The Evening: Trump set to be sentenced next week

Also, Mike Johnson was re-elected as House speaker.

View in browser|nytimes.com January 3, 2025 By Matthew Cullen Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Friday. Trump's sentencing date Cancer warnings on alcohol Plus, how to watch the Golden Globes Donald Trump in court in May. Pool photo by Doug Mills A judge upheld Trump's felony conviction, but signaled no jail time A New York judge released a decision today that upheld Donald Trump's criminal conviction in his hush-money trial. The judge also signaled that he was inclined to spare the president-elect any punishment. The judge, Juan Merchan, indicated that he favored a so-called unconditional discharge of Trump's sentence, a rare and lenient alternative to jail or probation. He set a sentencing date of Jan. 10, rebuffing Trump's request to overturn the jury's verdict. An unconditional discharge would cement Trump's status as a felon just before his inauguration on Jan. 20 even as it would water down the consequences for his crimes. Trump would be the first to carry that designation into the Oval Office. Trump is now expected to ask an appeals court to intervene and postpone the sentencing. A Manhattan jury convicted him in May on 34 counts of falsifying business records, concluding that he had sought to cover up a sex scandal that threatened to derail his 2016 campaign for president. He faced up to four years in prison in the case. Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times Mike Johnson was re-elected as House speaker Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, was re-elected this afternoon to the House's top leadership post. Three right-wing Republicans, and every Democrat, initially opposed Johnson. Eventually, after huddling with Johnson, two of the three Republican holdouts agreed to support his candidacy. The fairly swift acquiesce was a major victory for Johnson, and Donald Trump, but it previewed challenges that Republicans could face with such a narrow majority in the House. "Getting elected speaker was probably the easiest part," our congressional corespondent Catie Edmondson told me, adding that the chaotic vote forecasts difficult times ahead for Johnson. In the Senate, John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, ascended to the top leadership post. Ruth Fremson/The New York Times The surgeon general called for cancer warnings on alcohol The U.S. surgeon general released a report today urging Congress to require alcoholic beverages be affixed with labels warning drinkers of cancer risks, similar to those on packs of cigarettes. He pointed to a growing body of research that has linked drinking, sometimes even within the recommended limits, to various types of cancer. The move was the latest salvo in a fierce debate about the risks and benefits of moderate drinking as the influential Dietary Guidelines for Americans are about to be updated. For decades, moderate drinking was linked to fewer heart attacks and strokes. But alcohol directly contributes to 100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 related deaths each year, the surgeon general said. For alternatives: Check out Wirecutter's favorite nonalcoholic drinks. Protesters against President Yoon Suk Yeol near his residence in Seoul today. Chang W. Lee/The New York Times The South Korean police tried, but failed, to detain the president About 100 criminal investigators and police officers entered a hilly compound in Seoul this morning in an effort to do something that has never been done before in South Korea: detain a sitting president. Prosecutors were seeking to question President Yoon Suk Yeol on insurrection charges after he abruptly declared martial law last month. However, the authorities were blocked from the president's residence by Yoon's security forces. After a dramatic five-and-a-half-hour standoff, the officials retreated and said they were discussing what their next step would be. More top news Economy: President Biden blocked the $14 billion takeover of U.S. Steel by Nippon Steel of Japan on grounds that the sale posed a threat to national security. Truck explosion: Notes left by the soldier who blew up a Tesla Cybertruck in Las Vegas said that he took his own life as a "wake-up call" to the country, the authorities said. New Orleans: Residents were riding a wave of optimism into 2025. The deadly New Year's attack became a tragic reminder of why the city is known for its resilience. New York: Rudy Giuliani could be held in contempt of court after failing to surrender millions of dollars in assets to election workers he defamed. New Jersey: Robert Menendez, the former senator who is awaiting sentencing for corruption, is begging for leniency and blaming his wife for leading him astray. Climate: The Biden administration finalized its planned offer of billions of dollars in tax credits to companies that make hydrogen. Middle East: Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are treading cautiously with Syria's new government. Travel: The Transportation Department fined JetBlue Airways $2 million for operating several flights that chronically arrived late in 2022 and 2023. TIME TO UNWIND Hailey Heaton for The New York Times Nikki Glaser wants you to laugh at the Golden Globes The veteran comic Nikki Glaser had a big 2024. She broke into the mainstream with the roast of Tom Brady, and she released a knockout HBO special. But perhaps her biggest moment yet will arrive on Sunday, when she is set to host this year's Golden Globes. To prepare, Glaser refined her jokes over the last month with the help of two writers' rooms and 91 test runs at comedy clubs. Our critic Jason Zinoman followed along with her. A scene from "American Primeval." Netflix 'American Primeval' strips the glory from the Old West The director Peter Berg doesn't consider his new Netflix series, "American Primeval," set in the Utah Territory in 1857, to be a western. There are no saloons or cowboys, and the mood is anything but nostalgic. Instead, Berg's goal — which can be seen in nearly every begrimed frame — is brutal authenticity, though the show is largely fiction. "You get a little bit closer to some of the origin stories of how our country was formed," Berg said. "Those origin stories are very violent." Francesca Jones for The New York Times Dinner table topics Laptop to earrings: Britain's Royal Mint makes gold jewelry from electronic waste. We followed the process. For night owls: Is skipping breakfast really all that bad? Earning success: Here's how three independent coffee shops got started. The bounds of infinity: Could monkeys really type all of Shakespeare? Not in this universe, a new study concludes. WHAT TO DO THIS WEEKEND Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times Cook: This pasta e fagioli is an Italian classic. Watch: Here are the best new movies to stream this month. Read: Pico Iyer's new book, "Aflame," tells of his decades visiting a silent Benedictine retreat. Wear: Women's active wear is getting looser and more comfortable. Exercise: Ignore these trends that irk fitness experts. Resolve: Future-proof your happiness in 2025 by focusing on what feeds you. Compete: Take this week's news quiz. Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all our games here. ONE LAST THING West Virginia's head coach, Neal Brown, in 2023. Chris Carlson/Associated Press Come for the football, stay for the mayonnaise Tonight, under the lights of a 75,000-person stadium in Charlotte, N.C., two college football teams will battle for the chance to see their head coach bathed in five gallons of celebratory mayo. Sound weird and gross? That's sort of the point. For the last several years, Duke's Mayo has sponsored a postseason game to market its product. There will be mayo-eating contests, a mayo race, mayo bobbing and, of course, the mayo bath. Have a strangely gleeful weekend. Thanks for reading. I'll be back on Monday. — Matthew Kirsten Luce was our photo editor today. We welcome your feedback. Write to us at evening@nytimes.com. Writer: Matthew Cullen Editors: Carole Landry, Whet Moser, Justin Porter, Jonathan Wolfe Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for The Evening from The New York Times. To stop receiving The Evening, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. 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