I'm Brian Lehrer. This is my daily politics podcast from WNYC Studios. It's Tuesday, December 8th.

Yesterday was Pearl Harbor Day in America. Today is Safe Harbor Day. On Pearl Harbor Day, we remember that

24003 Americans were killed in a sneak attack by Japan on December 7, 1941. This year, for the

weekend in December 7th, an average of 2,259 Americans died each day from the coronavirus, according to the New York Times

COVID tracker, we're basically having a Pearl Harbor every day in this country now.

After Pearl Harbor, the U.S. entered World War II, despite protests by a group who said they

stood for America first. Today, public health officials

are asking people to stay home and close risky businesses temporarily, despite protests led by

the president who says he stands for America first. Yesterday was Pearl Harbor Day,

December 7th. Today is Safe Harbor Day, December 8th. According to a

Washington Post article published just after midnight, as Safe Harbor Day began, it's called

Safe Harbor Day because it's a kind of insurance policy by which a state can lock in its

electoral votes by finishing up certification of the results

and any state court legal challenges by a congressionally imposed deadline, which this year is today.

The article notes that other than Wisconsin, every state appears to have met today's deadline

in federal law that essentially means Congress has to

accept the electoral votes that will be cast next week and sent to the Capitol for counting on

January 6th. Those votes, the article says, will elect Joe Biden as the country's next president,

that from the Washington Post today.

But as with so much else about this year's election, President Trump is trying to nullify Safe Harbor Day by working the political system around it.

Another Washington Post article today says President Trump called the Speaker of the Pennsylvania

House of Representatives,

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