Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed John L. "Jack" Smith as special counsel to oversee the entirety of the Justice Department's criminal investigations surrounding former President Trump.
Against the backdrop of a divisive 2024 presidential campaign, the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday is taking up the monumental question of whether a former president turned presumptive GOP nominee can be criminally prosecuted for his efforts to stay in power after the last election. The case, Donald J. Trump v. United States, presents an unprecedented constitutional quandary for the court brought about by equally unprecedented actions by former President Donald Trump in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, which he lost to Joe Biden by a margin of 7 million popular votes. The outcome could determine whether Trump faces a federal trial this year on four felony counts pressed by special counsel Jack Smith, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and obstruction of an official proceeding, for his attempts to overturn the electoral vote count certifying Biden's victory.
It's the moment you've all been waiting for: Today, 538 launched our interactive polling averages for the 2024 presidential general election. Specifically, as of April 25 at 9 a.m. Eastern, our national polling average shows 40.9 percent of likely voters would support Biden if the election were held today, while 41.6 percent would support Trump. To communicate this, we are also publishing uncertainty intervals for our horse-race averages for the first time.
The rape conviction of movie producer Harvey Weinstein has been overturned by New York's highest court. The New York Court of Appeals, in a scathing 4-3 opinion, overturned Weinstein's conviction on sex crimes against three women, finding the trial judge "erroneously admitted testimony of uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts against persons other than the complainants of the underlying crimes." The court said that testimony "served no material non-propensity purpose" and "portrayed defendant in a highly prejudicial light."
Days of torrential rain have triggered widespread flooding across parts of Kenya, turning roads into raging rivers and claiming dozens of lives. Half of Kenya's 47 counties have been affected by the flooding, which has killed at least 32 people and displaced more than 40,000 others from their homes, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which cited the Kenya Red Cross Society. The heavy rain began in Kenya in March during the start of the country's so-called long rains season and worsened over the past week, according to the Kenya Meteorological Department.
Peak summer travel season is fast approaching, and some cities abroad have already implemented fees in an attempt to protect popular destinations from potential damage from increased tourism. Bustling European cities from Barcelona to Amsterdam that get flooded with tourists, especially at historical hotspots during the high season, have used tourist taxes to help raise revenue without taxing local citizens. Now, the city of bridges is following in the footsteps of Spain, Greece and Germany, which have all utilized a similar fee-based approach, testing a new entry fee for any visitors who come to Venice just for the day.
Many pro-Palestinian protesters are calling for their colleges to divest of funds from Israeli military operations, while some Jewish students on the campuses have called the protests antisemitic and said they are scared for their safety. The student protests -- some of which have turned into around-the-clock encampments -- have erupted throughout the nation following arrests and student removals at Columbia University in New York City. Students at schools including Yale University, New York University, Harvard University, University of Texas at Austin, University of Southern California and more have launched protests.
A whale-watching excursion that embarks straight from New York City offers passengers an opportunity to escape the hustle and bustle and assist in a much-needed conservation efforts for the marine mammal. Gotham Whale, and research education and advocacy organization based in Staten Island, collects data of sightings from whale-watchers and boaters throughout the New York Bight, which includes the coasts of Long Island and New Jersey. Danielle Brown, director of marine mammal research for Gotham Whale and naturalist for Jersey Shore Whale Watch, told ABC News.
The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments Thursday on whether former President Donald Trump can be criminally prosecuted over his efforts to overturn his 2020 loss. The high court's decision will determine if Trump stands trial before the November election on four charges brought by special counsel Jack Smith, including conspiracy to defraud the United States. Trump's attorney replied, "Absolutely."
Barcelona is among the top 20 summer destinations of 2024, and for anyone planning to visit the bustling Mediterranean metropolis known for its art and architecture, or other tourist-filled hotspots during high-season, there may be some additional costs to consider. Many countries across Europe including Spain, Greece, Germany and most recently Venice, have implemented fees for foreign visitors to help support local costs of doing business, especially during the busy summer months. It's similar to that of a hotel occupancy tax that American travelers may be more familiar with for domestic stays.
The Biden administration on Thursday announced a series of new rules to cut pollution emitted from coal and natural gas fired power plants impacting the air, water, land and climate. "At the same time, the power sector is also a major contributor to the pollution that drives climate change and threatens public health." "At EPA it is our responsibility to act within the bounds of our legal authority and assess impacts in a way that is smart, effective, follows the latest science and enables our economy to grow and thrive," he added.
Donald Trump's hush money trial is underway in New York, and the historic case is drawing attention to past incidents of high-profile litigation involving political stars and allegations of salacious affairs. Trump is facing felony charges related to a payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in the weeks before the 2016 presidential election. Others have tried to draw a comparison with it former President Bill Clinton's settlement with Paula Jones in 1998 to end a yearslong sexual harassment lawsuit.
The United States and Niger are discussing plans to withdraw American troops from the West African nation, ending more than a decade of U.S. military presence in the country. Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder confirmed during Tuesday's press briefing that "discussions have begun between the United States and Niger for the orderly withdrawal of U.S. forces from the country."
The overall number of births in the United States dropped in 2023 as teenage births reached a record low, according to new provisional federal data published early Thursday. In 2023, there were 3.59 million births recorded, a 2% decline from the 3.66 million recorded in 2022, according to the report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics.
Several former and current key aides to former President Donald Trump appear to be among those charged by the Arizona State Attorney General over their alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes also announced charges against 11 named alleged fake electors and seven people whose names are redacted in the filing for their alleged role in efforts to subvert Joe Biden's 2020 victory in the state.
Eilish, 22, who released "When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?" in 2019, said working on "Hit Me Hard and Soft" has felt like "coming back to the girl that I was." "I've been grieving her," she said in a cover interview with Rolling Stone published Wednesday. Eilish spoke to Rolling Stone about how one song on the album in particular -- titled "Lunch" -- helped her open up about her sexuality.
A bill aimed at furthering restrictions on discussions of "gender identity or sexual orientation" in public schools is progressing in the Alabama legislature, passing the state House on Tuesday. Current law states that classrooms in kindergarten through the fifth grade "shall not engage in classroom discussion or provide classroom instruction regarding sexual orientation or gender identity in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards." The bill would expand this restriction to eighth grade and prohibit flags symbolizing sexual orientations or gender identities in K-12 schools.
The Pentagon confirmed Wednesday the U.S. had secretly provided Ukraine with a long-range Army Tactical Missile System that can reach deep into Russian-occupied areas -- or even strike more deeply into Russia itself, potentially provoking a response from the Kremlin, though America intends them only for use in occupied territory. The missiles, also known as ATACMS, have a maximum range of 186 miles. Ukraine first used them over the past week, two U.S. officials said.
During a visit to Columbia University on Wednesday, Speaker Mike Johnson joined his New York House Republican colleagues in calling on the school's president, Minouche Shafik, to resign unless she can improve what he called her failure to handle the anti-Israel protests on campus. In a news conference on the university's campus, Johnson said Shafik should step down "if she can't immediately bring order to this chaos." "As speaker of the House, I am committing today that the Congress will not be silent as Jewish students are expected to run for their lives and stay home from their classes -- fighting in fear," Johnson said.
Singer Victoria Monét is opening up about the changes to her body that she says are due to polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS. In text shared above the photo, Monét wrote that she had "gained a lot of weight," adding, in part, "PCOS has me really messed up." Monét, 34, is not alone in battling the condition.
Three Republicans on Wednesday joined Democrats in the Arizona House to vote to repeal the state's controversial 1864 ban on nearly all abortions, which was revived by a court ruling earlier this month and which only includes exceptions to save the life of the pregnant woman. "I've known for a while that the votes were there, it just takes a lot of fortitude, a lot of spine," Democratic state Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton, who sponsored the bill, told ABC News' Jaclyn Lee. Hamilton said she had several phone conversations with Republicans the night before the vote and while she would not divulge the details of those conversations, she said it made her cautiously optimistic.