Former President Donald Trump’s so-called hush money trial in New York resumed on April 22, with opening statements from both sides and the first witnesses taking the stand. President Trump called on would-be demonstrators to “go out and peacefully protest” against the case. Before entering the courtroom, the former president said, "This is election interference, everybody knows it."

Columbia University has canceled in-person classes, and new demonstrations have broken out on other U.S. college campuses as tensions continue to grow over the Israel–Hamas war. On Sunday, a rabbi at Columbia sent a WhatsApp message to more than 200 Jewish students, urging them to leave the New York City campus if they did not feel safe. Following arrests last week at Columbia, pro-Palestinian demonstrators set up protest encampments on other campuses around the country.

The Supreme Court is considering whether banning homeless people from sleeping outside when shelter space is lacking amounts to cruel and unusual punishment. The case is considered the most significant argument on homelessness to come before the nation's highest court in decades, as incidences of illegal camping and homelessness reach record levels in the United States.