Closing summary
Four years after Donald Trump’s supporters attacked the US Capitol to prevent the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory, the Senate and House convened with no drama to formalize the Republican’s return to the White House. Kamala Harris presided as lawmakers read the results from each state, and then made the official announcement that Trump will be the next president. Democrats, for their part, held off on objecting to the results from any state, which would have been futile but has nonetheless happened a few times in the past. Remarking on her role in certifying her defeat at the hands of the former president, Harris said she was merely following the oath she had taken as vice-president, and ensuring the peaceful transfer of power to the next administration.
Here’s what else happened today:
Trump, who was not at the Capitol, busied himself by musing about making Canada the 51st state.
Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the Senate, warned Trump against following through on his promise to pardon people accused of crimes on January 6.
Biden wrote an opinion piece for the Washington Post, in which he cautioned against efforts to downplay the severity of the 2021 insurrection at the Capitol.
The Capitol was surrounded by fencing and guarded by lots of police, both changes from four years ago. Mother Nature has also weighed in, dumping snow on the Washington DC region and a host of eastern and midwestern states.
Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic House speaker during the insurrection, and Hakeem Jeffries, the current House minority leader, both avoided mentioning Trump in statements marking the anniversary of the attack, while signaling the importance of today’s joint session.
Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York who was involved in Donald Trump’s efforts to block Joe Biden from taking office four years ago, has been found in contempt of court by a federal judge, Reuters reports.
Giuliani was ordered to pay $148m to two Georgia election workers in 2023 after a judge found him liable for defaming them, but lawyers for the plaintiffs have accused him of not abiding by the terms of the judgment. Here’s more, from Reuters:
The contempt citation by U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman in Manhattan – the district where Giuliani had been the top federal prosecutor – marks a further fall from grace for Giuliani, once known as “America’s Mayor” for his response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
The ruling stems from a lawsuit the election workers, Ruby Freeman and her daughter Wandrea Moss, brought against Giuliani in 2021. They accused the former personal lawyer to Republican President-elect Donald Trump of destroying their reputations by lying that they tried to help steal the 2020 election.
Giuliani made repeated false claims that a surveillance video showed the pair concealing and counting suitcases filled with illegal ballots at a basketball arena in Atlanta that was used to process votes.
Giuliani has been disbarred for making false claims about the 2020 election, and pleaded not guilty to criminal charges in Georgia and Arizona that he aided Trump’s failed attempt to overturn his loss.
In July 2023, Giuliani conceded he made defamatory statements about Freeman and Moss, and a judge that August ruled he was liable for defamation as a sanction against him for failing to turn over electronic records to the two election workers.
A Washington, D.C., jury later ordered he pay Freeman and Moss roughly $73 million in compensation and $75 million as punishment.
Lawyers for Freeman and Moss have urged Liman to hold Giuliani in contempt for ignoring his orders to give up his Manhattan apartment, title to a 1980 Mercedes and sports memorabilia, and respond to questions about a Palm Beach, Florida, condominium he owns.
Donald Trump has not yet reacted publicly to Congress’s certification of his election win, instead musing on Truth Social about Canada becoming part of the United States.
Many people in Canada LOVE being the 51st State. The United States can no longer suffer the massive Trade Deficits and Subsidies that Canada needs to stay afloat. Justin Trudeau knew this, and resigned. If Canada merged with the U.S., there would be no Tariffs, taxes would go way down, and they would be TOTALLY SECURE from the threat of the Russian and Chinese Ships that are constantly surrounding them. Together, what a great Nation it would be!!!
The president-elect has similarly pondered buying Greenland and taking back control of the Panama Canal. The former was floated during his first administration, and went nowhere.
Donald Trump has said that pardoning January 6 defendants will be his first priority upon taking office, but signaled that he may pass over people accused or convicted of the most violent crimes.
Commenting to reporters at the Capitol, CNN reports that Republican senator Lindsey Graham echoed that sentiment, saying rioters who attacked police officers should not be forgiven:
I’m going to leave that to him – that’s his power to exercise – but the people who beat up police officers, I’d put them in a different category than others.
Harris says 'America's democracy stood', after certifying election defeat
In brief remarks to reporters in the Capitol, Kamala Harris said she was simply doing her constitutional duty in presiding this afternoon over the certification of her presidential election defeat by Donald Trump.
“Today, I did what I have done my entire career, which is take seriously the oath that I have taken many times to support and defend the constitution of the United States, which included today performing my constitutional duties to ensure that the people of America, the voters of America, will have their votes counted, that those votes matter and that they will determine them the outcome of an election,” the vice-president said.
“I do believe very strongly that America’s democracy is only as strong as our willingness to fight for every single person, their willingness to fight for and respect the importance of our democracy. Otherwise, it is very fragile, and it will not be able to withstand moments of crisis. And today, America’s democracy stood.”
Per CSPAN, today’s electoral vote certification was, in terms of length, typical of those in the recent past.
In 2017, the joint session lasted 41 minutes, while in 2013 it took 22 minutes and in 2009 it went on for 36 minutes.
The sole exception was 2021, when it lasted for 14 hours and 48 minutes because Donald Trump’s supporters attacked the Capitol.
Earlier in the day, Chuck Schumer, the Democratic Senate minority leader, criticized Donald Trump for considering pardons of people convicted or facing charges over the January 6 attack.
“It is shamefully, utterly outrageous, that the president-elect is considering pardons for these rioters who broke the law and attacked our police officers on January 6,” Schumer said in a speech on the Senate floor.
“Pardoning the criminals who assaulted police officers and tried to halt the democratic process would be a dangerous endorsement of political violence. It would send a message to the country and to the world that those who use force to get their way will not be punished. It is wrong. It is reckless. And it would be an insult to the memories of those who died in connection to that day.”
Trump has said that pardons for those involved in the attack could come on his first day back in office, though he may allow some prosecutions to continue. Here’s more about his plans:
Democrats hold off on objecting to Trump's election victory
It took just over a half hour for Kamala Harris, performing her ceremonial duty as president of the Senate, to certify Donald Trump’s victory in the electoral college.
The certification was over quickly because no Democrats rose to object to the results from any state – a change from four years ago when, in addition to Trump’s supporters attacking the Capitol, dozens of Republican lawmakers formally disputed the certification of Joe Biden’s victory in key swing states.
Democrats have in the past objected to the certification of electoral votes, including when Trump was first elected eight years ago. But the party unanimously held off this year, and lawmakers who spoke up about their reasons often cited the need to ensure a peaceful transfer of power after the violence in 2021.
Here’s a statement from Democratic congressman Jared Moskowitz, who expresses a typical sentiment:
Democracy means respecting the results, even when you lose. January 6, 2021, was one of the darkest days in modern American history, because many people allowed partisanship to eclipse their commitment to democracy. I took an oath just three days ago to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, and I intend to uphold it. Today, I will be voting to certify President-elect Donald Trump’s victory, and I urge every Member of Congress to do the same.
Harris also announced the results of the ceremonial election for vice-president.
“The whole number of electors appointed to vote for vice-president of the United States is 538. Within that whole number, a majority is 270. The votes for vice-president of the United States are as follows: JD Vance of the state of Ohio has received 312 votes,” she said, to cheers from the GOP.
“Tim Walz of the state of Minnesota has received 226 votes,” she then said.
The vice-president then made formal the results of the electoral count.
“This announcement of the state of the vote by the president of the Senate shall be deemed a sufficient declaration of the persons elected president and vice-president of the United States, each for a term beginning on the 20th day of January, 2025 and shall be entered together with the list of the votes on the journals of the House and the Senate,” Harris said.
She then gaveled the joint session to a close, and appears to have departed the Senate chamber.
Vance is meanwhile on the floor, speaking with lawmakers.
Harris announces Trump's election victory after congress certifies result
Kamala Harris has just announced Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election, following Congress’s certification of the result.
“The state of the vote for the president of the United States as delivered to the president of the Senate is as follows: the whole number of the electors appointed to vote for president of the United States is 538. Within that whole number, the majority is 270. The votes for president of the United States are as follows: Donald J Trump of the state of Florida has received 312 votes,” Harris said.
Loud applause broke out from Republicans. Harris watched for a while, then gaveled for quiet.
“Kamala D Harris of the State of California has received 226 votes,” she then said, prompting cheers from Democrats.
The electoral votes from the final state, Wyoming, which has a mere three, were just read.
Kamala Harris then asked the tellers to report the results of the election, and is now announcing Donald Trump’s election victory.
We’re getting close to the end.
“Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the state of Vermont seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears there from the Kamala D Harris of the state of California received three votes for president, and Tim Walz of the state of Minnesota received three votes for vice-president,” Republican congressman Bryan Steil just announced.
In total, Donald Trump won 312 electoral votes, and Harris 226.
Kamala Harris is standing up and handing slates of electoral votes to the tellers from the dais, where Republican House speaker Mike Johnson is sitting next to her.
Applause typically follows after the votes are read, with the occasional whoops and cheers from the lawmakers.
Electoral vote counts being read by two lawmakers from each chamber
The electoral counts are being read by two lawmakers from each chamber and each party, who have been appointed as tellers for the ceremony.
The Senate tellers are Democrat Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Republican Deb Fischer of Nebraska. The House’s are Republican Bryan Steil of Wisconsin and Democrat Joe Morelle of New York.
They’re taking turns announcing the different states, and are on Nebraska now.
Updated
Lawmakers are now coming up to the podium to announce the results of each state in alphabetical order, beginning with Alabama.
“Madam president, the certificate of the electoral vote of the state of Alabama seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J Trump of the state of Florida received nine votes for president, and JD Vance of the state of Ohio received nine votes for vice-president,” said Nebraska Deb Fischer, in a formula repeated by the senators that came after her for different states.
We’re on Connecticut now.
Kamala Harris gavels in joint session of Congress to begin certification process
Kamala Harris has just gaveled the joint session into order, signaling its beginning.
“Pursuant to the constitution and laws of the United States, the Senate and House of Representatives are meeting in joint session to verify the certificates and count the votes of the electors of the several States for president and vice-president of the United States,” Harris said.
“After ascertainment has been had that the certificates are authentic and correct in form, the tellers will count, and make a list of the votes cast by the electors of the several states.”
Spotted on the floor is JD Vance, the incoming vice-president who still serves as Ohio’s senator.
Updated
Kamala Harris is standing on the House dais with its Republican speaker, Mike Johnson, who just gaveled the chamber into session.
Harris will be the first vice-president since fellow Democratic vice-president Al Gore in 2001 to certify their own presidential election defeat.
Updated
Congress convenes to certify Trump's return to White House
Congress has begun a joint session to certify Donald Trump’s victory in the electoral college, a legally mandated formality that paves the way for the Republican to be inaugurated on 20 January.
Senators have walked over to the House chamber for the ceremony presided over by Kamala Harris, Trump’s defeated adversary in the November presidential election who is acting in her capacity as Senate president.
Unlike the session four years ago, no major disruptions are expected to this year’s certification. Follow this blog for live coverage.
Trump accuses Biden of making transition 'as difficult as ... possible'
Minutes before Congress is to convene to certify his election victory, Donald Trump has accused Joe Biden of obstructing the transition to his administration.
The post on Truth Social refers to unspecified “Lawfare” as well as executive actions Biden has taken recently – perhaps a reference to the outgoing Democrat’s decision today to ban new offshore drilling on coastal waters. Here’s what Trump wrote:
Biden is doing everything possible to make the TRANSITION as difficult as as possible, from Lawfare such as has never been seen before, to costly and ridiculous Executive Orders on the Green New Scam and other money wasting Hoaxes. Fear not, these “Orders” will all be terminated shortly, and we will become a Nation of Common Sense and Strength. MAGA!!!
Updated
A lead prosecutor on the criminal case accusing Donald Trump of illegally holding onto and hiding classified documents post-presidency has left the US Justice Department ahead of the president-elect’s return to office, a department spokesperson confirmed on Monday.
Jay Bratt, a senior national security official at the department who was detailed to Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office, retired from the department on Friday, Reuters reports.
His departure comes as Justice Department lawyers, particularly those involved in investigations into Trump over the documents scandal and his attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat, weigh their future in a second Trump administration.
Bratt, 65, played a pivotal role in the investigation into sensitive national security documents that Trump took to his Mar-a-Lago residence and social club following the end of his first term as president in 2021. Bratt was not immediately available for comment.
His departure was previously reported by the website SpyTalk.
Bratt joined Smith’s office when the special counsel took over the investigation and helped secure an indictment accusing Trump of knowingly keeping the documents and obstructing U.S. government attempts to retrieve them. Trump denied the charges.
US District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump nominee, dismissed all charges in July 2024 after deciding that Smith was improperly appointed as special counsel. Prosecutors had appealed the ruling, but dropped their bid with respect to Trump after his election win.
Updated
In Canada, the prime minister, Justin Trudeau, is poised to resign, following a crisis in his popularity.
Many are calling him the first world leader to fall victim to the incoming Trump administration, after uproar over his handling of the threat of harsh tariffs being imposed on Canadian exports to the US once Donald Trump is back in the White House.
The Guardian is running an international live blog, with colleague Léonie Chao-Fong now at the helm, to follow developments in this story, as they happen. You can read all about the news in the blog, here.
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Representative Greg Casar, a Democrat of Texas and the new chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, has also released a statement marking four years since the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol.
“Four years ago, Americans watched right-wing extremists storm the Capitol, live on television. But behind the scenes, Republican officials continue to undermine our citizens’ rights every single day,” Casar said.
Echoing fellow Democratic lawmakers, Casar reaffirmed that the certification of Trump’s victory in the presidential election would move forward, even as he pledged to push back against the incoming administration’s potential policy changes.
“When Trump’s Republicans try to cut Social Security and Medicare to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy, you can count on progressives to fight back for everyday Americans,” he said.
Updated
Democratic congresswoman Ayanna Pressley’s statement about January 6, 2021, and today, when she said she intends to uphold the traditional peaceful transfer of power to certify Donald Trump’s election victory, continues with her warnings that lawmakers must continue to hold those responsible for the insurrection accountable and continue to give the account of what happened.
About the day four years ago with the US Capitol was breached by Trump supporters aiming, in vain, to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory, she said: “Police officers lost their lives that day and in the aftermath. So, as we reflect on the anniversary of the January 6th attack and vote to certify the 2024 presidential election, I remain as committed as ever to using every tool at my disposal — legislation, oversight, and mobilization — to do just that.
“For everyone impacted that day — including the Congressional staff, facilities workers, Capitol Police, members of Congress, and the public writ large — we must never get complacent, never back down in our pursuit of accountability, and never stop working to prevent a damning event like that from ever happening again.”
Updated
Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, the Democratic Party representative from Massachusetts and member of the small group of progressive lawmakers known as The Squad, has put out a stinging statement saying she will vote to certify Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential election victory today, while echoing others in warning that he remains a threat to American democracy.
“Four years ago, threatened by a violent mob incited by Donald Trump, our democracy was under attack. And today, our democracy is still threatened by the harm he has promised to deliver in his next term,” she said.
Her statement continued: “Trump’s return to the highest office in the land, despite his central role in the insurrection, is a gut punch to anyone who cares about our democracy – but it does not absolve us of our responsibility to pursue accountability and continue telling the story of what happened that day.”
More of her statement to follow. Trump, who will take the oath of office as the 47th president of the United States on January 20, having served as the 45th president, was impeached, investigated and prosecuted for inciting the insurrection on January 6, 2021. But was not convicted and was instead re-elected decisively last November.
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The day so far
Four years after Donald Trump’s supporters attacked the US Capitol to prevent the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory, the Senate and House will convene at 1pm to formalize the Republican’s return to the White House. The president-elect will not be in attendance, but reacted with his usual hyperbole on social media, calling the day “A BIG MOMENT IN HISTORY”. It’s certain to be an awkward one for the Democrats who spent the last four years warning Trump is a threat to democracy, but now are expected to certify his victory without any objections seen in the past. Trump’s defeated opponent Kamala Harris will preside over the ceremony in her role as Senate president, and earlier today released a video in which she warned “democracy can be fragile” while saying it was important to uphold America’s tradition of peaceful transfers of power between presidents.
Here’s what else has happened today so far:
Biden wrote an opinion piece for the Washington Post, in which he warned against efforts to downplay the severity of the 2021 insurrection at the Capitol.
The Capitol is surrounded by fencing and guarded by lots of police, both changes from four years ago. Mother Nature has also weighed in, dumping snow on the Washington DC region and a host of eastern and midwestern states.
Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic House speaker during the insurrection, and Hakeem Jeffries, the current House minority leader, both avoided mentioning Trump in statements marking the anniversary of the attack, while signaling the importance of today’s joint session.
Today is a bit of an awkward day for congressional Democrats, as they gather to certify Donald Trump’s election victory while simultaneously noting that it will be the first such joint session since the insurrection carried out by his supporters four years ago.
In statements released to mark the day, lawmakers attempted to thread the needle between noting the importance of today’s certification, while also urging Americans not to forget the violence four years ago. Here’s what Nancy Pelosi, who was speaker of the House during the insurrection, had to say:
Four years ago today, our nation watched in horror as a terrorist mob stormed the Capitol grounds and desecrated our Temple of Democracy in a violent attempt to subvert the peaceful transfer of power. The January 6th insurrection shook our Republic to its core – and left behind physical scars and emotional trauma on members of our Congressional community and our Country that endure to this day.
…
As we gather today under President Lincoln’s dome to uphold our oath and peacefully certify the will of the people, we all share a responsibility to preserve American democracy – which Lincoln called, “the last best hope of earth.”
And Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader:
The thugs who were part of the violent mob on January 6 desecrated the Capitol, threatened to hang the Vice President, assassinate the Speaker of the House and hunt down Members of Congress. They were not peace-loving individuals.
The American people must never be allowed to forget the events of January 6, 2021, the lives that were lost and the heroism of the law enforcement community. History will always remember the attempted insurrection and we will never allow the violence that unfolded in plain sight to be whitewashed.
As with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in their statements marking the day, neither mentioned Trump by name.
When Donald Trump’s supporters attacked the US Capitol four years ago today, the weather was clear but cold, and the seat of Congress was defended by not much more than its usual complement of police officers.
Today, the Capitol is surrounded by security fencing and extra officers from a variety of law enforcement agencies, while the whole region is under several inches of snow brought by the ongoing winter storm. And, of course, the outgoing president has not convened his supporters on the National Mall to argue the election was stolen – as Trump did in 2021.
Here are some scenes from the Capitol today, as Congress prepares to certify Trump’s election victory at 1pm:
Trump asks judge to pause sentencing in hush money case
Lawyers for Donald Trump have asked a New York judge to delay the president-elect’s Friday sentencing in his case on charges related to falsifying business records to conceal hush money payments, the Associated Press reports.
Judge Juan Merchan last week scheduled Trump’s sentencing for 10 January but signaled he was unlikely to send him to jail. The president-elect was convicted last year on 34 charges related to concealing a payment to an adult film actor ahead of his 2016 election victory.
The AP reports that Trump’s attorneys have said they plan to appeal Merchan’s decision, and have asked the judge to put the sentencing on hold while their motion plays out. Here’s more:
Trump’s lawyers said they plan to ask a state appeals court to reverse Judge Juan M. Merchan’s decision last week, which set the case for sentencing on Friday — little over a week before he’s sworn in for his second term.
In a pair of rulings in recent weeks, Merchan rejected Trump’s bid to throw out the verdict and dismiss the indictment on presidential immunity grounds and because of his impending return to the White House.
In a decision last week, the judge signaled he is not likely to sentence Trump, a Republican, to any punishment for his historic conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Acknowledging the demands of the transition process, he had given Trump the option to attend in person or appear virtually by video.
Trump’s lawyers argued in court papers Monday that their planned appeal to the Appellate Division of the state’s trial court triggers what’s known as an automatic stay, or pause, in the proceedings. If that doesn’t happen, they argued, Merchan should then grant a pause and prevent sentencing from happening on Friday as scheduled.
“Today, President Trump’s legal team moved to stop the unlawful sentencing in the Manhattan D.A.’s Witch Hunt,” Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said. “The Supreme Court’s historic decision on Immunity, the state constitution of New York, and other established legal precedent mandate that this meritless hoax be immediately dismissed.”
Four years ago, the joint session of Congress to certify Joe Biden’s election victory was disrupted by an insurrection carried out by violent supporters of Donald Trump, who unsuccessfully tried to prevent the Democrat from taking office.
But before the evening was over, dozens of Republican lawmakers also made futile attempts to formally object to the certification of Biden’s election victory in key states. Smaller groups of Democrats had done the same in the past, such as when Trump’s first victory was certified in 2017, also to no avail.
Objecting to the count of electoral votes is less about preventing a president from taking office, and more about signaling opposition to an incoming administration. This year, there are no signs that any Democrats will object to Trump’s election victory.
“House Democrats are not election deniers. That sentiment speaks for itself,” House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries told Semafor, when asked if any of his lawmakers would today lodge objections to Trump’s win.
Updated
Biden warns against attempts to rewrite history of January 6 insurrection
Writing in the Washington Post, Joe Biden said the violent insurrection carried out by Donald Trump’s supporters four years ago should not be forgotten, even as he pledges to smoothly transfer power to his resurgent predecessor:
An unrelenting effort has been underway to rewrite — even erase — the history of that day. To tell us we didn’t see what we all saw with our own eyes. To dismiss concerns about it as some kind of partisan obsession. To explain it away as a protest that just got out of hand.
This is not what happened.
In time, there will be Americans who didn’t witness the Jan. 6 riot firsthand but will learn about it from footage and testimony of that day, from what is written in history books and from the truth we pass on to our children. We cannot allow the truth to be lost.
Thousands of rioters crossed the National Mall and climbed the Capitol walls, smashing windows and kicking down doors. Just blocks away, a bomb was found near the location of the incoming vice president, threatening her life. Law enforcement officials were beaten, dragged, knocked unconscious and stomped upon. Some police officers ultimately died as a result.
As president-elect that day, I spoke to the country and called for peace, and for the certification to resume.
Four years later, leaving office, I am determined to do everything I can to respect the peaceful transfer of power and restore the traditions we have long respected in America. The election will be certified peacefully. I have invited the incoming president to the White House on the morning of Jan. 20, and I will be present for his inauguration that afternoon.
Trump says election certification 'A BIG MOMENT IN HISTORY'
Over on Truth Social, Donald Trump had this to say about Congress’s upcoming certification of his election victory:
CONGRESS CERTIFIES OUR GREAT ELECTION VICTORY TODAY — A BIG MOMENT IN HISTORY. MAGA!
The president-elect also posted what looks like a picture of the crowd gathered for his first inauguration – the size of which he famously exaggerated:
Harris says 'democracy can be fragile' as she prepares to certify Trump's election victory
Today’s joint session of Congress to certify Donald Trump’s election victory will be presided over by vice-president Kamala Harris, in her ceremonial capacity as president of the Senate.
Harris, of course, was Trump’s opponent in the November presidential election, and is now tasked with making official his victory. Such a scenario has played out before – Al Gore certified his opponent George W Bush’s victory in 2001, and Richard Nixon did the same for John F Kennedy in 1961.
In a video released earlier today, Harris said she was honored to play a part in the peaceful transfer of power between American presidents, while nodding to the January 6 insurrection four years ago. Here’s what she had to say:
Today, I will perform my constitutional duty as Vice President to certify the results of the 2024 election. This duty is a sacred obligation — one I will uphold guided by love of country, loyalty to our Constitution, and unwavering faith in the American people. pic.twitter.com/w21HzdNxGs
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) January 6, 2025
Congress to certify Trump's election victory four years after Capitol insurrection
Good morning, US politics blog readers. It is January 6, the legally designated day when the Senate and House of Representatives convene in a joint session to certify the results of the presidential election – in this case, Donald Trump’s victory two months ago. Today’s meeting comes four years after the then-president’s supporters stormed the Capitol after he addressed them outside the White House, a historic attack that Trump’s successor, Joe Biden, tried and ultimately failed to have him prosecuted over. There’s no sign that a repeat of those events will take place this year. Washington DC is socked in by a snowstorm that’s snarled roads across parts of the east coast and midwest, the Capitol is under heavy guard, and, unlike the Republicans who in 2021 tried to used procedural moves to block Biden from taking office, no congressional Democrats have signaled plans to object to Trump’s re-election during the session.
The session is set to begin at 1pm ET, with Kamala Harris presiding in her role as president of the Senate. Once Trump’s victory is certified, it will clear the way for his inauguration two weeks from today, on 20 January.
Here’s what else is happening today:
Trump on Sunday said he will support efforts by Republicans in Congress to pass one massive piece of legislation that will enact many of his campaign promises, including better fortifying the country’s borders and removing taxes on tips. There had been some debate among the GOP over whether to split those priorities up into separate bills, but with that decided (for now), expect Republicans to spend the next several months getting that legislation through Congress.
Biden wrote on opinion piece for the Washington Post, in which he encouraged Americans not to forget the insurrection that took place four years ago today.
Seven US states in the midwest and east coast have declared emergencies as a big winter storm blows through. Follow our live blog for the latest.
