03:17 Woman shot in Capitol riot has died
Police have confirmed that a woman who was shot earlier during the Capitol riots has died due to her injuries.
She has not yet been named by officials, but police earlier said she was a civilian.
03:00 Washington DC enters curfew
The capital city in the US, after hours of violence at the heart of its government, has just started its citywide curfew.
The local time is 18:00 EST and it’s in effect until Thursday morning.
02:32 Vice President-elect Kamala Harris calls for “assault” on Capitol to end
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris took to Twitter following President-elect Biden’s remarks Wednesday afternoon to call for an end to the violence at the Capitol
“I join President-elect @JoeBiden in calling for the assault on the Capitol and our nation’s public servants to end, and as he said, ‘allow the work of democracy to go forward,” she tweeted.
Harris was in Congress when the riots began but was safely evacuated.
02:11 The work of the next four years will be restoring democracy, Biden says
President-elect Joe Biden addressed the pro-Trump riots at the Capitol, saying the work of the next four years will be rebuilding democracy.
“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. Just plain, simple decency,” Biden said.
The President-elect said he is “shocked and saddened” that the country has come to “such a dark moment,” but added that like other moments in history, America will prevail.
“Through war and strife, America’s endured much. And we will endure here and we will prevail again and we’ll prevail now,” Biden said.
“Today’s reminder, a painful one, that democracy is fragile and to preserve it requires people of good will,” he said.
Rioters stormed the US Capitol building earlier today while members of Congress were meeting to certify Biden’s win.
02:01 DC police officer taken to the hospital after being pepper sprayed
At least one officer was pepper sprayed and taken to an area hospital, according Douglas Buchanan, chief of communications for the DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services.
Buchanan also said others have been treated and taken to hospitals throughout the day – ranging from cardiac arrest to someone who suffered multiple fractures after falling from scaffolding on the West end of the U.S. Capitol.
01:37 ‘You have to go home now’ – Trump
Donald Trump has shared a new video, just minutes after President-elect Joe Biden called on him to address the nation and put a halt to the pro-Trump protests occurring in Washington DC and around the country.
“I know your pain. I know your hurt,” says Trump, again falsely claiming that the election was “stolen”.
“Everyone knows it. Especially the other side. But you have to go home now.”
Borrowing one of his own campaign slogans, he adds: “We have to have peace. We have to have law and order.
“This was a fraudulent election but we can’t play into the hands of these people. We have to have peace.”
01:19 Biden calls on Trump to go on TV to order end to Capitol mob
President-elect Joe Biden called on President Trump to appear on national television and condemn his supporters who breached the US Capitol.
“The words of a president matter, no matter how good or bad that president is. At their best, the words of a president can inspire. At their worst, they can incite. Therefore, I call on President Trump to go on national television now to fulfill his oath and defend the Constitution and demand an end to this siege,” Biden said in an address to Americans.
Biden called the mob an “insurrection.”
“Threatening the safety of elected officials, it’s no protest. It’s insurrection,” Biden said. “The world’s watching. Like so many other Americans, I am shocked and saddened that our nation, so long the beacon of light and hope for democracy, has come to such a dark moment.”
“President Trump: Step up,” Biden added.
00:56 National Guard called
The National Guard has been called, at President Trump’s request, says the White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany.
00:47 Vice-President Pence asks Trump supporters to leave the Capitol
The vice-president has asked Trump supporters to leave the Capitol and stop the violence.
“This attack on our Capitol will not be tolerated and those involved will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Mike Pence tweeted.
Pence, who has insisted he cannot overturn the results of the election despite pressure for the president, was presiding over the electoral college vote when protesters stormed the building and he was shepherded to safety.
00:30 Trump tweets to supporters
Trump has tweeted a message to protesters who have stormed the US Capitol, saying: “No violence!”
00:15 Pro-Trump protesters force way into Capitol
Supporters of US President Donald Trump have breached the Capitol, where lawmakers have been meeting to confirm President-elect Joe Biden’s poll win, the BBC reports.
In dramatic scenes, demonstrators swarmed near the building, as Congress members were escorted out by police.
A joint session of Congress has been counting and confirming electoral college votes.
The proceedings are usually brief and ceremonial but Republican lawmakers are objecting to some results.
The chaotic scene came after Trump spoke to a large crowd in front of the White House, angrily vowing that he would never concede to President-elect Joe Biden.
“We will never give up, we will never concede. You don’t concede when there’s theft involved,” Trump said to a crowd of supporters, some of whom chanted “USA!” or waved anti-Biden banners.. He later falsely claimed Biden would be an “illegitimate” president.
The U.S. Capitol Police said it was evacuated areas near the building as pro-Trump protesters stormed barricades set up outside the perimeter, and law enforcement officers were seen trying to push them back.
