NY judge grants Trump’s request to pause court deadlines, sentencing, in a victory for president-elect
The Manhattan judge overseeing President-elect Donald Trump’s trial agreed to grant a stay on all deadlines associated with the felony conviction proceedings against President-elect Donald Trump in the final months before he takes office, a closely-watched decision that allows Trump to avoid a maximum sentence of up to four years in prison. The judge overseeing the case, Judge Juan Merchan, granted the request, which issues a stay on all deadlines, including the Nov. 26 sentencing date, to consider the effect of his election as president. Trump’s team had also filed a motion to vacate the charges. Trump was convicted in May by a Manhattan jury on 34 counts of falsifying business records, stemming from a case about payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels. SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH MOVES TO DROP TRUMP ELECTION INTERFERENCE CASE Merchan agreed earlier this year to a four-month delay for the court proceedings, pushing next steps until after the 2024 presidential election. He had set Nov. 12 as a self-imposed deadline to decide how best to proceed. The decision comes after the Supreme Court said in a July 1 ruling that presidents should be granted a certain level of immunity in court convictions. Justices writing for 4-3 majority said that presidents are entitled to absolute immunity from any actions taken within the scope of “core constitutional powers” as commander-in-chief. A certain level of immunity also applies to other actions taken while holding office, they said. The Nov. 12 deadline is separate from the sentencing hearing for the 34 convictions, which had previously been set for Nov. 26. Rather, this was a self-imposed deadline set by Merchan that allows him to consider Trump’s claims of presidential immunity, and whether the Supreme Court’s July ruling on the scope of immunity should apply to the state level. Even if Trump’s convictions were upheld, the president-elect has myriad ways to appeal the case or get the charges against him dismissed before the Nov. 26 sentencing hearing—making it all but certain he will face no time behind bars. STEFANIK SLAMS DEMOCRATS’ ‘SCARE TACTICS’ ON TRUMP’S RECORD WITH WOMEN ON IVF, ABORTION The first would be moving the case from state to federal court — which Trump’s lawyers had twice tried and failed to do in the months ahead of the election. But their request to elevate the case to federal court now carries more weight, given Trump’s status as president-elect. If that fails, Trump’s attorneys would likely appeal the convictions ahead of his sentencing hearing; using the Supreme Court immunity ruling as grounds to have the charges dismissed. They are also likely to use the immunity claim to throw out portions of evidence used by prosecutors in the New York case, including testimony from former White House communications director Hope Hicks. Even if all this fails, legal analysts and former prosecutors have roundly dismissed the idea that Trump would face prison time for the convictions. “Understand, Trump is not going to prison even if Merchan metes out an incarceration sentence. Though the charges are felonies, they are not sufficiently serious under New York law to merit immediate detention; Trump will get bail pending appeal,” Andrew McCarthy, a former U.S. prosecutor for the Southern District of New York, wrote in an op-ed last week for Fox News Digital. Had Merchan moved to keep the convictions intact, he could have sought additional guidance from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, including on whether Trump should be submitted to state convictions as a sitting president—a question that has never been tested. STEFANIK SLAMS DEMOCRATS’ ‘SCARE TACTICS’ ON TRUMP’S RECORD WITH WOMEN ON IVF, ABORTION Trump’s legal team would almost certainly have appealed any conviction as far as the Supreme Court, if necessary. Trump is shielded from federal convictions under longstanding Justice Department policy preventing U.S. attorneys from prosecuting a sitting president. But this precedent has never been applied to state convictions, giving Judge Merchan a somewhat wider berth in deciding how to proceed. His decision comes days after Special Counsel Jack Smith filed a motion to vacate all deadlines in the 2020 election interference case against President-elect Trump in Washington, D.C. Smith had been tapped by Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2022 to investigate both the alleged effort by Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election, as well as Trump’s keeping of allegedly classified documents at his residence in Florida after leaving the White House in 2020. While those charges have not been officially dropped, the special counsel appears to be moving in that direction, and Smith said his team plans to give an updated report on the official status of the case against Trump on Dec. 2. Former Attorney General Bill Barr told Fox News Digital that state and local prosecutors and judges need to move on from the “spectacle” of prosecuting the president-elect.
Who could run to replace Stefanik in the House?
Once Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., vacates her seat to become U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has 10 days to set the date for a special election to replace her in the House. The special election must be held within 70 to 80 days afterward, and there are already a number of possible contenders reportedly being considered to claim New York’s 21st Congressional District. Stefanik won a sixth term to represent the district which encompasses North County, New York, but President-elect Donald Trump chose her this week to fill the U.N. ambassadorship in his new cabinet. Republican names being floated include state Sen. Dan Stec, who represents portions of St. Lawrence County and other eastern regions of the state; state Assemblymen Robert Smullen and Christopher Tague; and Rensselaer County Executive Steven McLaughlin, according to WWNY. Possible Democratic candidates include Assemblyman Billy Jones, whose state district falls just east of St. Lawrence County, as well as past unsuccessful challengers to Stefanik such as Matt Castelli and Paula Collins. Stefanik won 62.27% of the vote last week against Collins, who garnered just 37.73%, according to The Associated Press. WHAT STEFANIK’S HOUSE TENURE REVEALS ABOUT WHAT TYPE OF UN AMBASSADOR SHE MAY BE Stefanik has built up a national profile as an unwavering ally of Trump and as a sharp-tongued Republican voice. First elected to Congress in 2014 at age 30, she eventually shed her early reputation as a moderate Republican and rose to become the highest-ranking woman in the House Republican leadership. Stefanik represents a largely rural northern New York district that includes some of the most sparsely populated parts of the state. Democrats in New York unseated three first-term Republican incumbents in the U.S. House last Tuesday, as voters in the Empire State were expected to play an outsized role in helping determine control of the House. Stefanik was selected by her GOP House colleagues as House Republican Conference chair in 2021, when former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney was removed from the post after publicly criticizing Trump following the 2020 election. There will also be a separate contest to replace Stefanik as the House Republican Conference chair. Stefanik’s grilling of university presidents over antisemitism on their campuses in the wake of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks helped lead to two of those presidents resigning, further raising her national profile. If confirmed, she would represent American interests in the U.N. as Trump vows to end the war waged by Russia against Ukraine begun in 2022. He has also called for peace as the conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah continues. STEFANIK TO REPORTEDLY MEET ISRAELI PRESIDENT AFTER TRUMP NAMES HER NEXT UN AMBASSADOR Stefanik, who served as a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, the House Intelligence Committee, and the Education and Workforce Committee, released a statement Monday afternoon following her nomination to Trump’s cabinet. During a conversation with Trump, Stefanik said she shared “how deeply humbled I am to accept his nomination and that I look forward to earning the support of my colleagues in the United States Senate.” “President Trump’s historic landslide election has given hope to the American people and is a reminder that brighter days are ahead – both at home and abroad,” she said. “America continues to be the beacon of the world, but we expect and must demand that our friends and allies be strong partners in the peace we seek. The work ahead is immense as we see antisemitism skyrocketing coupled with four years of catastrophically weak U.S. leadership that significantly weakened our national security and diminished our standing in the eyes of both allies and adversaries.” The congresswoman said she stands ready to advance Trump’s “restoration of America First peace through strength leadership on the world stage on Day One at the United Nations” and thanked her “beloved constituents in New York’s 21st Congressional District for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to work my very hardest to serve and give them a voice at the highest levels of Congress.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump tells world leader election gives him a ‘very big mandate’
President-elect Donald Trump said his election victory “gives me a very big mandate to do things properly” in a newly released video by Indonesia’s president. Prabowo Subianto could be heard congratulating Trump, adding, “Wherever you are, I am willing to fly to, to congratulate you personally sir.” “We had a great election in the U.S…. Amazing what happened, we had tremendous success. The most successful in over 100 years they say. It’s a great honor and so it gives me a very big mandate to do things properly,” Trump told him at one point in the conversation. Subianto also told Trump, “We were all shocked when they tried to assassinate you, but we are very happy that the almighty protected you sir.” TRUMP EXPECTED TO NAME SEN. MARCO RUBIO AS SECRETARY OF STATE “Yes, I got very lucky. I just happened to be in the right place in the right direction otherwise I wouldn’t be talking to you right now,” Trump responded. “I got quite lucky actually, somebody was protecting me I guess.” Subianto, a former Indonesian military general and defense minister, was sworn in as the country’s eighth president on Oct. 20. TRUMP LIKELY TO MAKE SEVERAL BORDER SECURITY MOVES ON FIRST DAY, SAYS EXPERT “Whenever you are around you let me know and I’d like to also get to your country sometime, it’s incredible, the job that you are doing is incredible,” Trump told Subianto during the call. “You’re a very respected person and I give you credit for that, it’s not easy.” “Please send the people of Indonesia my regards,” he added. In a statement on X alongside the video, Subianto said, “I am looking forward to enhance the collaboration between our two great nations and to more productive discussions in the future.”
House balance of power still undecided a week after Election Day, with Republicans needing 4 more seats
One week after Election Day, control of the House of Representatives is still up in the air with votes continuing to be counted in 17 House races. Republican Donald Trump won the presidency again and the GOP will have the Senate majority. House Speaker Mike Johnson, however, is still waiting to learn whether he will get to keep his job and President-elect Trump will soon find out whether Republicans will have full control of the government to enact his agenda over the next two years (before the 2026 midterm elections). Here’s where things stand with the uncalled House races: Democratic incumbent Rep. Mary Sattler Peltola is in a tight race in Alaska’s at-large congressional district, where she is trailing Republican entrepreneur Nick Begich. As of Tuesday morning, Begich holds a 4-point lead at 49.5% of the vote compared to Peltola’s 45.5%. The vote count sits at 125,222 to 115,089, with roughly 80% of the vote counted. ALL EYES ON CALIFORNIA AS HOUSE MAJORITY STILL HINGES ON TIGHT RACES The race in Arizona’s 6th Congressional District is tight, with the Republican candidate narrowly ahead. Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani, a first-term lawmaker, is barely leading former Democratic state lawmaker Kirsten Engel in a 49.5% to 48.2% race as of Tuesday morning. The vote count sits at 189,692 to 184,787 with 86% of votes counted. Democratic incumbent Josh Harder leads Republican challenger Kevin Lincoln by fewer than 3 points. The district had about 74% of the vote recorded as of Tuesday, and Harder’s lead expanded to 7,124 votes. Republican Rep. John Duarte is leading former Democratic state assembly member Adam Gray in California’s 13th Congressional District, but the highly contested race remains uncalled as of Tuesday. Roughly 62% of the vote has been counted, and Duarte holds a 51.1% to 48.9% lead. The pair is separated by just under 3,000 votes. Incumbent Democratic Rep. John Costa leads his Republican challenger, Michael Maher, in a 50.5% to 49.5% race as of Tuesday morning. So far, 66% of the vote has been counted, and Costa’s lead is just over 1,000 votes. Republican incumbent Rep. David Valado leads Democratic Challenger Rudy Salas in a 53.6% to 46.6% race as of Tuesday. Valado holds a lead of just under 10,000 votes with 77% of the vote counted. Republican incumbent Rep. Mike Garcia is trailing Democratic challenger George Whitesides by about 2 points as of Tuesday morning. With 83% of the votes counted, Whitesides’ lead sits at just under 7,000 votes. Though the race has not been called, Garcia conceded in a statement Monday evening. “I spoke with George Whitesides this evening to congratulate him, and I will ensure a smooth handoff of open constituent case work packages to him and his team,” Garcia said. Republican incumbent Rep. Ken Calvert holds a 51.3% to 48.7% lead over Democratic challenger Will Rollins. Roughly 75% of the vote has been counted as of Tuesday, and Calvert’s lead sits at roughly 7,500 votes. Incumbent Republican Rep. Michelle Steel leads her Democratic challenger Derek Tran with 50.7% of the vote as of Tuesday. A little more than 83% of the votes have been counted, and Steel’s lead has shrunk to 3,908 votes. The race to succeed outgoing Democratic Rep. Katie Porter in California’s 47th Congressional District is also razor-thin. Republican Scott Baugh, a former state assembly member, and state Sen. Dave Min, a Democrat, are vying for the open seat, and Min holds a about a 1% lead. Nearly 82% of the vote has been counted, and Min’s lead sits at just over 3,000 votes. Democratic incumbent Rep. Mike Levin holds a 4-point lead over Republican challenger Matt Gunderson as of Tuesday morning. With 82% of votes counted, Levin’s lead sits at roughly 14,000 votes. SHUTDOWN STANDOFF LOOMS IN CONGRESS’ FINAL WEEKS BEFORE TRUMP’S RETURN TO WHITE HOUSE Rep. Yadira Caraveo, a Democrat, is trailing Republican state Rep. Gabe Evans in Colorado’s 8th Congressional District by less than 1% with 96% of the vote counted. Republican incumbent Rep. Mariannet Miller-Meeks holds a less than 1% lead over challenger Christina Bohannan with 99% of the vote counted. Miller-Meeks’ lead sits at just under 1,000 votes. Democratic incumbent Jared Golden holds a razor-thin lead over Republican challenger Austin Theriault as of Tuesday. With 98% of the votes counted, Golden’s lead sits at less than 800 votes. GOP REP. MIKE WALTZ TAPPED TO BE TRUMP’S NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER Democratic incumbent Marcy Kaptur leads her Republican challenger, Derek Merrin, by less than 1 point with 99% of the votes counted. Kaptur’s lead sits at just over 1,000 votes as of Tuesday. Republican incumbent Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer is trailing her Democratic challenger, Janelle Bynum by nearly 3 points with 87% of the votes counted Tuesday. Bynum’s lead sits at just over 10,000 votes. Republican incumbent Rep. Dan Newhouse leads his top opponent, fellow Republican Jerrod Sessler, by about 5 points with 86% of the votes counted. Newhouse’s lead sits at just over 13,000 votes as of Tuesday morning. Because this undecided district is a contest between two Republicans, it has already been counted toward the GOP’s total.
India’s retail inflation rises to 6.21% in October amid higher food prices, breaches RBI’s upper tolerance level
The consumer price index-based inflation was 4.87 per cent in October 2023.
Federal judge in Ohio rescinds retirement after Trump victory, with Biden yet to nominate a successor
A federal judge in Ohio is rescinding his partial retirement after President Biden’s administration failed to nominate a replacement for him. U.S. District Judge Algenon Marbley had announced plans to take on senior status in October 2023, which allowed him to take a lighter case load until a replacement could be appointed. His decision to rescind his retirement now blocks President-elect Trump from naming a replacement once he enters office. Marbley is an appointee of President Bill Clinton. He announced plans to rescind his retirement in a letter to the White House on Friday. “A successor has not been confirmed, and I have therefore decided to remain on active status and carry out the full duties and obligations of the office,” Marbley wrote in the letter. JUSTICE SONIA SOTOMAYOR FACES PRESSURE TO RETIRE AHEAD OF TRUMP TAKING OFFICE: REPORT Senior status is available to judges over the age of 65 who have completed at least 15 years on the federal bench. HERE ARE THE MOST TALKED-ABOUT CANDIDATES FOR TOP POSTS IN TRUMP’S ADMINISTRATION Marbley’s decision comes as the Biden administration is scrambling to appoint as many judges as possible before the Trump administration takes power in January. There are currently 47 vacant seats in the federal judiciary, and there are 19 more justices who have announced plans to retire. Marbley was among the latter group. The Biden administration has candidates to fill 28 of those seats, if their confirmation processes can be completed in time. As of September, the Biden administration was barely out-pacing the number of judges confirmed by Trump in his first term. Trump had appointed 204 federal judges by Sep. 5, 2020, while Biden had appointed 205 by the same point in his term. Both Biden and Trump have put a renewed emphasis on the federal judiciary, each focusing on quickly facilitating as many appointments as they could during their terms. Their appointments during one term have rivaled those of their predecessors, who had double the time to confirm them. Reuters contributed to this report.
New York Judge Merchan to decide whether to dismiss Trump guilty verdict in Bragg case after election win
New York Judge Juan Merchan on Tuesday is expected to decide whether to uphold or dismiss President-elect Donald Trump’s guilty verdict in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case against him. Trump pleaded not guilty to all 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, but was found guilty in May after a six-week-long unprecedented criminal trial in New York. Merchan is expected to issue a written opinion Tuesday on the president-elect’s request to toss his conviction. Merchan could order a new trial or dismiss the indictment and charges altogether. Merchan was expected to rule in September, but wanted to “avoid any appearance” he was trying to influence the 2024 presidential election. Trump is currently scheduled for sentencing on Nov. 26. The sentencing was first set for July 11th, but then was delayed until September 18. Merchan delayed that sentencing date again until after the election. WHERE DOES TRUMP’S NEW YORK SENTENCING STAND AFTER MASSIVE ELECTION WIN? Trump’s attorneys have requested that Merchan overturn the guilty verdict, citing the United States Supreme Court’s decision that former presidents have substantial immunity from prosecution for official acts in office. Trump’s legal team argued that certain evidence presented by Bragg and New York prosecutors during the trial should not have been admitted, as they were “official acts.” Specifically, Trump attorney Todd Blanche argued that testimony from former White House Communications Director Hope Hicks; former Special Assistant to the President Madeleine Westerhout; testimony regarding The Special Counsel’s Office and Congressional Investigations and the pardon power; testimony regarding President Trump’s response to FEC Inquiries; his presidential Twitter posts and other related testimony was impermissably admitted during trial. Trump attorneys also pointed to Trump’s disclosures to the Office of Government Ethics as president. TRUMP REQUESTS NY JUDGE OVERTURN GUILTY VERDICT, INDICTMENT AFTER SCOTUS IMMUNITY RULING Blanche said that “official-acts evidence” that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg presented to the grand jury “contravened the holding in Trump because Presidents ‘cannot be indicted based on conduct for which they are immune from prosecution,’” the motion read. “The Presidential immunity doctrine recognized in Trump pertains to all ‘criminal proceedings,’ including grand jury proceedings when a prosecutor ‘seeks to charge’ a former President using evidence of official acts.” Blanche argued that Bragg “violated the Presidential immunity doctrine by using similar official-acts evidence in the grand jury proceedings that gave rise to the politically motivated charges in this case.” “Because an Indictment so tainted cannot stand, the charges must be dismissed,” Blanche argued. Blanche also explained that the Supreme Court’s decision does not allow for an “overwhelming evidence” or “harmless error” exception to “the profound institutional interests at stake.” The Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision on presidential immunity came from a question that stemmed from charges brought against Trump in a separate, federal case brought by special counsel Jack Smith related to the events on Jan. 6, 2021 and any alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges in that case. Smith is winding down his cases against Trump following his election as the 47th president of the United States. Smith’s classified records case against Trump was dismissed by a federal judge in Florida earlier this year, who ruled that the special counsel was unlawfully appointed.
Rand Paul backs Kat Cammack for House Republican Conference Chair, Rick Scott for Senate Majority Leader
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who endorsed Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., for Senate Majority Leader, has endorsed Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., for House Republican Conference Chair. House Republicans are slated to vote in leadership elections on Wednesday, according to reports. “@Kat_Cammack is a proven champion of liberty with a strong track record of defending our freedoms and empowering Americans. Her commitment to the Constitution makes her the best choice for the next House Conference Chair,” Paul declared in a post on X. TRUMP NAMES STEFANIK UN AMBASSADOR President-elect Donald Trump selected current House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and Cammack is one of the House Republicans who have announced a bid for the House GOP Conference Chair role. Stefanik was tapped by House Republicans to fill the slot after they ousted Rep. Liz Cheney from the post in 2021. “There is no doubt that we will accomplish many of our America First goals during the 119th Congress. We are unified, we are energized, and we are equipped to deliver on the very platforms we campaigned on during this cycle,” Cammack said in a message to colleagues, according to a copy shared on X by Melanie Zanona of Punchbowl News. “I would be honored to earn your vote and take our country back.” HELENE ‘LIKE A BOMB WENT OFF’: FLORIDA REP KAT CAMMACK DETAILS SEVERE HURRICANE DAMAGE GOP Reps. Lisa McClain of Michigan and Erin Houchin of Indiana have also mounted bids to succeed Stefanik. Scott, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., are vying for the role of Senate GOP Leader. “I will be supporting Rick Scott for Senate Majority Leader. The status quo of $2 Trillion annual deficits is unsustainable,” Paul tweeted last week. SEN. JOSH HAWLEY ‘DELIGHTED’ TO BACK SEN. JOHN CORNYN FOR SENATE MAJORITY LEADER Republican senators are slated to vote on Wednesday.
How disagreements about a Texas death row inmate’s guilt became a legal battle between branches of government
The Texas Supreme Court is considering whether a legislative subpoena of a death row inmate infringed on the executive branch’s power to carry out the execution.
Texas’ 90,000 DACA recipients can sign up for Affordable Care Act coverage — for now
Those enrolled in the federal program shielding them from deportation can enroll through Jan. 15, but a lawsuit and Trump’s anti-immigration stance threaten to eliminate eligibility.