Congress has affirmed President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory over President Trump.
The counting of Vermont’s three electoral votes put Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris over the 270-threshold needed to win the presidency.
The Senate and House rejected objections to throw out Georgia and Pennsylvania’s electoral votes for Biden. Republicans also objected to Arizona, Nevada and Michigan’s electoral votes, but the motions failed before they reached debate.
“The announcement of the state of the vote by the President of the Senate shall be deemed a sufficient declaration of the persons elected President and Vice President of the United States, each for the term beginning on the 20th day of January 2021 and shall be entered together with the list of the votes on the journals of the Senate and the House of Representatives,” Pence said following the count of all of the state’s Electoral College votes.
The certification comes after pro-Trump rioters stormed the US Capitol earlier Wednesday.
Four people are dead, including one woman who was shot after supporters of President Donald Trump breached one of the most iconic American buildings, engulfing the nation’s capital in chaos after Trump urged his supporters to fight against the ceremonial counting of the electoral votes that will confirm President-elect Joe Biden’s win.
Shortly after 1 p.m. ET Wednesday hundreds of pro-Trump protesters pushed through barriers set up along the perimeter of the Capitol, where they tussled with officers in full riot gear, some calling the officers “traitors” for doing their jobs. About 90 minutes later, police said demonstrators got into the building and the doors to the House and Senate were being locked. Shortly after, the House floor was evacuated by police. Vice President Mike Pence was also evacuated from the chamber, where he was to perform his role in the counting of electoral votes.
An armed standoff took place at the House front door at about 3 p.m. ET, and police officers had their guns drawn at someone who was trying to breach it. A Trump supporter was also pictured standing at the Senate dais earlier in the afternoon.
A woman died after being shot in the chest on the Capitol grounds, DC police confirmed to CNN. DC Police Chief Robert Contee said three other people died from medical emergencies during the riot.
Multiple officers have been injured with at least one transported to the hospital, multiple sources tell CNN.
Smoke grenades were used on the Senate side of the Capitol, as police worked to clear the building of rioters. Windows on the west side of the Senate were broken, and hundreds of officers amassed on the first floor of the building.
The Senate floor was cleared of rioters as of 3:30 p.m. ET, and an officer told CNN that they successfully squeezed them away from the Senate wing of the building and toward the Rotunda. The protesters were removed through the east and west doors of the Capitol. At least 52 people were arrested as of 9:30 p.m. ET Wednesday in Washington.
The US Capitol Police worked to secure the second floor of the Capitol first, and were seen just before 5 p.m. ET pushing demonstrators off the steps on the east side of the building. With about 30 minutes to go before Washington’s 6 p.m. ET curfew, Washington police amassed in a long line to push the mob back from the Capitol grounds.
It took until roughly 5:40 p.m. ET for the building to once again be secured, according to the sergeant-at-arms.
The stunning display of insurrection was the first time the US Capitol had been overrun since the British attacked and burned the building in August of 1814, during the War of 1812, according to Samuel Holliday, director of scholarship and operations with the US Capitol Historical Society.
The shocking scene was met with less police force than many of the Black Lives Matter protests that rolled across the country in the wake of George Floyd’s killing at the hands of Minneapolis police officers last year. While federal police attacked peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square outside the White House over the summer, clearing the way for Trump to take a photo in front of a nearby church at the time, protesters on Wednesday were able to overrun Capitol police and infiltrate the country’s legislative chambers.
Source:CNN
Shocking scenes of a failed attempt at dictatorship .Zambia Police and the PF are also heading in this unfortunate direction.
Incomplete headline. It should read:
After bloodshed US Congress affirms Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory
It was shameful watching last night’s events in the USA. We hope things will calm down. It then makes me laugh when we have upnd diasporan in America criticising our leadership. How many people were killed there due to the fracas over elections and yet you don’t choose to move away or criticize your masters there because you are mere beggars and asylum seekers there abroad
It was shameful watching last night’s events in the USA. We hope things will calm down. It then makes me laugh when we have upnd diasporan in America criticising our leadership. How many people were killed there due to the fracas over elections and yet you don’t choose to move away or criticize your masters
It was embarrassing last night’s event We hope things will calm down. It then makes me laugh when we have upnd diasporan in America criticising our leadership. How many people were killed there due to the fracas over elections and yet you don’t choose to move away or criticize your masters there because you are mere beggars and asylum seekers there abroad
It was embarrassing last night’s event We hope things will calm down. It then makes me laugh when we have upnd diasporan in America criticising our leadership. How many people were killed there due to elections and yet you don’t choose to move away or criticize your masters there because you are mere beggars and asylum seekers there abroad
Congratulations Biden
I watched CNN the whole night. Trumps behavior and the violence that preceded the confirmation had a worryingly Zambian similarity.
why do hillbillies always think they are more american than others.
This is the problem of people who think political leadership is their birth right and others should not attempt to run for political leadership.
why do hill billies always think they are more american than others.
This is the problem of people who think political leadership is their birth right and others should not attempt to run for political leadership.
the problem of people who think political leadership is their birth right and others should not attempt to run for political leadership.
And some upnd diasporan will criticize our leadership and yet look at what is happening in the countries they worship. Democracy kwisa
Why am I being moderated? Lusaka times panIy0 panu
The Rule of Law has prevailed. This is the uniqueness of American democracy.
@ KZ. In Africa you can rig elections the way you helped your boss rig in 2016.
Should PF win again it will be through rigging/violence/intimidation.
Trump couldn’t rig the elections as it’s not possible in first world countries.
The difference is trump is not broke to steal where as lungu has been a thief whilst in a professional career and has plundered exponentially. Stealing is in his DNA
Many congratulations ? to Biden and Harris
Many congratulations to the president elect Joe Biden and his vice Kamala Harris
For the first time in their history the americans have tasted how it feels to have an african president . This american scenario has reminded me of many african post election sagas, case in point the laurent gbagbo post election saga in ivory coast. the man refused to step down after losing elections, security forces had to fish him and his wife out in his underpants.
@Kaizer why repeating comments so many times, same time you shake you d!ck after urinating?
By-the-way PF women stand when peeing??
Good luck to thugs who stormed capitol Hill, they should read their history
American thugs and USA Police learning quickly from PF thugs and Zambia Police, killing some chap just like that
Mike Pence you have betrayed us…you could have listened to President Trump…
MAGA supporters are ignorant and lack logic because we all know they are fascists can you imagine if those supporters were black demonstrators sitting in offices and taking selfies like that …they would have shot them all in the head.
This is what is going to happen to one La7y when he is told that he is not eligible to stand for the third time…like Trump these leaders just think of themselves.
Trump is behaving like….
Trump is a cry baby and he is sounding like…
Trump lost that election and is sounding like…
Trump lost that election and made his supporters behave like…
Trump supporters got themselves in a wrong place and got 4 people killed at the hands of police like….
Trump lost the election todate he can’t concede like…
A) ATTENTION: UPND’s Mercenaries – Anthony Bwalya, Richard Aaron Ngoma & Sikaile Sikaile.
Trump’s undemocratic presidency was exposed by CNN’s news anchor, Jake Taper, soon after the Nov. 2020 US Presidential election. Jake Taper’s comments were as follows and I quote: “Thanks Trump for exposing Republicans who supported Texas un-democratic, un-American, mendacious joke of lawsuit”. Taper offered a blistering assessment of Texas’ “insane”, “clownish” and mendacious joke of lawsuit seeking to overturn the election results. Trump’s behaviour is similar to HH’s election loss in 2016.
(B) Bwalya, Ngoma & Sikaile cannot claim the monopoly of analysing political events in Zambia. These guys should take note that HH’s Uncle, Trump, inherited his ancestral genetic make up of deception from his grandpa (Friedrich Trump) who migrated to America in 1885 to escape compulsory military service in German. In US Trump’s father (Fred Trump) hid his German ancestry to avoid upsetting his Jewish friends. For many years Donald Trump has denied his German heritage but claimed his grandpa roots originated from Sweden. A clear case of deception in a family linage.
(C) UPND has been patronising European Ambassadors accredited to Zambia so as to discredit the PF Govt. European States have strong diplomatic representation at UN in New York and US Govt in Washing ton. Yet none of them had the courage to condemn Trump’s Presidency in his crusade to attack US Election system and destroy democratic system prior to and after the Presidential Elections. The US is unique for allowing insanity to encroach on democracy in a civilised country. This time around European diplomats in Lusaka must stop hypocritical criticizing the Zambian Govt based on flimsy political reasons.
Cheap shots as usual from @KZ. Right thinking people have been criticising the Trump regime for ages – including on this forum. You are as delusional as Trump himself. Your reference to everything is always UPND and/or diasporans over disgraceful unsubstantiated assertions.
I think Kaizer sees parallels between Trump and Lungu in election outcomes. Good for you to be able to see what will happen far ahead of times while the rest of us are still languishing input docility.
Trump failed to steal the Election Victory from Biden and Harris. These are great lessons for Zambia. Focusing on stealing Elections in August 2021 will have grave consequences which might make Zambia ungovernable. We hope our own “Trump ” in Zambia will not lead our Country into a Civil War after disputable Elections in August 2021.