DONALD TRUMP

 CNBC - President Donald Trump was sentenced without any penalties Friday in his New York criminal hush money case, 10 days before his inauguration for a second White House term. Manhattan Judge Juan Merchan sentenced Trump to “unconditional discharge,” meaning no jail, no probation and no fine.

“This has been a very terrible experience,” Trump, who attended the hearing remotely, said before receiving the sentence. “This has been a political witch hunt,” he said, claiming the case was brought “to damage my reputation so I would lose the election.”

A jury in May found Trump guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to a $130,000 hush money payment his then-personal lawyer paid porn star Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 presidential election. Daniels was paid for her silence about claims she had sex once with Trump a decade earlier, claims the president-elect has denied.

Legal Dictionary -  A person with a felony conviction may suffer long-term consequences due to the felony charges appearing on their criminal record. These include losing the right to vote, possess firearms, and to hold certain jobs or positions. Many employers refuse to hire convicted felons.

NPR’s Ximena Bustillo says it’s key to note that Trump was one Supreme Court justice away in the vote from not having to be sentenced today. He has tapped several of his personal lawyers on the case to join his next administration, including John Sauer, who appealed the case to the Supreme Court. Trump has vowed to appeal the case, but some ethical questions remain over his lawyers' ability to do so if they are confirmed to serve in the executive branch.

NY Times - The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday denied President-elect Donald J. Trump’s emergency bid to halt his criminal sentencing in New York, all but ensuring it would proceed as planned on Friday. In a brief unsigned order, a five-justice majority noted that Mr. Trump was not facing jail time and that he could still challenge his conviction “in the ordinary course on appeal.”

Although Mr. Trump had argued that being sentenced 10 days before his inauguration would distract from the presidential transition, the majority held, “The burden that sentencing will impose on the president-elect’s responsibilities is relatively insubstantial.”

Four of the court’s conservative justices — Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr., Neil M. Gorsuch and Brett M. Kavanaugh — noted dissents without providing reasons.

Political Wire -  Danish news outlet DR claims that President-elect Donald Trump’s aides “bribed” homeless and poor people with dinners in return for acting as Trump supporters during Donald Trump Jr’s visit to Greenland this week