Judge Hears Arguments in Trump Gag Order Hearing; Senate to Take Up $95 Billion Foreign Aid Package

The judge and defense attorneys involved in President Donald Trump’s so-called “hush-money” trial got into a heated debate on Tuesday over whether the former president violated a gag order with his social media posts. The judge did not issue a ruling Tuesday on whether he violated the order, as prosecutors have sought. The Senate on April 23 is expected to advance a $95 billion national security package that includes foreign aid for the war-torn nations of Ukraine and Israel, as well as the Indo-Pacific. The bills also include a measure to force TikTok to divest from its Chinese parent company to address national security concerns. It comes three days after the House passed the bills with bipartisan support over the objections of those among the GOP’s right flank. Pro-Palestinian protests are entering their seventh day at Columbia University, as encampments spread to other campuses across the country. Columbia canceled in-person classes, dozens of protesters were arrested at New York University and Yale, and the gates to Harvard Yard were closed to the public as top U.S. universities seek to defuse tensions over the Israel-Hamas war. The protests have sparked safety concerns for Jewish students, who in some cases, have been blocked from attending classes or confronted with anti-semitic slogans.