Inauguration is one of those times that federal Washington and local D.C. collide head on, though never so much as this year. Our team at @wamu885news and @DCist has been relentlessly focused on the second half of that equation....

On a bright, cold Saturday, we found a scene that onlookers described as “surreal” and “post-apocalyptic.” One ANC commissioner estimated that troops outnumbered residents five to one. https://t.co/CVYH5gC26E
Residents in the militarized zone described how their lives have been ensnared by the security apparatus. “With the bridges closing out of Virginia, it feels like it’s just us, and the whole world is watching.” https://t.co/HbW2FtOsjm
Speaking of the bridges closing, @JWPascale mapped out the street closures. As Mayor Muriel Bowser put it: “Clearly we are in unchartered waters.” https://t.co/qU9lOPCqsx
All of those closures and new security measures have upended the lives and services of people experiencing homelessness, as @mikafrak reported https://t.co/gl7S8bhsFT
So what is the likelihood of far-right violence? @Curious_Kurz @margaretbarthel @dbonessi spoke to experts who said major crowds are unlikely but there may be diffuse violence. And they warned it could continue well beyond inauguration. https://t.co/oV4SZ6LzF1
Need a drink after all that? True to form, D.C.’s restaurants have stepped up with all manner of inauguration-themed deals and offerings. From @ecwilliams30 https://t.co/OUXqAG0JqB
Speaking of restaurants, a number have donated pizza and other offerings to the thousands of National Guard troops in town. Do they actually need it? @JacobFenston reported on the phenomenon. https://t.co/31lnMj0WUA
Plus, here’s what we know about the scheduled plans for inauguration itself: https://t.co/g0AXGexc0B
And that’s not even all of it. Keep up with our continuing inauguration coverage here: https://t.co/g115EQt5PD

More from Government

Let me take a stab at this after years of reporting on Marine One, HMX-1, Continuity of Government, etc. None of this is definitive, but it could help explain what folks are seeing:

1.) HMX-1, which flies the VH-3D and VH-60N 'White Top' helicopters used to move... 1/X


the President and VP around, those helos being called Marine One or Two when either is onboard, need to train. The urban landing zones, including WH and VP Residence, are not simple to get in and out of. So, crews need some currency training. They are not just tasked with... 2/X

moving POTUS and VP to get them around the region and to Andrews AFB for long-haul flights, they are essential to Continuity of Government operations. This means that if a threat were to emerge, they need to be ready to snatch POTUS and VP in minutes. This is partially... 3/X

why they have a full forward operating location at Naval Support Activity Anacostia, just 3 miles from the WH. As such, practice is important and considering the state of things, it is critical now more than in any recent memory. 4/X

2.) Considering what happened last week, including mobs of Trump supporters screaming in unison to hang the VP for doing what the constitution states, absolutely despicable in every way, security has been tightened just as it has been all over. Using the helicopters instead.. 5/X
If you're curious what Trump's defense will look like, all you have to do is turn on Fox News. My latest at @mmfa

The tl;dr is that for years right-wing media have been excusing Trump's violent rhetoric by going, "Yes, but THE DEMOCRATS..." and then bending themselves into knots to pretend that Dems were calling for violence when they very, very clearly weren't.

And in fact, this predates Trump.

In 2008, Obama was talking about not backing down in the face of an ugly campaign. He said "If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun."

https://t.co/i5YaQJsKop


That quote was from the movie The Untouchables. And there's no way anybody reading that quote in good faith could conclude that he was talking about actual guns and knives. But it became a big talking point on the

In 2018, Obama-era Attorney General Eric Holder was speaking to a group of Georgia Democrats about GOP voter suppression. He riffed on Michelle Obama's "When they go low, we go high" line from the 2016 DNC.

You May Also Like

This is a pretty valiant attempt to defend the "Feminist Glaciology" article, which says conventional wisdom is wrong, and this is a solid piece of scholarship. I'll beg to differ, because I think Jeffery, here, is confusing scholarship with "saying things that seem right".


The article is, at heart, deeply weird, even essentialist. Here, for example, is the claim that proposing climate engineering is a "man" thing. Also a "man" thing: attempting to get distance from a topic, approaching it in a disinterested fashion.


Also a "man" thing—physical courage. (I guess, not quite: physical courage "co-constitutes" masculinist glaciology along with nationalism and colonialism.)


There's criticism of a New York Times article that talks about glaciology adventures, which makes a similar point.


At the heart of this chunk is the claim that glaciology excludes women because of a narrative of scientific objectivity and physical adventure. This is a strong claim! It's not enough to say, hey, sure, sounds good. Is it true?
The UN just voted to condemn Israel 9 times, and the rest of the world 0.

View the resolutions and voting results here:

The resolution titled "The occupied Syrian Golan," which condemns Israel for "repressive measures" against Syrian citizens in the Golan Heights, was adopted by a vote of 151 - 2 - 14.

Israel and the U.S. voted 'No'
https://t.co/HoO7oz0dwr


The resolution titled "Israeli practices affecting the human rights of the Palestinian people..." was adopted by a vote of 153 - 6 - 9.

Australia, Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and the U.S. voted 'No' https://t.co/1Ntpi7Vqab


The resolution titled "Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the occupied Syrian Golan" was adopted by a vote of 153 – 5 – 10.

Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and the U.S. voted 'No'
https://t.co/REumYgyRuF


The resolution titled "Applicability of the Geneva Convention... to the
Occupied Palestinian Territory..." was adopted by a vote of 154 - 5 - 8.

Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and the U.S. voted 'No'
https://t.co/xDAeS9K1kW