Good morning. It's Friday, May 31, and we're covering the verdict in the Trump hush money case, a win for the National Rifle Association, and much more. First time reading? Join over 3.5 million readers. Sign up here. |
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Trump Criminal Conviction |
A New York jury yesterday found former President Donald Trump guilty of all 34 counts related to falsifying business records in the hush-money trial against him. The news makes him the first former US president convicted of a crime.
The case against Trump related to payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the lead-up to the 2016 election. The crux of the case rested on whether Trump altered records of $130K in hush money payments to make them appear legitimate and help his chances in the election. (See the full list of counts here.) Trump has repeatedly dismissed the trial as politically motivated and is expected to appeal.
The conviction does not preclude Trump from running for office. Sentencing is scheduled for July 11, four days before the Republican National Committee is set to formally nominate Trump for president. While Trump faces fines and a maximum sentence of up to four years in prison, an estimated one in 10 people convicted of similar charges is imprisoned. |
The US Supreme Court voted unanimously yesterday to reinstate the National Rifle Association's free speech case against a New York state regulator who allegedly used her authority to suppress the group's gun-promotion advocacy. The 2018 case was dismissed by a lower court in 2022 and will now resume proceedings.
At issue is whether New York's former lead financial regulator, Maria Vullo, coerced regulated banks and insurers to avoid doing business with the NRA because of its views. In 2017, Vullo launched an investigation into NRA-sponsored insurance plans designed to protect gun owners from liability after discharge of a weapon, a product dubbed "Carry Guard."
Vullo later fined several insurers for underwriting these policies, which included coverage for costs related to criminal proceedings. The NRA's claim alleges Vullo additionally threatened action against financial institutions that continued to do business with the NRA. In her majority opinion, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote such allegations would be an infringement of the NRA's protected speech. See a case overview here. |
Hong Kong Subversion Case |
A Hong Kong court yesterday found 14 pro-democracy activists guilty of conspiring to subvert the government, following the Chinese territory's biggest trial under a China-drafted 2020 national security law.
The activists are among 47 pro-democracy activists arrested in 2021 for holding unofficial primary elections for Hong Kong's legislature in July 2020. Authorities said the elections undermined state power by securing a majority needed to veto budgets, which could have dissolved the legislature and forced its leader to resign. (Hong Kong's current legislature has no pro-democracy lawmakers.) Thirty-one of the so-called "Hong Kong 47" previously pleaded guilty, while two were acquitted yesterday. Those convicted face up to life in prison.
Roughly 300 people have been arrested under China's national security law, which criminalized dissent in June 2020 after mass anti-government protests in 2019. In recent years, Beijing has asserted more control over Hong Kong—a special administrative region that was mostly autonomous from Communist Party control since the UK ceded it to China in 1997. |
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Sports, Entertainment, & Culture |
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> Dallas Mavericks top Minnesota Timberwolves 124-103 to win Western Conference Finals 4-1 and advance to NBA Finals for first time since 2011 (More) | New 3-on-3 women's basketball league, Unrivaled, to launch in January with initial 30 players receiving equity in the league (More) |
> Rock band Queen in talks with Sony Music to sell entire music catalog for a reported $1B (More) | TV series based on the video game "Minecraft" in the works at Netflix (More) | Florida 12-year-old Bruhat Soma wins 96th Scripps National Spelling Bee (More) |
> The 2024 NCAA baseball tournament kicks off today; see preview for all 16 regional sites (More) | See updated Women's College World Series bracket (More) |
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In partnership with The Ascent |
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> Leaked Google documents reveal details on data the company collects to inform search engine results; critics argue company's algorithm has outsized influence on the internet landscape (More) | See original report (More) |
> Michigan farmworker tests positive for H5N1 avian influenza; marks the third human patient and first to experience respiratory symptoms, no sign of person-to-person transmission (More) | See current stats on bird flu outbreak here (More) |
> Scientists fully map both sex chromosomes for five great ape species and the siamang (a lesser ape species); study sheds light on the genetic evolution of reproduction, cognition, and more in humans and primates (More) |
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> US stock markets close lower (S&P 500 -0.6%, Dow -0.9%, Nasdaq -1.1%); markets dragged down by Salesforce, which closed down nearly 20% and logged its worst day since 2004 after missing revenue expectations a day earlier (More) |
> Saudi Arabia's government to sell new shares in state oil giant Aramco to domestic and international investors, could raise up to $13B from the sale (More) | Skydance Media submits revised offer to buy Paramount Global; terms appear to be more favorable to nonvoting shareholders (More) |
> Gap shares rise over 20% in after-hours trading after reporting better-than-expected earnings and revenue (More) | Kohl's shares close down 23% after retailer posts surprise loss per share and lower-than-expected revenue (More) |
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> Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz’s centrist party submits bill to dissolve parliament, could force early elections and potentially oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; unclear if bill will garner enough support (More) | Israel lifts ban on food sales to Gaza for first time since Oct. 7 (More) | See war updates (More) |
> Biden administration reportedly allowing Ukraine to use some US-supplied weapons for defense inside Russian borders near the Kharkiv region; move partially lifts ban on Ukraine's use of US-supplied weapons (More) | See war updates (More) |
> South Africa's early election results show current ruling party African National Congress leading with 43% of the votes, followed by Democratic Alliance with 24% of the votes; results come from 43% of voting districts counted so far (More) |
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> Unhappy Youth
After Babel | David Blanchflower, Alex Bryson. For decades, international happiness studies showed well-being was high during youth, declined in midlife, and increased again in old age. But recent studies indicate the kids are now the least happy. (Read)
> Behind the Firing of Sam Altman
TED-AI | Bilawal Sidhu. (Podcast) AI researcher and former OpenAI board member Helen Toner reveals why the company's board tried—and failed—to oust CEO Sam Altman in November. (Listen) |
> Mass-Producing Warplanes
Construction Physics | Brian Potter. How the US produced over 300,000 airplanes to fight in World War II, more than the total number of commercial aircraft produced in global aviation history. (Read)
> The Linguistics of Baby Names
Otherwords | Dr. Erica Brozovsky. A century ago, "Mildred" was a top baby name for two decades straight—but now it has all but disappeared. A linguist investigates the reasons why naming trends come and go. (Watch) |
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Editor's note: More than 10 million monthly clicks can't be wrong. Here are the most popular stories we ran in May. Enjoy!
(5/2/24) How your state ranks in teacher pay.
(5/23/24) New Princess of Wales portrait spurs mixed reactions.
(5/13/24) The most popular baby names in the US last year.
(5/22/24) The 150 best places to live in the US.
(5/11/24) Why most maple syrup bottles have a tiny handle.
(5/8/24) Food products that came out the year you were born.
(5/14/24) Homeowner asked to hide his boat paints it on his fence.
(5/6/24) The most common last name in every country.
(5/1/24) The world has a new currency: the ZiG.
(5/21/24) What is pink noise, and can it improve sleep?
(5/23/24) Should you park under an overpass during a tornado?
Clickbait: The cars the cops ticket most.
Historybook: Poet Walt Whitman born (1819); London’s Big Ben ticks for the first time (1859); Clint Eastwood born (1930); Brooke Shields born (1965); Watergate secret source "Deep Throat" is revealed (2005). |
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