Donald Trump was convicted today of falsifying records to cover up a sex scandal that threatened to derail his 2016 presidential campaign. He is the first American president to be declared a felon.
After two days of deliberations, a jury of 12 New Yorkers found the former president guilty of all 34 felony charges. Their decision capped an extraordinary trial that tested the resilience of the American justice system and will reverberate into November’s election.
Trump did not visibly respond to the verdict, my colleague Jonah Bromwich reported from the courtroom. He slowly stood up as the jurors exited, with a frown on his face. He did not look at the jurors as they left, his eyes downcast.
Outside the courtroom, Trump recited a litany of complaints he has made for the last several months: that the judge was biased, that the prosecutors brought his case as an effort to keep him out of the White House, and that he should have been granted a venue change because of how liberal-leaning Manhattan is. “The real verdict is going to be Nov. 5, by the people,” Trump said.
The judge overseeing the case, Juan Merchan, will sentence Trump on July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention. He could impose a prison term of up to four years.
But Trump could receive probation instead, and may never see the inside of a prison cell. He is certain to appeal the verdict — meaning it may be years before the case is resolved — and he will remain free at least until sentencing, campaigning for the presidency while he awaits his punishment.
Follow our live coverage here.
Biden will allow Ukraine to use U.S. weapons in Russia
President Biden decided to allow Ukraine to strike inside Russia with U.S.-made weapons, senior American officials said today. The move is a significant shift in U.S. policy, and is intended specifically to blunt Russian attacks in the Kharkiv region.
The decision followed weeks of discussion with the Ukrainians after Russia began a major assault on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city. U.S. permission is intended solely for strikes on military sites in Russia being used to attack the Kharkiv area, the American officials said.
It could prove to be one of Biden’s most consequential decisions in the war, my colleague David Sanger explained. The president’s two mandates — to prevent a Russian victory and avoid risking World War III — have always been in tension. But the need to choose between a possible Ukrainian defeat and more direct U.S. involvement had never been as stark.
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It’s T-I-M-E to S-P-E-L-L
The Scripps National Spelling Bee, which challenges erudite children to spell some of the most obscure entries in the dictionary, concludes tonight.
The contestants, ages 8 to 15, will be competing for a grand prize of $50,000 (and lifelong bragging rights). The Times, which has been writing about spelling bees for 150 years, will be covering the event live. Here’s how to follow along.
Why anglerfish meld with their mates
How did the ghoulish creatures known as anglerfish pull off the evolutionary feat that let them essentially take over the ocean’s sunless depths? Extremely peculiar sex.
To mate, tiny males clamp their sharp teeth onto the bellies of much larger females. Some permanently fuse with the females and become organs for sperm production, losing their eyes and all internal organs except for the testes.
The anglerfish is the only known vertebrate that employs sexual parasitism, and that gave it an evolutionary edge in a hard place to find a mate: the dark zone of the ocean.
What makes a museum?
New York City’s new Banksy Museum does not own or display any actual Banksys — just reproductions. It charges $30 for admission, just like the Met, but even in the loose sense of the word, it’s not really a museum.
But it’s an interesting thought experiment: Does street art still function when removed from the street? Can an artist be anti-establishment while still fetching millions of dollars at auction?
Ultimately, the Banksy Museum is the kind of thing Banksy himself might produce to mock the market’s fetishization of street art. In many ways this endeavor proves his point: Art has become inseparable from commerce.
Have an artful evening.
Thanks for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow. — Matthew
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