DOJ to publicly release part of special counsel’s Trump report

Trump asks Supreme Court to stop NY criminal sentencing

Incoming Mideast envoy hopeful about Hamas hostage deal

The incoming special envoy to the Middle East is hopeful about a hostage deal with Hamas soon. Steve Witkoff has been involved in negotiations aimed at freeing Israelis and Americans who were kidnapped from Israel and are held by Hamas in Gaza. President-elect Trump warns of dire consequences if Hamas does not release the hostages by his inauguration.

Trump receives both good, bad news in legal cases

Donald Trump received some good news and bad news on the legal front. For the second time in two days this week, the president-elect was denied when seeking a delay in Friday’s sentencing in the Stormy Daniels case. A New York appeals court judge issued a one-sentence ruling following an emergency hearing. Meanwhile, a federal judge in Florida has temporarily blocked the release of special counsel Jack Smith’s report on investigations into Trump, who said it would be a “fake report” anyway.

Trump muses on Greenland, Canada, and Gulf of Mexico

President-elect Trump is putting the world on notice as he prepares a return to the Oval Office. During a wide-ranging press conference, Trump said the U-S needs control of Greenland and the Panama Canal for “economic security.” When asked, he refused to rule out the use of military force. The president-elect also doubled down on his suggestion that Canada merge with the U-S. And he wants to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”

Trump warns of consequences if Hamas doesn’t release hostages by Jan. 20

President-elect Trump continues to pressure Hamas to release Israeli and American hostages soon. At a Mar-a-Lago press conference, Trump warned of serious consequences if hostages kidnapped from Israel are not released by Inauguration Day. The president-elect’s special envoy to the Mideast points to progress in negotiations and is hopeful a deal can be reached by January 20th.

Trump announces $20 billion foreign investment in U.S.

President-elect Trump has announced new foreign investment to build data centers across the U-S.  Trump appeared with billionaire developer and business partner Hussain Sajwani, who leads a company in the United Arab Emirates. Trump emphasized his plans to get investments of a billion dollars or more through the environmental regulatory review process quickly.

Wiles wants Trump West Wing to be drama-free

Donald Trump’s incoming chief of staff says she wants the West Wing to be free of drama. Susie Wiles is laying down the law for her White House colleagues. She tells Axios that she “will not tolerate backbiting, second-guessing inappropriately, or drama.” If Wiles succeeds, it would be a departure from the early months of the first Trump administration. Former chief of staff Reince Priebus was quoted in 2018 as saying “take everything you’ve heard” about chaos and disorganization inside the Trump White House “and multiply it by 50.”

Trump unhappy with Biden’s handling of presidential transition

Donald Trump is unhappy with the Biden administration’s handling of the presidential transition. The president-elect complains that Joe Biden “is doing everything possible to make the transition as difficult as possible.” Trump, who appeared on the Salem Radio Network, also wrote on social media that President Biden is signing “ridiculous” executive orders.

Jimmy Carter makes a final trip to Washington, DC

Judge rejects Trump request to halt NY criminal sentencing

Trump’s lawyers seek delay in Friday’s criminal case sentencing

Donald Trump’s legal team is asking a judge to halt Friday’s New York criminal sentencing. The president-elect wants to put a stop to this week’s sentencing for his conviction in the Stormy Daniels case while his lawyers appeal a ruling upholding the verdict. Judge Juan Merchan rejected Trump’s bid to throw out the verdict and scheduled sentencing for Friday, although he signaled he is not likely to sentence Trump to any punishment for his conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

Trump criticizes Biden’s offshore drilling ban, vows to reverse it

President-elect Trump is blasting Joe Biden’s decision to ban new offshore oil and gas drilling in most U-S coastal waters. Acting in the 11th hour of his administration, President Biden is banning oil and gas drilling in more than 625 million acres of federal waters. He said the drilling “could cause irreversible damage” and argued that it’s “unnecessary to meet our nation’s energy needs.” But Trump told the Salem Radio Network he will reverse the ban. He said oil and gas resources are America’s “greatest economic asset.”

Biden says Jan. 6, 2021 riot should not be forgotten

President Biden says America should not forget the events of January 6th following the 2020 election.
Four years ago, then-President Trump rallied his supporters to march to the U.S. Capitol and urged his vice president to stop the congressional certification of Joe Biden’s victory. It resulted in a violent riot. On Sunday, President Biden said he believes what Trump did “was a genuine threat to democracy” and that “it should not be rewritten.” He said the country must get back to a “normal transfer of power.”

Jimmy Carter lies in repose in Georgia before DC farewell

The state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter is underway with observances in Georgia and Washington, DC, this week. After a weekend procession through south Georgia, the former president’s flag-draped casket arrived at Carter Presidential Center. There, he is lying in repose until Tuesday morning, with the public able to pay respects around the clock. Carter’s remains will then travel to Washington, where he will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda until his funeral at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Washington National Cathedral.

Biden to grieve with victims’ families in New Orleans

President Biden travels to New Orleans following the deadly New Year’s rampage. The White House says the president will visit New Orleans to “grieve with the families and community members impacted by the tragic attack.” Fourteen people were killed and others injured when a man drove a truck into a crowd of New Year’s revelers. Mr. Biden said his message to the victims’ families “is going to be personal.”

New law boosts Social Security benefits for public employees

Nearly three million Americans will be getting a boost in their Social Security benefits. President Biden signed into law a bipartisan measure that increases Social Security payments for current and former public employees. It will boost benefits for recipients, such as teachers and firefighters, who get retirement payments from other sources. Advocates say the Social Security Fairness Act rights a decades-old disparity. But it will also put strain on Social Security Trust Funds, which face a looming insolvency crisis.

Changes are coming to the FBI

Changes are coming to the FBI. Director Christopher Wray recently announced his upcoming resignation. His departure will come three years before the end of his 10-year term. Wray has come under sharp criticism from President-elect Trump, and he said his departure will avoid political distractions. Trump, who already has named Kash Patel to lead the FBI, applauded the news of Wray’s planned resignation.

Officials: mysterious drone sightings not a security threat

Government officials are responding to questions about mysterious drone sightings. There have been numerous reports of drones flying at night in New Jersey and other parts of the Mid-Atlantic region. White House national security spokesman John Kirby said “there’s no evidence the reported drone sightings pose a national security or a public safety threat, or have a foreign nexus.” That echoes statements from the Pentagon and New Jersey’s governor. But several lawmakers want more answers and Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut says the drones should be “shot down, if necessary.”

Biden says clemency recipients “have shown successful rehabilitation”

President Biden says the recipients of his recent pardons and commutations “have shown successful rehabilitation.” When he announced commuting the sentences of nearly 15-hundred people and the pardoning of 39 others, the president said the individuals are committed “to making their communities safer.” Recipients include a nonprofit leader who supports at-risk youth and a decorated military veteran and pilot who spends much of his time helping his fellow church members who are in poor health. But not everyone was pleased by Biden’s decisions. A Republican state senator said a commutation for a woman who stole $54 million from a small town in Illinois was “a slap in the face” to residents.

Banks suing over new rules to limit overdraft bank fees to $5

New rules to limit overdraft bank fees are getting legal pushback. Some banks and banking trade groups are suing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau over a finalized rule that limits overdraft fees banks can charge. The rule is part of the Biden administration’s campaign to reduce junk fees that hit consumers on everyday purchases, including banking services. The new rule sets a cap of 5 dollars for an overdraft fee. The group claims that the C-F-P-B is exceeding its authority.

Amazon, Meta donate to Trump’s inauguration fund

Donald Trump’s inauguration fund is getting a boost from two tech giants. Both Amazon and Meta, Facebook’s parent, confirmed donations of one million dollars. Amazon also said the e-commerce giant will stream January’s presidential inauguration on its Prime Video service, a separate in-kind donation worth another million dollars. The Meta donation came just weeks after CEO Mark Zuckerberg met with Trump privately at Mar-a-Lago. Next week, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is scheduled to sit down with the president-elect.

Trump named Time’s Person of the Year for 2024

Donald Trump has been named Time magazine’s Person of the Year for a second time. Describing Trump’s political rebirth as “unparalleled in American history,” Time magazine selected the president-elect as its Person of the Year for 2024. It chronicled Trump’s first term ending in disgrace, his crime conviction, and his comeback election victory. The magazine said “he has realigned American politics, remaking the GOP and leaving Democrats reckoning with what went awry.” Trump was also named Person of the Year in 2016.

Biden grants 1,500 commutations, 39 pardons

President Biden announces more pardons and commutations. The president is granting clemency to nearly 15-hundred Americans, in what the White House says are the “most ever in a single day.” In a statement, Mr. Biden said he’s extending mercy to federal convicts who “have shown successful rehabilitation and a strong commitment to making their communities safer.” He is also pardoning 39 individuals who were convicted of non-violent crimes, such as drug offenses.