☕️ Could Trump go to jail?

Thank you to everyone who responded to Friday’s email about the ‘Scissors Paper Rock’ debate.

Based on your replies, I learnt that in New Zealand and in Western Australia the order is different yet again, with ‘Paper Scissors Rock’. Odd.

Have a good week!

“You know it’s been 20 years since I made that movie… and it’s still my favourite movie I ever did. I love that you guys are gonna rock it, I wish I could come see it, but unfortunately I’m going to be rocking.”
Actor Jack Black in a video responding to a group of students at a Melbourne High School who are performing his hit film ‘School of Rock’ as a musical.

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That’s how many fines Victoria Police issued for reckless e-scooter behaviour in one day during an e-scooter crackdown.

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The Australian High Court recognised Torres Strait Islanders as the owners of Mer (Murray Island), in a case led by Eddie Mabo. It became known as the “Mabo decision” and led to the Native Title Act being passed a year later.

Student debts have risen by 4.7% over the weekend due to indexation.

Indexation is an annual increase to reflect rising prices (inflation). It gets added to HECS debts on 1 June every year.

The Government announced it would overhaul indexation in May. However, its student debt plan is yet to pass Federal Parliament. Once passed, today’s increase will be reduced.

The government 'indexes' the value of study loans every year. This is done to preserve the 'real' value of your loan, since the movement of prices over time changes the 'real' value of a dollar.

Last month, the Australian Tax Office flagged HECS debts would increase by 4.7% on 1 June.

It calculated this rate based on recent inflation figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

If you owed $20,000 yesterday, you now owe an extra $940.

If you owed $50,000 yesterday, you now owe an extra $2350.

You can see exactly how much your HECS debt has grown using our indexation calculator.

Under the planned HECS overhaul, indexation will be based on the lower of either the consumer price index (the rate of inflation) or the wage price index (the figure measuring rising wages).

The Government’s bill would be backdated to 2023. It means today’s increase would be corrected to 4%. Last year’s historic 7.1% increase will also be replaced with a 3.2% increase based on the wage index instead.

The Government is yet to introduce its HECS reforms to Parliament, but legislation is expected to be tabled in the second half of this year.

The plan is expected to pass. Once it does, student debts will be automatically reduced.

Those who have paid their student debt off entirely since June 2023 could receive a cash refund for the extra indexation paid.

Donald Trump has become the first former U.S. President to have been convicted of a crime.

Trump was accused of covering up 'hush money' payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.

On Thursday (local time), a New York jury found him guilty on 34 charges of falsifying business records.

Trump, a Republican, is expected to run against Democrat President Joe Biden in the November election.

Now that he’s been found guilty of committing a crime, what’s in store for Trump’s future?

During his 2016 presidential campaign, Trump arranged for a $US130,000 ($AU200k) payment to be made to adult film star Stormy Daniels, who said she’d had sex with him a decade earlier.

Trump told his then-lawyer, Michael Cohen, to organise the payment to Daniels in exchange for her silence.

A jury has now found that Trump falsified multiple business records to hide the payment — a criminal offence in the U.S. state of New York.

Judge Juan Merchan will deliver his sentence on 11 July. This is where he will decide Trump’s punishment.

Trump is facing a maximum sentence of four years imprisonment.

However, it’s unlikely that he’ll go to jail. In New York, the type of crime that Trump has been found guilty of is a lower-level offence compared to more serious fraud charges.

Trump has no prior criminal record, which also reduces his chances of being sentenced to prison.

Some experts say Trump will most likely be penalised with a fine, or face court-ordered restrictions on his business activities.

As an alternative to jail time, the judge could sentence Trump to probation. Probation orders can include a range of restrictions and regular meetings with a probation officer. If Trump breaches the conditions of his probation, he could face jail time.

Yes.

Trump’s lawyers can file an appeal once the sentence is handed down on 11 July. This would delay sentencing and could lead to the guilty verdict being reversed.

Bruce Wolpe from the University of Sydney’s U.S. Studies Centre expects Trump to take advantage of all his legal options to avoid the charges.

Wolpe told TDA it’s unlikely an appeal process would be finalised before the election on 5 November.

Yes. Legally, there is nothing stopping Trump from running for President if he’s convicted of a crime.

The U.S. Constitution states there are three conditions for becoming President. The person must be:

Trump is facing three other separate criminal cases.

In the state of Georgia, Trump is accused of trying to overturn the result of the 2020 election.

He faces a federal lawsuit over his involvement in the U.S. Capitol riots on 6 January 2021, which attempted to stop Biden’s confirmation as the winner of the 2020 election.

The third trial is over secret documents allegedly taken from the White House found at his Florida property.

If he ends up behind bars and goes on to win the November election, there is no constitutional reason he couldn’t still be President.

Current Supreme Court deliberations could influence Trump’s chances of being convicted for the other charges he’s facing.

The court will decide if Trump should be immune from any criminal offences relating to his time in office.

How much do you know about pigmentation?

Considering up to 50% of people experience pigmentation*, we wanted to break down exactly what it is.

Everyone has pigmentation and the amount you have determines your natural skin, hair and eye colour.

Hyperpigmentation is when an area of skin on your body is darker than your normal skin tone.

Sun exposure, genetics, hormonal changes, skin injuries and medical conditions can all lead to hyperpigmentation.

Targeted solutions, like La Roche Posay’s Mela B3 Niacinamide Dark Spot Serum, are one way to help target and prevent further hyperpigmentation.

Find out more about the breakthrough Dark Spot Serum – Mela B3, from the No.1 Dermatologist Recommended Skincare Brand Worldwide, La Roche Posay**.

*According to a study conducted by La Roche Posay with 48,000 people worldwide (year). **Survey conducted among the skincare market carried out by APLUSA and other partners between January 2023 and May 2023, involving dermatologists in 34 countries, representing more than 80% of the worldwide GDP

It’s believed to have formed within 300 million years of the big bang, making it one of the earliest galaxies ever discovered.

NASA said it could be “hundreds of millions of times the mass of the Sun” based on how “luminous” the galaxy appears.

Imagine unknowingly bumping into Baz Luhrmann and talking to him about dating, monogamy, and foursomes.

Sydney TikToker Georgia Godworth (@god_worthy) pulled the famous Aussie director aside on the streets of Newtown for an interview, seemingly not knowing who he was.

Godworth and the ‘Romeo + Juliet’ director discussed marriage, threesomes, and foursomes, before Luhrmann eventually asked: “What is the point of the conversation we’re having?”

As Godworth wrapped up the interview, he said he doesn’t typically “do interviews”, but was “happy to be a part of yours!”

Australia is currently the only Western democracy without a national human rights act.

Last week, a parliamentary committee recommended to the Federal Government that this change. It could mark a significant turning point in how rights are recognised and enforced across the nation.

On today’s podcast, we sat down with Professor Justine Nolan, Director of the Australian Human Rights Institute and Professor at UNSW, about what this could mean for the country.