Tara McKelvey
BBC News, Washington

Image source, Getty Images

The president is spending a quiet day at home while lawmakers on Capitol Hill are working to impeach him.

He’s been in the residence all morning, where he’s hunkered down and waiting to see what will happen next.

It seems unlikely that lawmakers will be able to get rid of him before his term ends on 20 January, and at the same time he is fiercely committed to staying.

In another part of the building, the West Wing, his staffers are focused on the task at hand: clearing out their things and packing up so they can leave.

Boxes are scattered on the floor in their offices, and they are sorting through mail.

The president has so far fended off his critics and those who want him out of office, but there are only days left before he, too, will be gone.

As we wait for House lawmakers to conclude their second procedural vote ahead of the impeachment debate, let's get into what's actually in the resolution.

Essentially, it presents a single article of impeachment against Trump, accusing him of inciting insurrection against the government. You can read the full text here., external

Remember, impeachment charges are political, not criminal.

Here are the key points from the article of impeachment:

• President Trump repeatedly issued false statements asserting that the presidential election results were fraudulent and should not be accepted by the American people or certified by state or federal officials;
• President Trump reiterated false claims to a crowd near the White House and willfully made statements to the crowd that encouraged and foreseeably resulted in lawless action at the Capitol;
• Members of the crowd, incited by President Trump, unlawfully breached and vandalized the Capitol and engaged in other violent, destructive, and seditious acts, including the killing of a law enforcement officer;
• President Trump's conduct followed his prior efforts to subvert and obstruct the certification of the presidential election;
• President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of government, threatened the integrity of the democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transition of power, and imperiled a coequal branch of government

It concludes that thus, Trump warrants impeachment, trial, removal from office and disqualification to ever hold elected office again.

Of course, it's not up to the House to decide the latter items. The House can impeach, but it's the Senate that tries and potentially convicts.

Some residents of Washington DC, a city that overwhelmingly votes Democratic, have said they plan to leave town during inauguration week amid reports of additional pro-Trump protests.

Dan Nejfelt, who lives in the capital city's Navy Yard district, says last week's violence struck close to home.

“Those pipe bombs that were found were along my dog's walking route,” he told CBS, external, the BBC's partner in the US. “That’s serious stuff.”

He plans to leave town to stay with family in another state next week.

Image source, Getty Images

Lawmakers arrived at the Capitol this morning to find federal troops sleeping in the halls of Congress to protect it for the first time since the US Civil War.

Throughout the morning, the House of Representatives has been debating the rules that will govern today's impeachment hearing. They will soon move on to debate the lone article of impeachment which claims President Trump incited his supporters to violently overthrow the US government.

Democrats, who control the House, have enough votes to impeach Trump for a second time, after doing so last year over the president's request that Ukraine investigate his political rival.

All eyes are on Republicans to see how many vote to impeach Trump today.

If impeached, the Senate will hold a trial which could bar Trump from ever running for president again.

The House has just wrapped its first procedural vote on the rule that will guide the upcoming consideration of the impeachment article itself.

That has passed. Now, they're onto a second procedural vote on the resolution, which is essentially a vote on whether or not to consider the impeachment article itself.

After this concludes, we'll get to debating impeachment.

Again, we're expecting the actual vote on impeachment to come around 15:00 local time (20:00GMT).

Image source, Getty Images

Last night was the first time since the US Civil War that federal troops slept at the Capitol to protect it from possible violence, reports say.

Troops from the National Guard were seen sleeping near a bust of Abraham Lincoln, the president who led the Union during the 1861 to 1865 conflict that claimed 620,000 American lives.

Image source, Getty Images

Troops were also seen by the Washington Post sleeping beside a plaque which reads: "This tablet records the fact that the following troops were quartered in the United States Capitol in response to President Lincoln’s call for volunteers, April 15, 1861.”

It honours soldiers who came from Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington DC and used the building as a war barracks.

Image source, Getty Images

Airbnb has announced that it is cancelling all reservations in the Washington DC area during inauguration week, after public officials appealed to Americans not to travel to the region amid fears of more violent protests.

Guests will be reimbursed and hosts will be paid for the cancelled bookings, Airbnb said in a blog post, external. No new reservations will be accepted next week by either Airbnb or HotelTonight, which is owned by Airbnb.

"We are aware of reports emerging yesterday afternoon regarding armed militias and known hate groups that are attempting to travel and disrupt the inauguration," the company said, explaining its decision.

Working with law enforcement, Airbnb says it has identified some of the rioters from last week who stayed at Airbnb properties, and has banned them from using the online platform.

Image source, Getty Images

As Trump inches closer to becoming the first president in US history to be impeached twice, Joe Biden is carrying on with his transition preparations.

He's just announced that he's asked former US ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power to lead the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which is tasked with distributing foreign aid.

Power had previously worked as a war correspondent and for the Obama administration's National Security Council before becoming the UN representative from 2013 to 2017.

Biden also announced that he had decided to elevate the role of USAID administrator so that Power will be part of the National Security Council.

"Samantha Power is a world-renowned voice of conscience and moral clarity - challenging and rallying the international community to stand up for the dignity and humanity of all people," Biden said in a statement, external.

"I know first-hand the unparalleled knowledge and tireless commitment to principled American engagement she brings to the table, and her expertise and perspective will be essential as our country reasserts its role as a leader on the world stage," he added.

On Twitter, Power said that she felt "immensely fortunate" to serve in the Biden administration.

A rioter who was photographed wearing a hoodie with the words Camp Auschwitz on it has been arrested. Auschwitz was a Nazi extermination camp where more than a million people, mostly Jews, were murdered during World War Two.

The man, identified as Robert Keith Packer was arrested in Newport News, Virginia, this morning.

Images of a man wearing this top - which bore a translation of the infamous lie written on the gates of Auschwitz - shocked the nation and it was condemned on the floor of the House during today's impeachment hearing.

Image source, Getty Images

For those who are new to the twists and turns of recent political upheaval in Washington, here is a simple guide to what is taking place today.

The House of Representatives - the lower house of the US Congress - is meeting to decide whether to impeach (charge) President Donald Trump over last week's attack on the Capitol.

Mr Trump, a Republican, is accused by the opposition Democratic Party, which has a majority in the House, of "incitement of insurrection". He denies he did any such thing.

The House session has been under way for approaching two hours now and there will be several hours of debate in total. During this time we can expect some emotional stories from lawmakers who were trapped inside the Capitol during the riots.

The members are voting now on the rules governing the impeachment article.

Much later - around 15:00 local time (20:00 GMT) - there will be a vote on whether to impeach.

If the vote passes - as it is widely expected to - the procedure moves to the Senate, where a trial will be held at a later date to determine the president's guilt. A two-thirds majority is required to convict. Democrats don't have a majority in the Senate and it remains unclear if enough Republicans would support the impeachment.

But today, Mr Trump faces being the first US president in history to be impeached twice.

With that, the House wraps up its first session of debate.

Members are now recording their votes on the rule.

This isn't the impeachment vote yet - we've still got more hours of debate on that to come.

We just heard from Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota - you may remember she's part of The Squad of progressive Democrats that also includes Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She's been a fierce Trump critic and has often feuded with him online.

"The president not only incited an insurrection but has in word and deed led a rebellion," she says. "We cannot simply move past this or turn the page. For us to be able to survive as a functional democracy, there has to be accountability"

She concludes by saying she stands ready "to fulfil my oath of office and I challenge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to do the same".

Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan is up. He's a founding member of the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus, and has been a vocal defender of Trump.

He now accuses Democrats of a "double standard".

"Somehow when Republicans condemn all the violence - the violence this summer, the violence last week - somehow we're wrong," Jordan continues (he's talking about the Black Lives Matter protests from the summer and the Capitol riot).

"Democrats can investigate the President of the United States... but will not look at an election that 80 million Americans, Republican and Democratic, have their doubts about.

"I do not know where all this goes and this is frightening for the country," he concludes.

Jordan recently received the nation's top civilian honour from Trump.

Image source, Getty Images

New York City is terminating contracts with the Trump Organization following last week's deadly riot at the US Capitol, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

"Inciting an insurrection against the United States government clearly constitutes criminal activity," de Blasio told MSNBC. "So, the city of New York will no longer have anything to do with the Trump Organization."

The Trump Organization has contracts to run the Central Park Carousel, two ice-skating rinks in Central Park and Ferry Point Golf Course in the Bronx. The contracts are worth $17m (£12.4m) annually, according to Reuters.

The city's chief lawyer, James E Johnson, said the president's "incitement of violence" was "an abomination".

"We have concluded that it is in the best interests of New Yorkers for the city to commence the process of cancelling these contracts and terminating its business ties with the Trump Organization,” he said.

Trump, who is from New York, has come under mounting pressure after last week's violence. He denies inciting the crowd and insists that he is the victim of a "witch-hunt".

Trump's son Eric, who has been running the family business with his brother since Trump took office, hit back in a statement to ABC, saying that the decision was “yet another example of Mayor de Blasio’s incompetence and blatant disregard for the facts.

“The City of New York has no legal right to end our contracts and if they elect to proceed, they will owe the Trump Organization over $30 million. This is nothing more than political discrimination and we plan to fight vigorously.”

Representatives in the House were just reminded that they must keep facemasks on throughout this session.

A vote on Tuesday evening determined that US lawmakers who refuse to wear face masks will be fined $500 (£365) for the first offence and $2,500 (£1,827) for the second.

This comes after three lawmakers tested positive for Covid-19 after sheltering for hours with colleagues, some of whom apparently refused to wear masks, during last week's attack on the Capitol.

House Democrats Bonnie Watson Coleman, Pramila Jayapal and Brad Schneider all announced their diagnoses.

Congresswoman Nancy Mace of South Carolina takes the stand for her first speech as a representative. She begins by saying everyone must be held accountable for what happened.

She quotes Rev Martin Luther King Jr, saying: "The time is always right to do what is right."

If Congress is "serious about healing divides," she continues, "then both sides need to recognise, number one, that our words have consequences. That there is violence on both sides of the aisle, we've contributed to it."

She calls on lawmakers to "acknowledge there is a problem and stop being part of the problem."

Mace had raised questions about the integrity of the election but even before the riot had said it was not Congress’ job to overturn the election - so she voted to certify the result.

Republican Jason Smith of Missouri just spoke.

Smith says it is "vital" to get the facts on what went wrong and ensure it never happens again. He says he was in the chamber when Ashli Babbitt lost her life, "less than 50 feet from where we stand".

"I was in this chamber when those gunshots rang. That is real stuff. That should never happen in the People's House."

The Missouri congressman asks Democrats to aim for healing.

"At a time when our nation is more divided than ever before, let's put people before politics.

"President Trump will be leaving in seven days. Let's try to heal this nation, let's listen to the American people."

He calls this a "reckless impeachment" that will only serve to "bring up the hate and fire more than before".

Last week, Smith voted to object to the presidential election results which had been approved by the states and in dozens of courts just hours after the riot.

Democratic leader Steny Hoyer has been talking about the last impeachment hearings back in 2019.

Here's a quick refresher on what went down the first time around.

President Trump was accused of breaking the law by pressuring Ukraine's leader to dig up damaging information on a political rival.

In July 2019, he urged his Ukrainian counterpart to investigate one of the frontrunners expected take him on in the 2020 presidential election. This mattered, opposition Democrats said, because it is illegal to ask foreign entities for help in winning a US election. He says he has done nothing wrong.

After Trump was impeached in December, a trial took place that could have led to the president being removed. In the end, he was acquitted by the Senate.

Watch our roundup of all the twists and turns below, and if you want more details, you can read the short, medium and long story here.

Image source, EPA

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in Congress, has just been spotted arriving for today's impeachment session.

She gave no comment to reporters as she spoke on the phone while walking in.

She was also seen passing through the new metal detectors that were installed yesterday, which led to outrage among some Republicans.

Trump impeachment process: Who are the key players?

Lawmakers are continuing their statements. Here's how we think the day is likely to play out. Votes in the House are taking longer than usual due to social-distancing measures.

09:55 EST (14:55 GMT) - This is where we're at now - coming close to the end of an hour's of debate on the rule (not the article of impeachment), between Republicans and Democrats.

11:15 EST (16:15 GMT) - A vote on the rule itself, this could last around an hour.

12:30 EST (17:30 GMT) - Now we'll enter two hours of debate on the impeachment article itself. Again, this will be equally divided between the parties.

15:00 EST (20:00 GMT) - The House will vote on whether or not to impeach President Trump for a second time, with the result expected about an hour after voting begins.