The House and Senate certification session has been interrupted. A Trump-encouraged putsch attempt against the United States Congress is under way.

As @SenatorLankford speaks:

"The Senate will stand in recess until the call of the chair."

"Protesters are in the building." pic.twitter.com/35KgJfVxHM

— CSPAN (@cspan) January 6, 2021

Protesters have breached the Capitol. They’re outside the Senate chamber pic.twitter.com/I021tKliUD

— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) January 6, 2021

Police officers are holding them steps away from the Senate chamber, which is locked. Senators are inside. I see a few confederate flags. pic.twitter.com/YI7X7KmuUG

— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) January 6, 2021

VP Pence just got rushed off the Senate floor as Capitol is locked down.

— Lauren Peikoff (@laurenpeikoff) January 6, 2021

Capitol Police just sent this email to buildings on Capitol Hill: "Due to an external security threat located on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol Building, no entry or exit is permitted at this time… Stay away from exterior doors or windows. If you are outside, seek cover."

— Jerry Dunleavy (@JerryDunleavy) January 6, 2021

They breached the Capitol pic.twitter.com/tWKxojW2Hr

— Matt Laslo (@MattLaslo) January 6, 2021

Holy shit pic.twitter.com/dofEG2SmqP

— Jim Newell (@jim_newell) January 6, 2021

Outside the Capitol, which is now on lockdown.

📸: @EvyMages pic.twitter.com/4ZMV9OSxLl

— Washingtonian (@washingtonian) January 6, 2021

Fox is interviewing one of the protestors on TV. He explains that he's there because "Trump told me to" and "something big" was going to happen. Somebody marches by with A Q! sign behind him. Repulsively, the Fox commenters keep emphasizing how "peaceful" the protest is.

— Emily Nussbaum (@emilynussbaum) January 6, 2021

HOLY: TEAR gas has been used in the Rotunda.

Members are being told get gas masks under their seats.

— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) January 6, 2021

Crowd now trying to break down doors to House chamber!

— John Bresnahan (@bresreports) January 6, 2021

My God https://t.co/KCm7KGyRZT pic.twitter.com/3qLEEAKsXC

— Justin Miller (@justinjm1) January 6, 2021

https://twitter.com/MEPFuller/status/1346905489561579532

You can see the guns drawn by some kind of Capitol security here. https://t.co/urZfaz0Muq pic.twitter.com/tI6uV9RHoZ

— Evan Hill (@evanchill) January 6, 2021

They’re in the chamber. One is up on the dais yelling “Trump won that election!” This is insane pic.twitter.com/p6CXhBDSFT

— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) January 6, 2021

It’s not just at the U.S. Capitol:

Militia members have gathered outside the Georgia Capitol. Brad Raffensperger and senior staff have been escorted out to safety.

— Amy Gardner (@AmyEGardner) January 6, 2021

Whether out of basic decency or the realization that this episode is the end of Trumpism as a mainstream electoral force, Donald Trump Jr is trying to undo the damage:

This is wrong and not who we are. Be peaceful and use your 1st Amendment rights, but don’t start acting like the other side. We have a country to save and this doesn’t help anyone. https://t.co/3oUAPxuwi9

— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) January 6, 2021

Whereas Donald Trump Sr doesn’t give two sh*ts. Why should he? This is what he wanted. If Pence won’t disrupt Biden’s victory for him, a mob will:

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1346900434540240897

He should be impeached and removed the moment Congress is back in session. The violence won’t end once the mob is cleared, after all. Some of his fans are looking for a fight and he’s clearly not inclined to discourage them.

Among many other “worsts” today, this is one of the worst security failures in the history of the United States. We’ll spend years trying to figure out how a mob was allowed to overrun Congress when it was apparent to everyone that some sort of violent demonstration might be happen on January 6. But in the meantime, understand this: Trump 2024 is finished. There are MAGA fans who’d vote for him again in spite of everything that’s happened over the past two months, including an impromptu putsch attempt today, but not every Trump 2020 voter would. He has “soft support” like any other politician does. And soft supporters aren’t signing up to see where another four years of this fascist insanity might take us.

It’s over, right now. And his presidency should be over tomorrow.

Update: I sure hope this isn’t true:

BREAKING: A source tells me The Defense Department has just denied a request by DC officials to deploy the National Guard to the US Capitol.

— Aaron C. Davis (@byaaroncdavis) January 6, 2021

Update: Stalwart Trump ally Kevin McCarthy is shocked, shocked at what he’s seeing:

House Minority Leader McCarthy condemns the storming of the Capitol: pic.twitter.com/uVMN6WEyia

— The Recount (@therecount) January 6, 2021

Update: Speaking of people whose presidential prospects are done, Hawley and Cruz are finished. Not a day will pass for the rest of their lives where they aren’t reminded of their role organizing a coup caucus on Trump’s behalf.

From our Francis Chung, Sen. Josh Hawley greeting protesters in the east side of the Capitol before riots began. pic.twitter.com/I8DjBCDuoP

— Manuel Quinones (@ManuelQ) January 6, 2021

“This is what you’ve gotten, guys,” Mitt Romney reportedly yelled at them as the mob breached the Capitol and moved towards the Senate chamber. They knew where this would lead and they egged it on anyway. They’re grossly unfit for office. If they could be impeached and removed, they’d deserve it. But we’ll have to settle for them watching their ambitions crash horrendously around them.

Update: One person who can be impeached is acting defense secretary Chris Miller. He’d better have a simply magnificent excuse for why the military wasn’t deployed to take back the Capitol five minutes after the mob broke in.

My team and I are working closely with @MayorBowser, @SpeakerPelosi, and @SenSchumer to respond to the situation in Washington, D.C.

Per the Mayor's request, I am sending members of the Virginia National Guard along with 200 Virginia State Troopers.

— Ralph Northam (@GovernorVA) January 6, 2021

Update: Around two hours after the seat of American democracy was seized by his fans, the president has reportedly begun to act:

At President @realDonaldTrump’s direction, the National Guard is on the way along with other federal protective services.

We reiterate President Trump’s call against violence and to remain peaceful.

— Kayleigh McEnany 45 Archived (@PressSec45) January 6, 2021

Update: I saw someone on Twitter call this the worst terrorist attack in American history. That sentiment is hard to endorse because there’s no body count (yet); no skyscrapers have fallen, there’s barely any damage to the Capitol as far as I’m aware. But it is terrorism. It’s an attempt to intimidate the government of the United States into changing its policies by using violence. And the fact that the terrorists succeeded in capturing the seat of government, however briefly, makes it a singular humiliation in the country’s history — at least since the War of 1812, when the White House was torched. It’s not the “worst” attack if we’re measuring by deaths but it is arguably if we’re measuring by destabilizing intentions.

Update: Never Trump.

Per people close to the White House, several official and unofficial aides are trying – without success – to get the president to issue a stronger statement. He simply won't do it. He's been furious at Pence for refusing to do something he doesn't have power to do and that's that

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) January 6, 2021

“If the House and Senate don’t vote to impeach and remove Trump from office for inciting this mob then it’s hard to see what reason they have to exist,” writes Alex Nowrasteh, correctly. What would Trump need to do, exactly, to get 19 Republican senators to vote to remove him if inciting a putsch against Congress doesn’t qualify?

Update: Adding a bit more to the chaos, and the terrorism theme:

New – an explosive device was found at the RNC and detonated safely. https://t.co/dbL5U41ZSo

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) January 6, 2021

At least one IED found on the grounds of the US Capitol, reports @NBCNews.

— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) January 6, 2021

Update: This is somewhat reassuring in explaining why the military was so slow to use. It wasn’t siding with Trump, it seems, just handwringing over contact with civilians. But the delay remains inexcusable. We’re lucky no member of Congress was murdered.

There has been a lot of reporting about whether DOD slow-rolled a request for additional Guardsmen. Here's what happened: Mayor Bowser called to request 200 additional Guardsmen to surround the Capitol as the situation unfolded. The Army initially pushed back, because…

— Lara Seligman (@laraseligman) January 6, 2021

In short it is not true that DOD denied Bowser's request, I'm told. The Pentagon has now decided to activate all members of the DC National Guard, who will report to the armory within the next four hours.

— Lara Seligman (@laraseligman) January 6, 2021

Update: This is one of Trump’s own former advisors:

This is beyond wrong and illegal. It’s un-American.

The President undermined American democracy baselessly for months. As a result, he’s culpable for this siege, and an utter disgrace.

Despite of him, not because of him, police will regain control and prosecute those involved.

— Thomas P. Bossert (@TomBossert) January 6, 2021