Today’s Big Story

America’s First Felon President

A historic verdict on 34 felony counts, but what will this mean for Trump and his campaign?

Donald Trump was found guilty by a jury of his peers on all 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal a hush money payment to cover up a sex scandal that threatened to derail his 2016 presidential campaign. Thursday’s historic verdict makes Trump the first former U.S. president convicted of a crime. He’s a felon, which raises all sorts of questions.

Trump now faces the possibility of a prison sentence or probation for his crimes. Judge Juan Merchan has set Trump’s sentencing for 10 a.m. ET on July 11. For now, the former president will remain out of prison as he awaits his sentencing. Prosecutors did not ask for Trump to post any bond. Trump is known for mounting lengthy appeals of court rulings against him, and he will certainly appeal this conviction—that could significantly delay his sentencing.

But could Trump really go to jail? CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig said most Class E felony convictions, the least serious type of felony in New York, result in non-prison sentences—often a combination of probation, fines and community service. And as long as he’s not in prison on election day, Trump will be able to vote for himself in the November election, despite being a convicted felon.

Trump is a Florida resident and Florida’s felon voting prohibitions apply to people with out-of-state convictions. However, if your conviction is out of state, Florida defers to that state’s laws and New York only prohibits felons from voting when they’re currently serving time in prison. Even if he were ordered to serve time, the inevitable appeals process would most likely delay a sentence well past the election, allowing Trump to cast a ballot for himself in his third presidential bid.

Less complicated is the question of his eligibility as a candidate. The Constitution sets very few eligibility requirements for presidents and there are no limitations based on character or criminal record. While some states prohibit felons from running for state and local office, these laws do not apply to federal offices. And, you might recall, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in March that states could not keep Trump off their ballots under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which disqualifies people who “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” after taking an oath to support the Constitution. But Trump’s not done yet—this hush money case is only one of four criminal cases he is juggling while running again for president.

About That “All Eyes on Rafah” Image

The likely AI-generated image has been shared more than 47 million times on Instagram

If you’ve spent any time on Instagram this week, you’ve no doubt seen the image: “All Eyes on Rafah,” … the words are spelled out in rows of white tents, a backdrop of mountains in the distance. The image is credited to a relatively unknown Instagram account and the user did not respond to several media outlets’ request for comment.

But the image bears some hallmarks of AI generation, including being unnaturally symmetrical and having unusual shadows, reports NBC News. Of course, the image was intended to bring attention to the plight of Palestinians, some have criticized it for containing no actionable information and have compared it to the “slacktivism” of the viral black square posts during the 2020 racial justice protests. “Gaza is not a sanitized AI-generated landscape with snow-capped mountains ... it's collapsed buildings, burnt tents, trash and human remains," said Daniel Etter, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer.

Then again, one social media consultant told the Washington Post that the image’s uncontroversial nature may be what is driving its massive reach. As for where the phrase came from, Richard Peeperkorn, the World Health Organization’s representative in the West Bank and Gaza, said in February that “all eyes are on Rafah,” referring to the Israeli plan to launch a military incursion into the city. It’s since become a rallying cry for many organizations trying to amplify awareness of the living conditions in southern Gaza: Save the Children and Oxfam have both used the slogan.

The NSA Wants You to Turn Off Your Phone

Really, when was the last time you did that?

I really can’t remember the last time I turned off, like shut down, my phone and restarted it. And that might not be a good thing, according to tech experts and the National Security Agency. They advise turning off your phone weekly as part of an “electric hygiene” routine.

As tech writer Davey Winder says in Forbes, “although some people might worry about the NSA itself spying on their phones, they have some sage advice for iPhone and Android users concerned about zero-click exploits and the like: turn it off and on again once per week.”

This was detailed in a document outlining several mobile device best practices shared by the NSA. Users can mitigate the threat of spear-phishing, which can lead to the installation of yet more malware and spyware, by the same simple action. PC World agrees, and says in the best case scenario, you should remember to reset your phone even more often. This is because, “in addition to eliminating the security risk, it also allows the smartphone’s operating system to run all functions smoothly.”

Jeep Reveals Its First Ever EV

The Jeep Wagoneer S boasts 600 horsepower and 300 miles of range

Jeep revealed new details for its first-ever electric vehicle, the upcoming Wagoneer S SUV, on Thursday night. The debut certainly made a splash, but comes as Jeep parent Stellantis and Big Three rivals GM and Ford reevaluate their EV game plans (even as regulatory requirements for them become more stringent).

The near-production version of the Wagoneer S mimics the popular Jeep Grand Cherokee's clean body lines and front fascia of Jeep’s trademark waterfall grill, but features a lower roofline and sleeker overall shape, which Jeep says is needed for overall aerodynamic efficiency. Car and Driver says it arrives first as a Launch Edition model starting at $71,995 with a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive powertrain.

It has a sleeker, more aerodynamic shape than the Jeep Wagoneer models sold today. The SUV will produce up to 600 horsepower from two electric motors and will be able to accelerate to 60 miles an hour in just 3.4 seconds, Stellantis announced. It will also be able to drive more than 300 miles on a fully charged battery pack before needing to recharge. In part due to environmental concerns, the Wagoneer S will not have wood or leather inside and no chrome on the exterior. It will be the first model in Stellantis’s move away from using chrome on its vehicles, Gilles said, because of concerns over the chemicals used in its production.

A Weekend Pairing

‘The Outlaws’ + a Black Currant Crush Cocktail

If you’re not familiar with The Outlaws, the BBC show is a comedic thriller that follows a group of strangers from different walks of life forced together to complete a community payback sentence in Bristol, England. The stellar cast includes everyone from legends like Christopher Walken to new audience favorites, like Baby Reindeer’s Jessica Gunning. And now, the show returns to Prime Video for its highly-anticipated third season.

The first two series were filmed back-to-back and came to what could have been a satisfactory conclusion. This is then something of a back-by-popular-demand sequel, requiring some expository dialogue and a couple of flashbacks. Walken is noticeably absent, but the hijinks remain the same. It all picks up with crime boss The Dean (played by the sinister Claes Bang) behind bars awaiting trial, leaving the crew of outlaws to move on with their lives—until one of their own returns with a deadly secret that threatens their lives as they know it. As a murderous manhunt closes in on the gang, the group attempts to prove their innocence before The Dean’s case falls apart and he hunts them down for revenge. Reviewers are excited the show is back, saying this season “serves up more delicious thrills and titters.”

Reframe your thinking.