West Virginia Republican Gov. Jim Justice announced that he would delay his U.S. Senate swearing-in, thereby preventing a whirlwind of four governors in a 10-day period due to coinciding changes in Charleston's legislative leadership.

In doing so, it leaves federal Republicans' Senate majority briefly at two instead of three seats. Justice alluded to such in remarks late Thursday, saying he wants to do what’s best for Mountaineers.

"My whole thinking behind all of this is that the continuity of government is essential during transitions. . . . When I took this job, I took this job to serve the people of West Virginia."

Justice said he doesn’t expect much to happen between Jan. 3 – when Congress is sworn in – and Jan. 20 – when President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated, but that in Charleston, many things might transpire.

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West Virginia is one of seven states that does not have an independently-appointed or elected lieutenant governor. In Charleston, it is instead a statutory title given to the state Senate leader.

So, if Justicewere to join the U.S. Senate on-schedule, current state Senate President Craig Blair would initially assume the role. 

However, Blair lost the GOP primary for his Martinsburg seat in April, and therefore leaves office on Jan. 8 when the new legislature is sworn in.

On Jan. 8, the newly-selected leader, Sen. Randy Smith from Tucker County, would assume the governorship until Gov.-elect Patrick Morrisey took office on Jan. 13.

"Between January 3rd and when President Trump takes office, there'll be some things that happen, but there won't be anything happening [in the U.S. Congress] really until when President Trump takes office," Justice said Thursday.

"I'm in constant contact with President Trump about my feelings about his selections for his appointments, my feelings about where we're going to go on all kinds of issues like energy and on and on and on and everything," he added. 

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"So, I don't think that there's anything there that is going to rise to the level of what could happen here [in my absence]."

Republicans also flipped the Senate by a comfortable-enough 53-47 margin that Justice’s absence will still allow a two-member buffer.

"I don't think that West Virginia needs to have four governors in 10 days," he said.

Justice said Thursday he made the decision after speaking about the situation with both the House Speaker and Senate Majority Leader-designate.

"Senator Thune is really a good man. He's going to do a great job as our leader and everything. And we had this discussion, and at the end of the day, I think you'll find that everyone totally understands the complexities and everything and totally understands [my decision]," Justice said.

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.V., Justice’s counterpart next session, said she looks forward to serving with him and working together to advance Trump’s agenda.

"I very much respect Governor Justice’s decision to honor his commitment to complete his term as Governor of the State of West Virginia," she said in a statement.

"I believe this with all my soul," Justice further told reporters. "The people of West Virginia elected me to this office, and they expected me to do right by them always . . . t has been an honor beyond belief being their governor."

A billionaire coal businessman who also owns The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, Justice was originally elected as a Democrat but changed parties during a 2017 rally with Trump in his first term in Charleston – and was re-elected as a Republican.

Justice’s turn to the GOP and the retirement of Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., completes a full shift from the blue state that for decades elected Sen. Robert Byrd and Rep. Nick Joe Rahall to a deep-red state that Democratic presidential candidates since Hillary Clinton have lost by double-digits.

Bearing the wait until Jan. 13, Justice reiterated, will be worth it because he loves Trump "with all my soul."

"I think the world of his family and everything. And I'm going to be there [and] super supportive of what he's doing. And we're going to try in every way to . . . put this nation back on the right track."

"The people of West Virginia will know exactly where I stand with them."

• We found so much to see, do, eat, and drink while exploring Germany and Austria.
• Some of my favorite experiences were Oktoberfest in Munich and a spa day in Baden-Baden.
• As an avid hiker, I enjoyed my time in the Black Forest and the German and Austrian Alps.

My husband and I recently returned from an almost monthlong trip to Germany and Austria.

Over the span of 25 days, we climbed mountains in the Alps, drank beer at Oktoberfest, visited castles and museums in Salzburg, and drank riesling on the Rhine River.

We had so many great adventures during our time abroad, but these are things I recommend to anyone visiting the area:

Treat yourself to a spa day (or two) in Baden-Baden.

The last thing I expected to find in a German town was a Roman-Irish bath — but Baden-Baden, on the northern edge of the Black Forest, is known for just that.

We spent a day at the thermal baths of Friedrichsbad, which had warm and hot air baths, thermal steam rooms, cold and warm pools, a quiet room, a cream service, and a reading room.

It's a nude spa, though it offers two days a week where swimwear is required. At first, being naked with a bunch of strangers threw us off, but once we got past feeling awkward, it was a unique, relaxing experience.

The next day, we also visited a nearby family-friendly thermal bath with hot and cold plunges and a sauna.

If you time your trip right, go to Oktoberfest in Munich.

We planned our trip for the fall for several reasons, but going to Oktoberfest in Munich was at the top of that list.

For our day at Oktoberfest, we arrived at the fairgrounds just as they opened. This gave us all day to visit multiple beer tents and throw back pints like we were in college all over again.

But the festival is more than just beer: It has live music, fried foods, and all sorts of rides. Our day was carefree and filled with good drinks, good food, and good times.

Consider challenging yourself with a tough hike in Berchtesgaden National Park.

My husband and I love taking long hiking trips on vacation.

I recognize that climbing mountains in the German Alps is not everyone's idea of a good time, but there are plenty of more accessible hikes in Berchtesgaden National Park for all skill levels, including the stunning Wimbach Gorge.

The best hike of our trip, however, was to Germany's highest waterfall. We scaled the cliffside using tree roots as handholds and footholds, dealing with rock scrambles, fallen trees, and slippery terrain the whole way up and down.

It's not for the faint of heart, but it's the most thrilling hike we encountered in Germany.

Don't miss the Eltz and Neuschwanstein castles.

Of the many castles we explored in Germany and Austria, my favorites were Eltz and Neuschwanstein.

The former is in the Rhine region of Germany and looks like it was plucked right out of a fairy-tale. A third of it is still in use by the descendants of the family who built it, so you can't take pictures inside, but you can learn its interesting history during the tour.

Neuschwanstein is perhaps the most famous German castle — it even inspired Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland. Since it's located in Bavaria, it's surrounded by dramatic scenery, including snowcapped mountains and a beautiful alpine lake.

Live out your favorite fairy-tales in the Black Forest.

If those castles aren't enough to satiate your need for fairy-tale magic, head to the Black Forest, which is said to have inspired the Brothers Grimm to come up with stories like Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, and Sleeping Beauty.

We went on multiple hikes in the Black Forest, which, despite its name, is one of the greenest places I've ever been.

The area felt lush and dramatic, with constant fog swirling around, occasionally revealing or concealing mountaintops, ancient ruins, and murky lakes.

Plus, while in the area, we got to try a hefty slice of Black Forest cake.

Take the Hungerburg funicular to the Alpenzoo — and then higher for amazing views of Innsbruck.

One of the best things we did in Austria was in Innsbruck, where we took the funicular up to the Alpenzoo (Alpine Zoo).

This zoo is built into the mountainside, so be ready for plenty of steep ascents and descents as you wander around. That's by design since it's home to animals who thrive on the mountainside. We saw bears, moose, marmots, otters, eagles, bison, ibexes, lynxes, and more.

After a few hours, we hopped back on the funicular and took it all the way to the snowy summit. Up there, we had sweeping views of Innsbruck below, which is surrounded on all sides by mountains.

Schedule time for a salt-mine tour.

We intended to hike to the Eagle's Nest in Berchtesgaden, but it was closed due to avalanche risk while we were there. Instead, we pivoted to a tour of the nearby salt mine, and it was a great decision.

Our guided tour was excellent. We loved taking multiple fun modes of transportation throughout, including a mine train, a funicular, a boat that crossed a brine lake, and, my favorite, multiple long slides that took us deeper into the mines.

Berchtesgaden isn't the only place in the area where you can explore salt mines — Salzburg and Hallstatt also have tours.

Honestly, my list could keep going.

Looking for even more things to do in Germany and Austria? Here are a few of my honorable mentions:

• Spend an evening drinking local rieslings in Cochem while enjoying a view of the castle on the hill.
• Go to a Mozart concert in the Marble Hall of Salzburg's Mirabell Palace.
• Order schnitzel at a small mom-and-pop restaurant in Bavaria.
• Hike around Lake Gosau (near Hallstatt) and take the path that branches off to see the greenest swamp you'll ever encounter.

Joining the ongoing Samsung New Year’s Savings sale and the $200 price drops on Galaxy Tab S10+/Ultra configurations, today we are highlighting your last chance at the major Google Pixel offers. The end of year sale is soon to wrap up and there is still up to $300 in savings at the ready on Google Pixel 9/Pro/Fold devices alongside deals on Pixel Tablet, Pixel Watch 3, and more. From there we move over to a new all-time low on Dell’s new XPS 13 Copilot+ PC with Intel’s Lunar Lake Ultra 7 chip and one of the best prices ever on LG’s brilliant 55-inch C4 OLED smart TV at $1,047 ($750 under the 2024 launch price). Everything else awaits down below in today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break. 

Bill Lawrence has been behind three of the most successful Apple TV+ shows to date. He’s co-creator of Ted Lasso, Shrinking, and Bad Monkey. In a new interview with The Los Angeles Times, Lawrence has spilled new details on the upcoming Ted Lasso season 4 and Shrinking season 3.

Alongside a sweet ongoing Amazon all-time low on the 16GB/512GB M4 Mac mini as well as up to $300 off M4 Pro MacBook Pro models, we have a fresh batch of deals today. Best Buy has now launched a giant New Year sale with up to $400 off M3 MacBooks, iPad offers, and more, but Amazon also landed today with the return of all-time low prices on select M2 iPad Air configurations at up to $149 off alongside a SanDisk storage sale and all five colors of the 2024 Beats Pill at Black Friday pricing. But perhaps most notable of all, Nomad is giving folks one last chance to save on some of the best accessories for all of the Apple gear you might have just scored for the holidays – all of the details you need are right here and everything else is down below.