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 | | | Rioters besiege the US Capitol | | Pro-Trump rioters breach Capitol, forcing lockdown; woman shot and killed; Pence evacuated, Senate chamber cleared out. It's Wednesday's news. | | |
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| That escalated quickly. A little more than an hour after Congress began its formal session to affirm Joe Biden's presidential election win, the U.S. Capitol went into lockdown as pro-Trump rioters stormed into the Capitol building. One person died. Vice President Mike Pence and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris were evacuated. And the D.C. National Guard has been activated. |
| It's Ashley. When I mentioned we expected drama today in the nation's capital, I was not expecting this shocking turn of events. Let's talk news. |
 | | Pro-Trump supporters storm the U.S. Capitol after a rally where President Donald Trump spoke Jan. 6 in Washington. Crowds gathered in the nation's capital to protest the ratification of President-elect Joe Biden's Electoral College victory over Trump in the 2020 election. | | Samuel Corum, Getty Images | |
| But first, things are rapidly developing: For the absolute latest updates on what's happening at the U.S. Capitol, follow along on our live blog. |
| The Short List is a snappy USA TODAY news roundup. Subscribe here! |
A historic day – and not in a good way |
| It started with a peaceful protest. Thousands of President Donald Trump's supporters turned up in Washington on Wednesday for multiple "Stop the Steal" events to protest the election results. Things took a dark turn. |
| About two dozen people moved in on the U.S. Capitol as debate over certifying the election took place inside. Several flash-bang grenades were launched as tensions flared, and the mass of people outside the Capitol building began to swell. |
| The crowd broke through security fencing, entering the building. The Capitol was locked down, and Pence was evacuated. |
 | | People shelter in the House gallery as protesters try to break in at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. | | Andrew Harnik, AP | |
Rioters breach Capitol security |
| Rioters swarmed the Capitol, storming the House and Senate chambers on the second floor of the building, shouting and waving flags and climbing over chairs. At least one person entered the Senate chamber and shouted from the dais, "Trump won the election!" Others sat inside lawmakers' offices. |
 | | Supporters of President Donald Trump breached security and entered the Capitol as Congress tried to confirm the 2020 presidential election. | | SAUL LOEB, AFP via Getty Images | |
Woman dies amid riots |
| Jaw-dropping pictures and video of the riot shows law enforcement officers with guns drawn to keep protesters off the floor of the House of Representatives while protesters fought police inside the building. |
| A woman who was shot inside the Capitol when rioters stormed the building was taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead, police say. At least three others were injured and taken to hospitals. |
 | | Capitol police guard a barricaded door as protesters try to break into the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. | | Andrew Harnik, AP | |
Calls for peace |
| President-elect Joe Biden called the rioting at the Capitol "insurrection" and "chaos" and urged Trump to tell his supporters to end their siege. "This is not dissent. It's disorder. It's chaos. It borders on sedition, and it must end now. I call on this mob to pull back and allow the work of democracy to go forward," he said. |
| After Biden's speech, Trump tweeted a video telling protesters they should "go home," referring to "a landslide election'' in his favor and claiming votes were "stolen from us,'' though federal investigations and court cases showed otherwise. |
National Guard activated |
| The National Guard was mobilized to support law enforcement, and as of late afternoon, 13 people – all from outside the area – had been arrested. |
| As a 6 p.m. EST, curfew took effect, police in riot gear stood outside the Capitol and held protesters at bay, having secured the premises a few hours after rioters broke in through smashed windows and climbed to the building's balconies. Police used tear gas and percussion grenades to disperse the mob. |
 | | Protesters attempt to enter the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6 after mass demonstrations during a joint session of Congress to ratify President-elect Joe Biden's 306-232 Electoral College win over President Donald Trump. | | Tasos Katopodis, Getty Images | |
At the Capitol, before the chaos |
| Vice President Mike Pence defied Trump, saying he wouldn't block Congress from affirming Biden's win. "Only lawmakers can decide today," Pence said. It earned him a quick rebuke from Trump, who tweeted, "Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution." |
| Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell delivered a stern warning to fellow Republicans after an objection was raised to the certification of Arizona's 11 electoral votes to Biden and Harris. "If this election were overturned by mere allegations from the losing side, our democracy would enter a death spiral," he said. |
| Despite the chaos, the outcome of the vote count in Congress was never in doubt. Biden's Electoral College win has been certified by all 50 states and the District of Columbia. There are more than enough votes in the House and Senate to formally accept that outcome. |
| Photos: Rioters storm into U.S. Capitol |
 | | A protester hangs from the balcony in the Senate chamber on Jan. 06. | | Win McNamee, Getty Images | |
Who will run the Senate? Democrats |
| The Georgia runoffs have been called. Democrats won control of the U.S. Senate as Jon Ossoff is projected to defeat incumbent Republican David Perdue in Georgia's runoff elections, according to NBC News and CBS News. Ossoff and Raphael Warnock became the first Georgia Democrats in 20 years to be elected to the Senate, knocking out Perdue and Sen. Kelly Loeffler, respectively, in runoff elections Tuesday. The Senate will be split 50-50, and Vice President Kamala Harris will have the power to cast a deciding vote for Democrats in the event of a tie. |
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 | | Democrats recaptured control of the U.S. Senate by winning both Georgia seats up for election Tuesday, giving the party complete control of Congress and President-elect Joe Biden a much easier path to carry out his legislative agenda on climate change, health care and racial justice. | | USA TODAY | |
All the other news, real quick |
| (I told you there was a lot today.) |
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| For updates on all the latest from our journalists in the field covering this unprecedented chaos, follow along at USATODAY.com. |
| Stay safe, everyone. – Ashley |
| This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Want this news roundup in your inbox every night? Sign up for The Short List newsletter here. |
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