There are a couple of reasons why it’s difficult to properly cover, and properly consume, the post-election news. First, we’re all sick of Trump news and we looked at Biden’s win (and subsequent win after win after win) as hope for an end to the daily deluge. Second, even after being prepared for this evil madness for four years, it’s still hard to get our heads around what’s happening, and that it’s happening in America. Whether you want to call it a coup, coup-like, coup-adjacent, or coup-curious, it’s bad. The fact that it is failing because it’s obviously connected to Trumpian grift (he’s raised hundreds of millions so far), it’s all based on lies, and those carrying it out seem like they’re auditioning for Saturday Night Live’s cold open, doesn’t mean it’s not happening. Tens of millions of Americans are buying the claims of a rigged election, and some of those will inevitably act on those beliefs. Case in point: Armed pro-Trump protesters gather outside Michigan elections chief’s home. From Jocelyn Benson: “As my four-year-old son and I were finishing up decorating the house for Christmas on Saturday night, and he was about to sit down to watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas, dozens of armed individuals stood outside my home shouting obscenities and chanting into bullhorns in the dark of night.”

+ WaPo: “On Sunday night, Gov. Brian Kemp (R) and Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan (R) issued a joint statement in response to a call for a special session of the legislature to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the state, saying that ‘doing this in order to select a separate slate of presidential electors is not an option that is allowed under state or federal law.'” (Again, the attempt to overthrow the election is not working. But it sure as hell is happening.)

+ And don’t kid yourself, it’s a team effort. WaPo: Just 27 congressional Republicans acknowledge Biden’s win.

+ Zeynep Tufekci in The Atlantic: “The U.S. president is trying to steal the election, and, crucially, his party either tacitly approves or is pretending not to see it. This is a particularly dangerous combination, and makes it much more than just typical Trumpian bluster or norm shattering … in English, only one widely understood word captures what Donald Trump is trying to do, even though his acts do not meet its technical definition. Trump is attempting to stage some kind of coup, one that is embedded in a broader and ongoing power grab. And if that’s hard to recognize, this might be your first.” (And sadly for all of us, you never forget your first.)