Trump to be sentenced over hush money conviction today as inauguration looms after Supreme Court verdict: Live
President-elect to appear virtually in Manhattan Criminal Court on Friday but has already vowed to file a further appeal against a prosecution he has branded an act of ‘lawfare’ by his political enemies
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump is set to be sentenced by Judge Juan Merchan in Manhattan Criminal Court on Friday morning after he was found guilty on all counts at his hush money trial last year – just 10 days before his second inauguration to the presidency.
The Supreme Court declined to stop the sentencing on Thursday, its justices ruling 5-4 in favor of allowing Judge Merchan to proceed.
The president-elect will therefore appear virtually for the sentencing hearing at 9.30am ET today, with an “unconditional discharge” sentence expected after he was convicted for falsifying business records to hide a payment to the porn star Stormy Daniels in October 2016 to ensure her silence ahead of Election Day about an extramarital sexual encounter she alleges they had a decade earlier.
Trump called the SCOTUS decision “fair” on Thursday but insisted he would be filing a fresh appeal.
Also yesterday, the president-elect attended the funeral of former president Jimmy Carter in Washington DC, sitting alongside fellow commanders-in-chief Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George W Bush and Bill Clinton.
He has otherwise been promoting his dreams of acquiring Canada and Greenland and attacking California Governor Gavin Newsom over the Los Angeles wildfires.
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Vance to resign Senate seat at midnight
Per NBC News:
Vice President-elect JD Vance will resign his Senate seat at midnight Thursday, clearing the way for his Jan. 20 swearing-in alongside President-elect Donald Trump.
The Ohio Republican notified Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who will choose his successor, of his plans in a Thursday afternoon letter.
“To the people of Ohio, I extend my heartfelt gratitude for the privilege of representing you in the United States Senate,” Vance, who has served in the chamber for two years, said in a statement shared first with NBC News. “When I was elected to this office, I promised to never forget where I came from, and I’ve made sure to live by that promise every single day.”
Vance added that voters had issued “an undeniable mandate to put America first, both at home and abroad” and pledged to work with Trump to “enact his agenda” over the next four years.
Fox must face Smartmatic $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit, NY appeals court rules
A New York state appeals court on Thursday rejected Fox's bid to dismiss a $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit by voting machine company Smartmatic over statements made on air following the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
The decision was issued by a five-judge panel of the Appellate Division in Manhattan.
Trump’s terror chief says UK should take back Isis members in Syria
The UK should take back British members of Isis being held in Syrian prison camps, Donald Trump‘s incoming counter-terrorism chief has said, indicating that a failure to do so could damage the special relationship.
Sebastian Gorka said any nation which wishes to be seen as a “serious ally” of the US should commit to the international fight against the extremist group by repatriating citizens currently languishing in the north east of the country.
Millie Cooke and Nina Lloyd report.
UK should take back Isis members in Syria, Trump’s terror chief says
That includes Shamima Begum, who left for Syria from Bethnal Green, east London, as a schoolgirl in 2015
Watch: Bragg says his job is to continue to give voice to jury’s verdict in Trump’s hush money case
Fetterman confirms he will meet Trump at Mar-a-Lago
Senator John Fetterman confimed he will meet with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago soon, quipping he wants to be appointed “Pope of Greenland.”
He added: “I am not just the Senator for Democrats in Pennsylvania. I’m the Senator for everyone in Pennsylvania and my state picked Donald Trump as president.”
Watch below:
Was Maria Bartiromo almost a heartbeat from the presidency?
The symbiotic relationship between Fox News and President-elect Donald Trump nearly reached new levels during the most recent presidential campaign, according to a new book by Politico political reporter Alex Isenstadt.
While the president-elect has already appointed or nominated at least a dozen Fox News personalities to his upcoming administration, Isenstadt reports in his forthcoming book Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump’s Return to Power that Trump seriously considered making one his favorite hosts his running mate.
Justin Barangoa reports.
Trump ‘seriously’ considered choosing Maria Bartiromo as his VP, new book claims
Trump was ‘dead serious’ about tapping the MAGA host as his running mate, according to a new book
Exclusive: Pompeo says Trump will finish the Ayatollahs in Iran
The “rotten to the core” Khamenei regime is a “paper tiger” whose time is up, Mike Pompeo has told Iranians campaigning for democracy.
Mr Pompeo, a former secretary of state under President-elect Donald Trump, made the comments while addressing a conference held by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) in Paris just ahead of his former boss being inaugurated as US president on 20 January.
The Independent’s political editor David Maddox reports.
Trump will finish the Ayatollahs in Iran, says Mike Pompeo
Exclusive: Trump’s former secretary of state and foreign policy chief told an Iranian pro-democracy conference in Paris that the change of administration in Washington will mark an end to the current regime in Tehran
All the awkward interactions between presidents at Jimmy Carter’s funeral
Instances when all five living presidents come together are rare. But for Jimmy Carter’s funeral on Thursday, they were all there.
President-elect Donald Trump was the first to arrive alongside former and future First Lady Melania Trump. Barack Obama, the Clintons, Bushes and Bidens were also in attendance. Michelle Obama was the only living first lady who was absent, with reports claiming she was in Hawaii.
Outgoing Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff were the last to take their seats among a sea of lawmakers and members of previous administrations. Given the funeral’s proximity to the election — and the heated rhetoric over the past few years — some notably awkward moments were spotted by those watching the service.
Gustaf Kilander reports.
All the awkward interactions between presidents at Jimmy Carter’s funeral
Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump, not known for being best buddies, engaged in some friendly chit-chat and shared a few laughs
15,000 doctors sign letter begging Senate to reject RFK Jr for health secretary
More than 15,000 doctors have signed a letter imploring the US Senate to reject Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation for secretary of health and human services.
The letter, organized by the advocacy group Committee to Protect Health Care, calls President-elect Donald Trump’s decision to nominate Kennedy “a slap in the face to every health care professional who has spent their lives working to protect patients from preventable illness and death.”
“The health and well-being of 336 million Americans depend on leadership at HHS that prioritizes science, evidence-based medicine, and strengthening the integrity of our public health system,” the letter reads. “RFK Jr. is not only unqualified to lead this essential agency — he is actively dangerous.”
Katie Hawkinson reports from Washington, D.C.
15,000 doctors sign letter begging Senate to reject RFK Jr for health secretary
Kennedy, among other controversies, has spread misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine
Trump continues to rage at Newsom over LA fire response
Donald Trump continues to rage at California Governor Gavin Newsom over his handling of the wildfires sweeping Los Angeles, claiming that he is preventing water from reaching the impacted areas.
Governor Gavin Newscum should immediately go to Northern California and open up the water main, and let the water flow into his dry, starving, burning State, instead of having it go out into the Pacific Ocean. It ought to be done right now, NO MORE EXCUSES FROM THIS INCOMPETENT GOVERNOR. IT’S ALREADY FAR TOO LATE!
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