©  AP Photo: Charlie Neibergall, Jacquelyn Martin

THE INVESTIGATIONS AND PROSECUTIONS of President-elect Trump are speeding to an end less than two weeks before his inauguration for a second term in the White House.

Trump’s legal woes are winding down due to his election victory in November and the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling from last year.

The legal battles over what can be made public and whether Trump should face sentencing for his convictions are coming to a head in the final days of President Biden’s administration.

• Attorney General Merrick Garland plans to release special counsel Jack Smith’s report detailing Trump’s plans to subvert the transfer of power after his election loss to Biden in the 2020 election.

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon temporarily blocked the release of the report Tuesday, but the Department of Justice (DOJ) notified the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals that it intends to move ahead with the release.

Cannon dismissed the case in July, determining that Smith had been improperly appointed.

Smith appealed Cannon’s ruling but later dropped the appeal after Trump’s victory because sitting presidents cannot be prosecuted.

• Garland will not release Smith’s report on the investigation into Trump for mishandling classified documents, saying it would be inappropriate at this time because two of Trump’s allies, Walt Nauta and Carlos de Oliveira, still face criminal proceedings.

Trump’s incoming DOJ is expected to drop the charges against the two men.

Top members of the House and Senate Judiciary committees will have access to the classified documents report.

• Trump made an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court Wednesday ahead of his scheduled sentencing Friday in Manhattan on the 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. 

Trump’s lawyers are seeking to prevent the sentencing from moving ahead, arguing that he has presidential immunity.

“Forcing President Trump to prepare for a criminal sentencing in a felony case while he is preparing to lead the free world as President of the United States in less than two weeks imposes an intolerable, unconstitutional burden on him that undermines these vital national interests,” Trump’s lawyers wrote.

Trump’s talk of expanding the United States is drawing blowback from world leaders:

Canada

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, who hopes to succeed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau once he resigns, blasted the idea that Canada could become the 51st state.

“Canada will never be the 51st state. Period. We are a great and independent country,” Poilievre wrote on X.

New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman suspects that Trump’s talk of making Canada the 51st state is “much more of a troll,” designed to win him leverage in a tariffs war and humiliate Trudeau, whose political party is in crisis.

Greenland

Denmark says Greenland is not for sale after Trump repeatedly pushed the idea that he intends to purchase the territory — or invade.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the purchase is “not going to happen.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said he’s “confused” by Trump’s obsession with Greenland.

Germany and France warned Trump against threatening Greenland.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Trump is “trying to project” strength.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) likened the idea of purchasing Greenland to the Louisiana Purchase, saying there’s a “responsible conversation” to be had about it.

“There’s a lot of freak-outs, and of course, I would never support taking it by force,” he told Fox News.

Panama

The Panama Canal CEO said Trump’s claims that China is controlling the waterway are “unfounded” and warned that Trump’s demand that the U.S. get preferential treatment would “lead to chaos.”

Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) plans to introduce a bill that would authorize the U.S. to purchase the Panama Canal.

Mexico

Trump says he will rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is prepping a bill to enact the change.

How did Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum respond?

“Mexican America, that sounds nice,” Sheinbaum said. 

💡Perspectives:

• Los Angeles Times: The improvement Trump could make to foreign policy.

• The Hill: Democrats, not Trump, have been shattering our democratic norms.

• The Hill: Democrats must work with President Trump — strategically.

Read more: 

• Top DOJ officials tried to sway 2020 election to Trump: Watchdog.

• Trump’s America First becomes America expands.

• What to know about Trump’s calls to make Canada the ’51st state’.

• Trump, allies fuel speculation over Greenland endgame.

• Trump’s unpredictable streak puts Asia on edge.

Welcome to Evening Report! I’m Jonathan Easley, catching you up from the afternoon and what’s coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here.

• A winter storm threatens Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma with snow.

• Tens of thousands of longshoremen could walk off the job next week if their union and management can’t resolve long-running contract issues. 
  

• Daniel Penny, the former U.S. Marine who was acquitted of criminal charges in the death of a Black man on a New York City subway, has filed to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the victim’s father.

©  AP Photo/Ethan Swope

Horrifying images are pouring in from Los Angeles.

At least two people are dead and tens of thousands are under evacuation orders as fires rage from nearly all sides of LA:

• The Palisades in the west

• The San Fernando Valley in the north

• Near Pasadena to the east.

The devastation is greatest in the Pacific Palisades, where scores of homes and businesses have been destroyed and hundreds of thousands are without power.

The sky is full of smoke, and palm trees are burning. The relentless Santa Ana winds are carrying embers for miles, sparking new fires across the city.

Some hydrants have run dry. Bulldozers moved abandoned cars from the streets so first responders could reach the impacted areas.

Vice President Harris’s Brentwood neighborhood was evacuated.

President Biden met with California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) at a briefing in Santa Monica, where he pledged the full support of the federal government.

“We’re prepared to do anything and everything as long as it takes,” Biden said. “It’s astounding what’s happening.”

The cause of the fire is unknown, but finger-pointing is underway.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass was on a trip to Africa when the wildfires broke out.

Bass is reportedly returning now from Ghana, where she was attending the inauguration of President John Mahama.

Bass declared a local state of emergency and posted on X that the city is “working aggressively” to combat the fires.

President-elect Trump blamed Newsom, saying his poor water management led to fire hydrants running dry. Trump has in the past blamed Newsom for failing to properly clear forest brush.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who has sparred with Newsom in the past, offered to do whatever he could to help.

“Our prayers are with everyone affected by the horrific fires in Southern California,” DeSantis posted on X. “When disaster strikes, we must come together to help our fellow Americans in any way we can. The state of Florida has offered help to assist the people of California in responding to these fires and in rebuilding communities that have been devastated.”

💡Perspectives:

• The Liberal Patriot: Social media has ruined American politics.

• Fox News: Meta’s free speech move could be transformational.

• The Atlantic: The anti-social century.

• The Hill: I was shot 14 years ago today. Let’s address gun violence.

President Biden gave a rare interview to a print media outlet this week, sitting with Susan Page of USA Today to address his legacy in a story that ran Wednesday.

• Biden said he could’ve defeated President-elect Trump in November if he’d stayed in the race.

When asked if he would have been able to handle the presidency for another four years, Biden responded: “Who the hell knows?”

• Biden hasn’t decided yet on preemptive pardons for critics of Trump, even as Sen. Adam Schiff (R-Calif.) and former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) say they don’t want them.

• Biden said he told Trump not to “settle scores” during their transition meeting.

• Biden’s biggest regret from his term was not doing more to counter misinformation. Biden blamed Trump for spreading lies about migrants, although he confused the recent attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas while making that point.

• Biden also said he’s frustrated that it’s taking so long for his infrastructure projects to get underway, but he believes people will grow to appreciate “that the government did this for you” in the long run.

©  Andrew Harnik/Pool via AP

The House declined to hold votes on Wednesday out of deference to former President Jimmy Carter, whose body lies in state in the Capitol Rotunda.

President-elect Trump will visit Capitol Hill to meet with GOP leaders this evening. He plans to attend Carter’s state funeral on Thursday at the National Cathedral, where President Biden will give remarks.

• Will Senate Democrats get behind the Laken Riley Act?

The bill, named after the Georgia nursing student who was killed by an immigrant from Venezuela who crossed the border illegally, passed the House with support from 48 Democrats on Tuesday.

Immigration was a top issue for voters in November, and some Democrats view this bill as a chance for their party to show they’re serious about border security.

Newly elected Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) is co-sponsoring the bill in the Senate, telling The Hill’s Rafael Bernal that his constituents “know the real-life consequences of today’s border crisis.”

“We must give law enforcement the means to take action when illegal immigrants break the law, to prevent situations like what occurred to Laken Riley,” Gallego said. “I will continue to fight for the safety of Arizonans by pushing for comprehensive immigration reform and increased border security.”

• Senate Republicans plan to use the Congressional Review Act to dismantle recent regulations implemented by the Biden administration — but they face a time crunch.

Via The Hill’s Alexander Bolton: “They need to act quickly on the deregulatory front, because a joint resolution disapproving of Biden-era rules needs to be introduced under strict time requirements…the biggest problem right now is figuring out which ones to target, given limited Senate floor time.”

💡Perspectives:

• The Wall Street Journal: Harris didn’t lose. Trump won.

• The Hill: The House accusations against Cheney are baseless and wrong.

• The Nation: Left-populists – unshackle your imaginations!

Read more: 

• Dozens of lawmakers beat stock market in 2024.

• Gaetz ‘starting to think about’ run for governor.

• Pentagon asks court to block 9/11 plea deals.

• What could Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ look like?

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