Happy belated Steve Kornacki Day to all who celebrate!

Happening in the World: Argentina’s Vice President Cristina Fernéndez de Kirchner was sentenced to six years in jail yesterday in a corruption case. She was found guilty of “fraudulent administration” as she awarded public works contracts to a friend, but it is unlikely she will serve jail time, given her level of immunity by her government roles. Fernéndez accused the charges against her of being politically motivated, and accused prosecutors of lying and slandering her. Still, this case has “shaken the country,” and is the first time in Argentinian history that a vice president has been convicted of a crime while in office. (BBC)

Happening in the US: Senator Raphael Warnock defeated Herschel Walker in yesterday’s runoff election, securing a 51-seat Democratic Senate majority. Last night, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger told a press conference this was a record turnout across the board. This win will give the Democratic party a majority on Senate committees, will allow easier approval of judge nominations, and will help Democrats pass legislation without every single member on board. In his victory speech last night, Warnock reiterated his campaign’s messages about lowering the cost of prescription drugs, criminal justice reform, and rights for women, as well as pointing out that voter suppression has not ended just because of his win: “It simply means that you the people have decided that your voices will not be silenced.” (BBC)

Happening in NYC: Yesterday, New York’s state Supreme Court found Trump Organization guilty of 17 felonies. The Manhattan jury convicted Trump’s real estate organization of a 13 year tax fraud scheme that allowed top executives off-the-books perks and helped them avoid paying income taxes. While the companies paid for benefits like “luxury car leases, a Manhattan apartment, parking garage fees and school tuition,” they never reported these perks on their tax forms, so executives did not have to pay income tax. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose office led the prosecution, said in a statement: “This was a case about greed and cheating. In Manhattan, no corporation is above the law.” (Gothamist)

Happening in Our Community: Are you a fan of Pierre Gentine, Columbia professor of geophysics? Join him in the CAIT Distinguished Lecture Series as he presents Physics to Machine Learning and Machine Learning Back to Physics. This event is in the Davis Auditorium today at 12 pm. Register and learn more here!

Steve Kornacki via Wikimedia Commons