Divided within

Plus: It was a busy week for the Jan. 6 committee [View this email online]( [NPR]( [Protesters gather at a rally to demonstrate against the LA City Council's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for city employees and contractors on Monday in Los Angeles. ]( Mario Tama/Getty Images The big picture: Divided within Joe Biden won the presidency in part because of his pledge to return to normal and unify the country. But in many ways, one could argue the opposite has happened. Most Republicans say they [believe former President Donald Trump’s election lies]( and that Biden wasn’t legitimately elected. Many GOP elected officials have downplayed the Jan. 6 insurrection, as the investigation into the siege accelerates — with Trump ally [Steve Bannon indicted Friday for contempt of Congress](. And the country is sharply divided — particularly on the pandemic, vaccines and mandates, and on race and culture, as we have seen with the boiling-over of frustration among mostly white and conservative parents with how children are — or aren’t — being taught about racism in schools. But the divide isn’t as simple as red and blue, Republican and Democrat, conservative and liberal. It’s far more nuanced and shows Americans are divided even among those who mostly vote for one major party or the other. [A new Pew Research Center study]( paints a much clearer picture of the full spectrum of U.S. political views, as it sorts Americans into nine distinct categories. (You can [take a quiz and see which category you fall into]( The study's findings are fascinating for what they say about how the parties have changed and what it means for our politics. For example, it found that for all the disagreements among Democrats that have been highlighted over the last few months during tense congressional negotiations, Democrats are far less divided on the issues than Republicans. That’s a change from decades ago, when Democratic cleavages were clear on issues like abortion, gun rights, same-sex marriage and marijuana legalization. Now, Democrats largely agree on the issues, it’s just a matter of how far they think government should go to rectify things they see as problems. For Republicans, on the other hand, there are splits about abortion, rights for same-sex couples and the U.S. role in the world, whether it's on how much to intervene in world affairs or on trade. That’s a shift from the Reagan-through-George W. Bush years, when Republicans were largely unified by a three-legged stool of national security hawks, economic conservatism and social conservatism. Now, a unifying thread among those who lean toward the GOP is culture — whether nonwhites and women face discrimination and obstacles at all, for example. Among all Americans, the sharpest dividing line is the role of government. Whether you think government should do more or do less is one of the first doors in this choose-your-own-adventure of political ideology. And there isn’t much crossover, as the groups in the middle who most identify as independents hardly agree on the issues. Plus they’re among the least likely to vote. So core partisan groups will continue to dominate, especially in lower-turnout midterms. A warning sign for Democrats is that Pew found the three core Republican groups were slightly more likely than Democrats to say control of Congress after next year’s elections “really matters.” And a warning sign for Republicans is — what will they be unified on to be able to actually do, if and when they are again able to wrest control of power in Washington. — Domenico Montanaro, NPR’s senior political editor/correspondent [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- [The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S Capitol.]( J. Scott Applewhite/AP ICYMI: Top stories Jan. 6 investigation latest: Steve Bannon, an ally of former President Donald Trump, [was indicted Friday for contempt of Congress]( for defying a subpoena from the House committee investigating the U.S. Capitol attack. The Democratic-led panel says [Mark Meadows' "defiance" could lead to a contempt referral]( for the former White House chief of staff. Also this week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit [temporarily blocked the National Archives]( from handing over documents from the Trump White House related to the insurrection to the House committee. ([Here’s a look at the many subpoenas issued by the panel so far]( Murkowski running for reelection: Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski was one of only seven Republican senators to vote to convict former President Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial. Now, [she's the only one running for reelection in 2022]( — and there's a Trump-endorsed challenger in the field. Harris in Paris: In [a Paris speech largely focused on global inequality]( Vice President Harris said the Biden administration's legislative agenda is "designed to lift people out of poverty, put people to work in good jobs, and help bridge the gaps that persist in our nation." She said a measure being debated by Democrats in Congress, the so-called reconciliation bill, "will support our nation's workers and families, and help us meet our climate commitment." Inflation continues rising: The Labor Department announced this week that [consumer prices were 6.2% higher in October than a year ago](. Price increases were widespread, with energy, shelter, food and vehicles all costing more. COVID shots for kids: COVID vaccinations for 5- to 11-year-olds began in earnest in the first week of November, ramping up last weekend and early this week. [First lady Jill Biden is expected to travel across the country in the coming weeks]( visiting schools and making direct appeals to parents to protect their children through vaccination. She started at [a Virginia school that was also a pioneer in vaccinating kids against polio]( in the '50s. — Brandon Carter, NPR Politics social media producer --------------------------------------------------------------- [NRA leaders pictured on April 30, 1999.]( Kevin Moloney/Getty Images Going deeper NRA tape: A secret tape made after the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School, obtained by NPR, reveals the NRA’s evolution on school shootings. In the conversation, senior leaders of the organization considered a strikingly more sympathetic posture toward mass shootings than the uncompromising stance it has taken publicly since. [Read and listen to the details here](. Reparations bill in limbo: A bill to create a commission that would study reparations for slavery has been decades in the making. It finally got some momentum earlier this year during America’s reckoning with racism, but since April, the bill has stalled again. [Here’s a look at the reparations debate and the bill’s prospects in Congress](. — Dana Farrington, NPR Politics digital editor --------------------------------------------------------------- [A kayaker paddles down an interstate in Pennsylvania after flooding from Hurricane Ida earlier this year. ]( Branden Eastwood/AFP via Getty Images The shot: A crucial climate threshold World leaders have agreed to try to limit the planet’s warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2100. If they can’t keep to that global climate change goal, the difference for life on Earth could be huge. [Here’s what scientists expect if the world misses that target](. — Dana Farrington, NPR Politics digital editor [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. --------------------------------------------------------------- What do you think of today's email? 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