The Supreme Court heard President Trump's immunity claim
After a three-hour hearing in Washington, the Supreme Court's conservative majority appears poised to narrow the scope of the criminal case against Donald Trump on charges of plotting to overturn the 2020 election.
Any such ruling on whether the former president is immune from prosecution would likely send the case back to a lower court, potentially delaying the trial until after the November election. Several Republican-appointed judges expressed concern about the long-term effects of leaving open the possibility that the former president's actions could be prosecuted in the future.
President Trump, who has been accused of a massive effort to overturn the 2020 election results, claims he is entitled to complete immunity from the charges. The incident is one of four criminal charges he faces, only one of which is currently being tried in New York.
What's next: A final ruling could be made in early summer.if If Trump wins, there is good reason to think he will terminate the prosecution.
New York trial: Former tabloid publisher David Pecker testified about how he helped kill scandalous articles about Trump before the 2016 election, including one about porn star Stormy Daniels.
More bodies found in mass graves in Gaza
The Palestinian Authority announced yesterday that it had discovered more bodies in a mass grave on the grounds of a hospital in the Gaza Strip. They said they have now found 392 bodies, up from 283 bodies they had previously identified.
There are conflicting accounts between Israeli and Gaza authorities as to when and how some of the bodies were buried. A Times analysis of social media videos and satellite images found that Palestinians had dug at least two of the three burial sites in the weeks before Israeli forces raided the sites.
hostage: President Biden and the leaders of 17 other countries called on Hamas to release all hostages taken in the October 7 attack on Israel.
Harvey Weinstein's conviction overturned
New York's Supreme Court yesterday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 conviction on felony sex crime charges, a stunning reversal in a fundamental case of the #MeToo era.
The court ruled that Mr. Weinstein did not receive a fair trial. The judge concluded that the judge made a grave error by allowing prosecutors to call as witnesses a series of women who said they were assaulted by Mr. Weinstein, but the accusations were not part of the indictment. It is said that he.
17-year-old Indian grandmaster Donmaraju Gukesh has created history. He became the youngest player to win the Candidates Tournament and the youngest player to qualify for the World Chess Championship.
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30 years since the end of apartheid
Tomorrow marks the 30th anniversary of South Africa's first post-apartheid elections.
Barely a month later, on May 29, the African National Congress, which has ruled for three decades, could lose its majority for the first time in a potentially transformative national election.
“It feels almost impossible to distinguish between an election year and a major anniversary year,” my colleague Lindsay Teutel, reporting from Johannesburg, told me.
“This anniversary forces not only those involved but also South Africans to ask, 'What have the past 30 years meant to us?'” she added. “And how do we get that political optimism and economic strength back?”
How does the legacy of apartheid shape life in South Africa today?
Lindsey: As you walk down the streets of Johannesburg's suburbs, you can see all around you the gains made. It's a lush suburb. There is also a sidewalk cafe. People are chatting.
But the majority of those enjoying that progress are white. And the majority of people working as servers and in low-wage jobs are black. Black South Africans simply haven't caught up in terms of wealth.
Fast forward to next month's election. How's the atmosphere?
The ANC's popularity is perhaps at its lowest, and it has never had so much trouble persuading South Africans to vote for it. Some young people believe this vote is just as crucial as 1994. Many are deeply disillusioned. High unemployment and corruption scandals have eroded their trust in politicians.
The opposition parties are gaining momentum, saying, “We have finally reached the point where we can take the lead.''
This is a big change from 1994, when it felt like an affirmation of Nelson Mandela, his party and the end of apartheid. The mood among voters I spoke to this year was about how to use the election to get the country back on track and take advantage of post-apartheid freedoms.