Trump vows to pursue executions after Biden commutes most of federal death row
By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — President-elect Donald Trump promised on Tuesday to “vigorously pursue” capital punishment after President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of most people on federal death row partly to stop Trump from pushing forward their executions. Trump criticized Biden’s decision on Monday to change the sentences of 37 of the 40 condemned people to life in prison without parole, arguing that it was senseless and insulted the families of their victims. Biden said converting their punishments to life imprisonment was consistent with the moratorium imposed on federal executions in cases other than terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder. “Joe Biden just commuted the Death Sentence on 37 of the worst killers in our Country,” he wrote on his social media site. “When you hear the acts of each, you won’t believe that he did this. Makes no sense. Relatives and friends are further devastated. They can’t believe this is happening!” Presidents historically have no involvement in dictating or recommending the punishments that federal prosecutors seek for defendants in criminal cases, though Trump has long sought more direct control over the Justice Department’s operations. The president-elect wrote that he would direct the department to pursue the death penalty “as soon as I am inaugurated,” but was vague on what specific actions he may take and said they would be in cases of “violent rapists, murderers, and monsters.” He highlighted the cases of two men who were on federal death row for slaying a woman and a girl, had admitted to killing more and had their sentences commuted by Biden. On the campaign trail, Trump often called for expanding the federal death penalty — including for those who kill police officers, those convicted of drug and human trafficking, and migrants who kill U.S. citizens. “Trump has been fairly consistent in wanting to sort of say that he thinks the death penalty is an important tool and he wants to use it,” said Douglas Berman, an expert on sentencing at Ohio State University’s law school. “But whether practically any of that can happen, either under existing law or other laws, is a heavy lift.” Berman said Trump’s statement at this point seems to be just a response to Biden’s commutation. “I’m inclined to think it’s still in sort of more the rhetoric phase. Just, ‘don’t worry. The new sheriff is coming. I like the death penalty,’” he said. Most Americans have historically supported the death penalty for people convicted of murder, according to decades of annual polling by Gallup, but support has declined over the past few decades. About half of Americans were in favor in an October poll, while roughly 7 in 10 Americans backed capital punishment for murderers in 2007. Before Biden’s commutation, there were 40 federal death row inmates compared with more than 2,000 who have been sentenced to death by states. “The reality is all of these crimes are typically handled by the states,” Berman said. A question is whether the Trump administration would try to take over some state murder cases, such as those related to drug trafficking or smuggling. He could also attempt to take cases from states that have abolished the death penalty. Berman said Trump’s statement, along with some recent actions by states, may present an effort to get the Supreme Court to reconsider a precedent that considers the death penalty disproportionate punishment for rape. “That would literally take decades to unfold. It’s not something that is going to happen overnight,” Berman said. Before one of Trump’s rallies on Aug. 20, his prepared remarks released to the media said he would announce he would ask for the death penalty for child rapists and child traffickers. But Trump never delivered the line. One of the men Trump highlighted on Tuesday was ex-Marine Jorge Avila Torrez, who was sentenced to death for killing a sailor in Virginia and later pleaded guilty to the fatal stabbing of an 8-year-old and a 9-year-old girl in a suburban Chicago park several years before. Related Articles The other man, Thomas Steven Sanders, was sentenced to death for the kidnapping and slaying of a 12-year-old girl in Louisiana, days after shooting the girl’s mother in a wildlife park in Arizona. Court records show he admitted to both killings. Some families of victims expressed anger with Biden’s decision, but the president had faced pressure from advocacy groups urging him to make it more difficult for Trump to increase the use of capital punishment for federal inmates. The ACLU and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops were some of the groups that applauded the decision. Biden left three federal inmates to face execution. They are Dylann Roof, who carried out the 2015 racist slayings of nine Black members of Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina; 2013 Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev ; and Robert Bowers, who fatally shot 11 congregants at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018 , the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S history. Associated Press writers Jill Colvin, Michelle L. Price and Eric Tucker contributed to this report.Controversial MAGA figure Valentina Gomez has sparked widespread outrage after posting a graphic video that simulates the public execution of a migrant. The 25-year-old real estate investor, known for her provocative views, stated that undocumented immigrants who commit violent crimes "deserve to be ended," further fueling the backlash surrounding the disturbing footage. Also Read: Donald Trump 'buys' Canada, Greenland, and Panama Canal in Eric Trump's post; Danish leader’s blunt five-word response Valentina Gomez’s controversial video In the clip, shared on X, Gomez demonstrated shooting a dummy, who is tied to a chair, in the back of his head with a handgun. She said, “It's that simple, public executions for any illegal that rapes or kills an American. They don't deserve deportation, they deserve to be ended.” Her video was later restricted by X due to the potential violent speech policy. However, the video spread like wildfire over the internet. Meanwhile, Gomez wrote in the caption, “My video being restricted & my account getting suspended shows all of you that I am the biggest threat to the establishment because I call it like I see it, I give people hope, and I don’t need their money. Remember, nobody is coming to save us. Stay strapped.'” After a while she added, “Same treatment should go for all the pedophiles. Congress is only good at having useless hearings, investigations, and strongly worded letters. Yet, no actual results to the American people,” as reported by DailyMail. Also Read: American Airlines grounds all US flights due to technical issue, disrupting passengers' Christmas eve travel plans Who is Valentina Gomez? Valentina Gomez, born on May 8, 1999, in Medellín, Colombia, is a Colombian-born American real estate investor, financier, and political activist. She and her family immigrated to the United States in 2009, settling in Jersey City, New Jersey . She entered the realm of politics in 2024 when she launched her for Missouri Secretary of State. Her political campaign has been marked by provocative and controversial actions, drawing attention to her outspoken rhetoric. One of the most contentious moments came when she released a campaign video urging voters not to be "weak and gay," while running through a historically LGBTQ+ neighbourhood in St. Louis. Moreover, she also posted videos of her burning LGBTQ+ themed books with a flamethrower as promised to ban such if elected. This resulted in a lot of public scrutiny and media attention towards her. Despite the controversy surrounding her campaign, Gomez secured only 7.4% of the vote in the Republican primary, finishing sixth out of eight candidates. This result marked the end of her bid for the Secretary of State position, as her provocative tactics failed to garner significant support from voters, as reported by Economic Times.Celebrations as Wales make history qualifying for Euros
Syria's Interim Authorities Deploy Helicopters Against 'Former Regime Remnants' In Coastal RegionsBiden commutes sentences of 37 of 40 inmates on death rowWife of American Hostage in Gaza Details Torture in Hamas TunnelsMADRID (AP) — Getafe scored twice in three minutes midway through the second half to beat struggling Valladolid 2-0 and record only its second win in La Liga on Friday. The victory ended Getafe’s five-game winless run and lifted it into 15th place in the 20-team standings. Valladolid remained second to last. In the buildup to the match, Getafe sporting director Rubén Reyes described the game as a final but his team was lucky not to go behind as Valladolid created more of the early chances. However, the home side took control in the 69th minute when substitute Álvaro Rodríguez got the opener. Three minutes later, man of the match Allan Nyom made it 2-0. “There’s been a lot of games where we’ve run and fought but lost or drawn,” Nyom, the veteran Cameroon full back, said. “A game that reflects the effort we’ve put in in training is very welcome.” Adding to Valladolid’s woes, coach Paulo Pezzolano was sent off before halftime. The Uruguayan has the league’s worst disciplinary record, with seven yellow cards before Friday’s red. ___ AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer The Associated Press
Last-minute errands often seem to pop up on Christmas and Christmas Eve, whether it's buying a quick present or picking up one last ingredient. Many stores and offices are closed on the two holidays to give employees a chance to spend time with loved ones during the holiday season. This year, Christmas Eve falls on Tuesday, Dec. 24, and Christmas falls on Wednesday, Dec. 25. Before heading out, make sure to check the times of locally owned businesses. Here's what's open and closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 2024. Albertsons Companies' stores – Safeway, Albertsons, Jewel-Osco, ACME, Randalls, Shaw's, Vons and Tom Thumb – will be open Christmas Eve with reduced hours. Many of those banner stores and pharmacies, including Jewel-Osco, Randalls, Shaw's and Tom Thumb, will be closed Christmas Day. Some Albertsons, Safeway, ACME and Vons stores will be open with adjusted hours. The company said to check with your local store before visiting on Christmas. Another grocery giant, Kroger, will mostly operate on normal hours Christmas Eve, but will be closed Christmas Day. Along with Kroger, the company owns Ralphs, Dillons, Smith's, King Soopers, Fry's, QFC, City Market, Owen's, Jay C, Pay Less, Baker's, Gerbes, Harris Teeter, Pick 'n Save, Metro Market, Mariano's, Fred Meyer, Food 4 Less and Foods Co. Whole Foods, Aldi and specialty grocer Trader Joe's are open on modified hours Christmas Eve and closed on Christmas Day. Warehouse club Costco is closed on Christmas. Sam's Club closes at 6 p.m. local time on Christmas Eve and will be closed on Christmas Day. Walmart stores will close at 6 p.m. local time on Christmas Eve and all stores are closed on Christmas Day. Target will be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. local time Christmas Eve, but it will be closed on Christmas. Home Depot says to check with your local store, but locations will generally close at 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve and remain closed on Christmas Day. Lowe's will be open as normal on Christmas Eve and will close on Christmas Day. Department store Macy's will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time on Christmas Eve and close on Christmas Day. Kohl's will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time on Christmas Eve and close on Christmas. Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack stores will be open with limited store hours on Christmas Eve and close the next day. Most banks follow the Federal Reserve banking holidays, so most teller services will be closed Christmas Day. As always, you can use mobile banking services and ATMs. Bank of America will be closed on Christmas Day. Wells Fargo will close at noon local time on Christmas Eve and will be closed all day Dec. 25. TD Bank will also be closed on Christmas. The New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ will not be trading on Christmas Day. CVS Pharmacy locations will be open on Christmas Eve and Christmas, but may have reduced hours. CVS said to check with your local store before visiting. Rite Aid will be open regular business hours on Christmas Eve but will close on Christmas Day. Walgreens will be open on Christmas Eve and all of its 24-hour pharmacies will remain open for 24 hours. On Christmas Day, Walgreens will operate during its usual hours, but the majority of pharmacies are closed except for 24-hour locations and certain others. The United States Postal Service will not be sending or shipping mail on Dec. 25. On Christmas Eve, FedEx Express and FedEx Office will be operating on modified hours, but other services such as FedEx Ground and Custom Critical will be open as normal. On Christmas Day, every FedEx service except Custom Critical will be unavailable. UPS will operate as usual on Christmas Eve. Limited UPS store locations will be open on Christmas Day, and only the UPS Express Critical service will be available.Analysis: Protecting QBs from violent late hits like the one that leveled Trevor Lawrence isn't easy
New Jersey fines firms $40K for sports betting violations
Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed on Christmas Eve, after key U.S. benchmarks rose overnight helped by gains in tech stocks. > Philadelphia news 24/7: Watch NBC10 free wherever you are Japan's Nikkei 225 slipped 0.32% as minutes of the Bank of Japan's October meeting showed that members agreed to stick with raising rates if the economic and inflation outlook was met . Japanese automaker Honda surged 15%, while Nissan shares fell over 5%, a day after they announced starting formal discussions to merge, paving the pay to create the world's third-largest automaker by sales . Discussions are set to conclude in June 2025. South Korea's Kospi was down 0.26% while the Kosdaq was 0.16% higher. South Korea's consumer confidence slipped to the lowest in over two years. The country's consumer sentiment index dropped by more than 12 points from November to 88.4 in December, falling below the 100-point mark that separates optimism from pessimism, a survey released by the Bank of Korea showed. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose 0.42% on open, while mainland China's CSI 300 was up 0.10%. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was 0.35% higher in a shortened trading day. Overnight in the U.S., stocks rose as strength in technology names helped the broader market. The S&P 500 gained 0.73% to 5,974.07. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite rose 0.98% to 19,764.89, as Tesla and Meta Platforms added more than 2% and Nvidia climbed more than 3%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average erased earlier losses and ended the day 66.69 points higher, or 0.16%, to 42,906.95. Trading was thin on Monday and is expected to remain muted during the week. The New York Stock Exchange closes early Tuesday for Christmas Eve at 1 p.m. ET, and the market is shut on Christmas Day. —CNBC's Yun Li contributed to this report.
Cardinals are average through 12 games and the frustration is it feels as if they could be better