January 7, 2025 5:02 am
NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump was thwarted Monday in his bid to indefinitely postpone this week’s sentencing in his hush money case while he appeals a ruling that upheld the verdict. Judge Juan M. Merchan ordered Friday’s sentencing to proceed as scheduled, rejecting arguments from Trump’s lawyers who said it should be halted while they ask a state appeals court to reverse his decision to let the conviction stand. The Republican was convicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
January 7, 2025 5:05 am
McDonald’s is ending some of its diversity practices, citing a U.S. Supreme Court decision that outlawed affirmative action in college admissions. McDonald’s is the latest company to shift its tactics in the wake of the 2023 ruling and a conservative backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Walmart, John Deere, and other corporations have also rolled back their DEI initiatives. McDonald’s said Monday it will retire specific goals for achieving diversity at senior leadership levels and end a program that encourages its suppliers to develop diversity training. The company’s diversity team will be renamed the Global Inclusion Team. The Chicago burger giant says it remains committed to inclusion and believes a diverse workforce is a competitive advantage.
January 7, 2025 5:00 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea says its latest weapons test was a new hypersonic intermediate-range missile designed to strike targets in the Pacific as leader Kim Jong Un vowed to further expand his collection of nuclear-capable weapons to counter rivals. The report Tuesday came a day after South Korea’s military detected the launch. North Korea demonstrated multiple weapons systems last year that can target its neighbors and the United States, including solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles, and there are concerns that its military capabilities could advance further through technology transfers from Russia, as the two countries align over the war in Ukraine. Kim reiterated that his nuclear push was aimed at countering threats posed by hostile forces but didn’t directly mention the U.S.
January 7, 2025 2:27 pm
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The singer-songwriter and social activist best known as one-third of the folk-music group Peter, Paul and Mary, has died at age 86. Peter Yarrow died Tuesday at his home in New York. That’s according to publicist Ken Sunshine. Peter, Paul and Mary rose to overnight fame in 1962 when they blended their voices in stunning harmonies as they sang out against war and social injustice. Among their many hits were Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind,” Pete Seeger’s “If I Had a Hammer” and Yarrow’s own “Puff the Magic Dragon.” After a 1970 breakup they reunited eight years later, continuing their partnership until Mary Travers’ death in 2009. (Photo: AP)
January 6, 2025 5:10 am
A major winter blast of snow, ice, high winds and plunging temperatures are stirring up dangerous conditions across the U.S. central and southern states all the way to the East Coast. The disruptive winter storm brings the possibility Monday of the “heaviest snowfall in a decade” to some areas. Road conditions began deteriorating Sunday in several Midwest states, with forecasts calling for harsh winter conditions to spread eastward in the coming days. Blizzard conditions have been reported in parts of Kansas and Missouri. In Indiana, the National Guard has been activated to help stranded motorists. The storm is expected to reach the Mid-Atlantic states on Monday and bitter cold temperatures could grip much of the East Coast deep into the South.
January 6, 2025 5:08 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress has convened under heavy security and a snowstorm to certify the 2024 election results for President-elect Donald Trump, with the reading of the electoral results from the states coming swiftly and without unrest. The legacy of Jan. 6, 2021, hangs over Monday’s proceedings as the Republican who tried to overturn the previous election is legitimately returning to power. As lawmakers gathered, the tightest national security is in place. It’s a reminder of what happened at the U.S. Capitol four years ago, when a defeated Trump sent a mob to “fight like hell.” Republicans who challenged Trump’s 2020 defeat support his White House return. Democrats accept the choice of the American voters.
January 6, 2025 5:09 am
President Joe Biden is decrying what he calls an “unrelenting effort” to downplay a mob of Donald Trump supporters overrunning the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to block certification of the election in 2020. He also sought to contrast that day’s chaos with what he promises will be an orderly transition returning Trump to power for a second term. In an opinion piece published in The Washington Post, Biden recalled Jan. 6, 2021, writing that “violent insurrectionists attacked the Capitol.” Congress convenes on Monday to certify Trump’s election victory and Biden wrote, “We will not see such a shameful attack again this year.”
January 6, 2025 4:22 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has asked a judge to halt this week’s sentencing in his New York hush money case while he appeals a ruling upholding the verdict. Trump’s lawyers said Monday they plan to ask a state appeals court to reverse Judge Juan M. Merchan’s decision last week, which set the case for sentencing Friday. Merchan rejected Trump’s bid to throw out the verdict and dismiss the indictment in light of his impending White House return. The Republican was convicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Trump’s lawyers argue their appeal should trigger an automatic pause in proceedings. Manhattan prosecutors urged Merchan to reject a delay.
January 6, 2025 4:08 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — A judge has found Rudy Giuliani in contempt of court for failing to properly respond to requests for information in response to a $148 million defamation judgment granted to two Georgia election workers. Judge Lewis J. Liman ruled on Monday after hearing Giuliani testify for a second day at a contempt hearing called after lawyers for the election workers said the former New York City mayor had failed to properly comply with evidence production requests over the last few months. Giuliani conceded during Monday’s testimony that he sometimes did not turn over everything requested because he believed the requests were overly broad or inappropriate.
January 6, 2025 12:57 pm
TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced his resignation after nearly a decade in power. The decision bows to rising discontent over his leadership and growing turmoil within his government signaled by the abrupt departure of his finance minister. Trudeau said Monday that “internal battles” mean that he “cannot be the best option” in the next election. He planned to stay on as prime minister until a new leader of the Liberal Party is chosen. He said Parliament would be suspended until March 24. The timing will allow for a Liberal Party leadership race. A spring election after the Liberals pick a new leader was almost assured. (Photo: AP)
