Good morning.
Donald Trump has been found guilty of all 34 counts of falsifying business records in a hush-money scheme to influence the outcome of the 2016 election, a historic conviction in the first criminal trial against a current or former US president.
Trump and his allies reacted to the verdict by continuing their attacks on US democratic institutions. Trump called it a “rigged trial” by a “judge who was corrupt”. Tucker Carlson said: “Anyone who defends this verdict is a danger to you and your family.”
Trump is unlikely to be sentenced to prison, experts say. He is a first-time offender, and the crime he has been found guilty of is a non-violent, “paper” crime.
What happens next? He will be sentenced on 11 July at 10am ET and is certain to appeal. The Republican National Convention, where will be formally nominated as the party’s candidate for president, happens four days later.
What does it mean for Trump’s polling? His numbers have remained unchanged throughout the trial – Trump is averaging 41.2%, Biden 39.5% – but roughly a quarter of people who said they would vote Trump also said they would reconsider their vote if he were convicted of a crime.
Biden allows Ukraine to fire US-supplied weapons into Russia
President Joe Biden has allowed Ukraine to use some US-made weapons over one part of the Russian border, to allow Kyiv’s forces to defend against an offensive aimed at Kharkiv.
“The president recently directed his team to ensure that Ukraine is able to use US-supplied weapons for counter-fire purposes in the Kharkiv region so Ukraine can hit back against Russian forces,” a US official said. But limits on the use of US long-range weapons such as the army tactical missile system (Atacms) will remain.
Meanwhile in Ukraine, on Friday Russian forces shelled a five-storey apartment building in Kharkiv, starting a fire and wounding eight people.
What prompted the change? Biden’s decision followed calls from US allies in Europe, including the UK, Germany and France, and the Nato secretary general, for Ukraine to be able to use western-provided weapons against military targets in Russia.
How might Russia react? President Vladimir Putin has warned of “serious consequences” if Russia is struck with western weapons.
Israel’s Rafah assault continues as aid groups condemn ‘flagrant disregard’ of ICJ ruling
ActionAid has described the Israeli military pressing on with its ground invasion of Rafah as a “flagrant disregard of the binding ICJ ruling issued on 24 May”. Riham Jafari, of ActionAid Palestine, said recent days had been “utterly harrowing.”
People in Rafah reported intense artillery shelling and gunfire on Thursday. Witnesses reported fighting in central and western Rafah, according to AFP, and Israeli forces demolished several buildings in the city. An Israeli government spokesperson said about 300 Palestinian gunmen have been killed since 6 May.
Meanwhile, the US and UK struck 13 Houthi targets in Yemen on Thursday evening, in response to attacks by the Iran-backed militia group on ships.
What is the humanitarian cost of the war? After Hamas killed about 1,200 people in Israel and took 250 hostage on 7 October, the Israeli offensive has killed more than 35,000 people, displaced 80% of Gaza’s population and decimated infrastructure, bringing the strip close to famine.
In other news …
Fourteen people have been found guilty of subversion by a court in Hong Kong, in the biggest case against pro-democracy campaigners since China imposed a national security law to crush dissent.
A third person has tested positive for H5N1 bird flu in the US, the CDC has said. It’s the second case to be detected in Michigan.
Thousands of patients in England are to be fast-tracked into groundbreaking trials of personalised cancer vaccines, in a revolutionary world-first NHS “matchmaking” scheme.
OpenAI has said its artificial intelligence tools are being used for covert influence operations, revealing that the company has disrupted disinformation campaigns originating from Russia, China, Israel and Iran.
Stat of the day: Europol and US take down ‘world’s largest botnet’ in $6bn cybercrime bust
US authorities announced on Thursday they had dismantled the “world’s largest botnet ever,” allegedly responsible for nearly $6bn in Covid insurance fraud. The European Union’s judicial cooperation agency, Eurojust, said police arrested four “high value” suspects, took down more than 100 servers and seized control of more than 2,000 internet domains.
Don’t miss this: How a US far-right group is influencing anti-gay policies in Uganda
A US anti-porn campaign group has advised, promoted and endorsed anti-LGBTQ+ activists and politicians in Uganda, including a governing party member who said gays “should be castrated”. It raises questions about how the National Center on Sexual Exploitation influenced Uganda’s homosexuality laws, among the most punitive worldwide.
… or this: Nan Goldin on her ‘shame’ over Gaza – and the film that made people faint
The uncompromising artist talks to G2 about self-harm, censorship and the tragic life of her sister Barbara. “It is so shameful, as a Jewish person,” says Goldin on Gaza. “I was brought up believing that Jewish people, like me, were exceptional in our kindness and humanity. The genocide in Gaza has affected me so very deeply.”
Climate check: How illicit California cannabis farms have left a wilderness where ‘you’re lucky to see a lizard’
In California, legal growers in the commercial cannabis industry must follow strict rules on pesticides and chemicals. No rules govern the hidden market, leading to environmental fallout. “There’s a lot of concern about environmental damage,” local sheriff Jeremiah LaRue says.
Last Thing: ‘I went on 100 dates in a day’
‘As a performance artist, I’m used to putting myself in unusual scenarios, but nothing quite like this,’ says Harriet Richardson. ‘The rules were simple: people had to book a five-minute slot any time between 7am and midnight. The dates would be livestreamed, and participants had to treat it the way they’d treat a normal date. The dates finished at 2am … I shut my laptop and cried my eyes out. I was looking for authentic connections, and I found them.’
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