Congress finalizes Biden's win after riot disrupts Capitol

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.

A 24-year-old male who was climbing the scaffolding on the west front of the US Capitol building fell more than 30 feet.

He is being taken to the hospital in critical condition, according to a source familiar. 

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said he is issuing a state of emergency as well as setting a 6 p.m. ET curfew for the Arlington and Alexandria areas neighboring Washington, DC.

Read Northam's tweet:

The first 150 DC Guardsmen are expected to arrive at the US Capitol at any moment, according to a senior Defense official.   

These guardsmen are part of the new Guard forces activated today.

These Guardsmen are wearing protective gear and carrying riot equipment, but they have no lethal or non-lethal weapons, the source said. 

Their sole purpose right now is to back up Capitol police and to help re-establish a perimeter around the Capitol. They will stay as long as is needed, based on the conditions on the street. They are not doing any law enforcement activities – and that will also be true of the remaining Guardsmen as they are ready to head for the Capitol.

There are no plans to bring in active duty troops at this point, the official said.

The original 340 Guardsmen that were requested earlier in the week remain in their positions and on the streets and are also not armed.

Approximately 20 people were seen in plastic hand-ties being put in the back of a Capitol Police van after exiting the Russell Senate Office Building.

Those people were seen being put in the back of a Capitol Police van on Delaware Avenue near Constitution Avenue shortly after 5:30 p.m. this evening.