this is bbc news — i'm laura trevelyan — with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world... chaos on capitol hill — supporters of donald trump storm congress — as lawmakers try to confirm joe biden‘s election victory. business was halted, and the building evacuated. but nancy pelosi says they will continue. officers struggled to deal with the invasion — one demonstrator was shot — police have confirmed she's now died. the president—elect condemned the scenes in washington — saying they were unacceptable — and un—american. this is not dissent, its disorder. it's chaos. a curfew is now in place across the city — and officials

say the capitol building is now secured. hello and welcome. it's been a day of extraordinary scenes on capitol hill here in washington, where hundreds of trump supporters have stormed congress as a joint session was taking place to endorse the results of the presidential election in november. a woman who was shot inside the building has died; the circumstances are unclear. some protesters broke into the senate chamber and the office of the house speaker, the democrat nancy pelosi. in one hour's time, lawmakers will resume their count of the electoral college votes. we begin our coverage with this report from our north america editor, jon sopel. shouting. the peaceful transfer of power, the cornerstone of american

democracy seemed a highly abstract concept today. as trump supporters clashed with police as they tried — and succeeded — to storm the congress, where america's elected leaders had gathered to certify the election victory ofjoe biden. earlier, in a rally outside the white house, donald trump encouraged his loyal base to fight to overturn the result of this bitterly contested election. we're going to walk down to the capital! cheering. and we are going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women and were probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them. because you'll never take back our country with weakness. you have to show strength, and you have to be strong. many of his supporters needing little encouragement to join the fight.

we're here to support, you know, if violence happens, like it happens, but we are not going to start it, you know? we're just here defend ourselves. say that again? i'm a mexican immigrant, i support trump. freedom is paid for with blood and tyranny always masquerades itself as safety and security, and that's what we are fighting against right now. outside the capital, the outer ring of security had been breached, the crowds had taken donald trump at his word and they were taking the fight to the heart of american democracy. they were literally banging on the doors of congress. this way! and then, some trump supporters managed to get inside. they were armed and wandering the capitol building. chanting: usa! there were tense and violent scenes with police who have never dealt with anything like this. a protester breached the inner

sanctum of the chamber. the vice president had to be removed to safety by his secret service detail and then the joint session was adjourned. earlier, the republican senate leader for so long a loyal lieutenant of the president turned on him with this withering assessment. if this election were overturned by mere allegations from the losing side, our democracy would enter a death spiral. we would never see the whole nation accept an election again. every four years would be a scramble for power, at any cost. and the vice president, who's officiating over this joint session, and has shown donald trump near slavish loyalty, also said it was not his role to overturn the verdict of the people. he went on...

the president elect has gone on television to warn that american democracy is under unprecedented assault and he made this appeal... i call on president trump to go on national television now to fulfil his oath and defend the constitution. and demand an end to this siege. to storm the capital, to smash windows, to occupy offices, the floor of the united states senate, rummaging through desks of the house of representatives, threatening the safety of duly elected officials. it's not a protest, it's insurrection! donald trump has spoken. he called on his supporters to stand down, but condemnation, there was none. this was a fraudulent election.

but we can't play into the hands of these people. we have to have peace. so go home, we love you, you are very special. the chamber has emptied, democracy puts on hold, outside, they were scaling the ramparts, the mob for the moment, in charge, believing they have the right to overthrow the will of the people. tonight, this shining city on the hill, as america likes to describe itself, feels as though the light of democracy is flickering dangerously. jon sopel, bbc news, washington. let's speak to democratic congresswoman robin kelly who was on capitol hill as this all unfolded. thank as this all unfolded. you so much forjoining us, thank you so much forjoining us, congresswoman. thank you so much forjoining us, congresswoman. what was it like at that moment when the capital was stormed 7 like at that moment when the capital was stormed? it was very scary. i was in the gallery of the chamber. of course, we did not know what was going on at first, and then all of a sudden, we were told

we might have to go under our receipts. we have to go get gas masks under the seats, and then they evacuated and we were, you know, upstairs, so it was a little bit harder to be evacuated because the doors we re evacuated because the doors were all locked. so we had to all run to the other side. then at the end, we were actually crawling and kneeling and hiding because guns were drawn, and capital police were barricading the chambers, breaking the windows of the chamber. it was so chaotic and scary. we are seeing now live pictures of law enforcement outside the capital building. we know that the mayor of washington, dc has called in the national guard. what is your reaction to what unfolded today? i think it was despicable. i mean, there is a way to protest. but it seemed like they were trying to pull a coup or takeover, and they need to accept, i'm sorry about the background, that donald trump

lost. they need to accept that. i hope that my colleagues are thinking about this as well, how this was so, such an affront to democracy, butjust put it like that, barry, barry disappointing. in just under in our‘s time, you and your collea g u es our‘s time, you and your colleagues are going to resume the process. we are trying for eight o'clock, would they just we are trying for eight o'clock, would theyjust wanted to make sure every thing was say. but that's an important statement, isn't it? that you are resuming that process? 0h yes, we are not going to let them win. and what is the mood there on capitol hill amongst your colleagues? i think it's mixed. people feel like it's a sad day. people are angry, the democrats are angry, you know, that this happened. you know, some people want to be prayerful on the other side, but it's like you want to be prayerful now when you collect

all of this build up, this contempt, this hatred and fear, and this is what happens. do you expect that your republican collea g u es you expect that your republican colleagues who were going to try to protest the certification of the electoral couege certification of the electoral college votes, do you think they are going to continue with that after what's happened here in washington dissent today? probably not, if they do, i won't be surprised, i don't know, they lost in georgia, so maybe they will recognise you know, you lost. it's over. how difficult is the task now for the president—elect, joe biden, of unifying america after this moment? well, if anybody can do it, i think he can. you know, because of how people feel about him and his long service. it's going to be tough because also, you know, iwork it's going to be tough because also, you know, i work in a very bipartisan way, but this is tough, even for me, to swallow. but we want to move

the country forward and our people we serve come first and we need to do everything we can do for them. in these scenes that we are seeing now live on capitol hill of law enforcement deployed behind perspex shields, it's like something that you see in venezuela. senator marco rubio has tweeted that this is anarchy. but could this also be a redeeming moment ifjoe biden can walk us back from the spring? 0h, ifjoe biden can walk us back from the spring? oh, i mean, i think is going to try to walk us think is going to try to walk us back. you know, i think that's, you know, most of us wa nt to that's, you know, most of us want to get work done and bring the country back. i mean, we are dealing with a horrible virus, the economy, the environment, there is so much to work on, and that is what we are going to concentrate on. you know, we are not going to let these people hold us back. the president himself has tweeted that this is what happens when elections are, in

effect, rigged. what is your reaction to that and trying to justify what happened today?m full of crap. he's a liar. he's the worst president we've ever had. i don't have any respect for what he has to say. senator mitt romney of utah yelled at his colleagues across the floor as this was happening, look at what you've done! do you think there will be any acknowledgement within republicans that they have fanned the flames and that the president's encouragement has led to this moment? well, some of them realise it you know, there are certain number of senators and house republicans that are notjoining in with their colleagues. so they realise you know, privately may saila realise you know, privately may sail a bit more than they do publicly when people needed to speak up more in the last four yea rs speak up more in the last four years you know, it is what it is now. i hope we get through these next two weeks. congresswoman, thank you so much forjoining us. i apologise therefore the quality

of that line, but congresswoman kelly speaking to us through a very tense situation. she is going to be resuming that process with her colleagues on capitol hill of trying to certify the results of the election. let's speak to mary anne marsh, a democratic strategist. marianne, these are extraordinary scenes that we have seen today. i was there at capitol hill at 2:15pm when this all began. i was shocked. it reminded me of being in northern ireland when the troubles were at their most tense. what is your reaction to what you on folding today? well, it's a shocking, scarring searing day that we haven't seen since the 18005. but 5earing day that we haven't seen since the 18005. but there i5a seen since the 18005. but there is a reckoning today as well. the good news is that the house and the senate are resuming their work tonight to certify their work tonight to certify the electoral college. they will not be denied. the american people will not be denied and they won't be stopped. so what will happen tonight is republicans who

started this process, josh holly, ted cruz, ronjohnson and about 11 other republican senatorsjoined by and about 11 other republican senators joined by about 143 republican members of the house, including minority leader kevin mccarthy, they can decide tonight to stop. to simply certify the electoral college, step down, leave it alone and let us go through this very perfunctory process rather than challenge it. if they do proceed down this line, if they continue with this tonight? than they are basically as bad as trump. they are traitors to. if trump is the arsonist out the fire, they are putting gasoline on it. so for all their tweets today and going on tv and pleading with him to stop the insurrection that was going on, it rings hollow. if they don't change their approach tonight and take their approach tonight and take the side of democracy, take the side of the united states of america, that is your choice tonight will stop you are either with trump or you are

with your country, and that's it. i'm sorry, go ahead. iwas going to say, and about 45 minutes' time, we will find out what they in that process of resuming the certification of the electoral college votes. meanwhile, to twitter has just said that the account of president trump is going to be locked for the next 12 hours. you talked about how he was the arsonist. do you think that will do anything to calm the situation down, the fact that he can't tweets? well, this is four years too late. just like mitch mcconnell's speech was today and so many other people. this whole day was four years in the making. so i'm glad it's happened, but once the electoral college has certified tonight by the house and senate, then i think both the house and the senate have to think long and hard about the 25th amendment, about having trump resign or impeaching him. you cannot have donald trump trusted to be in the white house for the next 12 days just based on today alone. what happened today is not a

surprise, so we can't be surprised if he try something out tomorrow or the day after, and he has the nuclear codes. so it would be irresponsible to think that we could get through the next 12 days without taking measures that should've been taken the last four years. yes, twitter shut his countdown tonight, but we have bigger than that. this is a seismic day in american politics. democrats picked up two seats in the senate. vice president mike pence finally broke with donald trump, so did the senate majority leader, mitch mcconnell, and then moments later, this insurrection began on capitol hill. was this the day that republicans finally reckoned with donald trump and his legacy? perhaps. we will see. i mean, they certainly have a political problem, because they were also fearful of donald trump getting a primary, having his supporters turned against them. so they all acquiesced to him for some any reasons for so long, but it was part not largely political.

they wanted his support in the primary. the problem is, as we saw in novemberand primary. the problem is, as we saw in november and then in georgia yesterday, if you want from supporters to avoid a primary, you are not going to get the other voters to win a general election. so republicans now are incapable of winning a general election if they are going to go with term supporters first and foremost. white suburban voters have said no. black voters have turned out in record numbers, including in very rural counties we saw last night in georgia, which really cut those margins fora georgia, which really cut those margins for a lot of republicans. so the majority of people in this country don't support trump stop the people who do are the minority. and in a democracy, the majority rules, not the mob, not the minority, and that's what republicans have to remember and everyone needs to remember tonight, tomorrow and certainly for the next two weeks. to your point about the minority, i was there on capitol hill today talking to some of those protesters who live in a universal, or choose to live in a universe where they say the selection was stolen ——

election was stolen. what does joe biden do to try to combat situation and to confront that minority? i think two things, when we saw today, joe biden come out and speak to the nation and tell trump he should come out and speak as well. trump followed him. i'm not think it's a coincidence, but i think it's a coincidence, but i thinkjoe biden, think it's a coincidence, but i think joe biden, by think it's a coincidence, but i thinkjoe biden, by his action and deed can remind people of what this country was like just a short four years ago and can be again and better. just by doing the regular things our government should do. tackling covid, wrestling the pandemic to the ground, getting our economy back on track, getting people back to work, back—to—school, back to their lives, just doing those things and being a calling thoughtful force in this country and having him up there like he has been today and many other days, i think is going to bring the majority of the country back to the kind of country we have had for over 240 years, and that is what is necessary. we still have to deal with the problem of people who have somehow been

duped by donald trump for their grievances and others. certainly many of them do have absolutely reasons to be upset, but they have been fooled by a con man and that is sad and tragic, especially as when you heard many of them at the capital today calling it a regular —— calling it a revolution, calling for violence, calling for action, and they succeeded for a couple of hours, but in the long run, they won't prevail, and that's they won't prevail, and that's the great thing about this country. everyone can have their say, but it doesn't mean you can take the country down with you. partisanship has been such a powerful drug in this country though, hasn't it? do you think seeing what some extreme version of it has led to is going to mean that perhaps some wiser counsel prevails? one would hope. and i think this was a wake—up call that was long overdue for many reasons. it really, ithink that was long overdue for many reasons. it really, i think we have better days in front of us, but! have better days in front of us, but i think everyone needs to take seriously what's going to take seriously what's going to happen tonight with the

electoral college, but much more importantly, really putting the brakes on donald trump for the next 12 days. he has forfeited his right to be in the white house, to be president and actions need to be taken to make sure he doesn't do any more harm to our country or our democracy. marianne, think is so much for joining us. let's look at the issue of security now, especially when it comes to the capital complex. retired major, neill franklin, is a law enforcement veteran of more than three decades, he joins me live from fort myers in florida. thanks so much for being with us. so it seems that the capitol hill police were com pletely capitol hill police were completely unprepared for what happened, should they have been? i don't think that this should have been a surprise for them. yesterday, i heard that the mayor of washington, dc was already seeking and looking into bringing the national guard in for her

responsibilities. this was no secret that we were going to have this many people coming to washington, dc, coming to capitol hill. i mean, our president was inviting them to come and march down to capitol hill. we have seen in the past how disruptive this group of people could be, and i have heard it referred to as them being a mob, and that is exactly what they were. the reason i say this is because of the crimes that they committed on capitol hill, destroying property, breaking in to the halls of congress during this session, a very important session. they were just caught off guard and they shouldn't have been caught off guard. they should've have the resources there, maybe not out front end present and visible, but behind the scenes, and they definitely have the resources to have dealt with this. what struck me, and i was there for

three hours this afternoon was how, even once the capital had been breached, police didn't clear the protesters from outside. do you think they were caught ina outside. do you think they were caught in a bind trying to secure the capital and respect people's right, first amendment right? yeah, they were caught ina bind, right? yeah, they were caught in a bind, and i want to point out something that is very very important here, and i hope that my law enforcement brothers and sisters, my police officer brother and sisters across this country are listening to this is that we have a president who is that we have a president who is always talking about his supports for law enforcement, his support for the police, yet he puts them in this very difficult and dangerous situation, especially inviting this to the capital, and some new people coming. but then when he saw what was occurring,

and there is no doubt in my mind that he expected this, that he knew what would happen, that he knew what would happen, that they would try to gain access into the capital, which they did. even when he saw this, he did not immediately rebuke them, he did not immediately call for them to stand down, to go home, as he did once president biden asked him to do so and demanded that he do so. so he puts my brothers and sisters in policing, law enforcement, and a very policing, law enforcement, and a very dangerous policing, law enforcement, and a very dangerous situation. and it's very difficult for them to figure out how to respond, how to react, especially when they don't have the numbers available at that moment to push back against this anarchy that we saw today on capitol hill. when you talk about that anarchy, we see these life scenes now which are quite extraordinary of law enforcement behind perspex, the

national guard being deployed by the mayor of washington, dc. this doesn't really look like the peaceful transfer of power to the outside world, does it? no, it's not. and as i talk about crime, your prior guest used the term trader. a traitor is someone who commits treason, which is a crime against the country. that's, you know, i'm very, very close to calling this treason by the president, which is a crime. treason by those who broke in our halls of democracy on capitol hill they are betraying, have betrayed the country. in the country is not a the country. in the country is nota building. the country. in the country is not a building. the country is the people, the people, the citizens who have elected presidentjoe biden, which has been challenged in court all across this country, the way it

should be if there is a challenge to be made. but it has gone too far, it's gone to the place of committing the crime of treason. that's my opinion. and with the inauguration ofjoe biden just a few weeks away, what kind of policing do you expect to be in place now for that event, even though it's going to be a largely virtual one? absolutely. but you still have to be very, very cautious, especially after what we've seen today to stop so there's going to be a lot of security for the events that they do have. you know, i know a lot of this is going to be broadcast, different events happening not just in washington, dc, but across the country, broadcast. you are going to have to take a lot of precaution, security wise in making sure that these events a re wise in making sure that these events are not compromised. i mean, we know that the white supremacists in this country,

these terrorist groups are in support and behind president trump and what's occurring. and we know that most of the acts of violence, terrorist acts of violence in this country are not committed by muslims, they are not committed, well, let me just put it this way, they are committed by white supremacist groups in this country. that's what we have to be cautious about. neil franklin, thank you very much indeed forjoining us there with the analysis. so let's look now again at those life pictures on capitol hill. you can see police there are deployed in just over half our time, after this extraordinary day in washington where a woman has been shot dead inside the capital, circumstances are unclear, but that after trump supporters stormed the building, but what's going to happen is we are going to have a resumption of that process of certifying joe biden as

president of the united states. that begins in just over half an hourtime. that begins in just over half an hour time. you are watching bbc news. to stay with us. hello there. some welcome sunshine in many areas on wednesday. but there is a definite wintry feel and look to the weather at the moment. not only do we have widespread frost, but there will be some icy stretches around and we have a spell of snow moving down from scotland and northern ireland, and ahead of fact, some patches of freezing fog as well. some more look at the detail in the morning. while there will be patchy fog in the southeast of bingen, i think most of it will be through the midlands towards merseyside. some icy patches in eastern england with the showers coming in off the north sea. and quite icy in scotland and northern ireland with that band of rain, sleet and snow moving down across the country. and that's going to leave a few centimetres of lying snow by the morning in many areas. now, gradually, that rain, sleet and increasingly snow to high

ground moves down into northern england, brightening up in scotla nd england, brightening up in scotland and northern ireland, sunshine and wintry showers. more snow from northern scotland. further south, most of that fog will tend to lift, although, it could be quite great ina although, it could be quite great in a few places and feel particularly cold with some sunshine to come especially in wells in the southwest, but another cold day wherever you are. it will stay cold as we move into friday. the threat of more ice and also a frost as well. maybe somewhere wintry showers coming into eastern scotland, northeastern england, speu scotland, northeastern england, spell of light snow expected through the midlands and wales before that tends to peter out. still some damp weather in the southwest. the only —— away from here, places will see sunshine. cold, temperature struggling to one or 2 degrees for example in glasgow and also birmingham. now, let's head into the weekend. slow changes to come. widespread frost i think on saturday morning. sunshine for england and wales, a cold day here. turning more cloudy for scotland and northern ireland, but a dampness around as well, especially northern scotland as the breeze picked up.

temperatures started to rise in the northwest of scotland, but it stays cold elsewhere. temperatures 3—4. it stays cold elsewhere. temperatures 3—4 . a week weather front on the scene for northern areas. still around for the second half of the weekend. high—pressure starting to nudge in, and we are starting to change the wind direction, picking up some mild air, slowly but surely, that will come in from the atlantic. but that does mean the weather is going to turn more u nsettled. is going to turn more unsettled. researchers either mild aircoming in unsettled. researchers either mild air coming in from the northwestern areas. the wind picks up the marine moving in early next week, and eventually that my rare moves for the end also furthers east.

hello, and welcome. i'm laura trevelyan. it's been a day of extraordinary scenes on capitol hill here in washington, where hundreds of trump supporters have stormed congress as a joint session was taking place to endorse the results of the presidential election in november. those are live pictures now from the scene at capitol hill where the national guard has been deployed. a woman who was shot inside the building has died — the circumstances are unclear. in a separate development, twitter has now locked donald trump's twitter account for the next 12 hours — that's a first. and in less than 30 minutes' time, lawmakers will resume their count of the electoral college votes. that's the scene on capital