Court rules on Trump’s bid to halt tomorrow’s sentencing in criminal case
The New York Court of Appeals has denied a motion filed by President-elect Donald Trump to stay the Jan. 10 sentencing in the New York v. Trump case.
Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records in the Manhattan case in May 2024. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office worked to prove that Trump falsified business records to conceal a $130,000 payment to former porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election to quiet her claims of an alleged affair with Trump in 2006.
New York Judge Juan Merchan set Trump’s sentencing date in the case earlier this month, ahead of his inauguration as president on Jan. 20. The former and upcoming president had requested the verdict in the case be vacated based on the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity decision last year, which was denied by Merchan.
TRUMP FILES MOTION TO STAY ‘UNLAWFUL SENTENCING’ IN NEW YORK CASE
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.
JUDGE DENIES TRUMP MOTION TO STOP NY CRIMINAL CASE SENTENCING
Earlier this week, New York Appeals Court Associate Justice Ellen Gesmer issued a filing saying that “after consideration of the papers submitted and the extensive oral argument, movant’s application for an interim stay is denied.”
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.
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Trump has maintained his innocence in the case and repeatedly railed against it as an example of lawfare promoted by Democrats in an effort to hurt his election efforts ahead of November.
Celebrities turn on Dem leaders as admission before deadly wildfires emerges
Sarah Michelle Gellar chastised Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Tuesday as the Palisades Fire burned in Los Angeles.
“City of LA you want everyone to evacuate yet you have complete gridlock and not one traffic cop on the roads helping,” Gellar wrote on Instagram stories with tags to the official social media accounts for the City of Los Angeles and Bass.
The Palisades Fire, driven by strong Santa Ana winds, began in the Santa Monica Mountains late Tuesday morning and quickly engulfed 200 acres within an hour, surging to nearly 3,000 acres by sunset, FOX Weather reported.
Fox News Digital reached out to Mayor Bass’ office for comment.
PALISADES FIRE: RICKI LAKE MOURNS LOSS OF ‘DREAM HOME’ AS CELEBS FLEE RITZY NEIGHBORHOOD
Former “Dancing with the Stars” professional dancer Valentin Chmerkovskiy aired grievances on social media Wednesday, writing, “5th largest economy on the planet. Firefighters didn’t have enough water pressure to do their jobs?! Are you joking me?! The taxes we pay for 3rd world infrastructure is unbelievable?! Come on.”
Model and TV personality Amber Rose joined in with concerns over water, writing: “How TF is there Low water pressure in Los Angeles???? WTF The fire hydrants barely work here??? This is insane!
Sara Foster wrote on X, We pay the highest taxes in California. Our fire hydrants were empty. Our vegetation was overgrown, brush not cleared. Our reservoirs were emptied by our governor because tribal leaders wanted to save fish. Our fire department budget was cut by our mayor. But thank god drug addicts are getting their drug kits. @MayorOfLA @GavinNewsom RESIGN. Your far left policies have ruined our state. And also our party.”
Her comments were re-posted by Candace Cameron Bure, who previously told Fox News Digital she worries families and small businesses will not recover following the fires.
Celebrity fitness trainer Jillian Michaels remembered losing her home in the 2018 Woolsey Fire as she took to X to criticize California’s leadership.
“5th largest economy on the planet. Firefighters didn’t have enough water pressure to do their jobs?! Are you joking me?! The taxes we pay for 3rd world infrastructure is unbelievable?!”
“The mayor is apparently in Ghana,” she wrote. “The fire departments budget was apparently cut by 17 mil. And someone made the decision to not refill some of the reservoirs – now some fire hydrants are dry. Leadership in California is beyond negligent. This is completely unacceptable.”
In another post, Michaels continued, “California governor @GavinNewsom issues a press release admitting they knew about the insane fire risk this past Sunday because he was propositioning fire engines. And yet, he just called in the national guard a few hours ago. Pacific Palisades ran out of water at 3am. I’m so so upset for the people of California. My family who stayed. My lifelong friends who live there. Our brave firefighters. This is not a partisan issue it’s pure incompetence and misprioritization.”
James Woods, who lost his home Tuesday in the Palisades Fire, wrote on X that the blaze wasn’t from “climate change” but due to “liberal idiots like Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass.”
ACTOR STEVE GUTTENBERG HELPS PALISADES FIRE FIRST RESPONDERS AS FLAMES RAGE, ‘IT’S A GHOST TOWN’
“One doesn’t understand the first thing about fire management and the other can’t fill the water reservoirs,” he added. Woods posted throughout the day as he prepared to evacuate his home, and he later gave fans a somber update that he had lost his house in the Pacific Palisades.
In the rush to evacuate, many people abandoned their cars on the roads and actor Steve Guttenberg sprang into action to help firefighters and moved cars stranded on Sunset Boulevard by residents fleeing the fire, he exclusively told Fox News Digital. “It’s kind of like Zombieland, you know, there’s all these abandoned cars all over the street.”
Los Angeles Fire Department officials confirmed the Palisades Fire broke out after 11 a.m. near the southeast side of Palisades Drive. Evacuation orders were issued as the blaze grew to approximately 200 acres in size.
Guttenberg – known for his roles in “Police Academy” and “Three Men and a Baby” – urged people who were leaving their vehicles behind while evacuating to also leave their keys so crews could make their way through to the fire.
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“What people do is that they abandon their cars, and it’s a crisis, and they don’t leave their keys in their cars,” Guttenberg told Fox News Digital. “What happens is, the fire trucks can’t get up the street because they have all these abandoned cars with no ability to move them. So what I was doing was helping out move cars and put them up on the hill and clear the way for the fire department.”
“I just wanted to see what I can do to help out some of my neighbors, but it’s a ghost town.”
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Guttenberg noted the blaze was “the biggest fire that we’ve ever seen in the Palisades. It’s enormous.”
“We’ve had small fires, but this is definitely the biggest one, and it’s just burning out of control in certain areas,” he said. “I was able to make it up here, sort of a pocket where there is no fire. So everybody’s safe, and I just wanted to see what I can do to help out some of my neighbors, but it’s a ghost town. Everybody’s gone. And I think that’s what’s important. That’s what it should be in a big fire like this.”
WATCH: Steve Guttenberg recalls helping fire crews during the Palisades fire.
Actor Dean Cain appeared on “Fox & Friends” where he called out the California Democrats for the response to the Palisades fire and others that broke out Wednesday.
Cain, known for his role as Clark Kent in the TV series, claimed the disappointing response was a “perfect storm” of mismanagement and leadership failure.
WATCH: ACTOR DEAN CAIN SLAMS LA’S MISMANAGEMENT OF FIRE RESPONSE ‘PERFECT STORM’ BY LEADERSHIP FAILURE
Meanwhile, Zachary Levi appeared on “Jesse Waters Primetime” and called for California’s political leadership to be “held responsible” as wildfires burned down neighborhoods near Los Angeles.
The “Shazam!” star questioned if there was “criminal intentionality” in the mismanagement of the fire response.
WATCH: ZACHARY LEVI WANTS CALIFORNIA LEADERSHIP ‘HELD RESPONSIBLE’ FOR WILDFIRE RESPONSE
Reality TV star Spencer Pratt and wife Heidi Montag lost their home in the Palisades Fire, they confirmed on their Snapchat accounts Tuesday. In a series of videos, “The Hills” star showed how the fire quickly moved over the hill toward their property.
“Well, this isn’t looking good,” Pratt said while videoing the fire on the mountain behind their home. “First time I’ve seen the flames coming over. Aw, man. OK, I’m going to go pack up, I think.”
WATCH: Actor James Woods says ‘it’s possible’ his house is still standing
He later posted a video from his car stating that he was watching their home burn down on their security cameras. Pratt shared a photo of his kid’s room, saying it had burned in the shape of a heart.
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Inside Greenland’s importance to US as Trump eyes buying the island
As Donald Trump Jr. made a surprise visit to Greenland this week, President-elect Donald Trump’s rhetoric is getting more serious about buying Denmark’s Arctic territory.
The president-elect did not rule out using military coercion to gain control of Greenland in a press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday. “No, I can’t assure you on either of those two,” Trump said, when asked if he would rule out using military or economic coercion to gain control of Greenland. “We need it for national security. That’s for the free world. I’m talking about protecting the free world,” he continued.
Meanwhile, Denmark’s leaders remain adamant the Arctic territory is not for sale. “We have a clear interest in that it is the U.S. that plays a large role and not Russia or other countries. But Greenland is for the Greenlandic people,” Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told reporters on Tuesday.
DANISH PRIME MINISTER HAS BLUNT MESSAGE FOR TRUMP: GREENLAND IS NOT FOR SALE
Greenlanders will vote later this year if they want to stay a part of Denmark or not. The strategic island is at a territorial crossroads, as the U.S., China and Russia race to control the melting Arctic region.
Denmark and therefore Greenland are NATO allies. Article 5 of the NATO charter states that any military attack on a NATO ally requires a military response from the rest of the alliance.
“I don’t think it is useful to talk about Article five implications because the United States is not actually going to use force on NATO ally. There are lots of reasons why that would never happen.” Ian Bremmer, founder and president of the Eurasia Group, told Fox News.
“It’s not that you don’t take what the president says seriously, because the fact that he’s making these threats does change how much American allies feel like they can count on the United States going forward… it does undermine leverage that the U.S. has in terms of international rule of law. It brings us closer to the, to the law of the jungle,” Bremmer continued.
Trump first began talk of buying Greenland in 2019 because it has about a quarter of the world’s rare earth minerals, needed for all electronics, semiconductor manufacturing, the defense industry and the new clean energy economy.
Sherri Goodman, who served as the Pentagon’s first undersecretary of Defense for Environmental Security in the 1990s, recently wrote a book on the strategic and national security consequences of climate change titled, “Threat Multiplier: Climate, Military Leadership and the Fight for Global Security.”
Goodman has seen firsthand how important Greenland is to the U.S. military.
TRUMP ESCALATES PLANS TO ACQUIRE GREENLAND AFTER RESIDENT PLEADS: ‘DENMARK’S USING US’
“We’ve long had a military base in the north of Greenland to track former Soviet, now Russian incoming missiles or satellites. And because of climate change, navigation around Greenland and travel to Greenland is becoming more accessible,” Goodman said.
Then-President Harry Truman wanted to buy Greenland after WWII to box out the Soviets from the Arctic. During the Cold War, the Arctic region was the most direct route for a strategic nuclear exchange between the U.S. and the USSR using long-range bombers and ballistic missiles. The GIUK Gap to the east of Greenland is a huge access point for Russia’s operations in the Atlantic Ocean. Greenland became a key location for early-warning networks and today is home to the northernmost U.S. military installation, Pituffik Space Force Base, which holds a substantial portion of the global network’s missile warning sensors and space surveillance sensors.
China’s ambitions in the Arctic have grown in recent years. In 2018, China laid out plans to build infrastructure and develop shipping lanes opened by climate change. State-owned businesses have put in bids to buy land in both Iceland and Greenland, so far with no luck.
Temperatures are rising in the Arctic four times faster than they are in the rest of the world, making access to the rare earth minerals it holds more accessible.
“In this rush for resources, the U.S., NATO, and NATO allies want to ensure that China and Russia don’t access that. China has a history of using surrogate science and investigation as a way to gain access and learn about territories in the Arctic,” Goodman said.
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Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh was asked about Greenland at a Defense Department briefing on Wednesday. “I’m certainly not going to get into hypotheticals. I think that’s for the incoming administration to speak to,” Singh said.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken responded to a question about Greenland at a press conference in Paris on Wednesday. “The idea expressed about Greenland is obviously not a good one. But maybe more important, it’s obviously one that’s not going to happen. So we probably shouldn’t waste a lot of time talking about it,” Blinken said.
Comedian who thought of herself as ‘pretty liberal’ tears into Dem Party
Stand-up comic Whitney Cummings is fed up with the left, accusing them of abandoning their principles and slamming those who are annoyed that she has been calling out liberals in recent public appearances.
In the latest episode of her “Good For You” podcast, Cummings railed against the political left, saying that end of the political spectrum has become hypocritical and censorious in recent years.
“I always thought of myself as a pretty liberal person,” Cummings said, “But I don’t think the Left is as liberal as it used to be. It’s like the Left became the party of censorship.”
COMEDIAN ROASTS CNN OVER DON LEMON FIRING WHEN OFFERED A NEW YEAR’S EVE SHOT
The comedian said she had to start speaking up about the problems on her side of the political aisle.
“It’s just wild to me that we are in a time where, if you are on the left and you don’t criticize your party, how much do you even care about your party? Do you know what I mean? It’s like what’s going on on the left – I had to say, like, I finally just broke,” she said.
Cummings continued, characterizing her previous support for the left as her having “Stockholm Syndrome.” She added her realization that “if you love your party, you have to be able to criticize it, you know? And I don’t really take sides.”
The comic then quipped about liberal hypocrisy, saying, “’My body, my choice, but you have to take this vaccine,’ and ‘My body, my choice, pro-choice party, but you don’t have a choice in your candidate.’”
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“I’m not an expert on politics, which is why I’ve always said I’m not weighing in on it, but I am an expert on hypocrisy, OK? I was raised by hypocrites, I’ve dated them, and I know hypocrisy when I see it,” she added.
Cummings’ statements were motivated by liberal critics who slammed her recent bit on CNN’s live New Year’s Eve special, where she mocked liberal media and the Democratic Party’s handling of President Biden and the 2024 election while speaking to show hosts Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper.
She even ripped the network hosting her during the broadcast, joking that the 3,000-person crowds that frequent her stand-up shows are the same as the audience size for CNN.
WATCH LIVE: CNN DEFAMATION TRIAL BEGINS AFTER NAVY VETERAN SUES NETWORK
On the podcast, Cummings stressed that she was motivated by calling out obvious hypocrisy, not for the sake of dunking on the left or scoring political points. She added, “So to me, I didn’t think I was being political, you know? I thought I was just like, pointing out hypocrisies across the board.”
Responding to the specific complaint that she didn’t go after Trump in her New Year’s Eve monologue, she said, “Because that’s hacky to do. Everyone’s done that and to do it on CNN, that’s just like, that’s home court advantage, cheap shot, hack – There’s nothing risky or dangerous about that.”
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Women’s basketball team calls it quits after alleging abuse against trans player
A women’s college basketball team in Vancouver, Canada, is refusing to play a Christian university’s team over alleged abuse against a trans athlete. The Christian university has denied the allegations.
Vancouver Island University released a statement on Wednesday announcing it will not play its upcoming games against Columbia Bible College. The Vancouver Island statement alleges that during an earlier game between the two teams on Oct. 25, a Columbia Bible coach treated the transgender player in a way that violated the Coach’s Code of Ethics.
“Intimidation, harassment, and discrimination have no place in athletics,” the statement read. “VIU stands in full support of our student-athletes and affirms the right of all athletes to compete in an environment that prioritizes their safety and well-being.”
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The school has also requested its athletic conference, the Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST), to not penalize the team for its refusal to play.
Columbia Bible has provided a statement to Fox News Digital addressing Vancouver Island’s decision and statement.
“This was surprising news to us,” the statement read. “CBC stands for safe play for all. Accusations that CBC, its coaches, players, and fans are a safety threat are simply untrue and misinformed.”
Columbia Bible’s statement also included claims that the university was developing a safety plan, which included added security for the games that involved the trans athlete.
“CBC has a reputation for providing a safe environment, however, out of an abundance of caution, CBC in cooperation with PACWEST, developed an event safety plan specifically for these games. We received input from VIU and the Abbotsford Police Department. This plan included extra security among other measures,” the statement read.
All of the players on Vancouver Island’s team have signed a letter saying they do not feel safe playing at Columbia Bible after the October incident.
The trans player is third-year forward Harriette Mackenzie, who is openly transgender, as reported by multiple outlets.
Mackenzie posted a video to the athlete’s Instagram page on Oct. 30, alleging Columbia Bible head coach Taylor Clagett “cornered one of our athletic staff and went on a tirade about how I shouldn’t be allowed to play.”
HOW TRANSGENDERISM IN SPORTS SHIFTED THE 2024 ELECTION AND IGNITED A NATIONAL COUNTERCULTURE
Mackenzie said she was also deliberately fouled to the ground by a Columbia Bible player.
“I got two-hand chucked to the ground by No. 13 without a play on the ball in sight, then head coach Clagett can be seen applauding in support,” the trans athlete said.
In response, Clagett posted her own statement on Instagram, claiming that Mackenzie’s statements were inaccurate.
“My intention has nothing to do with a specific athlete, but instead, the safety of female athletes in their sport,” she wrote.
Vancouver Island has submitted a formal complaint to the PACWEST, as an investigation into the matter is currently ongoing. The university says that Mackenzie’s participation is in compliance with conference policy.
“VIU strictly adheres to the rules and regulations established by PACWEST and the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), including the CCAA’s policy on transgender student-athlete participation,” its statement reads.
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The PACWEST released its own statement on the matter on Nov. 1.
“The PACWEST is aware that participation of transgender student-athletes has recently received public attention. As a member of the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), the PACWEST follows national policies and procedures for all sports that lead into CCAA championships, including the CCAA’s policy on transgender student-athlete participation,” the statement read.
“Furthermore, the PACWEST encourages everyone to engage in education through the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) with their findings around diversity and inclusion and transgender people in sport. Creating a safe and inclusive environment for all participants is a shared responsibility.”
In the U.S., President-elect Trump has vowed to ban trans athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports. Trump has also repeatedly suggested that Canada join the U.S., potentially as the 51st state.
‘Seat squatters’ may have met their match after surprising travel encounter
“Seat squatters” may have met their match as a flight passenger revealed her encounter with one who she dubbed a “seat angel.”
On the sub-Reddit thread “r/unitedairlines,” a user shared her experience on a recent flight that opposes the recent uptick in “seat squatters,” travelers who rob the seats that were selected and paid for by other air passengers.
The user captioned the thread, “The opposite of a seat squatter? A seat angel?”
‘SEAT SQUATTER REVERSE’ IS SURPRISING AIR TRAVEL PLOT TWIST TRIGGERING REACTIONS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
“I have been seeing a ton of seat squatter posts recently and I would like to share the opposite experience,” the user wrote.
“My husband and I were last to board on our connecting flight because [our] first flight was delayed 20 minutes. We upgraded to first [class] late and there was an aisle seat and window seat available on different rows.”
The flight passenger said the two seats were not next to one another and there was already a woman sitting in the seat next to her husband.
The woman was traveling alone and decided to offer up her seat so that the two could sit next to one another, according to the Reddit post.
‘SEAT SQUATTERS’ ON PLANES ARE LATEST TRAVEL TREND TAKING OVER SOCIAL MEDIA
“We thanked her profusely and wished her a happy holidays,” the user wrote.
“I have never experienced this before…Would any of you do the same as this lady? I don’t know if I would have the awareness to do so as [I’m] usually playing a game on my phone to pass time waiting for push back.”
The user wrote that she and her husband never asked the woman to switch seats so that they could sit next to each other.
Users who commented on the Reddit thread claimed to have had the same positive experience or have gone out of their way to help people sit with their travel companions.
“Same thing happened to us this summer. Before we could ask, a guy noticed and offered to switch,” one user wrote, adding, “A lot easier in first class IMO. Still, he didn’t have to do that, and we would have been fine if no one wanted to switch. It was just amazing that we didn’t even have to ask.”
Another user commented, “A very kind man did this for me and my mom once, even though I’m a full-grown adult. We didn’t ask, he just saw us and offered to switch and said he loves when he gets to spend time with his grown kids and would want to have the chance to fly next to them if they were traveling together.”
The original creator of the thread responded to one user’s story, saying, “This is honestly so uplifting that multiple people would do it! Thank you so much from a couple who love to fly together. I fly solo half the time and now I will definitely pay more attention during boarding.”
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Jacqueline Whitmore, a former flight attendant and Florida-based etiquette expert, shared advice about switching seats on an airplane.
“If you wish to sit next to someone in particular, like a friend or family member, it’s OK to ask another passenger to switch seats with you. It’s their prerogative to refuse or not,” Whitmore told Fox News Digital.
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“Seat angels are all around us, but it’s best to ask permission before sitting in a seat that’s not assigned to you.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the Reddit user for comment.