A federal judge says the Justice Department can release special counsel Jack Smith's investigative report on President-elect Donald Trump's 2020 election interference case. The ruling from U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who was appointed to the bench by Trump, is the latest in the back and forth in a court dispute over the report from the special counsel who prosecuted Trump in two cases the Justice Department abandoned in November. Cannon had earlier temporarily blocked the department from releasing the report. Cannon on Monday cleared the way for the release of the volume on Trump's 2020 election interference case. A temporary injunction barring the immediate release of the report remains in effect until Tuesday.

Congress has certified Donald Trump as the 2024 presidential election winner without challenge. It's in stark contrast to 2021 violence. Lawmakers convened under heavy security and a snowstorm to certify the vote Monday, with the reading of the electoral results from the states coming swiftly. The legacy of Jan. 6, 2021, hung over Monday's proceedings as the Republican who tried to overturn the previous election is legitimately returning to power. As lawmakers gathered, the tightest national security was in place. It's a reminder of what happened at the U.S. Capitol four years ago, when a defeated Trump sent rallygoers to "fight like hell." Vice President Kamala Harris, presiding over her own defeat, said, "America's democracy stood."