Friday morning news: May 31, 2024

KENT COVINGTON, NEWS ANCHOR: Trump trial nuts-and-bolts » Former President Trump’s legal team is appealing his Thursday conviction on business fraud charges in New York.

TRUMP:  This was a rigged decision right from day one with a conflicted judge who should have never been allowed to try this case, never. And we will fight for our constitution. This is long from over.

After two days of deliberations, the jury found Trump guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records, a class-E felony in New York. Prosecutors alleged that he did so to silence information about an alleged extramarital affair ahead of the 2016 election.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg pushed back on Trump’s characterization of the trial.

BRAGG: We arrived at this trial, and ultimately today at this verdict, in the same manner as every other case that comes through the courtroom doors, by following the facts and the law.

Sentencing is scheduled for July 11.Bragg did not say whether he would seek prison time.

 Trump's team has 30 days to file a notice of appeal. His lawyers can then request any sentencing penalties to be put on hold as the appeal plays out.

Many legal experts say there are several grounds Trump’s team could pursue in an effort to get the conviction overturned.

Trump verdict reaction » The verdict has, of course, drawn strong reactions in Washington and beyond.

House Speaker Mike Johnson in a statement called it a “shameful day in American history.” He called the charges, “ridiculous” and “a purely political exercise”

And Florida Sen. Marco Rubio remarked …

RUBIO:  I think it's terrible. I think what this showed today is that if they can go after a former president with a ridiculous charge like this and gain a conviction, uh, they can go after anybody and most people can't afford to fight this stuff off.

But the Biden-Harris campaign had a different take. In a statement, the campaign said, “Donald Trump has always mistakenly believed he would never face consequences for breaking the law for his own personal gain.” But it added, “in New York today, we saw that no one is above the law.”

What’s next for Trump campaign, election » So, how will Thursday’s unprecedented conviction impact the presidential race?

Cedarville University Professor Mark Caleb Smith said many Americans had already made up their minds, one way or the other about Donald Trump and the legitimacy of the trial.

SMITH: There's a very real possibility that this, this does not dramatically affect the campaign — the attitudes are so baked in that this is just another data point for most people.

But then again, even if it affects public opinion at the margins in a close race, that could make all the difference.

Republican National Committee Co-chair Lara Trump said in the event that the former president were to find himself confined to his home …

LARA: We will have him doing virtual rallies and campaign events if that is the case, and we’ll have to play the hand that we’re dealt.

The Trump campaign has launched a major fundraising blitz in the wake of the verdict.

Biden okays U.S. weapons to strike within Russia » President Biden has given Ukraine the go-ahead to launch limited strikes inside Russia using U.S.-provided weapons.

His Administration says the green light is solely for the purpose of defending the Kharkiv region which Moscow's forces are currently pounding near the Russian border.

The White House announced the policy shift hours after NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg called on Ukraine’s allies to boost support.

STOLTENBERG: I believe that the time has come to consider some of these restrictions to enable the Ukrainians to really defend themselves.

Some NATO allies said those restraints have effectively forced Ukraine to fight with one hand tied behind its back.

The White House still doesn’t want Ukraine firing long-range missiles across the border or using any U.S.-supplied weapons for offensive strikes on Russian soil.

Vladimir Putin has warned such moves could escalate the war.

Iran letter » Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei says college students protesting in America is a new front for the so-called Palestinian resistance. WORLD’s Christina Grube reports.

CHRISTINA GRUBE: Khamenei has penned an open letter praising American students for launching pro-Palestinan and anti-Israel protests on campus saying history is turning a new page.

He also made several somewhat cryptic comments about Israel, adding that a new fate awaits the region and that readers should become familiar with the Quran.

House speaker Mike Johnson reacted on the social media platform X … saying “When you’ve won the Ayatollah, you’ve lost America.”

The U.S. considers Iran the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism.

For WORLD, I’m Christina Grube.

AUDIO: [Slovenian Prime Minister]

Slovenia recognizes Palestinian state » Slovenia’s prime minister announcing his country’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state.

It’s the fourth European country to do so this week, along with Ireland, Norway, and Spain.

Slovenia’s National Assembly is expected to officially approve the motion soon.

Israel says these moves reward the terrorism of Hamas.

I’m Kent Covington.

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