Jury to begin second day of deliberations in Trump hush money trial
Jurors are expected to re-examine testimony from two witnesses and rehear judge’s instructions on how to interpret law. Jurors in New York are set to begin a second day of deliberations in Donald Trump’s hush money trial as the United States awaits a verdict against the former president and presumptive Republican 2024 nominee that could shake November’s election. The 12-person jury is in the spotlight after nearly two dozen witnesses testified in a New York City courtroom over the course of a more than six-week trial. The jurors – whose identities are being kept secret for their own protection amid nationwide political tensions – are working behind closed doors. The only clues to the direction they are taking come through requests for clarifications. They were due to start off on Thursday by re-examining testimony from two witnesses and also hear again the judge’s instructions on how to interpret the law. Trump is accused of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election, which Trump won. Daniels has alleged she had a sexual encounter with Trump, which he denies. Prosecutors have said the payment was unlawful and aimed to shield the ex-president from negative media coverage that could have derailed his bid for the White House. Trump has pleaded not guilty and said he is the victim of a politically motivated “witch-hunt”. On Thursday, jurors appeared to be taking a close look at the testimony of Trump’s former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, the prosecution’s star witness. Cohen paid the $130,000 in hush money that ensured Daniels would not tell voters about her alleged 2006 sexual encounter with Trump. Cohen testified that he and Trump discussed a plan to reimburse him through monthly payments disguised as legal fees – the alleged conduct that spurred the criminal charges. Jurors have asked Judge Juan Merchan for a transcript of portions of Cohen’s testimony. They also asked Merchan for testimony from David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer tabloid, who had told jurors he worked with Trump to suppress stories that might have hurt the businessman-turned-politician’s campaign. Trump’s defence team has argued that the former president did nothing illegal, and his lawyers sought to paint the prosecution’s witnesses – particularly Cohen – as liars whose testimony cannot be trusted. All 12 jurors must agree on a verdict for the judge to accept it. If they are unable to do so, the trial will be a deadlock, and Merchan will declare a mistrial. Once jurors inform the court they have reached a verdict, Merchan will summon the parties to the courtroom. He must still affirm the verdict and enter a final judgement. Either side may also ask him to effectively overrule the jury. If Trump is found guilty, it will likely be weeks or months until he is eventually sentenced. While the charges carry a maximum of four years in prison, experts generally agree he is more likely to face a fine, probation or community service. Adblock test (Why?)
Trump’s New York hush-money trial: 12 legal terms explained
The trial of former President Donald Trump in New York, which has dominated headlines in the United States and across the world, is entering its final stage after more than six weeks of proceedings. On Wednesday, jurors began the process of making a decision about whether to find Trump guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. The outcome of the trial could have major implications for the US presidential election in November and affect the future of the country for years to come. Never before has a US president, past or present, faced criminal charges. Prosecutors have argued that Trump fudged the business records to conceal a hush-money payment that could have hurt his chances in the 2016 elections. But Trump and his defence team have denied any wrongdoing, instead framing the charges as politically motivated. Media coverage of the hush-money case has described the process largely by using legal terms. But it is not always easy to understand judicial jargon like “indictment” and “arraignment”. Below, Al Jazeera explains 12 basic legal terms that readers may frequently come across in the news and how they apply to the Trump trial. Prosecutor: A government lawyer who presents a criminal case on behalf of the state In most jurisdictions in the US, the lead prosecutor — also known as the district attorney (DA) — is directly elected. A state’s top prosecutor is known as the attorney general. Part of a prosecutor’s job is to decide whether to file charges against a suspected criminal. If the case proceeds to court, the prosecutor must then argue in favour of the charges, by presenting evidence that a crime has been committed. In the Trump trial, for instance, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg assembled a team of prosecutors to argue Trump’s guilt. They include Joshua Steinglass, a veteran assistant DA who delivered a five-plus-hour closing argument on Tuesday. Criminal charges: Accusations of a crime levelled by a prosecutor Trump is facing 34 criminal charges in New York, each one representing a business record he is accused of falsifying. At the heart of the case are payments totalling $130,000 made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels that prosecutors allege were concealed through the business records, which include cheques, invoices and accounting entries. Prosecutors say Trump directed his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, to pay Daniels for her silence during the 2016 election season. Daniels claimed to have had an affair with Trump in 2006, something he denies. After Cohen paid Daniels the hush money, prosecutors say Trump reimbursed the ex-lawyer and hid the charges by filing them under “legal expenses”, in order to cover his tracks. Trump ultimately won the 2016 presidential race. Indictment: An official set of charges approved by a grand jury Generally, to launch a criminal trial, there must be a formal written complaint outlining the charges: an indictment. In cases like Trump’s, a randomly selected group of citizens come together to determine whether there is sufficient evidence — or probable cause — to bring a suspect to trial. This is called a “grand jury”. Unlike a trial jury, which weighs questions of guilt, a “grand jury” only considers whether there is enough evidence to warrant a trial. Trump, for instance, was indicted in New York on March 30, 2023, becoming the first former president to face criminal charges. He has decried the decision as a “witch-hunt” — a position that has become his standard response to all of his legal woes. Arraignment: A legal hearing where defendants are formally presented with the charges An arraignment is often the first time a defendant — the person accused of a crime — has to appear in court. The court reads the charges and notifies the defendant of his or her rights. In some cases, the defendant is also asked to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty. Trump was arraigned on April 4, 2023. He first arrived at the Criminal Court in Lower Manhattan, where his fingerprints were taken. Then, he joined his lawyers in the courtroom, where the indictment was unsealed, or made public. Trump pleaded not guilty at the arraignment. His first appearance in front of a judge saw crowds of protesters and counterprotesters gather outside the court. Jurors: Randomly chosen citizens who assess the guilt of a defendant In criminal cases in the US, courts generally require 12 jurors to be selected from the general population. These 12 jurors listen to the evidence that the prosecution and the defence team present during a trial, and then they decide what the outcome of the case should be. Jury selection generally starts the trial period. To arrive at 12 jurors in the Trump trial, nearly 300 prospective jurors were considered. The judge, prosecutors and defence lawyers were tasked with determining whether each candidate could be fair and impartial in the case — judging Trump by the letter of the law, rather than using personal motives. Many of the prospective jurors were quickly dismissed after they indicated they could not be impartial. But within four days of the trial’s start, 12 jurors were selected, as well as six alternates who must also sit through the entire length of the trial. The alternates step in if a juror cannot fulfil their duty. The 12 jurors from New York will decide the Trump case. Their decision must be unanimous for Trump to be found guilty. Verdict: The jury’s decision after a trial A verdict in the Trump case is expected in the coming days. Sometimes juries only need a few hours to arrive at a decision. In other cases, the process can take weeks. Jury deliberations: When the jurors discuss the evidence and try to reach a verdict Jury deliberations begin after the prosecution and defence finish presenting their arguments. First, the judge gives the 12 jurors instructions about how to interpret the law. Then the jurors meet behind closed doors to weigh the evidence and make a decision about the defendant’s guilt. The jury
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 825
As the war enters its 825th day, these are the main developments. Here is the situation on Thursday, May 30, 2024. Fighting Ukraine reported that nine people were killed in Russian attacks in five regions of the country, including two in Nikopol in southern Ukraine. One of the dead was an ambulance driver whose vehicle was hit by a Russian drone. The man’s wife, who was travelling with him, was injured. Nikopol is located just across the river from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said search and recovery efforts at a Kharkiv hardware superstore hit by Russian bombs last weekend had ended. The death toll rose to 19 after a man who was severely burned in the attack died in hospital. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that weapons provided by the United States were helping Ukraine stabilise the front line amid intensifying Russian attacks and that Washington would “adapt and adjust” its approach to military support in line with battlefield developments. Politics and diplomacy US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell accused China of supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine. Campbell said Chinese assistance was helping Moscow reconstitute elements of its military, including long-range missile, artillery and drone capabilities, and its ability to track battlefield movements. European and NATO countries needed “to send a collective message of concern to China about its actions, which we view are destabilising in the heart of Europe”, he said. Beijing says it is neutral in the war but has deepened its relationship with Russia since the country launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Wally Adeyemo, deputy secretary of the US Treasury, met Ukrainian officials in Kyiv to discuss US financial support, enforcing sanctions on Russia and using frozen Russian assets for Ukraine’s benefit in its war against Moscow. Dmitry Suslov, a senior researcher at the Council for Foreign and Defence Policy, a Russian think tank that is close to the Kremlin, said Moscow should consider a “demonstrative” nuclear explosion to cow the West into refusing to allow Ukraine to use its arms against targets inside Russia. Belarus’s President Alexander Lukashenko joined Moscow in suspending the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) that limits the number of tanks, combat aircraft and other military equipment that can be deployed in Europe. Belarus borders Ukraine and Russia and hosted Russian soldiers before Moscow began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Polish security services arrested a man suspected of trying to obtain photos of military vehicles crossing the border into Ukraine, as well as three men, two of them Belarusian citizens, accused of committing arson on the orders of Russian intelligence. Prominent Russian nationalist and former militia commander Igor Girkin lost his appeal against a four-year jail term over his criticism of the conduct of the war in Ukraine, the RIA Novosti state news agency reported. Weapons Adblock test (Why?)
Chinese man arrested for allegedly running ‘largest ever’ malware network
US officials say army of 19 million infected computers enabled fraud, identity theft and child exploitation. Authorities in the United States have announced the dismantling of a global network of 19 million infected computers used to facilitate and cover up cybercrimes including fraud, identity theft and child exploitation. Yunhe Wang, 35, was arrested on Friday for allegedly running the botnet known as “911 S5”, the US Department of Justice said on Wednesday. Wang is alleged to have run the botnet comprising infected IP addresses in more than 190 countries over an eight-year period from 2014, generating millions of dollars offering cybercriminals access to the network for a fee. Wang is alleged to have generated $99m through the scheme, using his illicit gains to buy luxury cars and real estate in the US, St Kitts and Nevis, China, Singapore, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates. Wang allegedly propagated his malware through Virtual Private Network (VPN) programs, such as MaskVPN and DewVPN, and pay-per-install services that bundled his malware with other program files, including pirated versions of licensed software, according to court documents. Department of Justice officials said they seized assets valued at approximately $30m, and identified additional forfeitable property worth approximately $30m, as part of the operation, which was carried out in coordination with law enforcement in Singapore, Thailand and Germany. “This Justice Department-led operation brought together law enforcement partners from around the globe to disrupt 911 S5, a botnet that facilitated cyber-attacks, large-scale fraud, child exploitation, harassment, bomb threats and export violations,” Attorney General Merrick B Garland said in a statement. “This case makes clear that the long arm of the law stretches across borders and into the deepest shadows of the dark web, and the Justice Department will never stop fighting to hold cybercriminals to account,” Garland added. FBI Director Christopher Wray said the dismantled network was “likely the world’s largest botnet ever”. “This operation demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to working shoulder-to-shoulder with our partners to protect American businesses and the American people, and we will work tirelessly to unmask and arrest the cybercriminals who profit from this illegal activity,” Wray said in a statement. Wang faces charges of conspiracy to commit computer fraud, substantive computer fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. If convicted on all charges, he faces a maximum penalty of 65 years in prison Adblock test (Why?)
Nikki Haley writes ‘Finish Them!’ on Israeli bomb bound for Gaza
NewsFeed ‘Finish Them!’ was the message former US presidential hopeful Nikki Haley wrote on Israeli artillery shells intended for Gaza, sparking outrage online. The Republican politician was visiting Israel when Israeli forces bombed a camp in Rafah, killing at least 45 Palestinians. Published On 29 May 202429 May 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Colombia lawmakers pass bullfighting ban
Blood sport a ‘symbol of identity’ for many, but was losing spectators in recent years amid animal welfare concerns. Colombia’s Congress has passed legislation banning bullfighting. Lawmakers passed the bill 93-2 on Tuesday. Activists have spent many years seeking to prohibit the controversial blood sport, which is a centuries-old colonial tradition in the country. The ban will be phased in over a three-year period, during which the state would be required to help find alternative employment options for the tens of thousands of people directly or indirectly dependent on the sector. Reporting from Bogota, Al Jazeera’s Alessandro Rampietti said the bill had been greenlighted after “years of strenuous political battles”. The once popular tradition, introduced by Spanish colonisers, had been “losing fans in recent years” and had turned into a “pastime for a small elite”, he said. Juan Carlos Losada, a lawmaker with the Liberal Party, told Al Jazeera that the ban would enable the country to re-evaluate the “culture of violence” it had inherited. “The next generations will grow up in a country where culture will define things much more creatively than torturing animals for the amusement of a few insensitive people,” he said. However, bullfighting aficionados described the ban as an assault on the freedoms of minorities, as well as a problem for cities where these events draw thousands of visitors. Matador Johan Andres Paloma said his calling was “a symbol of identity” for many Colombians. Bullfighting was once a popular event in Colombia, broadcast live by multiple television networks. But the tradition has come under increased scrutiny as views change about animal welfare, and many find it unacceptable to see an animal suffer for entertainment’s sake. In 2018, the Constitutional Court recognised bullfights as part of Colombia’s cultural tradition. But the capital Bogota – one of the oldest bullfighting cities in the Americas – has since outlawed the injuring or killing of bulls. The city of Medellin also imposed restrictions. Still, the practice remains popular in cities like Cali and Manizales. According to Paloma, some 300 events are held annually at about 70 locations in Colombia. Bullfighting originated in the Iberian Peninsula and is still legal in seven other countries – Ecuador, France, Mexico, Peru, Portugal, Spain and Venezuela. Other countries in the region, including Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Guatemala, have banned the blood sport. Adblock test (Why?)
Photos: South Africans vote in a pivotal election
South Africans are voting at schools, community centres, and in large white tents set up in open fields in an election seen as the country’s most important in 30 years, which could put the young democracy in unknown territory. At stake on Wednesday is the three-decade dominance of the African National Congress (ANC) party, which led South Africa out of apartheid’s brutal white minority rule in 1994. It is now the target of a new generation of discontent in a country of 62 million people – half of whom are estimated to be living in poverty. After casting his vote, President Cyril Ramaphosa said he had no doubt his ANC would win with a majority and remain in government. Africa’s most advanced economy has some of the world’s deepest socioeconomic problems, including the worst unemployment rate at approximately 32 percent. The lingering inequality, with poverty and joblessness disproportionately affecting the Black majority, threatens to unseat the party that promised to end injustice by bringing down apartheid under the slogan of a better life for all. “Our main issue here in our community is the lack of jobs,” said Samuel Ratshalingwa, who was near the front of the queue at the same school in the Johannesburg township of Soweto where Ramaphosa voted. “We have to use the vote to make our voices heard about this problem,” said Ratshalingwa, who came out before 7am (05:00GMT) on a chilly winter morning. After winning six successive national elections, several polls have the ANC’s support at less than 50 percent before this one, an unprecedented drop. It might lose its majority in parliament for the first time, although it is widely expected to hold the most seats. The ANC won 57.5 percent of the vote in the last national election in 2019, its worst result to date and down from a high of nearly 70 percent of the vote 20 years ago. Ramaphosa has promised to “do better”. The ANC has asked for more time and patience. South Africans vote for parties, not directly for their president. The parties then get seats in parliament according to their share of the vote and those lawmakers elect the president after the election. The ANC has always had a majority in parliament since 1994. The election was to be held on one day across South Africa’s nine provinces, with nearly 28 million people registered to vote at more than 23,000 polling stations. Final results are expected by Sunday. While 80 percent of South Africans are Black, it’s a multiracial country with significant populations of white people, those of Indian descent, those with biracial heritage known locally as the “Coloured” community, and others. Adblock test (Why?)
Haiti transitional council names Conille prime minister amid gang violence
Garry Conille, who briefly served in the role from 2011 to 2012, has since worked as a regional director for UNICEF. A nine-member council in charge of overseeing Haiti’s political transition has named politician Garry Conille as the Caribbean nation’s next prime minister. Tuesday’s decision comes amid a period of turmoil for the country, which has seen gangs seize control over much of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Conille is a familiar face in the role of prime minister: He served for four months, from October 2011 to February 2012, and resigned after clashing with then-President Michel Martelly. He now takes over for interim Prime Minister Michel Patrick Boisvert, who was appointed to the role after the previous prime minister, Ariel Henry, formally resigned in late April. The process of selecting a new prime minister was a rocky one, complete with false starts and controversy. Since the assassination of then-President Jovenel Moise in July 2021, Haiti has not held a federal election. Henry, an unelected official chosen days before the assassination, served as acting president in Moise’s stead after his shooting death. But Henry’s failure to call a vote to replace Moise has heightened tensions in the country. In January 2023, the last elected federal officials – 10 senators – saw their terms expire. In the meantime, the country’s gangs sought to fill the power vacuum, asserting power over upwards of 80 percent of Port-au-Prince, including roadways in and out of the city. The United Nations estimates more than 362,000 Haitians have been displaced by the ensuing bloodshed. During the first three months of 2024 alone, gang violence has killed more than 1,500 people and injured hundreds more. In March, Henry announced his decision to step down as prime minister, amid international and domestic pressure to do so. He had recently travelled to Kenya to shore up support for an international security mission to help bolster Haiti’s police. But while Henry was abroad, gangs attacked key prisons and police stations, as well as the capital’s airport, leaving him stranded outside of the country. In the aftermath, a regional cooperation bloc known as the Caribbean Community or CARICOM negotiated the creation of a transitional council to restore Haiti’s democracy. Nine members were chosen, seven of whom would have voting powers. The council is set to be dissolved in 2026, after a new presidential election is held. Conille’s appointment as prime minister came as the result of a six-to-one vote. Since 2023, he has served as a Latin America regional director for UNICEF, a UN agency that offers humanitarian aid to children. But confusion has accompanied the process of choosing a new prime minister. Last month, four of the transitional council’s seven voting members chose a former sport minister, Fritz Belizaire, to fill the post, only to walk back the announcement after critics said the proper protocols had not been followed. Even Tuesday’s announcement was received with scepticism. Line Balthazar, the president of the Tet Kale party, told a local radio station on Monday that the selection process had thus far appeared to be improvised. The Montana Accord, a Haitian civil society group, also questioned the transitional council’s commitment to transparency, noting it had not shared how it came to its decision. “The suffering of the people is getting worse, while the gangs are taking control of more territory and committing more crimes,” the group said in a statement on Tuesday, urging “consequential measures” to restore stability in Haiti. Meanwhile, gang leaders have warned they will not necessarily accept the transitional council or its choices. “We’re not going to recognise the decisions that CARICOM takes,” Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier, the leader of the G9 Family and Allies gang, told Al Jazeera in March. Adblock test (Why?)
The art project aiming to keep Australia’s Indigenous people out of jail
Melbourne, Australia – More Indigenous people are behind bars in Australia than ever before, making them the world’s most imprisoned people. Despite making up 3.8 percent of the national population, Indigenous Australians make up 33 percent of the prison population and are 17 times more likely to be jailed than non-Indigenous people. In Australia’s southeastern state of Victoria, a group of artists is working to break the cycle. The Torch is a community-led organisation that works with Indigenous inmates to teach artistic skills and reconnect prisoners with their cultural heritage. Inmates also generate income selling their work in galleries and to private collectors nationwide, with the money being saved in a trust, ready for their release. The results have been startling – inmates engaged with the programme have a return-to-prison (recidivism) rate of 17 percent for First Nations prisoners compared with the national average of more than 70 percent, according to The Torch. “Before I went to prison, I was in domestic violence and I was on the verge of being homeless,” Stacey Edwards, a former inmate, told Al Jazeera. “My Torch fund helped me put a deposit on a house and now I’ve got a routine and a structure. I’m OK with who I am and my place in the world.” What experts call the “hyper-incarceration” of Indigenous people in Australia is a legacy of colonisation and its racism, as well as successive governments’ focus on law and order. In particular, the trauma of the Stolen Generations – the forced removal of Indigenous children from their families – continues to reverberate. In the state of Victoria, where the Torch programme operates, about half of all Indigenous people have been directly affected by the assimilation policies, which only ended in the 1970’s. Protests have continued to raise awareness of the mass incarceration and deaths in custody of Indigenous Australians [Ali MC/AL Jazeera] Edwards, of the Taungurung and Boonwurrung nations, is one of them, telling Al Jazeera that the legacy of trauma underscored her descent into drug use and eventually, jail. Stacey, now 43, grew up in a poorer neighbourhood. She told Al Jazeera her grandfather had been forcibly taken away and placed in white-run institutions, a separation that scarred her mother’s life. “My mum’s ability to parent was impacted, she had her own addiction problems too,” she said. As a child, Stacey also felt the intergenerational trauma. “I didn’t have the emotional tools to self-regulate and get myself together,” she said. “I think that’s all pain, all the challenges and struggles and the hurt and pain being passed down over generations.” Colonial legacy Indigenous women – many of them mothers – are the fastest growing group of prisoners in Australia, largely due to domestic violence and experiences of homelessness. But the economic benefit of the Torch – which ensures inmates have a source of funds on their release – helps break that cycle. Indigenous Australians come from more than 500 nations in what is now known as Australia, which was colonised by the British in 1788. Genocidal practices, historical discrimination and ongoing racism have fuelled inequality across all social indicators, including homelessness, unemployment and poverty, which are also factors that underscore imprisonment. Kent Morris, of the Barkindji nation, was one of the founding organisers of the Torch in 2011. He told Al Jazeera that the economic model was crucial to the programme’s success and that one of the big questions, when it began, was how artists could earn income from their work while stuck inside prison. “How can the skills and talents of a mob in prison who are creating art and exploring culture – how can that translate into some economic support, so they’re not facing the same circumstances that leads them back to prison? This is what the programme was built around,” he said. In Australia, inmates can earn some income while participating in prison programmes and training, but since the Torch model allows them to sell their work in galleries outside of the prison walls, it is unique. In 2023, more than 1 million Australian dollars ($665,785) was returned to 494 participants through the sale and licensing of their artwork, with the earnings either saved or used to assist inmates’ families, such as ensuring their children go to school. Roey, a former prisoner and from the Warumungu and Yawuru Nations, told Al Jazeera that the Torch programme meant he could continue to support his children despite being jailed. “To be able to support my kids whilst being in prison was probably one of my biggest achievements,” he said. “Supporting my kids and being able to practise my culture in that process and feeling good about myself.” ‘Perfect storm’ Along with the economic benefit, the Torch programme also reconnects artists with their Indigenous culture, language and heritage, a link that was often broken due to colonisation. Sean Miller, of the Gamileroi nation, told Al Jazeera that the Torch helped him find a sense of identity. “I really wanted to learn more about my culture,” he said. “It’s something that’s built into you; you strive to find out where you come from, what your people are about, what our culture, and our language is. Because of colonisation that was taken from us. To be able to have the opportunity to learn all that, I’m so proud of that.” Miller has exhibited his works nationally and is one of seven former inmates now working on the Torch programme. In 2018, he returned to prison to deliver the programme to other inmates. “It gave the brothers and sisters inside prison a little bit more comfort to know that I was an ex-prisoner,” he told Al Jazeera. “They can relate to me and they can also see that they too can be successful with their art as well.” Sean Miller, of the Gamileroi nation, was once on the Torch programme and now goes back into jail to work with other inmates [Ali MC/Al Jazeera] Ash Thomas said that without the Torch
Melinda French Gates says she’s donating $1bn in support of women, families
Philanthropist says it is ‘frustrating’ that some believe it is not the right time to discus gender equality. Melinda French Gates has announced that she will donate $1bn over the next two years to people and organisations working on behalf of women and families, including on reproductive rights. In an op-ed published in the New York Times on Tuesday, French Gates said she felt “compelled” to support abortion rights in the United States after the US Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v Wade. “For too long, a lack of money has forced organisations fighting for women’s rights into a defensive posture while the enemies of progress play offence. I want to help even the match,” French Gates wrote. French Gates said the US continues to have “unconscionable” rates of maternal mortality, particular among Black and Native American women, while the number of teenage girls experiencing suicidal thoughts and persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness is at a decade-high. “Despite the pressing need, only about 2 percent of charitable giving in the United States goes to organisations focused on women and girls, and only about half a percentage point goes to organisations focused on women of colour specifically,” she wrote. French Gates also expressed dismay with those who say it is “not the right time” to talk about gender equality. “It’s frustrating and shortsighted. Decades of research on economics, well-being and governance make it clear that investing in women and girls benefits everyone,” she wrote. “We know that economies with women’s full participation have more room to grow. That women’s political participation is associated with decreased corruption.” French Gates said she has begun distributing $200m in grants through her organisation, Pivotal Ventures, to US-based organisations, including the National Women’s Law Center, the National Domestic Workers Alliance and the Center for Reproductive Rights. French Gates said she has also selected a dozen people, including former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Afghan women’s education advocate Shabana Basij-Rasikh, to receive a $20m grant that they can distribute as they wish. French Gates made the announcement two weeks after she said she would step down from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the philanthropic organisation she co-founded with her ex-husband, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, in 2000. As part of her divorce agreement finalised in 2021, French Gates received $12.5bn from Bill Gates to support her philanthropic efforts upon stepping down from the foundation. Adblock test (Why?)