Trump’s criminal trial takes center stage

The embattled leadership of the Republican Party came together in
a show of solidarity this week. Republican presidential candidate
Donald Trump was joined by House Speaker Mike Johnson for a press
conference at Trump’s Mar-A-Lago compound. Trump backed the
speaker in the face of mounting pressure from conservative
members of the House to remove Johnson from the role. This show
of support came amid another legal challenge for the former
president. Jury selection in Trump’s trial over alleged hush
money payments began this week. It’s the first time a former
president has faced criminal charges, and drew substantial media
coverage. That coverage added increased difficulty to the
selection process, with one seated juror dropping out over fears
that media reporting on the case would reveal her identity. Can
the media circus surrounding the case be wrangled to avoid
further interruptions? Will Johnson be able to survive his own
circus in the House to accomplish something — anything — as
speaker before November’s election?


U.S. colleges continue to struggle with the protecting free
speech and fighting hate on campus. Another congressional hearing
on campus antisemitism — this time with officials from Columbia
University — arrived at the same time a valedictorian at the
University of Southern California faced backlash for her support
of pro-Palestinian causes. How can colleges navigate increasing
tensions as the lines between anti-semitism and calls for an end
to the conflict in Gaza continue to be blurred?



An Oklahoma city councilman was elected last year, before reports
he had ties to a white nationalist group became more widely
known. For our 50 states series, we examine what lessons we all
could stand to learn from the voters of Enid, Oklahoma.