Hunter Biden with Jill Biden, the first lady, and his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden.Credit…Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times
Hunter Biden guilty on gun charges
Hunter Biden, son of the president, was found guilty on three felony counts related to his lying about his illegal drug use when he bought a gun in 2018. The verdict is a shattering blow to the Biden family in the middle of an unforgiving presidential campaign.
The maximum sentence is up to 25 years in prison, but federal sentencing guidelines call for a fraction of that penalty. No sentencing date was set.
Here’s some background on the charges, and five takeaways from the conviction.
Biden’s gun case is widely regarded as the least serious of the two federal indictments brought against him last year. He still faces tax charges stemming from his yearslong crack cocaine, alcohol and spending binge.
Context: The trial made public Biden’s addiction, reckless behavior and ruinous spending — narrated by three former romantic partners, including the widow of his brother, Beau Biden. Politically, Biden’s conviction undercuts an argument made by Donald Trump’s campaign and his allies that the justice system is rigged against him.
Israel and Hamas are pressed on U.N. cease-fire plan
Hamas and Israel both made positive but vague statements about the cease-fire plan endorsed by the U.N. Security Council. Even with global pressure mounting to end the war, neither side said it would formally embrace the proposal, which was outlined last month in a speech by President Biden and was passed by the Security Council in a 14-0 vote on Monday. Here’s how the cease-fire would work.
An Israeli government official said in a statement that the proposed deal “enables Israel to achieve” its war goals, but stopped short of saying whether Israel would accept it.
The U.S. secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said yesterday that the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had privately assured him that he supported the resolution, and that the onus was on Yahya Sinwar, a Hamas leader, to accept the proposal.
Lebanon: Hezbollah said that Israeli forces killed one of its commanders in a strike yesterday, stoking concerns about another conflict escalating in the region.
Nigeria’s spiraling economic crisis
Millions in Nigeria are struggling to buy food, fuel and medicine as the country faces its worst economic crisis in a generation. The country’s decline has been sharp: Two years ago, Nigeria was Africa’s biggest economy; this year, it is set to fall to fourth.
The crisis is believed to be rooted in the removal of some fuel subsidies and the devaluation of the currency — two changes set down by a president elected 15 months ago. Punishing inflation means poverty rates are expected to rise even higher.
