Impeachment trial – live: Trump poured ‘kerosene on the flames’ as Pence family fled for lives, Democrats say

Lindsey Graham has reportedly been tending to Donald Trump, keeping him updated and encouraged as the former president's historic second impeachment trial enters its second day.

Mr Graham told reporters he was confident Mr Trump's legal team would rise above its performance on the trial's opening day, which many Republicans felt was lacklustre.

“I think his team will do better, can do better,” Mr Graham told reporters. “I reinforced to the president, the case is over. It’s just a matter of getting the final verdict now.”

Sources close to Mr Trump told CNN that the former president was furious about his team's performance on the first day of the trial.

Graig Graziosi reports.

Supporters of Donald Trump have been shown responding to his fiery January 6 speech with chants of "take the Capitol".

As Democrats presented evidence during day two of Mr Trump's impeachment trial in the Senate, and sought to show a link between the former president’s words and the actions that followed, when hundreds of his supporters stormed the Capitol, they played a video showing the crowd listening to Mr Trump address a “Stop the Steal” rally on the National Mall.

Congresswoman Madeleine Dean said that Mr Trump told the crowd at the Capitol to "fight" 20 times, as opposed to mentioning "peaceful," or any suggestion of non-violence only once.

Andrew Buncombe has the story.

House impeachment managers showed previously unreleased security footage from inside the US Capitol during the 6 January insurrection, including footage of former Vice President Mike Pence and his family evacuating the US Senate chamber from an adjoining office, as another video shows Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman leading a mob away from the chamber doors.

In another video, Officer Goodman also can be seen directing Senator Mitt Romney to safety as he ran to respond to a breach.

Alex Woodward reports.

House impeachment managers unveiled a string of shocking videos on Wednesday that showed Mike Pence fleeing for his safety as pro-Trump rioters attacked the US Capitol.

The former vice president was captured on film fleeing the Senate to a secure location with his family as the rIoters closed in.

The stunning and previously unseen security camera footage from inside the Capitol on 6 January also showed police officer Eugene Goodman saving Senator Mitt Romney as the mob breached the building.

The footage captured Mr Romney unaware he was walking towards the violent crowd before Officer Goodman told him to turn around and flee to safety.

Graeme Massie has more.

Longtime establishment Republican and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is reportedly still undecided on whether to vote to convict former President Donald Trump, despite twice voting against the constitutionality of the impeachment trial.

After the Democratic House impeachment managers were praised and Trump's defence team slammed for their performances, the Senate voted 56 to 44 that the trial is in line with the Constitution, with six Republicans voting with Democrats.

Mr McConnell, who has been in the Senate since 1985, signalled once again that the vote on whether to convict Mr Trump is a conscience vote for Republicans, which means there won't be any pressure put on by the Senate Republican leadership. Part of Mr McConnell's thought process is that members of his party who voted to dismiss the trial can still vote to convict Mr Trump.

Gustaf Kilander reports.

The Independent has been submitted as evidence during Donald Trump’s Senate impeachment trial to show how the former president's team was monitoring "dark corners of the web".

The Independent’s contributing reporter Andrew Feinberg, who is based in Washington DC, was quoted by House impeachment manager Stacey Plaskett during testimony on day two of the Mr Trump's trial.

The Democrat used a 12 January article in which White House insiders said Mr Trump must have known what was being planned prior to the riot because of his close relationship with social media guru, Dan Scavino.

Graeme Massie has the story.

Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, among six GOP senators who broke from the party to vote to proceed with Donald Trump's impeachment trial, said video footage from the Capitol insurrection showed "insurrectionists that tried to object to the peaceful transfer of power".

"That should give anyone who loves our republic great pause," he told reporters on Wednesday.

House impeachment managers on the second day of the former president's impeachment trial included a comprehensive video timeline, aided by previously unreleased surveillance footage and police audio, revealing the scale of the assault on the Capitol on 6 January, and how close lawmakers and their staff came to violence.

Alex Woodward reports.

Entering Day Two of the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump, the Democratic managers promised to show never-before-seen video and audio footage of the deadly riot, writes The Independent's Griffin Connolly.

"They delivered. The new footage — much of it from inside the Capitol — was haunting... Yet the managers’ best argument on Wednesday that Mr Trump was the one who incited that violence was their skilfully mapped-out presentation of the ex-president’s own words: his actions and statements — public for months — leading up to, during, and after the riot."

A chaotic scene broke out late on Wednesday evening during the closing moments of the day's impeachment proceedings, as Republican senator Mike Lee demanded to strike evidence he believed Democrats mistakenly attributed to him during the trial.

The comments in question concerned a call Democrats believe former president Trump accidentally made to the Utah senator while trying to reach Alabama senator Tommy Tuberville, with whom he allegedly wanted to discuss stopping the transfer of power.

The Independent's Josh Marcus untangle the pretzel that ended day two of the Trump impeachment.

Day two of the trial was adjourned until Thursday after Mike Lee moved to strike his phone call with Donald Trump from evidence.

Senate leader Chuck Schumer said they may relitigate the objection tomorrow if they have to.

At question were comments from the prosecution over Donald Trum's calls to Utah senator Mike Lee. Lee says evidence attributed to him were false.