Lawmakers were evacuated during the counting of Electoral College votes after a mob of supporters descended on the Capitol at Trumps urging.
Congress's effort to count the Electoral College votes that gave President-elect Joe Biden his election victory devolved into chaos and violence Wednesday after pro-Trump protesters stormed the Capitol.
The breach of the building occurred after President Donald Trump called on supporters at a rally in downtown Washington to march to the Capitol complex. One person has died, according to multiple law enforcement sources.
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Read the highlights:
-The woman shot in the Capitol amid violent breach of the complex has died.
-Biden condemns "insurrection."
-Jon Ossoff defeats David Perdue in Georgia, handing control of the Senate to Democrats, NBC News projects.
-Defying Trump, Pence says he won't overturn the 2020 election.
Members of Congress were set to tally the electoral votes of the 50 states and Washington, D.C., at 1 p.m., but had to abort the count and were whisked away from their respective chambers when protesters overran the building. One person was shot and several were injured in the frenzy that ensued as lawmakers were evacuated and sheltered in place. Three died in "medical emergencies," police said.
Hours later, Congress reconvened to count the electoral votes affirming President-elect Joe Biden's victory. The House and Senate picked up where they left off hours earlier — debating a Republican objection to the results.
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NBC News
16m ago / 12:44 PM IST
Capitol Complex declared all-clear
Early Thursday morning, Capitol Police declared the Capitol Complex all clear.
A notice was sent to congressional staff about 1:15 a.m. indicating that officials had cleared the security threat after a mob stormed the Capitol on Wednesday afternoon.
The official notice indicating that normal operations could resume came as the House debated objections to the election results in Pennsylvania.
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1h ago / 11:41 AM IST
Rep. Grace Meng on being barricaded in the Capitol: 'I texted everyone I loved'
Rep. Grace Meng on being barricaded in the Capitol : ‘I texted everyone I loved’
JAN. 7, 202105:48
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Doha Madani
51m ago / 12:08 PM IST
Pennsylvania objection fails in the Senate with no debate
Senators chose to skip all debate and immediately voted to strike down an objection to Pennsylvania's Electoral College certification early Thursday.
Only seven senators voted to sustain the objection, while 92 opposed the motion.
The objection, raised by Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., and co-signed by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., came after no senators co-signed objections to three other states' votes.
Hawley and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, both voted to sustain the objection. Sens. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, Rick Scott of Florida, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming and Roger Marshall of Kansas also voted in favor of the objection.
Members of the House continue to debate before voting on the objection.
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Doha Madani
2h ago / 11:02 AM IST
Hawley objects to Pennsylvania certification
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., joined Republican House members in objecting to Pennsylvania's Electoral College certification, forcing the congressional chambers to split into individual sessions.
Although senators withdrew their objections for Georgia, Michigan and Nevada, Hawley co-signed the opposition to Pennsylvania, as he had told his fellow lawmakers he planned to do when the Senate reconvened earlier in the evening. But Hawley also said he intended to yield his time in the two-hour debate.
It's unclear how long each chamber will debate the objection before moving to a vote.
Congressional rules say any objection to an Electoral College ballot certification must be signed by both a senator and a member of the House. Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., joined Hawley's challenge.
Hawley makes claim about legality of vote in Pennsylvania
JAN. 7, 202104:15
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Jason Abbruzzese
2h ago / 10:51 AM IST
FBI calls for help identifying people who stormed Capitol
The FBI on Wednesday evening put out a call for information related to the mob that stormed the Capitol.
"The FBI is seeking information that will assist in identifying individuals who are actively instigating violence in Washington, DC," the agency said in an announcement. "The FBI is accepting tips and digital media depicting rioting and violence in the U.S. Capitol Building and surrounding area in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2021."
Only a handful of people were arrested during the unrest Wednesday.
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Carol E. Lee, Kristen Welker, Hallie Jackson, Chuck Todd and Jane C. Timm
2h ago / 10:49 AM IST
Trump administration staffers are discussing the 25th Amendment
Multiple sources familiar with the matter said there have been informal discussions about invoking the 25th Amendment among staff-level officials within the Trump administration.
President Donald Trump spent the day inciting and praising a mob that stormed the Capitol, so much so that he has been locked out of Twitter and Facebook for at least 12 hours.
It's unclear whether Cabinet-level officials have discussed the matter; two sources said the issue hasn't been broached with Vice President Mike Pence, who would need to agree along with a majority of the Cabinet to empower the vice president under the 25th Amendment.
The conversations have been fueled in part by concerns of unrest and insurrection throughout the U.S. over the next two weeks, before President-elect Joe Biden will be sworn in as president, but there are some large questions.
A source said it is unclear whether it would be legally possible to invoke the 25th Amendment in two weeks and whether enough Cabinet-level officials would back the effort.
On CNN, former national security adviser John Bolton warned against invoking the 25th Amendment, saying it could make matters worse.
"I acknowledge this is dangerous, but I'll say again, we ought to bear in mind the adage 'do no harm,' because you can make this worse if we're not careful," he said.