and, we visit where the capitol was first breached, with cbs's john dickerson, for context and perspective. could there be another january 6th? >> yes, the forces that led to it are still out there. >> o'donnell: the omicron surge, as the first young teens get their booster. winter storm warnings. 80 million americans prepare for heavy snow and freezing rain. and, remembering the heroes from the january 6th attack-- those who stood strong in the face of adversity. this is the "cbs evening news" with norah o'donnell, reporting from the nation's capital. >> o'donnell: good evening and thank you for joining us, from here on the east front of the u.s. capitol, where flags are at half-staff tonight in remembrance of one of america's darkest days. and just behind me was a candlelight prayer vigil. the insurrection was one of the worst days of injuries for law enforcement since the september 11 attacks. but it was more than the capitol that was attacked-- democracy itself was under assault. but, in the end, democracy prevailed. those rioters who tried to stop the certification of joe biden's election? well, they failed. members of congress returned to the very house floor that had been over-run, to finish counting the votes. vice president mike pence confirmed joe biden would be the next president at 3:40 a.m. well, at this moment today, the justice department is pursuing one of the largest f.b.i. investigations in u.s. history. so far, more than 725 defendants have been charged. and tonight, the threat may not be over. we're going to have more on homeland security's warning, in just a moment. we have a lot of new reporting to get to, and cbs's nancy cordes is here with me to start off our coverage. good evening, nancy. >> reporter: good evening, norah. and president biden did not hold back today, accusing former president trump of spreading dangerous lies to this day to soothe a bruised ego. president biden warned, it could lead to more of the kind of political violence we lived through here last year. a twilight vigil tonight on the capitol steps, the same steps that were overrun last january 6th. ( screaming ) rioters beating, tasing, trampling officers in their zeal to get inside. >> this was an armed insurrection. >> reporter: today at the capitol, president biden blamed one person-- his predecessor. >> the former president of the united states of america has created and spread a web of lies about the 2020 election. he's done so because he values power over principle. >> reporter: for two months leading up to that day, president trump had refused to concede, urging supporters to "stop the steal." >> you'll never take back our country with weakness. you have to show strength, and you have to be strong. >> reporter: the riled-up crowd of 2,000 people set its sights on the house, where vice president mike pence and lawmakers were certifying the election results. more than half a dozen rioters and officers died, and the incident shook the u.s. populous. in a recent cbs news poll, two-thirds of americans said they feel democracy itself is under threat. many lawmakers do, too. >> there has never been a time in my life where i havee we been more worried about this democracy. >> reporter: today, dozens of democrats shared their memories of that day. >> and then, the pounding on the doors; that haunting sound i will never forget. >> reporter: but republicans who initially called out president trump made themselves scarce today. one notable exception? former vice president dick cheney, who joined his daughter, congresswoman liz cheney, in the house chamber today, and slammed g.o.p. leaders for their absence. >> reporter: former president trump perpetuated his election lies today in three separate statements, falsely claiming the race was "rigged" and a "crime." even now, he's urging his supporters to "never forget" and "never give up." president biden urged americans to reject that message. >> you can't love your country only when you win. you can't obey the law only when it's convenient. >> reporter: late today, we learned that vice president kamala harris was among those who had to be evacuated on that day from the democratic national committee headquarters just a few blocks from here. to this day, we don't know who left those pipe bombs at the d.n.c. and r.n.c. buildings, but luckily, the timers malfunctioned, and the bombs, norah, didn't go off. >> o'donnell: wow, nancy cordes, thank you so much. well, the justice department has focused on those who stormed the building, and the congressional committee is in search of those who helped plan the assault. so far, they've collected more than 30,000 documents and conducted over 300 interviews. we get more now from cbs's scott macfarlane. >> reporter: by congressional standards, the committee investigating the capitol attack is moving at the speed of a bullet train. their latest stop? the former vice president. panel member jamie raskin: are you getting cooperation from vice president pence and his team? >> so far, everything i've heard is, we're getting lots of cooperation from vice president pence and his team. now, i don't think he's been asked to testify quite yet, and, so, we'll see. >> reporter: will that happen? >> well, he was a critical actor. >> reporter: committee members tell cbs news they hope to wrap work by summer, and get answers from donald trump. >> there've been reports that he was "gleefully watching tv" and enjoying all the action at the capitol; others are saying no, he was just passive and didn't do anything. >> reporter: the committee is focusing on a specific window of time, including when trump tweeted, moments after congress adjourned and the riot began, "mike pence didn't have courage to do what should have been done," and later posting a video, telling rioters, among other things, that he loved them, and urging they go home. >> you're very special. >> reporter: the committee is seeking possible outtakes of that video. then, another tweet, as a city curfew began, about the slipping away of a "sacred landslide election." meanwhile, the committee itself has become a political wedge issue, disavowed by nearly all republicans except the two sitting on it, including congresswoman liz cheney. >> reporter: and the committee is planning prime-time hearings, we're told as early as february, to shine a brighter light on what they found. norah. >> o'donnell: all right, our new congressional correspondent, scott macfarlane, thank you, and welcome. well, tonight, the department of homeland security is warning local law enforcement that "new content online could inspire violence on government officials," and there are alarming threats against lawmakers here on capitol hill. we get more now from cbs's nikole killion. >> reporter: floor fights... >> the gentlemen will clear the chamber. >> reporter: ...outraged outbursts... >> we have people scaling the capitol, hitting the capitol police with lead pipes across the head. >> reporter: ...members mocked... >> it was shameful behavior. >> reporter: ...and shouting messages on the steps of the capitol. ( shouting ) >> reporter: the viral vitriol and, increasingly, new normal in congress. >> congress is a very toxic place to work. >> reporter: republican congressman adam kinzinger was one of ten republicans to impeach former president trump, retiring, in part, out of frustration with his own party. >> january 6th brought out into the light the division, the lies. >> reporter: kinzinger's illinois district partly neighbors democrat cheri bustos. she's also stepping down, finding it harder to work across the aisle. >> we don't necessarily face an angry mob every day we go into work, but the atmosphere in washington has not gotten a whole lot better. >> reporter: bustos was on the house floor when it was barricaded last year-- ( gunfire ) --only feet away from the shooting in the speakers lobby. was january 6th the final straw? >> it played into my decision not to run for reelection. when you have your family, who fears for your safety-- >> reporter: u.s. capitol police fielded a record number of threats against lawmakers last year-- roughly 9,600. >> we can't continue to go in this direction. >> reporter: these retiring representatives getting out, but not giving up on the institution. >> the american people have got to stop hoping congress and leaders make the difference, and they've got to demand the difference. >> reporter: both the lawmakers told me they fear what congress could look like in ten, 20 years if it doesn't course correct, and they hope voters use this year's mid-term to usher in more members who want to work together and restore democracy. norah. >> o'donnell: nikole killion, thank you. and with the first primaries in the mid-terms just a few months away, states are the next fierce battlegrounds for the future of elections. well, tonight, cbs's ed o'keefe shows us the fiery debate already playing out in michigan. ( shouting ) >> stop the vote! >> reporter: this was the chaotic scene in detroit the day after the 2020 elections. >> the 2020 election is indeed behind us, but the war over the future of our democracy continues to escalate. >> reporter: michigan democratic secretary of state jocelyn benson worries it will happen again. >> we are facing an uphill battle, given the real coordinated, concerted strategy to lie to individuals to achieve political gain. >> reporter: well, what's the biggest lie they're being told? >> that the 2020 election was not accurate-- when indeed it was. >> reporter: two-thirds of republicans believe the 2020 election was fraudulent, and cbs news has found at least 31 people who rallied in washington on january 6th are now running for state or federal office. six of them are here in michigan including jon rocha, who's been endorsed by donald trump. >> we're there on the grounds, and we saw people, you know, climbing the scaffolding. >> reporter: what compelled you to go to washington in the first place? >> because i felt there were enough irregularities in the 2020 election that there needed to be redress of grievances. >> reporter: but no court in the country found evidence of widespread election fraud. still, republicans in michigan are using a quirk in the state constitution to change election laws without the governor's signature. jamie roe runs the michigan group secure my vote, which critics say is working to make it harder to vote by proposing new voter i.d. requirements and preventing officials from sending unsolicited absentee ballot applications. >> we need to do some stuff to tighten up the way absentee ballots are handled. >> reporter: secretary of state benson called that misguided, and unnecessary. is there widespread fraud in michigan's elections? >> no. >> reporter: also here in michigan, republicans have been replacing some local g.o.p. election officials who certified the 2020 results, sparking fears among democrats and non-partisan election experts about how ballot counts might go in close elections later this year, and in 2024. norah. >> o'donnell: ed o'keefe, thank you so much. well, we wanted to put into context what happened here a year ago, and what comes next for our democracy, with cbs news chief political analyst and our resident historian, john dickerson. ( shouting ) john, it's incredible to think we're at these doors, where we saw so many pictures of people on january 6th storming the capitol. >> reporter: and it's quiet now. this is the way this is supposed to be. a building where immediately you conjure up all the ideas of the men and women who came here tojl the ideas of the men and do the people's business. which makes the fact that they were breaking through these windows all that much more of a defilement of what normally goes on here. >> o'donnell: i mean, this is the symbol of democracy worldwide. >> reporter: the stability of the structure itself is supposed to speak to the stability of the ideas that are at the heart of this democracy. and at the beginning, the europeans looked at america and they laughed, because they said there's no way you're going to peacefully transfer power. and that's what was attacked, that idea that power could be transferred peacefully. >> o'donnell: as somebody who has studied so much history and so many presidents, how does the investigation into january 6th rank? >> reporter: there is no more important investigation than goes to something that is at the heart of the american system. this isn't just a one-time event. if you have a heart attack, but you still smoke and you're still overweight, you are going to have another heart attack. the investigation into january 6th is about whether those habits of democracy are still alive, and the things that led to that riot, whether they might lead to another one again. >> o'donnell: you know, john, we mark anniversaries for a reason. usually, they're celebrations. this one is not. >> reporter: from the minute january 6th happened, there was a debate about what it meant. if there is a debate over the defilement of the u.s. capitol, if people can't come to an agreement that that is out of bounds, and that the person who incited it should no longer be a part of the public conversation, then the learning that needs to take place can never take place. >> o'donnell: well, why do we have to settle that? i mean, the justice system is going to take care of the people that stormed this building. they are. >> reporter: the way we prepare for the future is by understanding the past. and if we have a messy understanding of january 6th, or each side can choose what their understanding of january 6th is, that means they will look back to the history not for lessons, but for weaponry for the next battle to come. >> o'donnell: our conversation with john dickerson. well, we want to turn now to the covid pandemic. 12- to 15-year-olds started getting their newly-authorized booster shots today. this as school districts and hospitals get slammed by a wave of new infections. cbs's nikki battiste reports tonight on the strain on our healthcare workers. >> reporter: at holy name medical center, 106 employees are out sick. 26 of them, nurses. >> i'm worried a lot about burnout. >> reporter: the staffing strain is also hitting schools. classes at chicago's public schools are canceled for a third day tomorrow after a union member cited unsafe working conditions. and in san francisco, teachers staged a sick-out over covid precautions. here in new jersey, nearly 6,000 hospital workers have gotten covid since christmas. now, the state is asking the national guard and fema for help. are you worried about just not having enough fellow nurses? >> it's always a worry. >> reporter: nurse lauren boniello says the pandemic has been incredibly difficult as they've lost patients and co-workers to covid. >> in the beginning of the pandemic, we lost an employee, so it was a challenging day, it was a very emotional day, but it was something that we got through together. >> reporter: in that moment, what's going through your mind? >> i need a minute. i'm sorry. >> reporter: almost two years later, they're still pushing on. >> we are here for any patient that walks through that door. >> reporter: right now, there are 77 covid patients here at holy name. of those in the i.c.u., all but two are unvaccinated, and the two who are, have underlying conditions that make them prone to severe illness. norah. >> o'donnell: such an important reminder about the power of getting vaccinated. nikki battiste, thank you. well, still ahead on tonight's "cbs evening news," a snowstorm that is already causing problems across the south is now headed north. what you need to know. facing leaks takes strength. so here's to the strong, who trust in our performance and comfortable long-lasting protection. because your strength is supported by ours. depend. the only thing stronger than us, is you. 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how it will work out. heavy snowfall for new york city about 4:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. but by 7:00 a.m., it's basically finishing up with new york city. it then pushes more to the north and east. it will finish up in boston, like around 5:00 p.m. so the question is, how much snow do we pick up? washington, d.c., philadelphia, and new york city, i'd put you like in a 3 to 6-inch range, maybe more in some areas. for boston, i've got to bump it up a little more for you, i'd say about a 6 to 9-inch range. so, with the exception, norah, of you folks in washington, d.c., this is the really first snow event for all the east coast big cities. but again, you guys are becoming old hat at it in the nation's capitol. it's all yours. >> o'donnell: lonnie quinn, thank you. also, there is some breaking news tonight about a possible cause of yesterday's deadly fire in philadelphia that killed 12 people, including eight children. investigators believe a five- year-old child may have been playing with a 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