Unbiased headline news – Disgraced former Congressman George Santos has requested that a judge delay his sentencing in his federal fraud case.
Santos is currently set to be sentenced on February 7th in Central Islip, New York, following his guilty plea to charges of federal fraud, campaign finance violations, and embezzlement. His legal team has asked the judge to extend the sentencing by six months, pushing it to August, to allow Santos additional time to earn money and meet the nearly $600,000 he owes in restitution and forfeiture payments.
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The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s New York criminal hush money case has indicated plans to issue an “unconditional discharge” as a sentence, citing respect for the presidential immunity doctrine.
Judge Juan Merchan ordered Trump to appear, either in person or virtually, for sentencing on January 10th, just 10 days before Trump’s presidential inauguration. In his ruling, Merchan described an unconditional discharge as the “most practical resolution to ensure finality and enable Defendant to pursue his appellate options.”
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Secretary of State Antony Blinken began what is expected to be his final international trip in office this weekend, with visits planned to South Korea, Japan, and France.
The State Department announced that Blinken’s travels to Seoul, Tokyo, and Paris commenced on Sunday. In South Korea, amid the political upheaval following the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol, and in Japan, Blinken aims to underscore the enhanced cooperation between the U.S. and these nations as part of the Biden administration’s Indo-Pacific strategy.
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The Los Angeles County district attorney recently met with relatives of the Menendez brothers but stated he is still reviewing the facts of the case and has not yet decided whether to support their bid for release.
LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman noted that upon taking office on December 3rd, he pledged to reevaluate the Menendez case thoroughly. This process, he explained, has involved examining thousands of pages of confidential prison records, trial transcripts, consultations with prosecutors and defense attorneys, and a review of court filings.
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A fire at a shopping center in Dallas on Friday morning resulted in the deaths of over 500 animals, primarily small birds, authorities reported.
The 579 animals at the Plaza Latina pet shop in Northwest Dallas succumbed to smoke inhalation, according to Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesperson Jason Evans. The fire’s flames never reached the animals directly. Chickens, hamsters, two dogs, and two cats were among those lost, Evans said. The two-alarm fire required approximately two hours and 45 firefighters to extinguish.
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Tomiko Itooka, a Japanese woman recognized as the world’s oldest person by Guinness World Records, has passed away at the age of 116, an Ashiya city official confirmed on Saturday.
Yoshitsugu Nagata, an official overseeing elderly policies, stated that Itooka died on December 29th at a care facility in Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture, central Japan. Known for her love of bananas and a yogurt-flavored Japanese drink called Calpis, Itooka was born on May 23, 1908. She became the world’s oldest person last year, succeeding 117-year-old Maria Branyas, according to the Gerontology Research Group.
