TOP O’ THE MORNIN’
Red-Hot at RedState
We’ll probably never know what Donald and Barack discussed. But for one moment at least, the political games dissipated. And Trump seems to be appreciative of the new tone around D.C. these days.
When I saw that my first thought was that it was one of the most classless things I’d ever seen a member of Congress do, and I wasn’t the only one.
But Fetterman might have one problem with being Pope to Greenland. It’s really cold there and I think he would have to wear long pants. So he might not get the appointment.
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Second Amendment advocates in Colorado aren’t going to be laughing, though, because they have a steep Rocky Mountain to climb to stop this bill from becoming law in the first place.
And then, you’ll see Newsom lying repeatedly to slither away from an uncomfortable confrontation with a constituent who’s been ruined by his policies and management like the reptile he is.
The awkwardness was so apparent that CNN’s Jake Tapper made a point of noting the “chilly reception” between Biden and Harris.
The LAFD has been criticized for spending an inordinate amount of time on DEI initiatives and less on vital aspects of training, like stopping wildfires.
We think someone lacks the courage of their convictions.
WHAT’S ON TAP?
Today on Capitol Hill…
Thursday saw an overwhelming bipartisan victory in the Senate (albeit just one small step in the process) on the Laken Riley Act. The upper chamber voted 84-9 to advance the act to debate. While next week will see several amendment votes, the support from both sides of the aisle on the measure bodes well for its passage.
Also, JD Vance is no longer the senator from Ohio. He resigned from his seat at midnight, ahead of his being sworn in as the 50th vice president of the United States in 10 days. Gov. Mike DeWine will appoint his replacement, who will serve until a special election is held for the seat in 2026.
Members of the House Freedom Caucus are set to meet with President-elect Donald Trump on Friday at Mar-a-Lago.
White House What’s Up
With his trip to Rome, Italy, postponed, President (for 10 more days) Joe Biden will spend his Friday at the White House, first receiving his Daily Brief, and then in the late morning, meeting with key officials for a briefing on the Los Angeles wildfires. Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre will host a press briefing in the afternoon.
Full Court Press…
After a flurry of rulings Thursday, Trump is set to appear (virtually) before Judge Juan Merchan in Manhattan for his sentencing, beginning at 9:30 a.m. Eastern. Merchan has signaled his intent to issue an unconditional discharge, meaning no jail time or significant punishment, but the conviction will stand (pending appeal). The proceedings are not expected to last all that long and will not be televised, but we will, of course, report on them as information becomes available.
The Department of Justice, after successfully opposing efforts by Trump’s co-defendants in the classified documents case to block (former) Special Counsel Jack Smith’s release of his “Final Report” in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, is now going for broke, appealing the order of Judge Aileen Cannon prohibiting the release of the report until three days after the Court of Appeals ruling on the matter (i.e., Sunday). The DOJ wants Cannon’s order vacated altogether. Expect a ruling from the 11th Circuit on that matter sometime Friday.
In the Southern District of New York, the DOJ has now asked the court overseeing the (former) Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) trial to sentence Menendez to 15 years of imprisonment. We’ll keep an eye on how that shakes out as well.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court will be taking up the TikTok ban, hearing oral argument beginning at 10:00 a.m. Eastern.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
There’s been some shuffling and updating of committee hearings regarding Trump’s nominees next week. Here is the latest:
MORNING MUSING
I have to tell you, I’m rather disappointed in the Supreme Court after their decision Thursday evening declining to place a stay on Trump’s sentencing — not because of the outcome. I don’t expect Friday’s proceedings to have a significant practical effect at this point. (They’d better not.) But because of the rationale the court offered for its decision. The whole point of immunity is to protect those possessing it from the process. And merely because Judge Merchan has signaled he doesn’t intend to slap Trump all that hard, that should not obviate the core principle involved here. I largely expected the left-leaners of the court to rule the way they did. That Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney-Barrett chose to do so as well and based on such a simplistic, ends-justify-means rationale is extraordinarily disheartening. As I noted on X, I feel like they may as well have just written this order in crayon.
I feel like they could/should have written this order in crayon.
— Susie Moore ⚾️🌻🐶 (@SmoosieQ) January 10, 2025
LIGHTER FARE
One of my favorite things about cats is that they often appear to forget/not realize their tail belongs to them.
😹😹😹 pic.twitter.com/fHD64nBqw0
— No Cats No Life (@NoCatsNoLife_m) January 9, 2025
