What I’m Reading: Presidential Indictment Edition
Criminal cases against former leaders can be a positive sign about a country’s institutions. But of course politics often plays a role as well.
Trump, Donald J
Trump Indictment Is a First for the U.S. but Not for Other Nations
Scholars say it is important to hold the powerful legally accountable, but there are likely to be charges — well-founded or not — that prosecutors have political motives.
Your Friday Briefing: Trump Indicted
Also, an American journalist arrested in Russia and a Chinese billionaire’s downfall.
Kushner Firm Got Hundreds of Millions From 2 Persian Gulf Nations
The infusion of money from interests in the two Persian Gulf monarchies reflects the close ties to Middle Eastern countries established by Jared Kushner, former President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.
Biden Officials Hold Off on More Airstrikes in Syria, for Now
The administration says it is seeking to avoid a wider war with Iran and its proxies while protecting U.S. personnel from attacks.
That Missing Trump Portrait? Found, Next to Some Old Yoga Mats.
After a tip, The Times located a portrait of Donald Trump given to him by El Salvador’s president and that Democrats were eager to account for. It was propped up in an obscure spot in a Trump hotel.
The DeSantis Foreign Policy: Hard Power, but With a High Bar
The Florida governor has never been the internationalist that some old-guard Republicans wanted or imagined him to be. A close reading of his record reveals how he might lead the U.S. abroad.
Pulling the Plug on TikTok Will Be Harder Than It Looks
The tensions over the Chinese-owned social media app will come to a head on Thursday, when the company’s chief executive testifies on Capitol Hill.