On Wednesday January 6, 2021, our country witnessed a grave assault on democracy as members of extremist groups incited by President Donald Trump lay siege to the U.S. Capitol. Five people died as a result of events that transpired Wednesday, including one Capitol Police officer. Members of Congress feared for their lives and some made makeshift weapons to prepare to defend each other. As members of white nationalist groups stormed Capitol Hill, dozens of smaller pro-Trump demonstrations took place in dozens of cities across the country, from Georgia to Washington to Minnesota to Hawaii. Some led to violence.

House Democrats plan to introduce an article of impeachment as early as Monday alleging the president should be removed from office.

The Anti-Defamation League said Thursday that extremists have already begun plotting their next coup attempt targeting Inauguration Day. These preparations are taking place on social media forums, including Twitter and YouTube, and on fringe forums popular with extremists. 

In Washington, D.C., authorities are preparing as best they can for the January 20 inauguration ceremony. Mayor Muriel Bowser has issued a state of emergency in the city totaling 15 days.

As of Friday night, USA TODAY reported at least 55 people have been charged and arrested in relation to Wednesday's events, including one Arkansas man who sat in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s desk and stole her mail.

The American people want answers about why law enforcement and top defense officials allowed thousands of protesters, many of whom were armed, to trespass on federal property and loot the offices of members of Congress.

The police response stands in stark comparison to past protests in D.C., especially Black Lives Matter protests that took place in the summer of 2020. Peaceful protesters were pepper sprayed, tear gassed, kettled, and faced rubber bullets. In one instance, a crowd was tear gassed outside Lafayette Square to make way for President Trump, who proceeded to pose for photos with a bible in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church.

On this episode, USA TODAY reporters who were on the Capitol grounds during the attempted coup answer some of your biggest questions about the response from law enforcement, and give insight into white nationalist groups behind the attack, like the Patriot Movement. Then, USA TODAY Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page and Rana Cash, an editor in Savannah, Georgia, discuss Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff’s Senate race victories, as well as the role former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams played in the election.

These interviews originally aired Friday as part of USA TODAY’s States of America video series.

To keep up with all the latest news coming out of Washington, D.C., go to usatoday.com/politics.

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