Photo: Science Photo Library RF
1 Severe Winter Weather Impacting Tens Of Millions
The expected Arctic blast wasted no time in causing distress for millions of Americans yesterday. As the cold air mass moved into the central US, it brought the heaviest snowfall some areas have seen in over a decade, leading to winter weather warnings affecting over 60-million Americans. Louisville, Kentucky recorded 7.7-inches of snowfall yesterday, shattering the previous record for January 5th of 3-inches set in 1910. Roughly 220 miles of I-70, from the Missouri border into central Kansas, were closed due to “impassable” conditions yesterday. Nearly 200 flights in and out of St. Louis Lambert International Airport were canceled yesterday, part of over 1,500 flights canceled yesterday. A total of 836 flights for today have already been canceled.
2 Homeland Security Secretary Warns Of ISIS-Inspired Threats After New Orleans Attack
In a pair of interviews with George Stephanopolous on ABC’s “This Week” yesterday, the potential for further attacks from ISIS or ISIS-inspired people was discussed, and it wasn’t reassuring. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warned that the country is looking at a “very difficult threat landscape” after the attack in New Orleans that killed 14 victims early on New Year’s Day. Mayorkas said that the agency, along with the FBI, is increasing its attention to various events coming in the month of January, including today’s certification of the Electoral College votes by Congress. Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, the chairman emeritus of the House Homeland Security Committee, said that ISIS has surged recently in Afghanistan and Pakistan, something that “concerns me greatly.” McCaul urged officials to “pay attention to the social media and connect the dots before these events happen.”
3 Congress Will Finalize The 2024 Election Results Today
The newly-sworn-in House and Senate will convene today to certify the electoral votes that gave President-elect Donald Trump a victory in November. The joint session will convene at 1 pm Eastern time to count the votes, with Vice President Kamala Harris presiding in her role as president of the Senate. Trump won 312 Electoral College votes, much more than the 270 needed to win. Harris won 226 votes. Due to the Electoral Count Reform Act of 2022, the vice president’s role in presiding over today’s session is ceremonial, a law passed in direct response to the Capitol riots in 2021. Four years ago, it only took one member of the House and one of the Senate to object to the electoral slate from a state, but the ECRA changed that to require one-fifth of the members in each chamber to trigger a debate.