Two afternoons back, civil rights hero Georgia Rep. John Lewis announced that House Democrats would be staging a sit-in until Speaker Paul Ryan places commonsense gun safety legislation to vote. An amazing display that lasted 25 hours, and which I observed in person.

Andrea, a communications staffer, asked me to take notes on that morning session, about what each member discussed during their five minutes time. Then something spectacular happened, a publicity stunt of sorts, yet a choice driven by deep frustration with Republican inaction and a responsibility to public opinion. 91% of Americans support universal background checks, to patch a loophole which allows criminals and the mentally ill to buy weapons online and from gun shows. And nobody wants terrorists to be able to purchase firearms. On this latter issue, the other side argues that due process would be infringed under Dem. proposals.

I was particularly wowed by how social media live streaming was used to mobilize, fund-raise, and generate populist attention to their campaign. More to come on this?

BBC reported an hour ago that Britons voted to leave the European Union, a decision with dramatic consequences. Which state will be next to leave? What economic effects will result for American consumers and EU trade stability? And more thematically, will global interconnectedness dissolve as a result? Does this suggest that Donald Trump will win the American presidency? Isolationism – is that even possible anymore?