PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN speaking Thursday on the anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol (White House image).

On the anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by right-wing extremists, President Joe Biden abandoned his previous reluctance to blame the violence on former president Donald Trump.

In a speech from the Capitol building, Biden forcefully laid the blame for the riot – called an “insurrection” by some – on Trump, without mentioning him by name.

He accused him of “holding a dagger at the throat of America, at American democracy,” reported The New York Times.

Some conservative commentators and Republican officials have sought to downplay the incident, suggesting that it was not as violent as described or that Democrats were using the anniversary as a political tool.

“We saw it with our own eyes,” said Biden. “Rioters menaced these halls, threatening the life of the speaker of the house, literally erecting gallows to hang the vice president of the United States of America.”

The violence came in the aftermath of Trump’s insistence that the election had been stolen, and that he, not Biden, had won. At a Washington rally before the attack, Trump urged his supporters to “fight like hell,” although he made no specific comments urging an attack on the Capitol.

The attack was an effort to prevent Congress from formally certifying the Electoral College decision that Biden and Kamala Harris were elected president and vice president.

Study: Vaccination protects from COVID

CORONAVIRUS (Shutterstock).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a study on Thursday indicating that among people fully vaccinated between December 2020 and October 2021 – with some conditions – severe illness or deaths were very rare.

Risks are slightly higher for those with several risk factors including being 65 and older, a suppressed immune system and other health issues.

According to USA Today, even among those people the chance of a “severe outcome” were rare at 1.5 cases per 10,000 people.

Also in the news …

• Peter Bogdanovich, a director and actor best known for films he made in the 1970s, had died at the age of 82. Natural causes were cited. He was nominated for Oscars for his direction and adapted screenplay for “The Last Picture Show” in 1971. Other films he directed included “Paper Moon” and “What’s Up Doc.”

Sports: Antonio Brown officially out

ANTONIO BROWN (Wikipedia/All-Pro Reels Photography)

Antonio Brown, the Tampa Bay Buccaneer wide receiver who stripped off his jersey and shoulder pads and left the field during Sunday’s game against the New York Jets, was officially released by the team.

In a statement, the Tampa Bay team said that Brown’s contract was “terminated immediately.” The incident took place when Brown was asked to go into the game, but Brown refused, saying his ankle was injured and he was not healthy enough to play.

The Bucs’ management replied that their medical staff had cleared him to play and that Brown had made no mention of an ankle problem before the game.

Tampa Bay went on to win the game, 28-14.

Weather: Partly cloudy for a while

Get used to a fair amount of clouds in your sky. The forecast for the West Orange County area is for partly cloudy or cloudy conditions through the weekend and all the way to Tuesday. The daytime high for Friday is predicted to be 61, with an overnight low of 51. A slight warming trend should follow with a high of 64 on Saturday and 68 on Sunday. Dense fog is expected along the coast through Friday morning.

Business/Finance:  Investors hope for jobs gains

Anticipating what is hoped to be a promising report on the U.S labor market, Wall Street responded with a moderate rally on Thursday. The S&P 500 climbed 15.75 points to 4,703.25. The Dow was up 72 points to 36,195 and Nasdaq gained 84 points to 15,843.

The U.S. Department of Labor will make its report on Friday and some economists are predicting it will show over 400,000 new jobs added in December, twice as much as in November.