Trump documents set for release in Washington, evidence found in New York
The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack could get access to a small portion of former President Donald Trump’s White House documents as soon as Wednesday, according to a court filing late Tuesday. The National Archives was scheduled to release about a half-dozen pages of records that had not been blocked from release as Trump pursues a Supreme Court challenge to the House committee’s demand for a swath of his White House records, officials said. Trump’s attorneys had “not raised any arguments about those six pages in this appeal.” Also late Tuesday, the New York attorney general’s office told a court its investigators uncovered evidence Trump’s company used “fraudulent or misleading” asset valuations to get loans and tax benefits. Letitia James’ office said state authorities haven’t yet decided whether to bring a civil lawsuit in connection with the allegations, but Trump and his two eldest children – Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump – need to be questioned. Trump and his lawyers say the probe is politically motivated.
Biden: Trump held ‘dagger at throat’ of democracy
President Joe Biden forcefully condemns Donald Trump’s election-overturning efforts that sparked the deadly breach of the Capitol by his supporters and motivate deep national divisions. He decried the “dagger at the throat of democracy.” (Jan. 6)
AP
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Biden to hold first formal news conference of 2022
President Joe Biden will hold his first formal news conference of 2022 on Wednesday, after facing months of criticism about lack of media access. It will be Biden’s first solo press conference at the White House since March 2021 and his first since November, when he traveled to Glasgow for the United Nations climate summit. The president will also face reporters a day before he’s due to mark his first year in office and after a bruising week in which his political standing took a hit amid record inflation, failed efforts to push through voting rights legislation and a Supreme Court ruling against a key component of his vaccine campaign. Biden will field questions from reporters on Wednesday at 4 p.m. E.T.
Biden’s first year: Unity, victories prove elusive
President Joe Biden came to office one year ago on promises to heal a deeply divided nation and end the unrelenting COVID pandemic. Biden wraps up his first year with some notable achievements, but progress on those two vows as elusive as ever. (Jan. 18)
AP
Blinken to visit Ukraine amid Russian invasion threat
With a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine looming, Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with Ukrainian leaders Wednesday as the Biden administration ramps up its diplomatic efforts. Blinken is scheduled to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Geneva, then with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba “to reinforce the United States’ commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” according to a senior State Department official. Blinken’s trip comes after lower-level talks with Russian and European officials last week failed to produce a breakthrough. Russia has amassed more than 100,000 troops on the border with Ukraine and threatened to escalate conflict with its neighbor unless the U.S. and its European allies make a series of security guarantees to Moscow.
WH: Russia prepping pretext for Ukraine invasion
The White House says U.S. intelligence officials determined a Russian effort is underway creating a pretext for its troops to further invade Ukraine, and Moscow has prepositioned operatives to conduct “a false-flag operation” in eastern Ukraine. (Jan. 14)
AP
Supreme Court to hear Cruz challenge to campaign finance law
The Supreme Court will hear arguments Wednesday in a case that has bitterly divided Republicans and Democrats over how candidates fund their campaigns. The case, brought by Texas Republican Ted Cruz, centers on the 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, which set new limits on political donations, tried to quash “soft money” that skirted those limits and required federal candidates to include the “I approve this message” tag line on TV ads. On the surface, Cruz wants the court to strike down part of the law that restricts a campaign’s ability to raise money after an election to repay a candidate’s personal loan. The Biden administration says the provision helps prevent corruption, but critics say it’s a perk that benefits incumbents.
AT&T and Verizon to launch 5G service nationwide — with one exception
Wireless carriers AT&T and Verizon will launch 5G networks nationwide, except in areas within two miles of airports. Both companies decided to voluntarily limit their launches after industry group Airlines for America warned the frequency could interfere with devices that measure airplane altitude and impact safety. At issue is 5G’s C-Band, which wireless carriers invested billions on last year. “Airplane manufacturers have informed us that there are huge swaths of the operating fleet that may need to be indefinitely grounded,” Airlines for America wrote Monday in a letter signed by the CEOs of Delta, American, United, Southwest, FedEx, UPS and more. The FAA is studying the potential impacts of 5G on flights and has preemptively ordered some Boeing 787 operators to take extra precautions when landing.
Telecoms pause some 5G after airlines raise alarm
AT&T and Verizon will delay launching new wireless service near key airports after the nation’s largest airlines said the service would interfere with aircraft technology and cause massive flight disruptions. (Jan 18)
AP
Contributing: The Associated Press
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