Dear Express Explained Reader, The extraordinary events in the United States continue. After thugs stormed the Capitol, there is now a determined push to impeach, for the second time in the span of a year, the man who inflamed and incited them, President Donald Trump. How did things come to such a pass in the world’s oldest democracy? Prof Amitabh Mattoo explained the anatomy of the insurrection of January 6 — and the dangerous politics of the Republican Party that encouraged an unstable and abusive President to pursue his deranged agenda at the cost of the US and the world. Another, smaller but happier, bit of American history was made in the runoff races for the Senate this week. The Rev. Raphael Warnock, who preaches from the same pulpit in Atlanta that Dr Martin Luther King occupied for several years up to his assassination in 1968, became the first Black Senator from Georgia. Shivani Naik told the story of what Warnock’s victory owed to the support of a women’s NBA team that is, deliciously, owned by the sitting Republican Senator whom the pastor defeated. On New Year’s Day, the government released for public comments and criticism the draft Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP), 2020. It is a remarkable document — with radical ideas that have game-changing potential not just for India’s scientific research community but also for the way ordinary Indians interact with science. Dr Akhilesh Gupta, head of the team that drafted the STIP, explained the aims and inspiration of the policy suggestions. India is finally ready to roll out the most ambitious adult vaccination programme in its history; the first shots will be administered on January 16, with some 3 crore healthcare and frontline workers being early recipients. After the country’s top drug regulator approved two vaccines for use, Prabha Raghavan, who has been covering the novel coronavirus pandemic closely, put together a useful recall on the science behind Covishield and Covaxin, the nature of the regulatory clearances they have received, and what happens hereon. Until all of us can get the jab, and even afterward, stay safe. Thank you for reading The Indian Express Explained. Stay safe and stay masked. (Yes, the vaccine is coming, and let’s not give it all away now.) Sincerely, Monojit (monojit.majumdar@expressindia.com) If you received this newsletter as a forward, you can subscribe to it here | Do read our Explained articles here 
Quixplained: Most countries support their farmers. Where does India stand? | .png)
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