‘We feel incredibly betrayed’

Remember this iconic image? Thousands of National Guardsmen slept at the U.S. Capitol over the past two weeks as they worked in shifts to protect it following the violent insurrection there on Jan. 6 and ahead of Inauguration Day. So it came as a bitter shock to the guards yesterday, when U.S. Capitol Police abruptly ordered them to vacate the facilities, sending them out in the cold or to nearby parking garages, without sufficient facilities. Thankfully, they were allowed back into the Capitol late last night after an outcry from Democratic and Republican lawmakers. —Politico

• — This is exactly why they were there. A Florida man who was already wanted by authorities for his role in the insurrection returned to Washington, D.C., for the inauguration, the Justice Department said in a court filing yesterday. He was arrested on Wednesday and is being detained in D.C., where he faces four federal charges. —CNN
•  
• — Ethics complaint filed. A group of Democrats filed an ethics complaint yesterday against Sens. Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz, requesting that the Senate Ethics Committee investigate whether they encouraged the insurrection on Jan. 6; coordinated with organizers of the “Stop the Steal” rally immediately before the riot; received donations from any organizations or donors that funded the rally; or “engaged in criminal conduct or unethical or improper behavior.” —Politico
•  
• — Congressman investigated. Metal detectors put in place by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi after the insurrection have become a flashpoint among some Republican members, and have at times created tension with police. U.S. Capitol Police are investigating a report that Rep. Andy Harris attempted to take a gun onto the floor yesterday. He was stopped at security and immediately turned around. —NBC News
•  
• — Impeachment trial next week. Donald Trump’s Senate trial for inciting the deadly Capitol insurrection will begin next week, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to send the article of impeachment to the Senate on Monday. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell had earlier proposed delaying the start of the trial until February, to give Trump's defense at least a week to prepare. —Associated Press
•  
• — Lawyering up. Trump has hired South Carolina-based lawyer Butch Bowers to represent him in the trial. While relatively unknown on the national stage, Bowers has represented several notable Republicans in other cases, and was recommended to Trump by Sen. Lindsey Graham. —Reuters
•  
• — Trouble for Rudy? A group of attorneys petitioned New York’s judiciary yesterday for punitive action against Trump’s other lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, for making false claims in post-election lawsuits and for urging Trump’s supporters to engage in “trial by combat” shortly before they stormed the U.S. Capitol. Spearheaded by the organization Lawyers Defending American Democracy, the request calls for the immediate suspension of his law license pending an investigation. —Reuters

‘This is a wartime undertaking’

At a White House event held yesterday to address the coronavirus pandemic, President Biden warned the nation to brace for continued hardship, predicting that the death toll from COVID-19 could rise to 500,000 by the end of next month. With assurances that the lack of federal response to the crisis under his predecessor would end, he signed orders invoking the Defense Production Act to increase production of personal protective equipment and other resources; requiring mask-wearing on federal property, in airports, and on flights, trains, ships, and long-distance buses; and requiring international travelers to show proof of a negative coronavirus test before boarding a plane bound for the U.S. —The Guardian 

• — Help is on the way. Biden is signing two more executive orders today—one that provides aid to Americans who are struggling to buy food, missed out on stimulus checks, or are out of work; and one that raises the minimum wage to $15 for the federal workforce. —CNN
•  
• — Tear down this wall. Biden also has ordered a “pause” on all border wall construction within a week, leaving projects along the border unfinished but still under contract. He ordered answers within two months on how much the government committed to these contracts, how much it would cost to extricate itself, and whether the contracts could be repurposed for other uses. —ABC News
•  
• — Meanwhile, in Congress... The Senate confirmed Gen. Lloyd Austin to lead the Defense Department by a vote of 93-2. Austin’s nomination had received pushback from some lawmakers, who cited a law that requires officers be out of the military for at least seven years before taking the job—a statute intended to reinforce the tradition of civilian control of the Pentagon. Despite these concerns, both chambers approved a waiver, allowing the recently retired general to lead the Defense Department. —Associated Press

MORE: Biden wants to remove this controversial word from U.S. laws —CNN

The Economist: Biden faces delicate foreign policy balance

“Biden’s foreign policy will...require a series of impossibly hard trade-offs. His team needs the cooperation of the Russian government to sign an extension of the New START treaty on nuclear weapons, which expires on Feb. 5. Yet that same government has just locked up Russia’s most prominent opposition politician, Alexei Navalny, after first attempting to kill him. They need China’s cooperation on climate change, even though China is engaged in what the outgoing administration has just labelled as ‘genocide’ against the Uyghurs in Xinjiang.” —The Economist

MORE: Frida Ghitis: Ready or not, Biden faces an early test with Putin —World Politics Review

Violence marred Inauguration Day in the Northwest

Despite threats of violence at all 50 state capitols on Inauguration Day, the locations remained peaceful amid heightened law enforcement presence. The day wasn’t without incident however. Protests in Portland, Ore., and Seattle, Wa., led to the vandalization of immigration offices and other buildings.

• — Protesters in both cities chanted anti-law-enforcement sentiments similar to those expressed during protests following the killing of George Floyd last summer. Much of their ire also was aimed at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the newly inaugurated president and vice president.
•  
• — In Seattle, protesters burned American flags, and a group chanted, “No cops! No prisons! Total abolition!” Others tore plywood coverings off windows that they then smashed. The plywood-covered windows of an Amazon Go store were spray-painted with the phrase “Skin Biden + Kopmala.”
•  
• — In Portland, about 150 people marched to the Democratic Party of Oregon headquarters, where they broke windows and set a dumpster on fire. The crowd carried banners saying, “We are ungovernable,” “F*** ICE,” and “We don’t want Biden—we want revenge!” More than a dozen arrests were made. —The Wall Street Journal 

MORE: ‘What are we marching for?’ Protesters and observers wonder alike in Portland —The Oregonian

Roach: The Internet vs democracy 

“The United States, the world’s oldest democracy, led the charge in embracing new technologies of empowerment. The problem, of course, lies in internet governance—namely, the absence of rules. Even as we extol the virtues of the digital world, to say nothing of the acceleration of digitization during the COVID-19 pandemic, the dark side has become impossible to ignore. The Western model of open-ended connectivity has given rise to platforms for trade in illicit drugs, pornography, and pedophilia. It has also fueled political extremism, social polarization, and now attempted insurrection. The virtues of cyber-libertarianism have become inseparable from its vices.” —Stephen Roach on Project Syndicate

Stephen Roach, a faculty member at Yale University and former chair of Morgan Stanley Asia, is the author of “Unbalanced: The Codependency of America and China.”

Focus on voting rights

Lawmakers in Georgia have filed legislation that would reinstate voting rights to Georgians who have been convicted of a felony. The bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Josh McLaurin, says the state’s current law is rooted in racism. Under the Georgia Constitution, those who have been convicted of a “felony involving moral turpitude” can’t be registered to vote until their sentences are completed—including the completion of any probation or parole, and the payment of any fines, which critics say amounts to a poll tax. —The Hill

• — Arizona. Voting rights activists say two bills in the Arizona House and one in the state Senate that target elections amount to a form of voter suppression. Introduced by Republican state lawmakers, the bills are aimed at changing the way Arizonans vote by mail, and getting rid of the permanent early voter list. One of the bills would require voters to get their signatures notarized before mailing their ballots in. —Fox 10 Phoenix
•  
• — Maine. Two Maine officials are calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold a section of the Voting Rights Act that protects racial minorities. Attorney General Aaron Frey and Secretary of State Shenna Bellows have filed amicus briefs in a pair of consolidated cases concerning Arizona voting laws—one that disqualifies provisional ballots cast by voters outside their precinct, even if by accident, and another that limits who can submit completed early ballots. —Portland Press Herald
•  
• — Washington. Two companion bills in the state Senate and House would restore voting rights to those with a felony who are still on probation or parole. The state currently prohibits people with felony convictions from voting while they are under community supervision. As a result, 20,000 citizens are denied the right to vote. —KEPR

MORE: Senate Democrats make voting rights bill top priority —New York Magazine

Clark: Overcoming fear with unity

“I have no idea whether Biden’s message of unity will be reciprocated. I have some serious doubts and there probably are certain segments of the population where unity will be impossible, such as with hate groups or those who sought to tear down our democracy a few weeks ago. But I also think the president’s approach is needed, especially if he leans into nuance when talking about uniting the country and maybe counseling us through our anger and fear of each other.” —Charles Clark in The San Diego Tribune

Charles Clark is a columnist for The San Diego Union-Tribune, where he writes about how identity intersects with civic life.

MORE: Evan McMullin: A conservative’s case for optimism —The Boston Globe

I agree that in order for the GOP to remain a viable party we need to make major changes. We may not need to have a third party, as Mr. Trump has stated that he is going to start his own party, it will be called the Patriot Party. I am not sure how he is going to do this, but it works for me if he takes all the far-right conspiracy theorists with him. —Ronda R., Utah

The inauguration of Joe Biden as our president does not feel like normalcy to me. Anything but normalcy. At best, it feels more like an intermission for a horror show. It feels like a lid welded tightly onto a boiling cauldron.

The Trump era is not over so long as he is not convicted for his role in the Epiphany Riot. The Trump era is not over so long as he can run for election again. The Trump era is not over until the carnival atmosphere he invokes is gone.

Normalcy feels as far away as Shangri-La. It is as if we do not know, and cannot know, what is normal until it is gone. We live in a different era, that much is true. It is up to the people of this country, even more than our elected officials, to ensure it becomes a better one. —Alexis V., North Dakota

The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff or the Stand Up Republic Foundation.