1/ A federal appeals court upheld the $5 million verdict against Trump in the sexual abuse and defamation case brought by E. Jean Carroll. Trump had asked for a new trial after a jury unanimously concluded in May 2023 that he sexually abused Carroll in the 1990s – and then defamed her after she went public with her allegations. Trump argued that the trial judge made a mistake by allowing the jury to hear the testimony of two women who accused him of sexual abuse, as well as the 2005 “Access Hollywood” recording in which he described kissing and grabbing women without their consent, saying: “I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything […] Grab ‘em by the pussy. You can do anything.” The court, however, rejected Trump arguments, saying the evidence established a “repeated, idiosyncratic pattern of conduct” consistent with Carroll’s allegations and that “[T]he jury could reasonably infer […] that Mr. Trump engaged in similar conduct with other women — a pattern of abrupt, nonconsensual, and physical advances on women he barely knew.” (NPR / ABC News / New York Times / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / Associated Press / Politico / NBC News)
2/ Trump endorsed Mike Johnson for another term, saying he has his “complete and total” support. Trump added that Republicans should “NOT BLOW THIS GREAT OPPORTUNITY WHICH WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN.” Johnson is running for re-election as speaker on Jan. 3 when the new Congress begins. Trump’s endorsement comes as some House conservatives have warned they’re not committed to backing Johnson after he passed an end of year spending deal that lacked spending cuts and didn’t include Trump’s debt ceiling increase. Johnson can only afford to lose two Republican votes. Democrats are expected to universally oppose him, and Republican Thomas Massie has already signaled his opposition. Failure to elect a speaker by Jan. 6 could delay Trump’s Electoral College certification. (Politico / NBC News / Washington Post / New York Times / Wall Street Journal / ABC News / CNN / USA Today)
3/ Trump sided with El...