Daily Briefing: A president-elect to be sentenced

President-elect Donald Trump is set to be sentenced on Friday for falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment. A series of deadly wildfires in the greater Los Angeles area were still burning fiercely on Friday. Former President Jimmy Carter has been laid to rest.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. It's been a heavy week. Wind down by feeding birds in your backyard this winter.

The first president to be sentenced

President-elect Donald Trump is set to be sentenced Friday after multiple attempts to delay or block the sentencing in his hush money case. Trump argued that the Supreme Court’s ruling last year on presidential immunity means evidence used in the trial was improper.

This is U.S. history: It will be the first time a former president or a president-elect has been sentenced on a criminal conviction.

• What happened again? Trump was found guilty by a unanimous 12-person jury after a trial that lasted more than six weeks. He was convicted of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
• Trump has tried everything to stop this. He even made an emergency application to the U.S Supreme Court to leapfrog over the normal appeals process and block the sentencing — which was rejected.
• But Trump won't get punishment. New York Judge Juan Merchan has already indicated the president-elect won’t get prison time, a fine or probation while his appeals continue.

Los Angeles fires turn neighborhoods into ash

Concurrent California wildfires are decimating tight-knit communities and leaving residents reeling as the infernos destroyed over 10,000 homes, businesses, and other structures, killing at least 10 people. Five fires remained active in Los Angeles County from the east and west, scorching more than 35,000 acres or about 55 square miles, according to Cal Fire. As of 1 a.m. local time, the largest blaze, the Palisades Fire, has grown to nearly 20,000 acres and was 6% contained. Extreme Santa Ana winds have hindered firefighting operations and spread the fires.

Read more wildfire coverage from Paste BN:

• Here's where mandatory evacuation orders are in place for Californians.
• Pacific Palisades residents are emotionally reuniting with cinders instead of homes.
• California's home insurance woes are only going to get worse.
• The wildfires created an animal crisis with full shelters and ill pets.
• Column: Trump, Musk and MAGA are dousing California wildfires with conspiracies.

More news to know now

• Is the South ready for snow? 
• Trump says he's ready to meet Russia's Putin and it's being arranged.
• A federal judge scrapped one of President Joe Biden's signature education policies involving Title IX.
• Park City ski patrollers are set to return to duty after ending a strike.

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

The future of your scrolling in the Supreme Court

The fate of TikTok in the United States sits in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court, which will hear oral arguments on Friday against legislation that bans the platform in the country in less than two weeks. Last spring, President Joe Biden signed legislation into law that requires ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company, to sell the platform by Sunday, Jan. 19 — if ByteDance fails to do so, TikTok will be banned in the United States. SCOTUS will hear oral arguments against the legislation from TikTok, which has continuously denied national security threat claims. Listen to the hearing live.

Jimmy Carter's final farewell

President Jimmy Carter's state funeral at the Washington National Cathedral on Thursday was a salute to his political legacy, worldwide humanitarian work and commitment to faith. The service marked a rare joint appearance of the current and former commanders-in-chief, just days before President-elect Donald Trump will be inaugurated for a second term in Washington. President Joe Biden sat alongside Trump and former Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. Following Carter's state funeral in Washington, his remains were transported back to his hometown of Plains, Georgia, for final burial. Read highlights from the D.C. service.

Today's talkers

• NFL moved Rams-Vikings game from Los Angeles area to Arizona due to wildfires.
• Optimize your house hunting with these tech tips.
• Everyone needs a bottomless Mary Poppins bag.
• In "Better Man" Robbie Williams is a chimp — just go with it.

Notre Dame reaches the College Football Playoff title game

Notre Dame took advantage of a crucial Penn State turnover with under a minute left and made the game-winning field goal with seven seconds remaining to pull out a 27-24 win in the Orange Bowl and earn a spot in the College Football Playoff championship game. The Fighting Irish will meet the winner of Friday's Cotton Bowl between Texas and Ohio State on Monday, Jan. 20, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Here's how Notre Dame won it.

Photo of the day: Swinging into the new year

Anticipation for the first major tournament of the season, the 2025 Australian Open, is palpable. The event, which kicks off on Sunday, January 12, is set to be a thrilling start to the tennis season.

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at Paste BN, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com.