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Appeals Court Rejects Trump Request To Stay Criminal Sentencing

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Just in…

The New York Court of Appeals has denied a motion filed byย President-elect Donald Trumpย to stay the Jan. 10 sentencing in the New York v. Trump case.

New York Judge Juan Merchan set Trump’s sentencing date in the case earlier this month, ahead of hisย inauguration as presidentย on Jan. 20.ย 

Trump filed a motion to stay the Jan. 10 sentencing with the New York State Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. 

The New York Court of Appeals denied Trump’s request Thursday morning. The status of his appeal at the U.S. Supreme Court is pending.

Trump remains set to be sentenced on Friday, Jan. 10, at 9:30 a.m., pending the Supreme Court’s decision. He plans to attend virtually.ย 

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

Trump Announces He Will Pardon Ex-Honduran President

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President Donald Trump announced Friday on Truth Social that he intends to grant a full pardon to former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernรกndez, who is currently serving a 45-year sentence in U.S. federal prison on drug trafficking and weapons charges.

Hernรกndez, who led Honduras from 2014 to 2022, was arrested in Tegucigalpa in February 2022 following a U.S. extradition request. He was transferred to New York two months later to face charges that federal prosecutors said stemmed from years of cooperation with major drug cartels. Prosecutors accused him of turning Honduras into a โ€œnarco-state,โ€ alleging that during his presidency he leveraged political power to help move more than 400 tons of cocaine toward the United States in exchange for millions of dollars in bribes. Among those he allegedly interacted with was notorious Mexican cartel leader Joaquรญn โ€œEl Chapoโ€ Guzmรกn.

A federal jury convicted Hernรกndez in March 2024 on three counts related to drug-trafficking and firearms conspiracies. On June 26, 2024, he was sentenced to 45 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay an $8 million fine.

In his Friday post, Trump criticized the prosecutionโ€™s handling of the case and suggested Hernรกndez had been treated more harshly than warranted. โ€œI will be granting a Full and Complete Pardon to Former President Juan Orlando Hernandez who has been, according to many people that I greatly respect, treated very harshly and unfairly,โ€ Trump wrote. โ€œThis cannot be allowed to happen, especially now, after Tito Asfura wins the Election, when Honduras will be on its way to Great Political and Financial Success.โ€

The message reflects Trumpโ€™s increasingly vocal support for Nasry โ€œTitoโ€ Asfura, the conservative National Party candidate in Hondurasโ€™ presidential election. Earlier this week, Trump used Truth Social to praise Asfura, writing that the two โ€œcan work together to fight the Narcocommunists, and bring needed aid to the people of Honduras.โ€

Trumpโ€™s Friday post escalated that endorsement further, urging Hondurans to โ€œVOTE FOR TITO ASFURA FOR PRESIDENT, AND CONGRATULATIONS TO JUAN ORLANDO HERNANDEZ ON YOUR UPCOMING PARDON. Thank you for your attention to this matter. MAKE HONDURAS GREAT AGAIN!โ€

He also warned that future U.S. assistance to Honduras could hinge on the electionโ€™s outcome, stating that if Asfura loses, โ€œthe United States will not be throwing good money after bad, because a wrong Leader can only bring catastrophic results to a country, no matter which country it is.โ€

Context: Trumpโ€™s Recent Use of the Pardon Power

The announcement comes amid renewed attention to Trumpโ€™s approach to pardons and commutations, which he has described as an important tool for correcting what he views as systemic unfairness in the U.S. justice system and in politically sensitive prosecutions. In recent months, Trump has signaled his willingness to revisit high-profile cases involving allies, military personnel, and others he says were treated wrongly by federal authorities.

During his first term, Trump issued several controversial pardons, including for former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, former adviser Roger Stone, and several U.S. military service members involved in war-related prosecutions. He also pardoned political figures such as former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and longtime conservative commentator Dinesh Dโ€™Souza, citing prosecutorial excess in those cases.

More recently, Trump has publicly floated pardons for individuals prosecuted for actions related to border security and drug enforcement, arguing that some federal casesโ€”particularly those involving international cooperation or politically volatile regionsโ€”deserve closer scrutiny.

Hernรกndezโ€™s case now appears to be the latest example of Trumpโ€™s willingness to intervene where he believes U.S. prosecutors overstepped or failed to account for broader geopolitical considerations.

A Sign of Trumpโ€™s Foreign Policy Priorities

Trumpโ€™s strong backing of Asfura and criticism of the U.S. prosecution of Hernรกndez reflect his broader emphasis on building alliances with conservative governments in Latin America. Throughout his presidency and afterward, Trump has framed left-wing governments in the region as destabilizing forces aligned with organized crime, while praising leaders who adopt pro-business and anti-corruption platforms.

By tying Hernรกndezโ€™s pardon to Hondurasโ€™ political future, Trump is signaling that he views Asfuraโ€™s victoryโ€”and Hondurasโ€™ alignment with the United Statesโ€”as strategically important.

Trump Announces Plan To Seek Death Penalty For D.C. Murders

President Trump said Tuesday the federal government would seek the death penalty for murders committed in Washington, D.C.

“Anybody murders something in the capital, capital punishment,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting Tuesday. “Capital, capital punishment. If somebody kills somebody in the capital, Washington, D.C., we’re going to be seeking the death penalty. And that’s a very strong preventative.”

The District of Columbia hasn’t executed anyone since 1957, after Robert Carter was convicted of fatally shooting an off-duty police officer.

CBS News reported that previously, D.C. had mandatory death sentences for first-degree murders, a policy the Supreme Court later voided in the 1972 caseย Furman v. Georgiaย when it found that the death penalty was being applied in an unconstitutionally arbitrary manner. Four years later, the high courtย allowedย capital punishment to be reinstated with clearer sentencing guidelines. The D.C. City Council, however, abolished the death penalty in 1981.ย 

Washington went 12 days without a murder during the federal government’s crime crackdown, a streak broken early Tuesday with the killing of a 31-year-old man in Southeast D.C., according to the Metropolitan Police Department. 

Vice Presidentย JD Vance,ย a day earlier, said the capital typically averaged one murder every other day, before commending the president on saving 6-7 lives since deploying the National Guard

On his first day in office, the president signed an executive order directing the attorney general to seek the death penalty in cases involving the murder of a law enforcement officer or “a capital crime committed by an alien illegally present in this country.”

Kilmar Abrego Garcia Taken Into Custody By ICE

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Arrest image via Pixabay

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the immigrant deported to El Salvador who became a political flashpoint for the Trump administrationโ€™s immigration crackdown, wasย detainedย again on Monday

Speaking to reporters outside the ICE Field Office in Baltimore after Abrego Garcia was detained, his lawyer, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, said ICE officials had declined to tell them where they were detaining Abrego Garcia prior to his removal, or tell them why they were arresting him. 

“As of the last five minutes, Mr. Abrego Garcia has filed a new lawsuit in the federal district court for the District of Maryland challenging his confinement and challenging his deportation to Uganda, or to any other country unless and until he’s had a fair trialโ€” as in, an immigration court, as well as his full appeal rights,,” Sandoval-Moshenberg sad.

The habeas petition, filed in the U.S. District Court of Maryland, was assigned to U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, who has presided since March over his civil case.

Abrego Garcia, who fled El Salvador as a teenager and lived in Maryland, addressed supporters before entering his appointment.

โ€œMy name is Kilmar Abrego Garcia, and I want you to remember this, remember that I am free and I was able to be reunited with my family,โ€ he said. โ€œThis was a miracle. Thank you to God and thank you to the community. I want to thank each and every one of you who marched, lift your voices, never stop praying, and continue to fight in my name.โ€

Abrego Garcia’s legal fight for months has dominated U.S. headlines, after he was deported by theย Trump administrationย to El Salvador in violation of a 2019 court order. He faces a possible second deportation, this time to Uganda.

Shortly before his arrival Monday morning, immigration advocates, faith leaders, and other community members massed outside the field office at sunrise for a vigil, organized by two immigration advocacy groups.

The Trump administration returned him to the U.S. months after sending him to El Salvador, under orders from a federal judge and from the Supreme Court.

He was arrested upon return to the U.S. on human smuggling charges stemming from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennesee. He remained in federal detention until Friday, when he was released from U.S. custody and ordered to return to Maryland, where a judge said he could remain under electronic surveillance and under ICE supervision while awaiting trial.

ICE officials notified Abrego Garcia’s attorneys shortly after his release on Friday that they planned to deport him to Uganda.

The notice, sent by ICE’s Office of the Principal Legal Adviser, said it was intended to “serve as notice that DHS may remove your client, Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, to Uganda no earlier than 72 hours from now (absent weekends).”

Trump’s border czar Tom Homan told Fox News in an interview Sunday night that Abrego Garcia was “absolutely” going to be deported from the U.S, and said Uganda is “on the table” as the third country of removal.ย 

“We have an agreement with them. It’s on a table, absolutely,” Homan said in an interview on “The Big Weekend Show” Sunday evening.

“He is absolutely going to be deported,” Homan reiterated. 

For now, he said, Abrego Garcia “can enjoy the little time he has with his family. And for the person who says we’re not going to separate family, his family can go with him, because he’s leaving.”

Report: FBI Apprehends Suspects In Alleged Assassination Attempt

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Jsg2020, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Will the threats of political violence come to an end?

FBIย agents inย Michiganย have arrested two individuals charged with making violent threats, including one man suspected of hinting at an assassination plot targeting President-electย Donald Trump. The charges, revealed on Tuesday, come just days before theย 2024 presidential electionย and underscore an increase in threats against public officials across the country.

The Detroit Free Press explains:

One of the defendants allegedly called Trump a โ€œpiece of sโ€”โ€ and threatened to shoot up conservative Christians if Trump wins; the other allegedly called Harris a โ€œf โ€”โ€” communist piece of sโ€”โ€ and threatened violence on an unnamed PAC involved in the presidential campaign, telling the group, โ€œIโ€™m your worst fโ€”โ€” nightmare.โ€

According to criminal documents filed in federal court, here are the two Michigan men who landed on the FBIโ€™s radar in recent months over threatening comments targeting both campaigns, candidates and their supporters:

The most recent arrest involves Isaac Sissel, 25, a transient Ann Arbor man who allegedly threatened to shoot conservative Christians with an AR-15 should Trump win the election. The FBI arrested him Tuesday, but said it did not find any weapons on him when agents found him in a Travelodge motel room on Monday in Canton Township, according to the criminal complaint.

In an FBI affidavit on file in court, Sissel is described as a transient individual with no known home address who claimed to have hidden out on the University of Michigan campus and slept near a rehab clinic.

According to court documents, one of the suspects allegedly sent a message threatening violence should Trump secure an election victory. The message, cited by The Detroit News, reportedly contained plans to attack โ€œconservative Christian filthโ€ and referenced a stolen AR-15 rifle. The individual claimed to have hollow-point bullets and a chemical irritant, suggesting that the planned attackโ€™s execution and the concealment of weapons would complicate FBI intervention.

This case highlights the FBIโ€™s intensified response to rising security risks in a polarized political climate, where threats against public figures have become an acute concern for federal and local authorities.

Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News.

Bill Bar Calls On Prosecutors To Drop Cases Against Trump

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The United States Department of Justice, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Former Trump Attorney General Bill Barr encouraged prosecutors to drop pending charges against President-elect Trump.

โ€œThe American people have rendered their verdict on President Trump, and decisively chosen him to lead the country for the next four years,โ€ Barr said in an interview with Fox News, after the White House race was called for Trump.

โ€œThey did that with full knowledge of the claims against him by prosecutors around the country and I think Attorney General Garland and the state prosecutors should respect the peopleโ€™s decision and dismiss the cases against President Trump now,โ€ he added.

Trump was convicted in New York on 34 felony charges related to his hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels and still faces indictments in three other trials. His actions to block the peaceful transfer of power after his 2020 loss sparked federal charges as well as a case in Georgia, while the former president also faced federal counts for retaining classified documents at his Florida estate, before the case was indefinitely postponed by the judge.

Trump is set to face sentencing in the New York case later this month but has also sought to toss the case after the Supreme Court ruled that former presidents retain broad immunity after leaving office.

The Justice Department (DOJ) under a second Trump administration, is widely expected to move to drop both federal cases against the president-elect.

The Florida case was dismissed by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon on technical grounds involving Smith’s appointment.

The GOP presidential nominee has pledged to fire special counsel Jack Smith, who is overseeing the election interference cases, โ€œwithin two seconds.โ€

โ€œHeโ€™ll be one of the first things addressed,โ€ Trump said last month.

Barr added that Smith and the DOJ should drop the cases before Trump even takes office.

โ€œFurther maneuvering on these cases in the weeks ahead would serve no legitimate purpose and only distract the country and the incoming administration from the task at hand,โ€ he said.

โ€œThe public interest now demands that the country unite and focus on the challenges we face at home and abroad. Attorney General Garland and all the state prosecutors should do the right thing and help the country move forward by dismissing the cases,โ€ the former attorney general added.

Intelligence Director Calls On Justice Department To Prosecute Obama Officials

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The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard is pushing the Justice Department to investigate and prosecute Obama administration officials linked to the debunked report alleging the 2016 Trump campaign engaged in Russian collusion.

More details are coming out concerning alleged efforts by former President Barack Obama and his teamโ€™s efforts to drum up intelligence to create a narrative of Russian interference in the 2016 election, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said on Sunday. (RELATED: Report: Obama Admin. โ€˜Manufacturedโ€™ Intelligence To Establish Russian Collusion Narrative)

Gabbard appeared on Sunday Morning Futures on Fox News, where she alleged a massive cover-up by intelligence officials in the Obama administration.

โ€œThere was direct intent to cover up the truth about what occurred and who was responsible, and the broad network of how this seditious conspiracy was concocted and who exactly was responsible for carrying it out,โ€ Gabbard claimed.

โ€œSo at the end of the day, we need to look at Pam Bondi?โ€ host Maria Bartiromo asked. โ€œIs that the person who, at the end of the day, is gonna bring us accountability. Pam Bondi?โ€

Gabbard confirmed took the rare step of publicly calling on fellow administration officials to take action.

โ€œAttorney General Pam Bondi, FBI director Kash Patel,โ€ the director responded. โ€œIt is their responsibility to gather all of the evidence, both that we have released, the facts that have already been known previously, the information that will continue to come out, and move forward with this prosecution and these indictments.โ€

Gabbard told Bartiromo that her team released 100 documents on Friday.

They โ€œprovide evidence of how this treasonous conspiracy was directed by President Obama just weeks before he was due to leave office after President Trump had already gotten elected,โ€ she noted. Gabbard also said they were referring all the records to the Department of Justice and FBI for a criminal referral.

โ€œSo the effect of what President Obama and his senior national security team did was subvert the will of the American people, undermining our democratic republic, and enacting what would be essentially a years-long coup against President Trump, who was duly elected by the American people,โ€ Gabbard declared.

Pressed on whether she expects future indictments and prosecutions, Gabbard replied, โ€œIโ€™m not a lawyer. In my view, we have the evidence to be able to move forward and bring about justice, yes, to prosecute and indict those responsible.โ€

In aย threadย posted to X on Friday, Gabbard shared clips of documents and contended that Obama directed his top intelligence officials to โ€œcreateโ€ a new intelligence assessment in December 2016 that contradicted prior analyses, after which they โ€œleaned on their allies in the media to advance their falsehoodsโ€ and push the narrative that Russia โ€œintervened to hack the election in Trumpโ€™s favor.โ€

Watch:

Rosie O’Donnell Asks For Prayers As Daughter Chelsea Faces ‘Scary Future’ In Prison

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By David Shankbone - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3937757

TV personality Rosie Oโ€™Donnell is appealing for prayers as her daughter Chelsea faces what she calls a โ€œscary future.โ€

Oโ€™Donnell posted on Instagram: โ€œMy child Chelsea Belle โ€“ before addiction took over her life โ€“ I loved her then, I love her now as she faces a scary future โ€“ prayers welcomed. #addiction awareness #love #family.โ€

According to court documents reviewed by Fox News Digital, Chelsea had her probation revoked on October 22 and was sentenced to serve time in prison.

In a written statement, Oโ€™Donnell said, โ€œI have compassion for those struggling with addiction โ€” Chelsea was born into addiction and it has been a painful journey for her and her four young children. We continue to love and support her through these horrible times. Prayers welcomed.โ€

Last year, authorities charged Chelsea with two counts of felony possession of methamphetamine and felony possession of narcotic drugs, along with two counts of possession/illegally obtaining prescription drugs and resisting or obstructing an officer. Her arrest followed a traffic stop in Niagara, Wisconsin, where officers pulled over a vehicle for loud exhaust โ€” they recovered a clear smoking device on Chelseaโ€™s person that tested positive for methamphetamine, and a prescription pill bottle containing a handful of pills and a crystal-like substance was found in her possession. At the time, Chelsea was out on bond for separate charges including child neglect and drug possession.

Oโ€™Donnellโ€™s Instagram post on December 3 responding to Chelseaโ€™s earlier arrest read: โ€œSo yes this is true โ€“ after being bailed out by her birth mother โ€“ Chelsea was arrested again โ€“ and is facing many charges related to her drug addiction โ€“ we all hope she is able to get the help she needs to turn her life around.โ€


Bring in the Trump context

Itโ€™s worth noting that Rosie Oโ€™Donnell has for years been a vocal critic of Donald Trump, and the public feud between them has become almost legendary. Back in December 2006, while hosting the daytime talk show The View, Oโ€™Donnell called Trump out over his handling of the Miss USA controversy and mocked him as no moral authority for young people โ€” saying, โ€œThis is not a self-made manโ€ฆ left the first wife, had an affair, left the second wife, had an affairโ€ฆโ€ People.com+2The List+2

Trump responded with scorn, calling Oโ€™Donnell โ€œa woman out of controlโ€ and a โ€œloser,โ€ threatening legal action though he never followed through. People.com+1 Over the years he repeatedly used her name as a punchline โ€” during the 2016 Republican primary debate when asked about his language toward women he quipped, โ€œOnly Rosie Oโ€™Donnell.โ€ The New Daily+1

In recent years their feud escalated further: After Oโ€™Donnell announced she had moved to Ireland following Trumpโ€™s second inauguration (January 2025), Trump publicly floated the idea of revoking her U.S. citizenship, calling her โ€œa Threat to Humanityโ€ and saying โ€œshe should remain in the wonderful country of Ireland, if they want her.โ€

Authorities Arrest Suspect After Making Threats Against Trump

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The threats won’t stop…

Aย Pennsylvaniaย woman was arrested earlier this week after allegedly making threats against former Presidentย Donald Trumpย before a scheduled rally at Penn State University.

Paul J. Gavenonis, 74, a registered Democrat and resident of Spring Township, reportedly made alarming comments while purchasing a parking pass at the universityโ€™s transportation office. According to witnesses, Gavenonis, who identifies as transgender, expressed hostility toward Trump, stating,ย โ€œI hate Donald Trump. Iโ€™d like to shoot that guy,โ€ย while making a gesture that resembled cocking a gun.

The remarks prompted the transportation office staff to alert authorities. According to The Daily Wire, Gavenonis also allegedly referenced climbing a building in the area but expressed concern over being spotted by students if carrying a firearm.

During her interrogation, Gavenonis reportedly said, โ€œFrankly, I hope someone would get him.โ€ After her arrest, she admitted to having a rifle at home.

Gavenonis was charged with making terroristic threats and disorderly conduct.

District Judge Steven Lachma denied Gavenonis bail, citing the seriousness of the allegations and potential security concerns.

Gavenonisโ€™ arrest follows two assassination attempts against Trump in the last few months of the 2024 campaign, as The Daily Wire reported.

In September, the former president was targeted in an apparent assassination attempt, when a 58-year-old man hid out for 12 hours near Trumpโ€™s golf course in Florida, allegedly to take a shot at him.

The assassination attempt came just two months after Trump was on stage at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13 when a gunman opened fire, hitting him in the ear, killing one Trump supporter, and injuring two others at the rally.

Gavenonisโ€™ preliminary hearing is set for Wednesday, Oct. 30.

Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News

Mob Of Protesters Storm NYC Trump Tower

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On Thursday, Several dozen protesters supporting Mahmoud Khalil occupied the lobby area of Trump Tower on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, calling for the release of the anti-Israel activist who was detained over the weekend.ย 

The protesters, many dressed in red, held signs reading “Free Mahmoud, Free Palestine” and “Fight Nazis Not Students.”

Mahmoud Khalil, a green card-holding Columbia University graduate student and pro-Palestinian activist, was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at his university residence Saturday, according to The Hill.  

The Student Workers of Columbia labor union. describes Khalil as a โ€œlead negotiatorโ€ and called on Columbia to reinstate its โ€œSanctuary Campus Policyโ€ after reports of ICE accessing multiple buildings at the school Friday and Saturday.

Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, also confirmed Khalilโ€™s arrest in a statement Sunday, describing the move as โ€œin support of President Trumpโ€™s executive orders prohibiting anti-Semitism.โ€

โ€œWe will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported,โ€ Rubio said on the social platform X, sharing a news report regarding Khalil.

Julian Stallabrass from London, UK, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Trump celebrated Khalilโ€™s arrest in a Monday post on Truth Social.

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โ€œWe will find, apprehend, and deport these terrorist sympathizers from our country โ€” never to return again,โ€ the president said. โ€œIf you support terrorism, including the slaughtering of innocent men, women, and children, your presence is contrary to our national and foreign policy interests, and you are not welcome here. We expect every one of Americaโ€™s Colleges and Universities to comply.โ€

The arrest raises serious constitutional questions, as Khalil is a legal permanent resident who has not been charged with any crime. Only an immigration judge has the authority to revoke a green card.

Tom Homan, President Trumpโ€™s border czar, said Monday that federal authorities โ€œabsolutely canโ€ deport a legal immigrant.

โ€œAbsolutely, we can,โ€ Homan told Stuart Varney on Fox Business Networkโ€™s โ€œVarney & Co.โ€ after the host asked about the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a leading pro-Palestinian activist, and if ICE can deport someone who is in the country legally. 

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.