Vice President Mike Pence won't support using the 25th amendment of the Constitution to remove President Donald Trump from power, report Business Insider and the New York Times late Thursday.

Reuters:

Democrats and some Republicans have called for Trump administration officials to invoke the 25th amendment to relieve Trump of his powers, less than two weeks before he is to leave office. Absent that, leading Democrats, including House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, have called for impeachment proceedings to remove Trump after his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.

Millions of pandemic stimulus payments were mistakenly deposited in the wrong customer accounts as the result of an Internal Revenue Service error, said Intuit TurboTax, which is helping distribute this new round of pandemic stimulus payments.

Here is the TurboTax statement.

From Reuters:

Two banking industry sources confirmed the error, which will delay distribution of the badly needed aid.

"For those who don't receive a direct deposit, they should watch their mail for either a paper check or a prepaid debit card," the IRS said in a notice on Thursday.

Intuit TurboTax tweeted on Wednesday: "Unfortunately, because of an IRS error, millions of payments were sent to the wrong accounts and some may not have received their stimulus payment."

The IRS did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

A spokeswoman for the United States Capitol Police (USCP) says Capitol Police Chief Steven A. Sund is resigning effective January 16, 2021.

Sund's resignation comes after yesterday's botched response to the riot in the Capitol, and a call from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for him to resign.

Sund's bio has been removed from the Capitol Police website.

Here was his bio:

Steven A. Sund
Chief of Police

Steven A. Sund was sworn in as the tenth Chief of Police in June 2019.  He joined the United States Capitol Police (USCP) in 2017 as the Assistant Chief of Police and Chief of Operations.  Chief Sund is well known and respected in the law enforcement and academic communities for his senior command and operational experience as well as his specialized education and training. 

Sund served with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) in Washington, D.C., for more than 25 years.  He retired from MPD as the Commander of the Special Operations Division, within the Homeland Security Bureau.  In this assignment, then-Commander Sund oversaw a number of specialized units to include the Emergency Response Team; Aviation and Harbor Units; Horse Mounted and Canine Units; Special Events/Dignitary Protection Branch; Major Crash and Commercial Motor Carrier Enforcement; Automated Traffic Enforcement, and the Domestic Security Operations Unit.  During his career, Sund coordinated a number of National Special Security Events (NSSE) by the Department of Homeland Security, to include the 2001, 2005, 2009, and 2013 Presidential Inaugurations.    

Chief Sund is a recognized expert in critical incident management and active shooter preparedness and response.  His experience involves being the on-scene incident commander on the 2009 shooting at the National Holocaust Museum, the 2012 shooting at the Family Research Council, and the 2013 active shooter incident at the Washington Navy Yard.  In addition, he has handled dozens of criminal barricade and hostage situations with an impressive record of zero fatalities. 

Sund has received numerous awards and certifications.  Due to his knowledge and experience, he has been an instructor with the United States Secret Service in the area of major events planning and has taught Incident Command System (ICS) at the George Washington University as an adjunct professor.  Prior to coming to USCP, he worked in the private sector for a nonprofit science, technology, and strategy organization as a director in the area of National Security and Intelligence. 

Chief Sund received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from Johns Hopkins University, and a Master of Arts in Homeland Security from the Naval Postgraduate School.

Well, well, well, if it isn't the consequences of my own actions.

Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri lost his book deal one day after flashing fascist fist-pumps at the Trump Riot mob, and arguing against the counting of legal votes on the Senate Floor later that day.

Simon & Schuster said on Thursday it will cancel the publication of an upcoming book by Hawley, one of several Congress members who were trying to overturn the results of the presidential election which Donald Trump lost.

Hawley replies, and yes, he really used the phrase "woke mob" one day after a literal mob invaded the Capitol.

From the New York Times:

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 responsibilityas citizens, and cannot support Senator Hawley after his role in what became a dangerous threat."

NYT: Simon & Schuster Cancels Plans for Senator Hawley's Book

The Georgia race is over. Republican Kelly Loeffler concedes to Reverend Raphael Warnock.

Says Loeffler, "I want to thank every Georgian … who believed in me and our campaign. … Unfortunately, we came up slightly short in the runoff election – and earlier today I called Reverend Warnock to congratulate him."

One person at the Capitol Hill Trump riot allegedly had 11 Molotov cocktails. Eight suspects face gun charges.

55 people have been charged by the U.S. Attorney's Office in D.C. on a variety of federal charges including unlawful entry, assault, theft, and weapons charges, reports@tomcostellonbc of NBC News:

[Acting U.S. attorney in Washington, Mike Sherwin] says federal and local investigators — "hundreds of people" — are now searching social media for photos and video clips of suspects engaged in unlawful activity.  Those people are being arrested as quickly as possible. Department of Justice expects this search for suspects to last all year. 

-DOJ says it will consider bringing charges against anyone who played any role in the mob attack on the Capitol. When asked if that could include President Trump for encouraging the mob to move on the Capitol, Sherwin pointedly would not rule that out.

-The department also says it is looking at whether sensitive material or national security items may have been stolen from the desks of members of congress, including electronic equipment and documents.  

-When asked if the failure of Capitol Police to arrest people was making the job harder for federal officials, he said that is has.  

Sherwin also says the DOJ had flooded the rally area with agents and officers along with D.C. Metropolitan Police. "There was no violence in the crowd at that point," noting that "the tipping point occurred when they breached the capitol." 

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao announced her resignation Thursday. In doing so, the wife of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell becomes the first Cabinet member on a list of Trump administration resignations, one day after MAGA thugs stormed the U.S. Capitol.

Chao said the attack "has deeply troubled me in a way that I simply cannot set aside." She said her resignation will take effect on Monday, reports Reuters, and she is one of many resignations since yesterday's violence.

With less than two weeks left of Trump's presidency, many aides were already heading for the door, but the sudden departures suggested revulsion among some over his encouragement of mobs of supporters who stormed the Capitol on Wednesday in an ultimately futile bid to prevent formal certification of Democrat Joe Biden's election victory.

Deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger, a leading figure in the development of Trump's China policy, quit abruptly on Wednesday, said a senior administration official.

He was followed by Ryan Tully, senior director for European and Russian affairs at the National Security Council, said a second senior official.

More at Reuters.

Image: US Senate Photography office, mcconnell.senate.gov

Sometimes silence really does speak louder than words. As Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) spoke about the violent insurrection he helped organize, Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) shot dagger-eyes at him. It was something to behold.

"A growing number of Republican leaders told CNN that they believe Donald Trump should be removed from office before January 20. Four of them called for the 25th Amendment to be invoked."

Excerpt:

After violent pro-Trump protesters stormed the US Capitol on Wednesday, a growing number of Republican leaders told CNN that they believe Donald Trump should be removed from office before January 20. Four of them called for the 25th Amendment to be invoked, and two others said the President should be impeached.

"He has to be impeached and removed," said one current Republican elected official.

A former senior official said the President's actions were egregious enough to remove him even with such a short time left in his tenure."I think this has been huge a shock to the system," said the former official. "How do you keep him in place for two weeks after this?"

By impeaching and removing Trump, even at this late stage of his term, the Senate could subsequently vote to disqualify Trump from ever holding federal office again. On the other hand, invoking the 25th Amendment would require Vice President Mike Pence and a majority of the Cabinet to vote to remove Trump from office due to his inability to "discharge the powers and duties of his office" — an unprecedented step.

CNN: Angry Republican leaders float removing Trump from office

Instagram follows parent company Facebook and locks POTUS account. @mosseri tweeted: "We are locking President Trump's Instagram account for 24 hours as well."

• "What excuse did we use not to ban him this time?"

Buzzfeed reports that Facebook forced its employees to stop discussing Trump's violent coup attempt.

Excerpt:

They were scared and frustrated, with some coming to the realization that the platform they had helped build and operate contributed to the wave of fear, disinformation, and chaos that flooded Congress on Tuesday. So they spoke out on an internal message board, with some calling for Trump's removal from the platform.

In less than an hour, Facebook moved to silence them. Without apparent explanation, administrators froze comments on at least three threads in which employees had discussed removing Trump from the site.

"Donald Trump has directly incited a terror attack on Capitol Hill," one Facebook employee wrote on a post where comments were later prevented. "We need to take down his account right now. This is not a moment for half measures."

"Our employees are actively discussing today's horrible events internally," Facebook spokesperson Liz Bourgeois said in statement to BuzzFeed News. She did not answer questions about why Facebook had temporarily paused discussion on some threads.

More: Facebook Forced Its Employees To Stop Discussing Trump's Coup Attempt

• Loeffler says she now will not object to the certification of the election.

Soon to be former-Sen. Kelly Loeffler: "I cannot now in good conscience object to the certification of these electors."

"When I arrived in Washington this morning I fully intended to object to the certification of the electoral votes. However, the events that have transpired today have forced me to reconsider and I cannot now in good conscience object."

• Earlier on this historic and violent day, Twitter finally suspended Trump. Now, Facebook says Trump's account has been blocked for 24 hours.

Facebook is blocking Donald Trump from posting for 24 hours.

"We've assessed two policy violations against President Trump's Page which will result in a 24-hour feature block, meaning he will lose the ability to post on the platform during that time."

Previously…

"These thugs should not succeed," said Senator Chuck Schumer [D-NY] this evening, after a long day of violence and an attempted coup d'etat, on Capitol Hill.

Schumer calls today's siege the "the final terrible, indelible act" of Trump.

This was "President Trump's doing, incited by his lies, his words," Schumer said.

"Those who performed these reprehensible acts cannot be called protesters. No. These were rioters and insurrectionists, goons and thugs….who tried to attack our democracy. They must and should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. They should be provided no leniency."

The New York Times reports an explosive device was found at the headquarters of the Republican National Committee in Washington and the nearby headquarters of the Democratic National Committee was evacuated.

From the New York Times:

An explosive device was found at the headquarters of the Republican National Committee in Washington and the nearby headquarters of the Democratic National Committee was evacuated after the discovery of a suspicious package on Wednesday, according to three people briefed on the discoveries.

The device that was found at the R.N.C. was a pipe bomb that was successfully destroyed by a bomb squad, according to an official for the R.N.C.

The package at the D.N.C. has yet to be identified, according to a top Democrat briefed on the matter who was not authorized to speak publicly about it.

At this time, an armed standoff is taking place on Capitol Hill between rioting Trump supporters and police. Authorities now confirm that shots have been fired, and FOX News reports a shooting victim has been transported from US Capitol during breach of building.

Congress members have each been issued tear gas masks. There were reports of gas released inside the building.

An image on Fox News shows a bloodied woman being carried away on a stretcher.

CNN also reporting shots fired on Capitol grounds and a woman in critical condition.

House Minority leader Kevin McCarthy just said over the phone on Fox News that he heard "shots fired" called out over Capitol Police radio. Says it happened about 10-15 minutes ago.