Here they come again

Or maybe not? The "Justice for J6" rally, planned for Saturday on Capitol Hill, was expected to bring thousands to Washington, D.C., to protest the treatment of defendants who participated in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Now, security agencies expect maybe 700 demonstrators—still quite significant, but down from previous estimates. Why a smaller group? Paranoia, of course. Members of far-right Facebook groups and extremist forums, such as TheDonald and 4chan, are steering others away from the rally over fears that it may be a "false flag" event. Posters have expressed concerns that they'll be entrapped and coerced by federal agents to commit violence. —NBC News

• — GOP keeps its distance. The rally has created a predicament for Republicans, whose hard-right base includes many voters who consider the Jan. 6 rioters righteous. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy told reporters this week that he does not expect any GOP lawmaker to attend, but he and other party leaders have been unclear as to whether they support the rally or have dissuaded people from attending. In shunning the event, Republicans are following the lead of Donald Trump himself, who has been uncharacteristically silent about it even though he has in the past defended the mob. —The New York Times
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• — "We've got a largely peaceful crowd." Matt Braynard, the former Trump campaign staffer who is organizing the rally, insists it will be a peaceful event. He has even asked attendees not to display any symbols or wear any clothing in support of Trump (or, curiously, President Biden), as the rally is "100% about #JusticeforJ6 and not the election of any candidate." Good luck with that, Matt. —Yahoo! News
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• — Taking no chances. Just hours before construction of security fencing around the Capitol yesterday, U.S. Capitol Police announced that it had asked the Pentagon to free up the National Guard "should the need arise" on Saturday. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger also issued a message to the public. "I urge anyone who is thinking about causing trouble to stay home," he said. "We will enforce the law and not tolerate violence." —CNBC

Lowry: Is the GOP's 'stolen election' myth becoming its Achilles' heel?

"The choice that was forced on [California gubernatorial candidate Larry] Elder—admit that Biden won the election and alienate MAGA voters, or say it was stolen and alienate voters in the middle—will be faced by Republican candidates around the country for the duration. That won't change as long as Trump has an outsize influence on the party. He's not letting 2020 go, rather is bent on vengeance against those Republicans he believes betrayed him by not embracing his various conspiracy theories. … This is a cynical and corrosive view of American democracy that, to the extent it becomes GOP orthodoxy, can contribute only to further Republican frustration." —Rich Lowry in Politico

Rich Lowry is the editor of National Review and a contributing editor with Politico Magazine.

MORE: Pennsylvania GOP lawmakers vote to subpoena voter records, official emails in 2020 probe —The Washington Post

To boost or not to boost

That is the question. A week before President Biden's plan to deliver a booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine to Americans is scheduled to roll out, scientists are at odds about whether extra doses are needed and for whom. A new study released by The New England Journal of Medicine finds that those who received a third shot of the Pfizer vaccine in Israel were far less likely to develop severe disease than those who received just two. But a review by the Food and Drug Administration looked at broader evidence and raised caveats. Two of the FDA's top vaccine scientists argue there's no credible evidence that vaccine potency declines substantially over time. So now what? That depends on meetings of expert advisory committees to the FDA (which authorizes vaccines) tomorrow, and to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (which has the final word on vaccination policies) next week. Stay tuned. —The New York Times

MORE: 1 in 500 Americans have died of coronavirus since nation's first infection —ABC News

'Investing in our greatest source of strength—our alliances'

Australia will get its first nuclear-powered submarines under a new trilateral relationship with the U.S. and the United Kingdom intended to improve security in the Pacific, President Biden announced yesterday. Dubbed AUKUS, the new security partnership will put nuclear-powered subs in China's backyard as the administration seeks to pivot its foreign policy to the Indo-Pacific region. Flanked virtually by leaders from the UK and Australia, Biden said, "This initiative is about making sure that each of us has…the most modern capability we need to maneuver and defend against rapidly evolving threats." Sen. Ben Sasse applauded the deal. "Partnering with Australia on a new nuclear-powered submarine fleet is a huge investment in the long-term health of our alliances and sends a clear message of strength to Chairman Xi," Sasse said. "The president's Asia team deserves credit for jumpstarting this important work—but we still need more urgency." —Defense One

MORE: The arms race on the Korean peninsula is intensifying —The Economist

FT Ed Board: Putin's last stand?

"The Kremlin watched thousands take to the streets in neighbouring Belarus last year after Alexander Lukashenko—who became president six years before Vladimir Putin—declared what they saw as a bogus election victory. There is little sign, for now, of opposition reaching those levels in Russia. Many elderly voters and those outside the cities remain loyal or see no alternative to Putin. But the clampdown further squeezes the space for debate, criticism, and exchange of ideas that developed economies need to thrive. Clever entrepreneurs, and many foreign investors, are taking their business elsewhere. Chances are petering out of ever weaning Russia's economy off its dependence on digging up metals and fossil fuels, or curbing the corruption that corrodes the system from within." —Financial Times

MORE: Lukashenko eyes $1 billion arms deal with Russia —Deutsche Welle

Focus on global democracy

European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has vowed no let-up in battles with Poland and Hungary over democratic standards, threatening to take legal action and block off funds to the increasingly eurosceptic, nationalist countries. In recent years, Budapest and Warsaw have taken restrictive stances on migration, discriminated against women and LGBTQ individuals, and imposed more state control on media, courts, and academics, undermining democratic checks-and-balances and infringing on fundamental ideals of the 27-nation bloc. "This is what we all signed up to when we became part of this Union as free and sovereign countries," von der Leyen said in an annual policy speech. "We are determined to defend these values." —Reuters

• — Brazil. The Brazil Senate and Supreme Court have nullified rules that President Jair Bolsonaro issued last week banning social networks from removing content that violates their rules. The dual moves quickly killed one of the most restrictive and intrusive internet laws ever imposed in a democratic country. The law alarmed tech companies and Bolsonaro's political opponents because it appeared intended to enable the president and his allies to use online disinformation to undermine confidence in next year's presidential election. —The New York Times
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• — El Salvador. Mostly peaceful demonstrators in El Salvador took to the streets yesterday, the nation's bicentennial, to protest recent moves by President Nayib Bukele to consolidate power. Several thousand people marched to the central plaza in the country's capital of San Salvador, brandishing signs declaring "No to dictatorship" and "We were defrauded by Bitcoin." El Salvador adopted Bitcoin last week as legal tender, and the government has proposed more than 200 changes to the constitution, including eliminating a ban on presidential re-election. —Bloomberg

1. — Norway. A center-left bloc headed to victory in Norway's elections earlier this week, after a campaign dominated by climate change and the future of the country's oil and gas industry. The Labor Party and its two allies—the Socialist Left and the Center Party—will hold 100 seats in the 169-seat Stortinget assembly, while the current Conservative-led government will get 68, with one seat still unsure. As Norway's largest party, Labor's chief, Jonas Gahr Stoere, is poised to become the next leader of the Scandinavian country. —Associated Press

Gephardt, Hart, McCleary & Medish: Restore the balance of power

"The country survived [a] perilous stretch, but we may not be so lucky next time without new guardrails on the presidency. Fortunately, senior lawmakers are now sponsoring legislation to reaffirm the checks and balances that are vital to our constitutional order. It's a remarkable effort that Congress should quickly rally around—as should President Joe Biden, even though it would diminish his own authority. The Founders knew from colonial experience that power corrupts. It's precisely why they established a system of checks and balances. Presidential arrogation of power is a threat not to one party or the other, but rather a threat to the separation of powers and thus to the whole constitutional order." —Richard Gephardt, Gary Hart, Joel McCleary & Mark Medish in Politico

Richard Gephardt represented Missouri and served as majority leader in the U.S. House of Representatives. Gary Hart represented Colorado in the U.S. Senate. Joel McCleary and Mark Medish served at the White House under Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, respectively. All four are members of Keep Our Republic, a civic education organization.

MORE: Proponents of post-Trump curbs on executive power prepare new push —The New York Times

It is a sad day when there are potential "domestic terrorists" demonstrating in support of the Jan. 6 insurrectionists. Though the vast majority of American citizens were sickened by what they witnessed on that date, our Constitution guarantees the right of peaceful assembly to these misguided individuals. Putting a fence up around our Temple of Democracy, our national Capitol, is a precautionary move to prevent a repeat of Jan. 6, and to hopefully prevent any loss of life or injury to our men and women in blue.

It is also sad that a former president, Donald Trump, can't act like a responsbile citizen and forcefully denounce what happened on that fateful January day, and also strongly denounce his misguided delusions about the 'Big Steal,' and admit he has been wrong in fanning the flames of mistrust and confidence in our elections. —Lee A., Utah

I think that security forces taking preventative actions (even with unsightly barricades) in response to credible concerns not only is prudent and warranted, but would represent a negligence of their duties in not doing so. Unfortunately, Jan. 6 was an event at which governmental leaders placed appearances over prudent preparations. —Kevin S., California

It is absurd to claim that the Capitol fencing is somehow violating our liberties! The same people making these arguments are the ones who claim the insurrectionists did nothing wrong but instead were on some noble mission. We have every right to protect our Capitol from further possible attack, including with the use of fencing when the threat warrants it. —John W., Utah

My view about security fencing around the Capitol is that no one has a right to voice an opinion unless they will be there, putting their life on the line to defend against lunatics in the name of "civil liberties." —J. F., Washington

Fencing at the Capitol is a good idea if it will stop another Jan. 6 from happening. —Linda S., Texas

"The presence of the fencing creates a more antagonistic environment and doesn't reflect our nation's commitment to civil liberties and self-government." I love that quote from Melissa. I have traveled to D.C. twice since January, and took time to circle the Capitol on both occasions. It makes me ill to see all the fencing and overt military security. We can do better than that; we must do better than that. —Fred L., Michigan

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. —Tim P., New Mexico

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.