Trump Becomes First Former U.S. President Convicted of Criminal Charges |
A New York jury found (FT) former President Donald Trump guilty yesterday on all thirty-four counts of falsifying business records to cover events that occurred amid his 2016 presidential campaign. The verdict makes Trump the first former U.S. president to be convicted of criminal charges, injecting uncertainty into this year’s presidential race where he remains the leading Republican party candidate running against President Joe Biden. A criminal conviction does not bar him from continuing his campaign. Trump maintained his innocence after the decision, denouncing the trial as “rigged” and “disgraceful” and vowing to fight the result. His sentencing is scheduled for July 11, four days before the start of the Republican National Convention.
Trump and his allies, including a number of Republican lawmakers, have argued (ABC) that prosecutions against him amount to political targeting. Trump is the defendant in three other criminal cases, though none are expected to reach a verdict before the election in November. While this is an unprecedented development in the United States, former presidents such as Nicolas Sarkozy of France and Jacob Zuma of South Africa have been convicted of crimes (NYT). International media closely followed the verdict, though world leaders largely refrained from commenting.
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“No matter what his lawyers advise, Trump’s court of appeal will be the U.S. electorate,” the Financial Times’s Edward Luce writes. “The stakes in November are about the legitimacy of the system.”
“The indictment and conviction of former leaders in democratic and semi-democratic countries around the world is, in fact, quite common,” Ashley Ahn and Brawley Benson write for Foreign Policy. “Whatever happens in the United States will likely do more to cement opinions of the country’s institutions rather than of the former president himself.”
For Foreign Affairs, former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull discusses how world leaders could manage a second Trump presidency.
This suite of CFR resources looks at the 2024 election and foreign policy. |
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Report: U.S., Germany Approve Ukraine’s Use of Weapons to Strike Inside Russia |
Washington’s approval covered limited strikes in the area of Kharkiv, unnamed U.S. officials and others familiar with the matter told Politico for a report published yesterday. The approval is for counterfire purposes and not long-range strikes, one U.S. official said. The National Security Council and Russian Embassy in Washington did not immediately comment. Germany announced it also will give Ukraine permission (Reuters) to use German-supplied weapons to strike military targets inside Russia near Kharkiv, a German government spokesperson said today.
This Expert Brief by CFR Senior Fellow Stephen Sestanovich discusses how the war could pivot in the coming months.
Brussels: European Union trade ministers asked (FT) the European Commission to prepare plans for tariffs on Russian imports that have not yet been sanctioned, including food, nuclear fuel, and medicines. The ministers also agreed to impose tariffs on cereals and oilseeds from Belarus and Russia that are due to take effect on July 1.
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| U.S., China Defense Chiefs Hold Rare Talks in Singapore |
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met for seventy-five minutes (Bloomberg) today with his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue. The two discussed security issues in Taiwan, Ukraine, and the Middle East. A spokesperson for the Chinese defense ministry called the talks “practical and constructive,” while a U.S. statement signaled continuing differences about Chinese military activity around Taiwan and China’s “role in supporting Russia’s defense industrial base.”
U.S./China/Iran/Israel/Russia: Artificial intelligence firm OpenAI said yesterday that it caught and removed (WaPo) accounts from China, Iran, Israel, and Russia that were using its technology in political influence campaigns. A company report showed the technology was being used by propagandists who had long been active on social media. OpenAI said the activity did not spread widely.
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Voting to Conclude in Indian Election |
Saturday is the last day (Hindustan Times) polls are open in the six-week general election. Turnout has been slightly lower (FT) this year compared to India’s previous two elections; votes are due to be counted on June 4.
Russia/Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka will require (Reuters) men traveling to Russia obtain a special document from Sri Lanka’s defense ministry as part of measures designed to stop people being tricked into fighting in the war in Ukraine, a Sri Lankan foreign affairs official told reporters yesterday. |
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CFR’s Robert McMahon and Carla Anne Robbins discuss U.S. policy toward the Israel-Hamas war, the eightieth anniversary of D-Day amid Russia’s war in Ukraine, Mexico’s massive general elections on Sunday, and more. |
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Middle East and North Africa |
Israeli Party in Netanyahu’s Coalition Presents Bill to Dissolve Parliament
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The National Unity party of war cabinet member Benny Gantz submitted a bill (Bloomberg) to dissolve the Knesset yesterday. Analysts said it was unlikely the bill would earn sufficient support to pass, but its submission reflects growing divisions in the Israeli government over the country’s war strategy in the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu’s Likud party dismissed the bill (Times of Israel) as divisive and damaging to the war effort.
This In Brief by CFR’s Ezra Hess explores what Israel’s political landscape says about the course of the war in Gaza.
Saudi Arabia: The government filed documents (Reuters) yesterday to sell shares equivalent to some 0.64 percent of state oil firm Saudi Aramco that could raise $12 billion. The sale is part of Riyadh’s efforts to diversify the economy.
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Preliminary Results in South Africa Suggest ANC Loses Majority |
The ruling African National Congress (ANC) party has received (Reuters) less than 42 percent of votes, with more than 60 percent counted in South Africa’s general election. The party is preparing (FT) for potential coalition talks as counting continues; the main opposition Democratic Alliance party has so far received some 23 percent of votes.
Central African Republic: The United States sanctioned (VOA) two firms yesterday that have supported Russia’s paramilitary Wagner Group, the Treasury Department announced. This Backgrounder by CFR’s Mariel Ferragamo discusses Russia’s growing footprint in Africa. |
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Mexico Holds Election Poised to Yield First Woman President |
Claudia Sheinbaum of the ruling Morena coalition and Xóchitl Gálvez of the main opposition alliance lead the polls (AP) for the presidency ahead of Sunday’s general election. A spate of violence against political candidates continued into the last days of campaigning, with two local candidates shot earlier in the week. This episode of The President’s Inbox podcast discusses Mexico’s upcoming vote.
U.S./Argentina: The two countries conducted (Reuters) joint naval drills yesterday off Argentina’s coast, the first such drills since 2010. Argentine President Javier Milei has sought to bring Argentina closer to the United States, buying U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets and making several visits to the country since taking office in December.
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