Tuesday, November 12, 2024

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1/ A New York judge postponed his decision on whether to dismiss Trump’s 34 felony convictions of orchestrating an illegal conspiracy to influence the 2016 presidential election by falsifying business records. Trump has argued that his return to the White House means the verdict should be set aside because the Supreme Court granted immunity to presidents for all official acts in office. Trump’s lawyers asked to throw out the case, saying it’s “necessary to avoid unconstitutional impediments to President Trump’s ability to govern.” Prosecutors said they needed time to assess the “unprecedented circumstances” of a convicted felon being elected president, including whether they want to keep the verdict intact and proceed with sentencing that is scheduled for Nov. 26. Justice Juan Merchan agreed to pause all proceedings until Nov. 19. The ruling is a win for Trump, the nation’s first former president to become a felon, and its first felon to become a president-elect. (New York Times / Washington Post / Politico / CBS News / Associated Press / The Guardian / NBC News / Axios)

2/ The Supreme Court denied Mark Meadows’ request to move his Georgia election interference case to federal court. Meadows and Trump are among 19 people charged by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis with taking part in a scheme to violate state racketeering law. His lawyers argued that the case should be moved because he was acting as a “federal officer” at the time, but the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals turned away Meadows’s arguments, writing that the statute “does not apply to former federal officers, and even if it did, the events giving rise to this criminal action were not related to Meadows’s official duties.” (Bloomberg / Washington Post / NBC News / Axios / The Hill)

3/ Trump appointed Mike Waltz as national security adviser, Mike Huckabee as ambassador to Israel, Lee Zeldin to lead the EPA, Kristi Noem as secretary of Homeland Security, Marco Rubio as secretary of state, and Steve Witkoff as special envoy to the Middle East. Waltz, known for his outspoken stance against China, has previously supported prolonged U.S. involvement in Afghanistan. Huckabee, a strong supporter of Israel, has publicly condemned Hamas as incapable of honorable negotiation. Zeldin opposed Biden’s 2022 climate law, while Rubio, a prominent foreign policy hawk, has advocated for strict policies on China, Iran, Venezuela, and Cuba. Noem has faced scrutiny for re...

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