The Morning Sixpack - January 9, 2025
Trump’s Dramas, California's Wildfires, and TikTok’s Swan Song—Hot Takes and Bad Decisions
New York's Top Court Denies Trump Appeal, Clears Path for Sentencing
In a pivotal decision on Thursday, New York’s highest court declined to block Donald Trump’s sentencing in his hush money case, setting the stage for the hearing to proceed on Friday. The former president, facing 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, is now turning to the U.S. Supreme Court as his final avenue to delay the sentencing. The refusal to intervene by the New York Court of Appeals signals a critical juncture in the high-profile case, with Judge Juan M. Merchan presiding over Friday’s proceedings. Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing in the matter.
The single-judge order from New York’s top appeals court comes as Trump’s legal team exhausts state-level remedies. Having failed to secure a delay, they have petitioned the nation’s highest court in a last-ditch effort. This follows Trump’s conviction in May 2024, where the jury found him guilty on charges stemming from alleged falsification of business records to conceal hush money payments.
"We are confident the law is on our side," Trump’s lawyers stated in their plea to the Supreme Court. Despite their efforts, time is running out, with Friday’s sentencing looming large in a case that has captured national attention.
Source: AP News
Trump Blames Newsom for Wildfires as California Burns, Sparks Political Firestorm
As wildfires ravage Los Angeles County, President-elect Donald Trump turned the disaster into a political battleground on Wednesday, accusing California Governor Gavin Newsom of mishandling water management and contributing to the destruction. Trump labeled the scenes “virtually apocalyptic” and alleged that Newsom refused to sign a water restoration plan that could have redirected Northern California’s water to areas now engulfed in flames. Newsom's office dismissed the claims as “pure fiction,” asserting the governor is focused on protecting residents and supporting firefighters.
Trump's remarks, posted on his Truth Social account, reignited longstanding debates over California’s forest management and water policies. While he pledged to "demand" action from Newsom, experts note that redirecting water would not have prevented the fires, which are fueled by 100 mph Santa Ana winds and prolonged dry conditions. Newsom’s team countered that Trump’s claims are “political theater” and emphasized that firefighting efforts remain the state’s priority.
“I will demand that this incompetent governor allow beautiful, clean, fresh water to FLOW INTO CALIFORNIA!” Trump declared, while Newsom’s office retorted, “There is no such document as the water restoration declaration—that is pure fiction.”
This clash underscores the broader political tensions between Newsom and Trump, with the governor frequently targeted as a symbol of Democratic leadership. Meanwhile, critics like Elon Musk and Trump allies echoed attacks on California’s policies, and Mayor Karen Bass faced scrutiny for being abroad during the crisis.
Source: Axios
Trump, as usual, is wrong. 100 percent wrong. He should offer CA and Newsom 100 percent support for a natural disaster. Just like he would for Florida after a hurricane.
BONUS: Billy Crystal Lost His Home of 46 Years to Pacific Palisades Fire
Elon Musk Scales Back $2 Trillion Budget-Cut Target, Cites “Best-Case Outcome”
Elon Musk, co-chair of President-elect Donald Trump’s newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), tempered expectations on Wednesday regarding his ambitious goal to slash $2 trillion from the federal budget. In an interview with political strategist Mark Penn on X, Musk acknowledged that cutting $1 trillion was more realistic, calling the $2 trillion target a “best-case outcome.” This marks a significant shift from Musk’s bold claim at a Trump rally in October, where he promised to achieve the higher figure.
Budget experts had dismissed Musk’s original projection as unrealistic, noting the discretionary federal budget amounts to only $1.7 trillion annually. Critics argue that substantial savings would require cuts to mandatory programs like Medicaid, a move Musk himself admitted could lead to “hardship.” Despite revising his estimate, Musk expressed optimism about achieving “an epic outcome” by reducing the deficit, stimulating economic growth, and curbing inflation.
“If we can drop the budget deficit from $2 trillion to $1 trillion and free up the economy to have additional growth… then there will be no inflation. That, I think, would be an epic outcome,” Musk said. However, he acknowledged the difficulty of the task, describing it as a “very target-rich environment for saving money.”
Alongside former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, Musk is spearheading DOGE’s efforts to identify budget cuts. While the advisory body has no formal authority, it is expected to make recommendations to the White House after Trump’s inauguration. The Trump transition team has yet to comment on Musk’s revised goals.
Source: NBC News
Manifest Destiny 2.0? Trump’s Big (and Questionable) Land Grab Aspirations
"It might be that you’ll have to do something," Donald Trump mused this week about potentially using military or economic force to annex Greenland and reassert U.S. control over the Panama Canal.
Just two weeks before his inauguration, Trump has floated what can only be described as a Manifest Destiny revival—joking(?) about turning Canada into the 51st state and seriously pushing to acquire Greenland, Denmark’s Arctic gem.
But why stop there? He also vowed to rename the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America," because, apparently, the 1540s name didn’t have the right “ring to it.”
Foreign leaders aren't buying it.
Canada and Denmark dismissed Trump’s comments as delusional. Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum clapped back with her own zinger, suggesting her country rename the United States “Mexican America” based on an old map.
Even on Capitol Hill, GOP reactions ranged from head-scratching to lukewarm enthusiasm. Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) called Greenland a “strategic piece of property” but warned that a military invasion would spell disaster.
Meanwhile, Democrats rolled their eyes, accusing Trump of using these territorial ambitions to distract from his tax-cut-and-slash agenda.
While Trump’s allies claim he’s merely setting the stage for tough trade talks, others see a calculated ploy to hog headlines.
Still, the sheer audacity of the plan—even if unserious—has sparked debates about national priorities. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) quipped, “I’ll go along with renaming the Gulf of Mexico when Trump agrees to actually lower costs for Americans.” For now, it seems Trump's vision of America 2.0 is less about unity and more about, well, annexation.
My take: Let’s hold Trump’s bonespurred feet to the fire. If he doesn’t do the “promises made, promises kept,” we grind him on it. For example, his main campaign promise was to bring down prices. If, by Day 3, prices don’t fall, we burn him at the figurative stake.
Or, if we don’t own Canada by the end of January, we feed him to the wolves.
What do you think?
Source: MyDailyGrind.news
Alito-Trump Phone Call Raises Eyebrows Amid Hush Money Sentencing Appeal
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito confirmed speaking with President-elect Donald Trump just days before Trump filed an emergency appeal to delay his sentencing in a high-profile hush money case. The call, Alito insists, was strictly about endorsing former law clerk William Levi for a role in Trump’s incoming administration.
However, critics are questioning the timing and optics of the conversation, particularly given the pending court drama. “We did not discuss the emergency application he filed today,” Alito emphasized, claiming ignorance of the appeal during the Tuesday call.
While it’s not unusual for justices to recommend former clerks for jobs, Alito’s direct interaction with Trump ahead of a major Supreme Court-related matter is raising concerns about judicial independence.
Ethics watchdogs were quick to pounce.
Gabe Roth of Fix the Court remarked, “The call was merely an excuse for Trump to speak with one of the nine people determining the fate of his hush money sentencing... They all know no one in Congress or the judiciary will hold them accountable for ethics violations.”
Critics argue this is just the latest example of the Supreme Court’s questionable coziness with partisan politics.
Republicans, however, brushed off the controversy. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) praised Trump for “having conversations across the board through all aspects of government,” while Levi, whose credentials are impeccable, remained silent on the matter. With Trump’s sentencing looming and an uphill battle ahead, the fallout from this call might overshadow its original purpose.
Source: CNN
TikTok on the Clock: The Supreme Court Takes on America’s Favorite Time-Waster
The clock is ticking for TikTok, and this time, it’s the Supreme Court holding the timer. Tomorrow, the justices will hear arguments on whether the Chinese-owned video app, loved by millions of Americans for cat videos and questionable dance trends, can survive a looming U.S. ban.
If TikTok doesn’t sever its ties with China by January 19, the app could vanish from Apple and Google app stores, effectively sentencing it to a slow digital death.
ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, is calling foul, arguing the ban violates First Amendment rights. Meanwhile, the government insists the app poses a national security threat.
The U.S. government has been side-eyeing TikTok for years, claiming China could use the platform for espionage or to pump disinformation straight into our feeds. ByteDance offered a Band-Aid solution by partnering with Oracle to review its algorithms and safeguard data, but Congress wasn’t buying it.
Instead, lawmakers passed a law requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok—or else. “The U.S. can’t afford to have Beijing controlling half of our citizens’ screens,” a government official said, undoubtedly while scrolling on TikTok.
As TikTok scrambles to survive, its fans are already Googling “VPNs” and “how to sideload apps” like they’re prepping for the tech apocalypse.
Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump, who famously failed to ban TikTok during his first term, has flipped the script, asking the Supreme Court to delay the ban so he can “negotiate a resolution.”
Will Trump save TikTok this time, or is the app destined to join Vine in the social media graveyard? Stay tuned—if the app doesn’t glitch out first.
Source: WSJ