Donald Trump Convicted on 34 Felony Counts

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• RFK Jr. Claims Biden-Trump-CNN Colluded on Upcoming Presidential Debate

• Trends: Loneliness at Work a Growing Problem in the U.S.

• 🍁The World’s Maple Syrup Reserve🌳

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Newsbites

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Donald Trump Convicted (Developing Story): On Thursday, 12 Manhattan jurors found former President Donald Trump guilty on 34 felony counts for falsifying business records and authorizing a $130k hush money payment to Stormy Daniels before the 2016 elections. It marks the first time a former U.S. president has been convicted of a felony. Shortly after receiving the verdict, Trump told reporters, “The real verdict is going to be 5 November, by the people.” (video). Trump will still be able to run in the 2024 election, as the Constitution does not prohibit a convicted felon from running or becoming president.

Justice Juan Merchan, the presiding judge of the case, will hand down a sentence on July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. All 34 counts are Class E felonies in New York, the lowest tier. Given this, along with Trump’s lack of a criminal record, prison time seems unlikely. In addition, Trump’s legal team is expected to appeal the jury decision, which could drag out the process for many more months.

Trump is still in the midst of other legal battles, including charges that 1) he attempted to overturn the 2020 election results and 2) mishandled classified documents. The charges in these cases are far more serious than the hush money payment case, however, the jury trials in these instances may not start until after the November elections.

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Chicago’s Downtown Plan: Faced with high office vacancy rates and declining property values, Chicago announced it will offer $150M of subsidies to developers to convert downtown skyscraper offices into apartments. The plan, which is aimed at revitalizing a struggling downtown, is the most generous subsidy package implemented by any U.S. city in the wake of the pandemic. Chicago’s downtown office vacancy rate has increased from about 12% before the pandemic to more than 16%. Companies have been exiting the city altogether or downsizing their footprints due to a combination of factors including high crime and taxes, along with remote/hybrid work.

More: As vacancy and interest rates have increased, property values have declined, making it difficult for owners to refinance and/or afford their mortgages. A significant percentage of the mortgages on downtown buildings are in or at risk of default, according to KBRA Analytics.

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A volcano erupted in Iceland on Wednesday sending streams of lava more than 150 feet into the air (video) and creating a fissure more than 2 miles long. The eruption occurred after a series of earthquakes in the region and marks the 5th explosion of the volcano since December. People in the nearby towns have been instructed to evacuate as a precaution.

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The $320M U.S. military pier to deliver aid in Gaza has broken apart due to severe weather, security concerns and overall logistical confusion. The pier, which was put in place as a base to deliver loads of aid to starving Gazans, has yet to deliver its promised 150 trucks per day. The project was completed on May 18, but will require a major repair in order to operate. “Nobody said at the outset that it was going to be a panacea for all the humanitarian assistance problems that still exist in Gaza,” National security spokesman, John Kirby said. “We knew going in that this was going to be tough stuff.”

More: Video showing the sinking pier in Gaza.

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India is in the midst of its national elections, the largest democratic election in the world. Incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who enjoys widespread support in the country, is expected to win another term. India, which surpassed China as the most populous country in the world (1.4B people) in 2023, has nearly 1B registered voters. Given the logistical and security challenges with facilitating such a large election, voting takes place over 6 weeks across the country.

More: As the 5th largest economy in the world with ambitions to become 3rd (behind the U.S. and China), India is quickly becoming an influential country on the global stage.

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Main Stories

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RFK Jr. Claims Biden, Trump, and CNN Colluded on Upcoming Presidential Debate

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission this week that the Biden and Trump Committees, along with CNN, colluded to exclude other presidential candidates from the scheduled June 27, 2024 debate. RFK Jr. claims the actions are in violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA).

In the letter, RFK Jr.’s team cites evidence, including CNN’s own reporting on the matter, that CNN did not provide “pre-established” and objective criteria for the selection of debate participants. Instead, it argues the Biden and Trump campaigns established and agreed to the terms of the debate themselves, to which CNN agreed.

For example, an article published by CNN on May 15 writes, 

“Still, apart from Trump’s desire to hold more than two debates and his urgings for a live audience, many of the conditions laid out in the Biden campaign’s proposal were criteria the Trump campaign also wanted – namely, to move up the schedule by three months and to avoid sharing a stage with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.”

Why does RFK claim it’s in violation of the law?
FECA prohibits corporations from making contributions to a federal presidential candidate. Funds used “to defray costs incurred in staging candidate debates” are not considered campaign contributions if the broadcaster follows certain rules, including having “pre-established” and “objective” criteria for how debate participants are selected.

As a result, RFK’s team is requesting the Federal Election Commission prohibit the June 27 debate until the parties are in compliance with the FECA, and impose monetary penalties as appropriate.

RFK’s Polling Numbers
In three recent polls, RFK has registered support of 16% (Quinnipiac and CNN) and 17% (Marquette University Law School). One of the requirements to qualify for the CNN debate is that a candidate register at least 15% or more in four recognized national polls.

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Loneliness at Work a Growing Problem in the U.S.

It’s not just remote workers that are feeling more isolated from their colleagues. Onsite and hybrid employees are also feeling less connected than just a few years prior. For example, people who work onsite now spend