JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in JPMorgan BetaBuilders USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF ( BATS:BBHY – Free Report ) by 21.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 14,651,543 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,589,512 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned about 0.60% of JPMorgan BetaBuilders USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF worth $693,897,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. LGT Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in JPMorgan BetaBuilders USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF by 62.3% in the 3rd quarter. LGT Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 384 shares during the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of JPMorgan BetaBuilders USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF by 37.8% in the third quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 1,065 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares in the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its position in shares of JPMorgan BetaBuilders USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF by 26.7% in the second quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,514 shares of the company’s stock valued at $161,000 after purchasing an additional 740 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its position in shares of JPMorgan BetaBuilders USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF by 3,847.3% in the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 3,592 shares of the company’s stock valued at $170,000 after purchasing an additional 3,501 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lake Street Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of JPMorgan BetaBuilders USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $211,000. JPMorgan BetaBuilders USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF Stock Performance Shares of BATS:BBHY opened at $46.36 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $46.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $46.52. About JPMorgan BetaBuilders USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF The JPMorgan BetaBuilders USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (BBHY) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the ICE BofA US High Yield index. The fund seeks to track a market-cap weighted index to provide exposure to high-yield, USD-denominated corporate debt securities. The fund invests in securities with maturities of at least 18 months. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BBHY? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for JPMorgan BetaBuilders USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF ( BATS:BBHY – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for JPMorgan BetaBuilders USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for JPMorgan BetaBuilders USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .

Trump names Andrew Ferguson as head of Federal Trade Commission to replace Lina Khan

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Ohio Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the state's product liability law prohibits counties from bringing public nuisance claims against national pharmaceutical chains as they did as part of national opioid litigation, a decision that could overturn a $650 million judgment against the pharmacies. An attorney for the counties called the decision “devastating.” Justices were largely unanimous in their interpretation of an arcane disagreement over the state law, which had emerged in a lawsuit brought by Lake and Trumbull counties outside Cleveland against CVS, Walgreens and Walmart. The counties won their initial lawsuit — and were awarded $650 million in damages by a federal judge in 2022 — but the pharmacies had disputed the court's reading of the Ohio Product Liability Act, which they said protected them from such sanctions. In an opinion written by Justice Joseph Deters, the court found that Ohio state lawmakers intended the law to prevent “all common law product liability causes of action" — even if they don't seek compensatory damages but merely “equitable relief” for the communities. “The plain language of the OPLA abrogates product-liability claims, including product-related public-nuisance claims seeking equitable relief,” he wrote. “We are constrained to interpret the statute as written, not according to our own personal policy preferences.” Two of the Republican-dominated court's Democratic justices disagreed on that one point, while concurring on the rest of the judgment. “Any award to abate a public nuisance like the opioid epidemic would certainly be substantial in size and scope, given that the claimed nuisance is both long-lasting and widespread,” Justice Melody Stewart wrote in an opinion joined by Justice Michael Donnelly. “But just because an abatement award is of substantial size and scope does not mean it transforms it into a compensatory-damages award.” In a statement, the plaintiffs' co-liaison counsel in the national opioid litigation, Peter Weinberger, of the Cleveland-based law firm Spangenberg Shibley & Liber, lamented the decision. “This ruling will have a devastating impact on communities and their ability to police corporate misconduct," he said. “We have used public nuisance claims across the country to obtain nearly $60 billion in opioid settlements, including nearly $1 billion in Ohio alone, and the Ohio Supreme Court’s ruling undermines the very legal basis that drove this result.” But Weinberger said Tuesday's ruling would not be the end, and that communities would continue to fight “through other legal avenues.” "We remain steadfast in our commitment to holding all responsible parties to account as this litigation continues nationwide,” he said. In his 2022 ruling, U.S. District Judge Dan Polster said that the money awarded to Lake and Trump counties would be used to the fight the opioid crisis. Attorneys at the time put the total price tag at $3.3 billion for the damage done. Lake County was to receive $306 million over 15 years. Trumbull County was to receive $344 million over the same period. Nearly $87 million was to be paid immediately to cover the first two years of payments. A jury returned a verdict in favor of the counties in November 2021, after a six-week trial. It was then left to the judge to decide how much the counties should receive. He heard testimony the next May to determine damages. The counties convinced the jury that the pharmacies played an outsized role in creating a public nuisance in the way they dispensed pain medication. It was the first time pharmacy companies completed a trial to defend themselves in a drug crisis that has killed a half-million Americans since 1999. Julie Carr Smyth, The Associated PressNEW YORK , Dec. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, continues to investigate potential securities claims on behalf of shareholders of Winnebago Industries, Inc. (NYSE: WGO) resulting from allegations that Winnebago may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public. So What: If you purchased Winnebago securities you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. The Rosen Law Firm is preparing a class action seeking recovery of investor losses. What to do next: To join the prospective class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=29071 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. What is this about: On September 23, 2024 , during market hours, Hunterbrook Media published an article called "'Grand Deception'- Winnebago Muzzles Outcry Over Major Problem That Owners Say Makes RVs Dangerous, Untowable, Worthless." In this article, Hunterbrook said Winnebago's "best-selling Grand Design RVs" appear to be "experiencing frame failure, potentially affecting thousands of units sold for more than a billion dollars. This defect has led to costly damage and potential safety hazards, and rendered some RVs unroadworthy." Further, the article stated "Winnebago has used NDAs, buybacks, and online censorship to silence complaints about frame failure[.]" On this news, Winnebago's stock fell 2.28% on September 23, 2024 . Why Rosen Law: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company at the time. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm , on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/ . Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Contact Information: Laurence Rosen, Esq. Phillip Kim, Esq. The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. 275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor New York, NY 10016 Tel: (212) 686-1060 Toll Free: (866) 767-3653 Fax: (212) 202-3827 case@rosenlegal.com www.rosenlegal.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rosen-law-firm-encourages-winnebago-industries-inc-investors-to-inquire-about-securities-class-action-investigation--wgo-302328000.html SOURCE THE ROSEN LAW FIRM, P. A.

SANTA CLARA — Brock Purdy is charged with distributing the ball to the 49ers’ still-plentiful array of offensive weapons. On Tuesday, he threw disgruntled wide receiver Deebo Samuel his full support. “I want to get Deebo the ball every play if I could,” Purdy said. “I want to have him break all the records as best as possible. I want Deebo to do Deebo things, and we all do in this building.” Thing is, Samuel’s sub-par production this season has mirrored the 49ers’ rocky road to a 6-7 record entering (7-6). “Not struggling at all just not getting the ball!!!!!!!” Samuel wrote Monday in a since-deleted post on the social media platform X. The timing off that complaint was peculiar. The 49ers had just shaken a three-game losing streak with a 38-13 win over the Chicago Bears, a game Samuel acknowledged was their best offensive showing and most complementary outing. But the 49ers did so with minimal production again from Samuel, who had two catches for 22 yards and five carries for 13 yards. “You read what you read. A little frustrated, for sure,” Samuel said Tuesday at his locker before practice. General manager John Lynch asked 49ers fans to give Samuel “some grace,” and coach Kyle Shanahan also threw support behind Samuel’s gripes. “Deebo and I talk every day so I understand Deebo saying that,” Shanahan said. “Deebo wants to help us out, and the only way he is helping us is getting the ball more. And we’d like to get him the ball more.” Samuel, a two-time captain, has scored just two touchdowns (Week 1 run, Week 5 reception) after 12 last regular season; he had 14 in 2021. He missed the 49ers’ Week 3 loss in Los Angeles because of a calf injury. Three years removed from his All-Pro breakout season, Samuel’s production has taken a nosedive this season, even though he is getting the ball. His 72 touches (40 receptions for 533 yards, 32 carries for 92 yards) are second to only now-injured running back Jordan Mason’s 164. In an X post 10 minutes after complaining about his opportunities, : “Just cause I voice my opinions don’t mean I’m hating on any of my teammates!!” Jauan Jennings (57 catches, 774 yards, six touchdowns) and tight end George Kittle (56-800-8) have seized more on their targets from Brock Purdy, while 2022-23 mainstays Brandon Aiyuk and Christian McCaffrey have missed most of the season injured. “We’d always love things to stay in-house,” Shanahan said. “It’s probably why I don’t go on social media: I’d get worked up if I was reading stuff all the time. Is it a distraction in our building? No.” “He’s one of my best friends on this team. I absolutely love Deebo and what he’s done for me,” Purdy said. “He’s right: he’s doing great right now with what we ask of him the offense. He’s not struggling. Like Ricky (Pearsall) or Aiyuk last year a little bit, there are moments through a season where guys just don’t get the ball, depending on defensive schemes and taking guys away.” Samuel has flourished in the 49ers’ rivalry against the Rams, including three years ago when his “wide back” persona emerged as he scored on both a run and a reception to lead the victorious 49ers out of a 3-5 rut and toward the playoffs. That dual-threat duty is not such an inventive concept anymore, however. “They’re not surprised anymore,” Samuel said. “We’ve been doing it almost three years now, so you’ve got a 50-50 chance whether I’m in the backfield getting a handoff or anything along those lines. They have a glimpse of what’s going on. ... There’s three or four (defenders awaiting) no matter who has the ball.” “Deebo has created such a high standard, the things he’s done, the innovation which we’ve created things for Deebo. That’s part of the problem,” said Lynch, noting that multiple teams now deploy Samuel-esque, dual-threat players that no longer surprise defenses. “... That frustration mounts. But he’s made so many plays for us, I think we need to give this guy some grace and bring him along, because we need him the rest of the way,” Lynch added. “We need him Thursday night. Deebo’s a big part of this team. We’re alright. We can all learn from different situations and a lot of things in the world these days that you can get caught up in.” Some of Samuel’s most productive efforts this season have come as a kick returner (11 returns for 333 yards, including six returns in their Dec. 1 loss at Buffalo). “We’ve got a lot of big football to play and he’ll be a big part of our season moving forward,” Lynch said. As for next season, Samuel carries a $16 million mark on the salary cap. The 49ers restructured his contract in March, so he would incur a $31.6 million hit if he’s released or traded before June 1; after that date, an exit would count $11 million in 2025 and $21 million in ’26. Running back Isaac Guerendo’s foot sprain Sunday kept him out of Tuesday’s light walkthrough and it’s uncertain whether he’ll make a second straight start. Guerendo ran for 78 yards and two touchdowns, and he had 50 yards on two catches, before exiting and bequeathing the backfield to Patrick Taylor Jr. Guerendo got clocked at 20.2 mph on a 30-yard, second-quarter carry that was the NFL’s fastest by a running back in Week 14. The 49ers remain reluctant to declare whether linebacker Dre Greenlaw will make his season debut Thursday night, the date pegged for his comeback from an Achilles tear in the Super Bowl. Shanahan said there’s been no setback, that he merely wants to talk first to Greenlaw and see how the next two days go. Defensive end Nick Bosa (oblique, hip) and left tackle Trent Williams (ankle) will officially miss the fourth week of practice, albeit this week’s only consisting of Tuesday’s walk-through that began at 5:10 p.m. Shanahan has not indicated whether they’ll miss a fourth straight game. While left guard Aaron Banks practiced for the first time since a Nov. 24 concussion in Green Bay, guard Ben Bartch (ankle) did not practice and is expected to go on Injured Reserve before Thursday’s kickoff. Limited were defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos, safety Malik Mustapha, and linebackers Dee Winters and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles. Defensive tackle Javon Hargrave’s bloated contract was restructured to lessen the 49ers’ financial restraints next year. While that could stage his potential release after two seasons, as pointed out by OverTheCap.com, Hargrave is also more affordable to keep, seeing how his 2025 salary was chopped from $19.9 million to $2.1 million, and his salary cap mark fell from $28 million to $10.3 million. “The plan for him is to be a Niner,” Shanahan said, deferring business matters to the front office staff. “The mechanics of contract stuff, those are things I don’t look into until after the offseason.” Hargrave, 31, has been on injured reserve since tearing a biceps in the Sept. 22 loss at Los Angeles. He made the Pro Bowl last season and totaled seven sacks in his first year with the 49ers. Jordan Elliott replaced him in this season’s lineup next to Maliek Collins, with rookie Evan Anderson, Kevin Givens, Kalia Davis and Khalil Davis also in the interior rotation.

Hilgers, other GOP AGs sue BlackRock, other investment firms over ‘woke’ climate action efforts

- Powering a new era in Brazil's urban core with the Grand Opening of the Ideal Scientology Mission of Santo André - SANTO ANDRÉ, Brazil, and LOS ANGELES, Calif., Dec. 28, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Santo André, Brazil, is a dynamic city of sophistication and opportunity. Home to three-quarters of a million people, it yet maintains its welcoming attitude and signature friendliness. Although lying within Greater São Paulo’s industrial corridor, green spaces such as Parque Central, with its picturesque lakes and shady walkways, provide respite from the city’s hectic urban tempo. And Parque Chácara da Baronesa transports visitors to the 18th century with its colonial-era mansion and landscaped gardens. Downtown Santo André is a center for nightlife, entertainment, and festivals. And right in the bustling center of this dynamic urban mosaic, the new Ideal Church of Scientology Mission of Santo André welcomes one and all. Scientology Missions form the vanguard of the Scientology religion, providing the full array of basic and introductory Scientology services and Scientology auditing (spiritual counseling). And now joining the ranks of Ideal Missions, the new Scientology Mission in Santo André is designed to serve as the physical embodiment of Scientology technology in helping all to attain spiritual freedom. Community leaders, officials and guests joined Scientologists from across São Paulo and Brazil November 16 to celebrate the Grand Opening of the new Ideal Church of Scientology Mission of Santo André. Joining Mission Director Ms. Andreia dos Santos da Silviera on stage were Officer Renata Breyer Correia of the city of Jundiaí Municipal Guard and Chief Marcos Antônio Pinto de Moraes, Special Class Metropolitan Civil Guard of São Paulo. Working in internal affairs and responsible for the ethics of officers accused of misconduct, Ms. Correia experienced setbacks. “We have 50 supervisors and 460 guards. Those in leadership roles are challenged to effectively guide those under their charge,” she said. “This often leads to extra burden placed on other departments. “In trying to resolve these situations both for myself and my fellows, I discovered Dianetics. I was amazed. Here were answers to why man acted irrationally. This had the answers for how to go from being unmotivated to becoming a dynamic powerhouse. For me personally, as I have learned about and used Dianetics, I have increased my own positive influence on those around me. My goal is to improve Brazilian society through the application of the knowledge I have gained.” Ms. Correia presented the Church with a Certificate of Recognition for its work to spread moral values, promote drug-free living and address immorality and illiteracy in the Greater São Paulo area and throughout Brazil. Chief Moraes became a police officer to help people, particularly those living on the street. “People who need help and are on the margins of society are invisible to many. I find those who are destitute and help bring them back up, getting them out of the life of drugs and degradation that they are suffering from and reuniting them with their families. It was by doing this type of work that I first met the Church of Scientology. “Factually, Scientology found me ,” he said. “Brazilian Scientologists saw the work I was doing and got in touch with me to see how they could support me . That is when I first learned of the Drug-Free World program. This was a tool I could use in my work, both on the streets and with the police. I finally had a way to handle drug abuse before it begins. When people receive the Drug-Free World booklets, they see the truth about what drugs are and the effects they cause.” “I have never seen an organization so well managed as the Church of Scientology. And the entire reason for that level of organization is to increase the well-being of others. This is a church that takes action. If one person in the Church says ‘Let’s do this,’ the entire group aligns and unifies behind accomplishing that goal and changing society. I believe this Ideal Mission represents a new level of action and help for our community. Together, we are going to raise our society and help it prosper.” Chief Moraes presented the Mission with a Certificate of Recognition for reaching many thousands of youth with effective drug education to ensure their own future and that of São Paulo. Mission Director Ms. Andreia dos Santos da Silviera ended the dedication by inviting one and all to tour their new facilities. “Our Mission is here to serve the individual as the central ground from which to emanate Mr. Hubbard’s solutions for drug rehabilitation, drug prevention, and campaigns to salvage every sector of society. And we now open our doors to expand our help to the entire community.” Visitors to the Santo André Mission are welcome to tour the Public Information Display, featuring multimedia presentations of the basic beliefs and practices of Dianetics and Scientology as well as the life and legacy of L. Ron Hubbard. As an Ideal Church of Scientology Mission, Santo André is equipped with every facility needed to provide the full array of introductory Scientology services. These include the popular Life Improvement Courses through which anyone may find workable solutions to common challenges of everyday life—such as how to improve a marriage, successfully raise children, increase personal motivation, and set and achieve goals. The new Mission also offers seminars on a wide range of topics, including personal efficiency. The Hubbard Dianetics Seminar is based on Mr. Hubbard’s watershed work Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health , the bestselling book that reveals the source of one’s nightmares, unreasonable fears and irrational behavior—the reactive mind—and how to conquer it. Additionally, the Mission provides spiritual counseling, known as auditing , and the Purification Program , developed by Mr. Hubbard to free individuals from the mental and spiritual damage caused by drugs and toxins. The grand opening of the Ideal Scientology Mission of Santo André contributed to the record-breaking rollout of new Ideal Scientology Missions opened around the globe in 2024. From Quito, Ecuador, at the geographic center of the globe; to a new Ideal Scientology Mission in the thriving community of McMinnville, Oregon; back-to-back openings in Taiwan in the city of Chiayi, the gateway to the nation’s cultural heritage, and the bustling metropolis of Taichung; and finally, Japan’s thriving port city of Osaka. Many more Ideal Scientology Missions are planned across North and South America, Europe and Asia in the coming year. The Scientology religion was founded by author and philosopher L. Ron Hubbard. Mr. David Miscavige is the Scientology religion’s ecclesiastical leader . The first Church of Scientology was formed in Los Angeles in 1954, and the religion has expanded to more than 11,000 Churches, Missions and affiliated groups, with millions of members in 167 countries. LEARN MORE: https://www.scientologynews.org/press-releases/ https://andre.scientologymissions.org VIDEO: https://youtu.be/j-2euFXXbfc?si=VXBeytzaTjpZu2LN IMAGE: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/24-1228-s2p-COSsanto-300dpi.jpg IMAGE CAPTION: Grand Opening of the Ideal Scientology Mission of Santo André, Brazil TAGS: #SantoAndré #Brazil #SãoPaulo #IdealScientologyMission #GrandOpening NEWS SOURCE: Church of Scientology International Keywords: Religion and Churches, Ideal Scientology Mission of Santo Andre, Brazil, SANTO ANDRE, Brazil This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (Church of Scientology International) who is solely responsibile for its accuracy, by Send2Press® Newswire . Information is believed accurate but not guaranteed. Story ID: S2P123064 APDF15TBLLI To view the original version, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/scientology-expands-its-impact-in-santo-andre-the-industrial-heart-of-sao-paulo/ © 2024 Send2Press® Newswire, a press release distribution service, Calif., USA. Disclaimer: This press release content was not created by nor issued by the Associated Press (AP). Content below is unrelated to this news story.

Buck tagged by BC Wildlife reveals potential AI fraud scheme targeting seniorsUlta Beauty Inc. stock underperforms Tuesday when compared to competitorsNoneIn court papers made public Tuesday, the Manhattan district attorney's office proposed an array of options for keeping the historic conviction on the books. The proposals include freezing the case until Trump is out of office, or agreeing that any future sentence wouldn't include jail time. Another idea: closing the case with a notation that acknowledges his conviction but says that he was never sentenced and his appeal wasn't resolved because of presidential immunity. The last is adopted from what some states do when a criminal defendant dies after being convicted but before appeals are exhausted. It is unclear whether that option is viable under New York law, but prosecutors suggested that Judge Juan M. Merchan could innovate in what's already a unique case. "This remedy would prevent defendant from being burdened during his presidency by an ongoing criminal proceeding," prosecutors wrote. But at the same time, it wouldn't "precipitously discard" the "meaningful fact that defendant was indicted and found guilty by a jury of his peers." Expanding on a position they laid out last month, prosecutors acknowledged that "presidential immunity requires accommodation during a president's time in office," but they were adamant that the conviction should stand. They argued that Trump's impending return to the White House should not upend a jury's finding. Trump wants the case to be thrown out in light of his election. His communications director, Steven Cheung, called prosecutors' filing "a pathetic attempt to salvage the remains of an unconstitutional and politically motivated hoax." Trump has fought for months to reverse his conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records. Prosecutors said he fudged the documents to conceal a $130,000 payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels to suppress her claim that they had sex a decade earlier. He claims they didn’t and denies wrongdoing. Trump portrays the case as a political attack ginned up by District Attorney Alvin Bragg and other Democrats. Trump's legal team argues that letting the case continue would present unconstitutional "disruptions" to his upcoming presidential term. Trump's attorneys also cited President Joe Biden's recent pardon of his son Hunter Biden, who was convicted of tax and gun charges. Biden complained that his son was unfairly prosecuted for political reasons — and Trump's lawyers say he was, too. Trump's lawyers argued that the possibility of a jail sentence — even if it's after he leaves office — would affect his presidency. Prosecutors suggested Merchan could address that concern by agreeing not to put him behind bars. It's unclear how soon Merchan could decide what to do next with the case. He could grant Trump's request for dismissal, go with one of the suggestions from prosecutors, wait until a federal appeals court rules on Trump's parallel effort to get the case moved out of state court, or choose some other option. Trump, a Republican, takes office Jan. 20. He was scheduled for sentencing late last month. After Trump's Nov. 5 election win, Merchan halted proceedings and indefinitely postponed the former and future president's sentencing so the defense and prosecution could weigh in on the future of the case. Merchan also delayed a decision on Trump's prior bid to dismiss the case on immunity grounds. A dismissal would erase Trump's conviction, sparing him the cloud of a criminal record and possible prison sentence. Trump is the first former president to be convicted of a crime and the first convicted criminal to be elected to the office. The hush money case was the only one of Trump's four criminal indictments to go to trial. Since the election, special counsel Jack Smith ended his two federal cases, which pertained to Trump's efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss and allegations that he hoarded classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. A separate state election interference case in Fulton County, Georgia, is largely on hold. Trump denies wrongdoing in each case.

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NEW YORK — Eager to preserve President-elect Donald Trump's hush money conviction even as he returns to office, prosecutors suggested various ways forward — including one based on how some courts handle criminal cases when defendants die. In court papers made public Tuesday, the Manhattan district attorney's office proposed an array of options for keeping the historic conviction on the books. The proposals include freezing the case until Trump is out of office, or agreeing that any future sentence wouldn't include jail time. Another idea: closing the case with a notation that acknowledges his conviction but says that he was never sentenced and his appeal wasn't resolved because of presidential immunity. Former President Donald Trump appears in Manhattan criminal court May 30 during jury deliberations in his criminal hush money trial in New York. The last is adopted from what some states do when a criminal defendant dies after being convicted but before appeals are exhausted. It is unclear whether that option is viable under New York law, but prosecutors suggested that Judge Juan M. Merchan could innovate in what's already a unique case. "This remedy would prevent defendant from being burdened during his presidency by an ongoing criminal proceeding," prosecutors wrote. But at the same time, it wouldn't "precipitously discard" the "meaningful fact that defendant was indicted and found guilty by a jury of his peers." Expanding on a position they laid out last month, prosecutors acknowledged that "presidential immunity requires accommodation during a president's time in office," but they were adamant that the conviction should stand. They argued that Trump's impending return to the White House should not upend a jury's finding. Trump wants the case to be thrown out in light of his election. His communications director, Steven Cheung, called prosecutors' filing "a pathetic attempt to salvage the remains of an unconstitutional and politically motivated hoax." Trump has fought for months to reverse his conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records. Prosecutors said he fudged the documents to conceal a $130,000 payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels to suppress her claim that they had sex a decade earlier. Former President Donald Trump returns to the courtroom May 30 at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York. He says they did not and denies wrongdoing. Trump portrays the case as a political attack ginned up by District Attorney Alvin Bragg and other Democrats. Trump's legal team argues that letting the case continue would present unconstitutional "disruptions" to his upcoming presidential term. Trump's attorneys also cited President Joe Biden's recent pardon of his son Hunter Biden, who was convicted of tax and gun charges. Biden complained that his son was unfairly prosecuted for political reasons — and Trump's lawyers say he was, too. Trump's lawyers argued that the possibility of a jail sentence — even if it's after he leaves office — would affect his presidency. Prosecutors suggested Merchan could address that concern by agreeing not to put him behind bars. It's unclear how soon Merchan could decide what to do next with the case. He could grant Trump's request for dismissal, go with one of the suggestions from prosecutors, wait until a federal appeals court rules on Trump's parallel effort to get the case moved out of state court, or choose some other option. Trump, a Republican, takes office Jan. 20. Former President Donald Trump gestures May 31 as he leaves a news conference at Trump Tower in New York. He was scheduled for sentencing late last month. After Trump's Nov. 5 election win, Merchan halted proceedings and indefinitely postponed the former and future president's sentencing so the defense and prosecution could weigh in on the future of the case. Merchan also delayed a decision on Trump's prior bid to dismiss the case on immunity grounds. A dismissal would erase Trump's conviction, sparing him the cloud of a criminal record and possible prison sentence. Trump is the first former president to be convicted of a crime and the first convicted criminal to be elected to the office. The hush money case was the only one of Trump's four criminal indictments to go to trial. Since the election, special counsel Jack Smith ended his two federal cases, which pertained to Trump's efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss and allegations that he hoarded classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. A separate state election interference case in Fulton County, Georgia, is largely on hold. Trump denies wrongdoing in each case. Former President Donald Trump speaks outside the courtroom after a jury convicted him of felony crimes for falsifying business records in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election, at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York, Thursday, May 30, 2024. (Steven Hirsch/New York Post via AP, Pool) Former President Donald Trump sits in Manhattan criminal court, on May 13, 2024, in New York. (Sarah Yenesel/Pool Photo via AP) Former President Donald Trump talks to the media outside Manhattan criminal court in New York, on May 14, 2024. (Curtis Means/Pool Photo via AP) Former President Donald Trump appears at Manhattan criminal court before his trial in New York, on April 30, 2024. (Justin Lane/Pool Photo via AP) Michael Cohen, right, leaves his apartment building in New York, on May 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) Former President Donald Trump appears at Manhattan criminal court during jury deliberations in his criminal hush money trial in New York, Thursday, May 30, 2024. (Mark Peterson/Pool Photo via AP) Former President Donald Trump awaits the start of proceedings in Manhattan Criminal Court, on May 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson, Pool) Former President Donald Trump appears at Manhattan criminal court during jury deliberations in his criminal hush money trial in New York, Thursday, May 30, 2024. (Steven Hirsch/New York Post via AP, Pool) From left North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy look on as former President Donald Trump talks to the media as he arrives at Manhattan criminal court in New York, on May 14, 2024. (Curtis Means/Pool Photo via AP) A supporter of former President Donald Trump reads a "Jews for Trump" sign outside Manhattan Criminal Court, on May 29, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson) Donald Trump, Jr. speaks to reporters across the street from former President Donald Trump's criminal trial in New York, on May 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) A supporter of former President Donald Trump and an anti-Trump protester fight outside Manhattan Criminal Court, Thursday, May 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson) Robert De Niro, center, argues with a Donald Trump supporter after speaking to reporters in support of President Joe Biden across the street from Trump's criminal trial in New York, on May 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) Donald Trump Jr. speaks outside Manhattan criminal court, on May 21, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson) Former President Donald Trump talks to the media after a day of testimony in his trial at Manhattan Criminal court in New York, on May 10, 2024. (Jeenah Moon/Pool Photo via AP) Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, wears a tie with photographs of former President Donald Trump during a press conference outside Manhattan criminal court, on May 21, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson) Trump supporters wave flags and cheer as the motorcade carrying former President Donald Trump leaves the Manhattan Criminal court, on May 13, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah) Former President Donald Trump, seen through a camera viewfinder, speaks to members of the media at Manhattan criminal court in New York, on May 2, 2024. (Jeenah Moon/Pool Photo via AP) Former President Donald Trump gestures as he returns to court after a lunch break, at Manhattan criminal court in New York, on May 16, 2024. (Mike Segar/Pool Photo via AP) Former President Donald Trump speaks to reporters at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 21, 2024 in New York. (Michael M. Santiago/Pool Photo via AP) Supporters of former President Donald Trump gather in Collect Pond Park outside Manhattan Criminal Court, Thursday, May 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson) Former President Donald Trump closes his eyes, during his trial at Manhattan criminal court on May 16, 2024, in New York. (Mike Segar/Pool Photo via AP) Former President Donald Trump sits in the courtroom during his criminal trial at the Manhattan criminal court in New York, on May 6, 2024. (Brendan McDermid/Pool Photo via AP) Former President Donald Trump walks to the courtroom at Manhattan criminal court as jurors are expected to begin deliberations in his criminal hush money trial in New York, on May 29, 2024. (Charly Triballeau/Pool Photo via AP) Former President Donald Trump leaves Trump Tower on his way to Manhattan criminal court, on April 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) Former President Donald Trump sits in Manhattan Criminal Court in New York, on May 20, 2024. (Dave Sanders/The New York Times via AP, Pool) Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email.EUAN MCCOLM: Sarwar wants to be our next First Minister - now might be a good time for him to start telling the voters why Click here to visit the Scotland home page for the latest news and sport By EUAN MCCOLM FOR THE SCOTTISH DAILY MAIL Published: 22:39, 10 December 2024 | Updated: 22:46, 10 December 2024 e-mail 1 View comments For the first time in living memory, the mood has lifted in SNP ranks. After a prolonged period of turmoil, Nationalist MSPs are indulging themselves with mild feelings of optimism. Brows have begun to unfurrow. Some SNP members have even been seen smiling in public. The game, they think, might not be over yet. Their spirits have been lifted by the contents of the draft Budget announced by Finance Secretary Shona Robison last week. So far as Nationalists at Holyrood are concerned, this document just might be the key, in 2026, to a fourth successive Scottish parliamentary election victory for the SNP. Ms Robison’s colleagues don’t rejoice because her draft Budget is in the best interests of Scotland. It is not. Rather, the Finance Secretary is now the toast of her colleagues because she has managed to make life difficult for the Scottish Labour Party leader Anas Sarwar. Finance Secretary Shona Robison's Budget earlier this month has made make life difficult for Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar After receiving a £3.4billion funding increase in Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s first Budget, last month, the Scottish Government’s already tired attack line about ‘Westminster austerity’ finally ran out of steam. The challenge for Ms Robison was to show what she could do with a substantial sum of extra money, rather than simply to describe what she might do if only the cash was available. Inaction In the end, the Finance Secretary’s draft Budget was low on innovation. Much of the extra funding is earmarked for new pay agreements, while there is no significant planned spending on long overdue reform in the NHS or the education system. But Nationalist MSPs haven’t cared about the inaction of their government in those key areas for the past 17 and a half years, so we should not be surprised that this ongoing neglect is of no concern to them now. What matters to Nationalists at Holyrood is that two headline-grabbing announcements in Ms Robison’s draft Budget present political difficulties for Mr Sarwar. The Labour leader may wish to vote against the SNP’s Budget – and he would have many good reasons to withhold his support – but the political cost of refusing to back a plan which includes the maintenance of the winter fuel payment for pensioners and the removal of the two-child benefit cap would, I think, be too high for him to pay. Values The SNP became the dominant party of the left in Scotland by persuading former supporters of Labour that it maintained the values their party had abandoned . That accusation landed, hard. The refrain ‘I didn’t leave Labour, Labour left me’ could be heard across constituencies which had once seemed stained indelibly red. Ms Robison and First Minister John Swinney, whose fingerprints I detect on the draft Budget, have used money supplied by Labour at Westminster to make life difficult for Labour at Holyrood. This is smart, if unattractive, politics. If the SNP is to see off Labour in 2026, it will have to win back Scottish voters who got behind Sir Keir Starmer in July’s general election. The draft Budget is an attempt to do that. Over recent years, it has suited Mr Sarwar perfectly well to be seen to be close to Sir Keir. Scottish Labour leaders of the recent past may have suffered from the accusation made by SNP opponents that they were nothing more than ‘branch managers’, but the inevitability of Labour’s general election victory made a virtue of Mr Sarwar’s closeness to his boss. Now, however, while I don’t for a moment think Mr Sarwar should do anything to distance himself from the PM – unless it is politically necessary for him to do so – it is time for the Scottish Labour leader to tell us more about himself and – if he has one – his vision for Scotland. Mr Sarwar is clever and affable and, although the SNP may be back in the fight, there is a reasonable chance that he will become the next First Minister of Scotland. Scottish Labour leader Anar Sarwar must convince voters to give him a chance Click here to visit the Scotland home page for the latest news and sport Advertisement However, if the Scottish Labour leader is to achieve this ambition and break the nationalists’ political gridlock, he will have to do more than be clever and affable. For reasons of cynical political expediency, Mr Sarwar should support the SNP’s Budget. He cannot win an argument against the measures outlined by Ms Robison with the voters he will need if he is to replace John Swinney as First Minister (even if those measures are poorly thought through and largely uncosted). The Scottish Labour leader has no choice but to be reactive when it comes to the draft Budget. If he is to lead his party to victory in 2026, it’s time for him to get proactive on matters of policy. Bogged down in a police investigation and split over independence strategy, the SNP has not looked more vulnerable in two decades, yet it would be wrong to assume that the Nationalists are a spent force. Recent polling may have given Mr Swinney a net approval rating of -11 but Mr Sarwar fared worse, with -16. The Scottish Labour leader doesn’t have time to spare if he is to persuade voters to give him the chance to lead the country, yet even those closest to him struggle to describe his political vision. One ally said: ‘He’s been incredibly careful not to put a foot wrong. The party’s been disciplined and he’s been a great communicator. 'But all that said, you could also accuse us of lacking a real identity. ‘If we weren’t a viable alternative government, then it would be fine for us to just attack, attack, attack, but we need to start showing people at least the shape of a plan.’ His fear of provoking any kind of backlash left Mr Sarwar at odds with voters on the controversial issue of gender self-ID. While the majority of Scots are opposed to allowing male-bodied people access to female single-sex spaces , Mr Sarwar supported the SNP’s plan to allow just that. Since plans to allow self-ID were blocked last year by then Scottish Secretary Alister Jack, Mr Sarwar has remained conspicuously silent on the matter. Failure The Labour leader is naive if he thinks the matter of gender ideology and its impact on women’s rights won’t play a substantial part in the next Holyrood election campaign. On this – and, indeed, on a wide range of subjects – Mr Sarwar needs clear messages. The SNP’s government of Scotland since 2007 has been marked by failure after failure. All things considered, Scottish Labour should now be runaway favourites to head the next government at Holyrood. As things stand – thanks, in part, to Shona Robison’s tricksy draft Budget – Labour and the Nationalists are neck and neck in the polls. If Mr Sarwar is to change this state of affairs and take those smiles off Nationalist faces, I suggest he gets on with persuading us he’s more than merely Sir Keir’s man in the north. Anas Sarwar wishes to be Scotland’s next First Minister. This being so, it might be a good idea for him to start telling us why. SNP Share or comment on this article: EUAN MCCOLM: Sarwar wants to be our next First Minister - now might be a good time for him to start telling the voters why e-mail Add comment