Is America back?

That's what President Biden aimed to prove today in his first address to the United Nations General Assembly as president. Biden has faced his share of criticism from the global community recently over concerns that he's not that much different than "the former guy," whose bellicose, isolationist approach to foreign policy flummoxed many of the U.S.'s allies for four years. While Americans generally view differences between the two presidents as stark, for the rest of the world, it's more complicated.

• — Just talk? While Biden frequently sings the praises of multilateralism, there is widespread skepticism among UN member states over his commitment to it in practice. In particular, disagreements over Israel, the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, and, most recently, a nuclear submarine deal with Australia that opened up a diplomatic rift with France (and deepened tensions with China) are fresh in everyone's mind. —The Guardian
•  
• — So how did he do? In his address, Biden laid out his vision for a new era of diplomacy, in which American civic leadership, rather than military power, serves as the driving force to resolve persistent global challenges, such as "ending this pandemic, addressing the climate crisis, managing the shifts in global power dynamics, shaping the rules of the world on vital issues like trade, cyber, and emerging technologies, and facing the threat of terrorism as it stands today." Without naming China, Biden said the U.S. does not want a new Cold War, but is instead looking to "compete vigorously" with the world's autocracies.
•  
• — No more America First. Biden also reassured the U.S.'s allies that America is committed to working with partners around the world to collectively tackle problems, and stressed the importance of working within the framework of multilateral institutions like the UN. "It is a fundamental truth of the 21st century that within each of our countries, and as a global community, that our own success is bound up in others succeeding as well," Biden said. "To deliver for our own people, we must also engage deeply with the rest of the world." —CNN

Protect democracy by limiting executive power

House Democrats are introducing a package of proposed new limits on executive power today, beginning a push to strengthen checks on the presidency. While the bill would constrain President Biden and his successors, the White House is largely backing the broad set of proposals known as the Protecting Our Democracy Act. The legislation would make it harder for presidents to offer or bestow pardons in situations that raise suspicion of corruption, refuse to respond to oversight subpoenas, spend or secretly freeze funds contrary to congressional appropriations, and fire inspectors general or retaliate against whistleblowers, among many other changes. In theory, congressional Republicans would typically approve of a number of the proposed changes, but the bill's implicit rebuke of Donald Trump's behavior as president may limit how many Republicans are willing to vote for it. Stay tuned. —The New York Times

MORE: Democrats release debt ceiling bill that funds government through Dec. 3 —The Hill

Milbank: Democracy can't survive without truth

"[D]istortions are bound to occur when the leaders of a major political party go to war with reality. People protest in defense of nonexistent political prisoners arrested for violently protesting nonexistent voter fraud. People die because their leaders convince them to distrust life-saving vaccines. Now some Republicans worry that the pervasive belief that elections are rigged—an article of faith since the 2016 Iowa caucuses—will discourage voting, as it appeared to do in the Georgia Senate runoff and again in the California recall. … When Republican leaders convince their supporters not to vote, that's their problem. But when they convince them to reject democracy, that's everybody's problem." —Dana Milbank in The Washington Post

Dana Milbank is an author and columnist at The Washington Post.

MORE: Memo shows Trump lawyer's six-step plan for Pence to overturn the election —CNN

Will children be vaccinated?

Pfizer and BioNTech reported yesterday that trials demonstrate that their COVID-19 vaccine induces a robust immune response in 5- to 11-year-olds, and they plan to ask for regulatory authorization as soon as possible in the U.S. It's coming at a good time, with schools back in session for in-person classes. Further, "since July, pediatric cases of COVID-19 have risen by about 240% in the U.S., underscoring the public health need for vaccination," said Pfizer Chief Executive Albert Bourla. The question is, to what degree will the nation's vaccine resistance extend to children? Despite all the medical advances of the past century and the availability of safe, effective vaccines, COVID-19 has now killed more than 675,000 Americans—more than the 1918 flu pandemic did—and public health experts say many thousands of those deaths were preventable. —Reuters

MORE: International travel to U.S. to return after 600 days of quarantine —Forbes

Chrzanowski: Polish democracy is in trouble

"Freedom needs to be cared for. I arrived in the U.S. from Poland in 1989, when communism fell and democracy in Poland was re-born. The freedom of speech and expression that existed in the U.S. was fascinating to me. I had a dream that a similar democracy could exist in Poland. Upon my return to Poland from the U.S., I served in the Polish Sejm for two terms in the late '90s, about a decade after the Soviets left Poland. We built and strengthened our country—the third Republic of Poland. I fought for the establishment of democratic norms, and I personally know the people in the ruling party of Poland who are trying to destroy it now. They follow the footsteps of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. They will not stop until they get what they want—to remain in power. Americans should care because Poland has been that solid friend and ally to America for over 250 years. We cannot have that alliance threatened." —Zbigniew Chrzanowski in Bucks County Courier Times

Zbigniew Chrzanowski is a former member of the Polish parliament.

MORE: Last stop for democracy: on tour with Poland's rebel judges —The Guardian

Focus on global democracy

Justin Trudeau's bet paid off...for the most part. Voicing the concerns of Canadians increasingly upset with those who refuse to get vaccinated, the Canadian prime minister called for a federal election in the hopes that they didn't want a Conservative government during a pandemic. That argument helped propel Trudeau to victory in the election yesterday, and while the gamble to win a majority of seats in Parliament didn't pay off, Trudeau leads a strong minority government that won't be toppled by the opposition anytime soon. —Associated Press

• — Great Britain. British counterterrorism police announced criminal charges today against a senior Russian military intelligence officer for the attempted assassination of a former Russian spy who was poisoned with a deadly nerve agent. Denis Sergeev entered the UK on March 2, 2018, two days before Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia collapsed on a park bench in the English town of Salisbury. Sergeev is the third officer to be charged in the poisoning of the Skripals. —The New York Times
•  
• — Hong Kong. In a further sign of democracy's deterioration in Hong Kong, a powerful new committee will choose its next leader and nearly half its legislature, thanks to electoral changes imposed by China to ensure only "patriots" hold political office. Those allowed to vote for the 1,500-seat Election Committee were mostly representatives from business, professional, and religious communities, with pro-democracy candidates nearly absent in the first election since Beijing's overhaul of the political system. —Al Jazeera

1. — Sudan. A military coup attempt failed in Sudan today. About 40 officers were arrested after attempting to take over the state broadcaster's television buildings and the military general command. Following the attempt, Sudan's military spread across the capital of Khartoum, but the Sudanese minister of information has said the situation in the country is now "completely under control." —CNN

Marcus: The Durham investigation's unusual prosecution

"[T]he Michael Sussmann prosecution contradicts the entire predicate of [Justice Department Special Counsel John] Durham's investigation. The probe was launched, more than two years ago, on the theory that the FBI was somehow hijacked by 'deep state' conspirators who concocted the 'Russia hoax' to prevent Donald Trump's election. But in Durham's retelling in the Sussmann indictment, the FBI was not a bad actor but a hapless victim of outside forces." —Ruth Marcus in The Washington Post

Ruth Marcus is the deputy editorial page editor for The Washington Post.

MORE: Lawyer pleads not guilty in Trump-Russia investigation probe —Stars and Stripes

If and when the Democrats get around to actually holding hearings with regards to investigating Jan. 6, there are many people I hope they put under oath. First and foremost, Steve Bannon. I believe he had a bigger role in what happened on Jan. 6, and other events for that matter, than we have been led to believe. He's made no secret of the fact that he wants to do away with our form of government for many years, and though there aren't many "brains" in the MAGA-hatter crowd, I suspect he's as close as it gets. —Bill T., Arizona

I would like to hear from former Vice President Mike Pence on the following: 1) his conversations with Donald Trump concerning the election, and specifically, Trump's expectation that Pence overturn the results by the authority of office; 2) Pence's experience at the Capitol during the insurrection and his escape to safety; 3) what transpired between Pence and Trump post-Jan. 6; 4) what support, if any, Pence received from Republican leaders after his life had been threatened; and 5) how Pence has come to terms with Jan. 6 and Trump's repeated attempts to deny the credibility of the November 2020 election. —Nomalanga N., New Mexico

I would like to see Donald Trump called to testify by the Jan. 6 committee. —Linda S., Texas

I would like to call everyone who was in Donald Trump's presence at work in the White House and watched him having a mental breakdown. —Marsha S., Washington

I would call Rudy Giuliani as my first witness, since he was Donald Trump's personal lawyer and was promoting the 'Big Lie' on behalf of him as his hired gun. He also was a keynote speaker at the rally on Jan. 6 and encouraged people to march on the Capitol. He knows what Trump and his sycophants' strategy was and also who the insurrectionists were that egged the 'mob' on to assault the Capitol. If he pleads the 5th under oath, then we know that Trump was up to his eyeballs in allowing the mob to do anything and everything to stay in office, and he also knew the Capitol would be stormed by a semi-organized mob and then sat back and relished what was happening vs. calling for it to stop immediately. Finally, calling Trump as a witness and giving him a national TV audience so he can keep spewing out his lies is, I think, a bad strategy. —Lee A., Utah

Witnesses and demonstrable evidence are critical to both the presentation of evidence and its understanding. Witnesses put a face on and make the evidence come alive. Live testimony, rather than a declaration being read into the record, is far more compelling and provides greater opportunities for unexpected testimony. The viewing public will be far more interested in live testimony. In this day and age and tribal political climate, the more widely-viewed and powerful the testimony, the better. —Douglas C., California

The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff or the Stand Up Republic Foundation.