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2021-01-07 14:44:44 UTC: UPDATE (See below the fold).
Pro-Trump rioters breach the US Capitol on historic day in Congress:
Supporters of President Donald Trump breached the US Capitol on Wednesday while Congress was meeting to certify the Electoral College's votes for president and vice president.
The Capitol has been put on lockdown and the certification vote has been paused. Vice President Mike Pence was evacuated from the building. House and Senate leadership is safe and in undisclosed locations, according to a person familiar with the situation.
Congress' counting of electoral votes is typically little more than an afterthought. But this joint session was expected to be a contentious affair that would last late into the evening and possibly on Thursday. Some Republicans are objecting to the count and delaying the inevitable certification of President-elect Joe Biden's win.
Also at AlJazeera (In Pictures: Pro-trump mob storms US Capitol building) and c|net (Mob storms Capitol forcing halt of election vote count).
[2021-01-06 22:33:53 UTC; UPDATE] NOTE: This is a chaotic time.
The Electoral College votes are currently being confirmed and tallied. Runoff votes in Georgia are being tallied and the results may swing the balance of power in the US Senate. The Georgia secretary of state [has been] relocated from [State] Capitol for security reasons. Mitch McConnell goes off on Trump. Pro-Trump reporter gloats over access to fleeing Hill staffer's computer. And Trump hand-picks replacement for Atlanta's US attorney after surprise resignation.
Let's please try and keep the discussion civil.
Also, please be polite and share your popcorn!
[Updates Begin]:
(1) Fox News reports Biden's Electoral College victory certified -- hours after Capitol chaos:
The U.S. Congress early Thursday certified the Electoral College vote that gave Democrat Joe Biden his presidential victory -- after a day in Washington that was marred by pro-Trump protesters storming the U.S. Capitol.
Vice President Mike Pence, who had announced he would not overturn the will of voters, confirmed the Biden victory at 3:41 a.m. ET.
Lawmakers had returned to the chamber in an act of defiance, with some Republicans who initially vowed to challenge states' results due to voter fraud concerns announcing they'd instead vote to certify.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., called the breach of the Capitol a "failed insurrection," adding that those who "tried to disrupt our democracy" had not succeeded.
(2) President Trump "Responds" via Staffer's Twitter Account after His Account was Suspended:
Statement by President Donald J. Trump on the Electoral Certification:
"Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th. I have always said we would continue our...
...fight to ensure that only legal votes were counted. While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history, it's only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again!"
(3) Facebook, Twitter lock Trump's account following video addressing Washington rioters:
- Twitter and Facebook on Wednesday said they would lock the account of President Donald Trump after he continued to make false claims about the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
- Facebook, YouTube and Twitter on Wednesday removed a video by President Donald Trump addressing Washington rioters.
- Meanwhile, calls are mounting for Twitter and Facebook to suspend Trump's accounts.
(4) The Associated Press has called the results for the Georgia Senate elections: both Democratic candidates defeated their GOP opponents:
With projected victories in the twin races of Warnock and Ossoff, President-elect Joe Biden will have the narrowest majority in the Senate, with both parties holding 50-50 seats apiece, allowing the tie-breaking vote to be cast by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
Also at The New York Times.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by barbara hudson on Wednesday January 06 2021, @10:28PM (22 children)
SoylentNews is social media. Says so right in the slogan. Soylentnews is people, not tech.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 06 2021, @11:03PM (2 children)
And this is why they are doing it -- the last desperate attempt to provide some justification, some legal fig leaf, to throw Trump in jail.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by tizan on Wednesday January 06 2021, @11:13PM (1 child)
huh ? "They" ?
If you call a bunch of people to rally and tell them to go wild...they carry confederate flags (which was a defeated enemy of the USA, just like Japan or Germany were) and you are the leader of that country and you swore to fight against enemy in and out to protect it....so don't you think you just committed treason ?
No ...what would qualify. Any army general doing that would be in jail for doing such things no ?
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 06 2021, @11:20PM
You can't logic with crazy people.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 06 2021, @11:56PM (10 children)
Fuck you guttersnipe - you're not even American, you don't get to define treason.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 07 2021, @12:18AM
That means you are a treasonous piece of shit and should be imprisoned for 20 years or exiled with 1 week to build a raft before we shove you into the ocean.
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Thursday January 07 2021, @08:54AM (8 children)
Colour of one's skin, religious beliefs, or nationality have no relevance in this discussion. If the USA claims to represent the free world, then the free world gets a say in how it behaves, so shove your bias into your lower orifice.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 07 2021, @06:39PM (7 children)
What about someone's username? Does any user get to call out the leadership of SN that affects all of us here? Or should they be shielded from criticism by putting complainers back in their box?
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Thursday January 07 2021, @07:04PM (6 children)
You can argue against anyone making comments here - including members of staff who are commenting as members of the community and not in their official role.
However, you cannot silence anyone, other than by moderation complying with the moderation rules in force. Free speech means that even those with whom you disagree are free to express their views. This has always been the case and, I hope, will remain so.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 07 2021, @07:15PM (5 children)
No one asked for censorship, nice take down of that straw man though!
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Thursday January 07 2021, @09:18PM (4 children)
I said:
Now what part of my reply do you not understand?
(Score: 2, Disagree) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 07 2021, @10:30PM (3 children)
"However, you cannot silence anyone, other than by moderation complying with the moderation rules in force. Free speech means that even those with whom you disagree are free to express their views. This has always been the case and, I hope, will remain so."
In case you didn't understand, my reply was a reference to you telling Azuma Hazuki to get back in her box after she commended you for calling out Runaway's continued propagation of fake news. She didn't call for censorship, and I haven't called for censorship. The irony in my reply above was that you're mad someone told you to fuck off since you're not American while you yourself told Azuma to fuck off for saying you should call out Runaway more. If you hadn't reacted like a spoiled child because some woman told you to speak up more then I wouldn't have poked you for being angry that someone told you to butt out of US politics.
Get it?
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Friday January 08 2021, @05:39AM (2 children)
Where did I tell Azuma to 'fuck off'?
I told her to mind her own business. If I need her advice or approval on how to live my life I will intentionally seek her out and ask her.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 08 2021, @06:37PM
wooooooooooosh
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 08 2021, @10:51PM
We actually understand "British", so we know when what you meant was, "Fuck off", even though all you said was, "Oh, dear!" Or "My Lord!".
(Score: 4, Interesting) by HiThere on Thursday January 07 2021, @02:20AM (5 children)
No, it's not treason. It's rioting, destruction of federal property, threatening agents of the federal goverment, possibly insurrection, but it's not treason. Possibly Trump has committed treason, but you'd need to find two witnesses of him agreeing to do a job for Putin, and that's unlikely. (And I'm not sure about that, as we aren't at war with Russia, so calling it an enemy nation rather than just an opponent would need a bit of justification.)
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by barbara hudson on Thursday January 07 2021, @03:13AM
Attempting to overthrow the duly elected Biden government is treason.
Trump is an enemy of the state.
SoylentNews is social media. Says so right in the slogan. Soylentnews is people, not tech.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by janrinok on Thursday January 07 2021, @08:57AM (3 children)
As it points out, giving aid or comfort to one's enemies is treason. You don't think that the Russians and Chinese are laughing at this outcome?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 07 2021, @10:57AM (2 children)
They are not enemies of United States. Your enemies are much closer to home.
Russia and China could be rivals, but they are not enemies. You know, like a competing company is a rival, not an enemy... Sad that people have to be reminded this.
(Score: 2, Touché) by janrinok on Thursday January 07 2021, @02:26PM (1 child)
It is sad that you do not appear to understand the aims, ambitions and intentions of those countries that you describe as 'rivals'.
Do you view Iran as a rival? Do you often assassinate members of rival countries? How about the Taliban? How many rivals have to be killed before they become your enemy? War may or may not have been declared but make no mistake about how countries are viewed.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 07 2021, @06:46PM
Your argument is circular. We are debating about the right way to view not whether it is viewed differently than the other. Taliban and Russia and China are not enemy countries they ARE rival. Osama was Saudi and eventually died in Pakistan. They are viewed as friendly or not but I am not sure but they are not considered enemies.
I think you got carried away in your rhetoric.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Thursday January 07 2021, @02:59PM (1 child)
I am sure that would work exactly the way you think it will, that all those people there will suddenly be uncreated by Trump's execution and will calmly return to their regular lives under a Biden administration.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Friday January 08 2021, @02:59AM
We know you^W they won't just return to your^W their normal life after this because you're^W they're too angry and asspained you^W they lost.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...