'A catastrophic failure of security'

In one of the darkest moments in U.S. history, Trump-supporting insurrectionists breached the U.S. Capitol building shortly after 1pm ET today to fight against the ceremonial counting of the electoral votes that confirmed President-elect Joe Biden's win. The insurrectionists pushed through barriers and tussled with officers in full riot gear, some calling the officers "traitors" for doing their jobs. One woman was shot, windows were smashed, and security guards were forced to bar the doors to the congressional chambers as members were evacuated amidst the chaos.

• — White House aides reportedly urged Trump to put out a stronger statement in response to the breach, but he declined beyond a few tepid tweets calling for peace and a video that reiterated the very conspiracy theories and rhetoric that incited the violence in the first place. Earlier in the day, he spoke to the insurrectionists, urging them walk to the Capitol Building and "show strength" and "fight." He watched the coverage from the West Wing.
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• — Prior to the breach, Vice President Mike Pence released a lengthy statement declaring that he would support his Constitutionally mandated role of presiding over the affirmation of Biden’s win. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell also delivered a speech in which he strongly criticized the actions of several Republican members of Congress, who disputed the election results.
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• — "Enough is enough is enough." Biden addressed the American people, calling for calm and for all insurrectionists to immediately leave the Capitol building. He also called on Trump to defuse the situation, joining House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who released a joint statement saying, "We are calling on President Trump to demand that all protestors leave the U.S. Capitol and Capitol Grounds immediately." —CNN
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• — The international community reacted in horror to the attempted coup. Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary general of the NATO, tweeted, "Shocking scenes in Washington, D.C. The outcome of this democratic election must be respected." —The Hill
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• — Greatest global risk. Just this week, a new report from a prominent risk consulting firm, the Eurasia Group, cited Trump's undermining of the election as the biggest global political risk of 2021, beating out oil supply brinkmanship, China trade tensions, and even the COVID-19 pandemic. The issue is referred to as "46*"—a persistent campaign to delegitimize Biden's nascent administration. Rather prescient report. —NBC News

Schwarzenegger: Judgment Day for the GOP

"It is time for the members of my party to step back from the partisan battlefield and accept the results of the election. We must never put our party above the great American experiment. We must never forget that we are Americans first. We must never forget that any power our politicians have comes from the voters, and they have spoken. God bless this country and every American brave enough to stand up for it. God help those of you willing to throw it all away." —Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Economist

Arnold Schwarzenegger was the Republican governor of California from 2003 to 2011.

MORE: Lynn Schmidt: What does the GOP really stand for? —St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Losing night for GOP in Georgia

Democrats have taken control of the U.S. Senate as Raphael Warnock defeated Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Jon Ossoff defeated Sen. David Perdue in yesterday's runoff election. Warnock becomes the first Black senator from Georgia; Ossoff, at 33, becomes the youngest senator in decades; and the two become the first Democratic senators from the state since 2005. Republicans are pointing a frustrated finger at Donald Trump for the loss. With control of the Senate at stake, the president chose to spend weeks peddling baseless claims that Georgia's electoral system was rigged, fueling an online movement to boycott the election. He also demonized the state's Republican leaders, fracturing the local GOP, and ignored calls from his allies to rally in the state sooner. —Politico

MORE: Jonah Goldberg: How Trump's moral corruption infects others in his party —Los Angeles Times

Biden picks Garland for AG

President-elect Joe Biden will nominate Judge Merrick Garland, whose Supreme Court nomination Republicans blocked in 2016, to be attorney general, placing the task of repairing a beleaguered Justice Department in the hands of the centrist judge. If confirmed, Garland would inherit a department that grew more politicized under President Trump than at any point since Watergate. He will face critical decisions about civil rights issues that roiled the country this year, whether to investigate and possibly prosecute Trump and his administration, and how to proceed with a tax investigation into Biden's son, Hunter. —The New York Times

Daley: Trump is leaving. Systemic challenges remain

"Trump was created, in part, by the preceding years of gerrymandering and voter suppression that put the most extreme voices in control. They're not going anywhere. They remain in power. They have not been chastened. There will be a next time. Our democracy may not be so lucky." —David Daley in The Guardian

David Daley is the author of "Unrigged: How Americans Are Battling Back to Save Democracy" and "Ratf**ked: Why Your Vote Doesn’t Count."

A lame-duck punch to civil rights

The Trump Administration has embarked on an 11th-hour bid to undo some civil rights protections for minority groups, which could have a ripple effect on women, people with disabilities, and LGBT people, in a change that would mark one of the most significant shifts in civil rights enforcement in generations. The Justice Department has submitted for White House approval a change to how it enforces Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits recipients of federal funding from discriminating based on race, color, or national origin. The regulation covers housing programs, employers, schools, hospitals, and other organizations and programs. —The New York Times

Nowrasteh: Immigration isn't the problem. Restrictionists are

"It's ironic that the immigration restrictionists most worried about immigrants degrading American institutions are attacking those very institutions at every level. After President Trump lost his reelection bid, the most nativistic members of his party have embarked on a quest to reverse the election. A dozen Republican Senators, mostly those supportive of cutting legal immigration, plan to object to the certification of Biden's win over Trump. Over 100 representatives could join in too." —Alex Nowrasteh on CATO Institute

Alex Nowrasteh is the director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute’s Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity. 

MORE: Joe Biden's new policies for asylum, DACA, and legal immigration —Forbes

While Trump's behavior and that of his sycophants in the House and Senate who are thwarting the Constitution based on lies that have been certified (literally) to be untrue isn't news, I continue to be dumbfounded by their traitorous behavior and truly fearful that our democracy is treading on very thin ice. May saner minds and the rule of law prevail! —Frank M., California

SUR participants increasingly support a third party as an alternative to the tattered remnants of the Republican Party. I have mixed feelings about this, given the limited successes that third parties have had in our country. As a center-right-leaning independent, I have come to agree that there is little hope that the Republican Party can, in the foreseeable future, return to something that begins to live up to its formerly espoused values: fiscal responsibility, governmental accountability, strong but restrained defense policies, and limited but adequate government. I also agree that the Left is at least partly to blame for the widespread support of a Trump-led Republican train wreck, by isolating so many of us who hold to time-tested values over the past several decades. It didn't start with Trump, but he and his lackeys have burned down the Reichstag and will use that as an excuse to seize power. If a centrist coalition of conservative Democrats fed up with the Left, moderate Republicans, and independents such as myself can bond together, we could help right this listing ship. —Patrick N., Idaho

The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff or the Stand Up Republic Foundation.