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Tag: US Capitol violence

  • US Capitol has seen violence over 220 years, however not like this

    Image Source : AP/FILE In this July 24, 1998, file photograph, a flag flies at half-staff on Capitol Hill in honor of two Capitol cops who have been killed after a gunman burst by safety limitations. 
    In greater than 220 years, the U.S. Capitol had seen nothing prefer it: a roiling mob, forcing its well beyond its majestic marble columns, disrupting the passage of energy, desecrating the seat of the world’s biggest democracy.
    But this was removed from the primary time the Capitol has been scarred by violence.
    In 1814, simply 14 years after the constructing opened, British forces within the War of 1812 tried to burn it down. The invaders looted the constructing first, after which set the southern and northern wings ablaze — incinerating the Library of Congress. A sudden rainstorm prevented its complete destruction, however the constructing was left “a most magnificent ruin,” in keeping with architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe.
    Over the centuries since, occasions have made a mockery of the inscription on the podium of the House chamber — “Union, Justice, Tolerance, Liberty, Peace.” The constructing has been bombed a number of instances. There have been shootings. One legislator virtually killed one other.
    The most well-known episode occurred in 1954, when 4 Puerto Rican nationalists unfurled the island’s flag and, shouting “Freedom for Puerto Rico,” unleashed a barrage of about 30 pictures from the customer’s gallery of the House. Five congressmen have been injured, certainly one of them significantly.
    “I did not come to kill anyone, I came to die for Puerto Rico!” cried the chief, Lolita Lebron, when she and the others have been arrested.
    READ MORE: US Capitol breached by Trump supporters, 4 useless; Joe Biden says ‘darkish second’
    Before and since, the constructing has been a goal. In 1915, a German man planted three sticks of dynamite within the Senate reception room; it went off shortly earlier than midnight, when nobody was round.

    The bomber — who had beforehand murdered his pregnant spouse by poisoning, and would go on to shoot financier J.P. Morgan Jr,. and bomb a steamship loaded with munitions sure for Britain — killed himself earlier than he may very well be arrested.
    More not too long ago, the Weather Underground set off an explosive in 1971 to protest the U.S. bombing of Laos, and the May nineteenth Communist Movement bombed the Senate in 1983 in response to the invasion of Grenada. Neither prompted any deaths or accidents, however each resulted in lots of of 1000’s of {dollars} in injury and led to harder safety measures.
    The most threatening assault on the Capitol occurred in 1998, when a mentally in poor health man fired at a checkpoint and killed two Capitol Police officers. One of the dying officers managed to wound the gunman, who was arrested and later institutionalized. A close-by statue of Vice President John C. Calhoun nonetheless bears a bullet mark from the incident.
    IN PICS: Scenes of violence at US Capitol shock world
    In 2013, a dental hygienist along with her 18-month-old daughter in tow tried to drive onto the White House grounds, and was chased to the Capitol, the place she was shot to loss of life by police.
    There have been different, storied assaults. In 1835, a deranged home painter tried to shoot two pistols at President Andrew Jackson exterior the constructing; the weapons misfired, and Jackson caned his assailant into submission.
    And famously, in 1856, Rep. Preston Brooks attacked abolitionist Senator Charles Sumner along with his cane on the ground of the Senate after the senator gave a speech criticizing slavery.
    Sumner was overwhelmed so badly that three years handed earlier than he had sufficiently recovered to return to Congress. The House didn’t expel Brooks, however he resigned — and was instantly reelected.
    READ MORE: Can Donald Trump be faraway from White House earlier than Joe Biden’s inauguration? Explained
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  • Moment of ‘nice dishonour, disgrace’: Obama slams Trump, says he incited US Capitol violence

    Image Source : FILE IMAGE Moment of ‘nice dishonour, disgrace’: Obama slams Trump, says he incited US Capitol violence
    Slamming President Donald Trump for inciting violence on the US Capitol, his predecessor Barack Obama has talked about it’s a second of “nice dishonour and disgrace” for the US. The assertion of the previous frequent president obtained right here hours after a whole bunch of pro-Trump rioters on Wednesday stormed the US Capitol, interrupting a joint session of Congress the place lawmakers have been set to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s win.

    “Historical past will rightly keep in mind in the present day’s violence on the Capitol, incited by a sitting president who has continued to baselessly lie in regards to the consequence of a lawful election, as a second of nice dishonour and disgrace for our nation. However we might be kidding ourselves if we handled it as a complete shock,” Obama talked about in a protracted assertion.

    Here’s my assertion on right this moment’s violence on the Capitol. pic.twitter.com/jLCKo2D1Ya— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) January 7, 2021

    For 2 months now, a political event and its accompanying media ecosystem has too normally been unwilling to tell their followers the truth — that this was not a really shut election and that President-elect Biden will be inaugurated on January 20, he talked about.

    “Their fantasy narrative has spiralled additional and farther from actuality, and it builds upon years of sown resentments. Now we’re seeing the results, whipped up right into a violent crescendo,” Obama talked about.
    Within the November three presidential election, Biden, a Democrat gained 306 Electoral Faculty votes whereas Trump, a Republican, mustered solely 232 votes.

    Obama talked about, “Proper now, Republican leaders have a selection made clear within the desecrated chambers of democracy. They’ll proceed down this highway and hold stoking the raging fires. Or they will select actuality and take the primary steps towards extinguishing the flames. They’ll select America.”

    The earlier president talked about he was heartened to see many members of Trump’s event talk up forcefully within the current day.

    “Their voices add to the examples of Republican state and native election officers in states like Georgia who’ve refused to be intimidated and have discharged their duties honourably. We’d like extra leaders like these — proper now and within the days, weeks, and months forward as President-elect Biden works to revive a standard objective to our politics. It is as much as all of us as Individuals, no matter occasion, to assist him in that objective,” he talked about.

    In a separate assertion, former US President George W Bush talked about he and the earlier First Woman watched the scenes of “mayhem unfolding on the seat of our nation’s authorities in disbelief and dismay”.

    “It’s a sickening and heartbreaking sight. That is how election outcomes are disputed in a banana republic – not our democratic republic. I’m appalled by the reckless behaviour of some political leaders for the reason that election and by the shortage of respect proven in the present day for our establishments, our traditions, and our legislation enforcement,” he talked about.

    The violent assault on the Capitol – and disruption of a Constitutionally-mandated meeting of Congress – was undertaken by of us whose passions have been contaminated by falsehoods and false hopes. Rebel may do grave hurt to our nation and reputation, Bush talked about.

    Within the US, he talked about, it’s the elementary accountability of every patriotic citizen to help the rule of laws.

    “To those that are upset within the outcomes of the election: Our nation is extra essential than the politics of the second. Let the officers elected by the folks fulfil their duties and signify our voices in peace and security,” Bush talked about.

    Based on former US President Invoice Clinton, the “unprecedented assault on our Capitol, our Structure, and our nation” was fuelled by better than 4 years of “poison politics” spreading deliberate misinformation, sowing distrust throughout the system and “pitting Individuals in opposition to each other”.

    “We should reject in the present day’s violence, flip the web page and transfer ahead collectively — honouring our Structure, remaining dedicated to a authorities of the folks, by the folks, and for the folks,” he talked about.

    Former Secretary of State and First Woman, Hillary Clinton, talked about “home terrorists” attacked a foundation of American democracy: the peaceful swap of vitality following free elections.

    “We should reestablish the rule of legislation and maintain them accountable. Democracy is fragile. Our leaders should dwell as much as their accountability to guard it,” she talked about.

    Former Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush alleged that Trump provoked the disgusting events on the Capitol.

    “He has gone from creating chaos to inciting rebellion. Mr President, settle for your defeat, go residence to Florida and let our elected officers do their jobs and rebuild confidence in our democracy,” he talked about.
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  • ‘Banana republic crap:’ Some Republicans activate Trump over US Capitol violence

    A handful of US congressional Republicans turned on President Donald Trump on Wednesday, after a crowd of his supporters stormed the Capitol constructing in a bid to assist him overturn his defeat within the November election.
    “There is no question that the president formed the mob, the President incited the mob, the President addressed the mob. He lit the flame,” House of Representatives Republican Conference Chairwoman Liz Cheney tweeted.
    The daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney described the assault as an try to forestall Congress from finishing up its constitutional responsibility to assessment the outcomes of the 2020 election.

    Representative Mike Gallagher, a Republican who helps Trump, had a extra colourful description of the assault. “We are witnessing absolute banana republic crap in the United States Capitol right now. @realDonaldTrump, you need to call this off,” he posted on Twitter as demonstrators broke home windows to realize entry to the U.S. Capitol.
    An explosion brought on by a police munition is seen whereas supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump collect in entrance of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington. (Reuters/Leah Millis)
    Representative James French Hill, who has voted with Trump greater than 95% of the time, advised CNBC: “The president bears part of the responsibility for the heated rhetoric.”
    Trump supporters burst into the halls of Congress as Trump’s Republican allies aired their objections to the Nov. 3 presidential election received by President-elect Joe Biden.
    Biden, who takes workplace on Jan. 20, known as it “an insurrection” for demonstrators to storm the Capitol, smash home windows, occupy places of work, invade the halls of Congress and threaten the protection of duly elected officers.

    “I could not agree more with President-elect Biden’s statement to the nation,” Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a staunch Trump ally, stated in a press release on Twitter that didn’t point out Trump.
    Without naming Trump, Republican former President George W. Bush stated in a press release: “I am appalled by the reckless behavior of some political leaders since the election and by the lack of respect shown today for our institutions, our traditions, and our law enforcement.”
    Senator Mitt Romney, a frequent Trump critic, pointed the finger instantly.

    “What happened here today was an insurrection, incited by the President of the United States,” stated Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee. “Those who choose to continue to support his dangerous gambit by objecting to the results of a legitimate, democratic election will forever be seen as being complicit in an unprecedented attack against our democracy.”

  • Explainer: Can Trump be faraway from workplace earlier than his time period ends on Jan. 20?

    The storming of the US Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump on Wednesday has prompted calls by some lawmakers to take away him from workplace earlier than President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in on Jan. 20.The chaotic scenes unfolded after Republican Trump, who has refused to decide to a peaceable switch of energy, addressed hundreds of protesters and repeated unfounded claims that the election was stolen from him.There are two methods to take away a president from workplace: the twenty fifth Amendment of the US Constitution and impeachment adopted by a Senate conviction. In both situation, Vice President Mike Pence would take over till Biden’s inauguration.A supply aware of the hassle stated right here have been some preliminary discussions amongst some Cabinet members and Trump allies about invoking the twenty fifth Amendment.What’s the aim of the twenty fifth Amendment?The twenty fifth Amendment, ratified in 1967 and adopted within the wake of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963, offers with presidential succession and incapacity. Section 4 addresses conditions the place a president is unable to do the job however doesn’t step down voluntarily.The drafters of the twenty fifth Amendment clearly meant for it to use when a president is incapacitated by a bodily or psychological sickness, specialists say. Some students have additionally argued that it may additionally apply extra broadly to a president who’s dangerously unfit for workplace.For the twenty fifth Amendment to be invoked, Pence and nearly all of Trump’s Cabinet would wish to declare that Trump is unable to carry out the duties of the presidency and take away him. Pence would take over, in that situation.Trump may subsequently declare that he’s able to resuming the job. If Pence and nearly all of the Cabinet don’t contest Trump’s willpower, Trump regains energy. If they dispute Trump’s declaration, the problem would then be determined by Congress, however Pence would proceed to behave as president till then.A two-thirds majority of each Chambers can be wanted to maintain Trump sidelined. But the Democratic-controlled House may merely delay voting on the substantive dispute till Trump’s time period ends, stated Paul Campos, a professor of constitutional regulation on the University of Colorado.Campos stated the twenty fifth Amendment can be an applicable option to take away Trump from workplace and has the good thing about being faster than impeachment.“Pence could instantly become president, whereas impeachment and conviction could take at least a few days,” Campos stated.Can Trump be impeached and eliminated?Yes.A false impression about “impeachment” is that it refers back to the removing of a president from workplace. In truth, impeachment refers solely to the House of Representatives, the decrease chamber of Congress, bringing expenses {that a} president engaged in a “high crime or misdemeanor” – just like an indictment in a legal case.If a easy majority of the House’s 435 members approves bringing expenses, generally known as “articles of impeachment,” the method strikes to the Senate, the higher chamber, which holds a trial to find out the president’s guilt. The Constitution requires a two-thirds vote of the Senate to convict and take away a president.Trump was beforehand impeached by the Democratic-led US House in December 2019 on expenses of abuse of energy and obstruction of Congress stemming from his efforts to stress Ukraine to research Biden and his son. Trump was acquitted by the Republican-led Senate in February 2020. What “high crime and misdemeanor” may Trump be accused of?Frank Bowman, a professor of constitutional regulation on the University of Missouri, stated Trump “arguably fomented sedition,” or an tried overthrowing of the US authorities.But Bowman stated Trump may be impeached for a extra basic offence: disloyalty to the US Constitution and failing to uphold his oath of workplace. Congress has discretion in defining a excessive crime and misdemeanor and isn’t restricted to precise legal offences.“The essential offence would be one against the Constitution – one of essentially trying to undermine the lawful results of a lawfully conducted election,” Bowman stated.

  • Biden denounces storming of US Capitol as a ‘dark moment’ in nation’s historical past

    Written by Michael D. Shear and Jim Tankersley
    President-elect Joe Biden denounced the storming of the Capitol on Wednesday because the violent expression of President Donald Trump’s refusal to just accept his defeat, calling it “an assault on the citadel of liberty” and saying the president had stoked the mob along with his brazen and false claims that the 2020 election had been stolen.
    In direct, forceful language, Biden referred to as the scenes of chaos within the halls of Congress “a dark moment” within the nation’s historical past, appealed for calm and made clear that he held Trump accountable for instigating violence that left members of each events and allies all over the world appalled.
    “At their best, the words of a president can inspire. At their worst, they can incite,” Biden stated.
    “This is not dissent,” the president-elect stated in remarks from Delaware as scenes of the armed takeover of the Capitol performed out on tv screens. “It’s disorder. It’s chaos. It borders on sedition, and it must end now.”

    The day had began as considered one of triumph for Biden and his celebration, with Democrats coming off elections the day earlier than that sealed management of the Senate by choosing up two seats in Georgia and Congress scheduled to clear away the final formal Republican objections to his victory by certifying the Electoral College consequence.
    Filling out his Cabinet, Biden selected Judge Merrick Garland, whose Supreme Court nomination Republicans blocked in 2016, to be lawyer common, putting the duty of repairing a beleaguered Justice Department within the arms of a centrist decide. The alternative left some Democrats on the left of the celebration dissatisfied that he had not picked a lady or particular person of coloration and underscored Biden’s willingness to hunt bipartisan consensus.
    But by early afternoon, the day had devolved into an intensely jarring reminder of what Biden will face when he takes workplace on Jan. 20: He won’t solely inherit a rustic racked by a pandemic and financial disaster, but in addition a political cloth that has been ripped aside by Trump and won’t simply be woven again collectively.

    The assault on the Capitol by pro-Trump demonstrators devolved right into a bodily confrontation that halted the method of certifying the Electoral College consequence and was egged on by an incumbent president who on Wednesday morning raged to 1000’s of his supporters that the election was “rigged” and vowed, “We will never concede.”
    With Trump remaining principally silent instantly after the mob entered the Capitol, Biden referred to as on the president to “go on national television now to fulfill his oath and defend the Constitution and demand an end to this siege.”
    “To storm the Capitol,” he continued. “To smash windows, occupy offices. The floor of the United States Senate, rummaging through desks. On the Capitol, on the House of Representatives, threatening the safety of duly elected officials. It’s not protest. It’s insurrection.”
    Shortly after, Trump posted on Twitter a one-minute video wherein he empathized with the rioters as a result of “we had an election that was stolen from us,” however then urged them to “go home now. We have to have peace. We have to have law and order.”
    The impact of the day’s occasions on Biden’s political power remained unclear. In one sense, they have been a reminder that within the view of Trump’s most die-hard supporters his election was illegitimate, a perception that would inhibit some Republicans in a carefully divided Congress from working with him.
    Supporters of President Donald Trump are confronted by U.S. Capitol Police officers exterior the Senate Chamber contained in the Capitol, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021 in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
    Or the “god-awful display” on the Capitol, as he put it, may push the events collectively in some type of non permanent solidarity that would give him an opportunity to forge some early bipartisan offers.
    Biden expressed hope that it could be the latter.

    “The work of the moment and the work of the next four years must be the restoration of democracy, of decency, honor, respect, the rule of law,” he stated, including later: “We must step up.”
    President-elect Joe Biden salutes as he boards his motorcade after addressing the riots by supporters of President Donald Trump on the Capitol Building from Wilmington, Del., Jan. 6, 2021. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)
    It was a reminder, if Biden or any of his aides wanted one, that little in his transition to the presidency was regular.
    As the rioters stormed the Capitol, Biden put aside plans to ship a speech on the financial system, wherein he had been anticipated to hail the Georgia victories and to emphasise a number of of his financial priorities, together with reiterating calls for an additional spherical of monetary support to assist folks, companies and state and native governments climate financial ache from the virus.
    Biden’s advisers are deep into the method of creating coverage proposals to ship to Congress within the coming weeks, beginning with one other stimulus bundle. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who would be the majority chief after Biden is inaugurated, informed reporters Wednesday morning that lawmakers’ first precedence might be approving the $2,000 funds to people that Biden and the 2 victorious Senate candidates, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, promised voters they might ship if Democrats gained each elections.
    The Biden workforce can be drafting proposals to implement the president-elect’s “Build Back Better” marketing campaign agenda, together with new authorities spending on clear vitality, infrastructure, well being care and training, financed by tax will increase on the wealthy and companies.
    Demonstrators collect exterior of the U.S. Capitol constructing in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6.
    The Democratic victories in Georgia put Biden’s celebration in management at each ends of Pennsylvania Avenue and lowered the danger of complete partisan gridlock in Congress, no less than for 2 years.
    Without Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., because the iron-fisted chief of the Senate, Biden’s marketing campaign promise of a return to bipartisanship might be put to the take a look at. Now, Schumer and Biden’s allies will deliver the brand new president’s proposals to the Senate flooring for a vote. And even with simply the narrowest of margins — a 50-50 cut up that may be damaged by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris — he could possibly flip a few of these proposals into regulation.
    Biden’s allies within the Senate expressed optimism that, armed with committee chairmanships and management of the legislative calendar, they may advance the president-elect’s coverage objectives.
    “We need to fix a lot of the damage Trump’s done, and then there’s pent-up demand for a whole lot of things — what do we do about climate and about racial inequality, about wealth inequality, about structural racism,” stated Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, who is ready to be the highest Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee.
    Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., informed reporters on Capitol Hill that “there’s a bipartisan agenda there that can unite us, and it should.”

    “There’s a hunger for rebuilding our roads, highways, bridges and transit systems,” he stated. “There’s a hunger for rebuilding our wastewater, clean drinking water infrastructure.”
    Biden has additionally proposed probably the most bold local weather agenda of any president in historical past, together with $2 trillion in spending on inexperienced initiatives. A majority within the Senate provides Biden choices to make a few of that occur.
    Demonstrators stroll by way of the U.S. Capitol after breaching barricades to the constructing throughout a protest exterior of in Washington, D.C.
    But Biden’s agenda might be constrained by the Democrats’ slim benefits within the House and within the Senate, the place average Democrats similar to Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona will wield huge energy over which plans can cross.

    “The name of the game is still going to have to be modest, incremental progress on a bipartisan basis,” stated Michael Steel, a companion at Hamilton Place Strategies in Washington who was a prime aide to Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, when he was House speaker. “I can’t come up with a universe in which they are not better off doing a bipartisan process and a bipartisan product. I know that will annoy the left to no end, but that’s the way this president can get results.”

    The violence unfolded on the identical day that Trump’s Republicans misplaced their majority within the Senate as they misplaced two runoff elections in Georgia.
    The mayhem shocked world leaders. “Trump and his supporters must accept the decision of American voters at last and stop trampling on democracy,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas stated.
    Business teams, usually staunch allies of Republicans in Washington, additionally reacted strongly. The National Association of Manufacturers stated Pence ought to think about invoking a clause within the Constitution that enables a president to be faraway from workplace when he’s unable to do his job.

  • Twitter, Facebook droop Trump’s account over feedback on US Capitol riots

    Image Source : AP Twitter, Facebook droop Trump’s account over touch upon US Capitol riots
    In an unprecedented step, Facebook and Twitter suspended President Donald Trump from posting to their platforms Wednesday following the storming of the U.S. Capitol by his supporters.

    Twitter locked Trump out of his account for 12 hours and stated that future violations by Trump may lead to a everlasting suspension. The firm required the elimination of three of Trump’s tweets, together with a brief video by which he urged these supporters to “go home” whereas additionally repeating falsehoods in regards to the integrity of the presidential election. Trump’s account deleted these posts; had they remained, Twitter had threatened to increase his suspension.

    Facebook adopted up within the night, saying that Trump wouldn’t be capable of publish for twenty-four hours following two violations of its insurance policies.

    While some cheered the platforms’ actions, specialists famous that the businesses’ actions comply with years of hemming and hawing on Trump and his supporters spreading harmful misinformation and inspiring violence which have contributed to Wednesday’s violence.

    Jennifer Grygiel, a Syracuse University communications professor and an professional on social media, stated Wednesday’s occasions in Washington, D.C. are a direct results of Trump’s use of social media to unfold propaganda and disinformation, and that the platforms ought to bear some duty for his or her inaction.

    “This is what happens,” stated Grygiel. “We didn’t just see a breach at the Capitol. Social media platforms have been breached by the president repeatedly. This is disinformation. This was a coup attempt in the United States.”

    Grygiel stated the platform’s determination to take away the video — and Twitter’s suspension — are too little, too late.

    “They’re creeping along towards firmer action,” Griegel stated, calling Trump “Exhibit A” for the necessity for higher regulation of social media. “Social media is complicit in this because he has repeatedly used social media to incite violence. It’s a culmination of years of propaganda and abuse of media by the president of the United States.”

    Trump posted that video greater than two hours after protesters entered the Capitol, interrupting lawmakers assembly in a rare joint session to substantiate the Electoral College outcomes and President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.

    So far, YouTube has not taken related motion to muzzle Trump.

    Guy Rosen, Facebook’s vp of integrity, stated on Twitter Wednesday that the video was eliminated as a result of it “contributes to rather than diminishes the risk of ongoing violence.”

    “This is an emergency situation and we are taking appropriate emergency measures, including removing President Trump’s video,” Rosen stated on Twitter.

    Twitter initially left the video up however blocked individuals from having the ability to retweet it or touch upon it. Only later within the day did the platform delete it totally.

    Trump opened his video saying, “I know your pain. I know your hurt. But you have to go home now.”

    After repeating false claims about voter fraud affecting the election, Trump went on to say: “We can’t play into the hands of these people. We have to have peace. So go home. We love you. You’re very special.”

    Republican lawmakers and former administration officers had begged Trump to provide a press release to his supporters to quell the violence. The assertion got here as authorities struggled to take management of a chaotic state of affairs on the Capitol that led to the evacuation of lawmakers and the loss of life of at the least one particular person.

    Trump has harnessed social media — particularly Twitter — as a potent instrument for spreading misinformation in regards to the election. Wednesday’s riot solely elevated calls to ban Trump from the platform.

    “The President has promoted sedition and incited violence,” Jonathan Greenblatt, chief government officer of the Anti-Defamation League stated in a press release. “More than anything, what is happening right now at the Capitol is a direct result of the fear and disinformation that has been spewed consistently from the Oval Office.”

    Also Read: US Capitol Riots: Chaos, violence, mockery as pro-Trump mob occupies Congress, 1 killed
    Latest World News

  • US Capitol violence: Here’s how the chaos unfolded

    Written by Luke Broadwater and Emily Cochrane
    — A ceremonial session of Congress to formally declare President-elect Joe Biden’s victory devolved instantly right into a scene of violence and mayhem within the Capitol on Wednesday when a pro-Trump mob stormed the constructing, halting the counting of electoral votes.
    Journalists from The New York Times witnessed the scene. Here is how the chaos unfolded:
    Not lengthy after Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Senate majority chief, warned his Republican colleagues that their efforts to overturn a U.S. election would ship its democracy right into a “death spiral,” worry surged by way of the Senate chamber.
    A big group of pro-Trump protesters broke by way of barricades breached the constructing, and police whisked Vice President Mike Pence off the dais and out of the chamber, because the shouts of the mob might be heard exterior the door.

    Above the Senate flooring, contained in the press gallery, reporters craned their necks to catch a glimpse of the mayhem exterior. Journalists have been rushed into the Senate chamber, as employees aides shouted “In or out!” and scrambled to safe the doorways towards intruders. Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., yelled for the doorways to be locked.
    Looking at her cellphone, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., alerted fellow senators to the escalating hazard and shouted out that there had been have been “shots fired” someplace within the melee. Panic tinged the voices of each lawmakers and journalists.
    Some Senate aides barred the doorways of their workplaces as protesters beat on them, shouting profanities. As it turned clear the Senate chamber was not secure, safety officers ordered the senators to go away.
    Supporters of President Donald Trump are confronted by U.S. Capitol Police officers exterior the Senate Chamber contained in the Capitol, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021 in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
    As lawmakers and employees rushed out, aides grabbed maintain of the containers containing the Electoral College certificates, ensuring that the vandals couldn’t actually steal the outcomes of the election.
    “If our capable floor staff hadn’t grabbed them, they would have been burned by the mob,” stated Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore.
    Through the tunnels of the Capitol, senators walked shortly with an armed police escort. A member of McConnell’s safety element took the arm of the senator, who walks with a limp due to a childhood bout with polio, pulling and steadying him as they hustled away from hazard by way of a tunnel underneath the Capitol complicated.
    Before lengthy, the president’s supporters have been contained in the Senate chamber, prowling amid the mahogany desks and even sitting on the marble dais the place Pence had been seated not lengthy earlier than.
    Smoke fills the walkway exterior the Senate Chamber as supporters of President Donald Trump are confronted by U.S. Capitol Police officers contained in the Capitol, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021 in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
    Across the Capitol, a police officer stepped onto the House rostrum to tell lawmakers that they could have to duck underneath their chairs.
    “We now have individuals that have breached the Capitol building,” he informed them, warning House members to be ready to maneuver shortly out of the chamber. “They are in the Rotunda.”
    “Call Trump,” Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., yelled to shouts and grumbles from the House flooring. “Call your friend.”
    Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz. and a veteran, jumped on the arm rests of chairs and commenced directing members, cautioning them to maneuver calmly and shortly out of the chamber.
    Capitol Police officers handed out fuel masks to reporters within the press space above, as lawmakers pulled their very own silver-boxed masks from beneath the chairs in entrance of them. There have been warnings that tear fuel had been fired within the Capitol Rotunda, so that they ready to don the masks.
    Supporters for Trump pack the Washington Mall in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6.
    The chamber full of frantic shouting and the whirring of the masks, their crimson lights flashing as lawmakers struggled to determine find out how to unfold the plastic luggage that have been purported to go over their heads. Police officers and flooring employees yelled for lawmakers to exit, clambering over chairs and banisters to succeed in the doorways.
    A wood chest was pushed in entrance of the principle doorways to the chamber, by way of which Pence and the chests of election certifications had come simply an hour earlier. Security officers drew their weapons and pointed and yelled on the door, whose glass panels have been shattered, as lawmakers, employees and reporters cowered within the high ranges of the chamber.
    There was a bang, and evacuation momentarily stopped. Everyone was informed to get down, with reporters and lawmakers struggling to cover behind low-backed chairs and tools usually used to broadcast the ground proceedings.
    Outside, members of the mob have been making themselves at residence all through the Capitol, together with inside House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s workplace.
    Demonstrators collect exterior of the U.S. Capitol constructing in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6.
    Shortly after 2:45 p.m. Washington time, the evacuation resumed, with a line of lawmakers and journalists clambering out of the House chamber. They have been climbing over chairs, ducking underneath banisters — something to get out shortly. Police officers had their weapons drawn.
    “Are you OK? Are you OK?” was the fixed chorus because the members of Congress, aides and reporters scurried down staircases and hallways. Phones buzzed with texts and calls, with lawmakers frantically checking on employees that had been in workplace buildings and responding to household.
    Senators gathered at a safe location in one other constructing within the Capitol complicated, with journalists requested to remain exterior. FBI tactical models in camouflage with firearms and shields monitored the placement, as senators spoke in hushed tones about whether or not and find out how to proceed with the electoral rely.
    Demonstrators stroll by way of the U.S. Capitol after breaching barricades to the constructing throughout a protest exterior of in Washington, D.C.
    “These thugs are not running us off,” stated Sen. Joe Manchin III, D-W.Va. “We’re going to finish tonight. Everyone is committed to staying whatever it takes to get our job done.”
    As night time fell, an announcement came visiting the loudspeaker within the Capitol telling lawmakers the town was now underneath a curfew. Distant sirens may nonetheless be heard blaring all through the capital.

  • 1 shot useless in violence at US Capitol: All it’s essential know

    One lady was killed within the violence that adopted after supporters of US President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol and disrupted electoral depend on Wednesday. Lawmakers have been evacuated from the US Capitol after protesters breached safety and entered the premises. The mayor of Washington, DC, Muriel Bowser, ordered a curfew within the nation’s capital starting at 6 pm Wednesday.While President Trump, who had addressed supporters and made claims of election fraud hours earlier than, instructed supporters to ‘stay peaceful’, US President-elect Joe Biden known as the violence an ‘insurrection’.Here is all it’s essential know concerning the violence at US Capitol:- Hundreds of Trump supporters entered the Capitol constructing on Wednesday in a bid to overturn his election defeat.- The violence, that pressured lawmakers to flee the US Capitol and resulted within the demise of 1 lady, disrupted the method of certification of Biden because the winner in the November 3 election. However, the Senate resumed the method greater than six hours after the assault.-The FBI mentioned it had disarmed two suspected explosive gadgets and officers declared Capitol ‘secure’ practically 4 hours after the assault.- Trump’s Twitter account was locked for 12 hours after he pushed baseless claims concerning the election, and the social media platform warned him of everlasting ban if he didn’t take away his rule-breaking tweets. “As a result of the unprecedented and ongoing violent situation in Washington, DC, we have required the removal of three @realDonaldTrump Tweets that were posted earlier today for repeated and severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy,” Twitter mentioned in a put up. “If the Tweets are not removed, the account will remain locked,” it added.- Biden known as for restoration of “simple decency” and mentioned, ”The phrases of a president matter, regardless of how good or dangerous that president is. At their finest, the phrases of a president can encourage. At their worst, they will incite,” he added. He known as on Trump to “go on national television now, to fulfil his oath and defend the Constitution and demand an end to this siege.”- Former US President Barack Obama mentioned Trump incited the violence. “History will rightly remember today’s violence at the Capitol, incited by a sitting president who has continued to baselessly lie about the outcome of a lawful election, as a moment of great dishonor and shame for our nation,” he mentioned.

  • Woman is shot to dying throughout storming of US Capitol

    The violence on the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday included the deadly capturing of a lady, in line with the District of Columbia police.A police spokesman, Alaina Gertz, offered no additional particulars, together with who shot the sufferer or if anybody had been arrested within the episode.
    After the Capitol on Wednesday afternoon was overrun by supporters of President Donald Trump, police have been seen offering support to a bloodied girl mendacity on the ground contained in the constructing. It not instantly clear if that was the lady who was shot.
    The violence occurred after the mob disrupted the certification of Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory by each homes of Congress, forcing lawmakers and their staffs to flee.

    The violent dying was the primary on the Capitol since 1998 when a gunman pressured his approach via metallic detectors as alarms sounded and shot to dying two Capitol cops earlier than he was wounded and brought into custody.

    In 1954, in line with a House historical past, 4 folks related to the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party opened hearth from a gallery over the House flooring, wounding 5 congressmen.

    Three of the attackers have been shortly subdued and a fourth was arrested later. President Jimmy Carter commuted their sentences in 1979.

  • Twitter locks Donald Trump’s account after violence on Capitol Hill

    Written by Kate Conger, Mike Isaac and Sheera Frenkel
    Twitter on Wednesday locked the account of President Donald Trump, which prevents him from posting messages to his greater than 88 million followers, after a day of violence within the nation’s capital and a string of inaccurate and inflammatory posts from the president.
    The transfer was an unprecedented rebuke of Trump by Twitter, which has lengthy been a most popular megaphone for the president. Twitter mentioned Trump’s account would stay locked for 12 hours and the ban may very well be prolonged if Trump didn’t comply with delete a number of tweets that rejected the election outcomes and appeared to incite violence. The firm additionally mentioned it might completely droop Trump’s account if he continued to violate its insurance policies towards violent threats and election misinformation.
    Twitter’s motion adopted a torrent of criticism geared toward social media firms for his or her position in spreading misinformation and being a bullhorn for Trump as a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol constructing Wednesday and halted the certification of Electoral College votes.

    On Twitter, customers had known as for the corporate’s chief govt, Jack Dorsey, to take down Trump’s account. Civil rights teams weighed in, saying motion by social media firms towards requires political violence was “long overdue.” And even enterprise capitalists who had reaped riches from investing in social media urged Twitter and Facebook to do extra.
    “For four years you’ve rationalized this terror. Inciting violent treason is not a free speech exercise,” Chris Sacca, a tech investor who had invested in Twitter, wrote to Dorsey and Facebook’s chief govt, Mark Zuckerberg. “If you work at those companies, it’s on you too. Shut it down.”
    For years, Trump had constructed his affect with rapid-fire tweets and by reaching out to tens of millions of individuals on Facebook. Since dropping November’s election, he had used the platforms to problem the election outcomes and name them fraudulent.
    Twitter, Facebook and others had lengthy resisted cracking down on Trump’s posts and different poisonous content material. While the platforms had began taking extra steps towards political misinformation within the months earlier than the election, they declined to take away Trump’s posts and as an alternative took half steps, comparable to labeling his posts.
    So when violence broke out in Washington on Wednesday, it was, within the minds of longtime critics, the day the chickens got here house to roost for the social media firms. After the onslaught of questions started, Twitter and Facebook began proactively eradicating a number of of Trump’s posts from their websites, together with one the place the president falsely mentioned that “a sacred landslide election victory” had been “unceremoniously & viciously stripped away.”
    Protesters collect exterior the US Capitol, Wednesday, Jan 6, 2021. (Photo: AP)
    Facebook, Twitter and YouTube mentioned Wednesday that they had been reviewing the state of affairs and wouldn’t tolerate requires violence on their websites. In a press release, Twitter mentioned it might take motion towards tweets that violated its insurance policies and was “exploring other escalated enforcement actions.”
    YouTube mentioned it eliminated a number of livestreams that confirmed contributors storming the Capitol constructing carrying firearms. It additionally mentioned it might elevate authoritative information sources on its homepage, in search outcomes and in suggestions.
    “The violent protests in the Capitol today are a disgrace,” added Andy Stone, a Facebook spokesman. “We prohibit incitement and calls for violence on our platform. We are actively reviewing and removing any content that breaks these rules.”
    Trump additionally instructed his supporters to go house in a video that he posted on a number of social media websites Wednesday afternoon. “You have to go home now. We have to have peace. We have to have law and order,” he mentioned, whereas repeating false claims that the election had been stolen from him.
    Twitter later added a label to Trump’s video, saying its claims of fraud had been disputed and will result in violence, earlier than eradicating it totally after which taking down the tweet the place Trump inaccurately referred to a “sacred landslide election victory.” YouTube additionally deleted the video, as did Facebook, which additionally eliminated the deceptive put up by Trump on the “election victory.”
    Lawmakers put together to placed on masks on the ground of the House of Representatives as protesters enter the U.S. Capitol, Wednesday, Jan 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
    Guy Rosen, a Facebook govt, mentioned the social community took down the video as a result of it was “an emergency situation” and the video “contributes to rather than diminishes the risk of ongoing violence.”
    Critics mentioned the statements by Facebook, Twitter and YouTube had been too little, too late, after requires violence and plans for protests had already unfold on the platforms.
    On Facebook, protesters had overtly mentioned what they aimed to do in Washington on a Facebook web page known as Red-State Secession for weeks. The web page had requested its roughly 8,000 followers to share addresses of perceived “enemies” within the nation’s capital, together with the house addresses of federal judges, members of Congress and distinguished progressive politicians.
    Comments left on the web page typically featured photographs of gun and ammunition, together with emoji suggesting that members of the group had been planning for violence. One put up on Tuesday mentioned folks must be “prepared to use force to defend civilization.” Several feedback under the put up confirmed photographs of assault rifles, ammunition and different weapons. In the feedback, folks referred to “occupying” the capital and taking motion to power Congress to overturn the outcomes of the elections.

    Facebook mentioned it eliminated Red-State Secession on Wednesday morning. Before it was taken down, the web page directed followers to different social media websites like Gab and Parler which have gained recognition in right-wing circles because the election.
    Those different social media websites had been rife with Trump supporters organizing and speaking Wednesday. On Parler, one trending hashtag was #stormthecapitol. Many Trump supporters on the websites additionally appeared to imagine a false rumor that Antifa, a left-wing motion, was answerable for committing violence on the protests.

    “WAKE UP AMERICA, IT’S ANTIFA and BLM operatives who are committing the violence, NOT TRUMP SUPPORTERS!,” mentioned one Parler account member known as @Trumpfans100, providing no proof for the claims.
    Officials at Parler didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.