Good morning, NBC News readers.
President Joe Biden asked all Americans to "remember those we lost and those left behind" in a poignant tribute to the over half a million lives lost to the coronavirus pandemic on Monday evening.
Today, the Jan. 6 Capitol riot will come under a microscope during a Senate hearing when several top law enforcement officials will be interrogated about the security failures. A year after Ahmaud Arbery was fatally shot while jogging, Black runners reflect on how they are still feeling the effects and meet the youngest woman to row solo across any ocean.
Here is what we're watching this Tuesday morning.
Key Capitol security officials to be grilled about what went wrong on Jan. 6
Six weeks after an angry mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, some of the key figures who were in charge of keeping the building secure on Jan. 6 will testify under oath about how the highly secure facility was breached during the electoral vote count meant to symbolize the peaceful transfer of power.
The hearing Tuesday before a pair of Senate committees will include testimony from three officials who resigned after rioters disrupted the joint session of Congress.
The trio of former officials who are testifying publicly for the first time are Steven Sund, who was the chief of the Capitol Police; Michael Stenger, who was the Senate sergeant-at-arms, and Paul Irving, who was the House sergeant-at-arms. Also testifying will be Robert Contee, acting chief of the Washington, D.C., police.
Tuesday's Senate hearing is expected to focus on why officials weren't better prepared for the attack and why it took so long to repel the mob from a building that had been considered one of the most secure in the world.
The security hearing comes on the heels of Biden's nominee for attorney general, Judge Merrick Garland, pledging during his Senate confirmation hearing Monday to make the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol his top priority if confirmed by the Senate.
Biden's pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra is also set to take the hot seat on Tuesday and Wednesday for what are expected to be contentious confirmation hearings.
'Everyone should be safe when they run': The lasting trauma of Ahmaud Arbery's shooting
A year after Ahmaud Arbery was fatally shot while jogging in Georgia, Black runners all over the country are still feeling the effects.
"His tragic death changed everything for Black runners," said Kevin O. Davis, a member of the Plano Running Club in Texas, which has 2,000 members, almost all of them white.
Black runners across the country tell NBC News that in the wake of Arbery's death, they've changed everything — from how they dress, to where they run.
Davis said he no longer jogs as much when it's dark, "and when I do I make sure I'm wearing reflectors. I'm nervous about running in black jogging clothes," he said. "It's all different. We have to be self-aware."
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Plus
- "Find purpose": President Joe Biden marked the grim milestone of 500,000 Covid-19 deaths with a poignant address to the nation.
- Here's why Biden doesn't have the power to make states vaccinate teachers — or anyone else.
- "Nearing the breaking point": A U.S. ambassador sent a plea to Washington for help as diplomats in hardship posts overseas grapple with the mental health impacts of the pandemic.
- Facebook users in Australia can share news links again.
- Gambling addiction can be a silent struggle for many Asian Americans.
THINK about it
A minimum wage raise by Congress to $15 an hour could have the power to change lives, Adriana Alvarez, a McDonald's worker outside Chicago, writes in an opinion piece.
Live BETTER
How to mentally cope if you're living with your parents again during the pandemic.
Shopping
Seven fitness experts explain what to consider when shopping for barbells for your home gym.
Quote of the day
"We have to resist becoming numb to the sorrow. We have to resist viewing each life as a statistic or a blur or on the news. We must do so to honor the dead. But equally important, care for the living, those left behind."
— President Joe Biden in an address to the nation marking the 500,000 lives lost to the Covid-19 pandemic.
One impressive feat
After 70 days, 3 hours and 48 minutes, 21-year-old Jasmine Harrison became the youngest woman to row solo across any ocean.
She completed her 3,000 mile row across the Atlantic Ocean, from the Canary Islands to Antigua, on Saturday.
The English swim instructor who had little rowing experience before setting off on her journey survived several close calls — including when her 500-pound boat was capsized by rogue waves twice.
But after safely setting two feet on dry land first time in 10 weeks, she encouraged others to "go do something amazing, too," during a video chat with NBC News' Lester Holt. "See how far you can stretch yourself."
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Thanks, Petra
