FirstUp: Trump faces sentencing in hush money case, Maduro takes oath in Venezuela… Headlines today

January 10, 2025, is set to be a pivotal day on the global stage.

In the United States, President-elect Donald Trump faces sentencing in the hush money case, while the US Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments over a potential TikTok ban.

Across the Atlantic, Austria’s Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg steps in as caretaker chancellor amidst political uncertainty, and in Russia, a court will deliver its verdict in the trial of lawyers linked to opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Meanwhile, Nicolás Maduro’s presidential inauguration in Venezuela draws international attention.

In science and technology, India’s ISRO takes a leap forward with its ambitious SPADEX docking experiment.

Trump’s sentencing in hush money case

President-elect Donald Trump is scheduled for sentencing on January 10 after being convicted in a criminal case involving hush money payments to adult film actor Stormy Daniels. Despite the historic nature of the case, Justice Juan Merchan indicated Trump is unlikely to face jail time or significant penalties.

This unprecedented situation places Trump in court just 10 days before his January 20 inauguration, marking the first time in US history that a president-elect has faced criminal conviction.

The charges stem from a $130,000 payment made by Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, to Daniels to suppress allegations of a sexual encounter. Trump has denied the claims, but a jury in May found him guilty of falsifying records to conceal the payment during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Presidential inauguration of Nicolás Maduro

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has announced that he will attend the National Assembly on January 10 to take the oath of office for his new term, which will span from 2025 to 2031. This marks the continuation of Maduro’s leadership amid ongoing domestic and international scrutiny of his government.

“We have a National Assembly!” he had said on Instagram, stating that the “sovereign, constitutional and legitimate National Assembly of Venezuela has been installed.”

“I confirm that together with millions of women and men of the people I will be on January 10 complying with the Constitution and attending the legal call to be sworn in as President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,” he stressed last week.

“We will see you in the streets! Because we will win…”, he said.

US supreme court to hear TikTok ban case

The Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments on Friday regarding a potential US ban on TikTok unless it separates from its parent company, ByteDance. The case could have significant implications for the First Amendment and TikTok’s vast user base, though the court’s decision remains uncertain.

The justices will examine two consolidated cases challenging the federal law requiring ByteDance, a Chinese-owned company, to divest from TikTok. Failure to comply would result in TikTok being removed from US app stores and barred from American internet service providers.

One lawsuit is filed by TikTok and ByteDance, while the other comes from content creators who rely on the platform. Both argue that the law infringes on First Amendment rights, restricting users’ access to free speech. The federal government, however, contends that the measure is vital for national security due to concerns about ByteDance’s ties to China.

With inputs from agencies