Congress certifies Joe Biden as next US president hours after pro-Trump mob storms Capitol – live | US news

“The chair declares the joint session resolved,” Pence says.

He drops a gavel and mingling commences.

We don’t know what Trump makes of this because he’s suspended on Twitter.

The teller, senator Amy Klobuchar, reports: “Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be the president and the vice president according to the ballots that have been given to us.”

Applause in the room.

Pence says Biden “has received 306 votes” and Trump “has received 232 votes.”

“The announcement of the state of the vote by the president of the senate shall be deemed as sufficient of the election of the president and the vice-president,” Pence says.

It’s done. Closing prayer.

Wyoming’s three votes for Trump stand. That’s it. Biden wins 306-232. We knew this months ago.

“The tellers will ascertain and deliver the result to the president of the senate,” Pence says.

West Virginia received no objection.

Here’s Wisconsin which gave its 10 electoral votes to Biden.

Representative Louie Gohmert of Texas rises to object to the Wisconsin certification. He spools off a string of conspiracy theories about election irregularities.

“We object along with a senator who now has withdrawn his objection,” Gohmert says.

The Wisconsin objection is not supported by a senator. It stands for Biden.

“The objection cannot be entertained,” Pence says.

Republicans have decided not to fight over Vermont’s three electoral votes going to Biden. Nor do they object to Virginia’s 13 votes going to Biden. Nor do they object to Washington’s 12 electoral votes going to Biden.

Texas comes after Tennessee in the alphabetical list of states. Trump’s victory there is announced by senator Amy Klobuchar. Pence invites objections. None are heard. Texas’ 38 electoral votes go to Trump.

Utah’s six votes go to Trump too. No objections there.

No objection to Rhode Island.

We’re on to South Carolina. No objections there. Now South Dakota. Another state won by Trump – no objections there.

Wisconsin is the penultimate state alphabetically, with Wyoming coming last.

Here’s Tennessee. No objections to the certification of Trump’s victory in Tennessee.

Biden in this count has already amassed more than half the electoral college votes, so in that sense the goose is cooked.

Pence is back on the dais. He asks for the secretary of the senate to report the results in the Pennsylvania vote. That vote is reported: 7 ayes, 92 nays. Then Pence calls on the House clerk. The clerk does not give the vote tally, merely noting that the objection was defeated.

“The original certificates as submitted will be counted” from Pennsylvania, Pence says.

And just like that we’re on to Rhode Island.

Speaker Pelosi and other members are now standing in the House chamber chatting, waiting apparently for the senators to return so the joint session can resume.

Twelve states remain plus Washington DC. Among them Wisconsin seems the most likely to be objected to, but it does not appear that a senator has signed onto an objection to results from that state.

So we might breeze along from here.

Here’s a summary of where things stand:

• The process of the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory resumed after a pro-Trump mob invaded the US Capitol Wednesday evening.
• The confirmation process proceeded through the night roughly as expected, with the confirmation of Biden’s presidential victory approaching.
• Objections to the results in two states, Arizona and Pennsylvania, failed after debate, while attempted objections by Republicans to other states’ results failed to clear the threshold permitting debate.
• Four people died in the unrest at the Capitol, including a woman who was shot by police when a mob tried to break through a barricaded door and three others who suffered “medical emergencies”, according to police.
• At least 52 people were reportedly arrested.
• Trump released a video statement after the sacking of the Capitol telling mob members “we love you” but asking them to go home. Security forces regained control of the Capitol late Wednesday evening.
• Agitation in the capital over the evening’s events saw a deputy on Trump’s national security team resign and vice-president Mike Pence’s chief of staff declining to comment on reports of his resignation.
• Trump was in open war on social media with both Pence and senate majority leader Mitch McConnell – until both Twitter and Facebook temporarily suspended his accounts.

Congress has just taken another major step toward certification as the objection to the Pennsylvania result fails on the House floor.

The final tally was 282-138 – a closer vote than the 303-122 vote on the Arizona objection.

The senate earlier rejected the Pennsylvania objection. The joint session is expected to reconvene shortly to complete the certification of Joe Biden’s victory.

More than half of the members of the House have voted against the objection to the Pennsylvania result, meaning it has failed.

Still waiting for the final tally. The Arizona challenge failed 303-122.