News Wrap: Trump’s hush money case sentencing indefinitely postponed by judge

Read the Full Transcript

• Amna Nawaz:

  President-elect Trump also begins the day's other headlines.

  The New York judge overseeing his criminal hush money trial has postponed his planned sentencing, which was scheduled for next week. Judge Juan Merchan is allowing time for Trump's team to file a motion to dismiss the case entirely after his election victory. Prosecutors will then have until December 9 to respond.

  They have already signaled a willingness to wait until Trump's second term ends for him to be sentenced. In a statement, a Trump spokesman said — quote — "All of the sham lawfare attacks against President Trump are now destroyed," calling the matter finished. Trump was convicted in May of 34 counts related to falsifying business records. He has denied any wrongdoing.

  In Azerbaijan, the COP 29 climate summit went into overtime today after a draft deal for funding fell flat. On what was supposed to be the last day of the gathering, wealthy countries pledged to give poorer nations $250 billion per year to address the effects of climate change. That is more than double the goal of $100 billion set 15 years ago. But it's less than a quarter of what developing countries were seeking.

  Donor countries called the figure a realistic target, while activists and developing nations, which are often hit hardest by extreme weather, say it's a slap in the face.

  Jasper Inventor, COP 29 Greenpeace Delegation: The developed countries are offering $250 billion, when developing countries need trillions. It's like bringing a garden hose into a wildfire. It is outrageously inadequate for the climate crisis that we are facing. We need fire trucks. We don't need buckets of water.

• Amna Nawaz:

  However, a senior U.S. official cautioned that even meeting the proposed $250 billion figure will be an extraordinary reach.

  This year's conference was clouded by uncertainty over America's future role in climate mitigation efforts once president-elect Trump takes office in January.

  Here at home, nearly 200,000 people in Washington state and California are still without power, as crews scramble to clear fallen trees that were toppled in this week's unrelenting storm. Utility officials say that power may not be restored until the weekend.

• Richard Thomaselli, Storm Victim:

  The wind was swirling and trees were cracking, and it was pretty intense.

• Amna Nawaz:

  The storm dropped record rainfall in Northern California, and it's still raining in parts of the Northwest, leaving cars stranded and communities underwater.

  Elsewhere, it's not rain, but snow, that's the problem.

• Man:

  It's still snowing like you wouldn't believe.

• Amna Nawaz:

  More than a foot of snow has blanketed higher elevations in parts of the region, like here in California's Mount Shasta. More unsettled weather is expected from mid next week, with the Midwest and East Coast expected to see snow and heavy rain just in time for Thanksgiving.

  In Minnesota, a jury has found two men guilty of charges related to human smuggling for their roles in the deaths of a family of Indian migrants in 2022. The parents and their two children died in a blizzard as they attempted to cross from Canada to the U.S. Officials found their frozen bodies some 40 feet from the border.

  Prosecutors say Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel orchestrated the operation, while Steve Shand was a driver. The two were part of a larger scheme that has brought increasing numbers of Indian migrants to the U.S. They each face up to 55 years in prison. Both have pleaded not guilty.

  Two Colorado funeral homeowners pleaded guilty to corpse abuse today. They were accused of letting nearly 190 bodies decay in a room temperature building for years. Prosecutors say Jon and Carie Hallford began storing bodies in their Colorado Springs funeral home in 2019. They gave grieving families dry concrete, instead of cremated remains.

  The charges say that the couple used customers' money and pandemic relief funds to buy fancy cars, trips and other luxury items. They each face up to 20 years in prison and sentencing is scheduled for April.

  The United Nations says that a record number of aid workers have been killed this year, with a month still left to go in 2024. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says 281 such employees have died around the globe. Of those, the vast majority, 230 people, were killed in occupied Palestinian territories. The fatalities include aid workers, health care staffers, delivery personnel, and other humanitarian-related employees.

  On Wall Street today, stocks ended the week on a winning note after some reassuring economic data. The Dow Jones industrial average rose more than 400 points, or nearly 1 percent. The Nasdaq added about 30 points, so a smaller gain there. The S&P 500 also ended higher on the day.

  And in Washington, the capitol lawn was spruced up this morning, with the arrival of the annual Christmas Tree. The 80-foot-tall Sitka spruce made the journey from Alaska's Tongass National Forest to Capitol Hill. The tree is nicknamed Spruce Wayne and will be decorated with 10,000 lights and ornaments before a lighting ceremony on December 3. Two Teamsters drove the tree 4,000 miles across the nation, showing it off along the way.

  (Cheering)

• Fres Austin, Truck Driver:

  Welcome, everybody. We are glad you are all here together. The highlight of the trip is the show-and-tell. Driving the truck is just plain work. But every stop we went at was happy faces. It's a happy way to make a trip.

• Amna Nawaz:

  The display of the Capitol Christmas tree, also known as the People's Tree, began in 1964, making this the 60th anniversary of the tradition.

Improved audio player available on our mobile page