Breaking down yesterday's insurrection at the U.S. Capitol

From a violent mob to calls for another impeachment, a lot has happened in the U.S. in a short timeframe. We'll catch you up.

Hey there, and welcome to the 13th issue of The Supplement, a newsletter that fills in the gaps of your other news intake. This is Sam, one-third of the Supplement team! 

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This week, we’re tackling this question: I’m having trouble keeping up with the news in the US. Can I get an overview? 

TL;DR: A mob of insurgents violently stormed the U.S. Capitol Wednesday afternoon after Democrats won senate seats in Georgia, securing Joe Biden’s upcoming presidency. The lack of police presence has been criticized for how it compares to BLM protests last April, and calls for Trump’s presidency to end immediately are picking up steam.

A lot happened yesterday. We’re going to try to break it down as much as possible — stick around until the end for a briefing on how to cover misinformation and disinformation as well as how these ideologies exist in Canada, too.

On Wednesday morning, both Democratic candidates challenging Republican incumbents in Georgia won their races by razor-thin margins. This secures President-elect Joe Biden a 50-50 tie in the Senate that Vice-President Kamala Harris will have the power to break. 

The victories were quickly eclipsed by violence in Washington, D.C., before Republican Senators got a chance to object. As a mob of President Donald Trump supporters stormed and breached the Capitol, forcing the building to go into lockdown and members of Congress to be evacuated. At least 52 people were arrested and four people are dead. For a more detailed breakdown, including of the pipe bombs found at DC HQs, check out the New York Times’ live updates.

The insurrection included QAnon believers, a newly-elected Republican West Virginia Senator, and was organized out in the open for weeks in advance, on platforms like right-wing site Parler and secure messaging site Telegram. “What we've witnessed is the manifestation of that violent online rhetoric into real-life danger,” political extremism research fellow Jared Holt told Buzzfeed News, which spread to other states as well.

Black Lives Matter activists have pointed out the surreal double-standard in how police responded yesterday versus their overtly violent approach at protests for Black lives and against police brutality. (Remember when federal police used tear gas to clear the way for a presidential photo op?)

leadnowca

A post shared by Leadnow (@leadnowca)

Once Congress was back in session, they resumed certifying Biden’s win. But, left shaken and disturbed as to why Trump would ever encourage such action, resignations have already been picking up steam. This morning, Trump said the transition of power on Jan. 20 would be peaceful, but lawmakers are having a hard time believing that since he explicitly forewarned Jan. 6 and encouraged his supporters to riot. So are Facebook and Instagram, which (finally?) banned him from posting at least until his term is over. Twitter unblocked Trump’s account Thursday morning after a 12-hour ban. 

Nancy Pelosi has threatened to pursue impeachment if Trump’s cabinet does not remove him. 

And the repercussions have been felt outside US borders. Pro-Trump demonstrations were held in Vancouver and Toronto yesterday, and CBC News photojournalist Ben Nelms was attacked and punched in the face for doing his job. 

Amid all the chaos, false information has been propagating faster than journalists can battle it. This guide on “how to fight lies, tricks, and chaos online” from Verge is an excellent resource for those hoping to not contribute to the spread of misinfo — and go deeper. 

Rose Eveleth ▷▷ @roseveleth

A reminder (and you can read this in your best @JaneLytv voice) that these kinds of situations are exactly when misinformation spreads the fastest. Before you RT, pause, check whether it's reliable, check if it's someone working at a pub you trust, don't RT out of fear/emotion.

We’ll see how Canadian media approaches coverage on this in the coming days, but this recommendation from Ryan McMahon hits home, especially when you consider the Proud Boys were founded in Ottawa:

Ryan McMahon @RMComedy

Canadian media: we don’t need a weeks worth of your takes on what happened in the US yesterday. Today, pivot directly towards the organizations, the politicians, lobbyists and corporate shills that are pushing these same ideologies here in Canada. Tell us about that.

And as the wise Jana G. Pruden (and many others) have said: 

Jana G. Pruden @jana_pruden

It’s almost like the year 2020 wasn’t actually the problem

Here’s someone to follow:

Earlier on in this issue, we mentioned the importance of fact-checking what you share and amplify, especially in times of crisis. Enter Jane Lytvynenko, a senior reporter for Buzzfeed News with a focus on disinformation and online investigations. She has become the fact-checking queen, and regularly starts live Twitter threads correcting lies around major events.

Here’s a story to check out: 

This Briarpatch story by Georgina Alonso offers up an important reminder: that Black lives matter in rural Canada, too. The piece follows Zeke Deas, one of the few Black farm owners in Grey County, Ontario, and offers up a crucial history of intolerance and an imagining of just rural afrofutures.