The Global Legacy of January 6

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Thirty years ago, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, American political scientist Francis Fukuyama wrote in his essay “The End of History?” that the U.S. liberal democracy epitomized the endpoint of humanity’s sociocultural evolution, the superior and final form of government. But one year after the deadly siege of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump, Fukuyama — now a senior fellow at Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies — says that the example of America as a global beacon of democracy is deeply tarnished. “The U.S. could not effect a peaceful transfer of powermore

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Remorse, Indignation From Those Sentenced in Capitol Attack

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More than 725 people have been arrested since last year’s January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol that was aimed at overturning Joe Biden’s presidential election victory. One year later, some of the rioters who have been sentenced for a variety of crimes are speaking out about that day and their actions. VOA’s Carolyn Presutti has our story. Camera: Mike Burke. Contributors: Lynn Davis, Bojan Klima. …

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One Year After the Capitol Riot, Many Americans See US Democracy in Peril 

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For just a moment, immediately following the January 6 assault on the United States Capitol last year, it was possible to imagine that the events of that day would shock the country back to political normalcy.    In the hours after the mob of insurrectionists, spurred on by false assertions from former President Donald Trump about a stolen election, was driven from the Capitol, it was possible to imagine that the shocking scenes of violence in the seat of the American government would force the country to reassess what counts as acceptable political discourse.   It was possible to imagine thatmore

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Biden Pushed to Speak Out More as US Democracy Concerns Grow

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President Joe Biden has gotten the same troubling questions from worried world leaders, ones that he never thought he would hear.  “Is America going to be all right?” they ask. “What about democracy in America?” While Biden has tried to offer America’s allies assurances, he has only occasionally emphasized the gravity of the threat to democracy from the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and the repeated lie from the man he defeated, Donald Trump, that the 2020 election was stolen. And he’s not discussed the very real concerns about a growing collection of insurrection sympathizers installed in localmore

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Biden to Speak on Anniversary of Capitol Attack

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U.S. President Joe Biden is set to speak Thursday about the historical significance of last year’s attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump.  The address, on the one-year anniversary of the assault, will feature Biden speaking from the Capitol’s Statuary Hall along with Vice President Kamala Harris.  “The president is going to speak to the truth of what happened, not the lies that some have spread since and the peril it has posed to the rule of law and our system of democratic governance,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at a Tuesdaymore

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January 6 Panel Seeks Interview with Fox News Host Sean Hannity

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The House panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol insurrection on Tuesday requested an interview with Fox News personality Sean Hannity, one of former President Donald Trump’s closest allies in the media, as the committee continues to widen its scope. In a letter to Hannity, Mississippi Representative Bennie Thompson, Democratic chairman of the panel, said the panel wants to question him regarding his communications with former President Donald Trump, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and others in Trump’s orbit in the days surrounding the insurrection. A Fox News spokesperson declined to comment on the request. Jaymore

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Hundreds Await Trial for Role in Capitol Insurrection

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One a year after supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol in a bid to overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory, hundreds of people are still awaiting trial for their alleged role in the riot, while 155 others have pleaded guilty. As VOA’s Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson reports, the pending cases are just one part of the effort to hold responsible parties accountable for the attack. Produced by: Katherine Gypson …

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Trump Cancels Florida Press Conference Scheduled for January 6 

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Former President Donald Trump has canceled the press conference he planned to hold in Florida on Thursday, the anniversary of the January 6 attack on the Capitol by his supporters.  Trump said in a statement Tuesday evening that he would instead discuss his grievances at a rally he had planned for Arizona later this month.  Trump had been expected to use the press conference to repeat his false statements about the 2020 election and rail against the congressional committee investigating the events of January 6, when a mob of his supporters violently stormed the Capitol to halt the peaceful transfermore

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Schumer: Senate to Vote on Filibuster Change on Voting Bill

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Days before the anniversary of the January 6 attack on the Capitol, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced the Senate will vote soon on easing filibuster rules in an effort to advance stalled voting legislation that Democrats say is needed to protect America’s democracy.  In a letter Monday to colleagues, Schumer, a Democrat from New York, said the Senate “must evolve” and will “debate and consider” the rule changes by January 17, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, as the Democrats seek to overcome Republican opposition to their elections law package.  “Let me be clear: January 6th was a symptom of amore

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A Year After Capitol Riot, Americans Fear for Their Democracy: Polls

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One year after the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol, Americans remain deeply concerned about the health of their democracy and about a third say violence against the government can sometimes be justified, according to two polls published Sunday.   The January 6 attack on the seat of Congress, led by supporters of Donald Trump, was “a harbinger of increasing political violence,” and American democracy “is threatened,” according to two-thirds of those surveyed for a CBS News poll.    Meantime, Americans’ “pride” in their democracy has dropped sharply, from 90% in 2002 to 54% now, a Washington Post/University of Maryland survey found.    With the January 6 anniversary nearing, the polls offer specificmore

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January 6 Riot Probe Wants to Know Why Trump Failed to Call It Off

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The congressional investigation into the riot at the U.S. Capitol last January is zeroing in on why then-President Donald Trump did nothing for more than three hours to stop his supporters from ransacking the building and clashing with police as lawmakers sought to certify that he had lost the 2020 election, the panel’s chairman said Sunday. Congressman Bennie Thompson of Mississippi told CNN’s “State of the Union” show that the nine-member investigative panel wants to know what Trump was doing during “187 minutes of inaction,” as he watched the riot unfold on television from a dining room off the Ovalmore

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Twitter Bans US Lawmaker’s Personal Account for COVID-19 Misinformation 

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Twitter on Sunday banned the personal account of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for multiple violations of its COVID-19 misinformation policy, according to a statement from the company.  The Georgia Republican’s account was permanently suspended under the “strike” system Twitter launched in March, which uses artificial intelligence to identify posts about the coronavirus that are misleading enough to cause harm to people. Two or three strikes earn a 12-hour account lock; four strikes prompt a weeklong suspension, and five or more strikes can get someone permanently removed from Twitter.  In a statement on the messaging app Telegram, Greene blasted Twitter’s movemore

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New Year, New Laws for US States

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A new year brings a new mayor for New York City and new laws in many of the 50 U.S. states.  Democrat Eric Adams was elected in November to be the next leader of the largest city in the United States. He succeeds Bill de Blasio, who served two terms as mayor, beginning in 2014.  An inauguration ceremony planned for Saturday was postponed because of the rise in cases of the omicron variant of COVID-19.  On the other side of the country, the city of Seattle is getting a new mayor as well, with Bruce Harrell assuming the post Saturday. more

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Black Voters Mull Biden’s Record in Office

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African American voters helped propel President Joe Biden to the White House and were instrumental in securing Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress. A year later, some of Biden’s most loyal supporters are increasingly frustrated about 2020 campaign promises not realized. “I voted for Biden but feel disappointed his administration hasn’t delivered more for the Black community,” said Joseph Mitchell, 36, of Silver Spring, Maryland. “There are many places where Black people are hurting, impacted by COVID-19 and the economic downturn from the pandemic.” Mitchell told VOA he wanted more action on economic empowerment and health care. “Our community needsmore

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2021 Saw Blinken Facing Coups and Conflicts, Repairing Key Alliances

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The Biden administration came into office vowing “America is back,” with Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledging to work closely to boost ties with allies. But unexpected crises, coups and conflicts in Ethiopia, Haiti, Myanmar, Sudan and Ukraine have also commanded the top U.S. diplomat’s attention in 2021. VOA’s Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports. Produced by: Rob Raffaele …

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Impeachment, Insurrection and Billions in Spending: 2021 was Tumultuous Year on Capitol Hill

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From insurrection and impeachment to infrastructure and COVID relief funding, 2021 was one of the most significant years on Capitol Hill in decades. Lawmakers had to deal with the impact of a global pandemic while trying to pass an ambitious legislative agenda during the first year of a new presidency. VOA’s Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson has more on a historic year in the U.S. Congress. Produced by: Katherine Gypson …

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Harry Reid, Former US Senate Majority Leader, Dies at 82

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Harry Reid, the former Senate majority leader and Nevada’s longest-serving member of Congress, has died. He was 82.  Reid died Tuesday, “peacefully,” surrounded by family, “following a courageous, four-year battle with pancreatic cancer,” Landra Reid said of her husband in a statement. “Harry was a devout family man and deeply loyal friend,” she said. “We greatly appreciate the outpouring of support from so many over these past few years. We are especially grateful for the doctors and nurses that cared for him. Please know that meant the world to him.”  Funeral arrangements would be announced in the coming days, shemore

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Biden Signs $768.2 Billion Defense Spending Bill into Law

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President Joe Biden signed the National Defense Authorization Act into law Monday, authorizing $768.2 billion in military spending, including a 2.7% pay raise for service members, for 2022.  The NDAA authorizes a 5% increase in military spending and is the product of intense negotiations between Democrats and Republicans over issues ranging from reforms of the military justice system to COVID-19 vaccine requirements for soldiers.  “The Act provides vital benefits and enhances access to justice for military personnel and their families and includes critical authorities to support our country’s national defense,” Biden said in a statement.  The $768.2 billion price tagmore

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The Year in US Foreign Policy 

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President Joe Biden came into office at a time when U.S. standing in the world had reached a record low point. Across 60 countries and areas surveyed by Gallup’s U.S. Leadership Poll during the last year of Donald Trump’s presidency, median approval of U.S. leadership stood at 22%. Six months into Joe Biden’s presidency, American global standing had largely rebounded. According to Gallup’s August poll across 46 countries and territories, median approval of U.S. leadership stood at 49%. Biden entered the presidency with a very low bar, said Thomas Schwartz, a historian of U.S. foreign relations at Vanderbilt University. “Outside of amore

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Trump Asks US Supreme Court to Block Release of White House Records

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Former President Donald Trump on Thursday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to block the release of White House records sought by the House of Representatives committee investigating the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Trump’s request came two weeks after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the former president had no basis to challenge Democratic President Joe Biden’s decision to allow the documents to be handed over. That decision will remain on hold until the Supreme Court acts. Biden had previously determined that the records, which belong to the executive branch, shouldmore

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US Supreme Court to Take Up Biden Vaccine Mandate Cases 

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The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Wednesday to take up disputes over the Biden administration’s nationwide vaccine-or-testing COVID-19 mandate for large businesses and a separate vaccine requirement for health care workers. The brief court order said the court would hear oral arguments January 7 in the two cases, with rulings likely to follow in short order. The court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, delayed action on emergency requests in both cases that sought an immediate decision. The workplace mandate is currently in effect nationwide, while the health care worker mandate is blocked in half the 50 U.S. states. The challengesmore

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Biden Announces New Effort to Fight Omicron Coronavirus Surge

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U.S. President Joe Biden laid out a new concerted effort Tuesday to combat the surging omicron variant of the coronavirus, dispatching federal health care workers to short-handed hospitals, pre-positioning the national stockpile of medical equipment around the country and offering 500 million free COVID-19 test kits to Americans. Biden detailed his attack plan in a White House address as the number of new coronavirus cases in the U.S. is markedly increasing again, with 143,000 recorded on Monday, along with another 1,300 deaths. Nearly three-fourths of the new cases are linked to the highly transmissible omicron variant.  But Biden said thatmore

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