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Keeping up with the latest news is tough. So, we've decided to make it easier by compiling the most impactful, unexpected, or simply mind-boggling stories every week.
For all you political enthusiasts (we're happy to have you!), Tuesday, August 21, 2018, was like a Christmas gift overload. Not one, not two, but three major political events erupted within moments of each other... and that was just in the U.S.!
But don't worry, for those of you who prefer stories without politics. There's still a lot more going on. But first, let's dive into the captivating and chaotic news from Capitol Hill.
10. Paul Manafort Was Found Guilty of Fraud
This marked Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s first victory. On Tuesday, former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort was convicted on eight counts of fraud, including tax fraud, bank fraud, and the concealment of foreign bank accounts. Despite 10 charges being dropped, Manafort could face decades behind bars.
As we've previously clarified, Manafort's conviction has no connection to the Russia investigation or allegations of collusion in the 2016 US presidential election. It is instead related to illegal activities in Ukraine that occurred long before Manafort joined forces with President Trump.
Mueller discovered Manafort's offenses during his investigation and was authorized to press charges. Manafort also faces a separate trial in Washington, DC, next month for even more serious charges, including conspiracy, money laundering, and obstruction of justice. (Typically, these cases would be handled together, but Manafort requested separate trials.)
This is devastating news for Manafort. While it's been speculated that he may be hoping for a presidential pardon, his conviction on tax fraud charges opens the door for state-level charges that the president cannot pardon.
9. Congressman Duncan Hunter Was Charged With Misuse of Campaign Funds
On the same day that Manafort faced the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence, Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter from California was also caught in a political storm. Along with his wife, Margaret E. Hunter, he was indicted for misappropriating campaign funds and submitting false campaign finance reports.
In an ordinary week, this would have been the top political story. The Hunters are accused of spending over $250,000 in campaign funds on everything from vacations in Italy to fast food, video games, movie tickets, and even dental treatments. Most shockingly, they allegedly claimed some of their personal purchases as gifts for wounded veterans.
If this sounds familiar, it's likely reminding you of the recent indictment of Republican Congressman Chris Collins from New York for insider trading, just two weeks ago. Collins and Hunter were the first two members of Congress to endorse Trump for president, leading some to suggest that the Department of Justice might be conducting a politically motivated witch hunt.
The Hunters have denied all charges. We’ll have to wait for the court's verdict.
8. Water Ice Was Found On The Moon’s Surface
Taking a brief break from politics, science delivered some exciting news this week. For the first time, we’ve confirmed the presence of water ice on the surface of the Moon. This discovery raises hopes that it could play a key role in establishing a sustainable human colony on the Moon.
This discovery wasn’t entirely unexpected. For several years, scientists have known about the existence of water ice beneath the Moon's surface, and there had long been speculation that some ice might be found on the surface as well.
This is the first time we can say with complete certainty that it exists. The ice is scattered around the poles of the Moon, lying at the bottoms of craters that are eternally in shadow. While it’s somewhat abundant at the south pole, the north pole contains only a few scattered fragments.
The Moon isn’t the only celestial body with surface water ice. Mars, Mercury, and the dwarf planet Ceres all have more ice than the Moon. Nevertheless, this marks a significant step toward potentially establishing a lunar base in the future.
7. The Eagles Surpassed Michael Jackson for the Best-Selling Album of All Time
Bad news for Michael Jackson fans. The King of Pop’s Thriller is no longer the best-selling album of all time. Until this week, the 33x platinum Thriller was far ahead of every other album in US sales history. However, on Monday, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) updated sales figures for the Eagles’ Their Greatest Hits 1971–75 for the first time since 2006. At that time, it was certified 29x platinum. Now, it holds the record at 38x platinum.
Just like that, MJ was dethroned from the top spot.
Recertification is a periodic process that the RIAA carries out to keep up with shifting trends. For instance, Thriller's sales were recalculated just last year.
The 12-year gap between updates for Their Greatest Hits is likely what contributed to the album’s sudden rise. It probably surpassed Thriller a few years ago. Incredibly, the Eagles also hold the new No. 3 spot, with Hotel California being recertified as 26x platinum.
The recalculation wasn’t without its controversy. Under the RIAA's new rules, 10 downloads or streams of an album now count as one sale—meaning that those who stream Hotel California 10 times a day are contributing hundreds of artificial “sales” to the tally.
6. The US Deported America’s Last-Known Nazi Collaborator
During the dark days of World War II, Jakiw Palij served as a guard at the Trawniki death camp, where it’s believed that around 12,000 Jews perished. After the fall of the Nazi regime, he fled to the United States. Like many collaborators, Palij fabricated his past, securing entry to the US as a refugee and eventually becoming a citizen.
In 2003, Palij's active involvement at Trawniki was uncovered, and two years later, a federal judge revoked his citizenship. The problem, however, was that Palij had no place to return to.
Although Palij was ethnically Ukrainian, he was born in an area that had been part of Poland between the World Wars. Consequently, both Ukraine and Poland rejected him. Germany also refused, stating that he had never been a German citizen.
This week, Angela Merkel’s newly-formed SPD-led coalition government finally reversed course. Palij was flown to Dusseldorf to await his trial. He is now 95.
Palij’s removal marks the final expulsion of the last known Nazi collaborator residing in the United States. President Trump had made it a priority to have him deported, and he finally got his way.
5. Venezuela’s Currency Change Sparked Chaos
In recent years, Venezuela’s story has been one of mismanagement, turning a situation into a full-blown disaster. Since 2014, around 2.3 million people have fled the country, hyperinflation peaked at 83,000 percent, and even the most basic necessities like toilet paper have become scarce.
As chaos spreads through Caracas, President Nicolas Maduro’s government hasn’t just watched idly—it has made things worse. They’ve defaulted on national debt, suspended civil rights, and placed the blame squarely on the US and Colombia for their troubles.
This week, the government unveiled what they called the 'magic bullet' that would solve all of Venezuela’s problems. The 'strong bolivar' currency was retired and replaced with the 'sovereign bolivar.' In reality, this meant the old currency was devalued, new bills were issued, and its value was pegged to the nation’s cryptocurrency, the petro. Unsurprisingly, this did not bring any relief.
The sovereign bolivar does nothing to tackle the deep-rooted issues Venezuela is facing. When it was introduced, it only caused confusion—employees refused to accept the new currency and supply chains were thrown into disarray. It feels like Venezuela is on the brink of something major, but what will that be?
4. Measles Cases Soar Across Europe
Andrew Wakefield's fraudulent research is so notorious that you could use the blood on his hands to repaint the entire Sistine Chapel. In the 1990s, this now discredited researcher published a paper falsely linking the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine to autism. It was utter nonsense, but tragically, people believed it. And now, Europe is paying the price.
This week, it was revealed that measles cases in Europe surpassed 41,000 in just the first half of 2018. For comparison, in 2017, the total number of cases was less than half that, and in 2016, there were only 5,273 reported cases.
Measles is considered one of the most contagious diseases on Earth. While the majority of people recover, it can be fatal. The World Health Organization estimates that the global vaccination effort prevents 1.3 million deaths every year.
So, what is behind this massive surge in cases?
The outbreak can be traced back to a combination of insufficient vaccination rates and increased international travel. In Ukraine, Romania, and Italy, vaccination coverage is far from ideal. Italy’s new government has even fueled vaccine-related conspiracy theories, which has led to a lower immunity rate. Travelers returning from Italy now face the risk of bringing the disease back with them.
3. Trump’s Former Lawyer Allegedly Involved the President in a Federal Crime... Or Did He?
Let's circle back to the political chaos that unfolded on Tuesday. Amid all the noise, one story rose above the rest. Michael Cohen, who once served as President Trump’s lawyer, was hit with multiple fraud charges. In a courtroom revelation, he also accused Trump of violating federal campaign finance laws.
The campaign finance allegations stem from hush money Cohen paid to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal, both of whom reportedly had affairs with Trump while he was married to Melania. Cohen has already admitted to giving Daniels $130,000 in the final days of the 2016 election to keep her quiet about the affair.
At first, Cohen claimed he paid her personally and voluntarily. However, during court proceedings on Tuesday, he revealed that Trump had actually directed him to make the payment.
There’s a lot to unpack here. US campaign finance laws are notoriously unclear, even to lawyers and judges. Plus, this wasn’t a trial verdict—it was a plea agreement. Cohen’s accusations against Trump don’t automatically imply guilt. But things take a more bizarre turn.
Some argue that the law dictates any expenditure that could be linked to a candidate’s public image must be reported, even if it doesn’t come from campaign funds. In their interpretation, if Cohen was instructed by Trump to pay off Daniels discreetly to prevent her story from harming his campaign, both would have committed a federal offense.
However, there is no law prohibiting a private citizen from paying hush money. If Trump could demonstrate that the payment was made to shield his family from the affair, and not solely for campaign reasons, then no crime would have been committed. Considering the timing (Daniels was paid right before the election), proving this could be challenging.
Other legal experts, such as Alan Dershowitz, argue that campaign finance laws would permit Trump to contribute an unlimited amount of money to his own campaign, even if the ‘hush money’ is viewed as a campaign-related expense. Typically, the campaign is penalized for failing to report such a contribution, a mistake many campaigns have made before.
Dershowitz seems to believe that Cohen pleaded guilty to a crime that doesn't really exist. Why? Allegedly, to secure a lighter sentence for unrelated fraud charges, while also appeasing overzealous prosecutors eager to find something—anything—to pin on Trump.
The president has since maintained that he paid the hush money himself, insisting that no crime occurred, and claiming Cohen is lying to save himself.
2. South Africa Launched a Corruption Investigation into Its Former President
Just six months ago, Jacob Zuma was still the president of South Africa. After being implicated in a vast corruption scandal with 783 charges, he eventually resigned. On Monday, South Africa initiated an official inquiry into the disgraced former president. The investigation may reveal more about Zuma's long history of criminal activities and misdemeanors.
Zuma is under investigation alongside the wealthy Gupta family, who were last mentioned in this column for attempting to incite racial violence in South Africa to divert attention from their own wrongdoings.
The Guptas and Zuma are accused of engaging in 'state capture,' where Zuma allegedly manipulated the state's entire machinery to benefit the Gupta family. Government contracts were awarded based on how much profit the family could make, and ministers were hired or fired depending on their loyalty to the Guptas.
Despite facing these accusations, Zuma still enjoys strong backing. A former anti-apartheid activist turned influential ANC figure, Zuma has a loyal following that regards him as a hero. Reports suggest that law enforcement is struggling to find eyewitnesses, as many in the public continue to revere this controversial figure.
1. Australia’s Government Faces a Political Crisis
By the time you read this, Australia might have a new prime minister. While political drama was unfolding in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, Canberra was experiencing its own turmoil. PM Malcolm Turnbull narrowly defeated Peter Dutton in a leadership challenge within his own party, winning 48 votes to 35. However, rather than solidifying his position, this victory severely weakened it.
By Wednesday, most of Turnbull’s cabinet had attempted to resign. By Thursday, he lost the support of much of his party. As this article was being written (late evening, Canberra time), a new leadership contest was in progress, with Turnbull desperately hanging on while Julie Bishop and Peter Dutton (once again) sought to replace him.
For Australians, this scenario is all too familiar. The last prime minister to hold office for more than three years was John Howard, who served from 1996 to 2007. Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, and Tony Abbott all saw their reigns cut short by their own parties. Now, it seems likely that Turnbull will soon join their ranks.
