Judge Juan Merchan has made a significant ruling, ordering President-elect Donald Trump to appear for sentencing in the New York hush money case on January 10, 2025. This date is notably just ten days before he is scheduled to be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States. The judge’s decision includes an option for Trump to make a virtual appearance, allowing him to continue his preparations for taking office without major disruptions.

This decision follows months of intense legal discussions and debates about whether a president-elect should face sentencing in a state court case. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg had pushed for more delays, proposing that the sentencing be postponed indefinitely during Trump’s presidency. However, Judge Merchan dismissed these suggestions, emphasizing that closing this case is necessary to maintain the integrity of the judicial process.

Judge Merchan set Trump's sentencing just 10 days before his inauguration. pic.twitter.com/qlrcz8pPQc

— Daily x Digest (@xserveddaily) January 3, 2025

The origins of this case trace back to Trump’s conviction in May 2024 on 34 felony counts related to falsifying business records concerning alleged hush money payments during the 2016 election campaign. Trump’s defense team challenged this verdict with several motions, citing what they described as “unlawful” actions by the prosecution and procedural errors. Despite these challenges, Judge Merchan upheld the jury’s unanimous decision, highlighting the importance of adhering to the rule of law.

In addressing concerns raised by Trump’s defense regarding presidential immunity and transition period pressures, Judge Merchan stated that “the sanctity of a jury verdict and deference accorded to it is a fundamental principle in our Nation’s jurisprudence.” He further clarified that presidential immunity does not extend to a president-elect.

Merchan also noted that while no determination on sentencing would be made prior to hearing from all parties involved, he indicated an inclination against imposing incarceration—a sentence allowed by conviction but one deemed impractical by prosecutors.

According to reports, Republican Representative Virginia Foxx – the Republican chair of the House Education and the Workforce Committee – fell on the marble staircase at the U.S. Capitol on Friday. As stated by Capitol staff and press, this happened between the second and third floors.

Rep. Virginia Foxx slipped and fell as she was walking down a marble staircase outside the House chamber this afternoon. Spox for the 81-yo says she suffered several cuts but was looked over by medical personnel and the attending physician and that "everything seems to be okay." pic.twitter.com/Jebe6AIDES

— Kenny Beck (@kennybeckWXII) January 3, 2025

As reported by Trending Politics:

Eyewitness accounts described a concerning scene as Foxx, 81, was attended to by Capitol medical personnel on the steps, with visible bleeding from what appeared to be injuries to her face. John Parkinson of ABC News shared updates from the scene, noting Foxx was holding her nose as she received aid but was conscious and communicative throughout the ordeal.

As news of the fall spread, Capitol Police worked to clear the area, ensuring Foxx received prompt medical attention.

🚨Just in: Virginia Foxx has fallen on one of the grand staircases on the GOP side of the chamber. She is bleeding and is being attended to on the steps by Capitol medical personnel. She is 81 years old.

Via: Chad Pergram pic.twitter.com/gWfd91O1NW

— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) January 3, 2025

After her accident, Foxx posted to social media to let supporters and colleagues know how she was doing. She wrote, “Thank you to everyone for your prayers – just a few small cuts and I’m doing just fine.” The congresswoman joked, “I’m a mountain woman, and we’re tougher than a $2 steak.”

A Foxx spokesperson said. “[Foxx] slipped while walking down the marble staircase outside the House chamber, after walking up to talk to her family in the gallery. After being helped to her feet, and looked over by medical personnel, she proceeded on her own to the Attending Physician’s office to get treated for a few individual cuts. Everything seems to be okay.”

CNN has unveiled a new camera angle capturing the explosion of a truck near the Trump hotel, adding another layer to this unfolding story. The investigation has revealed that Matt Livelsberger was discovered with two firearms in his possession—a handgun and a rifle. According to ABC News, these weapons were legally acquired just this past Monday.

A special ops military member needed to buy weapons just days before he allegedly killed himself and blew up a truck? Hmmmm.

CNN releases new camera angle of the Trump hotel truck explosion.

Investigators say Matt Livelsberger was found with two firearms, a handgun and a rifle. The weapons were purchased legally on Monday. (ABC News)

Livelsberger allegedly shot himself in the head. A .50-caliber… pic.twitter.com/r6nBu45qys

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 5, 2025

Authorities suggest that he ended his life within the brief 17-second window between arriving at the hotel and the subsequent explosion of the truck. However, in the new footage, Livelsberger appears to be awake and moving – head fully intact – a split second before the explosion happens. This blows holes in the theory that he took his own life with the .50-caliber Desert Eagle found at his feet.

So they said he used his dome for target practice with a desert eagle… but that seems to be not the case here. As you can see, he has a fully intact head here. To the right is what a desert eagle does while being used. pic.twitter.com/uGiGQ9YRzF

— The Ðoge Ambassador (@dogeofficialrep) January 5, 2025

Further insights from ABC News indicate that Livelsberger had been receiving mental health support over the past year, shedding light on possible struggles he might have faced.

As thing continue to unfold, it would appear the facts continue to raise more questions than they are answering.

Chuck Schumer recently faced direct criticism for allegedly covering up President Biden’s declining mental sharpness. During an interaction with NBC’s Kristen Welker, Schumer was confronted about this issue but chose to deflect the question, urging Americans instead to “salute” Biden.

Salute?? Are you kidding me?? And where was this energy from the likes of Welker and other journalists for the last four years?

At one point, Welker aired a clip of Schumer criticizing Republicans for what he termed “right-wing propaganda” concerning reports on Biden’s mental health. In response to these allegations, Schumer quickly shifted the narrative by asserting that President Biden had “stepped down on his own.”

NEW: Chuck Schumer gets called out to his face for covering up Biden’s declining mental acuity, deflects and demands that Americans “salute” Biden.

Where was this energy from Kristen Welker *during* the Biden presidency?

Welker played a clip of Schumer blasting Republicans for… pic.twitter.com/npQMn9KeQg

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 5, 2025

Welker said, “Obviously, there has been a lot of focus on President Biden’s role in this. You were, obviously, in close contact with President Biden well before the public tuned into that debate that ultimately led to him stepping down. I want to play you a little bit of something you said last year. Take a look.”

She then played a clip of Schumer stating in 2024, “I talked to President Biden regularly, sometimes several times in a week or usually several times in a week. His mental acuity is great. It’s fine. It’s as good as it’s been over the years, and this right-wing propaganda that his mental acuity has declined is wrong.”

Welker pressed, “What do you say that you and top Democrats misled them about President Biden’s mental acuity?”

Schumer declared, “Look, we didn’t. Let’s look at President Biden. he’s had an amazing record. The legislation we passed, one of the most significant groups of legislation since Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society, putting 235 judges of record. He’s a patriot. He’s a great guy, and when he stepped down he did it on his own because he thought it was better not only for the Democratic Party for America, we should all salute him. We should all salute him.”