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In the category of:  Maybe we can just break-up amicably.

Another ‘Civil War’? Pessimism About Political Violence Deepens In A Divided Nation

Carolyn Lukensmeyer is the head of the National Institute for Civil Discourse at the University of Arizona. The organization was formed after a shooting injured then-Arizona Democratic Rep. Gabby Giffords in 2011. The incident also killed six and wounded 12 others.

“I have to say that I’ve been surprised at the number of times where we’re holding a discussion … across differences and someone will actually say that they believe we could come to a civil war again in the United States,” she told NPR.

But then, she said, many people back off from their initial conclusions: “They do say, ‘No, I don’t really believe that we’ll have a civil war, but I find some of what I see happening frightening enough to think of it that way.’ ”

The way to prevent disagreements from becoming violence, according to experts in civil conflict, is to be more open to those with whom you disagree.

“The biggest challenge that many people have in their own lives is really in taking the first step to — when you disagree with someone, to listen first,” Jobbins said. “I think as you look at the U.S. today, we are entering a period of conflict … but even if conflict is inevitable, violence is not.”

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In the category of:  Making room.

A Small Town in Mexico Prepares to Double in Size With the Arrival of the Migrant Caravan

The first migrants to arrive in town ahead of the larger group laid down mats and pieces of cardboard along a shaded colonnade outside the municipal building, a white and yellow structure with a corrugated tin roof and a façade crowned by a broken clock. Inside, the space was vast and empty. At one end of the room, a Honduran mother stood over her five-month-old baby, who’d fallen ill the night before and was sleeping, swaddled, on the concrete floor, as local aid workers arranged for her to receive medical attention. One villager came inside to bring her food from his truck. Across the room, five representatives from the town council huddled in a circle to make preparations for the caravan’s arrival. Oaxacan state authorities were bringing fifteen portable toilets, a tank of potable water, four thousand cases of bottled water, and a team of medical professionals. The federal government, for its part, was sending an armed security detail to patrol the streets.

“We’re in charge of the smaller, humanitarian things,” Mayra Cruz, a member of the town council, told me. “We’ve just been through the earthquake and spending to rebuild. But if we buy a kilo of chicken, we’ll put aside half of a kilo for the migrants.” She and her colleagues made a list of essential items (toilet paper, trash bags, extra clothing for the mothers and babies, bread, and ham) and gamed out different scenarios based on when the crowds might arrive. “If the caravan gets in at noon,” one of Cruz’s colleagues said, “then we should have people begin preparing the tortas at six or seven.” Cruz planned to ask the public for more donations through the loudspeaker at González Luna’s house; the village’s older residents, she told me, didn’t use Facebook. “People are hearing bad stuff on social media,” she said. “They’re getting the wrong ideas.”

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In the category of:  This was never going to work.

SPECIAL COUNSEL ASKS FBI TO INVESTIGATE A SEXUAL ASSAULT HOAX AGAINST MUELLER

The special counsel’s office learned of the allegations from reporters who said they’d received outreach about the story in recent days, Carr said. The rare public statement from the special counsel, which normally maintains a stony silence, suggests the alleged plot is being taken highly seriously.

Several journalists reported Tuesday that they’d received an email roughly two weeks ago from a woman who claimed she’d been offered money from “some sort of politics guy” whom she identified as Jack Burkman to invent accusations of sexual misconduct by Mueller. As if on cue, Burkman, a Republican lobbyist and radio host, announced on social media Tuesday that he plans to bring forward a “client” to make claims of sexual assault against Mueller on Thursday.

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