Bill Cosby Convicted on Sexual Assault Charges

Comedian and actor Bill Cosby was convicted last week of aggravated indecent assault, stemming from a 2004 case involving a woman, Andrea Constand, who went public with her allegations. She alleged that Cosby drugged her drink and proceeded to grope her. Cosby admitted to drugging women’s drinks in a 2005 deposition, but disputed the specific charges by Constand.

The jury found Cosby guilty on all three counts, which means the 80 year old, now nearly blind, could spend the rest of his life in prison if each sentence is served consecutively, with each carrying a maximum 10 year penalty. It  is still unclear if Cosby will serve the maximum and whether he will serve them consecutively or concurrently.

Korean Détente? Two Countries Could Achieve Some Form of Peace

In a series of unlikely events, the two Korean leaders talked peacefully and publicly, something that has not occurred since the Korean War in the 1950s. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in met at the border between the two countries on Friday, with Kim stepping into South Korea. The two leaders also announced their commitment to denuclearize the peninsula as well as formally ending the Korean War, which ended de facto in 1953. This comes after Kim’s announcement that the North will stop its missile testing.

These announcements also come after President Donald Trump announced earlier this year that he plans to meet with Kim, in which, if carried out, will make Trump the first sitting US president to meet with a North Korean leader. The meeting is currently scheduled to take place sometime next month or in early June.

The prospect for even the peace talks just a few months ago would have been almost unimaginable given the North’s increased frequency of missile tests and the bellicose rhetoric between Kim and Trump, in which the former called the latter a “dotard” and the latter called the former “rocket man.” For now, the insults have stopped, but the prospect of lasting peace is far from certain.

North Korea still possesses nuclear capability and the North may not truly be committed to denuclearization, which it promises only to proceed with if the US does not invade. Trump has implied that military action will not be off the table if the North does not move forward with eventual denuclearization.