Double Whammy! Trump guilty, Santos indicted

Two blockbuster headlines for Tuesday. First, just before 4pmEDT, a jury found Donald Trump guilty of sexual assault and defamation in the lawsuit brought by author E. Jean Carroll.

The jury of six men and three women also ordered Trump to pay Carroll a total of $5 million in compensatory and punitive damages after deliberating less than three hours in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.
Jurors notably did not find Trump liable for rape, as the 79-year-old Carroll had alleged in a lawsuit filed last year.
But their verdict that he sexually abused and forcibly touched her without her consent substantiated her civil claim of battery. Trial in the case had begun on April 25.
“I filed this lawsuit against Donald Trump to clear my name and to get my life back,” Carroll said in a statement Tuesday.
“Today, the world finally knows the truth,” said Carroll, a former “Elle” magazine advice columnist and biographer of gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson.

Meanwhile, in Islip, New York:

Federal prosecutors have filed criminal charges against George Santos, the Republican congressman whose campaign was littered with falsehoods about his past, CNN reported.

Mr Santos is expected to appear on Wednesday at a federal court in New York’s Eastern District, where the charges have been filed, the network reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. CBS also reported that charges had been filed.

The exact charges have not yet been revealed, but Mr Santos was reportedly under investigation by the Justice Department for his campaign finances.

Sometimes we love not-so-slow news days!