The US Capitol Attack: More Troubling than It First Appeared
2021-01-12
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1Carrying flags showing the name of President Donald Trump, the Capitol's attackers are accused of killing one police officer and injuring many others.
2Reports say they threatened Vice President Mike Pence.
3"Hang Mike Pence!" they cried as they pushed inside.
4They had built gallows outside, complete with a tied rope.
5Guns and small explosives were hidden nearby.
6Now, more stories are beginning to describe what really happened last week when attackers breached the Capitol.
7They were looking for the vice president and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
8They were not just a group of Trump supporters wearing MAGA hats.
9MAGA stands for Make America Great Again and is a favorite Trump statement.
10Congressman Jim McGovern described how he saw the crowd.
11"What I saw in front of me," he said, "was basically home-grown fascism, out of control."
12Pelosi said Sunday on American television that the breach was "a well-planned, organized group with leadership and guidance and direction."
13Smartphone videos are being found, many from the attackers themselves, and lawmakers are telling their stories.
14Thousands of attackers had moved into the area.
15They quickly pushed through the outnumbered police.
16Outside, a man threw a heavy fire extinguisher at the head of a police officer.
17Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick was wounded in the attack.
18He died the next night.
19Officials say he had been hit in the head with a fire extinguisher.
20At about 2 p.m., Pence was taken from the Senate to a secret area.
21Police announced security measures in the Capitol building, which is often called the "People's House."
22At 2:15 p.m., a voice said on the building's sound system: "The protesters are in the building."
23The doors of the House of Representatives were barricaded.
24Lawmakers inside were told they may need to hide or go to small rooms connected to the House floor because the attackers were in the building.
25Capitol Police pulled Pelosi away from her podium, she told American television.
26At 2:44 p.m., lawmakers inside the House chamber were getting ready to be leave.
27They heard the gunshot that killed Ashli Babbit, as she climbed through a broken window.
28Ten minutes later, House lawmakers and employees were taken to a secure room.
29The attackers broke into Pelosi's offices while her employees hid in another room.
30They sat silent, in the dark for more than two hours.
31On the Senate side, Capitol Police had ordered all workers and reporters and any nearby senators into the Senate chamber and locked it.
32At one point about 200 people were inside.
33They were guarded by an officer holding what appeared to be large guns.
34Officials then moved everyone out of the chamber and into a secure room.
35The Senate employees held onto boxes holding the Electoral College papers.
36The attackers breached the now empty Senate chamber.
37They took pictures and videos of themselves.
38Outside the chamber, the attackers continued to search for lawmakers.
39"Where are they?" people could be heard yelling.
40At about 5:30 p.m., the National Guard arrived and an effort began to clear the building.
41Using tear gas, they pushed the attackers out of the building and on to the grass.
42Within the hour, the House and Senate had returned to work.
43Lawmakers confirmed Biden's election victory early the next morning.
44Many were still shocked by the events.
45Federal and local police now have begun arresting those involved in the breach.
46More arrests are expected as police look at videos and pictures on social media.
47The justice department has charged at least 13 people so far.
48Others have been charged by the District of Columbia. Some face gun charges.
49Those arrested include Jake Angeli.
50He wore a fur hat with horns.
51He has attended many Trump events and is a well-known believer in conspiracies.
52Adam Johnson was photographed smiling as he took Pelosi's lectern.
53Richard Barnett was photographed with his feet on Pelosi's desk.
54Eric Munchel was photographed in military clothing holding plastic restraints in the Senate Chamber.
55And Derrick Evans, a newly-elected member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, also was arrested. He has since resigned.
56I'm Susan Shand.
1Carrying flags showing the name of President Donald Trump, the Capitol's attackers are accused of killing one police officer and injuring many others. 2Reports say they threatened Vice President Mike Pence. 3"Hang Mike Pence!" they cried as they pushed inside. They had built gallows outside, complete with a tied rope. Guns and small explosives were hidden nearby. 4Now, more stories are beginning to describe what really happened last week when attackers breached the Capitol. They were looking for the vice president and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. 5They were not just a group of Trump supporters wearing MAGA hats. MAGA stands for Make America Great Again and is a favorite Trump statement. 6Congressman Jim McGovern described how he saw the crowd. 7"What I saw in front of me," he said, "was basically home-grown fascism, out of control." 8Pelosi said Sunday on American television that the breach was "a well-planned, organized group with leadership and guidance and direction." 9Smartphone videos are being found, many from the attackers themselves, and lawmakers are telling their stories. 10The attack 11Thousands of attackers had moved into the area. They quickly pushed through the outnumbered police. 12Outside, a man threw a heavy fire extinguisher at the head of a police officer. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick was wounded in the attack. He died the next night. Officials say he had been hit in the head with a fire extinguisher. 13At about 2 p.m., Pence was taken from the Senate to a secret area. Police announced security measures in the Capitol building, which is often called the "People's House." 14At 2:15 p.m., a voice said on the building's sound system: "The protesters are in the building." The doors of the House of Representatives were barricaded. Lawmakers inside were told they may need to hide or go to small rooms connected to the House floor because the attackers were in the building. 15Capitol Police pulled Pelosi away from her podium, she told American television. 16At 2:44 p.m., lawmakers inside the House chamber were getting ready to be leave. They heard the gunshot that killed Ashli Babbit, as she climbed through a broken window. 17Ten minutes later, House lawmakers and employees were taken to a secure room. The attackers broke into Pelosi's offices while her employees hid in another room. They sat silent, in the dark for more than two hours. 18On the Senate side, Capitol Police had ordered all workers and reporters and any nearby senators into the Senate chamber and locked it. At one point about 200 people were inside. They were guarded by an officer holding what appeared to be large guns. 19Officials then moved everyone out of the chamber and into a secure room. The Senate employees held onto boxes holding the Electoral College papers. The attackers breached the now empty Senate chamber. They took pictures and videos of themselves. 20Outside the chamber, the attackers continued to search for lawmakers. "Where are they?" people could be heard yelling. 21At about 5:30 p.m., the National Guard arrived and an effort began to clear the building. Using tear gas, they pushed the attackers out of the building and on to the grass. 22Within the hour, the House and Senate had returned to work. Lawmakers confirmed Biden's election victory early the next morning. Many were still shocked by the events. 23Federal and local police now have begun arresting those involved in the breach. More arrests are expected as police look at videos and pictures on social media. The justice department has charged at least 13 people so far. Others have been charged by the District of Columbia. Some face gun charges. 24Those arrested include Jake Angeli. He wore a fur hat with horns. He has attended many Trump events and is a well-known believer in conspiracies. 25Adam Johnson was photographed smiling as he took Pelosi's lectern. Richard Barnett was photographed with his feet on Pelosi's desk. Eric Munchel was photographed in military clothing holding plastic restraints in the Senate Chamber. And Derrick Evans, a newly-elected member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, also was arrested. He has since resigned. 26I'm Susan Shand. 27The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English with additional information from the New York Times. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 28________________________________________________________________ 29Words in This Story 30gallows -n. (pl.) a structure from which people are hanged 31breach -v. to get into a secured or secret place 32fascism -n. a way of organizing society in which a government is ruled by a dictator; very harsh authority 33extinguisher -n. a metal container filled with chemicals used to fight fires 34barricade -v. to block people into a place so no one can get in and no one can leave 35podium -n. a raised structure for a speaker or a performer 36chamber -n. a large room where members of a government group have meetings 37conspiracy -n. a secret plan by two or more people to do something harmful or illegal 38lectern -n. a small structure that holds books or papers which can be used for speaking 39We want to hear from you. 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