Biden sounds alarm about global democracy at virtual summit

By AAMER MADHANI and COLLEEN LONG
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has convened the first White House Summit for Democracy by sounding an alarm about a global slide for democratic institutions. He’s calling for world leaders to “lock arms” and demonstrate that democracies can deliver. In making the case for action Thursday, he noted his own battle win passage of voting rights legislation at home and alluded to the United States’ own challenges to its democratic institutions and traditions. The two-day virtual gathering comes with Biden declaring that the U.S. and like-minded allies need to demonstrate to the world that democracies are a better vehicle for societies than autocracies.