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Donald Trump‘s 2024 election win over Kamala Harris was certified by a joint session of Congress today in just 28 minutes with Kamala Harris presiding over the process and formalizing her own defeat as the roll-call of Electoral College votes by states was read out.
A senior adviser told CNN that the president-elect was ready to watch today’s certification with a mindset of “pure vindication.”
Today marks the fourth anniversary of the Capitol riot of January 6, 2021, in which supporters of Trump stormed Congress while then-vice president Mike Pence presided over the same session.
Meanwhile, Trump is attempting to stave off the sentencing for his criminal hush-money case conviction, currently scheduled for January 10, just ten days before his inauguration and the start of this second term in the White House.
The president-elect’s legal team filed a motion to stay the scheduled sentencing date with his spokesperson demanding “this meritless hoax be immediately dismissed.”
Finally, President Joe Biden has moved to ban new offshore oil and gas development along most US coastlines, a decision that Trump, who vowed to boost domestic energy production, may find difficult to reverse. The president-elect has accused Biden of complicating the transition process.
Melania documentary to be screened by Amazon
Incoming first lady Melania Trump will be the subject of a new documentary directed by Brett Ratner and distributed by Amazon Prime Video. The streaming arm of the tech giant got exclusive licensing rights for a streaming and theatrical release later this year, the company said Sunday.
Lindsey Bahr has the details.
Watch: Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary says he has plan to buy TikTok as ban approaches
Businessman Kevin O’Leary, best known to most people as one of the Shark Tank panel, told Fox News this afternoon that he has a plan to buy TikTok before a US ban kicks in and that he has spoken with Donald Trump about the deal.
He told Martha MacCallum of Fox News: “I have joined with Frank Mccourt to buy TikTok, it’s a multibillion-dollar deal… I wanted to let him know as well as others in his cabinet that we’re doing this… we’re going to need their help.”
O’Leary, who is Canadian, also spoke with Trump about integrating Canada into a North American Union.
‘Kids will get killed’: Democratic senator blasts RFK Jr’s vaccine theories
His long history of comments and activism against vaccines — which he falsely blames for causing autism in children — has earned him ideological foes among Democrats and Republicans alike.
John Bowden reports.
BREAKING: Giuliani found in contempt of court for failing to hand over assets to election workers he defamed
Rudy Giuliani has been found in contempt of court after repeatedly defying court orders to hand over his property to satisfy tens of millions of dollars he owes a pair of election workers he defamed in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election.
Alex Woodward reports from the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse in Lower Manhattan.
Watch: Trump appears to not want to move on from Jan 6, says former Capitol Police officer
Former Capitol police officer Harry Dunn tells CNN: “Mike Lawler who just said he wants to move on from January 6…We would love nothing more than to move on. Donald Trump, however, appears not to want to move on. He brings it up every single time he gets the opportunity.”
Press secretary will not be in usual office in Trump’s White House, report says
CBS News reports that the press secretary in Donald Trump’s second administration will not be in the office usually occupied by the person who holds that position.
The media operation will be revamped, and a deputy chief of staff will be moving into the spacious office with a wood-burning fireplace, multiple sources told CBS News.
Taylor Budowich, the incoming deputy chief of staff for communications and cabinet affairs, will likely occupy the office typically used by the press secretary, which sits down the hall from the Oval Office and has a view of the North Lawn.
Incoming press secretary Karoline Leavitt will report to communications director, Steven Cheung. She’ll retain direct access to the president — so-called Oval Office walk-in privileges.
Communications and press operations, typically separate but parallel White House functions, will be merged.
While plans have not yet been finalized, such a new arrangement raises questions as to how this might impact press access.
Trump hosts documentary screening for lawyer who tried to overturn 2020 election result
Donald Trump is facing criticism for premiering a documentary over the weekend at Mar-a-Lago about an allied lawyer who helped him strategize about how to overturn the 2020 election results.
The film, The Eastman Dilemma: Lawfare of Justice, profiles lawyer John Eastman, who helped Donald Trump formulate an unprecedented, illegal plan to use Congress and the vice-president to overturn the certification of the 2020 election results.
The documentary examines “growing evidence that a two-tiered justice system has emerged, where conservative figures face severe penalties,” according to its creators.
Josh Marcus has the story.
Colorado rep recalls experience in House gallery on Jan 6
Rep Jason Crow of Colorado remembers the “horror” of January 6, 2021, when he and other lawmakers were in the House gallery as the angry mob of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol.
He wrote on X alongside a photo of those members present that day:
Four years ago today, we were *right here* in the House gallery when an angry mob stormed the Capitol. That day is etched on my memory.
I remember telling my fellow members to take off their pins so we couldn’t be identified. I remember taking out a pen to use as a weapon if necessary. I remember being the last in the gallery as we fled to safety.
We can never forget the horror of that day. January 6th must always be a reminder of the importance of standing up for democracy and the peaceful transfer of power.
Watch: ‘We are going to destroy everything the Democrats have done for the past 4 years’
Marjorie Taylor Greene delivers a MAGA message from outside the Capitol.
Pete Hegseth may have enough Senate votes to become Secretary of Defense
Senate Majority Leader John Thune told Trump that the former Fox News host has the required number of votes to survive the confirmation process, CBS News reported, citing three sources.
However, speaking to CBS’s “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” Thune, said that the process would be fair but reiterated that the nominees would all have to “make their case in front of the committee.”
Mike Bedigan reports.
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