Politics

(NEW YORK) — The only path forward in Donald Trump’s criminal hush money case in New York is vacating his conviction and dismissing the case prior to Trump taking office, lawyers for the president-elect argued in a court filing unsealed Friday.

Trump’s lawyers, responding to a filing by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg unsealed Wednesday, rejected each of Bragg’s proposals to preserve the president-elect’s conviction while respecting the office of the presidency, accusing Bragg of “thuggish tactics” by proposing the judge in the case delay Trump’s sentencing until 2029.

“[A] stay would require President Trump to lead the Country while facing the ongoing threat that this Court and DANY are prepared to impose imprisonment, fines, and other punishment as soon as he leaves Office,” the filing said. “To be clear, President Trump will never deviate from the public interest in response to these thuggish tactics.”

Trump’s lawyers also described a plan proposed by Bragg to abate Trump’s conviction — a mechanism generally used when a defendant has died while a case is pending — as “unhinged” and “extremely troubling.”

“As a further illustration of DA Bragg’s desperation to avoid legally mandated dismissal, DANY proposes that the Court pretend as if one of the assassination attempts against President Trump had been successful,” wrote Trump’s lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, who Trump has nominated to top jobs in the Department of Justice.

Trump was found guilty in May on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in order to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election — but his sentencing in the case has been indefinitely postponed following his reelection. Trump’s lawyers have argued that the entire case should be dismissed because a sitting president is immune from prosecution.

In their filing earlier this week, prosecutors proposed three alternative options to preserve Trump’s sentencing while respecting the prohibition on prosecuting presidents, including delaying the sentencing until 2029, abating the sentencing — which would terminate the case but preserve the record of his conviction — or sentencing Trump to a punishment that does not include incarceration.

Trump’s lawyers rejected each option as unconstitutional and called the case politically motivated, taking the unusual step of citing in the filing’s introduction a Truth Social post by Sen. John Fetterman in which the Pennsylvania Democrat called the case an example of “weaponizing the judiciary.”

“DA Bragg’s interest in maintaining the jury’s verdicts as a notch in whatever belt he plans to wear to campaign events in 2025 is not a basis for interfering with the Executive Branch,” the filing said.

Trump’s lawyers argued that delaying the sentencing until Trump leaves office in 2029 would unfairly require Trump to serve as president while the threat of potential imprisonment hangs over him.

“Staying the proceedings during President Trump’s second term would impede the Presidency and give New York County intolerable leverage over the Executive Branch, which exists for the protection of the entire Nation,” the filing said.

The filing argued that prosecutors’ proposal to abate the case would violate Trump’s right to appeal, and sentencing Trump to something other than prison or jail would still be a “grave and impermissible” danger to the functions of the presidency.

“One would expect more from a first-year law student, and this is yet another indication that DANY’s opposition to this motion has not been undertaken in good faith,” Trump’s lawyers said about the abatement idea.

The filing took an overtly political tone, repeatedly referencing Bragg’s 2025 campaign for reelection and accusing the district attorney of politicizing the case “to defend his poor record.”

“It is abundantly clear at this point that DANY will say and do anything — including urging the Court to disregard the Constitution, the New York Court of Appeals, and the Second Circuit — to try to make this abomination stick,” the filing said.

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(WASHINGTON) — President-elect Donald Trump campaigned relentlessly on grocery prices in the 2024 race, vowing to bring down costs quickly for American families if given four more years in the White House.

But in an interview with Time in conjunction with being named the magazine’s “Person of the Year,” Trump now says doing that will be a “very hard” task.

Trump was asked if his presidency would be considered a “failure” if he didn’t deliver on his promise to slash Americans’ food bills.

“I don’t think so. Look, they got them up,” referring to the Biden-Harris administration. “I’d like to bring them down. It’s hard to bring things down once they’re up. You know, it’s very hard,” Trump said.

The president-elect then added he believed lower prices were possible through boosting energy production and solving supply chain issues.

“But I think that they will. I think that energy is going to bring them down. I think a better supply chain is going to bring them down. You know, the supply chain is still broken. It’s broken,” Trump said.

Just last week, Trump told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he won the election because of immigration and the economy.

“I won on the border, and I won on groceries,” he told NBC’s Kristen Welker. “Very simple word, groceries. Like almost — you know, who uses the word? I started using the word — the groceries. When you buy apples, when you buy bacon, when you buy eggs, they would double and triple the price over a short period of time, and I won an election based on that. We’re going to bring those prices way down.”

Exit polls showed deep discontent with the economy was a big factor in driving voters to Trump.

Inflation spiked to more than 9% during the Biden-Harris administration, a 40-year high. Negative views on the economy plagued President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, with the share of people saying they’ve gotten worse off under the current administration surpassing even Great Recession levels, according to exit poll analysis.

Inflation has since cooled to 2.7% as of November. The latest CPI report found some food items like rice, flour and bacon fell over the past year. But the cost of eggs skyrocketed because of an avian flu outbreak.

Trump said he will bring down prices through increasing American energy production, though domestic oil production under the Biden administration’s reached record levels, as well as through tariffs.

The latter proposal has sparked alarm from many economists, who warn consumers will ultimately be saddled with the effects of slapping taxes on imported goods.

Trump so far proposed high tariffs on China, Mexico and Canada. Mexico and Canada account for the United States’ first and third largest suppliers of agricultural products, according to the Departure of Agriculture.

Asked by NBC’s Welker if he could guarantee Americans won’t pay more because of tariffs, Trump demurred.

“I can’t guarantee anything. I can’t guarantee tomorrow,” he said before going on to claim that before the coronavirus pandemic he had the “greatest economy in the history of our country.”

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(WASHINGTON) — Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi, 84, was hospitalized while abroad on a congressional delegation, her office said on Friday.

“While traveling with a bipartisan Congressional delegation in Luxembourg to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi sustained an injury during an official engagement and was admitted to the hospital for evaluation,” her spokesperson Ian Krager said in a statement.

“Speaker Emerita Pelosi is currently receiving excellent treatment from doctors and medical professionals,” the statement read. “She continues to work and regrets that she is unable to attend the remainder of the CODEL engagements to honor the courage of our servicemembers during one of the greatest acts of American heroism in our nation’s history.”

“Speaker Emerita Pelosi conveys her thanks and praise to our veterans and gratitude to people of Luxembourg and Bastogne for their service in World War II and their role in bringing peace to Europe,” Krager added.

Eighteen House members are part of the delegation, according to House Speaker Mike Johnson. They were to take part in observances of the anniversary of the pivotal World War II battle on Friday and Saturday.

Other lawmakers on the trip include Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, the chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Mark Takano, ranking member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.

Pelosi in November won reelection to her California seat, clinching a landmark 20th term.

Despite stepping down from leadership in 2022 after Republicans won control of the House, Pelosi remains a key Democratic power player. She worked behind the scenes to urge President Joe Biden to step out of the 2024 race after his CNN debate performance, ABC News reported at the time.

Pelosi later said Biden’s late exit from the race was a key factor in Vice President Kamala Harris’ loss to President-elect Donald Trump.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(NEW YORK) — President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., said Thursday he believes anti-obesity drugs “have a place.”

The comment, given in a brief interview to CNBC off the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, was the strongest suggestion yet that, if confirmed to take over the Department Health and Human Services, Kennedy wouldn’t necessarily move to block access to a class of drugs that he’s sharply criticized in the past but that doctors are hailing as a powerful tool in the obesity epidemic.

When asked how he felt by drugs that mimic the actions of the GLP-1 hormone, Kennedy said “the first line of response should be lifestyle, it should be eating well, making sure that you don’t get obese, and that those GLP drugs have a place.”

Kennedy’s aside comes one day after Trump adviser Elon Musk said he believes “nothing would do more to improve the health, lifespan and quality of life for Americans than making GLP inhibitors super low cost to the public.”

The seeming endorsement of medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound from two people who have Trump’s ear is likely to be a relief for the pharmaceutical industry following Kennedy’s sharp questioning of America’s reliance on weight-loss medications. Previously, Kennedy has said that if America paid more for quality food, it would solve the obesity crisis “overnight” — a statement obesity experts criticized as overly simplistic.

Still in question is how the incoming administration plans to handle coverage of the drugs through Medicare and Medicaid and any regulation of the private insurance industry.

The Biden administration has called for Medicare and Medicaid to expand coverage of weight-loss drugs for people struggling with obesity, not just as a treatment for diabetes. But because that rule won’t kick in until 2026, it’ll be up to the incoming administration to enact.

Covering GLP-1 drugs under federal health insurance programs would come at a significant cost to the country. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that expanding coverage of anti-obesity drugs in Medicare alone would increase federal spending by about $35 billion from 2026 to 2034.

Calley Means, a top adviser to Kennedy, has criticized the Biden proposal’s embrace of weight-loss drugs instead of pushing lifestyle changes and suggested that the incoming administration should work on “benefit flexibility where patients can work with their doctors on the best solution to reverse obesity for them,” including “lifestyle coaching, food interventions, or, in some cases, drugs.”

Means also said the government should ensure the price mirrors European costs.

“The problem isn’t that Ozempic exists,” Means tweeted on Thursday. “It is the fact that this Danish company has been able to pay US regulators, media, and lawmakers to force this drug down our throats as the only option.”

In the CNBC interview on Thursday, Kennedy also reiterated his stance that he doesn’t oppose all vaccines.

While Kennedy has said he’s not opposed to all vaccines, he has falsely claimed that childhood vaccines cause autism, despite the retraction of the fraudulent study that originally suggested this link, and numerous subsequent high-quality studies disproving this theory.

In a Time magazine interview, Trump said the issue of vaccine safety still warrants a “big discussion” and that he would be open to restricting some vaccines if Kennedy found them “dangerous.”

Kennedy has said he is “fully vaccinated,” except against COVID-19.

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(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden said Thursday that he was pardoning 39 people who were convicted of non-violent crimes and was commuting the sentences of nearly 1,500 people on home confinement, who he said have “shown successful rehabilitation and have shown commitment to making their communities stronger and safer.”

The White House described the actions as the “largest single-day grant of clemency in modern history.”

“These commutation recipients, who were placed on home confinement during the COVID pandemic, have successfully reintegrated into their families and communities and have shown that they deserve a second chance,” Biden said in a statement.

According to the White House fact sheet, some of those getting clemency on Thursday include a military veteran who spends time helping church members in poor health, a nurse who has helped in emergency response and an addiction counselor who volunteers to help young people.

The White House hinted that this isn’t the last of Biden’s pardons during his final months in office.

“He wants to take additional steps, obviously, to provide meaningful second chances,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at the daily briefing on Thursday. “This is what this is all about.”

But Jean-Pierre declined to say whether Biden was considering possible preemptive pardons for individuals who could be targeted by the Trump administration, such as former congresswoman Liz Cheney or Dr. Anthony Fauci. ABC News previously reported Biden was weighing the option, according to a source close to the president.

“I’m not going to get ahead of the president,” Jean-Pierre told ABC News White House Correspondent MaryAlice Parks when pressed on the issue. “As I said, we’ll have more — the president will have more to announce over the upcoming weeks as we are close out our time here.”

“I’m not going to get into the president’s thinking,” she continued. “He’s going to have conversations with his team. He’s going to review clemency petitions. He’s going to review options on the table.”

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(WASHINGTON) — President-elect Donald Trump’s picks for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, and director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, are continuing to try to shore up support with senators ahead of confirmation hearings next month.

Gabbard will meet with incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., on Thursday. She is also expected to meet with GOP Sen. Bill Hagerty, a member of the Senate Judiciary and Foreign Relations Committees.

This is Gabbard’s first week making the rounds on Capitol Hill since being tapped by Trump to oversee a sprawling network of 18 agencies in his new administration, despite her inexperience in the intelligence field.

A former Democratic congresswoman and member of the National Guard, Gabbard has face scrutiny for 2017 meetings with Syria’s authoritarian leader Bashar Assad (whose regime was toppled this week) and for controversial views on Russia.

Trump remarked on Gabbard, and his other Cabinet picks, during his interview with Time for the magazine’s “Person of the Year” honor. The interview was conducted on Nov. 25.

Trump said he was surprised by the criticism of Gabbard.

“I mean, I think she’s a great American,” he said. “I think she’s a person with tremendous common sense. I’ve watched her for years, and she has nothing to do with Russia. This is another, you know, a mini Russia, Russia, Russia scam.”

When asked if he’d rethink her possible appointment if foreign allies began withholding intelligence, Trump said, “I think probably, if that’s what’s happening. No, I don’t see it. Certainly, if something can be shown to me.”

Hegseth, another embattled Trump pick, is also back on Thursday to meet with senators, including Kentucky Republican Rand Paul. Notably, he’s also expected to meet with Democrat Sen. John Fetterman, the first to meet with him.

Hegseth’s faced pushback amid allegations of sexual impropriety, public drunkenness and other misconduct — which he’s largely denied. But this week, it appeared he was gaining some Republican support.

Trump’s doubled down on support for Hegseth, and pressure from his MAGA allies on potential GOP skeptics has shown early signs of paying off.

Kash Patel, Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, was also spotted back in the Senate hallways on Thursday.

Trump, in the Time interview, was pressed on if he was still considering recess appointments to install his Cabinet picks. Recess appointments would bypass the Senate’s constitutionally-mandated “advice and consent” role regarding Cabinet officials. Trump made a demand that whoever leads the Senate Republican Conference in the new Congress be open to them.

“I really don’t care how they get them approved, as long as they get them approved,” Trump said.

“But I think I have a very good relationship with Senator Thune and the others, all of them. I think almost, almost everybody, many of them I was very instrumental in getting, if not this season, last season, the season before that, I would say more than half,” Trump added.

So far, one of Trump’s pick faced insurmountable opposition.

Former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, also accused of sexual misconduct, was Trump’s first pick for attorney general. Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration as opposition mounted to his selection.

Trump was asked by Time what he’d do if the Senate balked at any more of his choices.

“Well, I don’t think they will,” he said. He said he told Gaetz, “You know, Matt, I don’t think this is worth the fight.”

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(WASHINGTON) — President-elect Donald Trump has invited China‘s President Xi Jinping to his inauguration in January, his spokesperson said Thursday.

Incoming White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed reports about the invitation on Fox News on Thursday morning.

Asked if she could confirm if Trump has invited Xi to his inauguration, Leavitt said, “That is true, yes and this is an example of President Trump creating an open dialogue with leaders of countries that are not just our allies, but our adversaries and our competitors, too. We saw this in his first term — he got a lot of criticism for it; but it led to peace around this world; he is willing to talk to anyone, and he will always put America’s interests first.”

Leavitt said it is “to be determined” if the Chinese president has RSVP’d, and that other world leaders are being invited as well.

CBS News was first to report that Xi Jinping had been invited.

In October, in an interview with podcaster Joe Rogan, Trump called Xi a “brilliant guy.”

“He controls 1.4 billion people with an iron fist. I mean, he’s a brilliant guy, whether you like it or not,” he said.

Trump has threatened to impose a 10% tariff on imports from China. He and Xi last met at the G20 summit in Japan in 2019.

Asked about the inauguration invitation Thursday as he made an appearance at the New York Stock Exchange, Trump wouldn’t comment on whether Xi has committed to attend.

“Well, I’ve invited a lot of great people. And they’ve all accepted. Everybody I invited has accepted,” Trump said.

“President Xi, as well?” reporters asked. Trump dodged, saying, “Very good relationship.”

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(WASHINGTON) — President-elect Donald Trump has been named Time magazine’s “2024 Person of the Year,” it was announced on Thursday.

The feature story includes an interview with Trump, in which he discusses immigration, abortion and his incoming administration.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden said Thursday that he was pardoning 39 people who were convicted of non-violent crimes and was commuting the sentences of 1,500 people on home confinement, who he said have “shown successful rehabilitation and have shown commitment to making their communities stronger and safer.”

“These commutation recipients, who were placed on home confinement during the COVID pandemic, have successfully reintegrated into their families and communities and have shown that they deserve a second chance,” Biden said in a statement.

According to the White House fact sheet, some of those getting clemency on Thursday include a military veteran who spends time helping church members in poor health, a nurse who has helped in emergency response and an addiction counselor who volunteers to help young people.

The White House hinted that this isn’t the last of Biden’s pardons during his final months in office, saying that “in the coming weeks, the President will take additional steps to provide meaningful second chances and continue to review additional pardons and commutations.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(WASHINGTON) — Banking customers could save up to $5 billion per year on overdraft fees under a new rule finalized Thursday by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Rohit Chopra, the director of the government watchdog in charge of protecting the public’s finances, told ABC News the final rule would cap overdraft fees at $5 for many customers.

That would mark a significant savings from the typical $35 fee that millions of customers pay when they withdraw more money from their checking accounts than they have available. The CFPB estimated the new rule could save the typical household $225 per year.

“Big banks love overdraft. It is easy profit for them, but it is punishing for so many Americans, especially those who live paycheck to paycheck,” Chopra told ABC News in an exclusive interview.

The CFPB announced the proposal in January as part of a broader effort by the administration of President Joe Biden to crack down on so-called junk fees. The new rule will take effect Oct. 1, 2025 — but legal challenges could delay that timeline. And Republicans in Congress could also pursue avenues to roll back the rules under a Trump administration.

GOP leaders, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, have frequently criticized the Biden administration for overreach and “runaway regulation.”

The Consumer Bankers Association, an industry group representing the nation’s biggest banks, echoed that concern, calling the CFPB rule “just the latest in a myriad of unnecessary and costly regulations by this Administration that seems guided by political polling, rather than by sound policy created by what should be independent agencies,” in a statement to ABC News in January.

But some big banks, including Bank of America, Citi and Capital One, already voluntarily lowered or eliminated overdraft fees — giving heft to the rule, regardless of its final implementation.

“I think some big banks admit that this has gone way too far and gone on way too long. And many of them are even finding that offering low or free overdraft products and services actually helps them gain customers who are looking to be treated fairly,” Chopra said.

The CFPB said consumers still paid a total of nearly $6 billion in overdraft fees last year.

Under the final rule announced Thursday, banks and credit unions will have three different options. They can limit all overdraft fees at $5, which is the amount the CFPB estimated will allow institutions to break even when they offer courtesy overdraft programs.

Banks can also choose to set their fees at “an amount that covers their costs and losses.”

Or if banks choose to make money from overdraft fees, they will be forced to disclose terms of the loan to customers clearly — in the same way customers may agree to high interest rates associated with credit card loans.

“If your bank is charging you big overdraft fees or reordering your payments to enrich themselves, you need to break up with your bank. There are so many local banks, credit unions and others that are offering a better deal, and you should take your business elsewhere,” Chopra said.

The CFPB rule would apply to banks with more than $10 billion in deposits.

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