Congress finalizes Biden's win after riot disrupts Capitol

US diplomats overseas have been told to suspend all social media posts given the mob assault on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, three diplomatic sources told CNN, a step normally only taken during a terrorist attack and major natural disaster. 

The Under Secretary for Public Affairs sent a note to US diplomatic posts overseas ordering them to “pause any planned context from your social media accounts” and remove any scheduled content set for release on Facebook, Hootsuite, and Twitter until further notice.  

The message, a copy of which was provided to CNN, also said that planned social media from flagship State Department accounts are also being frozen.

That message was followed by a second note to staff that said the freeze was happening at the direction of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s office and should be implemented in all bureaus. A social media freeze of this sort is commonly ordered by department leadership when there is a terrorist attack or an earthquake and they do not want US missions posting about off-topic issues, a strong possibility since many offices schedule pre-planned posts. 

Despite the directive, Pompeo himself has been “conspicuously silent” as rioters stormed Capitol Hill, one diplomat pointed out.  

The situation has left US embassies – which are receiving multiple requests for comment – with nothing they can say about the riots, two US diplomats said. In some instances they have relied on the tweets of Vice President Pence saying that the violence must stop, diplomats said. 

A current Trump White House aide tells CNN that many of his colleagues worked remotely on Wednesday ahead of anticipated protests and road closures in Washington, and like former colleagues, is casting blame on President Trump.

“Never did we think this would happen," the aide said, adding that it is "indefensible."

The aide said he does not plan to go back to work tomorrow and hasn’t decided whether to resign or stick out the next two weeks until President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration.

“I haven’t made a decision. Problem is, if I resign, it looks disingenuous — you were willing to stick around for four years, but this is what did you in?” the aide said.

President Trump is now defending the actions of his supporters who stormed and vandalized the Capitol.

“These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away," he tweeted.

Trump concluded the tweet, rather stunningly, with “Remember this day forever!” There is no proof of widespread election fraud and the election was not stolen from Trump. 

At the end of the tweet, Trump also called on the rioters to “go home with love & in peace.”

CNN's Wolf Blitzer discusses the tweet with presidential historian Douglas Brinkley. Watch:

The woman who was shot inside US Capitol during riots Wednesday afternoon was pronounced dead at an area hospital, a spokesperson with the Metropolitan Police Department confirmed to CNN.

Sternbeck said, “additional details will be forthcoming as this remains an active MPD investigation.”

CNN's Pamela Brown reports:

Former President George W. Bush has released a statement condemning the storming of the US Capitol building this afternoon, describing it as "sickening" and "heartbreaking." 

While Bush does not mention President Trump by name, there is a clear reference in his statement to both Trump and other Republican officials when the former president said:

CNN's John King reads Bush's statement:

Acting Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen issued a statement Wednesday evening calling the violence at the US Capitol “an intolerable attack on a fundamental institution of our democracy.”

The US Capitol Police was initially protecting the building when protesters had surrounded the Capitol and the building was in lockdown.

A citywide curfew for the District of Columbia began at 6 p.m. ET and will continue until 6 a.m. ET tomorrow.

Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the curfew earlier today after Pro-Trump rioters stormed the US Capitol, where members of Congress were meeting to certify President-elect Joe Biden's win.

During the hours of the curfew, according to a statement, "no person, other than persons designated by the Mayor, shall walk, bike, run, loiter, stand, or motor by car or other mode of transport upon any street, alley, park, or other public place within the District." 

The curfew does not apply to essential workers, including people working in the media with their outlet-issued credentials.

Here is the mayor's statement:

The Sergeant-at-Arms announced that the US Capitol building is now secure, according to press pool reporters. Rioters still remained outside the building.

Facebook has now removed President Trump’s video from earlier Wednesday addressing his supporters, company spokesperson Andy Stone told CNN. 

In the video, Trump had urged Capitol rioters to “go home” but struck a sympathetic tone and reiterated his debunked claims of election fraud.

In a tweet Wednesday, Facebook's VP of integrity Guy Rosen called this "an emergency situation," adding that Facebook is "taking appropriate emergency measures, including removing President Trump's video. We removed it because on balance we believe it contributes to rather than diminishes the risk of ongoing violence."

Congressional leaders are pushing to finish the verification process tonight, multiple sources familiar told CNN. 

And as senators wait to get back on the Senate floor and resume the certification process, some senators are using the time to push and cajole the GOP senators who planned to object to states like Georgia and Pennsylvania to back down after they finish debate over Arizona’s election results, two senate sources familiar with the conversations told CNN.

It is unclear whether the efforts would be successful. It would require Republican Sen. Josh Hawley, for example, to back down in a very public way.