Congress reconvenes to certify Bidens victory just hours after pro-Trump rioters storm US Capitol

The US House and Senate are back in session at the Capitol to certify the 2020 election results after an hours-long security crisis that saw hundreds of pro-Trump rioters overpower police to storm the building and interrupt official proceedings. “The violence was quelled. The Capitol was secured, and the people's work continues,” Vice President Mike Pence said as he gaveled the Senate back into session. Lawmakers will pick up where they left off around 2pm Wednesday afternoon by resuming consideration of a motion co-signed by dozens of Republican lawmakers to block the Electoral College votes in Arizona. Read more: Follow live updates on the riots at the US Capitol Arizona is one of five states whose election results Republicans have planned to challenge to wipe away President-elect Joe Biden’s victory and keep Donald Trump in power for four more years. The cadre of Trump loyalists has cited widespread “election fraud” but has never once provided evidence that such fraud existed, with state and federal courts dismissing case after case over the last several weeks. Each chamber needs a majority of members to vote in favour of the objections to throw out the results. At the beginning of the day, 24 GOP senators (less than a quarter of the chamber) and roughly 150 House Republicans (out of 435 total House members) had pledged to support the objections, leaving the objections far short of a majority. It is unclear whether the riot at the Capitol, which Democrats and even many Republicans have blamed on Mr Trump for inciting, has changed any Republicans’ minds about how they will vote. Speaker Nancy Pelosi characterised the mayhem in Washington on Wednesday as a “time of great sadness” as she notified her colleagues that they would be summoned back to the Capitol to complete the American people’s business. “Today, a shameful assault was made on our democracy. It was anointed at the highest level of government. It cannot, however, deter us from our responsibility to validate the election of Joe Biden,” the speaker wrote in a Dear Colleague letter on Wednesday evening. Story continues Our goal is to create a safe and engaging place for users to connect over interests and passions. In order to improve our community experience, we are temporarily suspending article commenting. Latest Stories Yahoo News When will Warnock and Ossoff be seated in the Senate — and when will Democrats take control? With their upset victories in this week’s Georgia runoffs, Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff will give Democrats the edge in the U.S. Senate for the first time since 2015. 13h ago The Week Only 14 suspects were arrested by the Capitol Police, who are now trying to identify other trespassers via 'surveillance footage' Hundreds of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol Building on Wednesday, but just 14 suspects were arrested as a result of the mayhem, the United States Capitol Police reported Thursday, adding that over three times as many police officers 'sustained injuries,' at more than 50.'The violent attack on the U.S. Capitol was unlike any I have ever experienced in my 30 years in law enforcement here in Washington, D.C.,' the USCP chief of police, Steven A. Sund, wrote in a statement. 'Maintaining public safety in an open environment — specifically for First Amendment activities — has long been a challenge. The USCP had a robust plan established to address anticipated First Amendment activities. But make no mistake — these mass riots were not First Amendment activities; they were criminal riotous behavior.'Sund added that the USCP is 'continuing to review surveillance video and open source material to identify' more people who might be subject to criminal charges. Separately, The Wall Street Journal reports that federal authorities are poised to arrest 'more than a dozen members of the pro-Trump mob' who stormed the Capitol, and are continuing to review social media posts and cell phone records to root out who was involved after Capitol Police let many of the rioters leave undisturbed.Washington's Metropolitan Police Department arrested an additional 80 people for violations of curfew and unlawful entry. Read more about the 'stunning failure' of the Capitol Police here at The Week.More stories from theweek.com The decline and fall of Donald Trump U.S. sets record for most COVID-19 deaths in 1 day GOP Sen. Josh Hawley loses book deal, mentor, major donor after Capitol assault, gains 2 scathing editorials 17h ago Ad • China News Ad This Is What's Happening In China Right Now Access to everything you need to know about the latest on China, World, Economy and many more Yahoo News Loeffler concedes to Warnock in Georgia Senate race: 'We came up slightly short' On Thursday, Georgia Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler conceded to the Rev. Raphael Warnock in a video statement posted to Twitter. 11h ago link link link link link link link link link link link link link link link link link link link link Reuters Error puts millions of U.S. stimulus payments in wrong accounts -TurboTax Millions of pandemic stimulus payments have been deposited in incorrect customer accounts due to an Internal Revenue Service error, according to Intuit TurboTax, which is helping to distribute the payments. Two banking industry sources confirmed the error, which will delay distribution of the badly needed aid. 'For those who don't receive a direct deposit, they should watch their mail for either a paper check or a prepaid debit card,' the IRS said in a notice on Thursday. 11h ago Associated Press 'Great damage': Republicans recoil from Missouri Sen. Hawley O'FALLON, Mo. (AP) — A Republican colleague rebuked him on the Senate floor. “Supporting Josh Hawley ... was the worst decision I’ve ever made in my life,' former Missouri Sen. John Danforth told The Associated Press on Thursday. Aside from President Donald Trump, who roiled up supporters just before they stormed the Capitol, no politician has been more publicly blamed for Wednesday's unprecedented assault on American democracy than Hawley. 9h ago Anzeige • Toyota Ad Toyota Corolla TS Team Deutschland leasen FairPAY Paket mit 19% MwSt. geschenkt, 0 € Anzahlung und Garantieverlängerung Architectural Digest Inside Fashion Designer Brian Atwood’s Vibrant Apartment 64 Floors Above Manhattan The Hudson Yards aerie, which Atwood shares with his physician husband Jake Deutsch, is literally “a glass box in the sky.”Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest 2d ago BBC Kim Jong-un says North Korea's economic plan failed It comes after a year of border closures with China and storms that have devastated homes and crops. 2d ago The Week Lindsey Graham dismisses fellow Republicans' Electoral College objections with a history lesson 'Count me out' of the plan to object to the Electoral College certification, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told his colleagues on the Senate floor Wednesday night. Graham was never really on board, but had previously suggested he was at least willing to listen to his fellow Republicans, like Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who wanted to challenge President-elect Joe Biden's victory because of unfounded allegations of widespread voter fraud. By the time he spoke, though, Graham had reached the conclusion that 'enough is enough.'Graham provided the chamber with a brief history lesson, arguing that the objectors were making a mistake by citing the 1876 election between Samuel Tilden and Rutherford B. Hayes as precedent for their actions. That year, there were disputed results in four states -- Oregon, Louisiana, Florida, and Graham's home state of South Carolina. So, a 15-member Electoral Commission, similar to what Cruz and others want to see now, was formed. Hayes, the Republican, eventually received the votes he needed to become president.But, Graham noted, the commission wasn't the real reason the matter was settled. Behind the scenes, Republicans met with Democrats, who agreed not to accept a Hayes victory as long as federal troops were pulled from the South, bringing an end to the Reconstruction era. The deal, which became known as the Compromise of 1877, paved the way for Jim Crow. 'If you're looking for historical guidance,' Graham said, 'this is not the one to pick.' > Graham: 'It didn't work. Nobody accepted it. The way it ended is when Hayes did a deal with these 3 states- you give me the electors, I'll kick the Union Army out. The rest is history. It led to Jim Crow. If you're looking for historical guidance, this is not the one to pick.'> > -- Michael McAuliff (@mmcauliff) January 7, 2021More stories from theweek.com The decline and fall of Donald Trump U.S. sets record for most COVID-19 deaths in 1 day GOP Sen. Josh Hawley loses book deal, mentor, major donor after Capitol assault, gains 2 scathing editorials 1d ago Ad • Cash Insight Ad How China Is Planning for the Future China Has Grand Plans For The World CBS News Capitol Police officer dies after pro-Trump riot At least four civilians also died, including three people who police said suffered medical emergencies and one woman who was fatally shot by police. 5h ago Associated Press Boston Marathon bomber sues over ballcap, showers in prison Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has sued the federal government for $250,000 over his treatment at the Colorado prison where he is serving a life sentence. 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