A grand jury in Arizona on Wednesday indicted 18 people – including key Trump aides and allies Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows and Boris Epshteyn – for their involvement in an alleged "fake electors" plot to overturn Joe Biden's victory in the state. Although former President Donald Trump wasn't directly named in the indictment, appearing only as "unindicted co-conspirator 1," the indictments couldn't have come at a worse time for him. The charges were unsealed the day before the former president's lawyers appeared before the Supreme Court to claim that he has presidential immunity for his actions after the 2020 election, a bold gambit that could not only quash his federal criminal trials, but also fundamentally transform the meaning of the presidency.
Meanwhile, in a lower Manhattan courtroom, the second week of Trump's hush money trial concluded after several days of testimony from David Pecker, former publisher of the National Enquirer, who gave jurors insight into the "catch-and-kill" scheme allegedly used to bury bad press about the former president ahead of the election, which Pecker testified involved hush money payments to a porn actress and a Playboy model with whom the former president allegedly had affairs (Trump has denied having an affair with either woman). Witnesses Rhona Graff, Trump's former longtime assistant, and Gary Farro, Michael Cohen's former banker, also briefly took the stand on Friday. With more witnesses slated for next week, Judge Juan Merchan has scheduled another hearing on Thursday to determine whether the former president should be held in contempt for allegedly violating the gag order in the case.
Pro-Palestinian protests continued this week on college campuses across the country, heightening tensions between protesters and college administrators. A number of lawmakers have called for more drastic action, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, who visited Columbia University on Wednesday to demand President Biden intervene, potentially by calling in the National Guard to dismantle encampments.
After a chaotic week, last night's White House Correspondents' Dinner provided a welcome few hours of comic relief. Biden spoke eloquently about the importance of a free press, and fired off a series of zingers about Trump's legal battles.
Missed something? Don't worry. Here are our select columns and videos from the week. And don't forget to check out MSNBC.com for more.
