Donald Trump sentenced with no penalty in New York criminal trial, as judge wishes him 'Godspeed' in 2nd term

Judge Merchan wished Trump 'Godspeed' in his second term in office

Brooke Singman / FOX News 

President-elect Donald Trump was sentenced to an unconditional discharge Friday after being found guilty on charges of falsifying business records stemming from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s years-long investigation. 

The president-elect attended his sentencing virtually, after fighting to block the process all the way up to the United States Supreme Court this week. Trump sat beside his defense attorney Todd Blanche.

Trump called the case and his sentencing a "tremendous setback for the American court system." 

"This is a great embarrassment to the state of New York," Trump said, adding that the people saw the trial firsthand, and voted "decisively" to elect him as president. 

Judge Juan Merchan set Jan. 10—just ten days before he is set to be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States. 

Merchan did not sentence the president-elect to prison, and instead sentenced him to an unconditional discharge, meaning there is no punishment imposed--no jail time, fines or probation. The sentence also preserves Trump's ability to appeal the conviction.

Mayor Karen Bass Embarrasses Herself Further in Latest Presser on LA Fires

Matt Vespa / Townhall Tipsheet

 

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has been besieged on all fronts. She doesn’t have many friends now, partially because wildfires ravaged the county, and she was AWOL when they began. Ms. Bass was in Ghana when the fires broke out, attending the inauguration of that country’s next president. 

 

She got back home yesterday, confronted by a press corps who asked if she owed residents an apology for being absent during this crisis and whether it was a good idea to cut nearly $20 million from the Los Angeles Fire Department despite memos written showing that such an action could be detrimental toward responding to natural disasters. Bass opted not to answer.  

She has stumbled through multiple press conferences. On Wednesday, she had this trip-up (via NY Post): 

"Embattled Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has been ripped as the most “incompetent politician in America” after she managed to botch...Read more, see Xs and videos here.

Right Side Patriots...LIVE!         

Today, Friday, January 10th from 7pm to 8:00pm EST, RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS Craig Andresen and Diane Sori discuss the California wildfires; Trump's 'Hush Money' sentencing; and the 'drama' at President Jimmy Carter's state funeral. Hope you can tune in to RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS on https://rspradio1.com Click 'LISTEN LIVE' starting at 6:50pm EST, show begins at 7pm EST.  

Los Angeles mayor slashed fire budget last year, prioritized homeless population

Breck Dumas / FOXBusiness

Los Angeles' budget is in the spotlight as multiple wildfires rage around the city amid revelations that Mayor Karen Bass slashed the fire department's budget last year while prioritizing spending on the city's homeless population.

For the 2023-2024 fiscal year, Los Angeles budgeted $837 million for the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), which was roughly 65% the size of the homeless budget of $1.3 billion.

An analysis by L.A.'s city comptroller last year found that roughly half the budget for homelessness went unspent.

From the 2023-2024 to the 2024-2025 budgets, the LAFD’s budget was reduced by over $17 million from $837,191,237 to $819,637,423. 

Bass had proposed a larger budget cut to the LAFD, about $23 million, but it was not adopted. Read more and see video here.

Matt Gaetz believes he can win Florida governorship despite allegations against him

Joe Sommerlad / INDEPENDENT

Matt Gaetz, the former Florida Republican congressman turned cable news anchor, has revealed he is “starting to think about running for governor” of the Sunshine State in 2026 in place of two-term incumbent Ron DeSantis.

“I have a compelling vision for the state,” Gaetz told The Tampa Bay Times.

“I understand how to fix the insurance problem, and it’s not to hand the keys to the state over to the insurance industry.

“If I run, I would be the most pro-consumer candidate on the Republican side.”

He added that he needs more time to pray on his decision and to discuss it with his wife Ginger Gaetz.

The MAGA favourite was tapped by President-elect Donald Trump on November 13 last year as his nominee to be the next US attorney general and stood down from the House of Representatives in order to lobby senators for the role. Read more and see video here.

Adam Schiff Cannot Wait to Impeach Trump Again

Matt Vespa / Townhall Tipsheet 

Donald Trump will become the 47^th president of the United States on January 20. And the Democrats will be waiting in the tall grass for him to do something ordinary, routine, and within his powers but overhype it as some phantom extralegal offense to impeach him again. Retaking the US Senate was a  ‘must-win’ situation, besides the fact that the map was overly generous to Republicans. 

 

If Kamala had won in a worst-case scenario, we would have a firewall against total left-wing lunacy. If Trump won, his agenda should have a smoother ride in becoming law and a beachhead against this impeachment nonsense.  

 

It's also not shocking that Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) made this known before Mr. Trump took office. "If he abuses his office, we will vigorously push back, fight back, stand up to him as we had to do during his first term in office,” he...Read more and see video here.

RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS...Podcast 

If you missed last nights 'LIVE' broadcast where Craig Andresen and Diane Sori discussed 'It Started With ObamaCare'; 'The Catastrophic Consequences of DEI'; Kamala Harris certifies the 2024 election; Joe Biden cleared the way for Trump's January 6th prisoner pardons; and the Laken Riley Act finally heads to Congress...listen to it and past shows at https://rspradio1.com... go to Podcasts.