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An appeals court reduced Donald Trump’s bond, agreeing to let the former president pay $175m within ten days. Last week he told the court he was unable to find an insurance company to underwrite the full $464m he owes as punishment for civil fraud. The original bond was due on Monday; New York’s attorney-general could have seized his assets if he failed to pay.
The trial over Mr Trump’s alleged falsification of documents to cover up a sex scandal will begin on April 15th, a judge in Manhattan ruled. Proceedings were initially due to start on Monday; Justice Juan Merchan fiercely shot down attempts by Mr Trump’s lawyers to delay them further. It is the only one of Mr Trump’s four criminal trials with a confirmed start date.
Ron DeSantis, Florida’s governor, signed into law a bill that forbids children under the age of 14 from creating social-media accounts. Florida is one of several states trying to regulate minors’ access to online platforms. The bill, which takes effect next year, is likely to face legal challenges from social-media companies on free-speech grounds.
Tammy Murphy, the wife of New Jersey’s governor, ended her run for one of the state’s Senate seats. Ms Murphy picked up endorsements from most of the state’s powerful Democrats but Andy Kim, a Democratic congressman and now the favourite, secured surprising victories in early local votes. Bob Menendez, the incumbent, has been indicted for corruption but has not ruled out another run.
Journalists at NBC News criticised their employer for hiring Ronna McDaniel, an ally of Mr Trump and former head of the Republican National Committee, as a contributor. On Sunday Chuck Todd, a former host of NBC’s “Meet the Press”, said that Ms McDaniel’s “credibility issues”—namely, that she denied the results of the 2020 election—should have barred her from being hired.
Marjorie Taylor Greene lambasted Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, on Fox News on Sunday for his willingness to “do the bidding of Chuck Schumer”, the leader of the Senate’s Democratic majority. On Friday the Republican congressperson from Georgia filed a motion to oust Mr Johnson, who became speaker in October after weeks of in-fighting among Republicans.
Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, has long wanted the state to have its own immigration policy. Senate Bill 4, a law that makes it a state crime for migrants to cross Texas’s border with Mexico between legal ports of entry, is his bold gambit to realise that ambition. Read our story about the court battle over the bill.
Last month the American ambassador to China said a dominant China was undesirable. That sounded racist, Xu Xiaobing, a law scholar and commentator, wrote in the South China Morning Post, Hong Kong’s newspaper of record, on March 22nd. He said that it reflected a belief in American might that has informed the country’s policies towards China, including, he noted, the proposed forced sale of TikTok and Mr Biden’s investigation into Chinese-made smart cars. “American politics…is looking divisive, racist, arbitrary and counterproductive.”
What do you think about our new feature, A view from elsewhere, which takes in views on American politics from around the world? Send us feedback on [email protected].
The race between the two candidates remains stubbornly stable. Judging from our poll tracker, which is updated daily and shows an average of the latest polls, the race between Mr Biden and Mr Trump is shaping up to be a dead heat.
2bn, the number of Apple devices in circulation. If America’s trustbusters win their lawsuit against the tech firm, Apple will worry more about the court breaking open its unique ecosystem—in which devices reinforce demand for each other—than it would about a fine. Read our story about the antitrust case.
Monday: In which state is the highest proportion of land taken up by state and national parks?
From Monday to Thursday we’ll quiz you on American politics. Email all your answers with your name and where you are from to [email protected] before 5pm New York time (9pm London time) on a Thursday. The weekly winner, chosen at random from those who give all the right answers, will be announced here on Fridays.
If you enjoyed this week’s quiz, play Dateline, The Economist’s new history game.
—Donald Trump is CAPS-LOCK angry with the New York prosecutor and judge who demanded a $464m fine from the former president.
Read all of our recent coverage of the 2024 election. Confused about a term? Check out our A-Z of American politics.
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In brief
Our daily political update, featuring the stories that matter
In brief
Our daily political update, featuring the stories that matter
In brief
Our daily political update, featuring the stories that matter
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