'A dagger at the throat of democracy'

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'A dagger at the throat of democracy'

January 7, 2022

Stephen Collinson and Shelby Rose

Joe Biden's finest hour

President Joe Biden's speech on Thursday from the very spot where Donald Trump's insurrectionists rampaged after invading the Capitol was easily his most authoritative moment since taking office.

"I did not seek this fight brought to this Capitol one year ago today, but I will not shrink from it either," Biden said. "I will stand in this breach, I will defend this nation, and I will allow no one to place a dagger at the throat of democracy."

A political pundit might view Biden's marking of the anniversary of the insurrection as the opening shot in a potential 2024 rematch with Trump. But it was far more. The President summoned Americans to a new national struggle to preserve their most basic right -- to choose their own leaders -- after Trump and his mob tried to subvert it by force.

"Let's step up, write the next chapter in American history where January 6th marks not the end of democracy but the beginning of a renaissance of liberty and fair play," Biden said from the Capitol's Statuary Hall. The current President, who initially sought to consign Trump to history by not talking about him, noticeably changed his strategy. He was scathing about his predecessor's refusal to admit defeat, the coup attempt and widening attempts by Republicans to suppress the vote in future elections.

"The former President's supporters are trying to rewrite history. They want you to see Election Day as the day of insurrection, and the riot that took place on January 6th as a true expression of the will of the people," Biden said. "Can you think of a more twisted way to look at this country, to look at America? I cannot."

The President didn't mention Trump by name, but was bluntly personal in his critique, no doubt pushing all of the insurrectionist-in-chief's buttons as he languished in his gaudy private club in Florida. Biden stressed several times that Trump was defeated, was a liar and said the 45th President's "bruised ego matters more to him than our democracy or our Constitution."

Biden displayed a level of clarity and sureness of mission that has been elusive as the pandemic dragged on and during his tortuous attempts to enact sweeping social change with a questionable mandate. He came across as a man who understands that history assigned him the role of saving the American experiment on a day that refocused that purpose. Biden did it once, in 2020. He may have to do it again.

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Here's looking at you, kid

Former Vice President Dick Cheney comes face to face with his bust in the US Senate, part of a collection honoring past veeps. Cheney, who served under President George W. Bush between 2001 and 2009, was on Capitol Hill to support his daughter Liz, a Wyoming Republican and House member who has been one of the few in her party to stand up against Trump's election lies. She serves on the House select committee investigating the insurrection.

'What kind of nation are we going to be?'

"This isn't about being bogged down in the past; this is about making sure the past isn't buried. That's the only way forward," Biden said, explaining the purpose of his insurrection anniversary speech and his challenge to a nation that must mobilize to safeguard its democracy. "That's what great nations do. They don't bury the truth; they face up to it. Sounds like hyperbole, but that's the truth. They face up to it. We are a great nation."

"And so at this moment, we must decide what kind of nation are we going to be?" Biden asked. "Are we going to be a nation that accepts political violence as a norm? Are we going to be a nation where we allow partisan election officials to overturn the legally expressed will of the people? Are we going to be a nation that lives not by the light of the truth, but in the shadow of lies?"

"We cannot allow ourselves to be that kind of nation. The way forward is to recognize the truth and to live by it."

All the other news that's fit to print

It's only right that Washington was dominated by the anniversary of the Capitol insurrection this week. But from sea to shining sea and across the fruited plain, there was plenty more going on. Here are some of the stories making news in the US this week.

Chicago students to miss a second day of classes as teachers remain at home

Some 340,000 students in Chicago missed class again on Thursday after school leaders failed to reach agreement with the teachers union over remote learning and Covid-19 safety measures amid the Omicron surge. The showdown exemplifies debates playing out across the country about when and how students should return to the classroom as Covid-19 case numbers continue to climb.

The oldest known US World War II veteran dies at 112

The oldest known living US World War II veteran died Wednesday at the age of 112, according to the National World War II museum. Lawrence Brooks was drafted into the US Army at 31 and spent the war in the predominantly African American 91st Engineer Battalion, which was stationed in New Guinea and the Philippines, the museum said. When peace came, he worked as a forklift operator for 40 years.

Judge denies Los Angeles County's bid to dismiss Vanessa Bryant's lawsuit over Kobe Bryant crash pictures

A federal judge in California has denied a request from Los Angeles County to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Vanessa Bryant over photos taken at the scene of her husband NBA legend Kobe Bryant's fatal helicopter crash. The suit claims the photos were shared by county fire and sheriff's department employees in settings irrelevant to the investigation, including a bar. It seeks undisclosed damages, claiming civil rights violations, negligence, emotional distress and violation of privacy.

Sister of slain federal officer sues Facebook, accusing social media company of promoting violent content and connecting alleged killers online

Facebook is being sued by the sister of a slain federal officer who claims the company's algorithms and drive for revenue played an active role encouraging her brother's alleged killers. The wrongful death lawsuit was filed in California state court on Thursday by Angela Underwood Jacobs, the sister of Dave Patrick Underwood, a federal protective services officer who was shot and killed outside a federal building in Oakland, California, in May 2020. It claims that the shooting was "not a random act of violence," but instead, "the culmination of an extremist plot hatched and planned on Facebook by two men."

Thanks for reading.

On Friday, the US Supreme Court holds a special session and expedited review of legal challenges to two Biden administration Covid-19 vaccine mandates. Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen visits Myanmar. The three men convicted of the 2020 murder of Ahmaud Arbery will appear for a sentencing hearing in the same Georgia courthouse where they were tried.