The Supreme Court Won’t Fast-Track a Decision on Trump’s Immunity

The Supreme Court declined today to decide whether Donald Trump is immune from prosecution on charges of plotting to overturn the 2020 election. Instead, the case will move forward in an appeals court and will most likely return to the Supreme Court in the coming months.

The decision to defer the case — currently scheduled for March — was a major practical victory for Trump, whose lawyers have consistently sought to delay criminal cases against him around the country.

Any significant delays could plunge the trial into the heart of the 2024 campaign season or push it past the election, when Trump could order the charges be dropped if he wins the presidency.

In related news, Maine’s secretary of state is poised to decide next week whether the state will join Colorado in disqualifying Trump from its Republican primary ballot.

The U.N. Security Council passed a Gaza aid resolution

The United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution today calling for a surge in aid to desperate civilians in Gaza, ending nearly a week of intense diplomatic wrangling intended to avert another U.S. veto.

The resolution, which called for “urgent and extended humanitarian pauses and corridors” to enable “unhindered humanitarian access,” was adopted in a vote of 13 to 0 with the U.S. and Russia abstaining. At the insistence of the Americans, the final version of the measure did not demand an immediate truce, omitting earlier language that would have called for the “urgent suspension of hostilities.”

A Times investigation: An analysis of visual evidence found that Israel routinely used one of its biggest and most destructive bombs in areas it designated as safe for civilians.

Wisconsin was ordered to redraw its legislative maps

The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled today that the state’s voting maps, which were drawn to favor Republicans, were unconstitutional. It ordered new maps before the 2024 election, in a ruling that could produce a seismic political shift in a crucial presidential swing state.

The court’s majority said that Wisconsin’s current maps violated a requirement in the State Constitution that districts “be composed of physically adjoining territory.” The decision was widely expected from a court that flipped to a 4-to-3 liberal majority this year.

A U.S. strike killed a leader of a Somali terrorist group

A senior leader of the Somali terrorist group al-Shabab, Maalim Ayman, was killed in a U.S. military drone strike last Sunday, according to Somali and American officials. Ayman had been accused of planning multiple attacks that killed 148 Kenyans in a university town and three Americans on a military base.

Somalia’s government has made defeating al-Shabab a cornerstone of its policy, but the group has proved to be resilient. It continues to carry out deadly attacks in hotels, restaurants and ministries that have left hundreds dead.

More top newsMovies to see over the holidays

Several highly anticipated films are coming out on Christmas Day, including “Ferrari” and “The Color Purple,” which landed on several Oscar shortlists. One our critic Manohla Dargis particularly enjoyed was Steve McQueen’s “Occupied City.”

It’s a rigorous four-and-a-half-hour documentary in which McQueen, the British director, uses everyday scenes from contemporary Amsterdam to map — street by street, address by address — the disastrous fate of the city’s Jewish population during World War II.

Prepare for holiday travel

Over the next week, many of us will travel for the holidays, and inevitably some of us will run into issues. But proper preparation can help.

We asked frequent fliers for their best tips on long-haul flights. They recommended doing anything and everything you can to make sure you spend a large chunk of the time onboard asleep, and stocking up on entertainment options. You may also want to think about what food to bring on the road, which can make or break your vacation.

UNWIND DURING THE HOLIDAYS

We recently asked readers how they unwind during the holidays. (If you’d like to share your story, you can fill out this form.)

“For the past few years, I’ve been trying to establish ‘Kubrick Christmas’ as a tradition. Each holiday season, I rewatch the films of Stanley Kubrick. I find that his slow, intentional (and, honestly, macabre) cinematography weirdly complements the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.” — Jeff from New York City

Merry Christmas. I got you a tiny cow.

They are cute, cuddly and can cost thousands of dollars. Miniature cows, which look like somebody aimed a shrink ray at a regular cow and fired, are a hot-ticket item this holiday season.

The popularity of the cows can be credited, at least in part, to TikTok, where cow-fluencers post videos of the creatures that have earned millions of views. “At Christmastime, it really picks up,” one rancher said. “Usually, the wife has been wanting one and the husband comes around to it.”

Have an adorable holiday weekend.

Thanks for reading. We’ll be off on Monday. Justin Porter will be here on Tuesday. — Matthew

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