- Trump’s impeachment case in the Senate
- Tesla Buys $1.5 Billion Dollars of Bitcoin
- Alert from ECB President
Trump’s Impeachment Case in the Senate
Trump’s Impeachment Case in the Senate
The second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump begins in the United States Senate today at 1 pm. The impeachment case of former US President Donald Trump, whose dismissal process was initiated due to the Congressional raid that killed five people, is on the agenda of the Senate today.
The Senate will vote on the constitutionality of the dismissal process, after a four-hour meeting between the claims and defense authorities on the constitutionality of the process.
If the majority of the Senate votes that the process is in accordance with the constitution, the claim and defense authorities will be given two days, 16 hours in total, to present their arguments. Neither side can spend more than eight hours per day making their arguments. After the expiration of this period, a vote on the article of impeachment will begin. If a two-thirds majority in the Senate is achieved, that is, if at least 67 Senators vote in favor of dismissal, Trump will be dismissed. Currently, Democrats have 50 seats in the Senate, and Republicans have 50 seats.
“I’m about 95% certain that it’s going to end in acquittal,” said Chris Haynes, a political science professor at the University of New Haven. “I just don’t think there’s 17 Republicans that will join the Democrats in convicting Trump.”
Trump’s lawyers and supporters argue that the process is unconstitutional since Trump is no longer president. Advocates arguing that according to the American constitution, the impeachment process can only be initiated against incumbent presidents, that Trump is now an ordinary citizen and that it is not constitutional to initiate the impeachment process against him. Making a pre-trial statement, Trump’s lawyers argued that the case was “arrogant political action” and that the aim was “to silence a minority party”.
“This impeachment trial in the United States Senate will allow for truth and accountability, which are essential to ensuring desperately-needed unity and healing in our country following the despicable attack on our democracy,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said.
Democrats, who attempted to initiate the impeachment process, argue that Trump should be dismissed due to the raid by Congress, even though his term of office has expired. Otherwise, Democrats say this could pave the way for possible constitutional violations in the last weeks of his presidency.
If convicted, Trump will not be able to benefit from the pension and security services that former presidents have benefited from, and will not be able to run for the presidential election in 2024.
Tesla Buys $1.5 Billion Dollars of Bitcoin
Tesla Buys $1.5 Billion Dollars of Bitcoin
Tesla, the electric car manufacturer founded by Elon Musk, announced that it bought $ 1.5 billion of bitcoin and will soon be able to accept payments with this cryptocurrency. After this announcement, Bitcoin’s value increased by 14 percent, breaking a new record and reaching $ 43,968.
Two weeks ago, Elon Musk added the hashtag #bitcoin to his Twitter bio, a move that helped to briefly push up the price of the cryptocurrency by as much as 20%. Two days later, he said on the social medial chat site Clubhouse: “I do at this point think bitcoin is a good thing, and I am a supporter of bitcoin.”
Tesla notified the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) about its assets in Bitcoin. In the company’s statement, it was stated that Tesla has updated its investment policies “to allow investment in alternative reserve assets, including digital assets. That would make Tesla the first major automaker to do so.
In the statement, it was noted that this will “diversify and minimize the company’s revenue sources”.
In the company’s statement, it was stated that after the approval of the audit commission, $ 1.5 billion of Bitcoin was purchased in accordance with these investment policies and that Tesla may keep digital assets from time to time or for long term:
“Moreover, we hope to accept Bitcoin as a form of payment for our products in the near future, within the legal framework and in a limited amount in the first place. We may or may not convert digital assets (which will enter our vault) into cash.”
On the other hand, after a series of messages from Musk on Twitter, the value of Dogecoin also increased rapidly. The value of the cryptocurrency has risen 20 percent on the last trading day.
The value of Dogecoin, which appeared as a joke on social media in 2013, has increased by 1250 percent this year. It is stated that the market value of Dogecoin has reached 10 billion dollars.
After Elon Musk’s Twitter message on February 4 that he said “Dogecoin is the crypto of the people”, the value of Dogecoin increased by more than 50 percent.
Alert from ECB President
European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde announced that:
“The increase in new types of coronavirus cases, mutations in the virus and strict restrictive measures reveal significant downside risks to Eurozone economic activity.”
In her speech at the European Parliament (EP) General Assembly session held in Brussels, Lagarde explained that the epidemic caused a serious public health crisis and an economic crisis.
Pointing out that the initiation of vaccination processes is “promising”, Lagarde said that citizens are still facing the social and economic consequences of the virus and that uncertainties about the future continue.
Stating that the production remained well below the pre-epidemic levels and it is not yet known how the epidemic will progress, Lagarde emphasized that the recovery in demand will be supported with the reduction of uncertainties, the removal of the measures implemented and the appropriate financing conditions.
Stating that monetary and fiscal policies should be maintained together, Lagarde noted that an accommodative monetary policy stance remains essential.
Explaining the importance of the rapid mobilization of the funds in the 750 billion euro recovery program established by EU countries against the economic effects of the epidemic, Lagarde stated that these funds should support structural reforms and be used in projects that contribute to growth. Lagarde argued that the EU package, known as the Next Generation EU fund could already boost growth this year, if it was implemented on the schedule originally envisaged.
Lagarde stated that they expect more inflation to increase in the coming months. “Underlying price pressures are likely to remain subdued owing to weak demand, low wage pressures and the appreciation of the euro exchange rate,” Lagarde said. “Our pledge to preserve favourable financing conditions is crucial in the current environment.”
In the last three months of 2020, the economy in the 19 countries that use euro shrank by 0.7 percent as companies were hit by a new round of lockdowns aimed at containing the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. The Eurozone declined 6.8 percent for the year. The near-term growth outlook remains uncertain, and the International Monetary Fund has downgraded its eurozone growth estimate for 2021 to 4.2%.
