January 6

 

Here are the key events taking place today in remembrance of the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol:

Congress on Thursday will mark the one year since the attack on the U.S. Capitol, when a mob of Trump supporters sought to stop the counting of electoral votes and overturn the 2020 election results. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are scheduled to speak at 9 a.m. ET at the Capitol, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced several events, which will be live-streamed.

"These events are intended as an observance of reflection, remembrance and recommitment, in a spirit of unity, patriotism and prayerfulness," she said in a letter to her Democratic colleagues. 

A House pro forma session will be held on the House floor at noon, with prayer, a statement from the chair and a moment of silence. At 1 p.m. ET, Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden will moderate a conversation between historians Doris Kearns Goodwin and Jon Meacham to establish and preserve the narrative of January 6. 

At 2:30 p.m. ET, members of Congress will reflect on January 6, presided over by Representative Jason Crow. A prayer vigil will be held at 5:30 p.m. ET.

Excerpts of the speech President Biden is set to give at 9 a.m. have been released to news organizations. In addition to calling out the Malignant Loser's "singular responsibility" for the attack on democracy, he's expected to address the Big Lie, the importance of a peaceful transfer of power, and what we need to do to protect our democracy going forward.  He will also say:

"And so at this moment we must decide what kind of nation we are going to be. 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."

Those are the stakes going forward. 

BONUS:  HuffPo has a comprehensive set of reads on the January 6 anniversary, the hunt for the insurrectionists, and the ongoing fight for democracy.

BONUS II:  Public Wise has assembled an "Insurrection Index," which identifies the more than 1,000 public figures who were accomplices on January 6 and/or who have been active in spreading the Big Lie.  Please take some time to review, and support their work if you are able.

BONUS III:  Here's Biden's speech --

(Photo:  The insurrection/ Shay Horse, NurPhoto, via Getty Images)