Thousands of pro-Donald Trump protesters, some armed, storm the United States Capitol, causing it to be evacuated. Washington, D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser proclaimed a citywide nighttime curfew. Shots were fired, and at least six people were injured. A female Trump supporter died from gunshot wounds, according to police. Multiple members of Congress called this an attempted coup d'état. The FBI, police, and National Guard from Maryland, Virginia, and D.C. itself were deployed to stop the riot. Smoke bombs and pepper spray were also used. Multiple suspected pipe bombs were reported, including at the Republican Party headquarters.
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January 6, 2021 (Wednesday)
5.4 minutes to read
Armed conflicts and attacks
The United States Senate chamber and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office are also breached by pro-Trump protesters.
President-elect Joe Biden says "It's not a protest, it's an insurrection", and calls on President Donald Trump to "demand an end to this siege" by his followers. In response, President Trump released a video saying, "I know your pain. I know your hurt. But you have to go home now."
At least seven Democratic members of Congress, including Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Seth Moulton, and Republican Vermont Governor Phil Scott, call for Trump's immediate resignation or impeachment and removal by Congress, when it can reconvene, for insurrection against the United States.
The United States Capitol Police says that the Capitol was secured by 6 pm. The Electoral College certificates were also secured.
Three more people die during the United States Capitol riots during "separate medical emergencies", bringing the total death toll to four.
Stephanie Grisham resigns as the Chief of Staff to the First Lady as a result of the riots. Matt Pottinger resigns as deputy national security adviser; Mick Mulvaney, former chief of staff, resigns from his remaining duties as special envoy to Northern Ireland and Anna Cristina Niceta resigns as White House social secretary.
Health and environment
Members of the World Health Organization investigating the origins of the pandemic are denied entry into China.
Indonesia reports a record 8,854 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 788,402.
Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto announces two-week restrictions in parts of the islands of Java and Bali beginning January 11. These restrictions include limiting operating hours for malls, an advisory for 75% of workers to work from home, and capacity restrictions for restaurants and places of worship.
Tokyo claims a record 1,591 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the prefecture to 66,343.
Nationwide, a record of more than 6,000 new cases are reported in the past 24 hours.
Malaysia reports a record 2,593 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 125,438.
The Czech Republic reports a record of 17,278 new cases in the past 24 hours, 7,965 of which are from Prague, bringing the nationwide total of cases to 776,967.
Ireland reports a record 7,836 new cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 121,154.
The government also agrees to tighten the lockdown measures including keeping schools closed but allowing Leaving Cert students to attend three days per week and also suspending non-essential construction projects. These measures will remain in place until the end of January.
Malta reports a record of 224 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours.
The Netherlands begins a vaccination programme against COVID-19 with a nurse becoming the first person to be vaccinated with Pfizer's Tozinameran vaccine.
San Marino announces that bars and restaurants will close at 5 pm until January 15, and that a curfew will begin at 10 pm local time.
The United Kingdom reports a record 62,322 new cases of COVID-19 and a further 1,041 deaths. This is the first time since April that the daily death toll has exceeded 1,000. Major outbreaks are declared at hospitals in Surrey and Sussex.
President Macky Sall declares a state of emergency and imposes a curfew at 9:00 p.m. local time in Dakar and Thiès in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Premier Francois Legault announces a curfew from 8:00 p.m. until 5:00 a.m. EST for whole province except the Nord-du-Quebec administrative region from January 9 until February 8. Pharmacies and gas stations will be permitted to remain open during curfew hours.
Health officials in Australia announce that the country will bring forward their vaccination rollout plans by two weeks to early March.
International relations
Sudan formally signs the Abraham Accords as part of an agreement to normalize relations with Israel.
Law and crime
Hong Kong Police arrest 53 pro-democracy activists and politicians for criminal charges under the national security law. Those arrested include James To and Lam Cheuk-ting of the Democratic Party, activist Lester Shum, and Leung Kwok-hung and Jimmy Sham of the League of Social Democrats. Kickstart Wan Chai announces to disband, effective immediately.
The Mississippi State Senate passes a bill to make the state flag chosen in the November referendum official. The Mississippi House of Representatives passed the bill on Tuesday.
The Louisville Metro Police Department announces the firing of Myles Cosgrove and Joshua Jaynes, the two officers involved in the botched raid of Breonna Taylor's home.
A judge in the United Kingdom denies bail to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange days after his extradition to the United States was blocked. The judge cited the risk of Assange escaping the extradition process or refusing to surrender to court if asked to do so. Assange's lawyers will appeal the decision whereas the U.S. Department of Justice continues to seek his extradition. Assange's partner urges the US to pardon him.
Politics and elections
News networks project that Democrat Raphael Warnock will defeat Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler, making him the state's first African-American Senator. Warnock claims victory, while Loeffler refuses to concede the race and vows to "fight on".
The Democrats will take control of the Senate after Jon Ossoff defeated Republican David Perdue, leaving incoming Vice President Kamala Harris with the tiebreaking vote.
A joint session of the United States Congress attempts to certify the Electoral College vote results and affirm the election of Joe Biden before being interrupted by the storming of the US Capitol.
Senator Ted Cruz and Rep. Paul Gosar object to the state of Arizona, making it the first time a vote is forced to accept or reject the objection since 2004, when Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones and Senator Barbara Boxer objected to George W. Bush's victory in Ohio against John Kerry. The objection failed 6-93 in the Senate and 121-303 in the House.
Lawmakers say that they will continue certification of Biden's victory tonight.
The European Union withdraws their recognition of Juan Guaidó as the interim President of Venezuela, instead resolving to delegate to individual member states to make their own decisions on who to recognize.
Science and technology
Twitter locks the personal account of President Donald Trump for the first time, citing the president's "incitement to violence", and "false claims about the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election". The social media site warns that further attempts to violate the company's rules could result in a permanent suspension of Trump's account.
Facebook locks President Trump's account for 24 hours in response to the violence in Washington, D.C.. In a blog post, the social media site says today's events are an "emergency" for the platform, and will be rolling out new rules in response.
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