A Momentous Jan. 6 Dawns in Washington

As Congress prepares to convene during a winter storm on Monday to certify the election of Donald Trump, the AP makes note of one "extraordinary fact": that "the candidate who tried to overturn the previous election won this time and is legitimately returning to power." Four years to the day after the Capitol riot, lawmakers will come together around noon "under the tightest national security level possible" to carry out their duties and pave the way for Trump to once again take the Oval Office. More on the big day in DC:

• Harris: The BBC and NBC News focus on the fact that Trump's rival in the 2024 election, Vice President Kamala Harris, will be the one to certify his win on Monday. "She feels that it's important to uphold the standards and pillars of our democracy and make sure that people know that she doesn't only support democracy when it is in her favor," a senior Harris aide tells NBC. A former Harris aide, however, concedes there's also "sadness and frustration" in the mix. "She believed she should have won the race, but the country didn't want to go in that direction," that source notes.

• Harris II: Ahead of the certification, the vice president released a prerecorded message Monday, vowing to shepherd the "peaceful transfer of power," per the Hill. "This duty is a sacred obligation—one I will uphold guided by love of country, loyalty to our Constitution, and my unwavering faith in the American people," she said. "Our democracy can be fragile. And it is up to each of us to stand up for our most cherished principles."
• Biden: "We've got to get back to the basic, normal transfer of power," President Biden said on Sunday, per the AP. He cited the "genuine threat to democracy" that took place on Jan. 6, 2021, adding, "I'm hopeful we're beyond that now."
• Trump: The president-elect is scheduled to be at Mar-a-Lago, reports the New York Times.
• The process: ABC News lays out the certification timeline and details, from a procession of the ballots to the House to certification completion.
• Flashbacks: Certification day comes with memories of the Capitol riot "looming large," notes the Times, with even Homeland Security deeming it a "national special security event" that comes with "heavy lockdown measures." But Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin promises this time around, "there will be no attempt to mount an insurrection against the Constitution. It will be a lot more like what we've seen for the rest of American history."
• Come hell or high snowdrifts: The Daily Beast reports that lawmakers were told not to leave DC over the weekend, but some did anyway. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene warned any missing fellow GOPers that they'd better find their way back. "Jan 6th we certify President Trump's election!" she wrote on X. "I'll be here no matter how much it snows and so should every single Republican!!"

(More Jan. 6 stories.)