Baseless allegations of election fraud amplified by President Donald Trump fueled the violent siege on the Capitol last January 6, intended to stop the Electoral College certification of Joe Biden’s victory. Fallout from conspiracy theories has included death threats and harassment directed toward election officials. CBS News chief Washington correspondent […] Read more »
A year after Jan. 6, violence still seen threatening U.S. democracy, and some say force can be justified
Even as so many Americans decry the events of January 6, the day has had lasting impacts on the nation’s psyche, the most immediate of which is that millions of Americans think more violence is coming, and that democracy itself might be threatened. The reality — and this won’t allay […] Read more »
Republicans and Democrats divided over Jan. 6 insurrection and Trump’s culpability
One year after the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol, Republicans and Democrats are deeply divided over what happened that day and the degree to which former president Donald Trump bears responsibility for the assault, amid more universal signs of flagging pride in the workings of democracy at home, according […] Read more »
‘A hell of a year’: GOP eyes big 2022, but weaknesses remain
This time last year, the Republican Party was hitting bottom. … What a difference 12 months make. Entering a pivotal election year, a resurgent GOP is poised to reclaim one, if not both, chambers of Congress and retain its lock on dozens of state legislatures and governor’s offices. While victory […] Read more »
2021 CBS News polling: What Americans thought about COVID-19, Biden, the January 6 attack and more
2021 was a year of ups and downs in the minds of the American public. The year began with public concern about the state of U.S. democracy, yet positive ratings for newly-elected President Joe Biden; ratings that would turn more negative over the course of the year. In the spring, […] Read more »
‘An American Tradition’: Lessons from a year covering conspiracy theories
… I have spent this year thinking and writing about the draw to conspiracy theories, the perverse comfort they provide and the damage they can cause. Today in the United States, we are living in an era of segregated belief, of divergent realities, at a time when social media has […] Read more »