The story is outrageous and probable. However, many people have become inured to atrocity. Outrageous news becomes lost in a sea of outrageous news. Institutions are not expected to behave morally, even by those sections of society that have traditionally been served by them, much less by those long marginalized. Stories of horror are used as political weapons, to be believed, scoffed at or ignored by stripe of allegiance, with true and fabricated stories standing on equal footing. The institutions of oversight have become corruptly partisan.
Great damage has been done to the USA's idea of itself. In part it may have woken to recognize what has long been true. Anger and defiance may be products of shame. The president and his party are symptoms of an infected wound. What might have been hidden is now done openly and with impunity. This story may break across front pages but that probably won't budge the needle in political fortunes or societal direction.
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