Donald Trump was given an unconditional discharge in the sentencing for his New York hush-money conviction but will still enter the White House as a convicted felon – a first in the US.
An unconditional discharge in New York State law allows for a convicted person to be let go “without imprisonment, fine or probation supervision" in cases where "no proper purpose would be served by imposing any condition upon the defendant’s release".
But the discharge on Friday formalises the conviction.
New York Judge Juan Merchan said it was a "truly extraordinary case" before issuing the sentence to Mr Trump, who appeared in court via video link from Florida.
"This has been a very terrible experience and a set back for the New York court system," Mr Trump told the court, said news reporters who were in the courtroom. He also insisted on his innocence and challenged the basis of the case and work by judges.
A jury last May found Mr Trump guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business documents that covered up payments to people who claimed they had scandalous stories during his 2016 presidential campaign.
Stormy Daniels, an adult film performer, was paid $130,000 by Mr Trump's fixer in exchange for compliance in a non-disclosure agreement as part of the hush-money scheme at the centre of the case. Prosecutors argued that Mr Trump's attempts to hide the payments violated New York election law.
The scheme also included National Enquirer payments to former Playboy model Karen McDougal and a Trump property doorman on behalf of the Republican leader.
Mr Trump became the first US president to be convicted of a crime.
"The Radical Democrats have lost another pathetic, unAmerican Witch Hunt," he said in a Truth Social post after the sentencing.
He added that the unconditional release on the "baseless, illegal, and fake charges" was a loss for his opponents, but it was one he would appeal.
The Supreme Court, which has a conservative majority, rejected an emergency request to stay Friday's sentencing the night before the hearing. The justices ruled the sentencing was not a legal burden and Mr Trump can still appeal.
Falsifying business records carries a sentence of up to four years in prison, although jail time was unlikely given Mr Trump was a first-time offender. However, his gag order violations against Mr Merchan's orders did threaten jail time.
But with Mr Trump's electoral victory and his inauguration in 10 days, Mr Merchan viewed a jail sentence or probation as not "practicable".
The judge suggested in court that the sentencing may have been different if Mr Trump was an ordinary defendant, but "legal protections afforded to the office of the president" forced a legal mandate for the court to follow.
"Despite the extraordinary breadth of those protections, one power they do not provide is the power to erase jury verdicts,” Mr Merchan said.
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Adele: The Stories Behind The Songs
Caroline Sullivan
Carlton Books
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3EName%3A%20Cashew%0D%3Cbr%3EStarted%3A%202020%0D%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Ibtissam%20Ouassif%20and%20Ammar%20Afif%0D%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%0D%3Cbr%3EIndustry%3A%20FinTech%0D%3Cbr%3EFunding%20size%3A%20%2410m%0D%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Mashreq%2C%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:
Liverpool (0) v Barcelona (3), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Game is on BeIN Sports
WHAT%20ARE%20THE%20PRODUCTS%20WITHIN%20THE%20THREE%20MAJOR%20CATEGORIES%3F
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAdvanced%20materials%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20specifically%20engineered%20to%20exhibit%20novel%20or%20enhanced%20properties%2C%20that%20confer%20superior%20performance%20relative%20to%20conventional%20materials%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAdvanced%20components%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20includes%20semiconductor%20components%2C%20such%20as%20microprocessors%20and%20other%20computer%20chips%2C%20and%20computer%20vision%20components%20such%20as%20lenses%20and%20image%20sensors%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAdvanced%20products%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20includes%20personal%20electronics%2C%20smart%20home%20devices%20and%20space%20technologies%2C%20along%20with%20industry-enabling%20products%20such%20as%20robots%2C%203D%20printing%20equipment%20and%20exoskeletons%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3ESource%3A%20Strategy%26amp%3B%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
