Trump to argue he is immune from January 6 charges; gunman arrested after opening fire in Colorado supreme court – US politics live | Donald Trump

In a statement, the Colorado state patrol says the early morning shooting at the state’s supreme court building in Denver is not related to recent threats made to the justices, who last month disqualified Donald Trump from the GOP primary ballot.

“At this time, it is believed that this is not associated with previous threats to the Colorado Supreme Court Justices”, the state patrol said. They added that the incident caused “significant and extensive damage to the building”, and is being investigated by the Denver police department.

Here’s the full narrative on the shooting, from the Colorado state patrol:

Today, at approximately 1:15 a.m., a two-vehicle crash occurred at 13th Street and Lincoln. One individual involved reportedly pointed a handgun at the other driver.

A short time later, that same individual shot out a window on the east side of the Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center located at 2 East 14th Ave, Denver, CO 80203. The individual entered the building and came in contact with an unarmed security guard from the Colorado State Patrol Capitol Security Unit.

The individual held the security guard at gunpoint and demanded access to other parts of the building. The individual obtained keys from the security guard and proceeded into other parts of the building and accessed an unknown number of floors. Denver Police Department (DPD) officers, as well as Colorado State Patrol Troopers, responded to the scene and set up a perimeter. The suspect then made his way to the 7th floor, where he fired additional shots inside the building. At approximately 3:00 a.m., the suspect called 911 and voluntarily surrendered to police. He was placed in custody without further incident. There are no injuries to building occupants, the suspect, or police personnel.

The suspect was taken to a local hospital to be cleared by medical personnel. There is significant and extensive damage to the building and the investigation is ongoing. The Denver Police Department will be taking the lead on the investigation.

The CSP and DPD are treating this incident seriously, but at this time, it is believed that this is not associated with previous threats to the Colorado Supreme Court Justices.

Steve Scalise, the Louisiana congressman who is the second-highest ranking House Republican, has endorsed Donald Trump for president:

Scalise, who serves as House majority leader, was briefly the party’s nominee for the speaker after Kevin McCarthy’s removal from the post in October, but ultimately stepped aside, clearing for Mike Johnson’s election as the chamber’s leader. Johnson already endorsed Trump’s campaign for a second term in the White House.

Police have arrested a man who broke into the Colorado supreme court building and opened fire early this morning, CNN reports.

The assailant took an unarmed security guard hostage after shooting out a window and entering the building in downtown Denver, but the Colorado state patrol said no injuries resulted from the incident. In late December, the court had in a 4-3 ruling disqualified Donald Trump from the state’s ballot for his involvement in the January 6 insurrection.

Here’s more on the shooting, from CNN:

Tuesday’s incident began unfolding around 1:15 a.m. and ended nearly two hours later, when the suspect surrendered to police, according to the news release.

“There are no injuries to building occupants, the suspect, or police personnel,” the release said, adding there was “significant and extensive damage to the building.”

The incident began with a two-vehicle crash at 13th Avenue and Lincoln Street in Denver, near the Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center, which houses the state supreme court.

A person involved in that crash “reportedly pointed a handgun at the other driver,” the release said. That individual then shot out a window on the east side of the judicial center and entered the building.

The individual encountered an unarmed security guard, held the guard at gunpoint and took the guard’s keys before going to other parts of the building, including the seventh floor, where he fired more shots, the release said.

The suspect called 911 at 3 a.m. and surrendered to police, the release said.

After Donald Trump’s lawyers file their last written arguments in the case over his immunity claim today, they will meet alongside prosecutors from special counsel Jack Smith’s office next Tuesday to make oral arguments before the Washington DC-based federal appeals court.

It’s unclear when the three-judge panel deciding the matter will rule, but the issue could then make its way to the supreme court. Last month, Smith asked the nation’s highest judges to immediately take up Trump’s claim that his position as president makes him immune from charges related to attempting to overturn the 2020 election, but the court declined to do so, saying the issue needed to follow the normal appeals process before getting to them.

A new year has dawned, but the contours of the race for the Republican presidential nomination are much the same as they were throughout all of 2023. Donald Trump continues to lead in polls of the field, with the support of 62% of voters in a USA Today/Suffolk University poll released yesterday. Soon, we’ll have more than polls to go on when gauging the race for the nomination. The Iowa GOP caucuses are less than two weeks away on 15 January, and will give us an idea of whether Trump’s strong polling edge will translate to votes.

Trump is as busy in court as he is on the campaign trail, dealing with the four criminal indictments that were issued against him last year. The matter closest to going to trial is his federal charges over trying to overturn the 2020 election, which is set for a 4 March start date in Washington DC. Trump is trying to convince judges at various levels that he is immune from the charges, and is expected to today file the final brief on the matter to a federal appeals court. We will see what he, or more accurately, his lawyers, have to say for themselves when it comes in.

Here’s what is going on today:

• The House and Senate are both out, though lawmakers are still bargaining over government funding levels, military assistance to Ukraine and Israel and potential changes to US immigration policy.

• Joe Biden is returning to Washington DC from vacation in the US Virgin Islands.

• Two planes collided at Tokyo’s airport, leaving five people dead as Japan recovers from Monday’s earthquake. Follow our live blog for the latest on this developing story.