Daily Briefing: A call to defend democracy

President Joe Biden will use a campaign event on tomorrow's Jan. 6 attack anniversary to warn that former President Donald Trump is a threat to democracy. Also in the news: The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a deadly bombing in Iran that had the potential to expand the Israel-Hamas war. Some big, big waves are headed for California's coast.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Cecil the dog ate through $4,000 in cash.

Here is the news to know on Friday.

Biden's warning on the third anniversary of the Jan. 6 insurrection

Nearly three years ago, a mob of Donald Trump supporters attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in an effort to stop Congress from certifying the 2020 election results.

Since then, about 750 defendants have been sentenced, with almost two-thirds receiving some time behind bars, but the criminal investigation into the incident is far from over.

• President Joe Biden will mark the anniversary by making the the case that democracy is on the line in this year’s presidential election. Biden is expected to use his remarks in Pennsylvania on Saturday to remind voters of Trump’s efforts to hang onto power.

• Poll: Trump supporters − who generally accept his unsubstantiated claims that the 2020 election was fraudulent − are prepared to believe those allegations again in 2024. Trump has dangled the prospect of pardons for supporters who participated in the storming of the Capitol if he returns to the White House.

• A House committee that investigated the insurrection concluded that “the central cause of Jan. 6 was one man” – Trump. "

Sixth-grader killed, 5 others injured in Iowa school shooting

Hundreds of community members in Perry, Iowa, gathered for a candlelight prayer vigil Thursday evening at a park where hours earlier, students had been dropped off to reunite with their families after a shooting that killed one sixth-grader and injured five others. One of the wounded was a school administrator, authorities said, and the suspect, identified as Dylan Butler, 17,  was found dead with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Butler was a student at Perry High School. Read more

More news to know now

• It's not just Washington. The Jeffrey Epstein document highlights his sprawling connections across the states.

• Dozens were injured after two subway trains collided and derailed in Manhattan.

• Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius freed on parole after serving nearly nine years for girlfriend’s murder.

• A 50-year friendship offers a close look at caring dialogue about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

• On today's The Excerpt podcast, the challenges and benefits of erasing student loan debt through bankruptcy court. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your smart speaker.

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

Trump received millions of dollars from foreign governments while president, House Democrats allege

Former President Donald Trump unconstitutionally profited from the presidency during his tenure in the White House, reaping millions of dollars for his business empire from foreign governments, House Democrats allege in an extensive report. The takeaway: The 156-page report released Thursday morning by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee accuses Trump of exploiting the presidency to financially benefit himself and members of his family. Among the report’s findings and records available to the committee, China made the most payments to Trump’s businesses during his tenure, spending more than $5.5 million. Read more

Islamic State said it carried out Iran suicide bombings

The Islamic State claimed responsibility Thursday for the two bombings that killed dozens at a remembrance for a slain general in Iran, the latest development to rock the Middle East amid the chaos caused by the Hamas-Israel war. An Israeli link to Wednesday’s suicide attacks had the potential to provoke Iranian retaliation and further destabilize the region. As the Biden administration grapples with an increasingly tense and unstable situation in the Middle East, Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading to the region this weekend and is set to focus largely on easing resurgent fears that the Israel-Hamas war could erupt into a broader conflict. Read more

Keep scrolling

• Who is eligible for $100 million Verizon class action settlement?

• "Love is Blind" contestant Renee Poche has sued Netflix.

• Golden Wedding recap: Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist are married!

• With "American Fiction," Jeffrey Wright aims to "electrify" a conversation on race.

• Sunday is the 2024 Golden Globes. From "Barbie" to Scorsese, who will win – and who should?

• Britney Spears says she will "never return to the music industry."

• Jeremy Allen White in Calvin Klein briefs. That's all.

• Nikola Jokic delivered a knockout blow to Steph Curry and the Warriors with an epic buzzer beater.

Huge waves will keep battering California in January. Climate change is making them worse.

Hazardous waves up to 16 feet in size are returning to the California coast this week, driven by the strong El Niño pattern in the Pacific Ocean. The latest event is unlikely to be as dramatic as the waves and swell that slammed the California coast last week, but such massive waves are occurring more often than they used to, researchers say, as global warming amplifies extreme weather events and pushes sea levels higher. But it's the El Niños of the future and the increase in coastal flooding fueled by the warming climate that alarms those who study the coast. Read more

Photo of the day: Meet the newest dog breed

The latest dog breed to be officially recognized by the American Kennel Club may be small, but it's ready to get in with the big dogs. The American Kennel Club announced Wednesday that the Lancashire heeler is the 201st breed. It became eligible to start competing on Jan. 1 as the newest member of the Herding Group. Read more

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com or follow along with her musings on Twitter. Support journalism like this – subscribe to USA TODAY here.

Associated Press contributed reporting.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jan. 6 attack, Iowa shooting, Israel-Hamas war, Trump, climate change, dog: Daily Briefing