Biden to host ‘summit’ to rally democracies over autocrats

By ZEKE MILLER
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden plans to host a virtual ”summit for democracy” in December as he aims to assemble government, civil society and private sector leaders in what he’s cast as a global faceoff against rising autocratic forces. About a year after the Dec. 9-10 event, the president plans an in-person gathering that would bring together leaders of democratic nations and other officials. The White House says this December’s summit would “galvanize commitments and initiatives across three principal themes: defending against authoritarianism, fighting corruption, and promoting respect for human rights.” The announcement came not long after officials in Afghanistan said the Taliban had seized three more provincial capitals from the elected, American-backed government in Kabul.