Trump Organization found guilty of tax fraud scheme
Donald Trump’s real estate business is was convicted yesterday of tax fraud and other financial crimesA notable rebuke to the former president’s company and what prosecutors described as the company’s “culture of fraud and deception.”
The convictions of all 17 counts, after more than a day of jury deliberation at the New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan, were the result of a long-term plan in which the Trump Organization spent special privileges. off-the-book luxuries, such as luxury apartments and luxury cars, for some executives.
While prosecutors stopped prosecuting the former president, they called him by name throughout the months-long trial, telling jurors that he personally paid for certain privileges and even also approved an important aspect of the plan.
Analysis: A conviction for tax fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud, conspiracy and falsifying business records is unlikely to be a death sentence for the Trump Organization. The maximum penalty it faces is $1.62 million, a rounding error for Trump. However, the ruling represents a very public reckoning for the Trump Organization.
Fall out: The company’s conviction — along with the prosecution’s claim that Trump “clearly penalizes tax fraud” — could resonate throughout the 2024 presidential race and could form the basis for a new one. broader criminal investigation into Trump’s business practices.
Xi projects solidarity at the ex-leader’s funeral
During yesterday’s funeral, China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, praising the late president Jiang Zeminwho passed away on November 30, Xi delivered a 51-minute eulogy for Jiang filled with praise while avoiding any hint of differences between the two leaders.
The event was attended by thousands of officials, soldiers and dignitaries, who sat in the stands, wearing face masks – a visual reminder of the coronavirus pandemic control measures that have sparked protests. Protests across China.
Story: Jiang was at one time a hardline leader, especially when he persecuted Falun Gong in 1999, a spiritual movement that the Chinese Communist Party saw as a threat to its power. But many in China remember him better for implementing market reforms, securing China’s accession to the World Trade Organization and accepting more open debate than it does today.
Analysis: The funeral implicitly signaled the end of an era in which Jiang and other party elders remained power players behind the scenes. After Giang relinquished his last major post in 2004, his patrons maintained his influence over politics. But his influence has waned over the past decade, as has that of his successor, Hu Jintao. At a party congress in October, Xi wipe out the remaining disciples of Ho and install loyalists as top leaders.
protest: The government has begun easing some of its anti-pandemic measures that have angered the public, even as the number of coronavirus infections continues to rise. Beijing yesterday said it will no longer require people to present a negative test result for Covid to enter supermarkets, shopping malls, the city’s main airport and other public places.
Indonesia bans sex outside of marriage
Indonesia’s parliament passed a sweeping overhaul of the country’s penal code, which Prohibition of extramarital sex and defamation of the president and drastically expanded anti-blasphemy laws in the world’s largest Muslim-majority country.
Opponents say the rules, which were passed unanimously by Parliament yesterday, pose significant risks to religious minorities by implicitly targeting critics of Islam.
The criminalization of sex outside of marriage also targets the LGBT community, as same-sex marriage is illegal in Indonesia. New laws may also restrict freedom of speech and assembly.
Text definition: After the fall of dictator Suharto in 1998, Indonesia has proudly become a thriving democracy. But recently, conservative Islam has gained a foothold in the country, and now some fear its influence is growing, even as its supporters remain a minority in Congress.
Story: In 2019, the government tried to pass a similar law but President Joko Widodo shelved it after tens of thousands of young people protested. This time, activists said they were taken by surprise when lawmakers unexpectedly announced on November 30 that they were submitting a draft for Congress’ approval.
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Asia Pacific
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The Taliban said Afghan girls will be allowed to sit their high school graduation exams this week, even though they have been banned from class since last year. Related press reports.
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Protesters in Mongolia tried to storm the parliament building in the capital Ulaanbaatar on Sunday, as they protested against inflation and corruption, Reuters report.
Around the world
A new study found that swear words in several unrelated languages sound the same: They are less likely to include consonants L, R, W or Y than other words. And more family-friendly versions of curses often include these sounds, like the R in “shirt” or “fork.” The findings suggest that some basic rules can link the world’s languages.
ARTS AND IDEAS
Christmas music game
Holiday music has long been big business. Back in 2018, Billboard estimated it was worth $177 million a year in the US alone. But streaming has supercharged it.
In the week before Christmas last year, holiday songs accounted for 10 percent of all music streams in the United States. And on Christmas Eve, Amazon’s Alexa smart speaker received 35 million voice requests around the world for seasonal music.
This week, the streaming feature sent Mariah Carey’s 28-year-old song “All I Want for Christmas Is You” to #2 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles Chart, topped only by Taylor Swift’s latest “Anti-Hero”. Andrew Woloz of music company Concord said: “Catching the important algorithmic stations is really everything. Carey’s smash has appeared on TikTok 12 million times and reached over 1.2 billion streams on Spotify.
In an interview with my colleague Ben Sisario, David Foster, a talented producer who has worked on popular Christmas albums, laid out three rules of the Christmas musical game.
First: The public likes old classics and isn’t too interested in new songs.
Second: The singer should not go too far from the melody.
Number 3: “You can’t be too naive at Christmas. You absolutely get a free ticket.
PLAY, WATCH, EAT
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