Spiegel Stuff: The Hill's 12:30 Report: Snow day in DC

IN THE DC-AREA

To quote Paul Rudd in ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall,’ ‘Oh the weather outside is weather’:

A winter storm warning is in effect in the Washington, D.C.-area today, with several inches of snow expected in the region.

According to the Capital Weather Gang, thundersnow is even possible. https://wapo.st/3JCsomJ

Here’s the full forecast from Capital Weather Gang: https://wapo.st/3JCsomJ

Federal offices in DC are closed today: Details from Federal News Network: https://bit.ly/3Hza4JI

SIGHTS AND SOUNDS:

No pressure here: Here’s a video of Air Force One being de-iced (via C-SPAN’s Howard Mortman) Watch: https://bit.ly/34byLx7

Video of the National Mall — you can barely see the Washington Monument: From Sen. Brian Schatz’s (D-Hawaii) communications director Mike Inacay. Watch: https://bit.ly/3Jv0ZmK

A photo from the Shaw neighborhood of Washington, D.C.: https://bit.ly/3qDBQxE

At the White House:

It’s beautiful on Capitol Hill: https://bit.ly/3qM6hlg

The roads in Silver Spring, Md.: https://bit.ly/3mSlYGu

This dog is THRILLED:

It’s Monday — Happy 2022! It’s a snowy day in Washington, D.C. I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send comments, story ideas and events for our radar to cmartel@thehill.com — and follow along on Twitter @CateMartel and Facebook.

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LATEST WITH THE CORONAVIRUS

And a booster for you!:

Via The Hill’s Peter Sullivan, “The Food and Drug Administration on Monday authorized Pfizer booster shots for people aged 12 to 15 years, another expansion in the population eligible for the third shots.” https://bit.ly/3mSZrcv

Oh, and the FDA updated its timeline for adult booster shots: “The FDA also shortened the time for all adults to get their booster shots, down to five months from six months after the initial shots.”

‘THE VIRUS IS SPREADING FASTER THAN EVER, BUT NEW DATA OFFER HOPE.’:

Via The New York Times’s Shashank Bengali: https://nyti.ms/3zmzNC7

CASE NUMBERS:

Coronavirus cases in the U.S.: 55,219,266

U.S. death toll: 826,083

Breakdown of the numbers: https://cnn.it/2UAgW3y

VACCINATION NUMBERS:

Total number of vaccinations administered in the U.S.: 508 million shots have been given.

Seven-day average of doses administered: An average of 1.4 million doses.

For context: The U.S. population is roughly 331 million.

Breakdown of the numbers: https://bloom.bg/3iVTPLH

NEWS THIS MORNING

Trump’s unusual endorsement:

Via The Washington Post’s John Wagner, “Former president Donald Trump made an unusual endorsement in a foreign election on Monday, offering his ‘Complete support’ for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a right-wing populist leader accused of undermining the country’s democracy and moving toward autocracy during more than a decade in power.” https://wapo.st/3Jz1tZ8

Why this is big: https://wapo.st/3Jz1tZ8

IN CONGRESS

Welcome back! Happy New Year! Here’s the laundry list of things you’re already behind on:

Via The Hill’s Jordain Carney, “Lawmakers are set to return to Washington, D.C., with a full legislative plate after punting some of their biggest priorities into 2022.” https://bit.ly/3zjUmiD

The biggest fights coming up: President Biden’s spending plan, a voting rights bill and another looming government shutdown.

CONGRESS’S LAUNDRY LIST FOR THE START OF 2022:

Build Back Better revival
Voting rights and filibuster reform
Nord Stream 2 sanctions
Funding the government — it is funded until Feb. 18
Iraq War authorization

Details for each: https://bit.ly/3zjUmiD

IN THE WHITE HOUSE

A lil’ something for the meat industry:

Via The Hill’s Brett Samuels, “The White House on Monday announced plans aimed at addressing rising prices for meat and poultry, including setting aside $1 billion for smaller producers.” https://bit.ly/3mRt3au

Why smaller meat producers?: “The White House has previously pointed to a small number of conglomerates for driving higher meat and poultry prices, which have been a major contributor to broader inflation in recent months.”

HAPPENING THIS AFTERNOON:

President Biden is hosting an event at 1:30 p.m. EST with farmers and ranchers to discuss meat prices. Livestream: https://bit.ly/3ndg0jR

Happening on Jan. 6:

President Biden and Vice President Harris are scheduled to speak on Thursday to mark the one-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. https://cnn.it/3qGf1cN

Along with their remarks: “Their remarks will come alongside a slate of events prepared by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to commemorate the insurrection, including a moment of silence on the House floor and a prayer vigil on the steps of the Capitol.”

More on CNN’s Paul LeBlanc and Allie Malloy: https://cnn.it/3qGf1cN

AND ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THINGS:

Former President Trump is holding a news conference on Jan. 6 in Palm Beach, Fla. Details from Reuters: https://reut.rs/3JBfwNO

‘SINCE JAN. 6, THE PRO-TRUMP INTERNET HAS DESCENDED INTO INFIGHTING OVER MONEY AND FOLLOWERS’:

Via The Washington Post’s Drew Harwell: https://wapo.st/3ENEjuj

IN OTHER NEWS

Um, this is pretty wild:

Via The New York Times’s Azi Paybarah, “A meteor likely either ‘exploded or vaporized’ over [Pittsburgh, Pa.] on Saturday, a meteorologist said, setting off a strong vibration that one resident likened to a ‘shock wave.’ ” https://nyti.ms/3HvVzpT

NOTABLE TWEETS:

Actor Don Cheadle shared a memory of Betty White:

Photo and continuation of Cheadle’s tweet: https://bit.ly/3pNXAHV

Lol, I couldn’t agree more:

ON TAP:

The Senate is in. The House is out. President Biden and Vice President Harris are in Washington, D.C.

8:55 a.m. EST: President Biden left Delaware and returned to Washington, D.C.

11:10 a.m. EST: President Biden and Vice President Harris received the President’s Daily Brief.

Noon: The Senate returns.

5:30 p.m. EST: A confirmation vote in the Senate. The Senate’s full agenda today: https://bit.ly/3eO793n

Thursday: The one-year anniversary of the siege of the U.S. Capitol.

WHAT TO WATCH:

1:30 p.m. EST: President Biden meets virtually with farmers and ranchers to discuss meat prices. Attorney General Merrick Garland and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will also attend. Livestream: https://bit.ly/3ndg0jR

IN LIGHTER NEWS:

Today is National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day.

Pluto may be back, baby:

Via NBC’s Tom Metcalfe, “A team of scientists wants Pluto classified as a planet again — along with dozens of similar bodies in the solar system and any found around distant stars.” https://nbcnews.to/3qHyRUU

“The call goes against a controversial resolution from 2006 by the International Astronomical Union that decided Pluto is only a ‘dwarf planet’ — but the researchers say a rethink will put science back on the right path.”

Why it may be considered a planet again: https://nbcnews.to/3qHyRUU

And because you read this far, here’s a doggy that got himself into a pretty precarious situation: https://bit.ly/32F7cfw