It has been a hectic 24 hours for Guardian US and our teams around the world, as they sprang into action to cover the 34 guilty verdicts in Donald Trump’s hush money trial and analysed the fallout for America and its looming election. The Guardian’s UK print front page, which read “Guilty on all counts” above a picture of sullen and angry Trump, said it all. You can find the highlights of our excellent coverage below.

It has also been a busy week for our investigations team. In an extraordinary global scoop, Harry Davies revealed how the former head of the Mossad, Yossi Cohen, allegedly threatened a chief prosecutor of the international criminal court (ICC) during secret meetings in which he tried to pressure her into abandoning a war crimes investigation. The disclosure formed part of a wider investigation by the Guardian and the Israel-based magazines +972 and Local Call, revealing how the country waged an almost decade-long “war” against the ICC, deploying intelligence agencies to surveil, hack and allegedly intimidate senior ICC staff. The revelations also sparked a debate in Israel about the country’s censorship laws, and in the Netherlands, where there were calls for an investigation in The Hague.

The Guardian’s reputation for investigations is one we are proud of. From big data exercises like the Great Carbon Divide to stories revealing the human impact and systemic cruelty of slow motion scandals like Windrush, we have always made it our mission to hold the powerful to account and root out the truth. And this week has been a testament to the strength of our investigative reporting, in ways big and small.

Ahead of next week’s European elections, our data team spent months analysing the finances of 200 political parties. The research, in collaboration with 26 other European media partners, found that a quarter of donations are going to hardline, populist groups. The results were also surprising – transparency is weak in France, where all donors can remain anonymous and donations to rightwing parties outstrip those to Emmanuel Macron’s, but much stronger in eastern Europe, where countries like Latvia insist on publishing all names.

And with the UK general election campaign well under way, Guardian business reporter Rob Davies went undercover to reveal details of a private event attended by representatives of firms including StubHub and Viagogo, where £73,000 was raised for political lobbying against Labour’s reforms to curb secondary ticketing. This fascinating investigation shone a light on a lucrative and highly controversial industry.

Have a great weekend.

In a dramatic moment, Donald Trump was found guilty on all counts in the hush-money trial. Sam Levine’s brilliant analysis showed how the prosecution’s tactics played out. The verdict followed weeks of sensational testimony from Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels. Outside court, our reporters spoke to voters about what the verdict means to them, while the Trump on Trial newsletter and Politics Weekly America podcast have all the latest on Trump’s ongoing legal battles.

Our editor-in-chief Katharine Viner travelled with Guardian colleagues to Kyiv to meet Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy in what feels like a pivotal moment in his country’s war with Russia. He warned that US delays to approval for weapons use is costing lives and, in an extended interview, gave a fascinating insight into the state of the war and his country. Katharine will write in more detail about her trip in next week’s Saturday Edition.

The first full week of UK general election campaigning kicked off with a slew of Conservative policies apparently aimed at older voters, from national service for 18-year-olds to a crackdown on so-called “rip-off” degrees. Labour tried to quietly resolve the long-running issue of Diane Abbott’s future but managed to spark a major row as Abbott revealed she and other left wing MPs had been barred from standing for election (before an apparent U-turn).

As well as covering fast-moving stories as the leaders took to the road, we were also able to reveal that HMRC had concluded that Angela Rayner owed no tax from the sale of her former home and published an exclusive interview with several newsworthy lines. And in our new Path to Power series, Steven Morris spoke to voters in Caerfyrddin about what matters to them.

Bethan McKernan reported on the Israeli airstrike that caused a horrifying blaze at a tented area for displaced people in Rafah. The devastating images prompted an outcry from global leaders, with Malak A Tantesh in Gaza working with Emma Graham-Harrison to gather harrowing eyewitness accounts.

The Observer revealed how the Church of England’s ties to chattel slavery went to the very top of the hierarchy. Documents in the Lambeth Palace archive showed that the 18th-century archbishop Thomas Secker approved payments for the purchase of enslaved people for two sugar plantations in Barbados.

For Guardian Australia, Lisa Cox led an investigation which revealed recycled soil sold for landscaping contained asbestos, prompting government concerns.

Ace interviewer Simon Hattenstone spoke to Tracey Emin about her astonishing return to work after cancer. And in Saturday magazine, Jenny Kleeman spent an eye-opening day with Simone and Malcolm Collins, who want to save the world by having as many children as possible.

Guardian sportswriter Tumaini Carayol captured the tension of what may well have been the last match for Rafael Nadal at the French Open, while Kelly Simmons argued that men’s football in England ought to give reparations to the women’s game as compensation for the decades it was banned.

One more thing …When I was a sports news reporter, one of the faces I’d look forward to seeing was that of Shekhar Bhatia, always ready with a tip or hungry for gossip. He has just published a bittersweet short memoir – Namaste, Geezer – that is subtitled “life as a fan and journalist of Asian heritage”. Along the way he takes in his sometimes conflicted feelings about his beloved West Ham, racism in football, the media and society and the sad decline of local media (I’m writing this in the week that one of his former titles, the London Evening Standard, ceased publishing as a daily paper). Published as part of the excellent Football Shorts series, it is an honest and compelling read.

Cook this | Jazz up the classic jacket potato

Ask Ottolenghi is a weekly column where celebrity chef and Feast contributor Yotam Ottolenghi answers all of your pressing kitchen questions. In his latest column he tackles the classic jacket potato. Think tinned fish, curry, tahini, soft vegetables in butter … and who says the cheese has to be cheddar?

Listen to this | Damien Hirst and the dates that don’t add up

In a story that rocked the art world, Guardian investigative reporter Maeve McClenaghan revealed how four Damien Hirst sculptures had been deliberately backdated, and a further 1,000 artworks painted years later than claimed. She spoke to Today in Focus host Michael Safi about how the revelations could “destroy belief in his creative future”.

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