Judge in Trump 2020 election case agrees to cancel court deadlines after his presidential win

By Melissa Quinn November 8, 2024 / 1:19 PM EST / CBS News

Washington — The federal district judge overseeing the case against President-elect Donald Trump related to the 2020 electionagreed to forego current deadlinesto allow special counsel Jack Smith and his team more time to assess the "unprecedented circumstance" arising out of his election Tuesday to serve a second term in the White House.

Smith asked U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan in a one-paragraph filing for additional time to "determine the appropriate course going forward consistent with Department of Justice policy."He said prosecutors will provide more information to the court by Dec. 2. Chutkan quickly granted Smith's request and tossed out the remaining deadlines she had set. She ordered the government to submit to her a report"indicating its proposed course for this case going forward"by Smith's proposed early-December deadline.

Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in the race for the White House on Tuesday and will be sworn-in for a second term on Jan. 20. As a result of Trump's victory, the Justice Department and special counsel's office are discussing how to wind down the ongoing federal prosecutions against Trump.

The Justice Department has a longstanding policy against prosecuting a sitting president.

Citing the outcome of the election and Trump's upcoming inauguration,Smith told the court that the deadlines in the pretrial schedule should be tossed out "to afford the government time to assess this unprecedented circumstance."

Trump is facing four federal charges in the case arising out of what Smith alleges was an unlawful scheme to subvert the transfer of power after the 2020 election. He pleaded not guilty and has denied wrongdoing.

Proceedings in the case were halted for months as Trump pursued claims that he was immune from federal prosecution all the way up to the Supreme Court.

The high court ruled in July that former presidents cannot face charges arising from official actions taken while in the White House.

The case returned to Chutkan in August, and a grand jury returned a new indictment against Trump that narrowed the allegations against him to comply with the Supreme Court's ruling. The two sides have been arguing in court papers about whether the new charges can stand.

Trump was also charged in a separate case brought by Smith in South Florida stemming from his alleged mishandling of documents marked classified and efforts to impede the Justice Department's investigation. But the 40 charges brought against him were tossed out earlier this year after U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who was overseeing the case, ruled the special counsel's appointment was unconstitutional.

Smith appealed that decision, and he and Trump's lawyers have submitted filings on the issue of whether the special counsel's appointment should stand.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-2020-election-case-smith-asks-for-time/

(IMOthey are slow walking it so they can leak lies and stories about Trump, and pretend like they have the power to do this. They have some kind of sabotage plan, that’s obvious!I can't wait for both of them to be raided for docs and communications and locked up.)

AXIOS 3 hours ago -World1/2

Scoop: Elon Musk joined Trump's call with Zelensky

Donald Trump's phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday included two surprises: Elon Musk was also on the line, and Zelensky was somewhat reassured by what he heard from the president-elect, two sources with knowledge of the call tell Axios.

Why it matters: The new details of the call underscore how influential Musk could be in the second Trump administration, and the uncertainty over how exactly Trump will approach Ukraine.

Between the lines: Trump's public messages throughout the election campaign — promising a quick resolution to the war, declining to say which side he wanted to win and criticizing the massive aid packages flowing from Washington — raised alarm bells in Kyiv and throughout Europe.

• TheBiden administration is now looking for ways to get as much military assistance as possibleto Ukraine ahead of Jan. 20, when Trump could turn off the spigot.

• But the private conversations Trump and his team have had with Zelensky and his advisers over the last two months — including on Wednesday — were somewhat more reassuring to the Ukrainians, the sources say.

• Zelensky himself felt the fact that the call happened so soon after Trump was declared the winner was a positive sign, one of the sources told Axios. Trump has yet to speak with Vladimir Putin since the election, but the Russian president said he will pick up if Trump calls.

Behind the scenes: The call between Trump and Zelensky lasted around 25 minutes, according to the sources who were briefed on its details.

• After Zelensky congratulated Trump, the president-elect said he will support Ukraine, but didn't go into details.

• Three sources briefed on the call all told Axios that Zelensky felt the call went well and that it did not increase his anxiety about Trump's victory.One source said it "didn't leave Zelensky with a feeling of despair."

• Musk also weighed in during the call to say he will continue supporting Ukraine through his Starlink satellites, the sources said. Musk did not respond to a request for comment.

o Starlink has been crucial to Ukraine's war effort, though Musk has also mocked Zelensky's requests for U.S. aid, and Zelensky rebuked the billionaire for proposing a peace plan of his own in 2022.

Reality check: Much went unsaid, and much remains unknown. Trump and Zelensky did not delve into policies like Trump's purported plan to end the war, or the prospect of further U.S. aid, the sources said.

Flashback: Zelensky met Trump in September in New York, at which time they discussed the war with Russia and a possible diplomatic path for ending it.

• According to three sources with knowledge of that meeting, Trump told Zelensky he would not abandon Ukraine, but wants to give diplomacy a chance.

• "I promise you will be happy with me," Trump told Zelensky during that meeting, according to a source with knowledge. The Trump campaign declined to comment on Wednesday's call or the previous meeting.

• ==In attendance at that meeting was former U.S. ambassador to

Germany Richard Grenell==, a possible Trump pick for secretary of state or another senior post. Grenell is expected to play a leading role in any Ukraine diplomacy.

• Since the meeting in New York, Zelensky's advisers have kept an open channel of communication with Trump's aides. Trump told Zelensky Wednesday that they would continue the conversations after he assembles his foreign policy team.

https://www.axios.com/2024/11/08/musk-trump-zelensky-ukraine-call

>>21944526

2/2

What they're saying:

"Nothing of what Zelensky and his aides heard from Trump and his team in private has been alarming or made us feel that Ukraine is going to be the one who pays the price."

— Source familiar with the conversations

"I had an excellent call with President Trump and congratulated him on his historic landslide victory — his tremendous campaign made this result possible," Zelensky wrote on X after the call on Wednesday.

• "Strong and unwavering U.S. leadership is vital for the world and for a just peace," Zelensky said, adding that he and Trump agreed to maintain close dialogue.

• Yes, but: In a speech in Budapest on Thursday, Zelensky made clear that despite his positive call with Trump, he "cannot yet know what his actions will be."

The big picture: During the campaign, Trump repeatedly said he would immediately push for Ukraine-Russia peace talks if elected, and even claimed he could get a deal within 24 hours.

• On Thursday in Budapest, Zelensky acknowledged that Trump wants to end the war quickly but stressed they did not discuss that in detail during the call.

• "If it's just fast, it means losses for Ukraine. I just don't yet understand how this could be in any other way. Maybe we do not know something, do not see," Zelensky said.

• He stressed Ukraine wants "a fair end to the war" that includes security guarantees.

The intrigue: Musk also joined Trump's call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who told reporters that Musk and Trump had been having dinner together at the time.

What to watch: Even though they're wary of potential peace talks, the Ukrainians see some upside in breaking with the current "negative status-quo," one source briefed on government deliberations said.

• Three sources with knowledge of Ukrainian government assessments said that Kyiv expects that if peace talks do take place, they will agree to participate but Putin will either reject the talks or take steps that doom them to failure.

https://www.axios.com/2024/11/08/musk-trump-zelensky-ukraine-call

TOTAL SYMPATHY PIECE BY REUTERS, THEY ARE EVIL

Mexico's migrant caravan breaking up after Trump victory sows uncertainty

Daniel Becerril and Lizbeth Diaz, Thu, November 7, 2024 at 1:26 PM EST

TAPACHULA, Mexico (Reuters) - A caravan of thousands of migrants traveling through Mexico with the hope of reaching the U.S.had shrunk to about half its original sizeon Thursday as many migrants grapple with their prospects following former U.S. President Donald Trump's victory in Tuesday's election.

Trump clinched the presidential election after a campaign that promised large-scale deportations of undocumented migrants and a return to fast-tracked deportations to Mexico.

An official from Mexico's National Migration Institute told Reuters thecaravan had dwindled to less than 1,600 people, down from 3,000 when it set outfrom the southern city of Tapachula on Tuesday.

Just over 100 people asked for help from authorities to return to Tapachula, the official said. It was unclear where the rest of the migrants who left the caravan were headed.

After hearing that Trump had won, many of those in the caravan felt less hopeful about their chance at a new life in the United States.

"I had hoped (Kamala Harris) would win, but that didn't happen,"said Valerie Andrade, a Venezuelan migrant traveling from Chiapas to Oaxaca in southern Mexico. Andrade, along with her husband, and like over 7 million other Venezuelans, left her crisis-ridden country seeking better prospects.

Trump's proposed immigration policies also include ending birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants. During his previous administration,between 2017 and 2021 Trump put in place policies that left hundreds of thousands of migrants stranded in camps along the Mexican border, reshaping U.S. immigration politics.

A spokesperson for Chiapas state security told Reuters that while the migrant caravan continues north, some families are choosing to turn back to Tapachula, near the Guatemalan border.But for many the journey northward persists.

Venezuelan migrant Jeilimar, who requested that her last name be withheld for her safety, remains hopeful her appointment to seek asylum via the U.S. Customs and Border Protection app, CBP One, will come through before Trump assumes office in January."With God's favor, I'll get that appointment," she said, as she traveled with her 6-year-old daughter, intent on reaching the U.S.

Human rights activists say migrants will continue to arrive to the U.S. southern border.

"People will seek new paths; it'll be more dangerous, but it won't stop them," said Heyman Vázquez, a Catholic priest and pro-migrant activist in Chiapas.(These phony priests should be arrested and sent to jail, they know and allow women & children to be raped, murdered and traffic. MAY GOD JUDGE THEM ALL GREATLY!)

https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-win-casts-doubt-future-110405189.html