Donald Trump was sentenced to “unconditional discharge” by Judge Juan Merchan at Manhattan Criminal Court on Friday — just 10 days before his second inauguration to the presidency — after being found guilty on all counts at his hush money trial last year.
The Supreme Court declined to stop the sentencing, its justices ruling 5-4 in favor of allowing Judge Merchan to proceed.
The president-elect appeared virtually for the hearing and reiterated his objections to the case, repeating his claim that he was “very, very unfairly treated.”
Trump was convicted of falsifying business records to hide 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 insisted he would be filing a fresh appeal. He will be the first convicted felon to hold the office of the presidency.
Meanwhile, Rudy Giuliani was held in contempt of court for the second time in a week after a federal judge in Washington, D.C., lambasted the former New York City mayor for repeatedly attacking two election workers he defamed despite a court order blocking him from repeating false statements against them.
Who pays for the presidential inauguration?
Gustaf Kilander looks at the numbers.
Oliver O’Connell11 January 2025 14:50
ANALYSIS: Trump’s hush money sentence ensures a convicted felon is going to the White House
President-elect Donald Trump is not going to jail, at least not today.
He isn’t being forced to pay any fines. He won’t have to check in with a court-ordered probation officer like most criminal defendants with felony convictions.
Oliver O’Connell11 January 2025 14:20
Giuliani held in contempt of court for repeating false claims about defamed election workers
Rudy Giuliani has been held in contempt of court for the second time in a week after a federal judge in Washington, D.C. lambasted the former New York City mayor for repeatedly attacking a pair of election workers he defamed despite a court order that blocks him from repeating false statements against them.
Donald Trump’s former attorney was ordered to appear in court to answer for a string of recent statements falsely alleging the women had manipulated election results in 2020 — claims that landed him a $148 million defamation judgment in 2023.
District Judge Beryl Howell criticized Giuliani for his “baseless whining.” The former mayor called her “bloodthirsty” and “biased” moments before Friday’s hearing started.
Alex Woodward followed today’s proceedings.
Oliver O’Connell11 January 2025 13:50
ANALYSIS: Trump has been on a run of big wins — his own agenda push could end the streak
Thin margins will make near-unanimity on many issues difficult — and Republicans can’t even agree how to go about pushing their legislative agenda through.
Oliver O’Connell11 January 2025 12:30
Report: Trump to declare national economic emergency to push through tariffs
Donald Trump is considering declaring a national economic emergency in order to create the legal grounds for introducing his program of steep tariffs against rival nations, according to CNN.
Even before taking office, the president-elect has threatened tariffs of as much as 10 percent on global imports and 60 percent on Chinese goods, plus a 25 percent import surcharge on Canadian and Mexican products.
Such duties are intended to provide a boost to American manufacturing but experts have warned that, in practice, they could backfire by upending trade flows, raising costs and inviting harmful retaliatory measures.
Joe Sommerlad has the story.
Oliver O’Connell11 January 2025 11:30
Will Trump really pardon nearly 1,600 January 6 rioters?
But how quickly will the pardons begin, and how far will Trump go?
Josh Marcus takes a look.
Oliver O’Connell11 January 2025 10:30
Could GOP’s Laken Riley bill open the door to Trump’s mass deportations?
Immigration attorneys and civil rights groups warn that the first immigration bill of the new Congress is opening the door to Donald Trump’s planned “mass deportation operation” — his pledge to invoke a national emergency, deploy military assets and send state and local law enforcement into immigrant communities across the country within his first days in office.
The Senate voted 84-9 on Thursday to begin debate on the Laken Riley Act, with only nine Democratic senators voting against it and five not voting at all. The House passed the bill by a vote of 264-159 on Tuesday, with 48 Democrats voting for it.
Alex Woodward and Eric Garcia report.
Oliver O’Connell11 January 2025 09:30
