Weekend Report: What's happening?

Mike Johnson's election as speaker was a preview of GOP chaos. Trump will be sentenced as a felon. Flags will fly at half-staff during Jimmy Carter's funeral--and Trump's inauguration!

Don’t let any of the media’s whitewashing fool you. Mike Johnson did not get elected as Speaker on the first roll call vote, something that—until the past two years—hasn’t happened in over 100 years. The fact that the GOP held the vote open for two hours to cut deals with the holdouts so they could switch their votes—and so Johnson could say he won on the first ballot—doesn’t change the fact that the extremists wielded their power. And they’re ready to defy Donald Trump, too, who’s increasingly shows himself to be weak.

Justice Juan Merchan of New York delivered a delightful surprise yesterday when he upheld Trump's 34-count felony conviction for falsifying business records—the Stormy Daniels case—and then said Trump would be sentenced on January 10th. That's 10 days before his inauguration and will once again focus on the incoming president’s criminal activity. While he won’t be sentencing Trump to jail time, Merchan could have put it off until after Trump left office. But decided to make sure everyone sees justice now.

Jimmy Carter died at the age of 100 while President Biden is still in office, which was better for him as the Biden administration will oversee the funeral and Carter lying in state. (We can only imagine what would have happened if he died while Trump was president.) Now Trump is apparently fuming because flags will be flying at half-staff during his inauguration, which coincides with the funeral. But you can’t help but think is very fitting!