U.S. Capitol Attack

WBUR stories, analysis and commentaries related to the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol by pro-Trump extremists.

Thousands of Donald Trump supporters storm the United States Capitol building following a "Stop the Steal" rally on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

New York Times' 'Day of Rage' documentary dives deep into the events of Jan. 6

The film culls thousands of hours of videos from protestors and police body cams as well as archived audio to tell the story of the storming of the Capitol on...

10:44Jan 7, 2022

Capitol Hill reporters remember Jan. 6 riot, assess state of politics 1 year after

Axios' Alayna Treene and The Hill's Scott Wong discuss whether Democrats will be able to pass voting rights legislation in the wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection.

10:47Jan 7, 2022

Rep. Pete Welch. (Lauren Victoria Burke/AP)

Vermont Democrat reflects on fleeing the Capitol on Jan. 6 riot, one year later

Vermont Democrat Peter Welch was among the lawmakers stuck in the House balcony as the angry mob approached.

05:57Jan 6, 2022

On Jan. 6, 2021, rioters break into the Capitol in Washington. (John Minchillo/AP)

NPR reporter in the thick of Jan. 6 riots reflects on the attack

NPR's Tom Bowman was in the crowds that turned violent at the Capitol last year.

05:12Jan 6, 2022

Members of the Oath Keepers on the East Front of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)

Extremists who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 turn their attention from national to local politics

NBC senior reporter Brandy Zadrozny explains what's happened to the extremist groups and their online networks in the past year.

06:56Jan 6, 2022

The voices of those who experienced the Jan. 6 Capitol attack firsthand

The insurrection affected many people — residents, elected officials and their staff, journalists, and the police who were called in to protect them.

06:20Jan 6, 2022

Security fencing has been reinstalled around the Capitol on Sept. 16, 2021, ahead of a planned Sept. 18 rally by far-right supporters of former President Donald Trump who are demanding the release of rioters arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 insurrection. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

'Dark day on the calendar of American history': Historian explains how Jan. 6 will be remembered

Rice University historian Douglas Brinkley reflects on how history will view the Capitol attack.

09:40Jan 6, 2022

Tucker Carlson (left), host of "Tucker Carlson Tonight," Laura Ingraham (center), host of "The Ingraham Angle," and Sean Hannity (right), host of "Hannity" on Fox News. (AP Photo)

How conservative media came to discount and deny threats from Jan. 6 insurrectionists

Fox News hosts pleaded with Trump and his chief of staff to tell Jan. 6 rioters to go home. But within days, the hosts had already started to diminish the...

09:34Jan 5, 2022

The American flag flies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 17, 2020. (Susan Walsh/AP)

U.S. experiencing 'steady assault' on fragile democracy

According to a new NPR/Ipsos poll, 64% of Americans think that U.S. democracy is in crisis and at risk of failing.

09:35Jan 5, 2022

Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., attends a Democratic event ahead of a House floor vote on the Health Care and Prescription Drug Package, at the Capitol in Washington in 2019. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

Delaware congresswoman whose Jan. 6th prayers went viral looks back at the trauma of that day

Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware called out prayers when she was trapped in the balcony on Jan. 6 as rioters stormed the Capitol.

04:34Jan 4, 2022

A mob of pro-Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Intelligence analyst Malcolm Nance says Jan. 6 rioters' movement will 'lose steam or explode'

Malcolm Nance, an expert on extremism, has been closely following the aspirations of those who falsely believe that the 2020 election was illegitimate.

09:26Jan 4, 2022

Rioters on the West Front at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (John Minchillo/AP)

White, employed and mainstream: What we know about the Jan. 6 rioters one year later

Political scientist Robert Pape has found that unlike other extremists he's studied, most of the Jan. 6 rioters were older, employed, and few are members of hate groups.

09:24Jan 3, 2022

Pro-Trump supporters storm the U.S. Capitol following a rally with President Trump on Jan. 6, 2021 in Washington, D.C. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

Rolling Stone report links Congress, White House to Jan. 6 protest organizers

The report is based on the allegations from two of the rally's organizers, who are also communicating with House investigators.

05:45Oct 27, 2021

Lawmakers Continue Investigation Into Capitol Insurrection

In Tuesday's hearings, ex-police officers placed blame on intelligence and each other.

04:48Feb 24, 2021

Supporters of former President Donald Trump protest outside the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC. (Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images)

Congressional Hearings Begin On Insurrection At The Capitol

National security analyst Malcolm Nance shares what hopes Congress will ask this week as hearings begin on the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection.

05:48Feb 23, 2021

Congressman Charges Trump Conspired With Extremists In Lawsuit Invoking The Ku Klux Klan Act

Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi has filed a civil lawsuit against Trump, accusing the former president of conspiring with far-right extremists who stormed the Capitol.

04:49Feb 17, 2021

House Impeachment Managers' Brief Argues Trump Is Directly Responsible For Capitol Riot

Lawmakers are calling for Trump to be convicted and barred from holding future federal office.

05:31Feb 2, 2021

Concertina razor wire tops the 8-foot "non-scalable" fence that surrounds the U.S. Capitol on the day after the House voted to impeach former President Trump for the second time. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Police Chief Wants A Permanent Fence Built Around The U.S. Capitol

The request follows heightened security threats since the Capitol insurrection earlier this month.

03:57Jan 29, 2021

The interior of a hotel room. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

D.C. Hotel Owner On Why He's Open For Business On Inauguration Day Despite Threats Of Violence

Some hotels are choosing to stay open despite increased security and calls by local leaders for visitors to avoid the area due to threats of violence. Adam Crain, owner of...

05:33Jan 19, 2021

A Look At Rep. Peter Meijer, The Freshman Michigan Republican Who Voted To Impeach Trump

Days after he was sworn into Congress, Rep. Peter Meijer was at the Capitol when pro-Trump extremists attacked.

03:03Jan 18, 2021