Wednesday, December 7 top stories
It is Wednesday, December 7. Here are today’s top stories.
Warnock wins in GA
In Georgia, Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock defeated his Republican challenger Herschel Walker in a runoff election. Warnock received about 100,000 more votes than Walker.
This means Democrats will have a clear majority in the Senate, which will be split 51-49.
ABC News explained that this means Democrats will not have to negotiate a power-sharing agreement with Republicans and will have majorities in committees.
Trump Org. guilty of tax fraud
A New York City jury found the Trump Organization guilty of 17 counts of criminal tax fraud. This is Donald Trump’s real estate company.
Prosecutors said the case was about “lying and cheating, false documents to the aid of evading taxes for the benefit of individuals and the corporation.”
A key witness who testified against the Trump Organization is former CFO Allen Weisselberg. He himself pleaded guilty to tax fraud. He will have to serve five months in jail in the future.
The Trump Organization may be fined about $1.7 million and there may be negative consequences for the company as banks or other business partners may cancel contracts because the company is a felon.
Donald Trump said he was disappointed with the verdict and that it was a continuation of a political witch hunt.
Germany arrests suspected anti-government extremists
In Germany, there was a massive police raid that arrested 25 suspected far-right extremists who are accused of plotting to overthrow the government in an armed coup.
About 3,000 police officers raided 130 sites in 11 states. The far-right group is called the Reich Citizens movement.
Authorities said some of the group’s members had preparations to storm Germany’s parliament. Some suspects may be charged with treason.
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Polygamous religious leader under investigation for sex trafficking
The FBI is investigating a polygamous religious leader named Samuel Bateman under suspicion of child sex trafficking. The FBI said he has at least 20 wives and most of them are minors.
Bateman was first arrested in August after someone spotted small fingers through a gap in a trailer that he was hauling in Arizona. The trailer had three children in it and there was a toilet, couch, and camping chairs in it.
The FBI said he had 20 wives and that many of them were underage, mostly under the age of 15. Bateman is accused of using religion as a pretext to encourage his followers and his “wives” to engage in sexual acts.
Bateman has yet not been charged with sex trafficking but the FBI is building a case. The FBI is also pursuing charges against adults who may have helped Bateman.
Fox 10 explained that Bateman was a follower of Warren Jeffs, a former leader of a Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS) that had about 70 wives. Jeffs is serving a life sentence in prison.
China relaxes its Covid-19 restrictions
AP News reported that China has relaxed its rules on isolating people with Covid-19 and dropped virus test requirements in some areas, which seems to be a response to widespread protests in recent days.
AP said China is the last major country that is still trying to stamp out the transmission of the coronavirus with its “zero COVID” strategy while many other countries have switched to trying to live with the virus.
One major change is that people who have mild cases of Covid-19 will be allowed to isolate at home instead of being required to go to quarantine centers.
Zelenskyy and “the spirit of Ukraine” is Time’s Person of the Year
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is Time magazine’s “Person of the Year” for 2022. The honor also includes “the spirit of Ukraine” to honor the Ukrainian people in their struggle to defend their country from Russian aggression.
Time said Zelenskyy has really galvanized the world in a way that we haven’t seen in decades. The magazine’s cover shows Ukrainian people carrying banners with the country’s blue and yellow colors.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/takeaways-after-georgias-senate-runoff-warnock-won/story?id=94647383
https://apnews.com/article/health-business-china-covid-economy-e5559f6062cf052a71ad6ba1ceece693
https://www.npr.org/2022/12/07/1141202568/time-person-year-zelenskyy