Twelve Days in June - Part II: The Square

Twelve Days in June is the story of one possible future for America.

At this moment, the country is in chaos, and it seems to get worse every day. Donald Trump has accused his enemies of treason, threatened to declare martial law in response to civil unrest, and has not fully committed to a peaceful transition of power after the election. His powers to suppress mass protests are immense, and largely unknown to the public. If he doesn't leave office on January 20th… what happens?

All around the world-- in Hong Kong, Belarus, Bolivia, Nigeria-- popular protest movements are rising up to challenge authoritarian regimes. Those regimes are not going down without a fight. Is the United States of America next to be added to the list?

Framed as a five-part series of articles published in 2022, the story looks back on history that has not yet been written. Part I covers how the months following the 2020 Presidential Election set the table for upheaval, massive even by today's standards; Parts II through V track the extraordinary events moment-to-moment. Told from the perspectives of journalists, activists, government insiders, and ordinary Americans, Twelve Days in June is the story of a nation experiencing-- and surviving-- an unprecedented crisis.

In Part II: The Square, Washington Post reporter Michael Glazer has suffered life-threatening wounds after an attack by a gunman seemingly motivated by one of Trump's tweets. Outrage coalesces into a demonstration, then a movement, after the administration's response prompts another bloody spectacle: this one broadcast on live TV.