Why Senate Republicans can't object away Biden's win

+ how well Georgia voting went, nausea from exercise ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Today, Congress will gather in a joint session to tally and certify the votes of the Electoral College, which Joe Biden officially won last month with 306 votes to Donald Trump’s 232. As president of the Senate, Vice President Mike Pence is slated to announce Biden as the next president of the United States. But in his desperate and undemocratic efforts to remain in power, Trump has pressured Pence and Republican senators to somehow disqualify dozens of Biden’s electoral votes.

Can they really do that? “Legally and politically, the answer is no,” writes Donald Brand, a scholar of American politics at College of the Holy Cross in his concise explainer on today’s proceedings.

Also today:

Catesby Holmes

International Editor and Politics Editor

Vice President Mike Pence says he ‘welcomes’ objections to Biden’s Electoral College win, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other House Democrats reject any such effort. Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images

Why Trump’s Senate supporters can’t overturn Electoral College results they don’t like – here’s how the law actually works

Donald Brand, College of the Holy Cross

The 1887 Electoral Count Act spells out the process for Congress to convene and review election results on Jan. 6, and it requires both the House and Senate to uphold any challenges to Biden's win.

Politics/Election '20

Voting in Georgia runoff went better than June’s disastrous primary, but trouble still lingers

Adrienne Jones, Morehouse College

Voting in Georgia was easier in January 2021 than in June 2020, but could still get more difficult in the next election.
Trump tapped into white victimhood – leaving fertile ground for white supremacists

Lee Bebout, Arizona State University

A sense – or fear – of victimhood pervades contemporary white supremacy from the extreme to the mainstream.
Legalizing marijuana, once a pipe dream on Capitol Hill, takes an important step forward

Rosalie Liccardo Pacula, University of Southern California

A cannabis decriminalization bill approved by the House is a sign from Congress that sentiment around the drug is evolving, but it misses a chance to regulate marijuana for the good of all Americans.

Environment + Energy
EPA’s ‘secret science’ rule will make it harder for the agency to protect public health Gabriel Filippelli, IUPUI The EPA has just adopted a rule that limits what kinds of science regulators can use in setting rules. A scholar explains how this shift could impede his work mapping child lead poisoning.

Science + Technology

What is a margin of error? This statistical tool can help you understand vaccine trials and political polling

Ofer Harel, University of Connecticut

Whether you are predicting the outcome of an election or studying how effective a new drug is, there will always be some uncertainty. A margin of error is how statisticians measure that uncertainty.
When working out makes you sick to your stomach: What to know about exercise-induced nausea

Anne R. Crecelius, University of Dayton

You're working out, feeling great – until your stomach starts to churn and you're sidelined with a bout of nausea. Here's what's happening in your body and how to avoid this common effect of exercise.
Seat belts and smoking rates show people eventually adopt healthy behaviors – but it can take time we don’t have during a pandemic

Randy P. Juhl, University of Pittsburgh

Public health recommendations have always been a hard sell. Resistance to new behaviors – like the mask-wearing and social distancing advised during the COVID-19 pandemic – is part of human nature.

Ethics + Religion
In Mike Pence, US evangelicals had their ‘24-karat-gold’ man in the White House. Loyalty may tarnish that legacy Deborah Whitehead, University of Colorado Boulder As Mike Pence prepares for life after the vice presidency, a scholar of religion looks back at the political and religious conversions that informed the politician's worldview.

Education
School budgets have held up better than expected in some states, but looming cuts will hurt learning long after pandemic ends Michael Addonizio, Wayne State University Layoffs and pay freezes next year would hurt in-class instruction and student progress when it's most needed.

Trending on site

Will going out in the cold give you a cold?

Libby Richards, Purdue University

Going out in the cold won't necessarily lead to you getting a cold. But cold weather in general is more hospitable to viruses, so it's wise to take steps to keep your immune system strong.
Scientists suggest US embassies were hit with high-power microwaves – here’s how the weapons work

Edl Schamiloglu, University of New Mexico

High-power microwave weapons are useful for disabling electronics. They might also be behind the ailments suffered by US diplomats and CIA agents in Cuba and China.
Getting COVID-19 vaccines to rural Americans is harder than it looks – but there are ways to lift the barriers

Bennett Doughty, Binghamton University, State University of New York; Pamela Stewart Fahs, Binghamton University, State University of New York

The vaccines' cold storage requirements and shipment rules put small, rural communities at a disadvantage, but that's only part of a long-running challenge.

Why Senate Republicans can't object away Biden's win

Why Trump’s Senate supporters can’t overturn Electoral College results they don’t like – here’s how the law actually works

Politics/Election '20

Voting in Georgia runoff went better than June’s disastrous primary, but trouble still lingers

Trump tapped into white victimhood – leaving fertile ground for white supremacists

Legalizing marijuana, once a pipe dream on Capitol Hill, takes an important step forward

Environment + Energy

EPA’s ‘secret science’ rule will make it harder for the agency to protect public health

Science + Technology

What is a margin of error? This statistical tool can help you understand vaccine trials and political polling

When working out makes you sick to your stomach: What to know about exercise-induced nausea

Seat belts and smoking rates show people eventually adopt healthy behaviors – but it can take time we don’t have during a pandemic

Ethics + Religion

In Mike Pence, US evangelicals had their ‘24-karat-gold’ man in the White House. Loyalty may tarnish that legacy

Education

School budgets have held up better than expected in some states, but looming cuts will hurt learning long after pandemic ends

Trending on site

Will going out in the cold give you a cold?

Scientists suggest US embassies were hit with high-power microwaves – here’s how the weapons work

Getting COVID-19 vaccines to rural Americans is harder than it looks – but there are ways to lift the barriers

Older messages

Top environment and energy stories of 2020

In the midst of winter, an invincible summer

Science stories that caught your fancy (and ours too)

A last opportunity to support journalism and have your donation tripled

Hallelujah! The end of 2020 is here.

You Might Also Like

The C-Word

Should you use AI during job interviews? | American Express to acquire Seattle-area startup

We Found Elon Musk’s DOGE Email Address and We’re Fighting to Reveal His Messages

GOP Megadonor Got Payday Before Rent-Fixing Charges

☕ All dolled up

☕ Prime will tell

The latest on tariffs and the economy.

Brad Smith, Steve Ballmer & Nathan Myhrvold take the stage at GeekWire's Microsoft@50

Numinous Slap

AI companies' holy grail: Government data