Amna Nawaz:
We start the day’s other news with a surprising twist in Donald Trump’s hush money case in New York.
This afternoon, Judge Juan Merchan ordered the president-elect to appear for sentencing next Friday. That’s just 10 days before his inauguration. In his decision, Merchan said he found — quote — “no legal impediment to sentencing,” but added that Trump would not face jail time.
A jury found Mr. Trump guilty last May of 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. His lawyers wanted the case thrown out following Mr. Trump’s election victory. He’s always denied any wrongdoing.
The soldier who took his life outside of the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas said he was trying to draw attention to the country’s problems. Investigators said they recovered a note from a phone inside the burned-out Cybertruck he detonated, in which Matthew Livelsberger wrote that his actions were not a terrorist attack.
Rather — quote — “It was a wakeup call. Americans only pay attention to spectacles and violence. What better way to get my point across than a stunt with fireworks and explosives?”
An FBI investigator said today they do not believe that Livelsberger harbored any malice toward president-elect Trump and that he suffered trauma from his service.
Spencer Evans, FBI Special Agent in Charge: And although this incident is more public and more sensational than usual, it ultimately appears to be a tragic case of suicide involving a heavily decorated combat veteran who was struggling with PTSD and other issues.