Trump loses latest bid to throw out hush money case after touting $100bn SoftBank deal: Live
Judge disagrees with president-elect’s attorneys that case should be dismissed on ‘presidential immunity’ grounds after he was found guilty on 34 counts of business fraud by a Manhattan jury in May
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump has lost his latest bid to throw out his New York hush money conviction, with the judge overseeing the case rejecting his attorneys’ conjecture that he is protected by “presidential immunity”.
The president-elect appears likely to enter the White House as a convicted felon, though it remains unclear when, or if, the justice will continue to postpone a sentencing date after a unanimous jury found him guilty in May of falsifying business records tied to hush money payments made to the adult film star Stormy Daniels in October 2016.
Trump used a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Monday to announce a $100bn investment deal with Japan’s SoftBank, which he and the bank’s CEO Masayoshi Son promised would create hundreds of American jobs.
The incoming president also used the session to try to ease concerns about his nomination of vaccine-sceptic Robert F Kennedy Jr as health secretary, also suggesting he would pardon New York Mayor Eric Adams and attacking Joe Biden over his administration’s failure to provide an explanation for the mysterious drones spotted flying over New Jersey, insisting: “The government knows what’s happening.”
Trump hush money judge refuses to throw out conviction on presidential ‘immunity’ grounds
Trump makes New Jersey drone sighting plea to White House: ‘Something strange is going on’
Trump is bringing a hawkish Iran policy back in with him
Trump wants immigrants gone. He keeps hiring them for his businesses
Trump says he would consider pardoning New York City Mayor Eric Adams
President-elect Donald Trump indicated he would consider issuing a pardon to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, who was indicted on corruption charges in September.
At a press conference on Monday, Trump – one all too familiar with federal indictments – said he believed Adams was “treated pretty unfairly” and “would” issue a pardon if he reviewed the indictment.
“Now I haven’t seen the gravity of it all but it seems like being upgraded in an airplane many years ago,” Trump said – a reference to the upgraded flights that Adams allegedly took as a form of bribery.
Read more:
Trump says he would consider pardoning New York City Mayor Eric Adams
For months, speculation has circulated about a pardon because of the cozying relationship between Adams and the president-elect
ABC’s $15m settlement in Trump ‘rape’ defamation case was met with surprise and outrage. Here’s why
ABC’s $15 million settlement with Donald Trump following the president-elect’s defamation lawsuit has alarmed legal analysts and drawn criticism that the network and its Disney parent company gave up without a fight.
“Knee bent. Ring kissed,” prominent Democratic elections lawyer Marc Elias wrote. “Another legacy news outlet chooses obedience.”
Former Washington Post media reporter Paul Farhi called the settlement an “awful precedent” and a “huge sellout.”
Read more:
Why legal analysts are surprised ABC settled Trump’s ‘rape’ defamation suit for $15m
Trump claimed George Stephanopoulos defamed him when he said a jury found him ‘liable for rape’
In his final days as Republican leader, Mitch McConnell tries to put pressure on Trump
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is now in his final weeks as the top Republican in the Senate. And he’s spending those weeks sending hints about his dissatisfaction at the direction of President-elect Donald Trump’s potential administration.
McConnell’s influence has severely diminished in recent years. His attempt to strike a compromise bill that would swap border security for aid to Ukraine failed. The newer, more Trump-aligned Republicans in Congress openly criticize him. And last week, he suffered another fall during Republicans’ weekly lunch. He returned looking decidedly frail.
Read more:
In his final days as Republican leader, Mitch McConnell tries to pressurize Trump
McConnell is now trying to save the Republican Party from themselves. But it’s unclear whether they’ll listen
Watch: Steve Bannon floats idea Trump can run in 2028
Trump claims ‘there’s something wrong’ with autism rates when asked about vaccines: ‘We’re going to find out about it’
President-elect Donald Trump refused to say definitively that vaccines do not cause autism at a press conference.
Trump spoke alongside the chief executive at SoftBank, who pledged to invest $100 billion in the United States, as they addressed reporters on Monday.
During the press conference, Trump repeated misinformation that he has previously espoused about vaccines and autism. He also said that he had met with the heads of Pfizer and Eli Lily, as well as Mehmet Oz, his nominee to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and Robert F Kennedy Jr., his nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, who has repeated the debunked claims about vaccines and autism.
Read more:
Trump says ‘something’s wrong’ with increased autism rates when asked about vaccines
Trump also says he is not a fan of mandates as Robert F Kennedy heads to Capitol Hill
TikTok prepares for US ban after delay bid rejected
US lawmakers have told Apple and Google to prepare to remove TikTok from their app stores on 19 January after the Chinese-owned platform failed in its bid to delay a nationwide ban.
China-based ByteDance must sell TikTok in the US before that date to avoid the ban, which has been ordered due to national security concerns.
TikTok and ByteDance filed an emergency motion with the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia last week, asking for more time to make their case to the US Supreme Court.
Read more:
TikTok prepares for US ban after delay bid rejected
More than 170 million Americans use TikTok, with a nationwide ban set to come into force on 19 January
Don Jr insists he will always ‘care for’ and have ‘special bond’ with Kimberly Guilfoyle
Donald Trump Jr has said he will always “care for” Kimberly Guilfoyle and that the couple retain “a special bond” amid reports that they have ended their four-year engagement and parted ways.
While the couple has still not officially confirmed the split, the president-elect’s eldest son, 46, was recently pictured with Florida socialite Bettina Anderson celebrating her 38th birthday at Buccan, an exclusive Palm Beach restaurant, and enjoying a romantic evening stroll along the beach.
Joe Sommerlad reports.
Don Jr insists he will always ‘care for’ Kimberly Guilfoyle
President-elect’s eldest son has still not officially confirmed the split but was pictured last week with Florida socialite Bettina Anderson
Watch: Trump says he plans to sue Ann Selzer over poll predicting Iowa loss
Why ABC’s $15m settlement in Trump ‘rape’ defamation case was met with surprise and outrage
ABC’s $15 million settlement with Donald Trump following the president-elect’s defamation lawsuit has alarmed legal analysts and drawn criticism that the network and its Disney parent company gave up without a fight.
“Knee bent. Ring kissed,” prominent Democratic elections lawyer Marc Elias wrote. “Another legacy news outlet chooses obedience.”
Former Washington Post media reporter Paul Farhi called the settlement an “awful precedent” and a “huge sellout.”
Alex Woodward reports.
Why legal analysts are surprised ABC settled Trump’s ‘rape’ defamation suit for $15m
Trump claimed George Stephanopoulos defamed him when he said a jury found him ‘liable for rape’
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