'Regardless of Trump's fraud trial verdict, he remains a threat to democracy'
Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
Trump Is About to Hear a Big Fraud Verdict
Timothy L. O'Brien on Bloomberg
As Donald Trump's civil fraud trial in New York concludes, the irony is that the state where he made his fortune "may send him into financial exile", writes Timothy L. O'Brien on Bloomberg. His various trials are happening while Trump is "well on his way to securing the Republican nomination for the presidency". But regardless of the outcomes, he is a "threat to the rule of law and a threat to democracy".
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.
Jimmy Lai trial must reflect Hong Kong's judicial independence not political pressure
South China Morning Post editorial board
"The level of international interest" in the trial of former media tycoon Jimmy Lai "is unparalleled", says the South China Morning Post editorial board. But this trial "is not just about him"; the "judicial independence" of Hong Kong "will also be under scrutiny". The case is important for the city's "international profile, image and reputation", so the court must "carry out its duty… without fear or favour".
Lack of transparency
The Telegraph editorial board
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Four Conservative MPs are being investigated by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, but for precisely what "we do not know", writes The Telegraph editorial board. The official charge is "significant damage to the reputation of the House as a whole, or of its members generally", which "on the face of it, sounds serious". But what is clear is that "constituents and the public" both "should be told" what is going on, for transparency's sake.
£600 for a Christmas day dinner? Rip off Britain at its worst
Yasmin Alibhai-Brown on the i news site
It is hard to feel "merry, or full of festive cheer" given the "world is in such a perilous state", says Yasmin Alibhai-Brown on the i news site. But to make matters worse, certain establishments "charging £600 per person for Christmas lunch are fully booked up". This is the fault of "millionaires and billionaires" who have "distorted the leisure and hospitality sectors" with their excess. "That maddens me. And should madden you too."
-
The week’s best photosIn Pictures A drive in the desert, prayers with pigeons, and more
-
The Week Unwrapped: Will drought fuel global violence?Podcast Plus why did Trump pardon a drug-trafficking president? And are romantic comedies in terminal decline?
-
Sudoku hard: December 5, 2025The daily hard sudoku puzzle from The Week
-
Is Europe finally taking the war to Russia?Today's Big Question As Moscow’s drone buzzes and cyberattacks increase, European leaders are taking a more openly aggressive stance
-
Pushing for peace: is Trump appeasing Moscow?In Depth European leaders succeeded in bringing themselves in from the cold and softening Moscow’s terms, but Kyiv still faces an unenviable choice
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
-
South Africa wraps up G20 summit boycotted by USSpeed Read Trump has been sparring with South Africa in recent months
-
Trump pushes new Ukraine peace planSpeed Read It involves a 28-point plan to end the war
-
Americans traveling abroad face renewed criticism in the Trump eraThe Explainer Some of Trump’s behavior has Americans being questioned
-
Rob Jetten: the centrist millennial set to be the Netherlands’ next prime ministerIn the Spotlight Jetten will also be the country’s first gay leader