22 April 2024

Axios: The Day

Mission
Axios gets you smarter, faster on what matters

Prosecutor in Trump hush money case zeroes in on "election fraud"

Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media, flanked by lawyer Todd Blanche (R), after arriving for his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on April 22, 2024 in New York City.

Former President Trump speaks to the media after arriving for his trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on April 22 in New York City. Photo: Victor J. Blue - Pool/Getty Images

A prosecutor in former President Trump's New York criminal trial argued during opening statements on Monday that the 2016 hush money payment "was election fraud, pure and simple."

Why it matters: Prosecutors sought to raise the stakes of their case to jurors, arguing that the $130,000 hush money payment was an intentional effort by the former president to try to interfere with the 2016 presidential election.

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Updated 52 mins ago -Politics & Policy

Columbia cancels in-person classes after days of pro-Palestinian protests

About seven tents are seen on Columbia's lawn with people walking in the foreground and background of the image.

A pro-Palestinian encampment occupies Columbia University's lawn on April 22. Photo: Charly Triballeau/Getty Images

Columbia University announced all classes would be virtual Monday, as Passover begins, following days of pro-Palestinian protests on campus.

Why it matters: Big-name colleges have been cracking down more aggressively on pro-Palestinian protests, which they say are getting increasingly intense and disruptive.

Over 70% of world's workforce exposed to excessive heat each year, UN finds

People wearing protective clothing while gathering produce on a farm near Hemet, California, in August 2023.

People wearing protective clothing while gathering produce on a farm near Hemet, California, in August 2023. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Extreme heat exacerbated by human-caused climate change kills thousands of workers around the world each year and injures tens of millions of others, according to new estimates from the United Nation's labor organization.

Why it matters: The International Labor Organization (ILO) reported that currently over 70% of the world's workforce is exposed to excessive heat on at least one occasion every year and warned that the figure will rise as global temperatures increase.

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Updated 3 hours ago -Politics & Policy

New York judge sets new conditions on Trump's civil fraud bond

Donald Trump

Donald Trump arrives at Manhattan Criminal Court on April 22. Photo: Yuki Iwamura/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

New York Judge Arthur Engoron on Monday accepted the $175 million bond former President Trump posted to appeal his civil fraud case, but the judge imposed several new conditions to ensure sufficient cash funds remain available.

Why it matters: Approving the bond for the appeal will prevent New York Attorney General Letitia James from seizing Trump's assets or freezing his bank accounts while he fights the judgment.

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Updated 4 hours ago -Politics & Policy

Supreme Court agrees to hear Biden admin appeal in ghost guns case

Two officers stand in front of the Supreme Court, a building with columns in the front. The sky is blue in the background. Some metal gates are in the foreground.

U.S. Supreme Court police officers stand on the steps of the nation's high court on April 16. Photo: Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a case stemming from a disputed regulation of so-called "ghost guns."

The big picture: The Biden administration appealed a lower court ruling that invalidated its attempt to regulate the firearms, which are typically self-assembled and do not have serial numbers, making them difficult to trace.

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7 hours ago -Business

"The Everything War" describes how Amazon causes price inflation

An illustration of George Washington with an Amazon smile logo as his mouth.

Illustration: Rebecca Zisser/Axios

Amazon's grown so large that it's causing price inflation online, writes Wall Street Journal reporter Dana Mattioli in "The Everything War," out Tuesday.

Why it matters: The book chronicles the Seattle company's rise from scrappy underdog to a massive conglomerate — and suggests that it has hurt other businesses and consumers.

Tesla's moment of truth

Illustration of a question mark made with a car tire

Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

Tuesday is the equivalent of must-see TV in the EV world.

What's happening: Tesla CEO Elon Musk and other company executives will face questions from analysts on an evening call after Tesla reports Q1 earnin

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