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Newly manufactured Tesla Cybertrucks are parked outside the company's Giga Texas factory on December 13, 2023, in Austin, Texas. Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Tesla recalls Cybertruck over sticky problem. Blame it on — yes — soap

Accelerator pedals on the new Cybertrucks can get stuck, a potentially dangerous production flaw. The reason why they're so sticky is soap.

Volkswagen workers and union supporters celebrate at a UAW watch party in Chattanooga, Tenn., on April 19, 2024. Stephan Bisaha/Gulf States Newsroom hide caption

Volkswagen workers vote yes to unionizing, igniting UAW's push to organize the South

Bitcoin has just experienced a quadrennial event called the halving. It comes at a time when the digital currency was already surging. Dale De La Rey/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

A big thing has just happened to Bitcoin. It's called the halving

Dr. Mikael Petrosyan, associate chief of general and thoracic surgery, poses for a portrait in his office at Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C. on November 13, 2023. Eric Lee for NPR hide caption

We, The Voters

'we created this problem:' a pediatric surgeon on how gun violence affects children.

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Surviving children of the Auschwitz concentration camp, one of the camps the Nazis had set up to exterminate Jews and kill millions of others. Research into the appropriate way to "re-feed" those who've experienced starvation was prompted by the deaths of camp survivors after liberation. ullstein bild/Getty Images hide caption

Goats and Soda

What world war ii taught us about how to help starving people today.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., looks over his notes during a meeting with Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal as Congress moves to advance an emergency foreign aid package for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, April 18, 2024. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption

Senate passes reauthorization of key surveillance program despite privacy concerns

Robert Durst was arrested in 2015, the night before HBO televised the final episode of The Jinx. He was later convicted of murder, and died in prison in 2022. HBO hide caption

The first 'Jinx' ended with a hot mic murder admission. 'Part Two' shocks as well

Latest stories, usc cancels filmmaker's keynote amid controversy over canceled valedictorian speech, mandisa, grammy-winning singer and 'american idol' alum, has died at 47, what's making us happy: a guide to your weekend viewing, listening and gaming.

In this 2008 file photo, Big Bird reads to Connor Scott and Tiffany Jiao during a taping of Sesame Street in New York. Mark Lennihan/AP hide caption

'S' is for solidarity, not strike. 'Sesame Street' writers reach a deal

The deal offers writers minimums for animation and new media programs, paid parental leave, protections against artificial intelligence and new media residuals.

Lise Davidsen: Tiny Desk Concert

Lara Downes: Tiny Desk Concert

Hauschka: Tiny Desk Concert

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Nellie McKay: Tiny Desk Concert

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Walter Martin: Tiny Desk Concert

Tiny Desk Premiere: Yaya Bey

Tiny Desk Premiere: Lise Davidsen

The Norwegian soprano, with plenty of horsepower, unleashes a high C, and much subtle singing in a thrilling set.

Students carrying signs on April 18, 2024 on the campus of USC protest a canceled commencement speech by its 2024 valedictorian who has publicly supported Palestinians. Damian Dovarganes/AP hide caption

USC announced the cancellation of a keynote speech by filmmaker Jon M. Chu just days after making the choice to keep the student valedictorian, who expressed support for Palestinians, from speaking.

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What's Making Us Happy: Recommendations From 'Pop Culture Happy Hour'

Each week, Pop Culture Happy Hour guests and hosts share what's bringing them joy. This week: The Wiz revival on Broadway, the podcast Koreaboo, and the game Balatro.

Former President Donald Trump, flanked by attorneys Todd Blanche (left) and Emil Bove (right), arrives for his criminal trial as jury selection continues at Manhattan court on Thursday. Jabin Botsford/Getty Images hide caption

Jury selection ends in Trump hush money trial

Former President Donald Trump is present in the courtroom while New Yorkers answer personal questions about their ability to serve on the jury.

From Gothamist: A man is in critical condition after setting himself on fire outside Trump trial

Arizona GOP Rep. Paul Gosar, seen here on Capitol Hill in June 2023, announced Friday he's joining the move to oust Mike Johnson as House speaker. Drew Angerer/Getty Images hide caption

A 3rd Republican joins a motion to oust Mike Johnson as House speaker

Other House Freedom Caucus members have said that while they disagree with House Speaker Mike Johnson, they don't think it's in their best interests to go through another speakership fight.

Here's what's in the House foreign aid bills

On Taylor Swift's 11th album, The Tortured Poets Department , her artistry is tangled up in the details of her private life and her deployment of celebrity. But Swift's lack of concern about whether these songs speak to and for anyone but herself is audible throughout the album. Beth Garrabrant /Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Taylor Swift's 'Tortured Poets' is written in blood

With The Tortured Poets Department , the defining pop star of her era has made an album as messy and confrontational as any good girl's work can get.

Iranian worshippers walk past a mural showing the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, right, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, left, and Basij paramilitary force, in an anti-Israeli gathering after their Friday prayer in Tehran, Iran, on Friday. Vahid Salemi/AP hide caption

Middle East crisis — explained

What we know so far about israel's strike on iran — and what could happen next.

Israel and Iran seem to be downplaying the attack, the latest in a series of retaliatory strikes between the two. Analysts say that could be a sign of the de-escalation world leaders are calling for.

"Our nation's educational institutions should be places where we not only accept differences, but celebrate them," U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, seen in the East Room of the White House in August 2023, said of the new Title IX regulation. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Biden administration adds Title IX protections for LGBTQ students, assault victims

The new rules also broaden the interpretation of Title IX to cover pregnant, gay and transgender students. They do not address whether schools can ban trans athletes from women's and girls' teams.

Shares in former President Trump's social media company surged climbed over the past two trading sessions after tanking for several weeks. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption

Trump Media shares surge after a miserable run. Pros say stay away

Trump Media shares surged over the most recent two trading days — but the company continues to weather a miserable run since its stock market debut last month.

Mandisa accepts the award for pop/contemporary album of the year at the Dove Awards in 2014 in Nashville, Tenn. Mark Humphrey/AP hide caption

The singer gained stardom after finishing ninth on "American Idol" in 2006. In 2014, she won a Grammy for best contemporary Christian music album for "Overcomer," her fifth album.

An Instagram page where the user has hidden their entire photo grid. The trend is being led by younger members increasingly concerned for their privacy. NPR hide caption

The Rise of 'Grid Zero': Why more Instagram users are hiding their profile

Many users are concealing their public photos and sharing instead in private spaces. It's something of a protest against the over-sharing culture of social media. And Gen Z is driving the trend.

The answer is in the stars. Sarah Stier/Getty Images; Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images; Bruce Bennett/Getty Images hide caption

The NPR news quiz

What's going to explode in space find out in the quiz.

In other news, the WNBA draft was haute, a star system is hot and a Nike uniform was deemed neither haute nor hot.

Doris Kearns Goodwin and Dick Goodwin were married in 1975. Marc Peloquin, courtesy of the author. hide caption

Author Interviews

A historian's view of 'an extraordinary time capsule of the '60s'.

In her new book, Doris Kearns Goodwin revisits the '60s through her late husband Richard Goodwin's perspective—and her own.

Google has a contract with the Israeli government where it provides the country with cloud computing services. Not all Google employees are happy about that. Alexander Koerner/Getty Images hide caption

A Google worker says the company is 'silencing our voices' after dozens of employees are fired

The tech giant fired 28 employees who took part in a protest over the company's Project Nimbus contract with the Israeli government. One fired worker tells her story.

Google worker says the company is 'silencing our voices' after dozens are fired

George Gates holds a vial April 10 while collecting a sample of water containing PFAS for research at a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lab in Cincinnati. Joshua A. Bickel/AP hide caption

The EPA will force polluters to pay for PFAS cleanups

The Biden administration will tap the Superfund law to mitigate contamination by two of the most common PFAS chemicals.

When the media covers scientific research, not all scientists are equally likely to be mentioned. A new study finds scientists with Asian or African names were 15% less likely to be named in a story. shironosov/Getty Images hide caption

Perspective

Shots - health news, which scientists get mentioned in the news mostly ones with anglo names, says study.

A new study finds that in news stories about scientific research, U.S. media were less likely to mention a scientist if they had an East Asian or African name, as compared to one with an Anglo name.

A federally-funded program in New York will provide homeowners with rebates for energy-efficient home upgrades, like heat pumps. Rebecca Redelmeier/WSKG News hide caption

New York residents will be first in the U.S. to get federal funds for energy-efficient appliances

New York is the first state in the country to receive an initial $158 million to implement a rebate program to help families save money on energy-efficient electric appliances.

To help the group feel like a band, Will Butler had them open for him in Brooklyn. Julieta Cervantes/Stereophonic hide caption

A new play peers into a band's life, from the inside

Stereophonic , a new play on Broadway with music by Arcade Fire's Will Butler, tracks the volatile creation of a rock and roll album over the course of a year in the 1970s.

There's more plastic waste in the world than ever. So, where did the idea come from that individuals, rather than corporations, should keep the world litter-free? Tim Boyle/Getty Images hide caption

Time Machine: The Throughline History Quiz

Who created the idea of litter – and why play this month's throughline history quiz..

Where did the idea come from that individuals, rather than corporations, should keep the world litter-free? What history is hidden in the trash? Find out here.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg listens at news conference in New York, Feb. 7, 2023. Donald Trump has made history as the first former president to face criminal charges. Seth Wenig/AP hide caption

Alvin Bragg, Manhattan's district attorney, draws friends close and critics closer

Alvin Bragg, Manhattan's District Attorney, has great friends and determined critics

Bar and pub trivia originated in England, but it's become a popular past time in the United States over the last twenty years. Charles Krupa/AP hide caption

Should phones be used at trivia nights? A D.C. cheating scandal begs the question

Smart phones at trivia night can make it easy to cheat. A cheating scandal shows it may be time to go back to pen and paper

To read poetry like a poet, don't worry about 'getting it'

For National Poetry Month, which takes place in April, poets share advice on how to make a meaningful connection with poetry.

Tens of thousands of people watched as dozens of colorfully decorated boats toured the Dutch capital's historic canals Saturday, Aug. 5, 2023, in the most popular event of a six-day Pride Amsterdam festival that attracts tens of thousands of visitors to the city. Peter Dejong/AP hide caption

Amsterdam was flooded with tourists in 2023, so it won't allow any more hotels

Twenty-six hotels that already have permits can move forward, but after that a hotel can only be built if one shuts down. Tourists spent about 20.7 million nights in Amsterdam hotels last year.

The CDC and FDA are investigating reports of patients in nearly a dozen U.S. states being injected with counterfeit Botox. Jens Kalaene/picture alliance via Getty Images hide caption

Fake Botox has sickened patients nationwide. Here's what to know — and what to avoid

Public health authorities are investigating reports of counterfeit injections sickening 19 people across nine states. Experts say getting bona fide Botox starts with finding a trustworthy provider.

Kahlil Brown, 18, says teammate Deshaun Hill Jr., the student and quarterback who was shot and killed in 2022, was his best friend. Brown, shown posing for a portrait at the North Community High School football field in Minneapolis on April 9, will attend St. Olaf College in the fall. Caroline Yang for NPR hide caption

Where gun violence is common, some students say physical safety is a top concern

The federal government is investing billions to bolster school safety and mental health resources to combat gun violence. But some sense a disconnect between those programs and what students need.

Waxahatchee Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Waxahatchee renounced the 'tortured artist' trope on her latest album

Waxahatchee's Katie Crutchfield talks about writing her latest album, Tigers Blood , from a place of happiness and peace.

Waxahatchee on World Cafe

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., speaks during a town hall hosted by the Democratic lawmaker at Montana Technological University, Nov. 10, 2023, in Butte, Mont. Matthew Brown/AP hide caption

Democratic Sen. Jon Tester hopes to secure another win in deep-red Montana

Tester is the last Democrat holding statewide office as Republicans have dominated recent elections in Montana. He's carved out an identity as a moderate and he hopes that will win him another term.

Gabrielle and Louis (Léa Seydoux and George MacKay) meet in 1910 Paris, 2014 Los Angeles and again in 2044 in The Beast . Carole Bethuel/Kinology hide caption

Movie Reviews

'the beast' jumps from 1910, to 2014, to 2044, tracking fear through the ages.

This wildly original adaptation of the Henry James novella The Beast in the Jungle follows human alienation and anxiety, asking why, in every era, we disengage from life and the people around us.

NYPD officers detain a person as pro-Palestinian protesters gather outside of Columbia University in New York City on Thursday. Officers cleared out a pro-Palestinian campus demonstration, a day after university officials testified about anti-Semitism before Congress. Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

The NYPD breaks up a pro-Palestinian protest at Columbia University

Police began making dozens of arrests after Columbia University's president asked for help clearing protesters — citing the "encampment and related disruptions pose a clear and present danger."

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Biden urges aid for Israel and Ukraine and calls on Israel 'not to be blinded by rage'

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden spoke to the nation in a rare prime-time address Thursday, explaining why he believes it’s crucial for Israel and Ukraine to win the respective wars they’re fighting, as he looks to build support for a hefty aid package aimed at strengthening both countries.

Though Israel endured a horrifying attack from Hamas militants on Oct. 7, Biden said that he cautioned Israelis not to repeat the mistakes an angered U.S. made after terrorists attacked the country on Sept. 11, 2001, an apparent reference to the prolonged U.S. military presence in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"When I was in Israel yesterday, I said that when America experienced the hell of 9/11, we felt enraged, as well," Biden said. "While we sought and got justice, we made mistakes. So I cautioned the government of Israel not to be blinded by rage."

Biden’s Oval Office speech followed a quick visit Wednesday to Tel Aviv, where he met with Israeli leaders and discussed the next phase of a counterattack in Gaza that began with an aerial bombardment and may now shift to a risky ground incursion.

As with his trip to Ukraine in February, Biden ventured to an active war zone to show his solidarity with a U.S. ally battling an enemy that wants to wipe it out of existence.

“The terrorist group Hamas unleashed pure unadulterated evil in the world," Biden said in his address. "But sadly, the Jewish people know perhaps better than anyone that there is no limit to the depravity of people when they want to inflict pain on others."

He added that “Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people."

Biden sought to connect the two distant wars for an audience that might not see why U.S. interests are at stake. Both Hamas and Russian President Vladimir Putin aim to destroy neighboring democracies, and if they succeed they're bound to feel emboldened and look for more conquests, Biden said.

"History has taught us that when terrorists don't pay a price for their terror — when dictators don't pay a price for their aggression — they cause more chaos and death and more destruction. They keep going, and the costs of the threats to America and the world keep rising," he said.

Biden’s remarks also had a more immediate and practical purpose. He wants to put pressure on Congress to approve an emergency funding package that his administration plans to submit Friday. Biden may request $60 billion in aid to Ukraine and a total of $40 billion for Israel, Taiwan and the U.S.-Mexico border, people familiar with the matter said this week.

"It's a smart investment that's going to pay dividends for American security for generations," he said. "We're going to make sure other hostile actors in the region know that Israel is stronger than ever and prevent this conflict from spreading."

Biden is in a weakened posture as he tries to shape public opinion toward the wars. A CNBC poll taken this month found that only 31% of Americans approved of Biden’s handling of foreign policy, compared to 60% who disapproved.

He spoke to Americans who appear to be tiring of the war in Ukraine, which started in February 2022 with Russia’s invasion. A Reuters/Ipsos poll this month found that 41% agreed with the statement that the U.S. should provide weapons to Ukraine — down from 46% in May.

The U.S. has sent about $44 billion in security aid to Ukraine since Russia first rolled its tanks toward Kyiv, according to the State Department.

Ahead of the speech, Biden spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about the status of the war with Russia, according to a White House readout of the conversation.

"President Biden underscored the continued strong bipartisan support in the United States for Ukraine's defense of its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and democratic future," according to the White House.

As the wars unfold overseas, the fallout at home is growing more pronounced.

Israel’s counterattack has already triggered angry demonstrations from American protesters demanding a cease-fire. On Capitol Hill, about 300 protesters were arrested after they massed inside a House office building Wednesday in a demonstration calling for an end to hostilities. Rabbis were among those who joined in the protest. Some of the demonstrators wore T-shirts reading: “Jews say ceasefire now.”

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., wrote on X this week that it is Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken's "job to protect Palestinian Americans."

"They are failing," she wrote.

More than 400 congressional staffers anonymously signed on to an open letter calling for a cease-fire in Gaza and saying they are “profoundly disturbed that such shows of humanity [for Israelis] have barely been extended to the Palestinian people.”

Separately, a State Department official working in a bureau overseeing U.S. arms sales resigned in protest this week , citing America's “continued — indeed, expanded and expedited” supply of weapons to Israel as it conducts its counterattack.

Josh Paul, the bureau’s director of congressional and public affairs, wrote in a resignation letter: “I believe to the core of my soul that the response Israel is taking, and with it the American support both for that response, and for the status quo of the occupation, will only lead to more and deeper suffering for both the Israeli and the Palestinian people.” Paul’s resignation was first reported by HuffPost.

An Oval Office address is a powerful forum that presidents typically reserve for national crises or messages of overriding importance. It's the stage John F. Kennedy selected to explain the Cuban Missile Crisis and the one George W. Bush chose to reassure a frightened nation the night of the 9/11 attack.

Biden spent part of the speech urging tolerance and compassion for people of all faiths. He mentioned an alleged hate crime in Chicago. Authorities say a landlord stabbed and killed a 6-year-old Muslim boy, Wadea Al-Fayoume , and also attacked the boy's mother. Law enforcement officials said both victims were targeted because of their Muslim faith.

"We must, without equivocation, denounce antisemitism," Biden said. "We must also, without equivocation, denounce Islamophobia. And to those of you that are hurting, I want you to know I see you. You belong. And I want to say this to you: You're all American. You're all American. In moments like these and when fear and suspicion, anger and rage run hard, we have to work harder than ever to hold on to the values that make us who we are."

Though Biden has aligned himself with Israel in the conflict, he and his senior Cabinet officials have made it clear that the powerful Israeli military cannot devastate Hamas at any cost. Through diplomatic means, he said, Biden has ensured that vulnerable Palestinian civilians in Gaza will receive humanitarian aid.

Flying home from Israel on Wednesday night, Biden told reporters that he had spoken by phone to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, who had agreed to open a border crossing into Gaza that will permit aid to go through and assist the civilian population. If Hamas “confiscates” the aid, Biden added, the flow will stop.

Biden also obliquely suggested that he is pressing Israel to find an alternative to a ground attack that could result in large numbers of civilian casualties.

Asked whether Israel might forgo a ground incursion, Biden said: “We had a long talk about that and what alternatives there are."

Peter Nicholas is a senior national political reporter for NBC News.

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Opinion | School fools: Columbia arrests dent free speech

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This week, more than 100 Columbia University students were suspended from school and then arrested after erecting an encampment on a campus lawn to, among other things, denounce Israel’s war in Gaza and call for the school to divest from certain Israel-affiliated entities. This move was a betrayal of the principles of free expression that the university purports to hold so dear.

It’s important to be clear about what the university is allowed to do legally and expected to do ethically. No one can reasonably contend that the students weren’t violating university policies; as a private institution, Columbia is not bound by the First Amendment , and was within its rights to ask the NYPD to clear the encampment. The students were warned of the potential consequences, and the encampment was certainly disruptive.

Does that mean that this tough response, which bars students from campus and may imperil their ability to graduate was proper? No. The university has pointed to its interim protest policies, which limit where and when groups can demonstrate in ostensible furtherance of the university’s functioning as, well, a university.

As a standalone principle this makes sense; civil disobedience carries consequences: break what you consider an unjust rule and face the repercussions, from fines to jail to even college suspensions. Columbia also has an interest in balancing student organizing against disruptions that shut down its capacity to operate.

Yet despite this argument and University President Minouche Shafik’s even more dubious assertion, in her letter requesting NYPD intervention , that the demonstration constituted a “clear and present danger to the substantial function of the University,” Columbia has been unable to provide any backing to the notion that this encampment posed any significant threat to operations.

The demonstrators set up on university lawns and, rhetoric aside, there’s no indication they tried to interfere with other students’ ability to get to classes or use campus facilities.

Rather, Shafik seems to be suggesting that the presence of the protesters and the content of their anti-Israel speech was jarring to other students, maybe made them uncomfortable, and this fact necessitated a swift and heavy-handed response. That’s attacking the message, which unless it advocates violence, should be left alone.

The anti-Israel, anti-Zionist stand of the encampers is a wrongheaded political position that this Editorial Board firmly rejects. Yes, Israel has made some mistakes in pursuing Hamas and civilian casualties have been too high, but we would not support most of what these students are pushing for.

Yet a free speech commitment is worth little if it extends only to speech we agree with. It’s hard not to read this as partly an effort to assuage the Republican members of Congress who had the day prior grilled Shafik about campus antisemitism (which does exist) and tried to box her into making the sorts of equivocations that had earlier cost fellow university presidents their jobs.

These are many of the same politicians who have been screaming about campus free speech for years, chastising college administrators for supposedly bowing to the censoriousness of politically left students. Color us unsurprised that many of these figures have whiplashed around so fast as to risk injury. In hoping to please these political opportunists, Columbia has turned its back on its principles.

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Licensed therapist aids children with speech and feeding problems.

Contributed A COMFORTABLE ENVIRONMENT — Vanessa Maurer, owner of Hometown Speech Therapy, said she set out to create a comfortable environment in which to aid youth of all ages with communication issues and feeding disorders. Wintersville officials recently conducted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to welcome her.

WINTERSVILLE — Licensed speech therapist Vanessa Maurer said she named her practice Hometown Speech Therapy because she wanted people to know they didn’t have to go far to find help for their children with communication issues and feeding disorders.

And she has worked with her husband, Mike, to make her practice at 125 Main St. a welcoming and comfortable place for the youth she treats.

Located at the rear of the Goodwill building, with its own entrance and parking, the spacious practice includes a play area where children may unwind.

It also lends itself well to hands-on activities used by Maurer to assist youth 18 and under in overcoming difficulties in expressing themselves or swallowing food.

She explained she has been trained to aid people with dysphagia, a condition in which swallowing is difficult and may be accompanied by pain, drooling, coughing, gagging and other symptoms.

Such problems can occur as early as infancy with difficulty in breastfeeding, but there are methods to help children overcome them, she said.

Maurer added for various reasons, some children have difficulty articulating certain vowel or consonant sounds, and she can work with them to confidently express themselves to others.

She noted there also are devices that can aid with communication.

In addition to part-time speech therapist Taylor Hawthorne, Maurer is joined at her new practice by Danielle Haught, who offers tutoring in various subjects to the children aided there.

Haught said developmental delays in verbal skills often affect a child’s performance in school, and she can help them catch up.

A graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville with 20 years of tutoring behind her, she has organized summer day camps to reinforce skills children will need when they return to school.

A 2006 graduate of Toronto High School, Maurer earned a master’s degree in speech therapy at West Virginia University.

Her husband’s work took her for a few years to Georgia, where she worked in a private practice, before returning to the Ohio Valley, where she worked for a time in the Brooke County and Buckeye Local school districts and at a local nursing home.

While she is focusing on youth at this time, she hasn’t ruled out later expanding to adults, including senior citizens who may suffer from speech impairment resulting from strokes and other conditions.

Maurer said some of her clients come through doctor referrals, and she accepts most insurance, but many have learned of her services through word of mouth.

A mother of three, she said she enjoys working with children and has been happy to pursue a career that involves helping people.

Appointments currently are available from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Thursday and Friday and 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, though those hours may expand in the summer.

To make an appointment for treatment or tutoring, call (740) 461-0860.

Information about Hometown Speech Therapy also can be found on its website and Facebook page.

(Scott can be contacted at [email protected].)

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Trump goes after the judge and prosecutors in his hush money case in last rally before trial begins

Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event in Schnecksville, Pa., Saturday, April 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Joe Lamberti)

Former U.S. President Donald Trump walks to the podium during a campaign event in Schnecksville, Pa., on Saturday, April 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Joe Lamberti)

Attendees gather as former U.S. President Donald Trump holds a campaign event in Schnecksville, Pa., on Saturday, April 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Joe Lamberti)

FILE - Republican presidential candidate, former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally, July 29, 2023, in Erie, Pa. Trump plans to hold a rally Saturday, April 13, 2024, in northeast Pennsylvania, his last before his criminal hush money trial begins on Monday. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)

Former U.S. President Donald Trump greets attendees during a campaign event in Schnecksville, Pa., on Saturday, April 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Joe Lamberti)

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a news conference with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., Friday, April 12, 2024, at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

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SCHNECKSVILLE, Pa. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump on Saturday lit into New York prosecutors and the criminal hush money case they brought against him during his last rally before what he called a “communist show trial” begins Monday.

“I will be forced to sit fully gagged. I’m not allowed to talk. They want to take away my constitutional right to talk,” said Trump, who has been barred from publicly discussing potential witnesses and jurors but not the judge or prosecutors.

“I’m proud to do it for you,” Trump told a crowd in northeast Pennsylvania. “Have a good time watching.”

Trump spoke as Israel was fighting off a retaliatory drone attack from Iran that threatened to tip into a regional war in the Middle East. After a short mention of the attack, which he claimed wouldn’t have happened if he were president, Trump turned to an extended tirade against his own legal troubles.

What to know about Trump’s hush money trial:

• Trump will be first ex-president on criminal trial. Here’s what to know about the hush money case.
• A jury of his peers: A look at how jury selection will work in Donald Trump’s first criminal trial .
• Donald Trump is facing four criminal indictments, and a civil lawsuit. You can track all of the cases here.

He went after Judge Juan M. Merchan, whom he called “corrupt,” and District Attorney Alvin Bragg, declaring himself a victim of Democrats bent on blocking his return to the White House.

Trump is navigating four separate criminal prosecutions while running to avenge his loss to President Joe Biden, creating an unprecedented swirl of legal and political chaos.

Jury selection starts Monday in New York in his trial where he is charged with seeking during his 2016 campaign to bury stories about extramarital affairs by arranging hush money payments.

It will be the first criminal trial ever of a former U.S. president. And it will limit Trump’s availability on the campaign trail, though he is expected to speak to the media after court often and has for months fundraised and campaigned on the felony charges he faces.

Trump spoke at the Schnecksville Fire Hall in Lehigh County, where a long line formed outward three hours before Trump’s planned appearance. It was Trump’s third visit this year to the vital swing state , one that could decide who wins this year’s presidential race. He also plans to attend a fundraiser in nearby Bucks County before the event.

Pennsylvania is a critical battleground in the rematch between Trump and Biden, with both candidates expected to visit the state frequently through November. Trump flipped the state to the Republican column in 2016 but lost it four years after to Biden, who was born in the northeast city of Scranton and has long talked about his roots in the city. Biden plans to deliver a major address Tuesday in Scranton on tax fairness.

Bob Dippel, 69, retired after working as a chief financial officer for several small businesses. He said he didn’t think the upcoming trial “would matter too much” to independent voters because “people are starting to see the mockery being made” of the legal system.

Biden has argued Trump’s lies about losing the 2020 election are dangerous for the country. He has said Trump poses a fundamental threat to democracy and U.S. alliances abroad — rhetoric that Trump has argued applies to Biden.

“We’re going to win in the biggest landslide in history, because we’re the ones who are fighting to save our democracy and Joe Biden is a demented tyrant,” Trump said.

Iran’s attack on Israel, in apparent retaliation for a strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus that killed 12 people, may once again push foreign policy and the Middle East into the center of the presidential campaign.

It marked the first time Iran has launched a direct military assault on Israel, where officials have vowed to strike Iran directly in response to any attack from Iranian soil.

Prior to Saturday, Trump has recently said Israel needs to “ finish up ” its offensive in Gaza, warning the country is “absolutely losing the PR war ” as deaths mount and images of mass destruction proliferate. Israeli forces are going after Hamas after militants staged an Oct. 7 attack in which they killed an estimated 1,200 people and took 250 hostages.

“Get it over with, and let’s get back to peace and stop killing people. And that’s a very simple statement,” Trump said in an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt earlier this month. “They have to get it done. Get it over with, and get it over with fast because we have to — you have to get back to normalcy and peace.”

Trump recently said that any Democratic-leaning voters who support Israel should back him instead, as Biden has criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s actions in his war against Hamas. The Republican said Wednesday that “any Jewish person who votes for a Democrat or votes for Biden should have their head examined.”

During his presidency, he moved the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and facilitated the normalization of relations between Israel and several Arab states through a series of agreements known as the Abraham Accords. He pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal negotiated by his predecessor, Barack Obama, a move that Israel welcomed.

The deal lifted sanctions on Iran, which agreed in exchange to limit its nuclear program and allow inspections. Trump said it was too generous to Iran, while supporters of a deal said it was the best option to forestall a nuclear-armed Iran.

Cooper reported from Phoenix.

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Jon Stewart compares Donald Trump's Gettysburg speech to 'a horse giving birth’

The "Daily Show" host also mocked the former president appearing to fall asleep in court: "Imagine committing so many crimes you get bored at your own trial."

It wouldn’t be a new episode of The Daily Show if Jon Stewart didn’t mock the latest public appearance from Donald Trump .

During Monday’s episode, the late-night host skewered two Trump headlines for the price of one segment, beginning with the recent rally held near the historic site of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

“Our former president and illustrious historian, Donald J. Trump, spoke near one of America’s most hallowed battlefields,” Stewart began. “And if you thought Lincoln consecrated Gettysburg with his soaring rhetoric… Well, buckle up.”

The Comedy Central show then cut to a snippet of Trump’s speech at the rally, where the former President referenced the Battle of Gettysburg by saying, “What an unbelievable, I mean, it was so much and so interesting and so vicious and horrible, and it’s so beautiful in so many different ways. It represented such a big portion of the success of this country. Gettysburg, wow.”

The Daily Show/YouTube; Angela Weiss/AFP/Bloomberg via Getty

Stewart joked that Trump’s statement was "plagiarized, almost directly, from my seventh-grade book report, ‘Gettysburg, Wow.'"

As the crowd applauded, Stewart mocked the former President with an impression of his speech, commenting, "'It was vicious, and horrible, and beautiful.’ Is he talking about a Civil War battle or a horse giving birth?”

Stewart then jokingly came to Trump’s defense: "To be fair to the former president, he does have a lot on his mind right now," he said, before pivoting to a discussion about Trump’s latest criminal trial, regarding alleged hush money payments made to Stormy Daniels during his first presidential run. The host cut to a CNN broadcast where reporter Maggie Haberman claims Trump appeared to be sleeping during the trial as “his head keeps dropping down and his mouth goes slack.”

To this, Stewart quipped: “Imagine committing so many crimes, you get bored at your own trial?” Stewart joked. “‘Move on to the good stuff!’” 

Stewart then went on to mock the former president further, for comparing his “political persecution” to that of Nelson Mandela or Jesus Christ. You can watch the full segment in the Daily Show clip above.

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• Jon Stewart tears up honoring his late dog Dipper on The Daily Show : 'In a world of good boys, he was the best'
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California News | USC cancels Muslim valedictorian’s…

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California news | usc cancels muslim valedictorian’s commencement speech, citing safety concerns, "i am not surprised by those who attempt to propagate hatred. i am surprised that my own university — my home for four years — has abandoned me," said chino hills resident asna tabassum..

USC administrators have banned the university’s class of 2024 valedictorian, who is Muslim and South Asian, from speaking at its May 10 commencement , citing safety concerns over her pro-Palestinian views that some have criticized as antisemitic.

Asna Tabassum, a Chino Hills resident who graduated in 2020 from Ayala High School , reacted harshly to the decision, saying she was both shocked and “profoundly disappointed that the university is succumbing to a campaign of hate meant to silence my voice.”

In a statement, Tabassum said she was “not surprised by those who attempt to propagate hatred. I am surprised that my own university — my home for four years — has abandoned me.”

Asna Tabassum, USC’s class of 2024 valedictorian and a first-generation, South Asian American Muslim, was previously announced as the school’s valedictorian, giving a speech at its Friday, May 10 commencement. But on April 15, officials backtracked the decision, citing safety issues after pro-Israel groups expressed concerns over Tabassum’s alleged antisemitic views. (Photo courtesy of Enjy El-Kadi, CAIR-LA)

In a message to the university community on Monday, April 15, however, USC Provost Andrew Guzman said “discussion relating to the selection of our valedictorian has taken on an alarming tenor” in the past several days.

“The intensity of feelings, fueled by both social media and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East , has grown to include many voices outside of USC and has escalated to the point of creating substantial risks relating to security and disruption at commencement,” Guzman wrote. “We cannot ignore the fact that similar risks have led to harassment and even violence at other campuses. … As always, and particularly when tensions are running so high across the world, we must prioritize the safety of our community.”

Guzman continued, “While this is disappointing, tradition must give way to safety. This decision is not only necessary to maintain the safety of our campus and students, but is consistent with the fundamental legal obligation — including the expectations of federal regulators — that universities act to protect students and keep our campus community safe. … The issue here is how best to maintain campus security and safety, period.”

This is the first time USC has canceled a valedictorian’s speech, according to reports.

Tabassum, a biomedical engineering major with a minor in resistance to genocide, was announced as this year’s class valedictorian earlier this month. Since then, critics swiftly raised questions about Tabassum’s views relating to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East that she shared online. Opponents say her posts promoted “antisemitic and anti-Zionist rhetoric.”

In letters and emails sent to USC administrators, critics accused her of posting on her Instagram bio a link to a website that “takes a swinging bat at over 10% of the USC student body and mudslings by calling Zionists ‘racist-settlers.’ “

“Ms. Tabassum unabashedly and openly endorses the link’s calls for ‘the complete abolishment of the state of Israel (sic),’ ” according to a letter circulated for critics to submit to administrators. “As if the unqualified command for abolition of the State of Israel was unclear in any way, Ms. Tabassum’s link reinforces racism with another link, urging readers to ‘reject the hegemonic efforts to demand that Palestinians accept that Israel has a right to exist as a … Jewish state.”‘

While not going into details about the messages against Tabassum, USC officials said the unnamed threats came in shortly after her valedictorian announcement, according to reports.

Pro-Israel groups both on and off-campus accused Tabassum of “promoting antisemitic views” through shared Instagram posts, likes and infographics, according to USC’s student-run paper, The Daily Trojan.

The student-run Trojans for Israel expressed “troubling” concerns about Tabassum, stating online that her selection “turns an inclusive and meaningful milestone (commencement) into an unwelcoming and intolerant environment for Jewish graduates and their families.”

Immediately following the university’s decision, the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Los Angeles (CAIR-LA) condemned USC’s actions, issuing a statement demanding the decision be reversed and starting a petition to urge administrators to allow  Tabassum to speak at commencement.

“The University of Southern California must stand by Asna Tabassum,” CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush said. “Even though USC has maintained Asna’s position as valedictorian, the cowardly decision to cancel her speech empowers voices of hate and censorship, violates USC’s obligation to protect its students and sends a terrible signal to both Muslim students at USC and all students who dare to express support for Palestinian humanity.”

Ayloush called the “defamatory attacks” on Tabassum “nothing more than thinly veiled manifestations of Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism, which have been weaponized against college students across the country who speak up for human rights.”

“Asna is an incredibly accomplished student whose academic and extracurricular accomplishments made her the ideal and historic recipient of this year’s valedictorian’s honor,” Ayloush added. “The university can, should and must ensure a safe environment for graduation rather than taking the unprecedented step of canceling a valedictorian’s speech.”

In her statement, which was released through CAIR-LA, Tabassum said that what “should have been a time of celebration” has been overshadowed.

“This campaign to prevent me from addressing my peers at commencement has evidently accomplished its goal: today, USC administrators informed me that the university will no longer allow me to speak at commencement due to supposed security concerns,” Tabassum said in the statement.

“Anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian voices have subjected me to a campaign of racist hatred because of my uncompromising belief in human rights for all,” she wrote.

She claimed that in a meeting with USC administrators on April 14, she was told the university had the resources “to take appropriate safety measures” for her speech. She said that she was told USC would not be increasing security protections, since that was “not what the university wants to ‘present as an image.’ “

Tabassum said she is not aware of specific threats against her or USC, and that when she requested more details from her school, she was denied. Because she would not be provided any increased security from the school, she admitted “serious doubts” about the decision to revoke her speech.

Provost Guzman stated that the school’s decision in no way diminishes “the remarkable academic achievements of any student considered or selected for valedictorian.” He said USC’s valedictorians are traditionally selected through the Valedictorian and Salutatorian Selection Committee, which evaluated nearly 100 applicants based on GPA, essay submissions and other academic criteria. The factors do not include social media activity, Guzman said.

“To be clear: this decision has nothing to do with freedom of speech. There is no free-speech entitlement to speak at a commencement,” Guzman noted, citing USC’s Free Speech Policy .

The USC Palestine Justice Faculty Group also rejected the university’s decision, calling it “another example of USC’s egregious pattern of supporting anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim racism.”

Activists are calling the act an attempt to silence the pro-Palestinian voices of college students, noting recent examples at Pomona College in Claremont and at UC Berkeley.

Ed Hasan, an educator and USC class of 2018 graduate, was “disappointed” in his alma mater, saying it is “capitulating to hateful groups attacking Tabassum… because she’s pro-Palestinian, because she’s Muslim, and because she wears a hijab.” He thought USC would always promote diversity and inclusion, and support marginalized communities and students.

“If we don’t allow her to speak, it’s really going to flip academia on its head because there is no academic freedom here. At this point, that’s what (USC) is proving,” Hasan said. “If we give in to hate and silence her, our ‘Fight On’ slogan never meant anything. We’re learning very quickly that it’s ‘Fight On’ — except for Palestine.”

Tabassum was also the class of 2020 valedictorian at Ayala High School in Chino Hills , but was not able to deliver a speech  in person because of the COVID pandemic.

Leaders from the group Chino Valley 4 Palestinian Liberation expressed their support for Tabassum in a statement Tuesday.

“This is yet another example of a liberal institution in America censoring pro-Palestinian voices. We strongly condemn USC’s bigotry and censorship,” said spokesperson Selena Harrigan. “Asna, your Chino Valley community fully supports you and is immensely proud of your unwavering courage.”

Staff writer Allyson Vergara and City News Service contributed to this report.

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USC got it wrong in canceling valedictorian’s speech

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The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on  bangordailynews.com

David N. Myers is distinguished professor of Jewish history at UCLA. Salam Al-Marayati is the president of the Muslim Public Affairs Council. They wrote this column for the Los Angeles Times.

The University of Southern California’s decision to rescind valedictorian Asna Tabassum’s invitation to speak at its commencement no doubt resulted from a range of pressures from inside and outside the university, particularly the outcry over the student’s expressions of support for Palestinians. Provost Andrew T. Guzman wrote that he acted in the face of “substantial risks relating to security and disruption at commencement.”

Particularly since Oct. 7, university administrators have tough jobs requiring them to balance commitments to free speech, a vibrant and respectful academic culture, and campus safety. That said, USC made the wrong decision.

University officials evidently calculated that they would prefer taking heat for canceling Tabassum’s speech to doing what they have done for over a century: giving the valedictorian the opportunity to share her insights with the USC community.

What exactly was the risk of abiding by this valuable and time-honored tradition? After all, U.S. presidents are invited to give commencement addresses at universities every year, necessitating far more security than any other speaker. Surely the threats posed to Tabassum can’t be graver than those facing a president of the United States.

Could it be that the risks motivating administrators included the prospect that the valedictorian might criticize Israel’s war in Gaza or express sympathy for the Palestinian people? If so, their tolerance for voices that roil the establishment has sadly disappeared.

We will not move past the crisis of the moment by silencing those with whom we disagree. The university is exactly the sort of place where such views must be heard. Otherwise, it is not a university.

Universities should resist the toxic political culture that locks us in our echo chambers, where we are exposed only to those views that are to our liking. Students shouldn’t become passive followers who seek a diploma just to get a job. We want and need our students to be leaders; they need to encounter divergent and challenging perspectives that allow for innovation and the production of knowledge that can serve society.

An important point is often lost in the shrillness of public debate: It is legitimate to call for the liberation of Palestinians who have been deprived of the right of self-determination — which is precisely what Israel represents for Jews — since 1948, even if reasonable people can disagree about how that should be achieved. It is also legitimate to express grave concern about a war that has killed more than 33,000 people, many of them children, and displaced most of the Gaza Strip’s population.

These arguments are deeply discomfiting to many, especially students, staff and faculty who identify with Israel. And if the valedictorian were to articulate these claims in her commencement speech, it would be uncomfortable for some, perhaps many. But controversy is hardly unheard of or inappropriate in commencement addresses and decisions about who delivers them.

Graduation speakers have seized the pulpit to speak truth to power during some of the most tumultuous times in our country. At Vassar College’s 1970 commencement ceremony, it was probably uncomfortable for many in the audience, particularly the men, when Gloria Steinem declared that “much of the trouble this country is in has to do with the Masculine Mystique: the idea that manhood somehow depends on the subjugation of other people.” And many in the audience of UC Berkeley’s 1966 law school commencement were likely uncomfortable when valedictorian Michael Tigar devoted his speech to Vietnam, proclaiming: “War is the enemy of political freedom.”

But given the tedium that so often characterizes commencement speeches, controversial ones may be more in line with the rightful function of universities.

It is not too late for USC to correct its error. It would do justice to Tabassum, who is by all accounts an exceptional, passionate and compassionate student. And it would demonstrate confidence in the university as a forum that can withstand — and even benefit from — controversial and challenging speech.

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California valedictorian will no longer give graduation speech over 'alarming' discussion

The university of southern california says asna tabassum will no longer speak at the ceremony after the discussion about her selection took on 'an alarming tenor'.

The University of Southern California said its valedictorian will no longer deliver a graduation speech this year, citing "substantial risks relating to security" over social media chatter surrounding the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The Los Angeles school revealed that Asna Tabassum , a fourth-year student from Chino Hills, California, was selected as the valedictorian and would give a speech alongside two salutatorians. In a news release Monday, the university said she would no longer speak at the ceremony after the discussion about her selection took on "an alarming tenor."

The move comes after some students, alumni and others complained to the university about Tabassum's social media, which includes an Instagram bio that links to a pro-Palestine website.

"The intensity of feelings, fueled by both social media and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, has grown to include many voices outside of USC and has escalated to the point of creating substantial risks relating to security and disruption at commencement," Provost Andrew Guzman said in a statement.

Guzman said the school can not ignore that similar risks led to harassment and violence at other campuses. He added that the school's Department of Public Safety and campus safety team have consulted to evaluate potential threats for graduation, which typically draws around 65,000 people.

"This decision is not only necessary to maintain the safety of our campus and students, but is consistent with the fundamental legal obligation – including the expectations of federal regulators – that universities act to protect students and keep our campus community safe," he said.

Groups call to reverse USC decision

Tabassum addressed the university's decision in a statement released through the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Los Angeles.

"Although this should have been a time of celebration for my family, friends, professors, and classmates, anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian voices have subjected me to a campaign of racist hatred because of my uncompromising belief in human rights for all," Tabassum said.

The council said the school's decision empowers voices of hate, violates its obligation to project students and "sends a terrible message to not only Muslim students at USC but all students who dare to express support for Palestinian humanity." It's also urging the community to demand the school to allow Tassabum to speak at graduation.

Among the calls against Tassabum as a graduation speaker were student group " Trojans For Israel ," who said her selection turned "an inclusive and meaningful milestone into an unwelcoming and intolerant environment for Jewish graduates and their families."

The 2024 commencement ceremony is scheduled for Friday, May 10.

War in Gaza stokes controversy worldwide

Controversies over the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict have been amplified since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas militants launched a brutal attack on Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people.

Over 30,000 Palestinians  have died in Gaza since that day. The region is also difficult to access, leaving many civilians displaced and  facing famine .

The crisis had led to protests for the release of Israeli hostages  and to  call for a ceasefire in Gaza , with those speaking out in support of Israelis and Palestinians  on social media receiving threats.

Contributing: Kinsey Crowley