How a year can change things. At this time last year, Donald Trump was facing hundreds of millions of dollars in penalties from civil actions that had been filed against him, as well as the possibility of four criminal prosecutions that may result in years in prison. The criminal proceedings against him are currently in doubt; two federal prosecutions have already been dropped, one state case is pending, and the heavy civil judgments against him may be weakened by appeals courts. Trump's election victory is mostly to blame for the situation's transformation.The Justice Department's ruling that sitting presidents cannot be prosecuted led to the dismissal of the federal cases; Trump's attorneys have stated that this ruling should also apply to the state cases. Meanwhile, Trump's lawyers in h...

WASHINGTON—In response to President-elect Donald Trump's demand that his program be passed in a single, stunning measure, House Speaker Mike Johnson is outlining a very ambitious plan that will put his razor-thin Republican majority to the test. Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, stated on Sunday that the party-line plan will have issues pertaining to manufacturing, energy, taxation, and border security. In addition, he demanded that the package be passed out of the House as early as the first week of April and that the debt ceiling be extended. For a slim House majority of 219–215, which is predicted to get much smaller in the upcoming months as two GOP lawmakers step down to join the Trump administration, that is an extraordinarily high order. Johnson will then be unable to lose a sin...

As he attempts to bring his recent political triumph to the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, tech entrepreneur Elon Musk is encountering strong opposition in European cities. In separate speeches on Monday, the leaders of four European nations—France, Germany, Norway, and the United Kingdom—denounced his influence and cautioned that Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, shouldn't get involved in their nations' politics. Musk, the richest person in the world and a close friend of Donald Trump, has been attacking international leaders on social media. He has been writing constantly on his app, X, and is attempting to replicate the impact he had on American politics the previous year. Musk has frequently used his social media posts to support far-right candidates in different European nations. ...

Ten days before his inauguration, on Friday, President-elect Donald Trump's request to postpone the sentencing hearing in his criminal case in New York was denied by a New York judge on Monday. The court should postpone the sentencing hearing set for January 10, 2025, and all subsequent deadlines in the case until President Trump's immunity appeals are finally and completely resolved, according to a filing made public earlier in the day by Trump's lawyers to state Judge Juan Merchan. In a decision issued late Monday, Merchan dismissed that argument. "This Court has considered Defendant's arguments in support of his motion and finds that they are for the most part, a repetition of the arguments he has raised numerous times in the past," wrote Merchan. In a decision last week, Merchan denied...

WASHINGTON — In response to President-elect Donald Trump's demand that his agenda be passed in a single, massive measure, House Speaker Mike Johnson is outlining a very ambitious proposal that would put his razor-thin Republican majority to the test. Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, stated on Sunday that the party-line plan will include elements pertaining to energy, border security, promoting manufacturing, and taxation. In addition, he demanded that the package be passed out of the House as early as the first week of April and that the debt ceiling be extended. With two GOP lawmakers resigning to join the Trump administration, the House's slim majority of 219–215 is predicted to get much smaller in the upcoming months, making that an exceedingly high order. Until those seats are fil...

The extraordinary action taken by two of the 37 federal prisoners whose death sentences were reduced by President Joe Biden last month, sparing them from the capital penalty, is that they are refusing to sign documents acknowledging his compassionate action. Inmates Len Davis and Shannon Agofsky of the U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana, filed emergency motions in federal court in the southern district of the state on December 30 to prevent their death sentences from being converted to life in prison without the possibility of parole. As they attempt to appeal their cases on the grounds of innocence, the guys feel that getting their sentences modified will damage them legally. The courts meticulously review death penalty appeals through a judicial process called "heightened scrutiny...

At least 66 instances of bird flu have been reported in the United States, marking the somber milestone of the country's first human fatality from the illness. Considered the nation's first serious human H5N1 infection, the patient, who was over 65 and had underlying medical issues, was admitted to a Louisiana hospital in December. The patient was exposed to both wild and backyard birds, according to the Louisiana Department of Health. In a statement, the Department offered its sincere condolences to the patient's friends and family as they grieve the loss of a loved one. This will be the patient's last update due to patient confidentiality and family respect. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, all but one of the documented human bird flu cases in the United Stat...

The subject of whether fluoride in drinking water is associated with lower IQ scores in youngsters is once again brought up by a recent study. A review of 74 previous studies examining the potential effects of the mineral on children's IQ scores was published in JAMA Pediatrics on Monday. The study discovered a statistically significant correlation between children's IQ scores and increased fluoride exposure. In an email, Kyla Taylor, the study's author and a health scientist at the National Institute of Environmental Health Studies at the National Institutes of Health, stated that the more fluoride a child is exposed to, the more likely it is that their IQ will be lower than if they were not exposed. It was not possible to interview Taylor. According to Taylor, children's IQs drop by 1.63...

In a court petition released on Monday, President-elect Donald Trump is requesting a delay of his Friday sentencing in the hush money case. In the submission to New York State Judge Juan Merchandated on Sunday, Trump's lawyers requested that the Court should revoke the sentence hearing set for January 10, 2025, and postpone all subsequent dates in the case until President Trump's immunity challenges are concluded. In a decision last week, Merchan rejected Trump's attempt to have the case dismissed and mandated that his sentencing on 34 felony charges of fabricating business records take place this week, just in time for his inauguration. According to Trump's filing, he is entitled to a "automatic stay" and will appeal those rulings to the state Appellate Division later on Monday. The appea...

At least five NFL teams are currently searching for new head coaches after Black Monday axes fell in Jacksonville and slightly earlier in New England, while another unemployment sword hung in Dallas. In the NFL's gloomy yearly practice of selecting fall men, the Jacksonville Jaguars fired Super Bowl-winning coach Doug Pederson on Monday after a dismal 2024 regular season that ended on Sunday night. Just moments after finishing their 4-13 season, the New England Patriots made a bold move on Black Monday by firing rookie head coach Mayo on Sunday. By late Monday afternoon, it remained unclear if Mike McCarthy would be fired by the Dallas Cowboys following their poor 7-10 campaign. The New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears, and New York Jets were already using temporary coaches and are anticipate...