WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump is making a victor’s return to Washington.

President Joe Biden will welcome him to the White House on Wednesday for an Oval Office visit that is a traditional part of the peaceful handoff of power — a ritual that Trump himself declined to participate in four years ago.

Trump also planned to meet with Republicans from Congress as they focus on his Day 1 priorities and prepare for a potentially unified government with a GOP sweep of power in the nation’s capital. His arrival amid Republican congressional leadership elections could put his imprint on the outcome.

It’s a stunning return to the U.S. seat of government for the former president, who departed nearly four years ago a diminished, politically defeated leader after the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol but is preparing to come back to power with what he and his GOP allies see as a mandate for governance.

Ahead of the visit, House Speaker Mike Johnson said that Republicans are “ready to deliver” on Trump’s “America First” agenda.

After his election win in 2016, Trump met with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office and called it “a great honor.” But he soon was back to heaping insults on Obama, including accusing his predecessor — without evidence — of having wire-tapped him during the 2016 campaign.

Four years later, Trump disputed his 2020 election loss to Biden, and he has continued to lie about widespread voter fraud that did not occur. He didn’t invite Biden, then the president-elect, to the White House and he left Washington without attending Biden’s inauguration. It was the first time that had happened since Andrew Johnson skipped Ulysses S. Grant’s swearing-in 155 years ago.

Biden insists that he’ll do everything he can to make the transition to the next Trump administration go smoothly. That’s despite having spent more than a year campaigning for reelection and decrying Trump as a threat to democracy and the nation’s core values. Biden then bowed out of the race in July and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to succeed him.

In the wake of the election, the president has abandoned his dire warnings about Trump, saying in a speech last week, “The American experiment endures. We’re going to be okay.”

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden is committed to “making sure that this transition is effective, efficient and he’s doing that because it is the norm, yes, but also the right thing to do for the American people.”

“We want this to go well,” Jean-Pierre added. “We want this to be a process that gets the job done.”

Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan echoed that sentiment, saying the administration will uphold the “responsible handoff from one president to the next, which is in the best tradition of our country.”

Wednesday’s visit is more than just a courtesy call.

“They will go through the top issues — both domestic and foreign policy issues — including what is happening in Europe and Asia and the Middle East,” Sullivan told CBS of Wednesday’s meeting. “And the president will have the chance to explain to President Trump how he sees things ... and talk to President Trump about how President Trump is thinking about taking on these issues when he takes office.”

Traditionally, as the outgoing and incoming presidents meet in the West Wing, the first lady hosts her successor upstairs in the residence — but Melania Trump isn’t expected to attend.

After his 2016 meeting with Obama, Trump also visited lawmakers on Capitol Hill and will be doing the same Wednesday — not far from where a mob of his supporters staged a violent January 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol to try and stop the certification of Biden’s election victory.

When Trump left Washington in 2021, even some top Republicans had begun to decry him for his role in helping incite the Capitol attack. But his win in last week’s election completes a political comeback that has seen Trump once again become the unchallenged head of the GOP.

It’s not the first time Trump has returned to the Capitol area since the end of his first term, though. Congressional Republicans hosted Trump over the summer, as Trump was again solidifying his dominance over the party.

His latest visit comes as Republicans, who wrested the Senate majority from Democrats in last week’s elections and are on the cusp of keeping GOP control of the House, are in the midst of their own leadership elections happening behind closed doors Wednesday.

The president-elect’s arrival will provide another boost to Johnson, who has pulled ever-closer to Trump as he worked to keep his majority — and his own job with the gavel.

The speaker said he expects to see Trump repeatedly throughout the week, including at an event later that evening, and at the president-elect’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida “all weekend.”

It’s unclear whether Trump will also visit the Senate, which is entangled in a more divisive closed-door leadership election in the three-way race to replace outgoing GOP Leader Mitch McConnell.

Trump’s allies are pushing GOP senators to vote for Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, who had been a longshot candidate challenging two more senior Republicans, Sen. John Thune of South Dakota and Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, for the job.

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s election victory created a profound conundrum for the judge overseeing his criminal case in New York. Can he go ahead and sentence the president-elect, or would doing so potentially get in the way of Trump’s constitutional responsibility to lead the nation?

Court documents made public Tuesday revealed that Judge Juan M. Merchan has effectively put the case on hold until at least Nov. 19 while he and the lawyers on both sides weigh in on what should happen next. Trump’s sentencing had been tentatively scheduled for Nov. 26.

Trump’s lawyers are urging Merchan to act “in the interests of justice” and rip up the verdict, the first criminal conviction of a former and now future U.S. president.

Manhattan prosecutors told Merchan they want to find a way forward that balances the “competing interests” of the jury’s verdict and Trump’s responsibilities as president.

Here are some scenarios for what could happen next:

Wait until Trump leaves office

If Merchan wants to preserve the verdict without disrupting Trump’s presidency, he could opt to delay sentencing until the president-elect leaves office in 2029.

Trump would be 82 at the end of his second term and more than a decade removed from the events at the heart of the case.

Trump’s conviction on 34 felon counts of falsifying business records involves his efforts to hide a $130,000 payment during his 2016 presidential campaign to squelch porn actor Stormy Daniels’ claims that she had sex with him years earlier, which he denies.

If he opts to wait, Merchan might not be on the bench by then. His current term ends before Trump is slated to leave office.

Grant Trump’s immunity claim

Another way Merchan could get rid of the case is by granting Trump’s previous request to overturn the verdict because of a U.S. Supreme Court decision in July that gave presidents broad immunity from criminal prosecution.

The judge had said he would issue a ruling Tuesday, but that was before Trump’s election victory upended the schedule.

The high court’s ruling gives former presidents immunity from prosecution for official acts and bars prosecutors from using evidence of official acts in trying to prove their personal conduct violated the law.

Trump’s lawyers argue prosecutors “tainted” the case with testimony about his first term and other evidence that shouldn’t have been allowed. Prosecutors have said the ruling provides “no basis for disturbing the jury’s verdict.”

The judge could order a new trial — potentially to take place after Trump leaves office — or dismiss the indictment entirely.

Hold off until a federal court rules

Merchan could choose to delay things until the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rules on Trump’s earlier bid to move the case from state court to federal court.

Trump’s lawyers have been appealing a Manhattan federal judge’s decision to deny the transfer. Their argument: Trump’s case belongs in federal court because as a former president he has the right to assert immunity and seek dismissal.

Waiting for the appeals court to rule, though, might trigger further delays down the road. The court has given prosecutors until Jan. 13 to respond to Trump’s appeal. That’s a week before he is to be sworn in to office. Once Trump is in the White House, his legal team could make fresh arguments around presidential immunity.

Case dismissed

Merchan could end the case immediately by overturning Trump’s conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records and throwing out the indictment.

That would mean no sentencing or punishment, sparing the president-elect from the possibility of prison time or other penalties.

Trump’s lawyers insist tossing the case is the only way “to avoid unconstitutional impediments” to his ability to govern.

Prosecutors acknowledged the “unprecedented circumstances” of Trump’s conviction colliding with his election but also said the jury’s verdict should stand.

Proceed to sentencing

Merchan could also opt for none of the above and move to sentencing — or at least try, barring an appeal by Trump’s lawyers.

George Mason University law professor Ilya Somin said whether the case reaches sentencing “could go either way.”

If it does, he said, “it probably won’t be a prison sentence.”

Trump’s charges carry a range of punishments from a fine or probation to up to four years in prison.

“Any prison sentence would likely be blocked or suspended in some way,” but a lesser sentence “probably wouldn’t impede Trump to any meaningful degree,” Somin said.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - Firefighters responded to an SUV fire in South Laredo on Tuesday afternoon, November 12.

The fire happened in the 1500 block of Riddle Street around 1 p.m. The SUV’s front part was damaged by the flames.

No one was injured, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - A club owner was arrested early Sunday morning, November 10, after police found people possibly drinking after hours at a downtown club.

Officers were called to a club on Iturbide Street around 7 a.m. for reports of suspicious activity. When they arrived, they heard loud music coming from inside.

Eduardo Gil Peña, who said he was the club owner, was taken into custody. Police say he was charged with not allowing an inspection and letting people drink on the premises during hours when it’s not allowed.

The investigation is ongoing. No further details have been shared.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is testing new low-energy x-ray machines at the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge. They plan to have the machines ready for use by the November holiday season.

The machines provide an extra check for vehicles entering the U.S. to help officers decide if a vehicle needs further inspection. CBP already uses similar machines at other border points in South Texas.

Rick Pauza, a CBP spokesperson, said the X-ray system is safe for everyone, including pregnant travelers. “It’s a low dose of X-ray, so it’s not harmful,” he said. “But if someone doesn’t want to use the system, they can choose a different lane.”

The tests are being done to make sure the system works well before it’s fully in use.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - Protesters blocked the entrance and exit on the Mexican side of the World Trade Bridge on Tuesday, November 12, around noon, creating traffic jams and delays.

People held signs demanding answers from federal officials over issues with Mexican federal authorities. Some signs in Spanish read, “Shut down for failing the victims.”

Mexican media reports that the protesters are family members of missing people in Mexico.

The protest is causing traffic and delays for truck drivers. There has been no response from federal authorities on the protesters' concerns yet.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - A former United Independent School District (UISD) teacher has pleaded not guilty to charges of possessing and distributing child pornography. The case involves Roberto Ortiz Jr., who was indicted earlier this year following an investigation by the FBI.

Federal agents carried out a search warrant at Ortiz’s home on June 4, where they reportedly found several files containing child pornography. According to authorities, Ortiz allegedly directed them to the location of the files on his computer. The search was prompted by information received in March, indicating that four files had been downloaded from a Laredo IP address linked to Ortiz.

Ortiz, who was employed as a teacher and coach at UISD at the time, was immediately placed on administrative leave following the search. In July, the district confirmed that Ortiz was no longer working for them.

A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment against Ortiz on June 25, accusing him of possession, receipt, and distribution of child pornography. The charges stem from claims that Ortiz used a peer-to-peer file-sharing application to distribute the illicit files.

Ortiz is requesting a jury trial, which is expected to take place in 2025 in Laredo’s federal court. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.