How They Stormed Congress

<p><em>This episode contains strong language. </em></p><p>The pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol on Wednesday made their plans in plain sight. They organized on social media platforms and spoke openly of their intentions to occupy the Capitol.</p><p>But leaders in Washington opted for a modest law enforcement presence. In the aftermath, those security preparations are attracting intense scrutiny.</p><p>Today, we explore how the events of Jan. 6 could have happened.</p><p><br /></p><p>Guest: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/sheera-frenkel?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank"><strong>Sheera Frenkel</strong></a>, who covers cybersecurity for The New York Times; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/zolan-kanno-youngs?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank"><strong>Zolan Kanno-Youngs</strong></a>, a homeland security correspondent for The Times. </p><p><br /></p><p>For an exclusive look at how the biggest stories on our show come together, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/the-daily?module=inline" target="_blank">subscribe to our newsletter</a>. You can read the latest edition <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/column/the-daily-newsletter" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p>Background reading: </p><ul><li>Inside Trump supporters’ online echo chambers,<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/06/us/politics/capitol-mob-trump-supporters.html?searchResultPosition=2" target="_blank"> the chaos of Jan. 6 could be seen coming</a>.</li><li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/07/us/Capitol-cops-police.html" target="_blank">Failures by the police</a> have spurred resignations and complaints of double standards.</li><li>During the storming of the Capitol,<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/06/us/politics/protesters-storm-capitol-hill-building.html?searchResultPosition=2" target="_blank"> social media sites were used by the mob</a> to share information, including directions on which streets to take to avoid the police and which tools to bring to help pry open doors.</li></ul><p><br /></p><p>For more info