Salem Radio Network News Wednesday, January 21, 2026

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Greg Clugston

SRN Correspondent Greg Clugston keeps you informed about all the news coming from the White House.

In eulogy, Mondale recalls faith bond with Jimmy Carter

Sat, Jan 11, 2025 at 6:50 am

Former President Jimmy Carter and his vice president, Walter Mondale, were bonded by more than just politics. Mondale’s eulogy for Carter was read by his son, Ted, at Thursday’s funeral for the 39th president. Mondale said he and Carter shared a common Christian faith as they served in the White House for four years. Mondale said working with Carter was the most rewarding experience of his public career.

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Judge sentences Trump in NY case, but imposes no penalty

Fri, Jan 10, 2025 at 10:32 am
President-elect Trump has been formally sentenced without penalty in his New York criminal case. The sentencing hearing took place here at the New York Criminal Court with Donald Trump appearing by video from Florida. His sentence of an unconditional discharge means no jail time, fines, or probation. Yet it results in Trump becoming the first president or president-elect who is a felon. During the hearing, the judge defended the court proceedings, but Trump lashed out at prosecutors and said his criminal trial and conviction was “a very terrible experience.”
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Trump becomes first president to be convicted felon

Fri, Jan 10, 2025 at 10:30 am
A New York judge has formally sentenced Donald Trump for his conviction on 34 felony counts last year.
After the sentencing hearing was over, several Trump supporters waved large flags here outside the criminal courthouse. Others held signs claiming that the president-elect’s conviction was politically motivated. Judge Juan Marchan handed down a sentence of unconditional discharge – which means no jail time or fines. During the hearing, Trump said the case should never have been tried and later, he wrote on social that “Radical Democrats have lost another pathetic, unAmerican Witch Hunt.”
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Donald Trump to be sentenced in Stormy Daniels case

Fri, Jan 10, 2025 at 7:02 am
President-elect Trump will be sentenced in his New York criminal case.  The sentencing comes after the Supreme Court rejected Trump’s request for a delay — and it comes just 10 days before his inauguration for a second term in the White House. Even though Judge Juan Merchan has said there will be no fines or jail time, the sentencing means the incoming president will be formally classified as a felon — an outcome he was trying to avoid.
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Supreme Court rejects Trump’s bid to delay criminal sentencing

Thu, Jan 9, 2025 at 8:03 pm
The Supreme Court has rejected President-elect Trump’s bid to delay sentencing in his New York criminal case. The court’s 5-4 order clears the way for Judge Juan Merchan to impose a sentence Friday morning in Manhattan. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined with the court’s three liberals in rejecting Trump’s emergency motion. He has denied any wrongdoing despite being convicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. The judge does not plan to give the president-elect jail time, fines or probation.
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Federal judge strikes down part of Biden’s LGBTQ agenda

Thu, Jan 9, 2025 at 5:06 pm
A federal judge has struck down part of President Biden’s LGBTQ agenda. The administration’s Title IX rules expanding protections for LGBTQ students were rejected by a federal judge in Kentucky, who ruled that they overstepped the president’s authority. The rules had already been halted in 26 states after a wave of legal challenges by Republican states. Tennessee’s attorney general called it a rejection of the Biden administration’s “relentless push to impose a radical gender ideology.”
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Carter’s funeral brings together 5 living U.S. presidents

Thu, Jan 9, 2025 at 2:15 pm

Former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral brought together all of his living successors. The service at Washington National Cathedral provided an extraordinary snapshot of presidential history with Presidents Biden, Trump, Obama, Bush, and Clinton all in attendance and seated together. Obama and Trump, who have mocked each other for years, sat next to each other and talked for several minutes. Trump was also seen shaking hands with Mike Pence, his former vice president, in a rare interaction since they left office. Pence’s wife, Karen, however, refused to shake hands with Trump or his wife.

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Jimmy Carter honored during funeral at National Cathedral

Thu, Jan 9, 2025 at 12:54 pm

The nation said farewell to former President Jimmy Carter during a state funeral at Washington National Cathedral. All of President Carter’s living successors attended the service along with family members to pay tribute to the 39th president. Jason Carter said his grandfather’s life “was a testament to the goodness of God.” Steven Ford, the son of the late President Ford, addressed Carter’s children, saying, “God did a good thing when he made your dad.” President Biden summed up Carter with one word: character. The pageantry of the state funeral preceded Carter’s burial in his small hometown of Plains, Georgia.

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DC to host Jimmy Carter’s funeral before burial in Georgia

Thu, Jan 9, 2025 at 7:03 am

The nation will say farewell former President Jimmy Carter. President Biden and former living presidents will be in attendance at this morning’s state funeral for Carter at Washington’s National Cathedral. For the past day and-a-half, Americans have filed past Carter’s flag-draped casket in the U-S Capitol Rotunda to pay their respects to the 39th president. After the service, the Carter family will return to Plains, Georgia, for a private hometown funeral and burial.

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Biden gets wildfire briefing in southern California

Wed, Jan 8, 2025 at 5:58 pm
President Biden received a wildfire briefing while in the Los Angeles area. The president, who had traveled to southern California earlier this week, met with officials at a Santa Monica fire station. He thanked the firefighters, first responders, and others, telling them that the recovery is “going to take time.” Later, as he flew back to Washington, the president spoke by phone with the mayor of Los Angeles.
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Biden casts doubt on his fitness to serve another four years

Wed, Jan 8, 2025 at 12:44 pm
President Biden has cast doubt on his fitness to serve another four years. Just days before leaving office, the president said he was unsure if he would’ve been physically fit to handle a second term. In a USA Today interview, the 82-year-old Biden said “who knows what I’m going to be when I’m 86 years old?” He also said he believes he could have won re-election had he stayed in the presidential race. Before dropping out last summer, Mr. Biden faced mounting questions about his age and fitness.
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DOJ to publicly release part of special counsel’s Trump report

Wed, Jan 8, 2025 at 12:18 pm
The Justice Department plans to release the special counsel’s findings on Donald Trump’s 2020 presidential election interference. In a filing to a federal appeals court, the DOJ said it would make public the findings, but provide the classified documents section of the report only to the chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees. The department said the attorney general has “clear” authority to publicly release the findings. Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team abandoned both the interference case and the classified documents investigation in November after Donald Trump’s presidential victory.
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Trump asks Supreme Court to stop NY criminal sentencing

Wed, Jan 8, 2025 at 9:26 am
President-elect Trump is asking the Supreme Court to intervene in his New York criminal case. The Trump legal team is turning to the nation’s highest court after two New York courts refused to postpone Friday’s sentencing of the president-elect. His attorneys asked for an immediate stay to prevent, what they describe as, “grave injustice and harm to the institution of the presidency.” Prosecutors say they will respond in court papers. This flurry of legal activity stems from Trump’s conviction last year on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
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Incoming Mideast envoy hopeful about Hamas hostage deal

Wed, Jan 8, 2025 at 7:07 am

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.

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Trump receives both good, bad news in legal cases

Wed, Jan 8, 2025 at 7:03 am

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.

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Trump muses on Greenland, Canada, and Gulf of Mexico

Tue, Jan 7, 2025 at 4:29 pm

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.”

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

Tue, Jan 7, 2025 at 2:53 pm

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.

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

Tue, Jan 7, 2025 at 1:14 pm

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.

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Wiles wants Trump West Wing to be drama-free

Tue, Jan 7, 2025 at 10:47 am

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.”

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Trump unhappy with Biden’s handling of presidential transition

Tue, Jan 7, 2025 at 7:07 am

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.

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Jimmy Carter makes a final trip to Washington, DC

Tue, Jan 7, 2025 at 7:03 am
Former President Jimmy Carter makes a final trip to Washington, DC. Carter’s casket will be flown to the nation’s capital this afternoon. The former president, who died late last month at age 100, will lie in state in the rotunda of the Capitol. Members of the public will be able to pay their respects at viewings tonight, and again for a 24-hour period beginning tomorrow morning. On Thursday, Carter’s funeral will be held at Washington’s National Cathedral before a private burial in Georgia.
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Judge rejects Trump request to halt NY criminal sentencing

Mon, Jan 6, 2025 at 7:30 pm
A New York judge has denied Donald Trump’s request to halt Friday’s criminal sentencing. Trump’s lawyers asked Manhattan Judge Juan Merchan to stop the proceedings while they appeal a ruling that upheld the verdict. But Merchan rejected it. That means Trump is on course to be the first president to take office convicted of crimes. However, he can still ask the appeals court to delay sentencing or seek to have another court intervene. Last year, Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
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Trump’s lawyers seek delay in Friday’s criminal case sentencing

Mon, Jan 6, 2025 at 10:06 am

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.

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

Mon, Jan 6, 2025 at 9:43 am

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.”

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