Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Mark your calendars: “Judge Juan Merchan rejected a motion from Donald Trump to dismiss the New York hush money case and set the president-elect’s sentencing for Jan. 10. Merchan said Trump can appear virtually or in person for the sentencing and the judge said he is not inclined to sentence Trump to prison. The 34 counts of falsifying business records for which Trump was found guilty at trial do not mandate incarceration.”
* Political tumult in Seoul: “South Korean authorities tried and failed Friday to carry out an unprecedented arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol over his botched attempt to declare martial law in a dramatic standoff at the presidential residence where Yoon has been staying since he was impeached last month.”
* The future of U.S. Steel: “President Joe Biden said Friday that he has decided to block a $15 billion takeover of U.S. Steel by the Japanese company Nippon Steel, capping off a yearlong business saga that drifted into election politics. A national security review by a Treasury Department committee failed to reach a consensus on the deal last month and deferred the final decision to the president.”
* A report likely to spark considerable debate: “Alcoholic drinks should carry cancer risk warning labels, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said in a report Friday. The report cites a direct link between alcohol consumption and at least seven types of cancer, including of the breast, colorectal, liver and mouth.”
* One of the most important unsolved mysteries in recent memory: “F.B.I. officials on Thursday released new details of their investigation into the still-unidentified suspect believed to have placed pipe bombs in Washington the night before the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol, hoping to spur tips that might solve a lingering mystery.” * JetBlue faces an unusual federal penalty: “JetBlue has agreed to pay a $2 million penalty after federal regulators charged the U.S. carrier with operating multiple chronically delayed flight routes. The penalty is the first time the U.S. Department of Transportation has fined an airline for engaging in unrealistic scheduling practices that it says can harm both passengers and fair competition across the airline industry.” * SCOTUS news: “The federal courts will not refer allegations that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas may have violated ethics laws to the Justice Department, the judiciary’s policymaking body said Thursday. Thomas has agreed to follow updated requirements on reporting trips and gifts, including clearer guidelines on hospitality from friends, the U.S. Judicial Conference wrote to Democratic senators who had called for an investigation into undisclosed acceptance of luxury trips.” Have a safe weekend.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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