January 6, 2022 - PBS NewsHour full episode

On the anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Judy Woodruff speaks to Vice President Kamala Harris about the state of American democracy, the Democrats' agenda and the administration's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the disturbing scenes of the Jan. 6 insurrection were captured by witnesses and the media, many unknowns still exist. Among them, the actions of President Donald Trump who was silent for more than three hours. The bipartisan House committee investigating the attack aims to find out why. Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Democrat who chairs the committee, joins Judy Woodruff with more.

Congress is still investigating the origins and planning behind last year's insurrection on Jan. 6 — the most violent assault on the United States Capitol since the British attack during the war of 1812. Amna Nawaz takes a look back at the historic and deadly events of that day.

To get a better understanding of the broader effects of the Jan. 6 insurrection on American politics, culture and democracy itself, Judy Woodruff speaks to four writers who have spent the last year engaged in that conversation.

In our news wrap Thursday, COVID-19 caused a record 9.5 million new infections worldwide over the past week — nearly all involving the omicron variant. The United States Postal Service asked for a 120-day delay of the federal vaccine mandate for large employers. New violence erupted in Kazakhstan, with police killing dozens of rioters. Stocks struggled again to make any headway on Wall Street.