In Dick Cheney's hands, the vice presidency became a nexus of influence and manipulation — no longer the timid office where its occupants had tended their boss's ambitions. For George W. Bush's vice president, bunkering in secure undisclosed locations after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks was less an inconvenience than a metaphor for a life of power that he exercised to maximum effect from the shadows. Cheney died Monday at age 84. Cheney defended until his death the extraordinary tools of surveillance, detention and inquisition employed after the 9/11 attacks. The Republican also became a fierce critic of President Donald Trump, branding him a "coward" who tried to steal the 2020 election.

  • Updated

Congress has certified Donald Trump as the 2024 presidential election winner without challenge. It's in stark contrast to 2021 violence. Lawmakers convened under heavy security and a snowstorm to certify the vote Monday, with the reading of the electoral results from the states coming swiftly. The legacy of Jan. 6, 2021, hung over Monday's proceedings as the Republican who tried to overturn the previous election is legitimately returning to power. As lawmakers gathered, the tightest national security was in place. It's a reminder of what happened at the U.S. Capitol four years ago, when a defeated Trump sent rallygoers to "fight like hell." Vice President Kamala Harris, presiding over her own defeat, said, "America's democracy stood."

Kamala Harris says it was "disqualifying" for Donald Trump to say former Rep. Liz Cheney should have rifles "shooting at her" to see how she feels about sending troops to fight. Harris on Friday called Cheney "a true patriot" and said Trump "has increased his violent rhetoric." Cheney says Trump is a "cruel, unstable man who wants to be a tyrant." Trump made the comment at an event late Thursday in Arizona with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson. Harris has campaigned extensively with Cheney while Trump has attacked the former Wyoming congresswoman over the Iraq war and foreign military interventions.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney will be voting for Kamala Harris for president. That's according to Cheney's daughter, Liz Cheney, who made the announcement Friday in an onstage interview in Austin, Texas. Liz Cheney endorsed Harris on Thursday. Like his daughter, Dick Cheney has been an outspoken critic of former President Donald Trump. During Liz Cheney's ill-fated congressional re-election campaign in 2022, he aired an ad in which he called Trump a "coward" for trying to "steal the last election." Notably absent from Friday's announcement was the former vice president who has made few if any public appearances over the last year or more.