The FTC’s high-stakes antitrust lawsuit against Meta kicked off today with opening arguments in Washington, DC. Mark Zuckerberg is expected to take the stand to defend his company against the federal government’s claims that the acquisition of Instagram and WhatsApp should never have been approved.

MAGA leaders will be watching events in a courtroom in Washington DC today very closely. Meta is defending itself against a competition lawsuit filed by the US government, which may result in the tech company being broken up. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC)’s case argues that the acquisitions of Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014 by Facebook (as it was then known) gave the company an unfair advantage. It may seem like ancient history, but the deals provided Meta with ownership of three of the four most popular social networks today.

Sean "Diddy" Combs pleaded not guilty to the newest version of the government's allegations against the rapper during a Friday court hearing.

The new indictment against Diddy lengthened the timeline of his alleged sex-trafficking and racketeering behavior and added two more victims. The prosecution also accused the "Last Night" rapper of forcing employees to work long hours by threatening them with physical or reputational harm and forcing an employee to engage in a sexual encounter with the musician.

Mayor Eric Adams’ criminal case will stay in limbo for several more weeks — as a federal judge said Friday he wants to hear from an independent lawyer before deciding whether to toss the charges.

Manhattan federal Judge Dale Ho ordered Adams’ April 21 corruption trial adjourned as he appointed former US Solicitor General Paul Clement to argue against the Justice Department’s position that the mayor’s case should be dismissed.

A federal judge did not immediately dismiss corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Friday, instead asking an independent attorney to present arguments on the Justice Department’s push to drop the case—as the Trump administration faces criticism for abandoning the charges and allegations the move was politically motivated.

Timeline

A federal judge has vacated the upcoming trial date for New York City Mayor Eric Adams, but declined to immediately dismiss the charges all together in a case that has roiled the Justice Department.

Judge Dale Ho, instead, is appointing conservative attorney Paul Clement to present arguments challenging the Justice Department’s decision to drop charges against Adams and as he explores what his options are and if a dismissal is in the public interest.

Author Salman Rushdie vividly recounted the harrowing moments in 2022 when a masked assailant charged at him onstage, repeatedly stabbing him and leaving him with severe injuries and fearing for his life.

Testifying on the second day of the trial of Hadi Matar, 27, who has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and assault, Rushdie detailed the brutal attack that also injured another man.

A court in Russia on Friday sentenced Evan Gershkovich, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, to 16 years in a high-security penal colony, the court said, ending his espionage case but possibly opening a way for a prisoner swap between the United States and Russia.

The harsh sentence represented the first espionage conviction of a Western reporter in modern Russia. But the expedited nature of the case suggested that Moscow might be ready to trade Mr. Gershkovich.

A Russian court has handed down its sentence for Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich after over a year of proceedings. 

The court found Gershkovich, 32, guilty of "gathering secret information" while reporting on a trip to the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg. 

He has been sentenced to 16 years in prison.