'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".
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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
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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."
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5 vengefully funny cartoons about punishing Trump's political enemies
Cartoons Artists take on vengeance in a shutdown, the hounds of Pam Bondi, and more
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Political cartoons for October 18
Cartoons Saturday's editorial cartoons include conversion therapy, Russ Vought, and more
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President Trump: ‘waging war’ on Chicago
Talking Point Federal agents are carrying out ‘increasingly aggressive’ immigration raids – but have sanctuary cities like Chicago brought it on themselves?
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Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime minister
In the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
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Can Gaza momentum help end the war in Ukraine?
Today's Big Question Zelenskyy’s request for long-range Tomahawk missiles hints at ‘warming relations’ between Ukraine and US
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Remaking the military: Pete Hegseth’s war on diversity and ‘fat generals’
Talking Point The US Secretary of War addressed military members on ‘warrior ethos’
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How does the Nobel Peace Prize work?
The Explainer Activist María Corina Machado wins prestigious prize, despite public campaign by Donald Trump
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Israel, Hamas agree to first step of Trump peace plan
Speed Read Israel’s military pulls back in Gaza amid prisoner exchange
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Israel and Hamas meet on hostages, Trump’s plan
Speed Read Hamas accepted the general terms of Trump’s 20-point plan, including the release of all remaining hostages
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US tipped to help Kyiv strike Russian energy sites
Speed Read Trump has approved providing Ukraine with intelligence for missile strikes on Russian energy infrastructure
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Netanyahu agrees to Trump’s new Gaza peace plan
Speed Read At President Trump's meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, they agreed upon a plan to end Israel’s war in Gaza