Trump received millions from foreign governments during presidency, report finds: Live

Amid rumours that Donald Trump may be eyeing Nikki Haley as his vice president, Trump loyalists are warning the former president not to go down that route because it could cause a “big fight” within the Republican Party.

“One of the fights we’re going to have, a big fight, will take place in the spring will be – they’re going to try to force Nikki on the ticket,” former White House strategist Steve Bannon said on far-right political activist Jack Posobiec’s podcast Human Events.

Bannon predicted that people may recommend Ms Haley for Mr Trump’s ticket because she “balances things” and “can bring together that 15 per cent of never-Trumpers” to support the former president’s campaign.

Ariana Baio has the story:

The 41-page filing is likely the last step before three-judge panel in Washington DC hears arguments from Mr Trump’s attorneys and federal prosecutors on 9 January before making a final decision on whether the former president is “immune” from prosecution for crimes committed while in office.

Mr Trump’s trial on conspiracy charges surrounding efforts to reverse his 2020 loss is scheduled for 4 March, but the case has effectively been put on hold while the former president appeals. The US Supreme Court declined to fast-track an appeal, letting the “immunity” question play out as scheduled at the appellate level.

Whatever the outcome of that decision, the “immunity” question is likely to land right back at the US Supreme Court in the weeks to come, in the middle of Mr Trump’s campaign for the Republican nomination for president.

The latest argument from Mr Trump’s attorneys cites a lengthy report he posted on Truth Social on Tuesday that revives debunked and unverified allegations of election fraud, relying on reports from fake, far-right and conspiracy theory-driven websites that have amplified Mr Trump’s narrative that the 2020 election was stolen from and rigged against him.

Donald Trump’s attorneys have formally asked the US Supreme Court to overturn a ruling that finds him constitutionally ineligible for the presidency for his actions surrounding the attack on the US Capitol on January 6.

The question could now be in the hands of the nation’s highest court, teeing up a politically explosive case that could reshape the 2024 election and have far-reaching impacts beyond the former president’s campaign.

Three years on from the January 6 insurrection and authorities still have not identified the person who put pipe bombs near the DNC and RNC headquarters blocks from the US Capitol.

A $500,000 reward remains in effect for information leading to the individual’s arrest and conviction, the FBI says.

Long before Ron DeSantis set out on the 2024 presidential campaign trail, he was perceived as a viable candidate to take on former president Donald Trump.

But among several missteps, the Florida governor’s refusal to directly attack the former president has contributed to voters’ uncertainty in Mr DeSantis’ strength against Mr Trump.

It’s an issue that Mr DeSantis has faced in the media and from potential voters – one Iowan asked Mr DeSantis straightly on Wednesday: “Why haven’t you gone directly after him?”

“In my viewpoint, you’re going pretty soft on him,” the voter, identified as 75-year-old Christopher Garcia by The New York Times, told Mr DeSantis.

Former president Donald Trump’s attorneys formally requested on Wednesday that the US Supreme Court overrule the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision that disqualified him from appearing on the state’s 2024 ballot. Last month, the Supreme Court rejected Special Counsel Jack Smith’s request that the court make a “swift” and definitive ruling on whether Mr Trump can claim immunity for crimes he committed as president.

Both cases show the precarious situation the Supreme Court is navigating, after the court’s credibility took a massive hit with the Dobbs v Jackson decision that overturned Roe v Wade.

Proud Boy Christopher Worrell has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for spraying police during the Capitol riot of 6 January 2021 and then fleeing for 45 days ahead of his sentencing.

Worrell suffers from a rare form of cancer and regularly complained about his treatment during pretrial incarceration at the DC jail where January 6 rioters are held.

That led Judge Royce Lamberth to ask questions about conditions and to hold the jail in contempt. He also let Worrell out to get treatment.

Today in court, Worrell thanked Judge Lamberth for letting him get treatment at home and said: “You saved my life.”

The judge said Worrell’s actions directly improved conditions for all inmates by exposing problems at the jail.

Worrell was tearful and apologetic, revealing he had contemplated suicide when the FBI caught him after his 45 days on the run.

Judge Lamberth rebuked him for embracing the idea that the January 6 defendants at the jail are political prisoners, something Worrell’s attorney said was the result of a “self-reinforcing” “feedback loop” at the jail.

Read about Worrell’s time on the run and capture here:

In an interview with HuffPost, former DC Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone, who was gravely injured during the Capitol riot on 6 January 2021, said that he believes the 2024 election is the most important of his lifetime.

Asked what he would tell voters, Mr Fanone said: “The future of our democracy is at stake.”

“Ultimately, you, the American voter, will be the last line of defence when it comes to preserving democracy as we know it and ensuring the peaceful transfer of power. And it’s that serious.”

“I’ve been of voting age for many, many years, and every year it seems that we’re told by politicians that this election is ‘unlike any other,’” he continued. “But I’m nobody, just some average American, and I’m telling you that this election is like no other.”

During the violent insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6, Mr Fanone suffered a heart attack and a traumatic brain injury after being beaten and tasered by pro-Trump rioters. While he says he has come to terms with a lot of what happened that day, he is infuriated by Republican efforts to whitewash the events or lie about what happened.

“Imagine the most traumatic, or a traumatic event in your life, that reaches the level of attention that January 6 garnered,” he told HuffPost. “I mean, it was an international story. And spending three years trying to convince people that it actually f***ing happened.”

“It’s frustrating,” he said. “It’s angering. It’s perplexing.”