Our picksCuba’s Support for Terror | DoD Drone Strategy | Military Personnel and the Putsch

Survey Finds Global Mistrust Could Weigh on Vaccine Rollout (Pan Pylas, AP)
Waning trust in governments and all types of media is threatening to limit the rollout of coronavirus vaccines around the world, particularly in the United States, according to a survey conducted by communications firm Edelman.
In an annual assessment on the state of trust in institutions, the firm found that this “infodemic” is breeding mistrust that could make longer the path out from the pandemic.

UN Official: Terrorists Using Pandemic to Stoke Extremism (AP / U.S. News))
The U_N_ counter-terrorism chief is warning that terrorists are exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic and appealing to new “racially, ethnically and politically motivated violent extremist groups.”

Cuba’s Support for Terror (Editorial Board, Wall Street Journal)
Obama’s engagement failed to change Havana’s behavior.

Critics Say Nashville Police Could Have Done More with Tip About Bomber (Steve Cavendish, Jamie McGee and Rick Rojas, New York Times)
Anthony Warner’s girlfriend told the police last year he was building bombs in his R.V. Police officials said they took their inquiry as far as they could at the time.

Capitol Riots Create Concerns over Inauguration Security (Donald J. Mihalek, ABC News)
The 2021 inauguration has been classified as a National Special Security Event.

DoD Drone Strategy Focuses on Low-End Threats – Not Nation-States (Sydney J. Freedberg Hr, Breaking Defense)

In April, the Yuma, Ariz. test range will host a competition of “low collateral damage” countermeasures designed to stop mini-drones without firing a shot. But can such a restrained approach stop the drone swarms Russia and others are developing?

Our picks: Democracy watch

Extremists Move to Secret Online Channels to Plan for Inauguration Day in D.C. (Anna Schecter, NBC News)
Some pro-Trump extremists have used the platforms to suggest skipping local rallies to focus instead on a big turnout in D.C. at Biden’s inauguration.

Right-Wing Extremist Chatter Spreads on New Platforms as Threat of Political Violence Ramps Up (Tina Nguyen and Mark Scott, Politico)

The online conversation is becoming harder to track. And it’s alarming the feds.

Twitter Suspends 70,000 QAnon Accounts in Massive Purge Following Deadly Capitol Siege, Trump Ban (Jessica Guynn, USA Today / Physorg.com)
Twitter says it suspended more than 70,000 accounts sharing QAnon content since Friday following the deadly siege on the U.S. Capitol. It also limited accounts that engaged with them and has deployed technology to surface “potentially harmful tweets for urgent human review.”
The moves are part of an urgent and growing crackdown by the nation’s leading social media companies to prevent further violence.

Justice Dept. Investigating Sedition and Conspiracy Charges and Any Terror Links to Violent Storming of U.S. Capitol (Spencer S. Hsu, Keith L. Alexander and Shayna Jacobs, Washington Post)
The Justice Department and FBI have created a sedition and conspiracy task force to pursue charges against participants in the storming of the U.S. Capitol and are investigating any links to domestic or foreign instigators, officials said Tuesday.
The investigation, one of the largest ever undertaken by the department, includes counterterrorism and counterintelligence facets and has led to charges against more than 70 people and identified 170 suspects to date, acting U.S. attorney Michael R. Sherwin of D.C. said. Those arrest figures are expected to increase into the hundreds, if not “exponentially.”

Schumer Says Democrats Will Probe Extremist Groups after Capitol Attack (Jordain Carney, The Hill)
Incoming Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Tuesday that Senate Democrats will launch probes stemming from the Jan. 6 Capitol attack after they take back control of the chamber on Jan. 20.
Schumer sent a letter to his caucus, a copy of which was obtained by The Hill, outlining plans for investigating both the mob violence and related issues and vowing “vigorous oversight.”

Military Personnel and the Putsch at the U.S. Capitol (Eugene R. Fidell and Rachel VanLandingham, Lt Col, USAF (Ret.), Just Security)
Among the many calls for accountability for the January 6 putsch at the U.S. Capitol, attention has focused on the involvement of military personnel. These calls, which are entirely understandable given the role of the armed forces in protecting the country, raise a surprising number of legal issues. We will try to unpack a few of them.

A Quixotic President (Daniel Tenreiro, National Review)
Much like Don Quixote, Trump has invited his followers into a fantasy world. The problem is: The delusion has taken root.