The electoral vote count; and mayhem in the Pa. state house

We begin today’s show discussing the unprecedented scene in the Pennsylvania Capitol, where Senate Republicans seize control of swearing in proceedings from Lt. Governor Fetterman and subsequently refused to seat a Democrat who had won his election. WHYY’s KATIE MEYER will tell us what happened, why, and what comes next. Then, congress convenes to officially count the electoral college votes today and declare Joe Biden the winner of the 2020 Presidential election. A group of Republican Senators has declared that they will object to the official vote count, and President Trump has been leaning on Vice President Mike Pence not to recognize the results. Today we’re going to take a look at the history of electoral college vote counting, previous conflicts and how they were resolved and why we choose our presidents this way. Joining us is CLAIRE FINKELSTEIN, professor of Law and Philosophy at The University of Pennsylvania, and RON ELVING, Senior Editor and Correspondent on the Washington Desk for NPR News.