Friday marks two years since a deadly riot engulfed the U.S. Capitol (Sergio Olmos, Morning Edition, National Public Radio)

By January 6, leaders of the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, Stop the Steal founder Ali Alexander were all communicating in an encrypted Signal chat run by Roger Stone, a Trump associate. Each group had different plans for how they would lay siege to the Capitol. The Oath Keepers, for example, had a cache of weapons in hotel rooms in Virginia, with men waiting by the radio to act as a quick reaction force. They would bring guns in once the Capitol had been taken. And on that day, the Oath Keepers moved on the Capitol steps in stack formations like trained soldiers. But it's important to understand that they didn't just appear on January 6, these far-right groups. They have been building for years by the point of January 6. Groups like the Proud Boys had been getting to street fights in cities like Portland, Ore., something I witnessed firsthand. And I want to tell you the story of what happened there to understand the forces at play.

Interview: (6 minute listen)

https://www.npr.org/2023/01/06/1147345921/friday-marks-two-years-since-a-deadly-riot-engulfed-the-u-s-capitol