Trump seeks dismissal of hush money conviction on immunity grounds
Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
(NEW YORK) — President-elect Donald Trump’s criminal hush money conviction in New York must be dismissed “to facilitate the orderly transition of Executive power,” Trump’s defense attorneys argued Wednesday in a letter to the court.
Defense attorneys Todd Blanche and Emil Bove — both of whom Trump nominated last week to top DOJ posts in his new administration — sought the judge’s permission to file a motion to dismiss the case.
“Continuing with this case would be uniquely destabilizing,” the defense letter argued. “Just as a sitting President is completely immune from any criminal process, so too is President Trump as President-elect.”
The defense filing comes one day after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg opposed dismissing the case but consented to freeze of all remaining proceedings, including sentencing, until after Trump completes his term.
The defense sought a Dec. 20 deadline to file its motion to dismiss Trump’s 34-count felony conviction for falsifying business records.
Blanche and Bove said that would give Trump time to address “the positions taken by DOJ in the federal cases” Trump faces over the his election interference efforts and his handling of classified documents.
Both of the federal cases are currently paused while the Justice Department evaluates how to proceed.
Trump was convicted in May of all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to silence allegations about a 2006 sexual encounter with Trump in order to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election.
His conviction carries a maximum penalty of up to four years in prison, but first-time offenders would normally receive a lesser sentence.
(WASHINGTON) — On a call with reporters on Inauguration Day morning, incoming White House officials previewed a series of executive orders and other actions they said the incoming Trump administration plans to take to address immigration and U.S. border issues.
“We will protect the American people against invasion,” one of the incoming officials said during the call. “This is about national security. This is about public safety. And this is about the victims of some of the most violent, abusive criminals we’ve seen enter our country in our lifetime. And it ends today.”
Many of the proposed executive orders revealed on Monday’s call require help from international partners like Mexico and would almost certainly spark legal battles.
Although one of the incoming officials said that the call would “preview a series of actions to be taken today,” it was not clear from the call, during which officials took very few questions from reporters, that everything about which they spoke would actually happen Monday.
Here’s a look at some of the promised executive actions:
Declaring a national emergency at the southern border
The incoming administration will be declaring a national emergency at the southern border. This will allow DoD to deploy armed forces to the region and free up resources to build a wall and other barriers there, as he promised to do during his first administration.
“What this action does is it deploys armed forces, erects physical barriers by directing DOD and DHS secretaries to finish the wall along the border, and allows for counter-UAS capabilities near the southern border in addition,” an incoming White House official said.
It’s not totally clear what the official meant by “counter-UAS capabilities,” but it is important to note that since at least the Obama administration, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has used drones and other UAS (unmanned aircraft systems) to help conduct surveillance of the southwest border.
The secretary of defense will be directed to deploy armed troops as well as the National Guard to the border, according to the call. In response to a follow-up question, an incoming White House official was unable to say how many troops will be deployed, responding that the decision “is going to be up to the secretary of defense.”
Clarifying the military’s role in ‘protecting the territorial integrity of the United States’
This executive order aims to allow the military to “prioritize our borders and territorial integrity,” an incoming White House official said during the call. The official further said that the order will direct the military to plan operations to maintain territorial integrity by “repelling forms of invasion including unlawful mass migration, narcotics trafficking, human smuggling and trafficking, and other criminal activities.”
Reinstating ‘remain in Mexico,’ ending ‘catch and release,’ and building the wall
In addition to creating federal and state partnerships to help enforce immigration policies and deportation priorities, this executive order would also aim to end the practice of “catch and release,” and mandates building a wall along the southern U.S. border.
Though often used pejoratively, “catch and release” describes the practice of releasing undocumented immigrants after they’ve been processed at the U.S. border and while they await immigration hearings in court. The term originated during the George W. Bush administration and describes a practice that has been implemented during every administration since, including Donald Trump’s first administration.
Because it’s logistically impossible to safely detain migrants indefinitely, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and other authorities release some migrants into the community to wait out their legal proceedings.
Remain in Mexico is a policy implemented during the first Trump administration that required some asylum seekers to wait in Mexico, rather than in the U.S., as their petitions were processed in U.S. courts. This action would require Mexico’s cooperation, which incoming White House officials did not address during Monday’s call.
Trump also promised during his first presidential campaign to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, and signed an executive order to that end days after assuming office. Few new sections of barrier along the border were erected during his administration, though many sections of damaged or outdated barriers were repaired or replaced.
Designating cartels as foreign terrorist organizations
The incoming administration will sign an executive order to designate drug cartels and other criminal organizations, including the U.S.-El Salvadoran-based MS-13 and Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua, as foreign terrorist organizations or specifically designated global terrorists (SDGT).
An incoming White House official said Monday that the order will direct authorities to specifically remove members of Tren de Agua from the United States. And, citing the Alien Enemies Act enacted more than two centuries ago, the official said Tren de Agua has become an “irregular armed force of Venezuela’s government conducting a predatory incursion and invasion into the United States.”
‘End[ing] asylum … to illegals’ The incoming White House official said the Trump administration is going to “end asylum and close the border to illegals via proclamation.” Essentially, this means undocumented migrants caught between ports of entry will not be able to claim asylum, which in turn will “create an immediate removal process without possibility of asylum,” the incoming official said.
Like other executive orders announced Monday, this one would possibly face legal hurdles for several reasons. Current laws allow asylum seekers the ability to attempt to request asylum or protection once they enter the country, regardless of if they crossed between ports of entry. This has been the basis for several legal battles against some of the more recent asylum restrictions that the Biden administration implemented in June 2024.
Suspending refugee resettlement
The incoming official said during Monday’s call that the incoming Trump administration also plans to suspend refugee resettlements for at least four months.
Ending birthright citizenship
An incoming officials on Monday’s call said “We are then going to end birthright citizenship. This action gives effect to the phrase ‘and subject to the jurisdiction thereof’ in the 14th Amendment to clarify that … the federal government will not recognize automatic birthright citizenship for children of illegal aliens born in the United States.”
It was unclear from Monday’s call whether ending birthright citizenship will be part of the day’s announcements or will come later. Trump made the same promise during his first term in office.
Enhanced vetting
The incoming official said Monday that the new administration is also going to “enhance vetting and screening of illegal aliens” and direct agencies to provide recommendations to the president for suspending entry for migrants from “countries of particular concern.”
Creating ‘homeland security task forces’
To help target gang members, criminals and other undocumented migrants, the new administration is planning to establish “federal homeland security task forces” so federal, state and local law enforcement can cooperate further in removing them.
Restoring the death penalty when a law enforcement officer is murdered According to the incoming official, the new administration plans to “restore the death penalty in public safety” by directing the attorney general to seek capital punishment when an undocumented immigrant murders a law enforcement officer or commits other capital crimes. The new administration will also encourage state attorneys general and district attorneys to also pursue the death penalty in such cases, according to the incoming official.
(WASHINGTON) — The Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C, caused panda-monium on Christmas Day when it released a video of it’s newest celebrities, Bao Li and Qing Bao.
In the video, the giant pandas are seen rolling in grass, climbing trees and being “unbearably cute.”
The young pandas were brought to the zoo this past fall.
Bao Li, pronounced as BOW-lee, is a male and was born Aug 4. 2021. According to the National Zoo website, “Bao” means precious and treasure in Mandarin Chinese. The name “Li” refers to vitality and strength, and “Bao Li” means an active and vital power.
Qing Bao, pronounced ching-BOW, is a female and was born Sep 12. 2021. Her name means “green” and “treasure” in Mandarin Chinese. According to the National Zoo website, “Qing” describes the lush and mountainous habitat of pandas. “Bao” reflects how cherished and adored she is.
The pandas are set to debut to the public on Jan 24, 2025, in their renovated habitat on Asia Trail.
(WASHINGTON) — New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is throwing his support behind proposed federal legislation that would address unmanned aircraft systems as the state deals with an ever-growing spate of drone sightings. The bill would grant the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice more authority over the unmanned aircraft.
Murphy wrote to President Joe Biden and congressional leaders Thursday calling for more federal resources and the passing of the legislation in light of the unexplained drones sightings within the state’s airspace in recent weeks.
“As New Jersey works alongside our federal partners to identify the source of these UAS, the clock is ticking on the authorization language that enables us to do so,” Murphy wrote. “On December 20th, the U.S Department of Homeland Security and the FBI’s counter-UAS authority will lapse alongside the continuing resolution currently funding the federal government. State and local law enforcement entities lack the authority and capability to counter and mitigate UAS, which would significantly hamper our ability to understand what is happening, so it is of utmost importance that this language is reauthorized in a timely manner.”
“It is also clear that this is not a job the federal government can do on its own and I would encourage you to empower state and local law enforcement entities with the ability to use advanced detection and mitigation technology,” he continued. “Senators [Gary] Peters (D-MI) and [Ron] Johnson (R-WI) have pending legislation, the ‘Safeguarding the Homeland from the Threats Posed by Unmanned Aircraft Systems Act of 2023’ (S.1631) that would accomplish these goals.”
The legislation would allow Homeland Security and the DOJ personnel who are tasked with the safety, security or protection of people, facilities or assets “to detect, identify, monitor, track, and mitigate a credible threat … that an unmanned aircraft system or unmanned aircraft poses to the safety or security of a covered facility or asset,” according to the legislation.
Some of the specific actions also include: warning the operator of the unmanned aircraft system; disrupting control of the unmanned aircraft system; seizing or exercising control of the unmanned aircraft system; seizing or otherwise confiscating the unmanned aircraft system; and even using reasonable force, if necessary, to disable, damage, or destroy the unmanned aircraft system, according to the legislation.
The final section, on disabling, damaging or destroying the drones echoes the sentiment expressed by several politicians, including Democratic Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal and other local officials, that local officials should be able to shoot down any unknown drones to study where they are coming from.
The Department of Homeland Security has warned against that, saying, “Shooting down a drone can pose safety risks to people and property on the ground. Debris from a downed drone can cause injury or damage, especially in populated areas.” Anyone who unlawfully shoots down a drone can also be fined up to $250,000 and face up to 20 years in prison, according to the DHS.
The legislation suggests launching a pilot program for state, local, tribal or territorial agencies to enroll in, allowing them authority over drones for a period of up to six years. Government agencies that are a part of the pilot program will need to report to Congress their usage of the authority, including any privacy or civil liberties complaints.
The secretary of transportation and the attorney general may also provide regulations and shall issue guidance in relation to action stemming from the proposed legislation. They are also to coordinate with the Federal Aviation Administration and the secretary of transportation before carrying out any action.
“I wrote to [Biden] to express my concerns about reports of unmanned aircraft systems in and around NJ airspace. Since existing laws limit the ability of state and local law enforcement to counter UAS, more federal resources are needed to understand what is behind this activity,” Murphy said in a statement.
In his letter to Biden, Murphy wrote that unmanned aircraft systems have introduced additional risks to pubic safety, privacy and homeland security while state and local law enforcement “remain hamstrung by existing laws and policies to successfully counteract them, leaving action around UAS squarely on the shoulders of the federal government.”
“New Jersey residents deserve more concrete information about these UAS sightings and what is causing them. The continued reporting of UAS activity has raised more questions than answers and prompted an outcropping of conspiracy theories across social media and other platforms,” Murphy said.
