5 things to know for January 6: eliminations in the Senate, Congress, Covid-19, Jacob Blake, Qatar

The House and Senate will meet today to formally count the votes of the Electoral College in the 2020 presidential election. But what is usually a routine part of American democracy could become ugly because of the continued refusal of President Trump and the most ardent supporters. its to accept the results. Here’s what will happen: Some Republicans in both houses have pledged to object to some results, which are counted from state to state, which means there may be debate when certain states emerge. All objections will be voted on – and are expected to fail. So, in the end, the GOP’s objections will most likely serve as an indicator of loyalty to the president, rather than actually affecting the results. He could also cast a shadow over future democratic processes and maintain the seed of doubt among Trump’s supporters, who believe his false claims that his election was stolen. We could also see unrest, as Trump has encouraged supporters to come to the Capitol as votes are counted.

The United States registered a large number of coronary deaths yesterday, with 3,775 new deaths reported across the country. The new tragedy comes as US governors take new steps to administer vaccines faster, including mobilizing members of the National Guard and training more volunteers to vaccinate people. Germany, Ireland, the Czech Republic and other countries are also experiencing increasing cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization issued a rare reprimand after a team of scientists was prevented from entering China to study the origins of the new coronavirus.

The police officer who shot and seriously injured Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in August will not be charged, district attorney Michael Graveley said yesterday. Rusten Sheskey, a white officer, shot Blake, a 29-year-old black man, seven times in the back while responding to a domestic incident. He said he used deadly force because he thought Blake was trying to kidnap a child in the back seat of a vehicle. Blake’s family says they are disappointed with the decision, but felt it came when they heard that Wisconsin was bringing in the National Guard to respond to possible unrest following the announcement. Now, Blake’s family and supporters are swearing to take their case to Washington DC.

Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies have agreed to re-establish diplomatic relations with the small gas-rich nation of Qatar. The agreement puts an end to a three-year boycott of the nation that has divided the Gulf states since then. In 2017, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt accused Qatar of supporting terrorism and questioned the country’s friendly relations with Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood. Under boycott, Qatar’s only land border – with Saudi Arabia – has been closed, and boycotting nations have closed their airspace to Qatar. Although the leaders of the countries seemed optimistic when signing the agreement in the Saudi city of Al-Ula, it is not clear what provisions it entails and which have been fulfilled.

The good stuff is worth the wait – in this case, until March.

Under the new guidelines, they will not be considered service animals, but you may continue to do so.

Do it, otherwise your SE internet browser will upset you.

An amazing new development in the chicken sandwich theater.

Oh, to be the woman who lists her job title as “Queen.”

This is the proportion of sales of new cars in Norway last year, which were electric. The country is using huge tax incentives to ensure that every new car and van sold there by the end of 2025 is a zero-emission vehicle. Last year’s record sales of electric vehicles put them on track.

Martin Kenyon, a 91-year-old Briton who became a sensation on the internet for his rather practical statement on CNN after receiving the first dose of Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine last month. Now he has taken the second dose and it feels great.

We never thought about that question, but since the Smithsonian Channel asked it, we need to know. (Click here to view.)