The daily business briefing: December 7, 2022
The Trump Organization is convicted of tax fraud, China lifts 'zero-COVID' testing and isolation restrictions, and more
1. Trump Organization found guilty of tax fraud
A Manhattan jury on Tuesday found former President Donald Trump's family real estate business guilty of criminal tax fraud and other financial crimes in a 15-year scheme to dodge taxes by compensating top executives with luxury apartments and automobiles, private school tuition for their relatives, and other fancy perks. Prosecutors said the case demonstrated a "culture of fraud and deception" at two Trump Organization entities — Trump Corp. and Trump Payroll Corp. The Manhattan district attorney's office got the Trumps' long-serving chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, to plead guilty and testify about the scheme, which he orchestrated. Trump and his eldest sons, who run the company, were not directly implicated. Trump said he was "disappointed with the verdict" and would appeal.
2. China eases toughest 'zero-COVID' restrictions
China announced Wednesday that it was lifting some of the most severe restrictions under its "zero-COVID" policy. The policies had ignited a rare outburst of anti-government protests, with some demonstrators calling for President Xi Jinping to step down. Beijing said people who get infected now can quarantine at home instead of isolating in government facilities if they are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms. Citizens also no longer have to show negative coronavirus tests for most public venues, and can travel more freely within China. Lockdowns that have damaged the country's economy now will be more narrowly targeted, focusing on buildings or floors instead of entire neighborhoods and towns, and will be lifted after five days with no new infections.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
3. 2 women sue Apple, saying stalkers used AirTags to track them
Two women, one from Texas and one from New York, filed a class-action lawsuit against Apple this week saying their ex-romantic partners had used the company's AirTag devices to stalk them. The lawsuit accused Apple of insufficient privacy protections, resulting in an "unreasonably dangerous product" that lets stalkers use the devices, barely larger than a quarter, to track their locations, potentially putting them at risk. One of the plaintiffs said her ex-boyfriend hid an AirTag in a wheel well in her car and followed her. The other said her estranged husband harassed her after hiding one in her child's backpack. Apple said earlier this year it was working with safety and law-enforcement groups to find ways to discourage unwanted tracking with AirTags.
4. Stock futures slip further as recession fears rise
U.S. stock futures fell slightly early Wednesday after a two-day selloff. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 were down 0.1 percent and 0.3 percent, respectively, at 6:45 a.m. ET. Nasdaq futures were down 0.4 percent. The Dow and the S&P 500 fell 1.0 percent and 1.4 percent, respectively, on Tuesday. The tech-heavy Nasdaq dropped 2.0 percent as investors grew increasingly concerned that the Federal Reserve's aggressive interest rate hikes to tame high inflation would tip the economy into a recession. "Fears are growing that economies are in for a rough time ahead as feverish inflation and the bitter interest rate medicine being used to bring it down take effect," Susannah Streeter, an analyst at broker Hargreaves Lansdown, told Barron's.
5. Musk fires a top Twitter lawyer over 'Twitter Files'
Elon Musk tweeted Tuesday that Twitter Deputy General Counsel Jim Baker, one of the social media platform's top lawyers, "was exited" from the company. Musk indicated that Baker's departure was linked to his release of internal communications he says showed biased policy decisions at the company before his recent takeover, including the suppression of a story about Hunter Biden's laptop. Musk, who has fired several top Twitter executives since completing his $44 billion acquisition of the company, has said the "Twitter Files" show previous management sought to benefit Democrats. Baker did not respond to The Wall Street Journal's request for comment on Tuesday.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.
-
Hugh Corcoran and The Yellow Bittern: is the customer really always right?
Talking Point A new London restaurant has caused controversy by complaining about customer eating habits
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
When is an offensive social media post a crime?
The Explainer UK legal system walks a 'difficult tightrope' between defending free speech and prosecuting hate speech
By The Week UK Published
-
When will mortgage rates finally start coming down?
The Explainer Much to potential homebuyers' chagrin, mortgage rates are still elevated
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
The daily business briefing: January 24, 2024
Business Briefing The S&P 500 sets a third straight record, Netflix adds more subscribers than expected, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
The daily business briefing: January 23, 2024
Business Briefing The Dow and S&P 500 set fresh records, Bitcoin falls as ETF enthusiasm fades, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
The daily business briefing: January 22, 2024
Business Briefing FAA recommends inspections of a second Boeing 737 model, Macy's rejects Arkhouse bid, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
The daily business briefing: January 19, 2024
Business Briefing Macy's to cut 2,350 jobs, Congress averts a government shutdown, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
The daily business briefing: January 18, 2024
Business Briefing Shell suspends shipments in the Red Sea, December retail sales beat expectations, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
The daily business briefing: January 17, 2024
Business Briefing Judge blocks JetBlue-Spirit merger plan, Goldman Sachs beats expectations with wealth-management boost, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
The daily business briefing: January 16, 2024
Business Briefing Boeing steps up inspections on 737 Max 9 jets, Zelenskyy fights for world leaders' attention at Davos, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
The daily business briefing: January 12, 2024
Business Briefing Inflation was slightly hotter than expected in December, Hertz is selling a third of its EVs to buy more gas cars, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published