President Carter's Funeral: Trump, Obama, Biden & Bush (pics)

Chuck Schumer says Democrats would support renaming the Gulf of Mexico if Trump works with them to lower costs

Source: Business Insider

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Wednesday that Democrats were open to President-elect Donald Trump's idea of renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America."

However, he noted that he'd only do so if Trump works with Democrats on "an actual plan to lower costs for Americans."

"That is what the American people want us to focus on first, not on renaming bodies of water," Schumer said in a floor speech, adding that his party's priorities "are so much more closely aligned with the concerns of the American people than Donald Trump's seem to be."

Trump floated the idea at a press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday, where he also refused to rule out the use of military force to take control of Greenland or the Panama Canal.

Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/chuck-schumer-renaming-gulf-mexico-trump-lowering-costs-2025-1

Joe Biden says he could have defeated Donald Trump

Source: BBC News

US President Joe Biden has said he thinks he would have defeated Donald Trump and won re-election in November.

Speaking to USA Today in an exclusive interview, Biden did, however, add that he was unsure if he would have had the stamina for another four-year term.

Speaking to USA Today, Biden said "based on polling" he believed he would have won, but conceded his age may have affected him in office.

"When Trump was running again for re-election, I really thought I had the best chance of beating him. But I also wasn't looking to be president when I was 85 years old, 86 years old," Biden said. "But I don't know. Who the hell knows?"

Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2v2pz38g8o

Biden Cancels Italy Trip to Focus on California Fire Response

Source: NY Times

President Biden canceled a three-day trip to Italy to remain in the United States and coordinate the federal response to the devastating fires raging in Los Angeles, his spokeswoman said Wednesday night.

Mr. Biden had been scheduled to leave Thursday evening after the funeral for former President Jimmy Carter in Washington. During the visit to Italy, which was to be his final presidential trip abroad, Mr. Biden was set to meet with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Mr. Biden, a Catholic, also planned to meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican.

The fires that broke out across the Los Angeles region on Tuesday scuttled that plan. Mr. Biden had been in Los Angeles on Wednesday on a previously planned visit and changed his schedule to receive a briefing from the California governor and officials involved in the fire response.

Mr. Biden then flew back to Washington on Wednesday evening before the Carter funeral.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/08/us/biden-california-fires.html

Fetterman compares Trump's Greenland talk to Louisiana Purchase

Source: ABC News

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) compared President-elect Trump’s talk of acquiring Greenland to the Louisiana Purchase.

Fetterman joined Fox News, alongside Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.), on Tuesday to discuss the concern surrounding Trump’s call to acquire the Danish territory as he prepares to take office again.

“There’s a lot of talk about Greenland, for example, and … there’s a lot of freak-outs and of course, I would never support taking it by force,” Fetterman said.

He continued, noting it would be a “responsible conversation” to discuss acquisition, including “just buying it out.”

Read more: https://www.abc27.com/news/fetterman-compares-trumps-greenland-talk-to-louisiana-purchase/amp/

Fetterman becomes first Democrat to cosponsor the 'Laken Riley Act' in Senate

Fetterman cosponsors GOP-led Laken Riley bill, one of the few Democrats backing it

Source: he Philadelphia Inquirer

Sen. John Fetterman is the lone Senate Democrat cosponsoring a Republican-led bill that would require federal authorities to detain undocumented immigrants arrested for theft-related crimes.

The bill, passed with bipartisan support in the House on Tuesday, is slated to come up for a Senate vote on Friday. In addition to requiring federal detention of undocumented immigrants who commit theft, it would allow states to sue the Department of Homeland Security for harm caused to their citizens because of illegal immigration, greatly expanding the authority of state attorneys general.

Lawmakers named the legislation after Laken Riley, a 22-year-old Augusta University nursing student who was murdered while jogging at the University of Georgia. Her convicted killer, Jose Ibarra, had entered the U.S. illegally and had previously been released after an arrest for stealing merchandise from a Walmart store. He was sentenced to life without parole in November.

“Laken Riley’s story is a tragic reminder of what’s at stake when our systems fail to protect people,” Fetterman said in a joint news release sent by the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Katie Britt (R., Ala.). “No family should have to endure the pain of losing a loved one to preventable violence,” the Pennsylvania Democrat continued. “Immigration is what makes our country great. I support giving authorities the tools to prevent tragedies like this one while we work on comprehensive solutions to our broken system.”

Read more: https://www.inquirer.com/politics/john-fetterman-laken-riley-bill-immigration-20250107.html

Only one Republican clapped when Harris announced that Harris received 226 votes, and when Walz received 226 votes

Oddly enough, it was JD Vance of all people. Feel free to skip to 0:53 for Harris' votes, and Walz's at 1:48.

Two death row inmates reject Biden's commutation of their life sentences

Source: MSN

Two prisoners who are among the 37 federal inmates whose death sentences were commuted last month by President Joe Biden — a move that spares them from the death chamber — have taken an unusual stance: They're refusing to sign paperwork accepting his clemency action.

Shannon Agofsky and Len Davis, both inmates at the U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana, filed emergency motions in federal court in the state's southern district on Dec. 30 seeking an injunction to block having their death sentences commuted to life in prison without parole.

The men believe that having their sentences commuted would put them at a legal disadvantage as they seek to appeal their cases based on claims of innocence.

Death penalty appeals get looked at by the courts very closely in a legal process known as heightened scrutiny, in which courts should examine death penalty cases for errors because of the life and death consequences of the sentence. The process doesn't necessarily lead to a greater likelihood of success, but Agofsky suggested he doesn’t want to lose that additional scrutiny.

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/two-death-row-inmates-reject-biden-s-commutation-of-their-life-sentences/ar-AA1x4i9A?ocid=winp2fptaskbarhover&cvid=94f59ae8cbac4ce9bbf43a0fec167a0f&ei=43

Regarding the counting of Electoral Votes, did anyone object?

If yes who? Or is that process later? Also, any Faithless Electors?