Weekend Edition April 20-21, 2024

  1. After nearly 200 prospective jurors were screened by the judge, Trump’s lawyers and Manhattan prosecutors, a total of 12 New Yorkers and six alternates were selected Friday to hear the first criminal case of any former U.S. president. Trump is accused of falsifying business records to conceal a hush money deal with an adult film actress ahead of the 2016 election. He has pleaded not guilty.

  2. Taylor Swift released a double album of new music, The Tortured Poets Department is the pop superstar's eleventh studio album; it's also her first album of new music since 2022's Grammy-winning Midnights. It immediately became the top streamed album on all streaming platforms and set various streaming and sales records.

  3. Apple pulls, Threads, What’s app, Telegram and Signal from AppStore in China after being ordered to do so by the Chinese government, which claimed national security concerns.

  4. In the NBA, the Miami heat earned the 8th spot in the east by beating the Chicago Bulls, and the New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Sacramento kings for the 8th seed in the west. Both teams will face their respective 1st seed team in the first found of playoffs. For Miami, that will be the Boston Celtics, and for New Orleans, it will be the Oklahoma City Thunder.

  5. Speaker Mike Johnson has ushered a necessary rule through congress, with and expected Saturday vote on package of bills that will provide military aid to Ukraine and Israel, replenish U.S. weapons systems and give humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza. The package totals $95.3 billion in spending, which matches the total that the Senate passed in mid-February.

  6. Earlier in the week, the University of Southern California canceled a commencement speech by its 2024 valedictorian, a Muslim student who has expressed support for Palestinians, citing substantial security risks for the event that draws 65,000 people to campus. Later in the week they canceled the commencement speaker and several honorary degrees that had been planned as protested continued over the initial decision.

  7. The cauldron atop the Acropolis was lit with Paris 2024 Olympic torch as relay arrives in Greek capital. Retired Greek 400-meter hurdles champion Periklis Iakovakis lit a cauldron with the Paris 2024 Olympic flame in front of the Parthenon atop the Acropolis in rainy Athens on Friday.