At Donald J. Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial, his lawyers have insisted he had “nothing to do” with any of the felony charges against him. But testimony from prosecution witnesses over the last several weeks has called that argument into question, underscoring that Mr. Trump can be obsessive about two all-important aspects of his work: Anything…
Justice Alito Warns of Threats to Freedom of Speech and Religion
Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. warned on Saturday that freedom of speech was under threat at universities and that freedom of religion was in peril in society at large. “Troubled waters are slamming against some of our most fundamental principles,” he said. He made his remarks at a commencement ceremony at the Franciscan University of…
A Rising Democrat Leans Into the Campus Fight Over Antisemitism
A few hours after Columbia University canceled its main commencement ceremony following weeks of pro-Palestinian student protests, Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania was in his office in Harrisburg, taking stock of the ways he sees universities letting students down. “Our colleges, in many cases, are failing young people,” he said in an interview this week….
U.S. Criticizes Israel Over Conduct in Gaza
The Biden administration believes that Israel has most likely violated international standards in failing to protect civilians in Gaza but has not found specific instances that would justify the withholding of military aid, the State Department told Congress on Friday. In the administration’s most detailed assessment of Israel’s conduct in Gaza, the State Department said…
Another Time Trump Was Stuck in Court
Happy Friday! You’ve made it through a week of dramatic Stormy Daniels testimony, a brain worm and a failed attempt to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson. Today we’re covering a different trip Trump took to court — and we’ll meet an unlikely surrogate for the Biden administration’s Gaza outreach. Donald Trump was running for president…
U.S. to Announce New Tariffs on Chinese Electric Vehicles
The Biden administration is set to announce new tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and other goods as early as next week, according to people familiar with the matter, as President Biden looks for ways to protect America’s nascent clean energy sector from a surge of cheap Chinese imports. The move comes amid growing concern within…
Inside Biden’s Broken Relationship With Muslim and Arab American Leaders
Seven months into Israel’s war in Gaza, Muslim and Arab American leaders say their channels of communication with President Biden’s White House have largely broken down, leaving the administration without a politically valuable chorus of support for his significant shift on the conflict this week. Mr. Biden’s announcement that he had paused a shipment of…
As Gaza Talks Falter, Negotiators Look for a Deal or a Scapegoat
To understand what is happening now in the Middle East, it may be helpful to remember the dead cat. That was a favorite metaphor for Secretary of State James A. Baker III as he shuttled around the region in 1991 trying to negotiate a complicated deal. With each recalcitrant player, Mr. Baker would threaten to…
Biden Aims to Speed Up Asylum Screenings in Certain Cases
As President Biden considers sweeping changes to the American asylum system, his administration took smaller steps this week to try to control the system’s notorious backlogs. On Thursday, the administration proposed a rule change that would allow officers to quickly identify people who are ineligible for asylum, such as those who have been convicted of…
Supreme Court Rules Against Alabama Women Whose Cars Were Seized by Police
The Supreme Court on Thursday made it harder for people whose property had been seized by the police to argue for its swift return. By a 6-to-3 vote, the court ruled against two Alabama women who had sought prompt hearings to recover cars they owned that had been taken by the police in connection with…