Welcome to the beat. I'm Ari Melbert. And what I knew is that Nicole is stepping out during a busy news period.

But when you step out, it could always be a busy news period. That has been the case lately.

Let me tell you why I mention that with her. And what is the top story in the nation night?

Because it's going to be the top story on Monday night as well, best we can tell.

And perhaps for some time after that, if this Democratic Congress goes forward

and refers former President Trump for criminal prosecution, which it can do legally, formally,

as a co-equal branch of government on Monday. Now, that idea that this Congress, before it ends its lawful session in January, would use its power to formally say, for the record, for history, for law, and for the Justice Department, that Donald Trump should be prosecuted, that idea has been leaked, suggested, intimated,

and also reported with sources for days now, which is why you may have heard about it.

You may have heard it's one of the big reasons that Monday's hearing is so newsworthy.

Now, let me just tell you what we know.

We have every indication that that unprecedented act will go down on Monday when the January

6th committee holds its final business meeting to vote on criminal referrals and its

forthcoming report.

Let me tell you what we do know and what we don't know, as we try to do around here, because

this is a huge deal and the stakes and the tension have been rising.

What we do know about these referrals is very simple.

Congress has the power to do this.

Indeed, this same January 6th committee has made four similar referrals. They were called contempt proceedings to the

Justice Department. Now, those proceedings are in some ways different than what will happen Monday.

We can get into that, but it's a reminder of why this matters. If you're going, what's the big deal?

Well, they did four from this committee, and two of them led to indictments.

One of them led to a conviction, Steve Bannon going to jail because of this,

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