April 23 top stories
Hello, it is April 23. I’m doing top stories today. Ready for the news?
Opening statements in Trump trial
On Monday, opening statements were made in Donald Trump’s hush money criminal trial in New York City.
Prosecutors said Trump broke laws when he covered up payments to an adult film actress Stormy Daniels to have her be quiet about an alleged affair prior to the 2016 election.
Trump’s defense attorney said his actions were not illegal and that he was not involved with how business records were made at the Trump Organization.
David Pecker, the former CEO of the National Enquirer, testified that he met with Trump in 2015, prior to the 2016 election, to discuss how Pecker could use his publication to help Trump’s candidacy for president.
Pecker said he offered to work with Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen to squash any negative stories from women who claimed to have relationships with Trump. They would do this by buying the rights to the story and then never publishing it — a tactic known as “catch and kill.”
Separately, there were arguments on whether Trump violated a gag order which bars him from making statements about potential witnesses. Trump made several posts or reposts on his Truth Social platform that criticized Stormy Daniels and Michael Cohen. Trump’s attorney said he was only engaging in political speech. The judge held off from making a decision for now.
Protests over Israel-Gaza war spread across U.S. colleges
USAToday reported that on Monday at Yale University in Connecticut and New York University in Manhattan, dozens of protesters who demonstrated against the U.S.' support for Israel in its war on Hamas were arrested. There are other protests and demonstrations across U.S. colleges.
Columbia University in New York City, just a few days ago, saw massive protests by those who set up tents at the center of the campus. Over 100 people were arrested. Now the university is closed and classes are conducted remotely or hybrid.
Jewish students at Columbia and other places said they experienced antisemitism and harassment.
The Biden administration said while every American has the right to peaceful protest, there is no place for calls for violence and physical intimidation against Jewish students and the Jewish community.
Baby saved after mother killed by Israeli airstrike
On Saturday in Gaza, an Israeli airstrike killed a pregnant woman named Sabreen along with her husband and their three-year-old girl. The pregnant woman was taken to a hospital where a doctor was able to do an emergency surgery to save the baby.
The baby’s aunt named her Sabreen Erooh, which means “Soul of Sabreen,” in honor of her mother.
The airstrikes were on Saturday in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. At least 22 people were killed, mostly children. Israel has carried out almost daily airstrikes in the area.
It is concerning because Rafah is where over two million Palestinians have fled to to seek safety from fighting in northern Gaza, but it’s still very dangerous there as Israel is conducting near-daily airstrikes on the area. Israel said they are fighting Hamas units who are hiding in Rafah.
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Two Malaysia Navy helicopters collide midair
In Malaysia, during a rehearsal for a military parade that involved several helicopters flying in formation, two helicopters collided in mid-air and crashed.
All 10 crew on both helicopters were killed.
There are posts on social media about the collision. There were several debris that fell from the sky.
Malaysia’s prime minister said the nation mourns this tragedy.
Caitlin Clark has $28M deal with Nike
Basketball sensation Caitlin Clark has a $28 million deal with Nike that will last 8 years and includes a signature shoe, according to a report from AP News.
The new deal would be the richest sponsorship contract for a women’s basketball player.
Clark received offers from Nike’s competitors Under Armour and Adidas, but Nike is offering the most money.
Clark was drafted No. 1 in the WNBA draft by Indiana Fever. She will earn a $76,000 salary as a rookie, an extremely low salary when you compare it with what NBA rookies earn. But this Nike contract will make Clark a multi-millionaire.
Clark is also having an impact on the WNBA as ticket sales have skyrocketed around the league and many of Clark’s games will be nationally televised.
That’s all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
Opening statements in Trump trial
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/22/trump-trial-opening-statements-takeaways-00153719
Protests over Gaza spread across U.S. colleges
Baby saved after mother killed by Israeli airstrike
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/israel-hamas-war-gaza-rafah-baby-mother-killed-idf-airstrike/
Two Malaysia Navy helicopters collide midair
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-68852721
Caitlin Clark has $28M deal with Nike
https://apnews.com/article/caitlin-clark-nike-3ea6a96e0b830b66b4680cc5318de9e4