
Take a look at our newest merchandise
Blinken says Trump’s name for US to take over Greenland ‘not going to occur’
Antony Blinken, the outgoing secretary of state, stated that Donald Trump’s concept of the USA taking on Greenland – maybe by army pressure – is “not a very good one” and won’t occur.
“I feel one of many fundamental propositions we delivered to our work over the past 4 years is that we’re stronger, we’re simpler, We get higher outcomes once we’re working carefully with our allies, not saying or doing issues that will alienate them,” Blinken stated at a press convention in Paris held alongside French international minister Jean-Noël Barrot.
“Having stated that, the thought expressed about Greenland is clearly not a very good one, however perhaps extra necessary, it’s clearly one which’s not going to occur. So we in all probability shouldn’t waste a number of time speaking about it.”
Blinken will step down as soon as Joe Biden leaves workplace on 20 January. Trump has nominated Marco Rubio, the Republican Florida senator, to succeed him.
Key occasions
Biden heading to Los Angeles-area fireplace station as wildfires threaten metropolis
Joe Biden is in Los Angeles as wildfires threaten a number of of its neighborhoods and suburbs, and will probably be heading to a fireplace station in Santa Monica this afternoon, the White Home stated.
The president will obtain a briefing from California state firefighting officers throughout his go to, and has additionally spoken to the state’s governor Gavin Newsom concerning the blazes.
We have now a dwell weblog overlaying the catastrophe, which has destroyed 1,000 constructions to date. Observe alongside right here:
Chief of Senate Democrats says Trump’s feedback on Gulf of Mexico quantity to ‘unusual, and moderately random, concepts’
Chuck Schumer, the Democratic Senate minority chief, stated Donald Trump ought to give attention to discovering a plan to decrease prices for Individuals, moderately than on points like renaming the Gulf of Mexico.
Yesterday, the president-elect stated the physique of water that stretches alongside the US and Mexican coasts ought to be renamed to the “Gulf of America”.
“Donald Trump throws out a number of unusual, and moderately random, concepts frequently. He did it yesterday, when suggesting we rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America,” Schumer stated at the moment, in remarks on the Senate ground.
“Nicely, let me say this: I’d conform to working with Donald Trump on renaming the Gulf of Mexico, provided that he first agrees to work with us on an precise plan to decrease prices for Individuals. That’s what the American individuals need us to give attention to first, not on renaming our bodies of water. Our Democratic priorities are a lot extra carefully aligned with the considerations of the American individuals than Donald Trump’s appear to be.”
Democrats could also be headed for at the least two years within the minority within the US Home and Senate, however yesterday managed to preserved their management of Virginia’s state legislature in a particular election. Right here’s extra, from the Guardian’s Michael Sainato:
Democrats in Virginia preserved their majority within the state legislature late on Tuesday within the first statewide elections since Donald Trump’s presidential victory in November.
In particular elections for open seats, Kannan Srinivasan, a Democratic state consultant, defeated Republican Tumay Harding in a race for an open state senate seat in Loudon county, Virginia, simply exterior of Washington DC.
Democrat JJ Singh received an open state home seat in the identical county, over Republican Ram Venkatachalam. Republicans held on to a state senate seat vacated by John McGuire, who received a primary time period within the US Home of Representatives in November 2024.
The state Democrats have a slim 21-to-19 seat majority within the state senate and a 51-to-49 lead within the state home, making issues troublesome for the state’s Republican governor, Glenn Youngkin, within the closing yr of his first time period in workplace. He flipped the governorship to Republican within the November 2021 election.
Prime Home Democrat says social gathering has no real interest in cooperating with Trump’s calls to develop the US
Democratic Home minority chief Hakeem Jeffries took a swipe at Donald Trump’s requires the USA to take management of Greenland and the Panama Canal and merge with Canada, saying his social gathering’s lawmakers weren’t elected to pursue such insurance policies.
“Home Democrats consider that they don’t seem to be despatched Washington to invade Greenland, rename the Gulf of Mexico or seize the Panama Canal by pressure. We have been despatched to Washington to decrease the excessive price of dwelling in the USA of America,” Jeffries stated at a press convention.
Requested if he would get behind Trump’s name yesterday to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America”, Jeffries reiterated his earlier feedback about decreasing prices. “Housing prices are too excessive, grocery prices are too excessive, insurance coverage prices are too excessive, utility prices are too excessive and childcare prices are too excessive. We have now to construct an reasonably priced financial system for arduous working American taxpayers.”
Jeffries stated he didn’t count on to satisfy with Trump later at the moment, when the president-elect has a gathering scheduled with Senate Republicans, however expects to speak with him sooner or later.
Greenland is an autonomous a part of Denmark, and the Danish international minister stated they might be open to discussing safety considerations over the island with Donald Trump’s administration, however downplayed the potential for it changing into a part of the USA. Right here’s extra, from the Guardian’s Patrick Wintour, Kim Willsher and Miranda Bryant:
Denmark has stated it’s open to dialogue with Donald Trump about his reliable safety considerations after the incoming US president stated he was ready to make use of financial tariffs or army pressure to grab management of Danish-administered Greenland.
Lars Løkke Rasmussen, the skilled Danish international minister, insisted he didn’t see a political disaster, however stated it was in everybody’s pursuits to decrease the temperature within the discussions.
“We’re open to a dialogue with the Individuals on how we will probably cooperate much more carefully than we do to make sure that the American ambitions are fulfilled.”
He added: “I’ve my very own points with Donald Trump and I additionally know that you just shouldn’t say every part you assume out loud.”
However he performed down the likelihood that Greenland would ever turn out to be a part of the US: “We absolutely recognise that Greenland has its personal ambitions. In the event that they materialise, Greenland will turn out to be unbiased, although hardly with an ambition to turn out to be a federal state in the USA.”
On the similar time he praised the French international minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, who informed France Inter radio: “There isn’t any query of the EU letting different nations on this planet, whoever they could be, assault its sovereign borders.”
Barrot added that, whereas he didn’t consider the US “would invade” Greenland, “we now have entered an period that’s seeing the return of the legislation of the strongest”.
Blinken says Trump’s name for US to take over Greenland ‘not going to occur’
Antony Blinken, the outgoing secretary of state, stated that Donald Trump’s concept of the USA taking on Greenland – maybe by army pressure – is “not a very good one” and won’t occur.
“I feel one of many fundamental propositions we delivered to our work over the past 4 years is that we’re stronger, we’re simpler, We get higher outcomes once we’re working carefully with our allies, not saying or doing issues that will alienate them,” Blinken stated at a press convention in Paris held alongside French international minister Jean-Noël Barrot.
“Having stated that, the thought expressed about Greenland is clearly not a very good one, however perhaps extra necessary, it’s clearly one which’s not going to occur. So we in all probability shouldn’t waste a number of time speaking about it.”
Blinken will step down as soon as Joe Biden leaves workplace on 20 January. Trump has nominated Marco Rubio, the Republican Florida senator, to succeed him.
The justice division didn’t say when it could launch the portion of particular counsel Jack Smith’s report detailing his investigation of Donald Trump’s alleged makes an attempt to overturn the 2020 election, the Related Press stories.
Yesterday, a federal decide in Florida quickly blocked the division from releasing your entire report, and the justice division has requested an appeals court docket to overturn that call.
In the meantime, Donald Trump’s spokesman Steven Cheung has launched an announcement detailing his enchantment to the supreme court docket to dam his sentencing on enterprise fraud fees scheduled for Friday.
“President Trump’s authorized group filed an emergency petition with the USA supreme court docket, asking the court docket to appropriate the unjust actions by New York courts and cease the illegal sentencing within the Manhattan DA’s Witch Hunt,” Cheung stated.
“The supreme court docket’s historic choice on immunity, the structure, and established authorized precedent mandate that this meritless hoax be instantly dismissed. The American Folks elected President Trump with an awesome mandate that calls for a direct finish to the political weaponization of our justice system and all the remaining witch-hunts. We stay up for uniting our nation within the new administration as President Trump makes America nice once more.”
The justice division intends to make particular counsel Jack Smith’s report detailing his investigation into Donald Trump’s possession of labeled paperwork out there solely to the chairmen and rating members of the Home and Senate judiciary committees, the Related Press stories.
“This restricted disclosure will additional the general public curiosity in protecting congressional management apprised of a big matter throughout the Division whereas safeguarding defendants’ pursuits,” the division wrote in a submitting to an appeals court docket that’s weighing a request from Trump’s attorneys to dam launch of the report.
Whereas Smith has dropped the costs in opposition to Trump, he’s persevering with the prosecutions of two of his co-defendants indicted alongside him within the labeled paperwork case.
Justice division intends to launch components of report on Trump’s try to overturn 2020 election, withhold paperwork investigation
The justice division plans to make public a part of particular counsel Jack Smith’s report detailing his investigation into Donald Trump’s try to overturn the 2020 election, however not the portion that appears into the labeled paperwork he’s accused of hiding at his properties, the Related Press stories.
The division made its intent recognized in a court docket submitting responding to a call yesterday by a Florida decide that quickly halted launch of Smith’s report, which is anticipated to element the proof behind the 2 indictments he introduced in opposition to the previous president.
Smith dismissed the costs in November, after Trump received re-election.
He thinks he might have received, and says Trump complimented him: extra takeaways from Biden’s interview
Elsewhere in his interview with USA In the present day, Joe Biden stated he might need crushed Donald Trump within the November election, although just isn’t certain he would have been capable of serve everything of a time period that may have concluded when he was on the age of 86.
He additionally says that the president-elect complimented his financial insurance policies after they met following Trump’s re-election, though the Republican had anchored his marketing campaign on sharp criticisms of Biden’s administration.
Right here’s extra, from USA In the present day:
-
“Who is aware of what I’m going to be after I’m 86 years outdated?”, Biden stated relating to whether or not he would have been capable of deal with one other 4 years within the job. At 82, he’s the oldest president ever to serve.
-
Might he have received? “It’s presumptuous to say that, however I feel sure,” Biden stated within the interview.
-
The president made his assembly with Trump sound pretty cordial. “He was very complimentary about among the financial issues I had achieved. And he talked about − he thought I used to be leaving with a very good report,” Biden stated.
USA In the present day’s interview is the final one Biden has scheduled with a print journalist earlier than he departs the White Home. The president did far fewer interviews and press convention in his time period than a lot of his current predecessors, in response to the College of California, Santa Barbara.
Preemptive pardons by American presidents are uncommon, however not unparalleled. Ought to Joe Biden decide to guard potential targets of retaliation by Donald Trump, like Anthony Fauci or Liz Cheney, from prosecution, right here’s an concept of how that may work, as informed by the Guardian’s Sam Levine:
Joe Biden is reportedly contemplating issuing quite a few preemptive pardons for prime critics of Donald Trump.
Many prime Democrats have urged the US president to think about blanket pardons on account of fears that the president-elect will comply with by on threats of authorized retribution in opposition to his critics when he re-takes workplace in January. Amongst these alleged to obtain clemency are California senator Adam Schiff, California congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, and former Wyoming congresswoman Liz Cheney – all of whom have been publicly threatened by Trump.
The presidential pardon energy has been deployed by presidents starting with George Washington, who pardoned these concerned within the Whiskey Insurrection, to Trump, who pardoned his political allies.
Earlier this month, Biden pardoned 39 Individuals and commuted the sentences of virtually 1,500 individuals. These pardons, touted by the White Home as the most important act of presidential clemency on a single day, adopted Biden’s transfer to subject a sweeping pardon to his son, Hunter, for any federal crimes dedicated over a 10-year interval starting in 2014.
Biden’s pardons have introduced renewed give attention to the expansive energy the US structure provides the president.
Trump asks US supreme court docket to cease Friday sentencing in hush cash case
Attorneys for Donald Trump this morning appealed to the US supreme court docket to pause proceedings within the president-elect’s prosecution on enterprise fraud fees in New York, forward of his sentencing scheduled for Friday, Reuters stories.
Two earlier appeals to cease the sentencing have failed, and now the president-elect’s attorneys are petitioning the nation’s highest court docket, the place conservative justices, three of whom Trump appointed, maintain a six-seat supermajority. Trump’s attorneys need the case placed on pause whereas a separate enchantment they’ve filed, which cites the court docket’s choice final yr in a separate Trump-related case that grants presidents immunity for official acts, performs out.
Juan Merchan, the New York decide presiding over the case, has signaled that he is not going to sentence Trump to jail after being convicted of 34 felony fees associated to concealing a cost to an grownup movie actor made forward of his 2016 election victory. Right here’s extra:
Biden says he might preemptively pardon Liz Cheney, Anthony Fauci, after Trump’s threats of revenge
Good morning, US politics weblog readers. Joe Biden is in his closing days in workplace, and nonetheless has just a few items of unfinished enterprise to cope with earlier than he arms energy to Donald Trump on 20 January. One in every of them is deciding whether or not to subject preemptive pardons to political enemies of the incoming president, similar to former congresswoman Liz Cheney or Anthony Fauci, who spearheaded the combat in opposition to Covid-19 in Trump’s first time period. In an interview with USA In the present day revealed at the moment – a uncommon, closing sit-down interview by a president who spent a lot of his time period avoiding the press – Biden confirmed he should still decide to guard Trump’s enemies from prosecution, and signaled he would resolve based mostly on who the president-elect appoints to prime roles in his administration.
In the meantime, Trump is scrambling to halt the sentencing in his felony enterprise fraud case that’s scheduled to happen in a Manhattan court docket on Friday. Reuters stories that his attorneys have requested the US supreme court docket to intervene to pause the proceedings, although the New York decide presiding over the case has signaled he’s unlikely to condemn the president-elect to jail time. We’ll allow you to if the nation’s highest court docket responds.
Right here’s what else is occurring at the moment:
-
Trump will this night trek to Capitol Hill for a method assembly with the Republican senators tasked with enacting his administration’s priorities, starting from mass deportations to extending tax cuts enacted throughout his first time period.
-
Marjorie Taylor Greene, the rightwing Georgia congresswoman, says she’s going to introduce laws to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America”, as Trump proposed at a rambling press convention yesterday.
-
Los Angeles continues to be battered by three separate wildfires fueled by excessive winds. Observe our dwell weblog as greater than 1,400 firefighters makes an attempt to include the flames.