The Daily

Most Americans treat climate change seriously but not literally — they accept the science, worry about forecasts but tell themselves that someone else will get serious about fixing the problem very soon.

The Valve Turners, on the other hand, take climate change both very seriously and very literally.

In the fall of 2016, the group of five environmental activists — all in their 50s and 60s, most with children and one with grandchildren — closed off five cross-border crude oil pipelines, including the Keystone.

On today’s Sunday Read, who are the Valve Turners and what are their motivations?

This story was written by Michelle Nijhuis and recorded by Audm. To hear more audio stories from publishers like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.

This episode contains strong language. 

Three days after being sworn into Congress, Representative Peter Meijer, Republican of Michigan, was sitting in the gallery of the House of Representatives as pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol.

After the siege, Mr. Meijer made his feelings clear: President Trump’s actions proved that he was “rankly unfit.” A week later, he became one of just a handful of Republicans to vote for impeachment.

We talk with Mr. Meijer about his decision, his party and his ambitions.

Guest: Representative Peter Meijer, a first-term Republican congressman from Michigan.

For an exclusive look at how the biggest stories on our show come together, subscribe to our newsletter. You can read the latest edition here.

Background reading: 

• Meet the first-term Republican representatives who are emerging as some of their party’s sharpest critics.
• Many Republican leaders and strategists want to prepare the party for a post-Trump future. But the pro-Trump voter base has other ideas.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily 

“A clear and present danger.” Those were the words used by Nancy Pelosi to describe President Trump, and the main thrust of the Democrats’ arguments for impeachment on the House floor.

While most House Republicans lined up against the move, this impeachment, unlike the last, saw a handful vote in favor.

Today, we walk through the events of Wednesday, and the shifting arguments that led up to the history-making second impeachment.

Guest: Maggie Haberman, a White House correspondent for The New York Times. 

For an exclusive look at how the biggest stories on our show come together, subscribe to our newsletter. You can read the latest edition here.

Background reading: 

• President Trump has become the first president to be impeached twice, after the House approved a single chargea single charge of inciting the mob that stormed the Capitol. He faces a Senate trial that could disqualify him from future office.
• Senator Mitch McConnell is said to have privately backed the impeachment of Mr. Trump.
• The second impeachment — in a Capitol ringed by troops — seemed like the almost inevitable culmination of four years that left the nation fractured, angry and losing its sense of self.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily 

After the attack on the Capitol, social media platforms sprang into action, deleting the accounts of agitators.

Without a central place to congregate, groups have splintered off into other, darker corners of the internet. That could complicate the efforts of law enforcement to track their plans.

We ask whether the crackdown on social media has reduced the risk of violence — or just made it harder to prevent.

Guest: Sheera Frenkel, a cybersecurity reporter for The New York Times. 

For an exclusive look at how the biggest stories on our show come together, subscribe to our newsletter. You can read the latest edition here.

Background reading: 

• In the days since rioters stormed Capitol Hill, fringe groups like armed militias, QAnon conspiracy theorists and far-right supporters of President Trump have vowed to continue their fight in hundreds of conversations on a range of internet platforms.
• Amazon, Apple and Google have cut off Parler, all but killing the service just as many conservatives were seeking alternatives to Facebook and Twitter.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily 

At the heart of the move to impeach President Trump is a relatively simple accusation: that he incited a violent insurrection against the government of the United States.

We look at the efforts to punish the president for the attack on the Capitol and explain what the impeachment process might look like.

Guest: Nicholas Fandos, a national reporter for The New York Times.

For an exclusive look at how the biggest stories on our show come together, subscribe to our newsletter. You can read the latest edition here.

Background reading: 

• Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the House would formally call on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to strip President Trump of power and move to impeach the president if Mr. Pence refused.
• Here’s a closer look at what the president said at a rally of his supporters, which is a focus of the impeachment case.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily