Good morning, and welcome to RedState's "Morning Minute" — a brief glimpse at which stories are trending at the moment and a look ahead at what the day may bring. Consider this your one-stop shop for news to kickstart your day. 

TOP O' THE MORNIN'

Israel's Commando Strike on a 'Bombproof' Missile Factory Tells Tehran, 'You Can Run but You Can't Hide'

Given the obvious inferences from the Masyaf raid, the Iranians may very well react by reinforcing their nuclear facilities and, in the process, reveal nuclear sites that were previously unknown.

DOJ Lawyer Who Demanded the FBI SWAT Raid on Mar-a-Lago Decides to Spend More Time Doing Something Else

The more people who resign, the less drama will take place, and more slots can be filled with people who just want to do their jobs and have no interest in eliminating political figures or engaging in a soft coup against the White House.

REPORT: Canadian PM Justin Trudeau to Resign, As the Pierre Poilievre Revolution Appears Inevitable

Either way, he's done for as a political force, and that's a great thing for Canadians.

WHAT'S ON TAP?

Today on Capitol Hill...

Today's the big day on the Hill — Congress meets in a joint session to count electoral votes and certify the election. In addition to Monday's events coming four years after the fateful January 6, 2021, they also feature a vice president having to certify her own election loss (which can't be terribly enjoyable). 

Then, too, there's the issue of Snowmageddon 2025. D.C. has gotten socked with the same winter storm under which many of us here in the Midwest are still buried, and much of the federal government is shut down...BUT the certification will proceed. 

Office of Personnel Management closes the federal government for tomorrow because of the looming snowstorm. Certification of the electoral vote is still on for tomorrow on Capitol Hill

— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) January 6, 2025

Per PunchBowl: 

Speaker Mike Johnson is intent on having Congress certify the presidential election today. The House GOP leadership told members to stay in town over the weekend and many did. Many House Democrats left town. But Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune are expected to have enough lawmakers present to conduct the proceedings.

White House What's Up

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill will head to New Orleans Monday morning to attend a prayer service at the Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Louis, King of France, in honor of the victims of the New Year's Day terror attack. Later in the day, they'll head to California.

Full Court Press...

Quite a few courts are closed on Monday due to the winter storm. 

Of course, the big news Friday was the decision by Judge Juan Merchan to hold the sentencing for President-elect Donald Trump on January 10 for having been found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records, though it is expected that Merchan will involve an "unconditional discharge," meaning no jail time for Trump. The downside for Trump is this means Merchan himself won't throw the case out, and Trump can now (after the sentencing) formally/accurately be called a "convicted felon"; the upside is that he can now formally appeal the case. 

There was big, though rather unsurprising, news on Sunday as a top DOJ lawyer, Jay Bratt, who was one of the driving forces behind the Mar-a-Lago raid, has stepped down. 

MORNING MUSING

I shared this sentiment Sunday on X, but because I frequently share my weather kvetches observations here in my musings, will do so here, as well.

I'm a Summer girl. I've often said if I had my way, we'd have maybe a month of Spring and a month of Fall, two weeks of Winter, and the rest Summer. 

But there's one part of Winter I'll grudgingly admit I enjoy: Days like today, when it's snowing, and everything outside is blanketed and quiet, while indoors, I have my Christmas tree still up and my decorative lights and candles lit and there's no expectation that I'll need to go anywhere. It's cozy. And I don't hate it.

By the way, the snowy wreath in my featured image? My front door, currently. Keep in mind: I'm on the second floor of this building and under a completely covered (by the third floor) breezeway, with a full staircase between my door and the open air. That's a lot of snowing and blowing!

LIGHTER FARE 

I hear ya, Kitty. Don't blame you one bit. 

Nope..🐈🐾🥶😅 pic.twitter.com/pkdt9e2ytP

— 𝕐o̴g̴ (@Yoda4ever) January 5, 2025