U.S. SAW DEADLIEST DAY OF PANDEMIC AS CAPITOL STORMED

As angry rioters and supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol in a last stand for the outgoing president, the violence overshadowed a deadly day across the nation as the coronavirus continued its surge. A record 3,915 people died of COVID-19 in the United States on Wednesday, as a record 251,646 new coronavirus cases were reported, about 16,000 more cases than the Wednesday before, according to a Washington Post analysis. More than 132,000 are battling the coronavirus in hospital beds. One congressman who was on the floor of the House as Congress convened on Wednesday hours later announced he had tested positive. Early on Thursday morning, newly sworn in Rep. Jake LaTurner, R-Kan., said on Twitter that he was not experiencing any symptoms and will not return to the House floor “until he is cleared to do so.” Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that more than 5.3-million people have received at least the initial dose of a coronavirus vaccine.