Today’s Big Story

‘Bone-Chilling Cold’

Major winter storm causes severe Arctic outbreak across U.S.

A serious blast of snow, ice, wind and plunging temperatures in the U.S. stirred dangerous travel conditions from central and southern states all the way to the East Coast early Monday, prompting schools and government offices in several states to close. The “high-impact winter storm” is bringing more than a foot of snow, hazardous ice and severe weather through Tuesday to more than 61 million people—many of whom are unaccustomed to such conditions.

The National Weather Service warned of “considerable disruptions to daily life,” including “dangerous or impossible driving conditions and widespread closures,” making travel “very difficult to impossible” throughout the day. In Kansas City, heavy snow fell throughout Sunday, following a skating rink of ice on Saturday. In the South, severe thunderstorms prompted tornado warnings. All of this inclement weather is headed for the Mid-Atlantic region, where D.C. schools closed in anticipation of up to a foot of snow.

Cities and states are warning drivers to stay off the roads and thousands of schools and government buildings are closing along the East Coast and into Indiana and Kentucky. And it’s all due to a unique low pressure system moving from west to east. The storm is producing “significant snow and ice” from the central Plains to the mid-Atlantic, the weather service said Sunday. The bulletin summarizes the worst of it: “Heavy snowfall and wind gusts will create blizzard conditions in the Central Plains and freezing rain is forecast from central Kansas through the central Appalachians. Severe thunderstorms are expected this afternoon and evening from the Sabine River Valley into the lower Mississippi Valley.”

The Arctic outbreak, partially tied to the polar vortex, is set to bring some of the coldest air in years to locations east of the Rocky Mountains during the next two to three weeks, Axios reports. More than half the U.S. population is expected to see temperatures drop to 32°F or below during the next seven days—with many seeing far colder temperatures.

Congress Is Set to Certify Trump’s Win Today

Unlike in 2021, the day is expected to be largely uneventful

As the snow starts piling up outside, members of Congress are expected to be inside the U.S. Capitol certifying Donald Trump as winner of the 2024 presidential election. And House Speaker Mike Johnson told colleagues, ”whether we’re in a blizzard or not, we’re going to be in that chamber making sure this is done.”

Despite the threat of weather, Monday’s activities in Congress are expected to be largely uneventful. Unlike the certification process of President Biden’s win on Jan. 6, 2021—when a disgruntled mob of Trump supporters staged an assault in an effort to delay or overturn the 2020 election results. Today’s certification process, though largely ceremonial, is mandated by federal law and is a relatively quick affair. The sealed votes are escorted across the building and are carried in large mahogany boxes, and the votes are opened and presented in the states’ alphabetic order.

As the outgoing president of the Senate, Vice President Kamala Harris will preside over the count and announce Trump’s win—marking a significant moment, given that she will oversee the certification of her own loss in November. According to the Washington Post, the vice president’s ministerial role in the process was further cemented in 2022 through the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act, which passed Congress with bipartisan support in response to the insurrection. The updated law clarifies that the vice president does not have the power to determine the results of the election. Harris and Pence were not the first vice presidents to be put in the uncomfortable position of presiding over their own defeats. In 2001, Vice President Al Gore presided over the counting of the election that he narrowly lost to George W. Bush.

Award Season Kicks Off

The highs and lows of the Golden Globes

The Golden Globes have a reputation for being Hollywood’s least serious awards show and are still trying to get it together for its post-cancellation comeback, but the show does serve as the ceremonial start to the 2025 awards season. So you gotta love it for that. Plus, everyone seems to drink and be more relaxed than at the Oscars. Comedian Nikki Glaser kicked things off with some cutting jokes making her debut as host: “Wicked, Queer, Nightbitch—these are not just words Ben Affleck yells after he orgasms. These are some of the incredible movies nominated tonight.”

Definite highs were the legendary Demi Moore getting her first (what?!) acting award ever for The Substance. And The Challengers score composed by Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor justly and correctly won the Globe for best original music. (Perhaps they can score Tom and Zendaya’s wedding if the rumors are true.) Of course, the much-beloved Shōgun swept all four awards it was nominated for. We’re all ready for season two.

Meanwhile, The Brutalist was named best dramatic motion picture. Brady Corbet also was named best director for the film, while its star Adrien Brody was named best actor in a drama. Flow won best animated film. Wicked won the award for cinematic and box office achievement. Emilia Pérez was named best motion picture—musical or comedy and best non-English language film, while Zoe Saldaña took home the best supporting actress award for her performance. The movie’s song “El Mal” won best original song. As for the unfortunate lows, did anyone else notice how every celebrity presenting looked like they were staring down some serious technical malfunction? Was there a problem with the teleprompter … or were they just over-served?

Customize Your Clothes

Truly make your wardrobe your own

What’s the secret to looking great? It's the same secret to making a great meal or restoring a vintage motorcycle: Putting in the effort. Nothing just comes together. And while it's easy to think that some guys just have effortless drip, the truth is most look cool because they put in the work. The venerable menswear journalist Bruce Boyer addressed this decades ago in his book Eminently Suitable, “You hear it all the time, the idea that some men simply look better because their bodies 'wear' clothes better,” he wrote. “It's the kind of non-explanation we give when we feel we're dealing with some unfathomable mystery.”

Start this year off right.