UPDATE (9:00 p.m. ET):  The US Capitol Police have stated that no USCP officer has died as a result of Wednesday’s insurrection, although a number had been injured and some are still hospitalized.

CNN: “A US Capitol Police officer has died from events stemming from Wednesday’s riot at the Capitol, three sources confirmed to CNN. The police officer is now the fifth person to die as a result of the day’s violence. One woman was shot and killed by Capitol Police as the crowd breached the building and three others suffered medical emergencies that proved fatal. Rioters on Wednesday breached the Capitol building and the Senate chamber, ransacked the offices of Pelosi and other Capitol offices, and a laptop was stolen from the office of Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley.”

US Capitol Police Chief Steve Sund is resigning, effective Jan. 16, NBC News reports.

New York Times: “Simon & Schuster said on Thursday that it would cancel the publication of an upcoming book by Senator Josh Hawley, one of several members of Congress who tried to overturn the results of the presidential election. Mr. Hawley, a Missouri Republican and Trump ally, has been criticized for challenging the results and accused of helping incite the mob that stormed the Capitol on Wednesday. His book, ‘The Tyranny of Big Tech’ was scheduled to be published in June. ‘We did not come to this decision lightly,’ Simon & Schuster said in a statement. ‘As a publisher it will always be our mission to amplify a variety of voices and viewpoints: At the same time we take seriously our larger public responsibility as citizens, and cannot support Senator Hawley after his role in what became a dangerous threat.'”

Business Insider: “Vice President Mike Pence is not supporting calls to remove President Trump from office via the 25th Amendment, two Pence advisors told Insider. ‘Not happening’ said one of the Republicans close to Pence. The pushback comes amid a growing bipartisan chorus calling for the vice president to make an unprecedented intervention following a Trump-fueled violent riot in the US Capitol and with less than two weeks until Joe Biden’s inauguration as the 46th US president. The added pressure is something Pence and his team have been trying to avoid as they try to tamp down talk of politics or his personal ambitions including a 2024 presidential run.”

“U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler conceded defeat on Thursday to Raphael Warnock and formally ended her campaign against the Democrat, who will become the first Black senator in Georgia history when he takes office this month. The Republican called to congratulate Warnock on his victory as election returns showed she trailed him by about 80,000 votes. ‘While my heart breaks at not being able to continue to serve Georgia and America, I’m tremendously proud of all we achieved together,’ Loeffler said in a video posted shortly after the call” – Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Former Senator David “Chickenshit” Perdue is still holding out however.

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam immediately offered assistance from the Virginia State Police and the state’s National Guard to quell the insurrection at the Capitol when asked by Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi–help that was needed because Donald Trump would not respond to calls for help, the Washington Post reports.

Northam was in the midst of a press conference to discuss Virginia’s coronavirus response when his staffs’ cell phones started ringing with calls and pinging with text messages.  After a call from Bowser, Northam’s chief of staff Clark Mercer instructed the state police to help.

As governor, only Northam can call up the National Guard, so his staffed signalled him during the presser and updated him about the DC situation.  After talking with Bowser, he ordered the Guard to help. 

“Some top remaining administration officials are preparing to resist any unlawful or dangerous orders in the closing days of Trump’s presidency, senior administration officials with direct knowledge of the sensitive conversations tell Axios. After Trump incited protesters to storm the Capitol on Wednesday, there’s a near universal view among top officials that he is unfit and unhinged, these sources said. Recently departed Attorney General Bill Barr said as much on the record Thursday. While several senior officials have already resigned in disgust since the riots, including Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and Deputy National Security adviser Matt Pottinger, there has been a heavy behind-the-scenes push to urge other top national security officials to stay on as a bulwark against emboldened U.S. enemies” – Axios.

Like all of you, I’ve been feeling so many emotions since yesterday. I tried to put my thoughts down here: pic.twitter.com/9xzRvrpk7y

— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) January 7, 2021

“CNN just announced that Wednesday was the network’s most-watched day in its history, averaging 9 million viewers from 2:30-6:30 p.m. ET, and 5.2 million for the 24-hour day (3 a.m.-3 a.m. ET)” reports AJ Katz of AdWeek. Other Twitter users noted that this eclipsed 9/11/2001.

Editor’s Note: As you may be aware, we don’t really consider Concha/Mediaite type bullshit to be “news”, but we’re reporting on this as it speaks to how big of a deal yesterday was. Cable news ratings numbers dick-measuring will continue to not be a regular topic here on National Zero.

The first of many federal criminal cases resulting from the attempted coup at the Capitol on Wednesday have been filed against Christopher Alperts of Maryland, Brad Heath of Reuters reports.

In the police report relating to Alperts’ arrest, the Capitol Police  officer noted that Alperts had a Taurus G2C 9 mm handgun on his person which had a 12-round magazine.  He had chambered a round in the weapon, and he had another 12-round magazine on him.  Alperts was also wearing a bulletproof vest.

A second person, Mark Leffingwell [spelling unconfirmed], has been charged with trespassing, assaulting a federal law officer and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.  Leffingwell allegedly was arrested after repeatedly striking with a closed fist a Capitol Police officer in the building.

Acting United States Attorney for the District of Columbia Michael R. Sherwin said he can’t rule out prosecuting Trump for inciting Wednesday’s riot at the Capitol, CNBC reports.

US Federal District Court Judge for the District of Columbia James Boasberg has filed a notice in court demanding that the lawyer filing the lawsuit present reasons to the Court arguing why the Court should not submit the lawyer to the Bar Association for disciplinary action.

“Notice of Voluntary Dismissal has now terminated the litigation, the Court ORDERS that by January 22, 2021, Plaintiffs’ counsel shall show cause why the Court should not refer him to the Committee on Grievances for all of the reasons discussed in its recent 10 Memorandum Opinion. So ORDERED by Judge James E. Boasberg on 1/7/2021,” the order reads.

The lawyer of the case, Erick G. Kaardal, who is special counsel for Amistad Project of the conservative Thomas More Society, sued Vice President Mike Pence and others in an attempt to force Pence to halt the certification of the election by Congress.  The case was illogical, given that the Vice President has no power to undertake such an action and is now moot given Thursday’s Congressional certification of the Electoral College electors.

Fox News: “Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen vowed that pro-Trump rioters who entered the U.S. Capitol would ‘face the full consequences of their actions under the law,’ and those consequences could include being charged under President Trump’s executive order authorizing up to 10 years in prison for ‘injury of federal property.’ ‘Our criminal prosecutors have been working throughout the night with special agents and investigators from the U.S. Capitol Police, FBI, ATF, Metropolitan Police Department and the public to gather the evidence, identify perpetrators and charge federal crimes where warranted,” Rosen said in a statement on Thursday. ‘Some participants in yesterday’s violence will be charged today, and we will continue to methodically assess evidence, charge crimes and make arrests in the coming days and weeks to ensure that those responsible are held accountable under the law,’ Rosen continued.”

A lawyer representing Donald Trump in a lawsuit seeking an injunction against Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger filed a motion to withdraw the motion Thursday, claiming that a settlement has been reached in the case.

The problem:  the case was tossed from Court by a judge earlier this week and the defendants in the case say no settlement has even been discussed, let alone agreed to.

Trump’s lawyer Kurt Hilbert filed the motion for voluntary dismissal, asking the Court to close the case “without prejudice due to an out of court settlement agreement” [stress in original document].

“Vice President Mike Pence is expected to attend Joe Biden’s presidential inauguration later this month after overseeing Wednesday’s chaotic certification of the president-elect’s Electoral College win. Three sources close to Pence said he would likely make an appearance at the Jan. 20 event in a show of support for the peaceful transition of power. The decision to attend, they said, became easier after President Donald Trump publicly criticized Pence leading up to, and following, his refusal to stop the certification” – Politico.

A seven-foot supposedly-unscalable fence will be erected around the Capitol for at least the next 30 days, blocking off a large portion of the area that was to be used during the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, DCist reports.

The fencing, with small grids to prevent people from getting a foothold while climbing it, will be set on Constitution Avenue to Independence Avenue and from First Avenue to near the pond in front of the Capitol, according to Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy.

New York Times: “President Trump has suggested to aides he wants to pardon himself in the final days of his presidency, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions, a move that would mark one of the most extraordinary and untested uses of presidential power in American history. In several conversations since Election Day, Mr. Trump has told advisers that he is considering giving himself a pardon and, in other instances, asked whether he should and what the impact would be on him legally and politically, according to the two people.”

“It was not clear whether he has broached the topic since he incited his supporters on Wednesday to storm the Capitol in a mob attack. Mr. Trump has shown signs that his level of interest in pardoning himself goes beyond idle musings. He has long maintained he has the power to pardon himself and his polling of aides’ views is typically a sign that he is preparing to follow through on his aims. He has also become increasingly convinced that his perceived enemies will use the levers of law enforcement to target him after he leaves office.”

From Susan Davis of NPR:  “Speaker Pelosi just now: ‘I join the Senate Democratic leader in calling on the vice president to remove this president by immediately invoking the 25th amendment. If the vice president and cabinet do not act the Congress may be prepared to move forward with impeachment.’ …

“More Pelosi on 25th: ‘I don’t think it’ll take long to get an answer from the vice president. It will be yes or it will be no.’ She says ‘We would hope’ Pence would respond today and that ‘the new majority leader and I have made our interest in this known.'”

“Pelosi calls for the resignation of the US Capitol Police chief and says the House Sergeant at Arms has told her he is submitting his resignation” reports CNN’s Manu Raju.