'A dagger at the throat of democracy'

President Joe Biden unleashed a year's worth of anger in a speech about the Jan. 6 Capitol attack last year. And Antonio Brown was officially dropped by the Bucs days after he ditched the team midgame.

👋 It's Laura. It's Thursday. It's cold here in Denver, y'all! And by the looks of it, it's cold in a whole lot of other places, too. Get cozy and check out the biggest news of the day.

But first, a taco a day won't keep the doctor away. 🌮 But it sure sounds tasty! For 10 bucks a month, hardcore taco fans can now sign up for Taco Bell's new taco subscription service.

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Biden blasts Trump as undemocratic liar in Jan. 6 speech

Biden denounced former President Donald Trump as a threat to democracy in a blistering speech marking a year since the brazen Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Against the background of Statuary Hall in the Capitol, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris addressed the nation on Thursday morning, a day of memorials. "Our democracy held. We the people endured. We the people prevailed," Biden said of the day on which Congress certified his win in the 2020 election. "I will defend this nation and allow no one to place a dagger at the throat of democracy," Biden said. The Jan. 6 insurrection, predicated on overturning the results of the 2020 presidential election, led to five deaths, hundreds of arrests and the creation of the bipartisan House select committee dedicated to investigating the causes behind it. The events of that day led to the second impeachment of Trump over his role in inciting the violence. He was acquitted by the Senate in February. Lawmakers marked the day with narratives, reflections and a prayer vigil.

• A year ago, Americans stormed the U.S. Capitol. How a horrific day unfolded.
• Who invaded the US Capitol on Jan. 6? Criminal cases shed light on offenses.
• 'There's a chance I could die here': Here's what 27 members of Congress told us about Jan. 6.
• My Capitol officer husband died by suicide. His death deserves 'line of duty' designation. | Opinion 
• Capitol riot misinformation persists: False claims continue to circulate on Facebook.

Brrrrracing for a bomb cyclone

A swath of the East Coast was on the lookout Thursday for the second major winter storm in five days while blinding snow, high winds and below-zero temperatures rolled across much of the nation's northern tier. AccuWeather meteorologist Joe Lundberg said a storm targeting much of the East should develop into the first bomb cyclone of 2022. A bomb cyclone is defined as when a storm's central pressure plummets 24 millibars in 24 hours. The storm could whip up strong winds, pull in more moisture and drive higher snow totals as it heads toward New England, Lundberg said. In the East, New York state was already being blasted Thursday by lake-effect snow. Buffalo had already picked up over 13 inches of snow by noon, the National Weather Service said. Click here for the latest winter weather forecast.

• What is a bomb cyclone? Explaining a winter hurricane.
• An Uber rider got stuck on I-95 for nine hours during the snowstorm. He was billed $600.

What everyone's talking about

• 'Dad bods' have been acceptable for years. Are mom bods next?
• Airlines won’t fly maskless, partying influencers home after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau calls them 'idiots.'
• Jimmy Carter warns that America's democracy is at risk, as nation teeters on brink of 'widening abyss.'
• 'I was bad wrong': Tennessee state lawmaker apologizes after trying to pull a referee's pants down during a basketball game.

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Those vaccinated with J&J are left wondering about a third shot

The 16 million people who received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine find themselves in a gray zone. While health officials encourage those who’ve gotten the double-dose Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna series to get a third shot, J&J recipients are limited to their original one and a single booster. About 3.5 million of them have gotten boosted, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But they can’t go beyond that. "I suspect there are thousands of J&J recipients in my situation who are questioning our protection," said Donna Alston, 61, of Philadelphia. "I went to my pharmacy last week to see if I could sign up and they said no." Read more here.

• 4 million cases were reported in the first 6 months of the pandemic. Now, it's 4 million in a week.
• 'I miss my students': Chicago teacher battling cancer shows up to school despite canceled classes.

Bucs release Antonio Brown

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have finalized their separation from Antonio Brown. Four days after a sideline confrontation with coach Bruce Arians led to the wide receiver leaving midway through the team's game against the New York Jets, the Buccaneers waived Brown on Thursday. In his first public comments about the incident, Brown claimed in a statement Wednesday night that when he told Arians he could not reenter the game due to an ankle injury, the coach told him he was cut. Arians disputed the claim, saying that "at no point in time during that game did he ever ask a trainer or a doctor about his ankle."

• NFL Players Association plans to investigate Brown's claims against Buccaneers.

Real quick

• They're so pretty! Rare 'piebald' deer known for unusual markings find home with Pennsylvania family as pets.
• Investigators are looking into the Philadelphia apartment fire that killed 12 in one of the nation's deadliest home fires. Catch up on the latest.
• 'A sobering reminder': CDC warns about rabies after 3 people die from contact with bats.
• Officials say dozens of protesters, 12 police dead during protests in Kazakhstan.

No more free tax returns from TurboTax

If you typically file your tax return for free, you'll need to turn away from TurboTax. TurboTax — which has been criticized for some sketchy tactics when it came to providing online access free of charge through the IRS site — is now shocking taxpayers by informing them that the big brand name has exited the Free File program. The news officially was released in July, which is a fantastic time to sneak in a tax change, since most people don't start thinking about their taxes until January or February, and some are now surprised to learn online or via email of a significant change ahead for Free File. TurboTax is the second big name to stop participating. H&R Block exited Free File in October 2020. 

A break from the news

• 🧃 Thinking about trying a juice cleanse in the New Year? Not so fast.
• 📲 Can you hear me now? How to find your lost phone – even if the battery is dead!
• 🎙 Lace up your blue suede shoes – we're going to Graceland! 5 ways to celebrate Elvis Presley at Graceland for the King's birthday.

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