The Morning Sixpack - January 10, 2025
Trump walks free while Los Angeles fires urn, NATO sweats Putin plans, and the economy outpaces expectations—2025 is off to a chaotic, Trump-fueled start.
Trump Walks Free—Felon, But No Strings Attached
In a jaw-dropping move that raises eyebrows across the nation, Justice Juan M. Merchan handed Donald J. Trump an unconditional discharge—essentially saying, "You're guilty, but go ahead and enjoy your golf courses without a care."
This rare leniency in New York’s courts solidifies Trump’s felonious status while letting him sidestep any probationary hoops. It’s the kind of legal twist that makes you wonder: Is justice blind or just winking?
Justice Merchan defended the decision in an 18-page manifesto last week, calling it “the most viable solution to ensure finality.”
Finality, perhaps, but certainly not accountability. Trump, convicted of 34 felony counts for falsifying business records in an illegal cover-up of a sex scandal, initially faced probation or even four years in prison.
Instead, the former president gets to waltz off scot-free.
Source: MDGN
BONUS: Supreme Court to Trump: No Immunity for You
Southern Snowpocalypse: Chaos, Cancellations, and Waffle House Resilience
A rare winter storm dumped a wintry mix of snow and ice across the South on Friday, grinding cities to a halt, canceling over 2,000 flights, and stranding motorists on icy highways.
The storm, stretching from Oklahoma to Virginia, brought heavy snow to parts of Arkansas and freezing rain to Atlanta, where school closures and treacherous roads turned the morning commute into a nightmare.
As Georgia Governor Brian Kemp bluntly warned: "If you’re trying to get on the roads, don’t get on them." Great advice, chap!
While the South grappled with a phenomenon it’s far from equipped to handle, a few familiar icons of resilience stood tall—like Waffle House, naturally. “It’s just easy to go to Waffle House, because they’re always open,” said customer Benji Waugh, proving yet again that the breakfast joint remains the gold standard for storm survival.
Meanwhile, Atlanta’s usually bustling Hartsfield-Jackson Airport resembled a ghost town as nearly 40% of flights were canceled, leaving stranded travelers to enjoy the rare calm.
From six inches of snow in Memphis (its largest two-day total in decades) to slippery chaos across Mississippi and Alabama highways, the storm has transformed the South into a winter wonderland of disruption. With temperatures hovering near freezing and snow expected to refreeze overnight, hazardous conditions are likely to persist through the weekend.
Source: NYT
Trump vs. The Justice System: Election Interference Report Gets the Green Light
In a stinging legal setback for President-elect Donald Trump, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday that the Justice Department can release special counsel Jack Smith’s report detailing Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
However, the release is delayed by three days to allow Trump to appeal to the Supreme Court.
Trump, already under the shadow of multiple legal battles, slammed the decision as "political weaponization," adding fuel to the fire of his contentious return to the Oval Office.
The ruling clears the way for Attorney General Merrick Garland to publish Smith’s findings, with Garland signaling he would proceed if Judge Aileen Cannon’s blocking order is overturned. Meanwhile, Trump’s team issued a statement decrying the decision, with spokesperson Steven Cheung accusing the Justice Department of partisanship, stating, “It is time for Joe Biden and Merrick Garland to do the right thing and put a final stop to the political weaponization of our Justice system.”
Adding to Trump’s legal woes, the Supreme Court voted 5-4 Thursday to allow sentencing in his New York hush money case. With conspiracy and fraud charges looming from his indictment in 2023 and 2024, Trump’s legal battles are stacking up as he prepares to assume office once again.
As for Smith, Trump has made his disdain clear, promising in October to “fire him within two seconds” if re-elected—a move rendered moot by Smith’s reported plans to step down before Inauguration Day.
Nope, Smith won’t be getting fired. But he may be getting “Gitmo’d.”
Source: MDGN
Trump-Putin Pow-Wow Sparks NATO Alarm
President-elect Donald Trump is “setting up” a meeting with Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine, dubbing it a “bloody mess” that he plans to clean up.
Critics and allies alike are raising eyebrows at the overtures, especially as Trump’s strategy starkly contrasts with President Biden’s “support Ukraine at all costs” approach.
Trump, who famously undermined NATO during his first term, seems poised to shake up global alliances yet again. As one NATO insider put it, "Peace through strength doesn’t mean handing over the keys to Moscow.”
Trump, ever the “dealmaker,” declared he could solve the conflict in 24 hours—though his timeline has now stretched to six months.
The Kremlin is loving the attention, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov calling Trump’s overtures “welcome,” while adding there are “no specifics” yet.
The implied specifics? A Ukrainian surrender that could redraw maps and embolden Moscow’s ambitions for other former Soviet states. Europe isn’t thrilled, and neither is Kyiv, where officials warn that Western support may falter under Trump’s leadership.
Meanwhile, Biden’s approach to Ukraine, marked by $170 billion in aid and a hardline stance against Putin, has defined his presidency.
As Zelenskyy braces for Trump’s inauguration, he’s urging allies “not to drop the ball” on standing up to Moscow.
Trump, however, has made his disdain for Biden’s strategy crystal clear, suggesting the U.S. is giving Ukraine too much. With NATO watching nervously and Russia poised to play its cards, Trump’s Mar-a-Lago diplomacy could either end a war—or start a new world war.
Source: MDGN
Surprise Job Surge: US Economy Defies Predictions, Fed’s Hawkish Stance Intact
The U.S. economy added a surprising 256,000 jobs in December, blowing past economists’ expectations and reinforcing the Federal Reserve’s cautious stance on rate cuts. With unemployment dipping to 4.1% and private sector hiring outpacing forecasts, December’s labor market resilience stands in stark contrast to broader fears of an economic slowdown.
However, Ellen Zentner of Morgan Stanley warns, “The surprisingly strong jobs report certainly isn't going to make the Fed less hawkish.” Translation: Don’t hold your breath for rate cuts.
Despite the positive numbers, there are cracks in the foundation. Manufacturing unexpectedly lost 13,000 jobs, and long-term unemployment remains stubbornly high, with 22.4% of jobless Americans out of work for 27 weeks or more. Meanwhile, sectors like health care and retail carried the hiring spree, adding tens of thousands of jobs—though not enough to mask lingering economic uncertainty.
The Fed, with its next meeting looming in late January, is unlikely to budge on its conservative policy. “Today’s report serves as more evidence that the labor market remains steady,” said Kory Kantenga of LinkedIn, adding that gains remain concentrated in a few sectors.
Job seekers may rejoice, but for rate relief, it’s another waiting game.
Source: Fox Business News
BONUS: Dow down 600 points as Treasury yields surge after December jobs report
Trump’s Fiery Nonsense: LA Burns While He Demands “Opening the Water Main”
As wildfires ravage Los Angeles, President-elect Donald Trump is back on Truth Social, spinning delusions about “opening up the water main” to quench the flames.
Apparently, Trump thinks California’s water crisis can be solved with a wrench and a spigot, ignoring decades of environmental policy and basic hydrology.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s team fired back, calling Trump’s so-called “water restoration declaration” pure fiction. Spoiler alert: there’s no magic valve in Northern California that Newsom is hoarding to spite firefighters.
Trump’s obsession with California water is nothing new—he’s been using it as a political cudgel against Newsom for years, threatening to withhold disaster aid unless the governor capitulates to his nonsensical demands.
“Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him,” Trump ranted, referencing an imaginary document that left even California’s top water experts scratching their heads.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles’ fire hydrants ran dry because of overwhelming demand, not because Newsom was hoarding water for the Delta smelt.
While firefighters battle the apocalyptic blazes fueled by Santa Ana winds, Democratic leaders are left to clean up Trump’s rhetorical mess. Newsom slammed Trump’s antics as divisive political theater, while LA Mayor Karen Bass explained the water shortages are the result of an unprecedented disaster.
“The California water issue has a very special place in his heart, in his head,” quipped one water expert, and judging by his statements, it’s definitely more the latter than the former.
Source: Politico