Read This If You've Been Trying To Follow Trump's Arraignment But Still Have Questions

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Let’s run it back. What happened yesterday?
On April 4, Donald Trump appeared in Manhattan Criminal Court and became the first US president, current or former, to face criminal charges in court. His arraignment — the point at which he would hear the charges against him and enter a plea — resulted in 34 felony charges. After being formally booked and fingerprinted, Trump pleaded not guilty.

Thirty-four felony charges???
Thirty-four felony charges. Prosecutors laid out a play-by-play of how Trump allegedly hid three payments of hush money — one to adult film star Stormy Daniels, another to former Playboy model Karen McDougal, and a third to a Trump Tower door attendant — with falsified invoices, general ledger entries, and checks. Trump and his lawyer Michael Cohen allegedly made the illegal payoffs as part of a deal to "catch and kill" negative tabloid stories, and encompass 11 allegedly falsified invoices, 12 general ledger entries, and 11 checks. You can read more about the charges here.

Did Trump have something to say about his criminal charges?
He sure did! During a speech Tuesday night at Mar-a-Lago, Trump said that the various investigations he's facing were politically motivated. He then rattled off a number of lies and conspiracy theories, including that the 2020 election was stolen from him and that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. is controlled by George Soros.

What comes next? 
Trump has until Aug. 8 to formally challenge the case against him. The next in-person hearing considering the case is scheduled for Dec. 4. Trump also faces separate criminal probes, including one investigating whether he illegally interfered in the 2020 election.

• The scene outside Donald Trump’s arraignment was clownish. There were divided protesters yelling at each other from across police blockades and metal barricades. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and George Santos made brief appearances. There were cries about the deep state and the Chinese Communist Party. 
• The wildest photos from outside the Manhattan courthouse yesterday. Photographers and videographers marked their spots on the sidewalk, and there were even professional line sitters paid by press outlets to save a spot overnight for journalists trying to get into court. Adonis Porch, a line sitter, said, “It’s been an experience — but the main thing is, for me, I’m being a part of history.”
• Biden was too busy to watch the news as Trump was arraigned, but he'll catch up later, the White House said. “Look, the president’s going to focus on the American people like he does every day. This is not something that is a focus for him,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.

SNAPSHOTS

A liberal judge won the Wisconsin election for an open state Supreme Court, drastically shifting the future of abortion rights. Judge Janet Protasiewicz’s victory tips the balance of power on the state’s high court from conservatives to liberals for the first time since at least 2008, via HuffPost.

Should you use ChatGPT for therapy? Psychologists and psychiatrists are wary of the potential risks of untested programs, particularly if they are used by people in crisis or looking for treatment options. 

Angel Reese did a little trash-talking. So what? She’s helped vault women’s college basketball into mainstream culture. Sports are fantasies mimicking the extremes of reality without the consequences. Reese and Clark posed as compelling foils for each other, with contrasting styles and paths to excellence, setting up a showdown bursting with intrigue, Albert Samaha writes.

The Hunger Games is officially returning to the big screen. The movie is based on Suzanne Collins's prequel book The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which takes place 64 years before The Hunger Games and centers around a young President Snow as he mentors a tribute during the 10th annual Hunger Games.

Queen Bee by Amalie Howard
Regency romance meets The Count of Monte Cristo in this divine tale of high-society revenge. Disgraced and sent away, Lady Ela Dalvi has spent the past three years soaking in bitterness, plotting revenge against Poppy, her former best friend and the cause of her current turmoil. Now, it’s time to stage her comeback.

Throwback by Maurene Goo
Samantha and her mother have very different expectations for the future, and that’s never been more clear than when her mother tells her to run for homecoming queen. After a huge fight, Samantha ends up facing a very different version of her mother: the high school version…in the ’90s. 

Forget Me Not by Alyson Derrick
When Stevie wakes up after a bad fall, she doesn’t remember anything about the last two years. So when Nora, a girl she apparently fell in love with during the missing time, shows up, Stevie has no recollection of her or their time together plotting to escape their conservative town. As Stevie relearns what her relationship with her parents and friends has become, reestablishes her connection with her own sexuality, and rediscovers her feelings for Nora, she has to come to terms with the vast distance between the person she thought she was when she woke up and the person she has become.

Read our full YA roundup for more recommendations.

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