US Capitol Police evacuated the Senate office building in Washington, DC, Wednesday after receiving reports of a possible active shooter.

A 911 call claiming that there was an active shooter in the Hart Building on the Senate side of the Capitol Building came in around 2:30 p.m., USCP Chief Tom Manger told reporters at a brief press conference about two hours later.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy defended his controversial move to grant Fox News host Tucker Carlson access to security footage from the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, telling the New York Times he “promised.”

“I was asked in the press about these tapes, and I said they do belong to the American public. I think sunshine lets everybody make their own judgment,” he told the Times.

President Biden on Monday fired Architect of the Capitol J. Brett Blanton following allegations that he misrepresented himself as a law enforcement officer and led banned tours, among other charges.

Mr. Blanton faced growing calls to step down from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, including from House Speaker Kevin McCarthy who urged his resignation on Monday.

“The Architect of the Capitol, Brett Blanton, no longer has my confidence to continue in his job. He should resign or President Biden should remove him immediately,” Mr. McCarthy tweeted Monday.

Two years after the January 6 insurrection, fresh fears are being raised over safety for lawmakers and staff at the US Capitol, especially as Republicans have stripped away some of the security measures installed in the wake of the deadly attack on Congress.

House Republicans, who secured a narrow majority in the 2022 midterm elections, removed the metal detectors outside the House chamber ready for the first day of business of the 118th Congress on Tuesday, 3 January.

House Republicans aim to rein in ethics body preparing to investigate their party

Newly unionized cafeteria workers at the U.S. Senate and Capitol may be laid off this month, a victim of a contract squabble between a Congressional agency and the vendor that employs them.

In November roughly 137 food service employees in the Senate and Capitol cafeterias unionized with UNITE HERE, a union representing 300,000 workers across industries including hospitality, manufacturing, and transportation.

Late-night comedy show host Stephen Colbert on Monday addressed the arrests of members of his production team on the grounds of the Capitol last week.

The Justice Department announced on Monday that five members of the right-wing Proud Boys group were charged by the Justice Department with “seditious conspiracy” related to their alleged roles in the Capitol riot of Jan. 6, 2021.

The Justice Department says that more than 800 defendants have been arrested related to the Capitol riot, including over 250 defendants charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement officers.

Enrique Tarrio, the former chairman of the Proud Boys, and four other members of the far-right group were indicted on Monday for seditious conspiracy in connection with the storming of the Capitol last January, the most serious criminal charges to be brought in the Justice Department’s sprawling investigation of the assault.

Enrique Tarrio, a former leader of the Proud Boys, and four other members of the far-right group have been indicted on seditious conspiracy charges in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, marking an escalation in the Justice Department’s riot probe.

The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol is seeking voluntary testimony from three additional members of Congress who appeared to have some coordination with rioters and efforts to block President Biden’s electoral victory both before and after the attack.

The letter to Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) notes that former President Trump asked him to help keep him in office even after Jan. 6.