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Hunter Biden's Guilty Plea Bombshell

Your unbiased daily news brief

Author

James Kratch
September 06, 2024

Good Friday morning. San Marino was the talk of the soccer world yesterday after its men's national team downed Liechtenstein, 1-0, in the UEFA Nations League. Why? It was the microstate's first victory in 20 years, ending a 140-match winless streak. Miracles do happen. Have a great weekend!

In Today’s Brief

  • FBI: NYC raids

  • China: Adoptions ban

  • Montana: Tester trails

  • Verizon: $20B deal

  • Alex Morgan: Soccer star retires

... and more

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Top Tips

1) Unexpected plea

The First Son pleaded guilty to tax evasion charges in an unexpected move.

  • What happened: Hunter Biden copped to nine charges in Los Angeles federal court, capping a whirlwind day that began with jury selection and concluded with a surprise plea that stunned the government and avoided another high-profile trial. Biden was convicted of federal gun charges earlier this year.

  • The logic: Abbe Lowell, who represents President Joe Biden's son, said his client pleaded guilty to spare his loved onesfrom a trial and "unnecessary hurt and cruel humiliation." Prosecutors were expected to focus on Hunter Biden's struggles with addiction and the First Family's internal issues. 

  • Detail drama: Biden did not strike a plea deal with the Department of Justice; a proposed deal fell apart last year. He initially tried to enter an Alford plea, which is when a defendent maintains his innocence but acknowledges the prosecution has enough evidence to secure a conviction. Prosecutors objected to that before Biden agreed to a unilateral guilty plea.

  • Big picture: Biden will be sentenced on Dec. 16; he faces up to 17 years in prison and a fine that could be well over $1M. His gun case sentencing is set for Nov. 13. The White House reiterated President Biden will not pardon his son. But the political ramifications are far less significant now that Biden is not seeking re-election, so speculation will continue.

2) French try

France may finally have a new prime minister.

  • The news: President Emmanuel Macron has appointed Michel Barnier as the new PM, almost two months after snap elections resulted in a hung parliament and political mayhem. The 73-year-old politician was most notably the European Union's lead negotiator in Brexit talks with the United Kingdom. 

  • Who is he? Barnier is a member of The Republicans, a mainstream right-wing party. He does not have much of a domestic profile. He advocated for tough immigration policies in a failed 2022 presidential bid and has expressed Euroskeptic views despite his EU background, but has also been critical of the French far-right.

  • Big picture: Barnier now has to form a government, which will be easier said than done. The left-wing coalition that won the most National Assembly votes in the snap elections is outraged Macron did not pick one of its members as PM while the far-right National Rally said it will not participate in Barnier's government. Macron's centrists need center-left support to get Barnier past a no-confidence vote with an Oct. 1 budget deadline looming and questions about Macron's future abound.

3) Personal foul

The Kansas City Chiefs' most infamous fan received a hefty prison sentence hours before the two-time reigning Super Bowl champions began their new season.

  • The news: Xaviar "ChiefsAholic" Babudar will serve 17.5 years in federal prison without parole after pleading guilty to a string of bank robberies across the country. Babudar had struck a plea deal in February; he was sentenced yesterday in Kansas City federal court, where he apologized to his victims, family and the city.

  • Catch up: Babudar rose to fame as a Chiefs superfan who attended games in a head-to-toe wolf costume. But prosecutors said he funded his passion by robbing banks and had an "addiction to fame," rejecting Babudar's claims of a gambling addiction. An ESPN report previously detailed Babudar lied about biographical information on social media and had a history of legal issues.

  • The crimes: Babudar admitted to stealing over $800K from 11 banks in seven states and laundering it through casinos. He was originally arrested in Tulsa in late 2022, then escaped GPS confinement in February 2023 and robbed two more banks before being recaptured that July in California. He must pay over $530K in restitution and forfeit ill-gotten property; he also faces a nearly $11M judgment for threatening a bank teller with a gun.

Quick Tips

U.S. News

  • The FBI raided the homes of NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban and top aides to New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Federal authorities are believed to be probing Adams' campaign's dealings with Turkey; other people in his inner circle have been targeted by cops (More)

  • The father of this week's alleged Georgia school shooter was arrested for "knowingly allowing" his son access to a gun. Colin Gray faces four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children; two students and two teachers were killed at Apalachee High School (More)

  • Illinois will ban small single-use plastic toiletry bottles in hotel rooms. The prohibition will go into effect next year for locations with 50 or more rooms and for all lodging facilities in 2026; customers can still obtain the products at no cost upon request (More)

World News

  • China said it is ending its intercountry adoption program and will no longer permit foreign adoptions except when a blood relative is involved. The U.S. State Department is seeking clarification on the status of pending adoptions; almost 87K American families have adopted children from China (More)

  • The United Nations said it has inoculated 189K children in Gaza with the polio vaccine. The virus has become present in the enclave amid the Israel-Hamas war; the UN estimates there are 640K kids in the region (More)

  • A remote indigenous tribe in Peru killed two loggers who allegedly encroached on their land. Two other workers were reportedly missing and one was injured as confrontations between loggers and uncontacted tribes are becoming more frequent; advocacy groups are calling for government intervention (More)

Campaign News

  • Montana Sen. Jon Tester faces an eight-point deficit in his re-election bid, according to an new AARP poll. Republican candidate Tim Sheehy has a 49-41 lead on the three-term Democrat; the party that wins the seat is expected to hold the majority in the upper chamber (More)

  • Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with the Teamsters Union on Sept. 16. The labor group has said it will not endorse a presidential candidate without an interview; former President Donald Trump visited its headquarters earlier this year (More)

  • A federal judge said the presidential election is ‘not relevant’ to the schedule of Trump's election interference case. Judge Tanya Chutkan did not set a trial date, but indicated Special Counsel Jack Smith will be permitted to make more evidence public; the former president's attorneys wanted all proceedings put on hold (More)

Business & Markets

  • Major indexes closed mixed yesterday. All eyes are on today's August jobs report as the markets fear the Federal Reserve waited too long to cut interest rates (Dow -0.54%, Nasdaq +0.25%, S&P 500 -0.30%).

  • Verizon has agreed to buy Frontier Communications for $20B. The telecommunications giant said it will "significantly expand" its fiber footprint nationally; the deal will close in about 18 months if approved by Frontier shareholders and regulators (More)

  • 7-Eleven's Japanese parent company will reportedly reject a $35B acquisition offer. Seven & i Holdings is expected to tell Alimentation Couche-Tard, a Canadian convenience store giant that owns Circle K, its offer is not high enough (More)

Entertainment & Sports

  • Soccer star Alex Morgan is retiring. The striker won two World Cup titles and an Olympic gold medal with the U.S. Women's National Team; she also announced she is pregnant with her second child (More)

  • Software billionaire Larry Ellison will control Paramount Global after his son David Ellison and Skydance Media completes a merger deal. The Oracle co-founder is backing the $8B deal and will own almost 80% of the entertainment giant (More)

  • The Big 12 said talks to add UConn as a new member have ended. The two-time reigning NCAA men's basketball champions will remain in the Big East (More)

Quick Hitters

  • Fun Stuff: Dogs love to stick their heads out of the car window. Here is an explanation for why, as well as a note of caution.

  • New Idea: A Canadian man has created an innovative way to combat homelessness after a family member struggled with addiction. Tiny Tiny Homes creates portable domiciles that can be pulled by a bike and are insulated from the outdoors with a bed, toilet and more.

  • Go Deep: The destruction caused by wildfires is necessary for some species. Conservationists are reviving the practice of controlled burns as a result, and finding success.

  • Take Note: Mold is in your kitchen, and likely in places you least expect. Here are some tips on how to keep things under control.

  • Life Hacks: You can get a lot accomplished in just 15 minutes. Here are suggestions on how to boost your everyday life with a limited time investment.

Weather forecast are improving thanks to technology.

Looking Ahead …

Almost 20 groups are petitioning the Federal Trade Commission to force transparency from smart device makers about how long they will support devices. The advocates argue consumers are being hit with surprise subscription fees and other unexpected hurdles.

Question of the Day

Yesterday’s results:

How should the U.S. elect a president?

  • Popular vote (48%)

  • Electoral College (no changes) (41%)

  • A hybrid of both (9%)

  • Other (2%)