Donald Trump will be back in court today for the opening statements in his criminal trial. Supreme Court will debate whether cities can punish people who are homeless. And Columbia University hold virtual classes amid Gaza protests.

Here’s what to know today.

 Opening statements set to begin for Trump hush money trial

Opening statements are expected to begin today in the case of the People of the State of New York versus Donald Trump. 

Prosecutors from Manhattan District Alvin Bragg’s office allege Trump worked with his then-attorney Michael Cohen and executives at the National Enquirer to suppress stories, including from porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal. Daniels says she slept with Trump in 2006, and McDougal says she had a 10-month sexual relationship with Trump that ended in April 2007. 

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Trump has denied sleeping with either of them. Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 to keep quiet, while Enquirer publisher AMI paid McDougal $150,000. After he was elected president, Trump repaid Cohen in a series of payments that prosecutors argue were fraudulently labeled as legal expenses. 

Attorneys on both sides will present their opening statements after the judge delivers instructions to the 12-person jury and six alternates. The jury consists of seven men and five women. The trial’s first witness is also expected to take the stand, though cross-examination isn’t expected to happen until next week.

Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection to the hush money payment to Daniels, which was made in the closing days of the 2016 presidential campaign. 

Supreme Court considers Oregon city’s power to punish the homeless 

Should homeless people be punished for camping on public property when they have nowhere else to go? The Supreme Court will consider that question today when it weighs the constitutionality of multiple ordinances enacted by an Oregon town. An appeals court ruling said that several of the ordinances in the city of Grants Pass are prohibited under the Constitution’s Eighth Amendment, which bars cruel and unusual punishment. The city ordinances in question bar sleeping or camping on publicly owned property, including sidewalks, streets, bridges and city parks. The key issue in the case is punishment, which can include fines of up to several hundred dollars and exclusion orders that bar people from public property. 

But advocates for the homeless argue that the ordinances punish people for existing when they don’t have anywhere else to go and do nothing to address the underlying issue of housing shortages. Local officials in major cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco and Phoenix are closely watching the case and hoping justices overturn the appeals court ruling.  

And in Massachusetts, homeless shelter providers are raising concerns as state lawmakers move to pass legislation that would limit stays to nine months for the first time in at least 40 years. Massachusetts is the only state to provide families and pregnant women with a right to shelter, but the system has come under historic strain in recent years.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene says Speaker Mike Johnson should resign

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said that she plans to follow through with an effort to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson if he doesn’t resign after the House passed a $95 billion package that includes foreign aid for Ukraine.

“Mike Johnson’s leadership is over. He needs to do the right thing to resign and allow us to move forward in a controlled process,” Greene said in an interview on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.” “If he doesn’t do so, he will be vacated.” Johnson faces backlash from hard-right members of his party after he joined Democrats to pass a foreign aid package that included $60.8 billion of aid for Ukraine. Republican Reps. Paul Gosar of Arizona and Thomas Massie of Kentucky have signed on to the motion to vacate, which Greene authored but hasn’t yet brought to the floor as a privileged resolution.

Columbia holds classes virtually as Jewish leaders warn of safety amid tensions over pro-Palestinian protests

A growing number of leaders and organizations have called on Columbia University and its president to protect students amid reports of antisemitic and offensive statements and actions on and near its campus, which has been the site this week of a pro-Palestinian encampment and protest. The protest and encampment on campus has drawn attention to the right of free speech and the rights of students to feel safe from violence, with a campus rabbi recommending Jewish students return home for their own safety.

Columbia President Nemat “Minouche” Shafik said classes would be held virtually today, and said school leaders would be coming together to discuss a way to bring an end to “this crisis.” In a statement to the university community, Shafik said she was “saddened” by the events on campus, and denounced antisemitic language, and intimidating and harassing behavior.

“The decibel of our disagreements has only increased in recent days. These tensions have been exploited and amplified by individuals who are not affiliated with Columbia who have come to campus to pursue their own agendas,” she said. “We need a reset.”

Shafik’s announcement followed mounting calls for action.

Spice Girls stage impromptu reunion at Victoria Beckham’s birthday party

The Spice Girls performed their dance to their song “Stop” when they reunited over the weekend to celebrate Victoria Beckham’s 50th birthday.

In a video posted to Beckham’s Instagram page, an excited David Beckham recorded his wife, Victoria, Melanie Brown, Geri Halliwell, Melanie Chisholm and Emma Bunton doing the dance to their 1997 hit. The last time the original five members of the girl group performed together was for the 2012 Olympics in London. Watch the reunion here.

U.S. ally blasts Biden’s suggestion his uncle was eaten by cannibals after WWII crash

The prime minister of Papua New Guinea defended the Pacific Island nation after President Joe Biden appeared to imply that his uncle’s body was eaten by “cannibals” there during World War II, urging the United States to clean up the remnants of the conflict in the region. 

“President Biden’s remarks may have been a slip of the tongue; however, my country does not deserve to be labeled as such,” Prime Minister James Marape said, referring to Biden’s comments about cannibals.

Speaking at an event in Pennsylvania last week, Biden said that his uncle, Army Air Corps aviator Ambrose J. Finnegan, had been “shot down in New Guinea.” “They never found the body because there used to be — there were a lot of cannibals, for real, in that part of New Guinea,” he said.

U.S. military records about Finnegan’s death make no mention of the aircraft being downed or of cannibalism, saying the plane was forced to ditch in the ocean off the north coast of New Guinea for unknown reasons and that the three men killed in the crash were never found.

Politics in Brief

 Election 2024: Jewish voters could play a major role in the fight for control of the White House and Congress later this year. 

Israel-Hamas war: Muslim American activists and organizers feel betrayed by President Biden’s support for additional aid to Israel, which is expected to become law. 

Supreme Court: Former President Trump might be able to declare victory in his upcoming Supreme Court case on presidential immunity even if the justices reject his most extreme arguments.

NBC News poll: The share of voters who say they have high interest in the 2024 election has hit a 20-year low at this point in the presidential contest, with majorities holding negative views of both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

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Staff Pick: After her son’s suicide, a mother went looking for answers

I first met Jennie DeSerio in January in Washington, D.C., where she was protesting at the big tech hearing on child safety issues and social media. She had already talked to lawmakers about her son Mason’s death but had never given an in-depth account to the media. When she took out Mason’s phone and showed me the videos that he had liked promoting suicide, I knew I wanted to tell her story. 

This is the result of three months spent interviewing Mason’s friends and family and reviewing dozens of videos promoting suicide on TikTok — and it’s the first feature-length treatment of Mason and Jennie’s story. — Ben Goggin, deputy tech editor

In Case You Missed It

• The intelligence chief of the Israel Defense Forces has resigned over failures surrounding Oct. 7., the first senior Israeli figure to step down over the attack, as the IDF faces mounting criticism at home and abroad. Follow live updates
•  More than a dozen people were injured in a Universal Studios tram accident near Los Angeles.
• Police are investigating the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old woman near a dorm on the campus of Delaware State University. 
• Legendary Los Angeles Rams quarterback Roman Gabriel, who holds the team record with 154 touchdown passes, died at age 83.
• With less than 100 days to go before the 2024 Olympic games, there are concerns Paris’ Seine river may be too filthy to swim in, despite a $1.5 billion effort to clean it up. 

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