Friday morning news - January 7, 2022

For WORLD Radio, I'm Kent Covington. 

Biden decries Trump, backers' 'dagger at throat' of democracy » Speaking inside the Statuary Hall at the Capitol Thursday, President Biden blasted former President Donald Trump and some of his supporters on the one-year anniversary of the Capitol riot.

BIDEN: Those who stormed this Capitol, and those who instigated and incited, and those who called on them to do so held a dagger at the throat of America and American democracy.

Biden added—quoting here—“For the first time in our history, a president not just lost an election, he tried to prevent the peaceful transfer of power as a violent mob breached the Capitol.”

Trump fired back saying Biden was trying to “further divide America.” He said—quoting here—“This political theater is all just a distraction.”

President Biden’s remarks on Thursday launched a full day of events. The House and Senate both convened with a moment of silence. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer:

SCHUMER: A minute of silence, a moment of silence, for all of those who helped us then and help us now, the staffs and everybody else.

Republican lawmakers largely stayed away from the day's events, saying Democrats overly politicized them.

U.S. jobless claims tick up, but still low at 207,000 » The number of Americans applying for jobless benefits rose last week but remains at historically low levels.

The Labor Dept. reports that new claims rose about 4 percent last week to 207,000. But weekly claims are still below the 220,000 typical before the pandemic struck in March 2020.

So far, the explosion of COVID-19 omicron infections does not appear to have triggered significant layoffs.

A record 4.5 million Americans quit their jobs in November—a sign that they are confident in their prospects to land a better job.

Altogether, nearly 1.8 million Americans collected traditional unemployment aid the week that ended on Christmas Day.

N. Korea claims second successful test of hypersonic missile » North Korea claims to have successfully test-fired a hypersonic missile for the second time. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin has more.

KRISTEN FLAVIN, REPORTER: The country’s state news agency said the missile made a 75 mile lateral movement before striking a target more than 400 miles away.

Wednesday’s launch was the North’s first known weapons test in about two months.

It came just days after leader Kim Jong Un vowed to bolster his military forces. And it signals that Kim’s regime plans to modernize its nuclear and missile arsenals rather than return to disarmament talks anytime soon.

Hypersonic weapons fly at speeds in excess of Mach 5. That is five times the speed of sound.

The weapons could pose major challenges to missile defense systems because of their speed and maneuverability. Hypersonic missiles were on a long wish-list of military assets that Kim disclosed last year.

He also wants a multi-warhead missile, spy satellites, solid-fueled long-range missiles and underwater-launched nuclear missiles.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

Dozens of protesters, 12 police dead in Kazakhstan protests » AUDIO: [Sound of troops]

That is the sound of troops in Kazakhstan opening fire near the mayor’s office in the city of Almaty as violent clashes with protesters continued Thursday.

Security forces have gunned down dozens of protesters and at least 12 police have died. That according to authorities in Kazakhstan.

Demonstrators this week broke into the presidential residence and the mayor’s office in Almaty and set fire to government buildings.

They’re angry about sharply rising gas prices among other things.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday that Secretary of State Tony Blinken had a—quote—“productive call” with his counterpart in Kazakhstan.

PSAKI: He reaffirmed the United States’ full support for Kazakhstan’s constitutional institutions, human rights, media freedom, including through the restoration of internet service and advocated for a peaceful rights-respecting resolution to the crisis.

Authorities have reportedly blocked internet access in parts of the country amid a growing challenge to the authoritarian government.

AUDIO: [Sound of vehicle]

And Russian troops and armored vehicles began rolling into the ex-Soviet nation on Thursday.

Tens of thousands of protesters have flooded streets in Kazakhstan in recent days. Authorities say they have arrested more than 2,000 people.

Ransom freed some missionary hostages in Haiti » An unidentified person paid a ransom that freed three kidnapped missionaries in Haiti. WORLD’s Josh Schumacher has more.

JOSH SCHUMACHER, REPORTER: Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries has confirmed that someone paid the gang that kidnapped 17 missionaries in October. And the unnamed person reportedly made an agreement with the gang that was supposed to have led to the release of all of the captives early last month.

Officials at Christian Aid Ministries said they don’t know who made the payment or how much he or she paid.

They said internal conflicts within the gang led it to renege on a pledge to release all the hostages. Instead, the gang released just three of them on December 5th.

The remaining captives escaped 10 days later.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Josh Schumacher.

I’m Kent Covington. For more news, features, and analysis, visit us at wng.org. 

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