An eventful second week in Donald Trump's hush money trial concluded with bombshell testimony from Trump's longtime aide Hope Hicks, who painted a revealing picture of the panic inside the Trump campaign after the "Access Hollywood" tape leaked in October 2016. This week also saw testimony from Keith Davidson, a lawyer who represented alleged hush money recipients Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels, and from Gary Farro, Michael Cohen's former banker. Earlier in the week, Trump was fined $9,000 for violating his gag order, with Judge Juan Merchan warning that further violations could force the judge to jail him. Afterward, Trump claimed that the gag order prevented him from taking the stand, a claim that Merchan corrected, saying Trump has the "absolute right" to testify.
Colleges across the country cracked down on student protests against the war in Gaza this week, leading to more than 2,000 arrests on campuses such as Columbia, NYU, UCLA, and others. The pro-Palestinian protests have sprung up at more than 150 colleges so far, many of which have involved outdoor Gaza solidarity encampments and civil disobedience. Congress responded by passing a problematic bill with broad bipartisan support on Wednesday that aims to change how antisemitism can be investigated in schools.
Florida's six-week abortion ban has gone into effect, cutting off access to critical reproductive care for much of the South. Meanwhile, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs signed a repeal of the state's near-total 1864 abortion ban, having narrowly passed the state's Senate when two Republican senators broke with their party to secure its passage.
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.
