The chaos inside the U.S. Capitol came after the police force that protects the legislative complex was overrun by a mob of Trump supporters in what law enforcement officials called a catastrophic failure to prepare reut.rs/35fSFoq
The siege of the Capitol represents one of the gravest security lapses in recent history, current and former law enforcement officials said, turning one of the most recognizable symbols of American power into a locus of political violence
While events such as a presidential inauguration involve detailed security plans by numerous security agencies, far less planning went into protecting the joint session of Congress that convened to ratify the results of the 2020 presidential election, officials said
That lapse came despite glaring warning signs of potential violence by hardline supporters of Trump, who are inflamed by his baseless claims of a stolen election and hope to block the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden
And security initially was handled almost entirely alone by the U.S. Capitol Police, a 2,000-member force under the control of Congress and dedicated to protecting the 126-acre Capitol Grounds
For reasons that remained unclear, other arms of the U.S. federal government’s vast security apparatus did not arrive in force for hours as rioters besieged the seat of Congress
The Capitol is a short walk from where Trump in a speech railed against the election just before the riot began, calling the vote an 'egregious assault on our democracy' and urging his supporters to 'walk down to the Capitol' in a 'Save America March'
Despite weeks of threats on social media that planned pro-Trump protests could descend into violence, the Capitol Police force did not request advance help to secure the building from other federal agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security, a senior official said
National Guard reinforcements, summoned by the city’s mayor, were not mobilized until more than an hour after protesters had first breached the barricades
In stark contrast, those agencies were aggressively deployed by the Trump administration during last summer’s police brutality protests in Washington and elsewhere in the United States
Play-by-play:
How a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol as lawmakers debated the final certification of the presidential election @ReutersGraphicstmsnrt.rs/3nm9aFH 1/8
🕛 Midday: Trump addresses a rally
‘We’re going to walk down to the Capitol and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and Congressmen and women.’ 2/8
🕧 Around 12:50 p.m. ET: Supporters march to the Capitol
About 50 minutes into the speech, some of his supporters, waving Trump flags, began heading toward Capitol Hill, where bloody chaos ensued inside one of the most recognizable symbols of American democracy. 3/8
Congress counts Electorial College votes to affirm Joe Biden's win 👇 reut.rs/2Ls2gkS
Outgoing President Trump addressed thousands of supporters, including members of far-right groups, at a rally in Washington protesting the meeting of Congress to confirm President-elect Biden’s victory reut.rs/3bgn3TE
U.S. Capitol in lockdown as pro-Trump demonstrators rally while Congress debates certification of Biden's electoral victory
Donald Trump’s flailing effort to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s victory comes down to Congress in a showdown led by a band of Republican lawmakers that could stretch proceedings past midnight but is almost certain to fail reut.rs/39ac8Ig via Richard Cowen
Although Biden won the Nov. 3 election by more than 7 million popular votes and a 306-232 margin in the Electoral College, Trump — without evidence — continues to claim his victory was the result of widespread fraud
State and federal reviews have knocked down allegations of significant fraud and legal efforts by Trump’s allies to overturn the election have failed in multiple courts. Biden is due to be sworn in as president on Jan. 20
1/ In March, a driver for UPS in Arizona complained to U.S. workplace safety regulators alleging that the company's lax COVID-19 safety guidelines were putting workers at risk. He hoped for an inspection of the facility that would force changes to protect him and his colleagues.
2/ Here's how the investigation went:
OSHA (the nation’s workplace safety watchdog) summarized the employee's concerns in an email to company management, reviewed their response and closed the case.
3/ Over the next two months, a COVID-19 outbreak infected more than 40 Tucson UPS workers - including a manager who eventually died - and caused delivery delays throughout the region, according to interviews with workers and union officials.
Democratic challenger Raphael Warnock unseats Republican incumbent Loeffler in Georgia special Senate race, according to Edison Research
Democrat Raphael Warnock won a hotly contested Senate runoff in Georgia over Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler, Edison Research projected, but which party will control the chamber remained up in the air with a second runoff undecided reut.rs/2XbI35I
Democrat Jon Ossoff takes lead in a close race against Republican Senator David Perdue in Georgia, according to Edison Research reut.rs/35e3pDE
More than two-thirds of the 15 million coronavirus vaccines shipped within the United States have gone unused, health officials said, as the governors of New York and Florida vowed to penalize hospitals that fail to dispense shots quickly reut.rs/3bbCmwE
In New York, hospitals must administer vaccines within a week of receiving them or face a fine and a reduction in future supplies, Governor Andrew Cuomo said
New York hospitals on the whole have dispensed fewer than half of their allocated doses to date, but performance varied from one group of hospitals to another