Congress certifies Biden as next US president – as it happened

This live blog is now closed. Follow continuing coverage on our new live blog:

Politico has published a riveting group account, from reporters on the scene, of events inside the Capitol as it was invaded on Wednesday. Here’s an excerpt:

Olivia Beavers: They’re getting evacuated. This is really escalating.

Melanie Zanona: And then a police officer is like, “OK, everyone, follow me.” The way the balconies are set up, it’s like they’re sectioned off. So we have to climb over these gold railings.

Olivia Beavers: As I’m climbing over one railing, this police officer yelled at us to take cover and duck.

Olivia Beavers: There was a moment when a reporter asked me: “Do you think we should take off our press badges?” I said, No.

Read the full piece here.

The extraordinary and violent scenes that consumed the US Capitol building on Wednesday have dominated news coverage across the world.

The Guardian carries a scene from the Capitol’s rotunda, filled with a pro-Trump mob waving the flag of their leader: “Chaos as pro-Trump mob storms US Capitol”. Prominence is given to a quote from the US president-elect, Joe Biden, who said: “Our democracy’s under assault, unlike anything we’ve seen in modern times.”

The House will not reconvene on Monday after all, the Democratic leadership announces, according to Fox News’ Chad Pergram.

Back in two weeks:

The UK home secretary, Priti Patel, said Donald Trump’s incendiary remarks directly provoked the violence witnessed in the US Capitol as she urged him to condemn it.

“His comments directly led to the violence and so far he has failed to condemn that violence – and that is completely wrong,” she said.

She said the departing president’s statement, in which he said “we love you” to the rioters, and repeated his unproven claims of electoral fraud did “very little to de-escalate the situation”.

“He basically has made a number of comments yesterday that helped to fuel that violence and he didn’t do anything to de-escalate that whatsoever,” she told BBC Breakfast.

Read the full piece:

An Israeli journalist reporting outside the US Capitol on Wednesday had to face a torrent of antisemitic abuse from a pro-Trump supporter live on air.

The reporter for Channel 13 television news was confronted by a man in a helmet and asked inaudible questions that appeared to be requests to explain his government’s actions, a video of the event showed.

“I’m not representing the Israeli government,” the reporter replied.

“You lying Israeli, you play the pilpul game,” the man said. “Pilpul” is a word used to refer to the process of analysing Jewish religious texts, and has been racistly misappropriated to mean lying.

The protester then went on to demand the reporter tell him what a “goy” was. A “goy” is a word for a non-Jew.

The Jerusalem Post, an Israeli newspaper, said the protester had also called the reporter a deeply offensive term for a Jewish person.

The US-based Anti-Defamation League said the incident was “absolutely despicable”.

The Washington Post editorial board joined Democratic voices overnight in calling for the removal of Trump through the 25th amendment before Inauguration Day. From their piece:

The president is unfit to remain in office for the next 14 days. Every second he retains the vast powers of the presidency is a threat to public order and national security. Vice President Pence, who had to be whisked off the Senate floor for his own protection, should immediately gather the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment, declaring that Mr. Trump is “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.” Congress, which would be required to ratify the action if Mr. Trump resisted, should do so. Mr. Pence should serve until President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated on Jan. 20.

While removal of Trump through the 25th amendment is extremely unlikely in the less-than-two-weeks before the election, discussion of such a move has surfaced repeatedly during Trump’s term. Here’s a video explainer from 2018 about how it could work:

At a daily press briefing in Beijing this afternoon, China’s foreign affairs spokeswoman, Hua Chunying, said - inaccurately - that the Chinese people have the right and freedom to express their views and comments on the Internet.

“Many people are thinking about this: (this is) a scene of deja vu, but the response of some people in the United States, including some media, is quite different. In July 2019, radical protestors violently attacked the Legislative Council building in Hong Kong... and surrounded the police with toxic powder and liquid, even bit off the police’s fingers and stabbed the police with knives. However, the Hong Kong police maintained a high degree of restraint and professionalism, and none of them died. But while the degree of violence and destruction in Washington is not as serious as what happened in Hong Kong, four people have died...”

Hua’s comments came after the Global Times quoted unnamed netizens gleefully revelling in the scenes, reportedly describing it as “karma”, “revenge”, and “deserved”.

“It was like watching a thrilling action movie!” they quoted one saying.

Across editorials and social media posts, the hawkish tabloid repeatedly drew crude comparisons between the footage of Capitol Hill and footage from the Hong Kong protests, ignoring the diametrically opposed motivations behind the two groups.

The German chancellor was made furious and sad by the scene last night at the US Capitol, a German broadcaster reports:

The House adjourns until Monday.

Biden and Harris will be inaugurated at noon on Wednesday, 20 January. Less than two weeks.

“The chair declares the joint session resolved,” Pence says.

He drops a gavel and mingling commences.

We don’t know what Trump makes of this because he’s suspended on Twitter.

Wyoming’s three votes for Trump stand. That’s it. Biden wins 306-232. We knew this months ago.

“The tellers will ascertain and deliver the result to the president of the senate,” Pence says.

Republicans have decided not to fight over Vermont’s three electoral votes going to Biden. Nor do they object to Virginia’s 13 votes going to Biden. Nor do they object to Washington’s 12 electoral votes going to Biden.

Texas comes after Tennessee in the alphabetical list of states. Trump’s victory there is announced by senator Amy Klobuchar. Pence invites objections. None is heard. Texas’ 38 electoral votes go to Trump.

Utah’s six votes go to Trump too. No objections there.

No objection to Rhode Island.

We’re on to South Carolina. No objections there. Now South Dakota. Another state won by Trump - no objections there.

Wisconsin is the penultimate state alphabetically, with Wyoming coming last.

Here’s Tennessee. No objections to the certification of Trump’s victory in Tennessee.

Biden in this count has already amassed more than half the electoral college votes, so in that sense the goose is cooked.

The senators are coming back. We’re about to resume.

Speaker Pelosi and other members are now standing in the House chamber chatting, waiting apparently for the senators to return so the joint session can resume.

Twelve states remain plus Washington DC. Among them Wisconsin seems the most likely to be objected to, but it does not appear that a senator has signed onto an objection to results from that state.

So we might breeze along from here.

More than half of the members of the House have voted against the objection to the Pennsylvania result, meaning it has failed.

Still waiting for the final tally. The Arizona challenge failed 303-122.

Here are further details from the room of the off-camera (near) fisticuffs.

Representative Adam Schiff of California, who led the impeachment inquiry, is speaking to oppose the objection to the Pennsylvania certification.

“The members of this body cannot continue to challenge the merits of an election that was fairly conducted and overwhelmingly won by Joe Biden,” Schiff says. “Look at the damage that was wrought... is that not enough?”

As “debate” in the House continues, we want to break away momentarily to note that prolific butt-dialer Rudy Giuliani yesterday evening committed another cell-phone slip-up, leaving a voice message apparently meant for freshman Republican Alabama senator Tommy Tuberville on someone else’s phone. The message has been published.

In the message, Giuliani encourages “Tuberville” to object to “every state” in order to prolong the current process. As demonstrated in the failed effort to object to the Michigan result, no objection in this process stands if it is not joined by a senator in writing.

Tuberville joined objections to both the Arizona and Pennsylvania results but not others. He must not have ... gotten the message.

There are a lot of members of Congress from Texas, and they all seem to be in line to object to the election result in Pennsylvania. Representative Roger Williams, a five-termer, is the latest.

He wants to clarify something. “I’m not ashamed and neither are my colleagues over here,” he says. “We’re actually proud of what we’re doing and standing for.”

Fisticuffs? The video feed of the chamber was showing the dais so this skirmish was not visible on TV. HuffPost’s Matt Fuller:

Speaker Pelosi handles a point of order from the Republican side. They’re trying to shout down Lamb, complaining he accused them in an unparliamentary way of lying. Pelosi gavels the Republicans, who keep yelling. Pelosi kicks the Republican representative out.

Lamb finishes. “Who’s next?” Pelosi says, sounding just the slightest bit impatient.

Representative Kat Cammack, a freshwoman Republican from Florida, thanks law enforcement for preserving order ... and then objects to the Pennsylvania election result.

She quotes from the constitution and reminds everyone that they have sworn an oath to defend it. “Our children our counting on us,” she says, to investigate election irregularities. That’s been done already, in dozens of state and local challenges and federal and state court cases across the country in the past two-plus months. You’re welcome, children.

Texas’s Jodey Arrington follows Cammack. He takes no pride in his objection, he explains, which is not based on any loyalty to the president but rather to the constitution.

A message has just been carried from the Senate to the House.

The message is read on the House floor:

“I have been directed by the Senate to inform the House that the Senate is ready to resume the joint session.”

Duly noted. Debate in the House resumes.

We’ve just had a couple speeches from House Republicans opposing certification of the Pennsylvania vote. Representative Brian Babin of Texas, a four-termer, accused Democrats of upsetting the rule of law by moving to certify the result.

“I have no doubt there was widespread election fraud this past November,” Babin said, despite the failure of any such evidence to emerge in more than 100 lawsuits brought by the Trump campaign after the election.

Representative Ted Budd of North Carolina then stands to accuse Pennsylvania of admitting “thousands of unverifiable ballots”. That’s not true but on those false grounds, Budd says, he’s objecting.

On the House floor, representatives are taking turn delivering short speeches about the objection to the Pennsylvania election result. Most of the speeches, including on the Republican side, oppose the objection and favor certifying the result. Debate is scheduled to last for a maximum of two hours. We’re about an hour in. Here’s a live video stream:

The US Capitol police have advised that the “internal security threat incident” has been “cleared”, Fox News’ Chad Pergram reports. A notification has been issued to “return to normal operations”.

The joint session of Congress is ongoing in the House chamber, part of the larger Capitol complex.

There have been reports all day that Donald Trump barred Marc Short, chief of staff to Vice-President Mike Pence, from the White House, following Pence’s refusal to overturn the results of the election.

Just now, it appears that Marc Short has declined to comment on the reports.

In the Senate, there was no interest in using up the full two hours of debate for the objection to the Pennsylvania electoral results.

Just to recap: what’s about to happen with the objection to the Pennsylvania electoral votes is expected to be a lot like what happened with the objection to the Arizona electoral votes.

The House and the Senate will go into their separate chambers and debate the objection. They have up to two hours of debate but there is some speculation that there might be a vote to limit the debate because it is past midnight in Washington and it’s been a very, very long day for everyone.

Then the Senate and the House will vote on whether the objection should be sustained. It will most likely fail. The Senate and the House will reconvene for a joint session to certify the results.

The objection to the Pennsylvania electoral votes comes signed by a senator and representatives.

We now retire for two hours of debate in both chambers.

It is 12:17am on 7 January in Washington DC.

An objection to the electoral votes of Nevada. Once again, no senator has joined the effort so “the objection cannot be entertained.” Massive applause throughout the chamber.

The objection to the electoral results in Michigan also cannot be entertained.

As Congress continues to certify the electoral votes, let’s look at the damages done to the Capitol today:

Joint session of Congress back in session. Arkansas, which voted for Donald Trump and Mike Pence, and California, which voted for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, fly through with no objections.

They’re calling the vote now in the House of Representatives. Nays have it, but now they’re doing a roll call.

The House of Representatives did not reconvene until about an hour after the Senate reconvened to debate the objection to the Arizona electoral votes.

As it’s two hours of debate in each chamber, we can’t move on until the House concludes its vote - and then the House and the Senate can come back together for a joint session to continue the vote certification of electors, state by state, in alphabetical order.

Florida Representative Matt Gaetz is now on the floor blaming antifa for the Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol. Reminder that there is absolutely no proof whatsoever of any “antifa involvement” and all evidence points to anti-antifa involvement.

The Senate is now voting on whether to throw out the results from Arizona. Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who has led the charge in objecting to the certification of the electoral college vote, was a clear vote in favor of throwing out the results.

South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham just had a field day with his remarks, saying that “the mob has done something nobody else could do, get me and [Senator Rand Paul] to agree”.

“Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are lawfully elected and will become the president and the vice-president of the United States on January the 20th,” he said.

The woman shot and killed inside the Capitol has been identified by San Diego-based news station KUSI as Ashli Babbit, a 14-year military veteran and Trump supporter.

The Guardian has not independently confirmed her identity.

Trump’s former defense secretary Jim Mattis, who resigned over the president’s Syria policies, issued a statement blaming the president for the violence at the Capitol.

Mattis said Trump has used the presidency “to destroy trust in our election and to poison our respect for fellow citizens”.

“Our Constitution and our Republic will overcome this stain and We the People will come together again in our never-ending effort to form a more perfect Union, while Mr Trump will deservedly be left a man without a country,” Mattis said.

While the electoral vote certification continues on the Senate floor, there appear to be a number of resignations happening at the White House in the wake of the Capitol riot:

The Georgia senator Kelly Loeffler, who lost her re-election bid yesterday to Raphael Warnock, has announced that she will no longer be objecting to the Georgia election results, following the violence today. “I pray that America never suffers another dark day again,” she said.

Mitch McConnell referred to the Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol as “the unhinged crowd we saw today”.

“We’ve never been deterred before and we won’t be deterred today,” he said. “They tried to disrupt our democracy and they failed.

“Criminal behavior will never dominate the United States Congress,” McConnell said.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell: “The United States Senate will not be intimidated. We will not be kept out of this chamber by thugs, mobs or threats.”

“To those who wreaked havoc in our Capitol today: You did not win,” Vice-President Mike Pence said. “Violence never wins. Freedom wins. And this is still the people’s house.”

“Let’s get back to work.”

Hey all, Vivian Ho on the west coast taking over for the indefatigable Joan Greve.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is now on the senate floor. The electoral vote count is expected to resume momentarily.

Senators are being escorted back into the Senate chamber to resume the certification of Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential race.

The joint session is expected to recommence in about 10 minutes. It’s unclear whether Republican lawmakers still intend to object to the electoral votes from Georgia and Pennsylvania after the violence at the Capitol today.

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called for the impeachment of Donald Trump, echoing some other progressive lawmakers after today’s violence at the Capitol.

The New York congresswoman sent a single-word tweet saying, “Impeach.”

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, another member of the progressive “Squad” in the House, said earlier today that she was filing articles of impeachment.

Some Democrats had previously suggested it was not worth impeaching Trump with so little time left in his term, but the events of the day may change many minds on that.

Melania Trump’s chief of staff has reportedly resigned, effective immediately, in the wake of a pro-Trump mob storming the Capitol.

CNN reports:

[Stephanie] Grisham was one of the longest-serving Trump administration officials, having begun her tenure working for then-candidate Donald Trump in 2015 as a press wrangler on the campaign trail. Grisham entered the White House as deputy press secretary under Sean Spicer, but in March 2017, Melania Trump hired her for her East Wing staff. As East Wing communications director, Grisham quickly became the first lady’s most prominent staffer, acting as defender, enforcer and, often, protector.

Grisham previously served as White House communications director and press secretary. She didn’t hold a single White House briefing while she held the role, and she was eventually replaced by Kayleigh McEnany.

The Guardian’s Lois Beckett spoke to Susan Bro, the mother of Heather Heyer, about the violence at the Capitol today.

Heyer was murdered in Charlottesville in 2017, after a man deliberately drove a car into a group of demonstrators who were counter-protesting a neo-Nazi event.

“This path has always been predictable,” Bro told Beckett. “And for people to now go, ‘I never knew this would happen,’ why not? How would you not see this happen?”

Bro added that she had seen a “great deal of difference in how black protesters and white protesters are treated”.

“I think we’re going to have to have some accountability of actions here, otherwise this will be attempted again and again,” Bro said. “I am saying there needs to be accountability, and it needs to be commensurate with what you would see handed to people of color.”

Mike Pence has returned to the Senate chamber, after being evacuated due to concerns about his safety after a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol.

A spokesperson for the vice-president said Pence never left the Capitol and was in regular contact with congressional leadership, law enforcement, the justice department and the defense department to secure the building.

“And now we will finish the People’s business,” spokesperson Devin O’Malley said.

Amid the violence and chaos at the Capitol, Pence seems to have taken over many of the responsibilities that would traditionally go to the president.

The electoral college ballots, which will finalize Joe Biden’s victory, are now on their way back to the Senate chamber.

Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer has indicated that the chambers will reconvene to continue with the certification in about 45 minutes.

Another Republican senator, Richard Burr of North Carolina, has directly blamed Donald Trump for the violence on Capitol Hill today.

“I supported President Trump’s legal right to contest the election results through the courts, but the courts have now unanimously and overwhelmingly rejected these suits. No evidence of voter fraud has emerged that would warrant overturning the 2020 election,” Burr said in a new statement.

“The President bears responsibility for today’s events by promoting the unfounded conspiracy theories that have led to this point. It is past time to accept the will of American voters and to allow our nation to move forward.”

One of Burr’s Republican colleagues, Mitt Romney, also released a statement tonight describing the violence as “an insurrection, incited by the President of the United States”.

The Guardian’s Edward Helmore reports:

The Proud Boys’ leader, Enrique Tarrio, told the Guardian he’d instructed members of the far-right group to stay away from the anti-certification protest Wednesday that escalated into the occupation of the Capitol building.

“I don’t think the occupation of the Capitol Building was planned. To me this is a cocktail – a whole bunch of people in DC and a whole lot who are pissed off.” Capitol police, he said, “had assaulted and pepper sprayed Trump supporters – the people who usually ‘back the blue’. They’d had enough. So they pushed through and got into the Capitol.”

Tarrio, who was barred from entering Washington DC on Tuesday after he was arrested on vandalism and weapons charges, said he was not “one of the people who think the election was stolen”.

But, he added, “I think there was inconsistency over the numbers and a lack of transparency that people deserve” and president-elect Joe Biden had done nothing to allay the fears of people who felt they were not being listened to.

“So this is the result. Biden has the presidency, the Senate and now the House, but he doesn’t have the people. I think they’d be calmer if he had shown that he is prepared to listen to them.”

Earlier tonight, House majority whip Jim Clyburn said Congress would continue the electoral college vote count, emphasizing that he would not be deterred by “violent hatred”.

“I have faced violent hatred before. I was not deterred then, and I will not be deterred now,” said Clyburn, who was active in the civil rights movement.

“This authoritarian menace will not succeed in his attempts to overthrow our democratically elected government,” the Democratic whip added.

“I am praying for the safety and security of the public servants who are dedicated to making this country a ‘more perfect union’.”

Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer told reporters that he expected the joint session to resume in a little over an hour, at 8 pm ET.

So far, only two states’ electoral votes have been formally counted by Congress, so the session could go late into the night, depending on Republicans’ objections.

Senator Mitt Romney condemned the events of today, describing the storming of the Capitol as “an insurrection, incited by the President of the United States”.

The Utah Republican said in a new statement, “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. They will be remembered for their role in this shameful episode in American history. That will be their legacy.”

Romney called on the Senate to continue with the counting of electoral college votes without any further objections.

“I urge my colleagues to move forward with completing the electoral count, to refrain from further objections, and to unanimously affirm the legitimacy of the presidential election,” Romney said.

George W Bush condemned the violence at the US Capitol today, describing the events of the day as an “insurrection” and criticizing the “reckless behavior” of some lawmakers since election day.

“Laura and I are watching the scenes of mayhem unfolding at the seat of our Nation’s government in disbelief and dismay. It is a sickening and heartbreaking sight. This is how election results are disputed in a banana republic – not our democratic republic,” the former Republican president said in a statement.

“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. The violent assault on the Capitol – and disruption of a Constitutionally-mandated meeting of Congress – was undertaken by people whose passions have been inflamed by falsehoods and false hopes.

“Insurrection could do grave damage to our Nation and reputation. In the United States of America, it is the fundamental responsibility of every patriotic citizen to support the rule of law. To those who are disappointed in the results of the election: Our country is more important than the politics of the moment. Let the officials elected by the people fulfill their duties and represent our voices in peace and safety. May God continue to bless the United States of America.”

Bush, the only living Republican president besides Donald Trump, announced yesterday that he would attend Joe Biden’s inauguration later this month.

The Guardian’s Kari Paul reports:

Facebook and YouTube removed a video post from the account of Donald Trump in which the president attempted to delegitimize the result of the presidential election after his supporters stormed the US Capitol.

Facebook and YouTube’s rare enforcement action were just two of several actions social media companies took against messaging from the president in an attempt to respond to the unprecedented chaos unfolding at the US Capitol.

Earlier on Wednesday, Twitter blocked several posts from Donald Trump – including the one Facebook deleted – from being shared, citing a “risk of violence”. However it declined to remove the video in question.

“In line with our Civic Integrity Policy and recent guidance, we have placed a label on the Tweet, and have significantly restricting engagement with the Tweet due to the risk of violence,” a spokesman said. “This means this Tweet will not be able to be replied to, Retweeted, or liked.”

Here’s how US politicians and commentators have been reacting to the Trump-fueled chaos at the Capitol today:

Ivanka Trump was fiercely criticized after she described the rioters who stormed the US Capitol as “American patriots.”

The president’s daughter said in the now-deleted tweet, “American patriots - any security breach or disrespect to our law enforcement is unacceptable.”

Trump later tried to clean up the tweet by saying in response to a reporter’s question, “Peaceful protest is patriotic. Violence is unacceptable and must be condemned in the strongest terms.”

Law enforcement officials now appear to be trying to clear rioters out of areas of the Capitol by deploying teargas and flash grenades.

Senator Jeff Merkley, a Democrat of Oregon, confirmed that the electoral college ballots were saved by Senate floor staffers as they evacuated the chamber.

“If our capable floor staff hadn’t grabbed them, they would have been burned by the mob,” Merkley said in a tweet.

Senator Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat of Illinois, credited a “very, very quick-thinking” staffer with grabbing the electoral college ballots before lawmakers were forced to evacuate the chamber.

“So we have them with us, and we will be able to proceed as long as Mitch McConnell calls us back into session,” Duckworth told CBS News.

Ilhan Omar, a progressive congresswoman from Minnesota, said she was drawing up articles of impeachment after a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol today.

“Donald J. Trump should be impeached by the House of Representatives & removed from office by the United States Senate,” Omar said.

“We can’t allow him to remain in office, it’s a matter of preserving our Republic and we need to fulfill our oath.”

There had been some rumblings among Democrats about impeachment after Trump’s call with the Georgia secretary of state was made public, but some Democratic lawmakers said they did not think impeachment was necessary because Trump’s term will end in two weeks.

But the events of today may change some minds on that front.

The Guardian’s Kari Paul reports:

Twitter suspended two of Donald Trump’s tweets from being shared and flagged many others for misinformation as he appeared to encourage a violent insurrection at the US capitol.

The platform faced increased calls to suspend the president’s account after he condemned Vice-President Mike Pence for refusing to overturn election results over unsubstantiated reports of voter fraud.

It flagged a tweet in which Trump accused Pence of failing to have “the courage to do what should have been done” and refuse to certify the results. It prevented users from retweeting the message, citing “risk of violence”, the first time it has included such a tag.

“In regard to the ongoing situation in Washington, D.C., we are working proactively to protect the health of the public conversation occurring on the service and will take action on any content that violates the Twitter Rules,” the company wrote.

Further, the company’s Safety account, which shares updates and enforcements of company policy, released a series of statements saying it is working to rein in violent language on the platform as the attempted coup continues to unfold.

Twitter has flagged a number of tweets from Trump sharing misinformation or calling for violence in the last year. It has also faced criticism for failing to remove tweets quickly enough and calls to remove the account entirely.

“Threats of and calls to violence are against the Twitter Rules, and we are enforcing our policies accordingly,” the company wrote.

Twitter is not allowing users to engage with the video that Donald Trump just tweeted out due to “a risk of violence”.

In the video, Trump praised his supporters, some of whom stormed the US Capitol, as “very special”. The president said to them, “We love you.”

Cori Bush, the newly elected progressive congresswoman from Missouri, said she would introduce a resolution calling for the expulsion of Republican members who have “incited this domestic terror attack through their attempts to overturn the election.”

When the Capitol was stormed by a pro-Trump mob, the House and the Senate were debating a Republican objection to the electoral votes from Arizona, which Joe Biden won in November.

Photos of Trump supporters are emerging from inside the Capitol building that are hard to believe. Before today, the idea that anyone could storm Congress like this, and occupy its offices and chambers, was simply unimaginable. Here is a selection of some of the surreal scenes from today so far:

A senior spokesperson for the Pentagon confirmed that the DC national guard has been mobilized to address the violent situation at the Capitol.

The spokesperson, Jonathan Hoffman, also said the acting defense secretary, Christopher Miller, has been in contact with congressional leaders.

The Nato secretary general expressed shock at the images coming out of Washington, as a pro-Trump mob stormed the US Capitol.

“Shocking scenes in Washington, D.C. The outcome of this democratic election must be respected,” Jens Stoltenberg said in a tweet.

The message was a powerful reminder that the world is watching as Washington devolves into chaos.

A spokesman for Larry Hogan, the Republican governor of Maryland, said he was also sending National Guard troops and state troopers to Washington amid the violence at the Capitol.

The Democratic governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam, said he was sending National Guard troops and state troopers to DC to respond to the violent situation at the Capitol.

Abby Phillip of CNN noted that the lack of National Guard troops at the US Capitol was a stark contrast to last summer, when the guard was quickly deployed to respond to protesters who were outraged by the police killing of George Floyd.

Adam Kinzinger, a Republican congressman, described Donald Trump’s tweet to his supporters storming the US Capitol as “cowardice.”

Speaking to CNN, the Illinois congressman called on the president to acknowledge his defeat in the presidential race and allow the electoral college vote count to move forward.

Trump’s former acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, also said the president needed to instruct his supporters to “go home.”

Donald Trump has sent another tweet asking his supporters to “remain peaceful”, as some of them storm the US Capitol.

“I am asking for everyone at the U.S. Capitol to remain peaceful. No violence! Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order – respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue. Thank you!” Trump said.

It’s important to remember that, at the end of his speech at the rally in Washington today, Trump instructed his supporters to march to the Capitol and protest against the electoral college vote certification.

The president also sent a tweet criticizing Mike Pence for not trying to block the certification, before he sent a much more subdued tweet urging protesters to stay peaceful.

The Washington Post is now reporting that the defense department has denied a request from DC officials to deploy the national guard to the US Capitol.

The defense department is currently led by acting secretary Christopher Miller, who was appointed in November, after Donald Trump abruptly fired Mark Esper.

The situation at the Capitol has made it clear that the US Capitol police need more assistance, and those watching the situation are starting to ask why help hasn’t arrived.

The Trump supporters storming the Capitol are now walking on the Senate floor, after the vice-president and lawmakers who were in the chamber were evacuated amid the electoral college vote certification.

Alyssa Farah, who served as Donald Trump’s communications director until last month, called on the president to condemn the actions of his supporters as they stormed the US Capitol.

So far, the president has sent two tweets since the Capitol was breached. One criticized Mike Pence for not trying to block the certification of Joe Biden’s victory, and the other (much less enthusiastic) one urged his supporters to “stay peaceful.”

Congressman Gerry Connolly, a Democrat of Virginia, confirmed that members were given gas masks before being evacuated from the floor, and teargas was deployed in the Rotunda.

A HuffPost reporter shared a photo from inside the chamber, showing one protester on the dais as he yelled that Donald Trump won the presidential election. (He obviously did not.)

A congressional reporter said one protester was shooting into the House chamber, as police officers tried to barricade the door with guns drawn.

Pro-Trump protesters are now surrounding the House chamber, and members are reportedly being evacuated from the floor.

After encouraging his supporters to march to the Capitol amid the electoral vote certification and sending a tweet criticizing Mike Pence, Donald Trump finally sent this very tepid message to protesters to “stay peaceful.”

The mayor of DC, Muriel Bowser, has announced a citywide curfew from 6pm tonight until 6am tomorrow, after pro-Trump protesters breached the US Capitol.

The situation at the Capitol is getting alarming, as Trump supporters attempt to breach the barricades around the building.

Reporters sitting in the Senate press gallery were informed that, if protesters storm the building, they would be taken into the Senate chamber with the door locked behind them.

Elaine Luria, a Democratic congresswoman from Virginia, said her House office was evacuated due to a report of a pipe bomb outside.

“I don’t recognize our country today and the members of Congress who have supported this anarchy do not deserve to represent their fellow Americans,” Luria said in a tweet.

House minority leader Kevin McCarthy also urged the protesters near the Capitol, some of whom have attempted to storm barricades, to “remain peaceful.”

Senator Ted Cruz defended his objection to Arizona’s electoral votes by noting that polling shows 39% of Americans believe the election was rigged.

Of course, the reason that many Americans believe that is because Donald Trump and his allies have spread baseless claims of widespread election fraud without presenting any evidence.

So Cruz is effectively citing Republicans’ faith in the president as evidence of fraud, without presenting any actual evidence of fraud.

After congressman Paul Gosar raised an objection to Arizona’s electoral votes and confirmed the objection was co-signed by senator Ted Cruz, Republicans offered Gosar a standing ovation in the chamber.

The House and the Senate will now debate Gosar’s objection for up to two hours, and it is expected to be easily defeated.

Nancy Pelosi opened the joint session by noting that only a limited number of people were allowed on the floor at a time, to comply with social-distancing guidelines.

The Democratic speaker’s announcement was met with grumbling on the Republican side, and congressman Morgan Griffith then posed a parliamentary inquiry to ask how lawmakers were supposed to object if only 11 members are allowed on the floor.

Mike Pence dismissed Griffith’s inquiry by saying that debate is not allowed during such a session. So far, it appears the vice-president plans to oversee the session by adhering very closely to the rules.

If Merrick Garland is confirmed as attorney general, it would open up a seat on the highly influential US court of appeals for the District of Columbia circuit.

The appeals court is often seen as a training ground for the supreme court, and Joe Biden’s team has reportedly already discussed who should be nominated to fill Garland’s seat.

NBC News reports:

With Democrats expected to win a Senate majority after strong showings in both of Georgia’s runoff races, they would likely have an easier path in both confirming Garland as attorney general — and the nominee eventually named to replace him on the court.

Biden advisers have discussed Ketanji Brown Jackson, currently a judge on the U.S. District Court for D.C., to replace Garland on the D.C. Circuit court, a source familiar with the matter told NBC News.

The Guardian is still waiting on an official AP race call in the second Georgia Senate election, but Jon Ossoff has slightly grown his lead over David Perdue.

The Democratic candidate now has 17,567 more votes than his Republican opponent, representing a lead of 0.4 points.

If Ossoff’s lead ends up being more than 0.5 points, the race will be outside of recount territory.

Raphael Warnock, who has already been declared the winner of his election, currently leads Kelly Loeffler by 1.2 points, so that race will not be eligible for a recount either.

Donald Trump is putting the pressure on Mike Pence, who will oversee the congressional certification of Joe Biden’s victory today.

Speaking to attendees of the “March to Save America” rally in Washington, Trump said the vice-president needs to “come through” for his supporters.

“Mike Pence is going to have to come through for us, and if he doesn’t, that will be a sad day for our country because you’re sworn to uphold our Constitution,” Trump said.

The president went on to say that Pence could send the election back to the states to re-certify the results, but that has never been done by any vice-president in US history.

Pence has reportedly told Trump that he has no power to influence the outcome of the certification because the role of the vice-president at today’s session is more ceremonial than anything.