International
Will Trump’s verdict impact his presidential career?
For a long time, former US president Donald Trump has been leading the polls to return to the White House in front of a Joe Biden in low hours. The country wonders this Friday if the Republican’s guilty verdict will impact his presidential career.
Trump on Thursday became the first former U.S. president to be found guilty in a criminal trial, in his case on 34 charges of serious crimes of falsification of commercial records related to the payment of a porn actress to protect her presidential career in 2016.
The Republican politician, who has denounced from the beginning that he suffers a “witch hunt,” declared that the “royal verdict” will be given by the voters in the elections on November 5.
Biden also took advantage of the historic day to campaign and affirm that “there is only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: at the polls,” said the Democratic president.
After the jury’s guilty verdict was heard, it is the turn of Judge Juan Merchán, who will announce the sentence on July 11, a few days before the Republican Party officially names Trump as its candidate at the National Convention to be held in Milwaukee (Wisconsin).
Each of the crimes carries penalties of up to 4 years in prison, which can be served simultaneously, although the judge can also opt for other alternatives such as parole, house arrest or fines.
Of course, the defiant behavior that Trump has had during the trial will not serve to mitigate his sentence.
But since he has already turned 77 and has no criminal record, “it is very unlikely that he will go to jail,” Mark Smith, a constitutionalist expert at Cedarville University (Ohio), tells EFE.
In addition, in the event that he was sentenced to prison, this would not disable him from participating in next November’s elections, in which he tries to take the charge from Biden.
The defense of the tycoon will appeal the judge’s decision and will try to extend the judicial process to the maximum, trying to get the final sentence out when he is already the new president in the White House.
According to Smith, if he received a prison sentence already as president, his compliance would be delayed until after his term in office since it would be considered that “his role as president is more important” than immediately complying with a sentence of a state court.
Therefore, the doubt of whether voters will punish Trump after hearing the verdict and the sentence becomes even more important. The indications so far point to the opposite.
Neither the details of the trial nor the other three criminal charges that weigh on Trump (two for electoral interference in 2020 and another for having taken classified documents from the White House) have diminished his strong electoral base in a very polarized country.
According to the average of polls made by the FiveThirtyEight portal, Trump would win the elections at the national level with 41.3% of the votes compared to 39.3% of Biden.
A survey published by the public media NPR and PBS before the guilty verdict was known reflected that 67% of Americans do not intend to change the meaning of their vote based on what the jury decided on Trump.
The trial IN New York is also perceived as the least serious one faced by Trump, but the other three are paralyzed waiting for the Supreme Court to decide if the former president has immunity and can hardly be carried out before the elections.
The Republican appeared this Friday before the press in a new attempt to mobilize his base, where he called the trial in New York “rigged” and claimed that he continues to lead the polls.
For political scientist Geoffrey Bowden, it is clear that the Republican’s strategy will continue to be to “affirm that the judicial system is manipulated” and act as “a victim.”
“Trump’s most loyal supporters will believe that the whole process is rigged but most Americans don’t believe it,” the analyst told EFE.
A prison sentence, therefore, could demobilize Trump’s more moderate voters and that is dangerous for the Republican in key states where elections are tighter, such as Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada.
International
Scottie Pippen’s dream predictions about Bitcoin gain attention as market faces volatility
Financial analyst Jim Bianco commented on Monday about Scottie Pippen’s dream encounters with Satoshi Nakamoto, noting that the NBA legend’s predictions about Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) have been surprisingly accurate.
What Happened Bianco, president and founder of Bianco Research, stated in a post on X that Pippen’s predictions have gained followers due to their accuracy, despite the strange methods he claims to use, such as receiving messages from Bitcoin’s anonymous creator in his dreams.
Bianco also analyzed Pippen’s latest forecast, in which the basketball star said, “I just took a nap, and Satoshi whispered to me: ‘Bitcoin will get closer to the Black Mamba numbers before it returns to Chamberlain.’”
According to Bianco, the post referenced NBA legends Kobe Bryant and Wilt Chamberlain, who scored 81 and 100 points in a single game, respectively. Simply put, Pippen expected Bitcoin to drop to $81,000 before recovering to $100,000.
Why It Matters The world’s leading cryptocurrency has fallen below the key support level of $93,000 and is at risk of falling further. Since the Christmas rally, Bitcoin has dropped by up to 6.5%.
Earlier, Pippen grabbed attention by predicting Bitcoin would hit $84,000 on U.S. presidential election day. While the digital asset didn’t meet these predictions, it reached $84,000 a week later.
International
Ecuador Imposes 60-Day State of Emergency in Most Violent Provinces as Drug Gangs Clash
Ecuador, engaged in a war against drug trafficking gangs, has declared a new state of emergency in Quito and seven of its 24 provinces, which are considered the most violent, according to a presidential decree released on Friday.
The 60-day measure suspends the rights to the inviolability of the home and correspondence in the coastal provinces of Guayas, Los Ríos, Manabí, Santa Elena, and El Oro, as well as the Amazonian provinces of Orellana and Sucumbíos. This state of emergency has been in effect since Thursday and was implemented due to the severe internal turmoil and internal armed conflict declared last year because of drug-related violence.
The decree includes Quito (in the province of Pichincha) and the towns of La Troncal (Cañar) and the mining town of Camilo Ponce Enríquez (Azuay), as well as the prison system, now under military control.
The government of Daniel Noboa, which began in November 2023, has consistently used this measure in response to an escalating wave of drug gangs fighting for control of the streets and prisons.
“This declaration is based on… the increase in violence rates, the commission of crimes, and the prolonged intensity of the presence of organized armed groups,” states the decree released on the presidential website.
International
Elon Musk’s comments on UK abuse scandal spark government response
A prominent British politician addressed Elon Musk’s recent criticism on Friday regarding the government’s handling of a historic child abuse scandal.
In recent days, Musk shared and reacted to posts on his social media platform X, condemning the UK government’s decision to reject a public inquiry into the child abuse scandal in Oldham, a town in northern England.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting dismissed Musk’s comments as “wrong and certainly misinformed” but extended an invitation to the tech mogul to collaborate with the government in combating child sexual exploitation.
The UK government argued that Oldham should follow the example of other cities by commissioning its own investigation into historical abuse. A 2022 report on safeguarding measures in Oldham between 2011 and 2014 highlighted failures by local agencies to protect children but found no evidence of a cover-up. The report noted “legitimate concerns” about far-right groups exploiting the high-profile convictions of predominantly Pakistani offenders across the country.
Musk has also criticized UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, accusing him of failing to bring justice to what many describe as “grooming gangs” during his tenure as Director of Public Prosecutions from 2008 to 2013. On Friday, Musk referred to the scandals as a “massive crime against humanity.”
Speaking to ITV News, Streeting emphasized the government’s commitment to tackling child sexual exploitation. He welcomed Musk’s potential involvement, stating, “Some of the criticisms Elon Musk has made, I think, are wrong and certainly misinformed. But we are ready to work with him. With his social network, he has a significant role to play in helping the UK and other countries address this serious issue. If he wants to roll up his sleeves and work with us, we’d gladly welcome him.”
Musk’s apparent interest in UK politics has grown since the Labour Party’s landslide victory in the July 2024 elections, ending 14 years of Conservative rule.
Scottie Pippen’s dream predictions about Bitcoin gain attention as market faces volatility
Ecuador Imposes 60-Day State of Emergency in Most Violent Provinces as Drug Gangs Clash
Elon Musk’s comments on UK abuse scandal spark government response
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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