Times (U.K.). “It’s not as if they were Poland have taken over the judiciary and media. India, the world’s unaware of the dangers.” Many Republican leaders loudly largest democracy, is sliding into autocracy. Biden has said he denounced Trump as a budding authoritarian during his 2016 run “is committed to at least trying to bring the world’s democracies for office, only to go on to aid “his campaign to overturn 2020’s together.” This may be the West’s last chance. United Kingdom: What has Brexit delivered? “After almost half a century of in- security will suffer, since we’ve lost creasingly oppressive, authoritarian access to an EU information sys- rule by the European Union,” Britain tem that U.K. police used 600 mil- is “free at last,” said Leo McKinstry lion times last year alone to get in the Daily Express. The 1,200- data on serious risks from crime page trade pact that Prime Minister and terrorism. Worst of all, “we Boris Johnson secured with Brussels are now rule takers, in a weaker late last month “means the return of position to our much larger part- genuine sovereignty, without which ner,” forced to abide by most of a nation is emasculated.” By clinch- its regulations or else lose our few ing the agreement just a few days trading privileges. And the econ- before a transition period ended on omy will suffer a painful blow, Dec. 31—Britain left the EU last Jan- said Martin Vander Weyer in The uary, but trade and security relations Spectator. The deal doesn’t cover remained unchanged until New Year’s the service sector, which makes up Day—Johnson averted a potentially Johnson: Finally secured a trade deal with the EU. 80 percent of our economy and disastrous no-deal Brexit. The prime minister “showed iron re- 50 percent of our exports. Financial services firms’ access to EU solve, never backing down in the face of Brussels’ threats,” and markets “now depends on compliance with the different require- we can now “forge our own path to economic prosperity.” No ments of each member state.” longer will we rely on imported EU labor; instead, British firms will train and employ British citizens. EU bureaucrats and judges “Brexit is done—but it is not over,” said The Guardian in an won’t be able to dictate our laws. Our relationship with Europe editorial. This rupture was opposed “by majorities in Scotland, will be one of “cooperation, not subjugation.” Northern Ireland, and London and other cities, as well as by most young people and most graduates,” and they won’t be There’s nothing to celebrate about this deal, said Dominic silent. Scotland is so eager to rejoin the EU that it may opt to Grieve in Independent.co.uk. While no new tariffs will be leave the U.K. altogether. And who knows what will happen slapped on the $400 billion worth of goods we export annu- with Northern Ireland, which now enjoys frictionless trade with ally to the Continent, our departure from the EU single market the Republic of Ireland and other EU nations but has a customs means that U.K. firms will now have to complete reams of barrier with the rest of Britain? The legacy of Brexit could well customs paperwork expected to cost them some $10 billion a be the disintegration of the U.K. Have we restored some small year. Our fishermen feel betrayed, because EU boats will have to measure of sovereignty at the cost of losing much of our coun- s r e reduce their catch in British waters by only a quarter. National try? That “would be a terrible price to pay.” t u e R

THE WEEK January 22, 2021 Best columns: International NEWS 15

How they see us: A riot that revealed U.S. hypocrisy “The city on the hill has lost its shine,” expression.” Yet when the very same said Konstantin Kosachev in Rossiy- thing occurs in the U.S., they “define skaya Gazeta (Russia). The political it as lawlessness” and call it “unac- system that is supposedly the envy of ceptable.” China was also smeared the world was stripped of “its sacred- and criticized for arresting rioters, ness” last week when a mob of Trump even though, unlike their American supporters assaulted the U.S. Capitol, counterparts, Hong Kong police killing a police officer and endangering never fatally shot a protester. What’s lawmakers as they certified Joe Biden’s particularly shocking, said Jafar Blori election win. American politicians and in Kayhan (Iran), is that the U.S. is pundits decried the violent protest as a now muzzling both the protesters and horror, even though they routinely praise the president. Facebook and Twitter, such displays in other countries as valid under pressure from Congress, erased outpourings of anger against undemo- Trump supporters tear down a police barrier. Trump from their sites and purged cratic regimes. Now U.S. voters are crying fraud and injustice many of his followers. “Yes, you heard right, the biggest pre- and besieging government buildings. Americans have “tasted the tender to democracy and freedom of expression in the world,” fruits of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and their virgin- the one that censures others for supposedly attacking the free ity cannot be restored.” U.S. democracy is forever tainted, said press, “overnight became the biggest censor in the world!” Yevgeny Shestakov, also in the Gazeta. The November election that ostensibly went for Biden was “opaque,” because numer- Democracy is “America’s most important brand,” said Oray Egin ous states changed voting rules on a whim. No wonder President in Haberturk.com (Turkey), and Trump has damaged it, perhaps Donald Trump’s supporters feel cheated. From now on, any party fatally. Lebanese diplomat Mohamad Safa tweeted that the events that loses an election will be able to plausibly claim that the “re- of Jan. 6 in any other country would invite a U.S. invasion. sults were rigged.” Others joked that the reason the coup did not succeed was that there was no U.S. Emb assy in Wash ing ton to back it. America is The U.S. has lost its right to criticize other countries that quash now an object of pity and disdain, and nobody is more delighted riots, said Ai Jun in the Global Times (China). Remember when than Russian Pres i dent Vlad i mir Putin, who has long insisted that Hong Kong protesters broke into the city’s legislative building in the U.S. political system is just as flawed and corrupt as Russia’s. 2019? At the time, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the scene I am no conspiracy theorist, but now I wonder, “Could Trump “a beautiful sight,” while Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said really be Russia’s man?” By mutilating Ameri can democracy, the U.S. stood with the activists and supported their “freedom of Trump has given Putin all he ever wanted.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is weeping for the the 10-year-old Brazilian girl, raped by her uncle, BRAZIL aborted fetuses of Argentina, said Merval Pereira. who obtained one of Brazil’s very few legal abor- When our neighbor last month legalized abortions tions last August. His supporters leaked the address Do fetuses up to the 14th week of pregnancy—becoming the of the hospital where the girl was to receive care, third South American nation, after Guyana and sparking death threats against doctors and staffers matter more Uruguay, to allow elective t erminations— Bolsonaro and forcing the girl’s family to fly her to another was quick with his condemnation. “I mourn deeply state. Then his administration tightened the rules than children? for the lives of Argentine children,” he said, prom- around access to abortion for rape victims, try- ising that “abortion will never be approved in our ing to ensure no other pregnant tween would get Merval Pereira country.” How touching. This is the same man a choice. The president clearly cares more for the O Globo who has spared barely a word for the 200,000 votes of his far-right Catholic and evangelical fol- Brazilians, including many children, who have per- lowers than for the health of his people. Abortion ished of Covid-19 thanks partly to his negligence. is a fraught issue, but “religious fanaticism cannot And Bolsonaro shed no tear for the suffering of trump citizens’ freedom.”

NIGERIA Nigerians, don’t insult your motherland on your too, might be lured by the siren song of the West. way out the door, said Olusegun Adeniyi. An But the alarming trend on Nigerian social media Someday increasing number of young professionals are flee- of cutting all ties with the homeland is a mistake. ing this country for the West, hoping to settle in “The moment someone secures their papers to you may wish Canada, the U.S., or Europe. It’s understandable emigrate, they will denigrate, abuse, and curse why they want to seek a better life. Nigeria offers Nigeria,” vowing never to return to this blighted to return “dwindling opportunities, resulting from misman- land. They should remember that Nigeria cannot agement of our affairs” coupled with “a popula- be reduced to its corrupt governance. Nigeria is Olusegun Adeniyi tion growth that far exceeds our resources.” In its talented people, who have created “one of the This Day 2018, Nigeria actually overtook India to become most educated and enterprising diaspora popula- the world leader in desperately poor people, with tions across the world.” With hard work, we will 87 million living on less than $1.90 a day, com- make our country worthy of us. “Emigrate if you P

A pared with India’s 71 million. If I were younger I, must. But never give up on Nigeria.”

THE WEEK January 22, 2021 16 NEWS Talking points The assault on the Capitol: Why weren’t officials prepared? The “deadly siege” of the U.S. Capitol cops appeared happy to see the terror- last week was an astonishing security ists, including one officer who allegedly failure, said Mark Mazzetti and Helene posed for a selfie with a rioter and Cooper in The New York Times. With another accused of donning a “Make frightening ease, about 8,000 rioters America Great Again” cap. Several have needed just 15 minutes to overwhelm been suspended, and more than a dozen 1,400 Capitol Police officers and breach are under investigation for inappropri- one of the most fortified buildings in ate behavior during the insurrection. the world. A “dizzying list” of blunders allowed this disaster, starting with fed- Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund, who eral officials downplaying online plots resigned after the fiasco, says most of to storm the Capitol, despite soon-to-be his outnumbered officers performed rioters posting “photographs of guns and “valiantly” and should have had more ammunition that they planned to bring” The Capitol Police: Severely outnumbered backup, said Carol Leonnig and Aaron on Facebook. While some insurrectionists Davis in The Washington Post. Sund broke in by scaling exterior walls and shattering windows, hun- says he made six requests for National Guard support, beginning dreds waltzed through doors as police stood by; only 14 people two days before the riot, but was “rebuffed” each time. As rioters were arrested during the siege itself. The five-person death toll stormed the Capitol, Sund says, he pleaded for support, but Army could have been far worse: Rioters allegedly brought guns, pipe Lt. Gen. Walter Piatt replied that he didn’t “like the visual” of uni- bombs, napalm-like explosives, and Molotov cocktails to Wash- formed soldiers guarding the Capitol. While watching his support- ington and filled online forums with plans to assassinate House ers rioting on TV, Trump reportedly refused numerous requests Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence. “Congress by aides to send in the National Guard. After agonizing hours of needs to hear glass breaking, doors being kicked in,” said one inaction, Pence—whose own life was in danger as he hid from online thread picked up by the FBI. “Go there ready for war. We the rioters with senators and congressmen—finally intervened and get our President or we die.” After so many threats of violence and gave the order to summon troops. bloodshed, how was there “no coordinated plan to defend against an attack on the Capitol”? An even worse disaster was narrowly averted, Molly Olmstead in Slate.com. Some rioters were openly “out for blood.” There Maybe the timid police response “was influenced by the anti- were shouts of “Hang Mike Pence!” and “Where’s Nancy?” Some police sentiment of the last year,” said The Wall Street Journal in dressed in paramilitary garb carried plastic zip ties, apparently an editorial. During the Black Lives Matter protests, Democratic intending to take members of Congress hostage. Many, including leaders “were slow to condemn” looting, rioting, and attacks on Ashli Babbitt, the Air Force veteran fatally shot as she tried to police, creating a “culture of impunity.” It’s “tragic but predictable break into the Capitol through a window, were ardent followers that far-right activists would take up the same destructive tactics.” of QAnon, the conspiracy theory that prophesies an event called That’s nonsense, said Anna North in Vox.com. The colossal failure “The Storm,” when Trump will capture and execute his political to protect the Capitol stems from “the inability of law enforce- opponents. An Alabama man allegedly parked a truck two blocks ment officials to see Trump supporters—a group of mostly white from the Capitol with 11 homemade bombs and two guns inside. Americans, some of them law enforcement officers themselves—as a real threat.” You’ll never see a more graphic demonstration of Although the rioters failed to stop Congress’ certification of what white privilege means. While trespassing and trashing the Biden’s victory, said Greg Sargent in WashingtonPost.com, right- Capitol, attacking cops, and hunting senators and congressmen wing extremists are hailing it as “a huge and momentous success.” on live TV, the MAGA thugs and terrorists laughed, celebrated, They managed to storm the seat of U.S. democracy and force ter- and took selfies. The police acted with great restraint as their col- rorized members of Congress to flee the chamber and delay their leagues were punched, sprayed with mace, beaten with an Ameri- vote. Trump’s presidency will soon be over, but the Capitol siege can flagpole, and in the case of Officer Brian Sicknick, 42, fatally was “a propaganda coup” that could energize far-right extremists struck in the head with a fire extinguisher. Indeed, several Capitol “for a long time to come.” Noted

Q Flu cases are down 98 percent in the Q President Trump is the did not exhibit symptoms, a new study U.S. this year, according to the Centers first chief executive since has found. That includes people who for Disease Control and Prevention. The Herbert Hoover to preside ultimately went on to exhibit symptoms unprecedented decline was driven by over his party’s loss of the (35 percent) and those who never showed mask wearing and other Covid preventive White House, the House, symptoms (24 percent). measures, fewer people traveling, and a and the Senate in a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention record number of Americans receiving flu single term. He’s also Q The Secret Service is swapping out sev- vaccinations. the first president since Hoover to leave eral agents who guarded President Trump NBCNews.com office with a net loss of jobs, with some over concerns that their politics are too 4 million lost since 2016. Q New data show that 2020 was tied with closely aligned with him. Joe Biden will The New York Times m

2016 for the hottest year on record. The be protected by agents who served him o c s

Q w

past six years are the six hottest on record. Nearly 60 percent of new coronavirus during his stint as vice president. e N

,

The Washington Post y CNN.com infections can be traced to someone who t t e G

THE WEEK January 22, 2021 Talking points NEWS 17

The GOP: Facing a post-Trump schism Wit & The Capitol riot “will go Capitol.” A large faction of down as the day that broke the party is “literally in favor Wisdom the Republican Party as we of authoritarianism.” The “It’s funny. All you have know it,” said Burgess Ever- old GOP “is gone forever,” to do is say something ett in Politico.com. After said John Daniel Davidson in nobody understands and rampaging Trump support- TheFederalist.com. Trump’s they’ll do practically any- thing you want them to.” ers sent frightened legislators 2016 win marked a pro- J.D. Salinger, quoted in the into hiding, the GOP faced found shift in the Republican Williston, N.D., Herald its “ultimate reckoning with electorate—a populist upris- Trumpism.” Confronted ing by rank-and-file voters “We are what we pretend to be, and so we with the damage wrought “fed up with an entrenched A QAnon supporter at the rally last week must be careful what by Trump’s anti-democratic establishment beholden to a we pretend to be.” authoritarianism—and the loss of the presidency, donor class” that paid only “lip service” to their Kurt Vonnegut, quoted in the House, and now the Senate—“the party must priorities: safe borders, protecting workers from The Atlantic decide whether to continue embracing the ousted globalization, an end to foreign wars. By channel- “Show me a hero, and I’ll president or finally move on.” How this “war ing their frustrations, Trump “offered the party write you a tragedy.” for the soul” of the GOP will resolve is “the new life and a new direction,” and that populist F. Scott Fitzgerald, central question now hovering over America’s genie is not going back into the bottle. quoted in the Ogden, Utah, political landscape,” said Michael Scherer in The Standard-Examiner Washington Post. At stake is whether the GOP The GOP “could really collapse,” said Ross “All things are so very will become “an extension of QAnon” or “can Douthat in The New York Times. The “implicit uncertain, and that’s emerge from the Trump era as a potential govern- bargain of the Trump era” required traditional exactly what makes me ing coalition built around ideas and some shared Republicans to swallow a measure of insanity in feel reassured.” agreement on facts.” exchange for a hold on power. But an increas- Author Tove Jansson, quoted in BrainPickings.org ingly unhinged GOP dominated by fantasies of Every Republican appalled by “Trump’s attempted a Trump revival in some form “could become “Freedom of opinion is coup” must face a harsh reality, said Jonathan genuinely untenable” for moderate suburbanites, a farce unless factual Last in TheBulwark.com: Many of their col- corporate executives, and center-right Republi- information is guaranteed leagues cheered it on. Despite no evidence of cans like Sen. Mitt Romney, and force them to and the facts themselves are not in dispute.” significant fraud, about half the GOP’s congres- “jump ship.” Many a prediction of “the crack-up Philosopher Hannah Arendt, sional delegation voted to overturn the presiden- of American conservatism” has come to naught. quoted in The New York Times tial election—“even after the sacking of the U.S. “But breaking points do come.” “That of course is the advantage of being a pes- simist; a pessimist gets Trump: Should he be criminally prosecuted? nothing but pleasant sur- prises, an optimist nothing President Trump “should be criminally investi- never reached it, said Jeffrey Scott Shapiro in The but unpleasant.” gated” for inciting the Capitol riot, said Randall Wall Street Journal. He never called for violence Writer Rex Stout, quoted in Eliason in The Washington Post. For weeks, in his speech— indeed, while urging his supporters ArtsJournal.com to “fight harder,” he told them to march on the he “whipped up” his far-right supporters with “Remember your unfounded conspiracy theories about election Capitol to, as he put it, “peacefully and patrioti- humanity; forget the rest.” fraud, then summoned them to Washington for his cally make your voices heard.” In Brandenburg Bertrand Russell, quoted in “Save America” rally, promising that it “will be v. Ohio, the Supreme Court ruled that speech The Times (U.K.) wild.” At the rally, he urged thousands to march that advocates illegal conduct is protected unless on the Capitol, telling them to show “strength” it threatens to incite “imminent lawless action.” and “fight like hell” to keep Democrats from When the president spoke, “there was no ‘public Poll watch “fraudulently taking over our country.” This disturbance,’ only a rally.” Q74% of Americans behavior “seems to fall comfortably” within the believe democracy is legal definition of several crimes, including “rebel- Still, with Trump facing so many potential crimi- “under threat.” 56% think lion and insurrection,” “seditious conspiracy,” nal charges after he leaves office, “a self-pardon that President Trump and “incitement of a riot.” Let’s also not forget his may prove tempting,” said David Yaffe- Bellany in was responsible for earlier phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Bloomberg.com. But a self-pardon has “weak legal inciting the mob at the Brad Raffensperger, said Ian Millhiser in Vox.com. foundations” that fly in the face of the Founders’ Capitol, including 94% of A recording of the call shows that Trump pres- intention to curb any public official’s “absolute Democrats. But 80% of sured the election official “to find 11,780 votes,” power.” In fact, a self-pardon might “increase the Republicans think Trump or the exact number he’d need to win the state. chances” that Trump is prosecuted, said Benjamin shouldn’t be blamed. Only He openly threatened Raffensperger, saying he Wittes in TheAtlantic.com. It would represent “a 33% of Americans ap- prove of President Trump, could be charged with a crime if he didn’t support taunt” to the Justice Department, which would tying his lowest rating in have to bring a case against him to challenge the Trump’s bogus claims of fraud. These actions may August 2017, though 71% have violated several state and federal laws. absurd notion that every president can break laws of Republicans continue with impunity, and then issue himself a “get-out- to approve of him.

y As a former federal prosecutor, I can tell you that of-jail-free card.” If that case reaches the Supreme t Quinnipiac University t e

G the bar for crimes of incitement is high—and Trump Court, Trump will very likely lose.

THE WEEK January 22, 2021 18 NEWS Pick of the week’s cartoons

THE WEEK January 22, 2021 For more political cartoons, visit: www.theweek.com/cartoons. Pick of the week’s cartoons NEWS 19

THE WEEK January 22, 2021 20 NEWS Technology

Media power: Twitter, Facebook kick off Trump President Trump’s purge from social York Times. The right-wing social net- media has raised urgent questions about work surged in popularity when Trump the thought of “so much control resting was blocked by Twitter and “was even in so few hands,” said Kevin Roose in a logical choice to become Mr. Trump’s The New York Times. Twitter’s perma- next megaphone.” But Google and Apple nent suspension of Trump’s account last quickly banned it from their app stores, week was “cheered” by many liberals and Amazon kicked it off its cloud plat- “as an overdue and appropriate step to form after citing “98 examples of posts prevent more violence,” after his posts on its site that encouraged violence.” falsely claiming a “stolen” election incited Now Parler’s “future appears bleak.” a bloody coup attempt at the U.S. Capi- tol. Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg Social media companies are trying “to also suspended Trump’s account, at least act responsibly in the face of Trump’s ir- until Inauguration Day. The bans have The end of the permanent online Trump rally? responsible words and actions,” said John “turned up the heat on a simmering free- Harris in Politico.com, but such actions speech debate.” Stripping the president of his cherished access could have unintended effects. “If there’s any unifying thread of to more than 88 million followers on Twitter and 35 million on the conservative movement,” it is the hope to make the filters Facebook revoked his “ability to commandeer the world’s atten- of the media establishment obsolete. The efforts of tech giants tion with a push of a button.” Trump could start his own social to “reassert the filter” will be met with fierce resistance. Silicon network, but “it’s doubtful the president will ever have what Valley is just trying to “truckle to the progressives who will soon he had in Facebook and Twitter.” That means that Zuckerberg dominate Washington,” said The Wall Street Journal in an edito- and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey “have a kind of authority that no rial. But “political segregation” of the internet will only deepen elected official on earth can claim.” the country’s tribalism and mistrust. Consider the words of Alexei Navalny, the Russian dissident who was poisoned last year. He Trump hasn’t really been “silenced,” said Michael Hiltzik in said that while Twitter is a private company, “we have seen many the Los Angeles Times. He still “has plenty of opportunity to examples in Russia and China of such private companies becom- reach out to a vast audience,” via speeches, right-wing websites, ing the state’s best friends.” and Fox News. Social media companies have struggled “with how far to go to rein in political speech,” but “that wasn’t the The president’s posts were “arguably no worse than stuff he’s issue here.” Trump’s incendiary tweets “went far beyond politi- posted before,” said Evelyn Douek in TheAtlantic.com. “Mean- cal speech” and were the equivalent of shouting “Fire!” in a while, the Taliban’s official spokesperson still has a Twitter ac- crowded theater. The tech giants are finally recognizing their count.” So was the Trump ban “just political expediency,” or the impact on people, said Peter Singer in DefenseOne.com. “They start of a new era of “coherent and consistent decision making”? are not just tech creators or even the equivalent of news-media I now believe that Twitter and Facebook’s Section 230 liability editors. After years of dodging it, they get that they are running shields should be revoked, said Joe Nocera in Bloomberg.com. information war zones,” with real-world consequences. That would force them to “quickly change their algorithms to block anything remotely problematic.” People could still discuss Those consequences may bring down Parler, which “appeared politics but without libeling opponents or “hurling anti-S emitic poised to capitalize on growing anger at Silicon Valley in con- slurs.” It would harm their business models, but “they have done servative circles,” said Jack Nicas and Davey Alba in The New the country a lot of harm,” and it would be worth it.

Bytes: What’s new in tech

Google activists launch a union between Google engineers, who work on graphs and prints, though you have to More than 400 engineers and work- autonomous cars, artificial intelligence, shoot each one at a time. “If you’re deal- ers at Google formed a union last week and internet search, and the company’s ing with hundreds of photos,” I recom- following years of increased employee management.” Google workers have been mend the $600 Epson FastFoto FF-680W activism, said Kate Conger in The New among the most vocal critics of their own scanner, which digitizes “them in bulk, York Times. The Alphabet Workers company, on subjects ranging from the a photo as fast as every second, send- Union—named after Google’s parent handling of sexual harassment complaints ing them to your computer via USB or company, A lphabet—was “organized in to contracts with the Defense Department Wi-Fi.” For old slides, I bought the $160 secret for the better part of a year.” It is and Customs and Border Protection. Kodak Scanza Digital Film Scanner. It’s “a so-called minority union,” represent- easy to “pop your slide or negative” into ing a small fraction of Google’s workforce Best ways to save old memories the machine, which scans the image to with the intention only “to give structure Digitizing your old photos and videos an SD card. Converting old videotapes and longevity to activism at Google.” But doesn’t have to be a struggle, said Joanna at home requires a device that can play it represents a “rare beachhead for labor Stern in The Wall Street Journal. Apps them, and “then you need another de- organizers in staunchly anti-union Silicon like Google Photoscan or Photomyne’s vice to record, like the $170 ClearClick

Valley” and will likely “ratchet up tensions Photo Scan are cheap and easy for photo- Video2Digital Converter 2.0.” y t t e G

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-PZOLY0U]LZ[TLU[Z5>-PZOLY*YLLR+YP]L*HTHZ>(  0U]LZ[TLU[ZPUZLJ\YP[PLZPU]VS]L[OLYPZRVMSVZZ7HZ[WLYMVYTHUJLPZUVN\HYHU[LLVMM\[\YLYL[\YUZ 22 NEWS Health & Science

Fears over South African Covid variant Scientists are increasingly concerned researchers is that the South African vari- that a new coronavirus variant linked ant has a unique mutation in its “receptor to an explosion of cases in South Africa binding domain”—part of the spike pro- could make existing Covid-19 vaccines tein that the virus uses to enter cells. That’s less effective. First detected in August, also a key site where neutralizing antibod- the variant is more infectious than most ies, generated in response to an infection previous forms of the virus and has accel- or a vaccination, latch on to the virus. One erated a second wave of the disease in new study, which hasn’t yet been peer South Africa. The strain shares several reviewed, found that in some people this mutations with a separate fast-spreading mutation reduces the disease-blocking A coronavirus testing site in Johannesburg variant that was discovered in the U.K. in abilities of antibodies that target earlier December and has since shown up in the strains of the virus. “At this moment, we the Financial Times. But “between all the U.S. Scientists suspect the South African think that a vaccine could be a little less varieties of vaccines that are coming to variant is no deadlier than other exist- effective,” lead researcher Tulio de Oliveira, the market, we still have strong belief that ing strains of the disease. What worries from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, tells some of them will be very effective.”

Covid-19. That’s the surprising finding of Mysterious signal from space researchers at the Cleveland Clinic, who Astronomers hunting for signs of alien life used artificial intelligence to analyze a have detected a beam of radio waves com- registry of nearly 27,000 patients at the ing from the direction of the star Proxima hospital. The team discovered that patients Centauri—and they don’t know its source. who took melatonin, widely known as the “It’s some sort of technological signal,” Sofia sleep hormone, were 28 percent less likely Sheikh, a researcher on the Breakthrough to test positive for Covid-19, with that Listen project, tells The New York Times. figure rising to 52 percent among black “The question is whether it’s Earth technol- patients. Other scientists are also looking ogy or technology from somewhere out into the correlation between melatonin and yonder.” Proxima Centauri is the closest Covid-19, with eight clinical trials ongoing Cold temperatures can help generate ‘good fat.’ known star to the sun, about 4.24 light- around the world, reports The Atlantic. It years from Earth, and part of the three-star Benefits of brown fat remains unclear whether people who take Alpha Centauri system. It has at least two If you want to live longer, it might help to melatonin are less susceptible to the virus planets, one of which is in the so-called hab- have more fat—brown fat, that is. Unlike because of the supplement itself, or because itable zone, where temperatures might allow white fat, which stores energy in pockets they’re getting better sleep. Lead researcher for water on the surface. The narrow-band around the body, brown fat helps burn Feixiong Cheng says he and his team don’t radio signal was detected by an observatory calories and create heat. This so-called good yet know the “exact mechanism” at play. in Australia in 2019 and had a frequency fat is common in newborns, but in 2009 But he thinks it may be linked to the fact of 982 MHz. Natural cosmic phenomena, scientists discovered that some adults have that melatonin has a role in regulating the such as exploding stars, typically broadcast it, too. In a new study, scientists analyzed immune system, helping to prevent self- on a wide range of frequencies. False alarms PET scans of about 52,000 cancer patients. defense responses from going into overdrive are common in this field, and the signal is They found signs of brown fat in nearly and turning on the body. If melatonin does most likely human-made radio interference. 10 percent of the group—and discovered prove effective, it will be the cheapest and “But so far,” says lead investigator Andrew that those individuals were less likely to most readily accessible treatment for Covid. Siemion, “we can’t yet fully explain it.” suffer from type 2 diabetes, abnormal cholesterol levels, hypertension, congestive directed at a specific fish partner,” these heart failure, and coronary artery disease. Eight-limbed ocean bullies punches were sometimes thrown to stop That was true even if the patient was obese. Octopuses are some of the a fish from gobbling prey It’s not clear why brown fat appears to smartest creatures on the that the octopus wanted. But have this effect. It might help lower blood planet. Studies have shown at other times there appeared glucose levels and could possibly participate they can solve problems, use to be no logical reason in hormonal signaling to organs. There is tools, escape captivity, and behind the blows. One pos- some evidence that brown fat can be gen- possibly even display humor. sibility is that the octopuses erated through exercise, good sleep, and As well as being brainiacs, it were trying to keep poten- frequent exposure to the cold. But scientists now seems these cephalopods tially mischievous fish in line say more research is needed. Senior author can also be bullying brutes. so that they could work bet- Paul Cohen, from the Rockefeller University Researchers made the discovery ter together in the long term. while studying videos of octo- Another possibility, says lead Hospital in New York, tells ScienceDaily Sucker puncher puses working with fish to find researcher Eduardo Sampaio, .com this will be “an exciting space for food in the Red Sea, reports The Times from the Marine and Environmental scientists to explore in the upcoming years.” (U.K.). They saw that during these hunting Sciences Centre in Lisbon, is that octo- y m a sessions, the octopuses would occasion- puses are thugs who get a thrill from l A

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Melatonin vs. Covid s ally “punch” out at fish. Described as a hitting something smaller. In other words, r e t u

The over-the-counter sleep aid melatonin “swift, explosive motion with one arm the assaults are motivated by “spite.” e R

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THE WEEK January 22, 2021 ARTS 23 Review of reviews: Books

was a city of wood: buildings, roads, and Book of the week sidewalks included. Already, though, the The Age of Wood: Our Most rise of fossil fuels had triggered an explo- sion of innovation that was replacing Useful Material and the wood—with glass, iron, steel, concrete, Construction of Civilization and eventually plastics. In the end, “two by Roland Ennos or three generations is about all it took to (Scribner, $28) unmoor humanity from the substance it had relied on since the birth of the species.” “From the forest canopy to s kyscrapers, As Ennos points out, the ecological conse- the whole human story can be told from quences have been catastrophic. the perspective of wood,” said Michael Strevens in The New York Times. Biol- “In a final chapter, the author considers o gist Roland Ennos does just that in his A Stone Age man uses fire to hollow out a canoe. a few ways that trees and wood might be perspective- altering new book, which points used to ameliorate environmental degra- out that even the Stone, Iron, and Bronze shipbuilding, are described with a precise, dation and climate change,” said Gerard Ages, wood was more critical to human almost mesmerizing detail.” Helferich in The Wall Street Journal. He existence. His account starts long before lauds recent efforts at tree planting and that, because our clawless fingers are inheri- The story of America’s rise can hardly be rewilding, as well as innovations such as tances from primate ancestors who needed told without wood, said Daniel Immerwahr engineered lumber that can be used to build them to swing from trees, and also because in The New Republic. Pre- Columbian skyscrapers up to 80 stories tall that will primates are just as apt to create spears and North Amer i ca was especially rich in thick consume less carbon than a steel structure. digging tools from wood as early humans forests, and Britain, confronting a shortage But even Ennos would admit that such were. Wood fires were even more trans- of timber to house and warm its popula- interventions are insufficient. “In the end, formative, enabling humans to cook food tion, had a strong incentive to colonize the our reliance on coal and oil has brought and fuel the growth of their unusually large newly discovered continent. The develop- with it daunting ecological challenges, and brains. Ennos sometimes moves almost ment of balloon-frame construction in the our old benefactor wood, however gener- too quickly, but the “principles of every mid-1800s made housing cheap and easy, ous in the past, cannot be counted on to significant technology, from tree felling to and Chicago, before the Great Fire in 1871, help us meet them.”

Mozart: The Reign of Love Though it runs 800 pages, Swafford’s Novel of the week by Jan Swafford (Harper, $45) Mozart “has a wholly thrilling ‘you are Big Girl, Small Town there’ impact,” said Carl Rollyson in the by Michelle Gallen San Francisco Chronicle. The book opens You probably with 4-year-old Wolfgang surprising his (Algonquin, $17) already know a family by playing a lively harpsichord pat version of In Michelle Gallen’s “inventively foul- piece by ear. Soon his father, also a musi- Mozart’s life story, mouthed gem of a novel,” the perspec- cian, had him performing for royalty, and said Tim Page in tive we get on small-town life in North- before Wolfgang reached 20, he had written ern Ireland is anything but sentimental, The Washington several operas. Instead of crashing like so said Anna Mundow in The Wall Street Post. After all, many other prodigies, he steadily grew in Journal. Majella O’Neill, our guide to “audiences have prowess. And though he fought with his dreary Aghybogey, works at the local been captivated for father over money, he was a self-d irected chip shop, looks after her alcoholic centuries by the sen- mother, and feeds her mind’s craving timental tragedy of master of his art who was, in every sense, for order by keeping a running list of a doomed wunder- “playing all the time.” In his letters, many things she hates. Yet even given Majel- kind betrayed by newly available, he’s jovial, bawdy, and la’s life, the kin she’s lost in the Troubles, often hilarious. and a grandmother just brutally mur- life, misunderstood by his contemporaries, dered, Big Girl, Small Town “defies and laid in what is invariably described as gravity” on the strength of its deadpan a ‘pauper’s grave.’” Jan Swafford’s excellent Mozart did suffer some heartbreak, said wit. The regulars at Majella’s shop are at new biography offers a slightly different Jessica Duchen in The Sunday Times once “hilariously odd and desperately picture. Though history’s most celebrated (U.K.). And there’s no avoiding his early tragic,” said Ron Charles in The Washing- child prodigy died when he was only 35, death, which Swafford attributes not to ton Post. When they offer gossip, jokes, his time on earth was mostly rewarding: He poisoning, as has been speculated since or condolences, our gruff heroine usu- was a hard worker who fulfilled his early Mozart’s time. “No, the killer was his life’s ally responds by simply asking for their promise, made many friends, and reveled in purpose: his music.” He took on so much order. “But if Majella’s spoken range is naughty humor. Swafford, a composer him- work that he was simply too worn down to curtailed, her interior range is vast,” her self, has written biographies of Beethoven, fight off whatever ailment struck him in late growth across 300 pages is subtle but 1791. This book restores the man and his e Brahms, and Charles Ives, and he reports c r stirring, and there’s a wonderful “literary u o that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart stands artistry to vivid life. “For many, his works S

alchemy” in scene after scene. “It’s the e c

n apart in that cohort as “the sanest, most are dear old friends. You can come away

e kind of magic you’ll feel lucky to find.” i c

S gregarious, least self- flagellating.” from this book feeling that he is, too.”

THE WEEK January 22, 2021 24 ARTS The Book List

Author of the week Best books…chosen by Bruce McCall Bruce McCall’s new memoir, How Did I Get Here?, revisits his Ontario childhood George Saunders and varied career as a onetime ad man who became an illustrator and humorist for Few writers understand the National Lampoon, The New Yorker, and, briefly, the original Saturday Night Live. mechanics of the short story better than George Saunders, Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert (1856). owe a debt of gratitude to Maxtone-Graham. said Connor Goodwin in The The gaps in my formal education led to more Open Secrets by Alice Munro (1994). As a Wall Street Journal. “A gentle than a few gaps in my tally of the classics. At age fellow southwestern Ontarian, I can attest to giant of American letters,” the 40, I had never read Madame Bovary. My wife, 62-year-old has been teaching the stinging veracity of Munro’s depictions of Polly, rightly insisted that I right this wrong. The a conformist, rigidly Calvinist world of modest creative writing at Syracuse book is romantic as hell, and just as tragic. University lives and even more modest expectations, where since shortly Washington: A Life b y Ron Chernow (2010). shame inevitably gnaws and one’s personal after his I once accompanied Ron on research expeditions discontent is hidden or denied. All of this was debut collec- to Princeton and Valley Forge, talking nonstop rich territory for a scholar of everyday despair. tion, 1996’s (mostly me asking him questions and listening). Munro is also funny and, again, Canadian. What CivilWarLand I was relatively new to American history before more could you want? in Bad Decline, reading Washington, at least to the particulars of The Gift b y Vladimir Nabokov (1938). A won- won wide the first phase of the American experiment under derful story: the age-old love between a guy and acclaim. His Washington and others. Chernow is a master a gal, made unique because everything Nabokov unique perspective on story- storyteller—end of story. craft springs in part from his did was unique. All of Nabokov’s books could background in engineering, The Only Way to Cross b y John Maxtone- have a place on my list, but The Gift is the one which trained him to value Graham (1972). The history—or “saga,” more that I keep at hand. ruthless efficiency in pursuit fittingly—of the great transatlantic ocean liners. The White Nile b y Alan Moorehead (1960). I of any goal, including the goal The book’s vivid details and many anecdotes are hadn’t read much, if any, travel literature when of grabbing and holding a matched in their capacity to produce pleasure this came out. Moorehead was an intelligent reader’s interest. In his new by the design and technical profiles of the ships. writer and a serious student of the regions he book, A Swim in a Pond in the Shortly after reading this book, I painted my covered—not a given in travel writing, I would Rain, which grew out of a class R.M.S. Tyrannic series for National Lampoon, discover. I’ve never traveled to Africa myself, so I he teaches, he deconstructs and it’s one of best things I ever published, so I thank Moorehead for the next best thing. stories by Tolstoy, Chekhov, and other Russian masters, using plenty of chatty lan- guage alongside orderly charts Also of interest...in profiles in courage and tables that illuminate the authors’ methods. Dancing in the Mosque Unsinkable by Homeira Qaderi (Harper, $27) by James Sullivan (Scribner, $30) The book isn’t for technical- minded writers only, said Homeira Qaderi is a “born rabble- Accounts of humble self-sacrifice and Killian Fox in TheGuardian rouser,” said Elisabeth Egan in The devotion to duty are always welcome, .com. Saunders champions New York Times. Despite having said David Thoreen in The Boston Russian fiction because the grown up in an Afghan culture that Globe, and in times like these, “we stories all have a moral- teaches women to step back, she need them.” Revisiting the story of ethical core. “They’re all responded to a Taliban takeover by the USS Plunkett and how it survived pretty much about: Will this starting a secret school for girls. Her “stunning” an intense 1944 aerial attack, journalist James guy live? Did this person do memoir is addressed to the young son who was Sullivan has taken on “a task of immense com- right or wrong?” he says. “I taken from her and “shows the evolution of a plexity” and deepened the drama by fitting the understood pretty early that’s nimble writer whose courage has been honed by incident into the life journeys of five crew mem- what writing was for: to help loss.” Though her story is heartbreaking, it’s “also bers. The result is “a kind of miracle,” and an you live a better life, to have alive with curiosity and subversive joy.” evocation of the America we should be. a moral relation with life.” Though he knows his ideas Waste The Book Collectors could be called old- fashioned, he argues fiction trains us to by Catherine Coleman Flowers (New Press, $26) by Delphine Minoui (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $25) connect with a wider range of “Catherine Coleman Flowers is a Even the most modest library can other minds and also to not force of nature,” said Don Noble in be “a lifesaving symbol of civiliza- fully trust e motion-d riven first the Tuscaloosa, Ala., News. In her tion,” said Martha Anne Toll in NPR impressions. A story, he says, memoir, the lifelong activist from .org. Journalist Delphine Minoui was is “like a laboratory to help Lowndes County, Ala., recounts how reminded of this in 2015, when she you identify your own habits and projections,” whereas she won removal of her high school began chatting online with young social media platforms principal, fought for social justice everywhere men from a besieged Syrian city who were quietly she has taught, and has returned to Lowndes to assembling a book collection in an abandoned l encourage hot takes that l a C amplify biases. “The deeper fight for residents exposed to resurgent parasitic building, stashing Palestinian poetry, Shakespeare, c M

a

diseases by grossly inadequate sewage conditions. and American self-help books. Though Daraya d

parts of our brain,” he says, n a

The crisis is complex, “but having read Flowers’ eventually fell, “it is heartening to remember that m

“are actually more empathic.” A

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life story, I am sure change will happen.” heroes emerge in unpredictable places.” A

THE WEEK January 22, 2021 Review of reviews: Art & Music ARTS 25

Immersive art: The light shows that are eclipsing traditional museums Have you ever wanted to feel as if plans to spin off similar complexes you’ve stepped inside a van Gogh in four other U.S. cities. A venture painting? In 2021, “you’ve got called Superblue that aims to showcase options,” said Brian Boucher in the experiential contemporary art of ArtNet.com. At least four different such proven museum draws as James Instagram-friendly light installations Turrell and the Tokyo-based collective inspired by the work of the one-eared TeamLab is pushing ahead with plans Dutch wonder are being mounted for two additional for-profit art centers at various sites across the U.S. At even after Covid forced postponement the Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, of the opening of its Miami flagship. Fla., a multisensory show featur- ing large projections of van Gogh’s For good reason, the rise of immer- most famous works opened in sive art “makes the art world ner- November. In March, a Canadian vous,” said Brian Droitcour in Art in entertainment company is scheduled America. The cost of producing these to launch “Immersive van Gogh” in A rendering of the coming van Gogh show in Indiana high-tech experiences bars indepen- San Francisco. Three months later, dent artists from participating, while postpone openings and slash workforces, a permanent installation titled “LUME,” the focus on the pleasure a viewer takes investors are at this very moment pouring produced by the same Australian firm in documenting the experience for social “hundreds of millions of dollars” into the behind the Florida show, will take over the media blurs the line between art and mar- companies poised to dominate this emerging contemporary art galleries at Indianapolis’ keting. Still, who can dismiss the joy gener- entertainment industry when travel restric- Newfields museum. It’s a “transcontinental ated by a TeamLab installation that allows tions are finally lifted. The gambit “has battle of illuminated van Goghs”—and it visitors to “splash” across the surface of surprised market watchers,” and comes would have been even bigger had a Parisian a koi pond and transform the fish swim- as many nonprofit traditional museums outfit not recently decided to postpone its ming underfoot into bursts of flowers? As struggle to hang on. But experiential art has New York City debut until 2022. could be said of any previous art form, “the a solid track record of attracting ticket buy- best immersive work draws on historical Even the pandemic hasn’t halted the rise ers hungry for dramatic selfie backdrops. traditions and contemporary vernaculars, of immersive art experiences, said Zachary The Santa Fe–based collective Meow Wolf melding different ways of looking and mak- Small in The New York Times. Though welcomed half a million visitors into its ing. The new art is unlike last century’s art. major for-profit players have had to 70-room art funhouse in 2019, inspiring That’s what makes it exciting.”

Morgan Wallen Aaron Frazer Steve Earle & the Dukes Dangerous: The Double Album Introducing... J.T. ++++ ++++ ++++ On his new double Aaron Frazer simply On this tribute album album, rising star had to go solo at some to a son who died too Morgan Wallen pre- point, said Timothy young, “the mood is sents less as the future Monger in AllMusic surprisingly upbeat,” of country music and .com. The drummer said Lee Zimmerman in “more as the sum- for Durand Jones & AmericanSongwriter mation of its last the Indications “won .com. Though alt-coun- decade,” said Jonathan a lot of hearts” when try rabble-rouser Steve Bern stein in Rolling Stone. The 27-year-old the band released “Is It Any Wonder?” a Earle is clearly still hurting over the death in former Voice contestant “has a penchant for 2016 track that showcases Frazer’s h oneyed August of 38-year-old Justin Townes Earle, making classic Nashville themes his own.” falsetto, and producer Dan Auerbach he and his band “emphasize energy and He can make you believe he discovered of the Black Keys turned out to be one enthusiasm” as they run through 10 of the pickup trucks and Jack Daniel’s himself, and of the song’s instant fans. Unlike many younger singer-songwriter’s tunes here. there are tracks here where he successfully soul-revival projects, the 12-song set that “That’s especially evident on such rambunc- incorporates “the whitewashed R&B of Sam the pair have come up with never resorts tious selections as ‘I Don’t Care,’ ‘Maria,’ Hunt, the everyman beer guzzling of Luke to rote imitation, thanks to “top-notch” ‘They Killed John Henry,’ and ‘Harlem River Combs, and the bruised bravado of Chris arrangements and songcraft. Every tune Blues.’” The record is “not without its sober- Stapleton.” Wallen’s “husky, emotive voice” “fits the ’60s/’70s vibe,” but co-writers ing moments,” though, including “Turn Out never fails him. Unfortunately, Dangerous Frazer and Auerbach load them with My Lights,” whose lyrics seem to address feels 17 songs too long, with “stretches that memorable melodies. Curtis Mayfield the troubles Justin wrestled with before his are as unconvincing as they are dull.” But and M arvin Gaye will come to mind in accidental overdose. “Last Words,” a Steve the only true clunkers arrive when Wallen “Bad News,” while Frankie Valli lives on Earle original that closes the album, “lands “tries to get too bawdy, too rap-adjacent,” in the glorious opener, “You Don’t Wanna with the emotional impact of a wracking said Rob Harvilla in TheRinger.com. “No, Be My Baby,” said Mark Kennedy in the sob,” said Eric Danton in Paste Magazine s e his lane is Guy You Bring Home to Mama.” Associated Press. “One spin and you’ll be .com. Over spare guitar, Earle sings in his c n e i r He’s “just so consistent” and “so chill” that spellbound.” Frazer and Auerbach have gravelly drawl about holding his newborn e p x “you can’t help but love him.” He “sounds son, the heartache of being powerless to

E made “revival soul worthy of Motown and e d like a one-man Eagles reunion, ‘a peaceful save him, and their final phone call: “Your n Stax. It is music to dance to, drive to, cook a r

G easy feeling’ incarnate.” to—2021 starting with the coolest of highs.” last words to me were, ‘I love you, too.’”

THE WEEK January 22, 2021 26 ARTS Review of reviews: Film & Home Media

ing persona limits the potential surprises: require directorial flourishes, said Devika “The film feels almost too built around his Girish in The New York Times. But beyond signature nobility to ever gain much in the its “frenzied” editing“ and fancy CGI way of actual drama.” Still, the dynamic effects, Bryan Fogel’s new film does “drive between Kidd and his young charge makes home the pathos of Khashoggi’s story” this Paul Greengrass picture “very much while offering fresh insight into how the worth seeing,” said Joe Morgenstern in The former royal insider became an assas- Wall Street Journal. The girl speaks only sination target. Even the embellishments Kiowa, but as played by Helena Zengel, “impress acutely upon us the injustice of a she conveys volumes through her silences. world where money and geopolitics super- “You know a movie has you hooked when sede human rights.” (In select theaters and you catch yourself wondering, with sudden $20 on demand) PG-13 Hanks and Zengel: Homeward bound intensity, what in the wide world she must be thinking.” (In select theaters and on The Reason I Jump News of the World demand) PG-13 The experience of autism is so individual- ized that it “can never truly be shared,” said ++++ Other new films David Ehrlich in IndieWire.com. But this “If there is an actor better equipped than Some Kind of Heaven “lovely” documentary, based on a memoir Tom Hanks to stand up in front of a crowd Life inside America’s largest retirement com- written by a nonspeaking 13-year-old, does desperate for hope, truth, and decency, he munity can seem like “one big Carl Hiaasen a remarkable job of helping viewers grasp doesn’t come to mind,” said Justin Chang novel waiting to happen,” said Anthony how neurodivergent people experience the in the Los Angeles Times. In this “imperfect Lane in The New Yorker. That’s how direc- world. Instead of merely telling the mem- but sensitive” neo-Western, the two-time tor Lance Oppenheim chooses to portray oirist’s story, it tells several. It can’t fully Oscar winner plays a Civil War vet who the Villages, playing up how wrong things explain how its subjects think, but encour- works as a traveling newsreader in 1870s can go when 130,000 seniors collectively ages us to try. ($12 on demand) Not rated Texas, reciting articles to small-town audi- commit to living to the max in their own ences. “Now as ever,” Hanks exhibits “a rare Orlando-area enclave. One guy in his 80s The Marksman gift for making simple decency look compel- gets busted for cocaine; another fancies Liam Neeson is giving his “reluctant man ling,” but his Jefferson Kyle Kidd soon has himself a sexy gold-digger. You root for a of action” persona “quite a pandemic a more pointed mission. Encountering an widow who’s just trying to get by. (In select workout,” said AVClub.com. Here he plays abandoned girl—a white 10-year-old who’d theaters and $7 on demand) Not rated an ex-Marine sharpshooter who’s strug- been captured and raised by the Kiowa— gling to hold on to his ranch near the Kidd decides to deliver her to immigrant The Dissident Mexico border when he inadvertently relatives 400 miles away. Unfortunately, said A documentary about the killing of Saudi becomes the guardian of a boy chased by A.A. Dowd in AVClub.com, Hanks’ upstand- journalist Jamal Khashoggi shouldn’t a drug cartel. (In theaters only) PG-13

Video games: Four indie standouts you might have missed Hades return home. No available path leads Hades became hard to overlook when to pain, fear, or suffering. Instead, it regularly headed critics’ year-end Top you can manipulate the map Carto 10 lists. Still, this hand-drawn game traverses to create her path, generat- from a small San Francisco shop exem- ing opportunities to explore various plifies how indie producers transcend biomes, discover new cultures and the hollow fantasies of average violent customs, and meet a motley array blockbusters, said Simon Parkin in of characters. “It’s not quite Ghibli NewYorker.com. The action unfolds in or Pixar, but it doesn’t need to be. the realm of Greek myth, which, true Carto’s infectious charm is in a league to the source material, is “a world of of its own.” All platforms Kardashian-esque gossip and intrigue, Kasio and friends in If Found... loyalty and bitchiness.” You play as If Found... Zagreus, an angsty teenage son of Hades play as Ori, an adorable sprite who jumps, This visual novel from a small Irish studio who is desperate to escape the underworld glides, and dashes through a mystical world “isn’t a happy story—it’s an honest one,” and join his buddies on Mount Olympus. of twilight forests while encountering odd said Garrett Martin in PasteMagazine Countered by the schemes of an infuriating creatures and complex puzzles among the .com. Its protagonist, Kasio, is a young father, you die repeatedly. “The game’s dif- gnarled trees and slanting beams of fading transgender woman who’s struggling to ficulty is part of its joy,” though, because sunlight. “Confession: Sometimes I boot up reintegrate in her rural hometown after each attempt to crawl out of hell yields Will of the Wisps and don’t even play it. I a liberating stint at a Dublin university. more “perfectly pitched” storytelling, just turn it on and treat it as if it’s a living Kasio’s story unfolds within an illustrated and you can’t help but want to try again. painting. The game really is that beautiful.” diary, and players use an eraser to wipe e v

Nintendo Switch, or Steam Xbox, Nintendo Switch, or Steam away painful memories in order to help i t c a r

her move on, working toward self-deter- e t n I

Ori and the Will of the Wisps Carto mination. “There’s a good chance you will a n r u p

The gorgeous sequel to 2015’s Ori and the In this “decidedly chill” puzzle game, said cry, perhaps more than once,” during the a n n A

Joshua Khan in Wired.com, you play as

Blind Forest “can fool us into believing it’s two hours it takes to play If Found... “But , l a s r

an interactive animated film,” said Todd Carto, a young girl who has been separated there are also moments of joy, love, and tri- e v i n

Martens in the Los Angeles Times. You from her grandmother and just wants to umph.” Nintendo Switch or Steam U

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Streaming tips The Week’s guide to what’s worth watching

Where girls rule... One Night in Miami Chilling Adventures On the night in 1964 when Cassius Clay upset of Sabrina Sonny Liston, four legends convened at a Miami Children of the 1990s who motel to celebrate. No one knows just what loved Sabrina the Teenage Malcolm X, singer Sam Cooke, NFL super- Witch have been nearly as star Jim Brown, and boxing’s new, 22-year-old spellbound by this darker take heavyweight champion discussed, but first-time on the Archie Comics icon. director Regina King has made their imagined The show’s final season, conversation so compelling that she and her four which dropped on Dec. 31, stars are all earning Oscar talk. With Kingsley finds Kiernan Shipka’s Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge, and Leslie Sabrina facing her “Queen Odom Jr. Currently streaming on Amazon Prime of Hell” doppelgänger and some scary beasts. Netflix WandaVision Marvel’s first sitcom might blow some viewers’ The Baby-Sitters Club Odom’s Sam Cooke in One Night in Miami The pitch-perfect new series minds. Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen co- adaptation of Ann M. Martin’s star, reprising their roles as Vision and Wanda aide to ruthless predator. Available for streaming hit ’90s novels for preteens Maximoff, aka the Scarlet Witch. Except here Friday, Jan. 22, Netflix arrived this summer and the android and the conflicted mutant inhabit an earned universal acclaim for alternate reality where they are a married sub- Painting With John its casually appropriate woke- urban couple living out a dream life shaped by Thirty years ago, John Lurie, a musician and ness and the four lovable classic TV depictions of the same. Kathryn Hahn film actor who knew nothing about fishing, middle schoolers every epi- co-stars as their nosy neighbor. Currently stream- hosted a six-episode fishing show that had such sode is built around. Netflix ing in Disney+ a strange magic that it maintains a cult follow- Diary of a Future President ing. Now he is back, this time as a sort of anti– Another show focused on the American Masters: How It Feels to Be Free Bob Ross, living on a small Caribbean island, challenges of middle school, In the mid–20th century, a new breed of black creating paintings filled with “angry trees,” and this charming series stars female entertainer rose to meet the moment. mixing instructions on watercolor technique Tess Romero as a bighearted This rousing documentary pays tribute to six with rambling advice on how to live a creative kid fumbling through early artists—Lena Horne, Abbey Lincoln, Nina life. Friday, Jan. 22, at 11 p.m., HBO adolescence with the help of Simone, Cicely Tyson, Diahann Carroll, and her BFF, who’ll still be with Pam Grier—who combined immense talent as Other highlights Blown Away her when she becomes the performers with a determination to change how A new season begins for the surprisingly capti- first Cuban-American to oc- black women were seen and treated. Halle Berry, vating competition show about glassblowing. cupy the Oval Office. Disney+ Alicia Keys, and Lena Waithe help elucidate these Available for streaming Friday, Jan. 22, Netflix The Wilds trailblazers’ legacies. Monday, Jan. 18, at 9 p.m., Think Lost, except that the PBS; check local listings The Sister survivors in this month-old From Luther creator Neil Cross comes a sus- The White Tiger drama series are teenage penseful, sometimes spooky four-part tale about A servant learns to roar in this sweeping film girls stranded after a plane a man haunted by a dark secret he’s never told set in stratified modern-day India and based on crash on a deserted island. his wife. Available for streaming Friday, Jan. 22, Aravind Adiga’s award-winning 2008 novel. The twist: They didn’t wind Hulu up together by accident. Adarsh Gourav plays Balram, a young man who Amazon Prime justifies his murderous and corrupt rise to mogul- Euphoria: F--- Anyone Who’s Not a Sea Blob Teenage Bounty Hunters dom by the inequities he witnessed as a driver for The second of two special Euphoria episodes It won’t get a Season 2, but a brash member of the landlord class. Priyanka focuses on Jules, as the trans teen played by this 2020 comedy drama Chopra Jonas co-stars as the woman who unwit- Hunter Schafer spends Christmas reflecting on the series deserved better, be- tingly triggers Balram’s conversion from selfless past year. Sunday, Jan. 24, at 9 p.m., HBO cause M addie Phillips and Anjelica Bette Fellini have great chemistry as twins Show of the week balancing school and a part- Gomorrah time gig assisting a bounty The third season of this Italian-language series hunter. Netflix took three years to reach the U.S. But its arrival Julie and the Phantoms reaffirms that Gomorrah stands with previous What any teenage aspiring classics as a next-level organized-crime saga. singer needs is a ghostly boy With Don Pietro lying bloodied and dead, it’s band as backup. That’s what time for his son, Gennaro, to seize control of one L.A. high schooler gets Naples and beyond—though such schemes are when a CD that belonged to always more complicated when your father’s her dead mother summons assassin is an ex-rival you tapped for the job. As three musicians who died the Savastano empire expands, alliances shift,

and the body count mounts, two female lieuten- O

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ants begin ruthless rises of their own. Available , It’s also great fun. Netflix n o z

Deadly allies: Marco D’Amore and Salvatore Esposito for streaming Thursday, Jan. 21, HBO Max a m A

THE WEEK January 22, 2021 • All listings are Eastern Time. Marketplace

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New ideas, products and experiences from our advertisers 30 LEISURE Food & Drink Skillet meatloaf: A weekend treat that will pay off for days The recipe below “may look a little intense,” egar, and ½ tsp black pepper in a blender said chef Hugh Acheson in How to Cook and puree until smooth. Transfer to a (Clarkson Potter). But much of the work is saucepan and cook over medium-low heat in pre- preparing a sofrito for the glaze, and until thick, 10 minutes. Remove from heat. sofrito “deserves a place in your fridge.” The Spanish-style paste is a flavor bomb In a large bowl, combine beef, mushroom that you’ll use to enhance everything you mixture, cooled vegetables, parsley, egg, cook during the week that it’ll last in your 1 tbsp salt, paprika, and pepper to taste. fridge. Dilute it with broth to stew chicken Mix until beef is tacky. In a 10-inch cast- in; stir it into sautéed ground beef for tacos iron skillet, heat oil over medium heat until one night, or simply add it to cooked rice. shimmering. Spread meat mixture evenly in skillet and place in oven. Roast for 20 min- Roast your own red bell peppers for the utes, then top with ½ cup glaze. Continue best- tasting sofrito. Your week will begin cooking until internal temperature is 145– with a juicy meatloaf painted with a sweet- 150, 10 to 20 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes. tart sauce. It can go anywhere from there. The meatloaf with an onion slaw Cut into wedges. Serves 4.

Recipe of the week 1 large egg Red sofrito (3 cups) Skillet meatloaf Diamond Crystal kosher salt 2 tbsp olive oil • 1 onion, small-diced • 2 tbsp unsalted butter 1 tsp paprika 2 garlic cloves, minced • 2 shallots, minced • 2 medium garlic cloves, minced 1 tbsp canola oil 1 tsp paprika • 4 oz canned diced green 1 medium onion, minced ½ cup sofrito (recipe below) chiles • 2 roasted red bell peppers, peeled, ½ cup minced carrot 2 tbsp packed light brown sugar seeded, and chopped • 1 28-oz can chopped ½ cup minced celery ½ cup cider vinegar tomatoes, drained • ½ cup chicken stock 1 slice bread, crusts removed, torn into ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper rough pieces Add oil to a large skillet and place over 4 oz white mushrooms In a large skillet, heat butter over medium medium heat. When hot, add onion, garlic, ½ cup red sofrito (recipe below) heat until it foams. Add garlic, onion, car- and shallots. Cook until onions start to 2 tbsp packed light brown sugar rot, and celery and cook until softened, brown, about 12 minutes. Stir in paprika; ½ cup cider vinegar about 5 minutes. Let cool. In a food proces- cook 2 more minutes. Add chiles, roasted Freshly ground black pepper sor, coarsely chop bread and mushrooms. pepper, tomatoes, and stock. Bring to a 1½ lbs ground beef (use 80 percent lean) boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until ¼ cup finely minced flat-leaf parsley Prepare glaze: Combine sofrito, sugar, vin- almost dry, 30 minutes. Add salt to taste.

Spirits: Bottled adventure Kitchen know-how: The art of freezing and thawing meat As stay-at-home routines stretch to near- Everybody has been learning to stock more ly a year, said Brad Japhe in Bloomberg food at home during the pandemic, and “your .com, “fans of fi ne spirits are cracking freezer is an important part of that strategy,” open a creative workaround: travel by said Becky Krystal in The Washington Post. bottle.” Producers have lately been Meat and seafood can last indefi nitely when rolling out various spirits, including the frozen; only the fl avor and texture suffer if three below, that are richly evocative of left too long. For best results, follow these place. Ask for help, and your liquor store guidelines. can become “a travel agency where a Speed the freeze. Meat maintains its texture round-the-world itinerary awaits.” and fl avor best if it’s frozen quickly or in air- Träkál ($40). This Andean liquor— sealed packaging—to prevent the formation a cross between gin and brandy— of large water crystals that break down the Tomorrow’s dinner, pulled from the freezer is made by distilling crabapple and meat’s cell structure. To accelerate freezing, make sure your freezer is at 0 degrees or pear and infusing the base spirit with lower and let cold air circulate around the meat until it’s frozen. Ground meat will freeze macerated Chilean berries and herbs. faster if you create an indentation at the center. Nixta Licor De Elote ($32). This “fun, Thaw with patience... Thawing meat on the kitchen counter is “never, ever a good fl avorful, and fl exible” liqueur from idea,” because bacteria thrives at room t emperature—or anywhere between 40 and central Mexico is derived from an- 140 degrees. Budget time instead for the meat to thaw in the refrigerator: 24 hours for

cestral cacahuazintle maize. “Think chicken breasts or a couple pounds of ground beef; 24 hours per every 5 pounds of a y r e k

of the best corn bread you’ve ever bigger cut. a B

a eaten,” but stirred into a cocktail. …Or in a cold-water bath. A microwave can be used in a pinch for thawing, but the i d e M

Oka Kura Japanese Bermutto ($30). risks of drying out or otherwise degrading the meat are higher. A better idea is to let , e e

This “silky smooth” vermouth is the meat sit in a cold-water bath. The meat needs to be in a leak-proof bag or container L

s made from sake and offers “subtle and you should replace the water every 30 minutes so that it doesn’t get too warm. The a m o h T rice undertones” offset by top good news is that water transfers heat to meat 20 times faster than air. Plan for an hour w e notes of citrus and sansho pepper. of thawing per pound of meat. r d n A

THE WEEK January 22, 2021 Coping LEISURE 31

Pandemic vices: The battle against our new bad habits For many of us, saying no to temptation also say that women are more likely than has not been easy for the past 10 months, men to turn to alcohol when coping with said Elaina Patton in NBCNews.com. isolation issues. Fortunately, many women “Drinking an extra glass of wine here, are seeking treatment, and online support eating half a birthday cake in one sitting groups are multiplying. Loosid, a two- there—whatever it takes to escape the year-old social and dating network for constant strain of life under lockdown.” people living in sobriety, saw a 3,000 per- But the attitude that helped us get cent uptick in messages and posts last through April can be harmful for any- year. The Sober Mom Squad, a support one who’s self-medicating or otherwise network founded in March, offers virtual indulging to excess as social distancing roundtables for all types of moms, includ- and lockdowns stretch into the new year. ing the “sober curious”—people just Doctors can explain why such habits are beginning to re-evaluate their alcohol use. hard to shake: Chronic stress, such as that With life on pause, alcohol use is up. created by a pandemic, floods the brain Reigning in overuse of alcohol “requires a with cortisol, a hormone that inhibits function of the prefrontal lot of introspection,” said Katie Way in Vice.com. To get started, cortex—the decision-making part of the brain that helps us resist “keep track of what triggers the urge to drink.” If you drink to the urge for immediate gratification. Booze, gambling, pornogra- fight anxiety, depression, or loneliness, address the root of the phy, even compulsive online shopping are all ways for the brain problem—your mental health—by seeking help via teletherapy to score a shot of the feel-good chemical dopamine. or telepsychiatry. Free online support groups are also available at Alcoholics Anonymous (al-anon.org) and the Anxiety and Alcohol abuse by women has been a particular problem, said Depression Association of America (adaa.org). In the meantime, Alix Strauss in The New York Times. Martha Duke, a New York “lean on your loved ones,” satisfying your need for socialization City mother who’s been sober since 2018, began hearing cries for by calling more often or spending quality time with the people help months ago. “I know too many women,” she says, “who you reside with. A regular routine is crucial, too: “Exercising went from one or two glasses to two bottles of wine to vodka regularly, waking up and going to bed at roughly the same time in your coffee cup.” She and others blame a “mommy wine cul- every day, and sitting down for three square meals will go a long ture” that normalizes unhealthy drinking habits. Psychologists way toward maintaining a healthy mental equilibrium.”

And if you’re bored... Distancing season: Making the most of it How to talk to anti-vaxxers to see.” Always remember that using social Everyone shares a duty to combat the “riptide media is not a mindless activity, and that dur- of misinformation” about Covid vaccines ing Covid it serves “a real social-emotional that is circulating online, said Jessica Guynn function.” Take a similar approach with video in USA Today. Unjustified fears that prevent games. Instead of simply condemning them, people from being vaccinated “could cause sit down with your children and play one, needless deaths,” so speak up. It’s generally which they’ll understand as “a sign of love, respect, and the desire to understand instead When the headlines get you down, useful to repeat any false idea just before re- try taking the long view—an futing it so that the person who shared it feels of critique.” astronomically long view, said heard and so you can address potential causes Marina Koren in TheAtlantic.com. of the misunderstanding. Avoid technical jar- Meeting new people at a distance For 30 years, the Hubble Space gon, use visual data where appropriate, and “It can be tricky to make friends anywhere, Telescope has been capturing daz- include simple declarative statements, such as and trickier in rural places, and even trickier zling images of distant galaxies, star “The vaccine is safe.” Can the vaccine give during a pandemic,” said Blair Braverman in clusters, and nebulae, and they’re you Covid or alter the human genome? No OutsideOnline.com. If you’re experiencing all free to peruse at NASA.gov. “You and no, as you can learn to explain by con- such isolation, try connecting with neighbors don’t have to be an astronomer in by seeking online forums or grabbing flyers order to appreciate them.” They sulting The Covid-19 Vaccine Communication are, to begin with, simply pretty, Handbook, available at sks.to/c19vax and au- from bulletin boards at the local grocery, bar, and they “can serve as momen- thored by experts in vaccines and virology. or community center. “Look for clubs, com- tary distractions, small bursts of mittees, and volunteer groups,” ideally those wonder, and they might even be Don’t stress about kids’ screen time that focus on outdoor activities. You could good for the mind.” When you gaze Parents once considered screen time misspent pitch in at the farmer’s market, join a ski club, across the expanse of space, “feel- time, but that idea is “an outdated relic,” show up for trail-cleanup days, or help plan ings of awe kick in,” often leading said Kara Baskin in The Boston Globe. In an annual festival. “Rural friendships tend to a sense of insignificance. That

A 2021, “we live a digital existence,” and strict to converge around what people like to do S

A may sound like a feeling you want N

policing of kids’ social media usage is apt to together, and that’s part of the beauty.” And , y to avoid, but as research shows, “a r e k backfire. Offer your children simple guidelines don’t limit yourself to finding friends of the a shot of awe can boost feelings of B a i instead, such as the grandma rule: “Don’t put same age or background, especially if you’re d connectedness with other people.” e

M anything online that you don’t want Grandma pretty new to this whole adulthood thing.

THE WEEK January 22, 2021 32 Best properties on the market This week: Homes in Rhode Island

1 W Jamestown Inwood is a cedar-shingled, five- bedroom home overlooking Mackerel Cove. The open-plan house includes a living room with French doors to a large mahogany deck and a screened porch; a library with a patio; a chef’s kitchen with a butler’s pantry; and a main bedroom with a spa bathroom and a balcony. The 2.8-acre landscaped lot features an arbor path to the water’s edge and is half a mile from the beach and area parks. 6 $4,995,000. Nicole Carstensen, Mott & Chace / Sotheby’s International Realty, (401) 633-5968 Rhode 3 Island 2

5 1 4

2 X Portsmouth This three-bedroom home on the Sakonnet River offers views extending to Little Compton and the Atlantic. The 1964 Cape Cod–style house has vaulted ceilings, oversize windows, geothermal heating throughout, a gourmet kitchen, a dining room with fire- place, and a large music room. The 3-acre wooded property features lawns, gardens, mature flowering shrubs, a walled flagstone terrace, and a wooden staircase leading down to the river. $3,900,000. Ann Conner and Tina Wiley, Gustave White/Sotheby’s International Realty, (401) 924-1510

3 X Providence Built in 1930, this four- bedroom neo- Victorian was upgraded in 2019 but retains historic de- tails. The house fea- tures a grand foyer; parquet and marble floors; multiple fire- places, one with an ornate wood mantel; a chef’s kitchen; a master suite with a rooftop terrace, dual dressing rooms, and a marble bath; and an office with walls of bookshelves and a hidden door. Outdoor spaces include a mahogany terrace with a pergola. $1,547,700. Jacob Rochefort, Residential Properties Ltd./Luxury Portfo- lio International, (401) 688-3000

THE WEEK January 22, 2021 Best properties on the market 33

4 X South Kingstown Liberty Call stands on a 0.75-acre oceanfront lot with panoramic views of Block Island Sound and Green Hill Pond. The three-bedroom house is available fully furnished and has an open floor plan, a living room with built-ins and fireplace, a main bedroom with pri- vate balcony, and a third- floor sleeping area and rooftop deck. The beach is steps away, and the lot includes an outdoor shower and a storage area for gear. $1,899,990. Lisa Chaloux, Coldwell Banker Realty, (860) 997-7767

Steal of the week

6 S Woonsocket T he 1919 Walter Gaskill House stands in the North End, known 5 S Westerly This four-bedroom home in the Watch Hill for historic architecture. The neighborhood was built in 1970. The house features French three-bedroom home has doors, detailed wood floors, a vaulted great room, an oversize period built-ins, glass hard- dining room with crown molding, an upstairs master suite ware, and crown molding with two bathrooms and a sleeping porch, and a recently throughout; an updated kitch- added first-floor suite with a sitting room and wet bar. en with the original glass cabinets; a solarium; a dining room; and The 1.1-acre lot is landscaped with trees, lawns, gardens, a master suite with French doors to a private terrace. The quarter- brick walkways, specimen plantings, and a swimming pool. acre lot features perennial gardens, lawns, and a detached two-car $2,195,000. Donna Simmons, Mott & Chace/Sotheby’s garage with loft, and is walking distance to area parks. $419,000. International Realty, (401) 439-0268 Jessica Giorgi, Williams & Stuart Real Estate, (401) 231-9497

THE WEEK January 22, 2021 34 BUSINESS The news at a glance

The bottom line Corporations: Cutting cash to Trump loyalists Q A Securities and Exchange A growing boardroom It’s easier to withhold contribu- Commission program that boycott is threatening the tions at the start of a new polit- pays whistleblowers for tips GOP after last week’s riot ical cycle, said Michael Hiltzik has paid out $737 million to 133 people since 2012, includ- at the U.S. Capitol, said in the Los Angeles Times. “No ing $114 million to one person Alex Isenstadt in Politico one will really notice the drying last year. The SEC received .com. Hallmark, American up of corporate spending unless 6,900 tips alleging white- Express, AT&T, and Blue it persists past midyear 2021.” collar malfeasance in its 2020 Cross Blue Shield were Not willing to help overturn election It’s unlikely it will, because the budget year. among several dozen businesses that announced Supreme Court’s 2010 ruling for Citizens United Bloomberg.com “they were cutting off Republicans who chal- opened the door to unlimited corporate contribu- Q President-elect Biden’s lenged the election results,” stinging lawmakers tions, and companies have gotten used to taking choice for Treasury secretary, “who have come to rely on” corporate donations full advantage. In 2020, corporate political con- Janet Yellen, collected more through political action committees, or PACs. tributions reached $3.2 billion. Business have had than $7 million in speaking It’s not the first clash between the business com- plenty of chances to change this, yet they have fees over the past two years from major corporations and munity and the Trump administration, which lost “consistently opposed shareholder resolutions Wall Street banks. Biden’s support from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce this calling for disclosure of political spending.” Until choice for secretary of state, summer. Still, “it’s a momentous decision for com- something is done about that, I suspect it will soon Antony Blinken, was paid panies to turn off the cash spigot.” be “back to business as usual.” nearly $1.2 million for consult- ing to corporations. Stocks soar on tips The New York Times Intel: CEO fired as top chipmaker struggles from TikTok touts Q Elon Musk passed Intel fired its chief executive, Bob Swan, this week after the company Social-media platforms Amazon CEO Jeff “lost its status as America’s highest-valued chipmaker” and got “dumped TikTok and Twitter have Bezos as richest by Apple,” said Asa Fitch in The Wall Street Journal. Under Swan, who man in the world become “the new Wall became interim CEO in 2018, Intel’s technological prowess has fallen Street trading desks,” last week. The two well behind that of foreign chip companies like Taiwan Semiconductor have traded places said Caitlin McCabe in Manufacturing Co. and Samsung. Apple ended a 15-year partnership The Wall Street Journal. in the top spot sev- under which Intel supplied the processors for its Mac computers. Last eral times, as Perhaps nowhere is the Tesla’s share month, the activist hedge fund Third Point sent a letter to Intel’s chair- enthusiasm for the mar- price has gyrated. Musk’s man saying the company’s “woes could threaten the U.S. tech industry.” ket greater these days net worth this week stood than in online communi- at $183.8 billion, $1.4 billion Finance: Deutsche Bank ends business with Trump ties, where young inves- ahead of Bezos’. Two of Donald Trump’s longtime lenders cut ties with the president this tors eagerly “piggy back Forbes.com week, said Sophie Alexander in Bloomberg.com. Deutsche Bank, the on each other’s ideas Q China’s trade surplus with lender Trump turned to when others abandoned him after several bank- and trades.” As of this the U.S. hit a record high, ruptcies, will not conduct “any further business with Trump and his month, “posts tied $37.4 billion, in November, company.” Rosemary Vrablic, Trump’s banker, resigned from Deutsche to #stockmarket had with $52 billion in exports to Bank last month; Trump still owes the bank $300 million. Signature garnered over 800 mil- America. The total U.S.-China Bank, a “New York lender that’s long catered to his family” said it’s lion views on TikTok,” triple the figure from deficit for the first 11 months closing two personal accounts in which Trump held about $5.3 million. of 2020 was $287 billion. In June. Gavin Mayo, a a deal with Trump, China Boeing: 737 Max returns to U.S. service 19-year-old student at agreed to accept $172 billion Boeing’s 737 Max jets returned to the skies last month after a worldwide the University of North Carolina, “says he typi- in imports from the U.S., but grounding that lasted for 20 months, said Leslie Josephs in CNBC .com. through November reached cally spends anywhere only 51 percent of the goal. American Airlines was the first U.S. carrier to reintroduce the Max after from one to five hours Bloomberg.com it was cleared by regulators, “with a flight from Miami International a day scrolling TikTok, Q According to Nielsen, Airport to New York’s LaGuardia.” United Airlines and Southwest said YouTube, and other plat- 55 percent of Americans they expect to start Max flights again soon. Boeing also avoided crimi- forms for ideas on what played video games during nal prosecution in a settlement with the Justice Department that requires to trade while churning the first phase of lockdowns it to pay $2.5 billion in fines and compensation. out video snippets to last year. Digital-game sales more than 60,000 of hit $126.6 billion in 2020. Airbnb: Shutting down all inauguration bookings his TikTok followers.” TheVerge.com Airbnb canceled all reservations in the Washington metro area over A small number of Q Taxes, fees, and surcharges inauguration week after reports of plans to disrupt the proceedings, said companies have gained make up 22.6 percent of the Emily Davies in The Washington Post. The home-sharing platform also an outsize profile on average U.S. wireless service blocked new bookings after the FBI this week warned of more armed TikTok; videos featuring bill. Average monthly service protests being planned for Washington. Airbnb grew alarmed after dis- NIO, a Chinese electric- bills have dropped 26 percent covering accounts for “numerous individuals” that had been “involved car maker whose stock since 2008, but wireless taxes has risen 15-fold in s

in the criminal activity at the Capitol building.” The company said it r e have increased 50 percent. one year, have gained t u

would ban anyone “associated with the insurrection” and would reim- e R

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burse guests and hosts for the canceled bookings. A

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Markets: Investors struggle to navigate U.S.-China rivalry Days before Donald Trump leaves the White Despite the short-term risks, larger inves- House, new rules about investing in Chinese tors “still see reason to increase holdings companies have “flummoxed financial insti- of Chinese stocks in their long-term port- tutions” and investors, said Eric Platt in the folios,” said Reshma Kapadia in Barron’s. Financial Times. Last week, the New York One factor: China’s economy is recovering Stock Exchange announced it would heed an from the pandemic faster than others. The executive order banning investment in com- enthusiasm is tempered, though, by fears of panies that have ties to the Chinese army. The a regulatory clampdown on financial com- exchange then dropped its plan to delist three panies, raising “questions about the future Chinese tech firms days later, then reversed of Alibaba and fintech giant Ant Group.” course yet again “under pressure from the Fund managers “have played down worst- Trump administration.” Further whipsaw- case scenarios,” such as a government ing investors, the U.S. also threatened to add China Mobile was delisted by the NYSE. takeover of internet companies. Still, inves- Chinese megafirms Alibaba and Tencent to the U.S. investment tors are spooked by questions about how much freedom China’s blacklist before Trump leaves office. Many funds aren’t even at- companies will have—concerns exacerbated by the mysterious tempting to decipher the swiftly shifting rules and are just cutting disappearance from the public eye of Jack Ma, “the typically stakes in Chinese companies. A transition in the White House ubiquitous Alibaba co-founder and China’s richest man.” may not alter this dynamic. “This is a rivalry that is likely to be with us regardless of the change in the U.S. administration,” says Delisting won’t solve anything, said Tim Culpan in Bloomberg one fund manager. .com. Depository receipts account for a meager percentage of the companies’ total shares, so it will hardly hurt financially. It does, Overseas companies selling shares on U.S. exchanges are actually however, make the NYSE look less like the “center of global listed through American depositary receipts, or ADRs, said Chong capitalism” than “simply a domestic institution” subject to U.S. Koh Ping in The Wall Street Journal, which enable investors to “whims.” Trump never learned that curbing Beijing requires buy stakes “without the complexity of buying shares overseas.” “more than tough rhetoric and a few strokes of the pen,” said If shares are delisted, “only non-American entities will want to Gina Chon in BreakingViews.com. Just as “lawsuits tripped up buy” them, making them more difficult, but not impossible, to other hurried blocks on TikTok and WeChat,” the NYSE’s flip- unload. If you already own ADRs of the three most recently de- flop was the result of another “rushed and ambiguous” edict. listed firms, there’s no requirement to sell them until November. Investors are caught in the middle again.

What the experts say Charity of the week Don’t overlook traditional mutual funds choice but to embrace” a new model. Many Around the Some of the year’s best-performing mutual have added software that allows customers world, the funds are still losing customers at a record to “browse inventory, apply for credit, and pandemic pace, said Michael McDonald and Annie choose a payment schedule.” Others even offer has not only put stress Massa in Bloomberg.com. “Will Danoff’s “virtual test drives” to show off in-car technol- on medical $134 billion Fidelity Contrafund returned ogy, and “touchless” vehicle deliveries to shop- systems but also left hospitals running 32 percent last year, nearly 15 percentage pers at home. Surprisingly, dealerships have increasingly short of funds. Friends points better than the S&P 500.” But inves- been “more profitable than ever.” Online cus- Without a Border (fwab.org) offers free quality and compassionate health care tors yanked a net $23.4 billion out of the fund tomers “know exactly what they want,” and to patients in Cambodia and Laos. FWAB this year. By contrast, more than $200 billion the typical three-hour showroom visit has been operates three facilities—a children’s poured into exchange-traded funds that are reduced to “a 15-minute online purchase.” hospital in each country and a cluster of now “on course to permanently supplant floating medical clinics in the isolated The ongoing Bitcoin frenzy fishing villages of northern Cambodia. human decision-makers.” Active managers While coronavirus cases in these coun- with stellar records are struggling to attract Bitcoin continued its record surge in the first tries remain low, economic disruptions new money over the cheaper alternatives. week of the new year, said Arjun Kharpal and have caused increases in child malnutri- Fidelity charges 85 cents per $100 invested Ryan Browne in CNBC.com. The digital coin tion and the need for treatment. Since its inception in 1993, FWAB has treated in Contrafund, while passive investment in hit $40,000 last week to “lift the entire crypto- 2 million children and become one of the an ETF that tracks the S&P 500 “can cost as currency market above $1 trillion for the first most essential health-care institutions in little as 3 cents per $100.” time,” as more investors fear missing out “on Cambodia. In addition to providing aid opportunities to make a quick, easy gain from at its own clinics and hospitals, FWAB Buying a car without the dealer hassle also trains doctors and nurses to serve in the bull run.” Bitcoin’s value surged 40 per- other parts of the region. “It took a pandemic to drag the car-buying cent in the past 12 months. Investors have process into the 21st century,” said Joann tapped Bitcoin as a “safe-haven asset” and Each charity we feature has earned a Muller in Axios.com. For years, purchasing hedge against inflation concerns “as govern- four-star overall rating from Charity an automobile had remained “stubbornly low- ments around the world embark on large-scale Navigator, which rates not-for-profit tech,” thanks to car dealerships protected by fiscal stimulus programs.” A recent research organizations on the strength of their state franchise laws and worried about missing note from JPMorgan said “Bitcoin could hit finances, their governance practices, and the transparency of their operations. opportunities to upsell customers. But after $146,000 in the long term as it competes with Four stars is the group’s highest rating. P the Covid-19 outbreak, “dealers had little gold as an ‘alternative’ currency.” A

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Biden agenda: Democrats look to robust spending Democrats’ unexpected gains in the Sen- Investors expect Democratic control of ate, thanks to two wins in Georgia, have Washington means more government “breathed new life into President-elect Joe spending, and that’s exactly what they Biden’s economic agenda,” said Anneken want. Wall Street now believes the Tappe in CNN.com. The timing is critical. Democrats “are the best party to get “America’s economy needs more assistance the economy out of its growth slump.” beyond the stimulus bill President Trump signed into law” at the end of last year. “Is economic policy really this easy?” That became clearer following the release of asked Daniel Tenreiro in the National the December jobs report last week, which Review. Maybe we can just spend our showed that the recovery has “ground to a way out of recessions, “but an under- halt.” The economy shed 140,000 jobs last appreciated pillar of economic policy month, far more than economists had pre- Senate control expands Biden’s options since Reagan is a strong dollar.” That’s dicted, and the unemployment rate failed to what has created an “Imperial Circle,” improve for the first time in seven months as states are reimpose keeping capital from foreign investors flowing into the U.S. But lockdown restrictions. The discouraging numbers are “a big call the dollar has fallen roughly 8 percent since March. And wild to action for the incoming Biden administration,” and he’ll now spending could push it down further, “removing a key pillar have a Democratic majority in the Senate to execute it. of U.S. economic policy.” Biden could also stifle the economy through reregulation, said Steven Malanga in City Journal. An important lesson Biden should take from the Trump economy, The Obama administration “issued some 22,700 rules in eight said Neil Irwin in The New York Times, is that “the U.S. can sur- years,” and by 2016, the bill for “administering all the federal pass what technocrats once thought were its limits.” Economists government’s red tape amounted to $70 billion a year.” Biden warned that Republicans’ deficit-financed tax cuts would create will likely again “test the notion that government regulation is a short-lived “sugar high,” and low interest rates combined with the enemy of growth.” near-full employment would whip up inflation. But “these warn- ings did not come true.” The Federal Reserve put the brakes on Whether on spending or regulation, there are limits to what Biden the economy with a series of rate increases in 2015 out of “reli- can do, said Justin Lahart in The Wall Street Journal. With a very ance on old economic models” and “inflation-fighting muscle narrow Democratic majority in the House, “moderate Democratic memory.” But inflation stayed stubbornly below its 2 percent representatives and senators will hold more sway, and they will target. That is crucial, said Conor Sen in Bloomberg.com, because balk if they believe the price tag has become too high.” Raising what the economy needs right now is government spending to taxes now amid the pandemic is also “a nonstarter,” and “worries “kick-start a cycle of hiring, investment, and consumer spending.” about voter backlash in 2022” could “limit how far they will go.”

What happens when you’re a Bitcoin millionaire 18.5 million Bitcoin, around 20 percent—c urrently A $140 billion many times over, but “you forgot the password to worth around $140 b illion—appear to be in lost or your digital wallet?” asked Nathaniel Popper. Quite otherwise stranded wallets.” The central idea behind lost password a few people are finding out. “Stefan Thomas, a Bitcoin was that “anyone in the world can open a German-born programmer living in San Francisco, digital account and hold the money in a way no gov- problem has two guesses left to figure out a password that is ernment could prevent or regulate.” Unfortunately, Nathaniel Popper worth, as of this week, about $220 million.” Thomas that also means there’s no financial institution that The New York Times secured his 7,002 Bitcoin with an IronKey, a digital can replace your password and give you access to vault that is virtually impregnable to hacking. He your holdings. For now, Thomas has locked away then “lost the paper where he wrote down the pass- his IronKey, in case advances in cryptography ever let word.” He has tried eight possibilities; the IronKey him get in. He’s “also managed to hold on to enough allows 10 attempts. Thomas is far from alone. In the Bitcoin—and remember the p asswords”—to become estimate of one cryptocurrency data firm, “of the rich in the digital currency’s run-up.

Boeing got off easy in its settlement with the Justice one example, if Boeing had admitted that the new The DOJ Department, said Brooke Sutherland. Last week, planes required additional pilot training, it would the aerospace company agreed to pay $2.5 billion have had to give Southwest Airlines a $1 million lets Boeing to resolve a criminal charge with the DOJ. The deal rebate on each plane delivered. When things went laid much of the blame for two fatal crashes of the wrong, “it took many months and the ouster of CEO pass the buck 737-Max on “two Boeing Max technical pilots,” Dennis Muilenburg for Boeing to take full account- Brooke Sutherland citing their “misleading statements, half-truths, and ability for the two crashes.” Now Boeing is paying Bloomberg.com omissions” regarding the plane’s flight-control system. $2.5 billion in a deferred prosecution agreement. That explanation is convenient for Boeing. “I don’t Two-thirds of that sum, though, comes from compen- have the same insights the DOJ does into the specific sation to customers that Boeing has already planned actions of the employees,” but it was Boeing itself, for. Yes, Boeing has made changes since the crashes. s r

not the two pilots, that stood to gain many millions But the company’s behavior still reflects “deeper cul- e t u e

by cutting corners with the new system. To take just tural problems” that it has only started to fix. R

THE WEEK January 22, 2021 Obituaries 39

The bold designer who remade the fashion trade Farewell

Pierre Pierre Cardin revolu- at 14 became an apprentice tailor. These are some of the Cardin tionized the fashion After working in an administrative people, famous and not, 1922–2020 industry. The French position with the French Red Cross who have recently died designer rose to fame during World War II, Cardin moved from Covid-19. in the 1960s with bold, innovative to Paris, “intent on establishing him- Harold Budd, Los Angeles– designs, including the collarless Nehru self as a designer.” He apprenticed born composer and pianist jacket, an A-line minidress to be paired at top fashion houses before open- known for his minimalist with towering boots, and a space ing his own boutique in 1950. The and meditative works and race–inspired line that used materials debut of his ready-to-wear label nine collaborations with the such as vinyl and plexiglass to create years later “rocketed Cardin to global musician and producer Brian astronaut-style jumpsuits and three- fame,” said the Los Angeles Times. Eno, died Dec. 8, age 84. tiered dresses that hovered around the By the end of the 1960s, his imprint Klara Kasparova, Soviet body like UFOs. But Cardin made an even greater “was a magnet for the fashion-minded who found engineer who gave up impact on the business side. In the late 1950s he his designs to be hip, provocative, and sometimes her successful career to scandalized the elite French fashion world by mar- wonderfully outrageous.” become a full-time m entor keting ready-to-wear clothing that put his designs and de facto manager to As he built his global brand in the 1970s and ’80s, within reach of middle-class consumers. He sought her chess prodigy son, the Cardin expanded his focus beyond fashion to “the former world champion out new markets in Asia and the Soviet Union. And lifestyle surrounding it,” said The Washington Garry Kasparov, died Cardin was a licensing pioneer, stamping his name Post. He created an arts complex in Paris, bought Dec. 25, age 83. on everything from perfumes and bath towels to the storied restaurant Maxim’s, opened a string carpets and kitchen appliances. “His name can Theodore Lumpkin Jr., of luxury hotels, and acquired some 30 proper- be worn, walked on, slept in, sat upon, munched, one of the last surviving ties around the world. In Paris he was “a man drunk, flown, pedaled, or driven in 69 countries,” Tuskegee Airmen—the first about town,” who “hosted lavish galas” and was black pilots in the segre- said Time in 1979. “I was born an artiste,” Cardin “romantically linked to men and women.” In his gated U.S. military—who explained in 1987, “but I am a businessman.” later years he started an annual music festival, served as an intelligence Pietro Cardin was born in a small town outside opened a museum devoted to his designs, and in officer during World War II, Venice, said The New York Times, and grew up 2017, at age 95, launched a new Parisian bou- died Dec. 26, age 100. in east central France, “where his father was a tique. “I don’t stop,” he said. “Just like a painter Luke Letlow, Republican wine merchant.” He “first dreamed of acting,” or a writer, I need to express myself. My reason politician who was but shifted his interest to costume design, and for being is fashion.” elected to the House of Representatives late last year to represent Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District, The baseball manager who bled Dodger blue died Dec. 29, age 41, just days before he was due to Tommy Tommy Lasorda never minor leagues, playing for a stint with take his seat in Congress. held back. During his the then Brooklyn Dodgers. Hired as Lasorda Ashley Gomez, California 1927–2021 21 seasons as manager a scout for the team in 1960, he rose of the Los Angeles steadily through the organization, nurse who was 37 weeks pregnant when she was Dodgers, the Hall of Famer became becoming a minor-league manager rushed to the hospital with renowned for the profanity-laced and then joining the big-league club as breathing difficulties, died tirades—or “heart-to-heart” talks, as a coach in 1973. Appointed manager Jan. 3, age 30, two weeks he called them—he aimed at umpires three years later, “Lasorda groomed a after her sixth child—a and sportswriters. Lasorda also host of outstanding young players,” son, Corey—was born via berated his own players, but always said The New York Times. From emergency C-section. made clear he loved them, embracing 1973 to 1981, “he managed one of Fabrizio Soccorsi, Pope them after good plays and exhorting baseball’s most enduring infield align- Francis’ hand-picked per- them to greater heights. That combi- ments, with Steve Garvey at first base, sonal physician and former nation of hectoring and hugs proved a powerful Davey Lopes at second, Bill Russell at shortstop, head of the hepatology motivator: After Lasorda took over the team late and Ron Cey at third.” His management style was department in Rome’s San in the 1976 season, the Dodgers won National simple. “If you treat players like human beings,” Camillo–Forlanini hospital, League pennants the following two years and Lasorda explained, “they will play like Superman.” died Jan. 9, age 78. World Series titles in 1981 and ’88. A member “A heart attack in 1996 ended his managerial Nancy Bush Ellis, sister of the Dodger organization for eight decades, his career,” said the Associated Press, and he retired of President George H.W. belief in the team was total. “Cut my veins, and I with 1,599 career wins. But he remained a force Bush and aunt of President bleed Dodger blue,” he said. “If trouble comes, I George W. Bush, who with the Dodgers, representing the club at goodwill pray to that big Dodger in the sky.” despite being a longtime events. Lasorda made his last on-field contribution Democrat campaigned Born to Italian immigrant parents in Norristown, when he coached the underdog 2000 U.S. Olympic tirelessly to get both Pa., the young Lasorda “loved to do two things: team to gold in Sydney. His final ambition, he Republicans elected to the fight and play baseball,” said The Washington said, was to be buried under the pitcher’s mound White House, died Jan. 10, Post. A left-handed pitcher, he signed with the at Dodger Stadium. “And when some little ol’ left- age 94. ) 2 (

y Philadelphia Phillies out of high school and for the hander’s out there struggling, he’ll hear a voice. t t e

G next 14 seasons bounced around the major and ‘Slow down, son. Concentrate. You can do it.’”

THE WEEK January 22, 2021 40 The last word ‘Where’s Nancy? Where’s Nancy?’ The Capitol Police had assured Congress that rioters wouldn’t be able to get in, said Karoun Demirjian in The Washington Post. Then the mob broke through, and elected representatives and staff had to run and hide.

HE GROWING Trump’s supporters CROWDS outside began streaming east Tthe Capitol on along Pennsylvania Wednesday afternoon Avenue. They first sounded menacing but at reached the west side bay as senators began to of the building. The debate challenges to the crowd grew 10 deep, electoral college vote. A top then 20 deep as the adviser to Majority Leader soon-to-be rioters Mitch McConnell stepped spilled in along all out of the ornate chamber sides of the Capitol, for a short break. Alone in moving aside waist- the Capitol’s marble halls, high metal barriers. just outside the chamber’s A seeming fortress bronze doors, it was sud- from a distance, the denly apparent that the cita- Capitol contains more del of U.S. democracy was than 400 separate falling to the mob incited by doors, entryways, and President Donald Trump. ground-level windows. A cacophony of screaming, And police lines on all shouting, and banging echoed Rioters attacked the Capitol’s doors and windows with pipes and other objects. sides of the building from the floor below. McConnell’s security were collapsing. detail rushed past and into the chamber. The help—the secretary of the Army, the acting attorney general, the chairman of the Joint Before 1:30 p.m., Lofgren heard from staff adviser began walking toward the Rotunda that a wall of people had been able to push and came face to face with a U.S. Capitol Chiefs of Staff, governors of nearby states, the District mayor. into the Capitol steps on the west side. Police officer sprinting in the opposite direc- Through the windows of the House cham- tion. The two made eye contact, and the The McConnell adviser began calling and ber, Lofgren’s aides could see outside that officer forced out a single word: “Run!” texting former top officials at the Justice a ragtag group of rioters had climbed atop The aide to McConnell darted down a Department. Speaking in a whisper, he told the risers and the platforms. side hallway lined with offices. He jiggled one the situation was dire: If backup did not arrive soon, people could die. Outside on the west side of the building, a one locked doorknob, then another. A co- handful of Capitol Police officers had been worker poked his head out of the office N THE DAY of the rally, lawmakers backed into a corner, under the scaffold- of McConnell’s speechwriter. The adviser and their aides had already pre- ing holding up the inaugural stage. One lunged, pushing him and a colleague back Opared for Republicans to force a was pulled down a set of stairs and then inside. The screaming and shouting soon marathon day—perhaps 12 hours or more beaten and kicked while he tried to cover seemed right outside. Only then, a text of floor debate—before formalizing Biden’s his head. from the Capitol Police blared on every victory. The evening before, lawmakers phone in the room: “Due to security threat peppered top Capitol security officials with Atop the stairs, another had his helmet inside: immediately, move inside your office, questions. ripped off as he tried to hold up the last remaining metal barrier before the crowd take emergency equipment, lock the doors, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), the chair of could flood into the building. A person in take shelter.” the House Administration Committee that the mob sprayed something at an officer. Three senior GOP aides piled furniture oversees Capitol security, asked whether Another lifted a hammer above his head as against the door and tried to move stealth- Capitol Police had enough officers to han- if preparing to throw it, and then instead ily, worried that the intruders would dis- dle a crowd expected to reach 30,000, and began striking at the barrier, where officers cover them inside. In waves, the door to the if they had the National Guard on standby were holding it with their hands. hall heaved as rioters punched and kicked and available to help. Steven Sund, the it. The crowd yelled “Stop the steal!” Some chief of Capitol Police, insisted that, yes, House Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving assured chanted menacingly, referring to House they had both bases covered. Lofgren that things would be fine. The Speaker Nancy Pelosi, “Where’s Nancy? By around 1 p.m., as the joint session doors were all locked, he told her. “Nobody Where’s Nancy?” began, the mood in the crowd outside had can get in,” Irving said. Peering out a window into a courtyard started to shift. Trump had just given a HORTLY BEFORE 2 p.m., rioters were below, the adviser could see scores of one-hour speech to thousands of support- on all sides of the building. They people still streaming in—and no police in ers amassed on the Ellipse near the White Swaved Trump flags from landings sight. Armed only with their phones and House, excoriating his enemies and reit- and porticos, while the most violent rained some of the best Rolodexes in the world, erating his baseless claims of fraud. GOP pipes, rocks, and other objects on the ) 2 (

lawmakers and their aides began calling lawmakers, he emphasized, needed to take many doors and windows. One used a y t t e and texting anyone they thought could a stand. police shield to break a window. A rioter G

THE WEEK January 22, 2021 The last word 41 jumped through, followed by others who ROUND 2 P.M. on the Senate side, window. Outside in the hallway the intrud- either used the window or nearby doors. Vice President Mike Pence was in ers kept coming, trying to open doors. The the chair of the presiding officer McConnell aides heard a woman pray- On the second floor, Lofgren could see A when aides started motioning to Sen. ing loudly for “the evil of Congress to be the mob encircling a landing. She didn’t Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), who holds brought to an end.” yet know protesters were inside. She the largely ceremonial role of president again turned to Irving—what was going pro tempore of the Senate, that he had to The senior McConnell adviser reached a on? He said the National Guard was on replace him. The vice president hurried out former law firm colleague who had just left its way. In fact, Sund had just requested a door. At that moment, one floor below, the Justice Department: Will Levi, who had National Guard support from the Defense rioters crashed through windows and served as Attorney General William Barr’s Department. It would be hours before they climbed into the Capitol and clashed with chief of staff. They needed help—now, he would arrive. police, including a lone black Capitol Police told Levi. From his home, Levi immediately called FBI Deputy Director David Bowdich, A moment later, the thunderous sounds officer who tried to prevent them from who was in the command center in the of banging at exterior doors around the ascending toward the Senate chamber. FBI’s Washington Field Office. House side gave way to a crash of window A video captured by Igor Bobic, a congres- Capitol Police had said earlier that they glass and then shouts from rioters who sional reporter for HuffPost on the scene, had breached a second side of the building. didn’t need help, but Bowdich decided he couldn’t wait for a formal invita- At 2:14 p.m., Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) tion. He dispatched a tactical team had begun his speech objecting to to secure the safety of U.S. senators, Arizona’s Electoral College results. As with two more SWAT teams to fol- he spoke, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s low. “Get their asses over there. Go protective detail agents hustled her away. now,” Bowdich told the first team’s Moments later, there was yelling in commander. “We don’t have time to the gallery, as staff and security details huddle.” started to move around with a height- ened sense of alarm. From their secure locations, mean- while, Pelosi, House Majority Inside the chamber, news photographers Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), and that Pelosi had allowed in to capture the Senate Minority Leader Charles historic electoral vote at the dais instead Schumer (D-N.Y.) made calls for turned around and trained their cameras help. One went out to Virginia toward the doors in the back of the Gov. Ralph Northam. “Ralph, chamber. As lawmakers were ushered Barricading the doors to the House chamber there’s glass being broken around out another side of the chamber, plain- me,” Northam recalled Pelosi say- shows the officer trying to hold back a clothes Capitol Police officers dragged a ing. “I’ve heard there’s been gunfire. We’re few dozen rioters who push him back and desk to use as a barricade in front of the just very, very concerned right now.” door that presidents enter to deliver the up the steps leading almost directly to the annual State of the Union address. chamber. For almost a minute, the officer Amid the mayhem, a large group of sena- held them back—at the exact moment that, tors were secretly led to a room in a Senate On the other side, rioters began break- inside the Senate, police were frantically office building. Michael Stenger, the Senate ing small windows. The officers inside racing around the chamber trying to lock sergeant at arms, was with them. “How drew their guns. Dozens of rioters pressed down more than a dozen doors leading to does this happen?” demanded Sen. Lindsey against police trying to block their entry the chamber floor and the galleries above. Graham (R-S.C.). Stenger’s answer was into the Speaker’s Lobby. Several officers practically inaudible. As Graham pressed, left their post seconds before much more “Second floor!” the officer yelled into his Stenger’s voice got weaker and smaller. heavily armed reinforcements showed radio, alerting other officers and command “Here’s your mission: Take back the up. But in those few seconds, the rioters that the mob had reached the threshold of Senate,” Graham told Stenger. “Whatever smashed in the windows of the doors to the Senate. Had the rioters turned right, you need to do, do it. We’re not leaving the Speaker’s Lobby and were on the verge they would have been a few feet away this place. We’re not going to be run out of entering the House chamber. from the main entrance into the Senate by a mob.” Finally, the Senate sergeant at chamber. On the other side of that door The intruders ran around the back hall- arms sat down, saying to no one in partic- were at least a half-dozen armed officers, ways of the second floor, weaving in and ular, “I wish I had just retired last week.” including one with an automatic weapon out of the Senate majority leader and in the middle of the floor scanning each Finally, by 6 p.m., a perimeter around House speaker’s adjoining suites, and entrance for intruders. the Capitol was secured. A few hours entering the sanctum of the two most later, shaken lawmakers filed back in, powerful figures in Congress like the halls Instead, the group, all white men, followed surrounded by the wreckage of the day’s were their playground. the black officer in the other direction and attack: smashed windows, splintered were met by a group of police in a back Eight Pelosi staffers trapped in their suite furniture, a bust of President Zachary corridor outside the Senate. At 2:16 p.m., barricaded themselves inside a staff confer- Taylor smeared with what appeared to be Bobic tweeted a photo of a half-dozen ence room and huddled together under the blood. They went back to work. At 3:42 police confronting the protesters. The table in the middle, hoping that the pro- a.m., Vice President Mike Pence affirmed Senate chamber had been sealed at 2:15, testers who had already broken down one President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. mere seconds earlier. door—and were shooting selfies with their feet up on an assistant’s desk—wouldn’t In the room with McConnell’s aides, one A version of this story originally appeared in make it any farther inside. staffer began snapping photos through a The Washington Post. Used with permission.

THE WEEK January 22, 2021 42 The Puzzle Page

Crossword No. 583: 600 by Matt Gaffney The Week Contest 1234 5678 910111213 This week’s question: Danes have created a new lexicon 14 15 16 of pandemic-inspired words, including albuehilsen, or elbow greeting, coronakilos, or weight gained during 17 18 19 lockdown, and bodegavirolog, an unqualified bigmouth who now considers himself an expert in virology. Please come up with a new English compound word to describe 20 21 one aspect of life in the era of Covid-19. 22 23 Last week’s contest: A Thai researcher is on the verge of a breakthrough— turning chicken feathers into a pro- 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 tein powder that can then be shaped into cutlets. What could be the name of an appetizing brand name for this 33 34 35 feather-based food? THE WINNER: Comforter Food 36 37 38 Lucinda Kimble, Beaverton, Ore.

39 40 41 SECOND PLACE: Chow Down Mary Jo Astrachan, Oneida, N.Y. 42 43 44 45 THIRD PLACE: Tummy Ticklers Charles R. Meek, San Angelo, Texas 46 47 48 For runners-up and complete contest rules, please go to theweek.com/contest. 49 50 51 52 53 54 How to enter: Submissions should be emailed to contest 55 56 57 @theweek.com. Please include your name, address, and daytime telephone number for verification; this week, type 58 59 60 “Pandemic word” in the subject line. Entries are due by noon, Eastern Time, Tuesday, Jan. 19. Winners will appear 61 62 63 on the Puzzle Page next issue and at theweek.com/puzzles on Friday, Jan. 22. In the case of identical or similar entries, the first one received gets credit. ACROSS 55 Refrigerator brand 29 P.F. ___’s 1 Smart kid, to haters 56 Bread spreads 31 Surname that’s WThe winner gets a one-year 5 Mosque leader 58 Truth ___ German for “white” subscription to The Week. 9 About to hit the roof (interrogator’s drug, in 32 Some stereos 14 Opera song the movies) 37 Tunnel to a waste 15 Commission earner 59 Pound or peso, e.g. facility 16 Put off, as a decision 60 They’re big on a 38 Scavenging circlers 17 Delivery basset hound 41 Put on, as a play Sudoku 19 Assumed name 61 Loses one’s cool 43 Agreement before the 20 $600 boost from Uncle 62 Some inheritors wedding Fill in all the Sam allocated Dec. 29 63 Blizzard flakes 45 Raises, as a beer stein boxes so that 22 French word seen 47 Finals for freshmen, each row, column, before a maiden name DOWN e.g. and outlined 23 Anderson of WKRP in 1 Recharge after lunch 49 “I couldn’t agree square includes Cincinnati 2 Miscalculates more!” all the numbers from 1 through 9. 24 The Coca-Cola 600 is 3 Go wild 50 Masterwork

the longest type of this 4 Mona Lisa and The 51 First James Bond Difficulty: event each season Last Supper, casually movie (1962) medium 30 Takes to a mechanic, 5 The DMV, re licenses 52 ___ in (regain control maybe 6 Put a stamp on over) 33 One more time 7 Moisés who might’ve 53 Dear ___ Hansen 34 Part of the Labor Dept. caught the Steve 54 Not even one 35 Role for Keanu Bartman ball 55 Foolish person 36 Hubbubs 8 Department store 57 Direction away 37 Country involved in section from NNE recent border clashes 9 Sun Valley’s state with Ethiopia 10 Give in 38 Like narcissists 11 Connoisseur Find the solutions to all The Week’s puzzles online: www.theweek.com/puzzle. 39 ___-country music 12 Hard wood 40 Painter Schiele 13 Ambulances’ 41 Like beer from a tap destinations, for short 42 Go for a frisbee, often 18 “Let me rephrase ©2021. All rights reserved. The Week (ISSN 1533-8304) is published weekly with an additional issue in 44 The long-running TLC that...” October, except for one week in each January, June, July, and September. show My 600-Lb. Life 21 Dust, say The Week is published by The Week Publications, Inc., 155 East 44th Street, 22nd fl., deals with this subject 24 2020 French Open New York, NY 10017. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and at additional 46 Largest First Nations winner (of course) mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to The Week, PO Box 37252, Boone, IA 50037-0252. One-year subscription rates: U.S. $150; Canada $180; group in Canada 25 Like ballerinas all other countries $218 in prepaid U.S. funds. Publications Mail Agreement 48 Cracklin’ ___ Bran 26 California university No. 40031590, Registration No. 140467846. Return Undeliverable Canadian 49 There are only nine city Addresses to P.O. Box 503, RPO West Beaver Creek, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 4R6. S

The Week is a member of The New York Times News Service, The Washington

players in baseball’s 27 Alternative to noir, in R

Post/Bloomberg News Service, McClatchy-Tribune Information Services, and

600 Home Run Club; roulette subscribes to The Associated Press. M

he joined it in 2010 28 “Same with me!” H

THE WEEK January 22, 2021 Sources: A complete list of publications cited in The Week can be found at theweek.com/sources. “Since losing my mother to pancreatic cancer, my goal has been to ensure that everyone facing a pancreatic cancer diagnosis knows about the option of clinical trials and the progress being made.” -Keesha Sharp

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Stand Up To Cancer and Lustgarten Foundation are working together to make every person diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a long-term survivor.

To learn more about the latest research, including clinical trials that may be right for you or a loved one, visit PancreaticCancerCollective.org.

Stand Up To Cancer is a division of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.