In the past several months, I have visited two student encampments in Chicago and, in both cases, I sensed the power of people in a liberated zone. The evacuation of these encampments brought to mind consecutive attempts by the Egyptian military to evacuate Tahrir.

Normally, a trial in the federal courthouse in Wilmington, Delaware, for lying about not being a drug addict on a form to buy a Colt Cobra .38 Special revolver would not be of much concern to the public. But since the defendant is troubled First Son Hunter Biden and the case is prosecuted by a special counsel appointed by the U.S. attorney general, the world is watching.

Amid the cheers and jeers over Donald Trump’s legal fate is a practical reality: The former president’s conviction will be an albatross for Republicans.

The historic felony conviction of former President Donald Trump marks a meaningful victory for the beleaguered American legal system and a win for truth over falsehood.

Just three short years after the dawn of an era in which college athletes can profit off their name, image and likeness, a newer era is about to dawn courtesy of a legal settlement. Some 14,000 student-athletes who played and learned from 2016 to now will divvy up $2.8 billion in damages from the name, image and likeness money they were denied, and, going forward, schools will figure out how to divide around $20 million a year in a historic revenue-sharing arrangement.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, is done with his state Senate’s GOP shenanigans when it comes to this year’s presidential ballot. The governor called a rare special session for the legislature to pass a bill ensuring Joe Biden appears alongside Donald Trump on the November ballot after much foot-dragging by his own party.

Reading the autobiography of classical Shakespearian performer Sir Patrick Stewart (perhaps known to you as Captain Picard of “Star Trek” or the wheelchair-bound Dr. Xavier of Marvel’s “X-Men” movies) reaffirmed my longstanding canned response to people who ask, “What is being a spy really like?”

In recent weeks, the spotlight has been cast on security challenges at “Sparky” Kawamoto Swim Stadium, highlighting a series of unfortunate incidents at our county facilities. As mayor of Hawaii County, I take these concerns very seriously and appreciate our community’s engagement in seeking solutions to enhance safety and security in our public spaces.

Donald Trump has made history in many ways over the last several years, most of it very bad. He was the first president in U.S. history to have entered the office without any prior public office or military experience. He is the first president to have ever been impeached twice, and certainly the first to have openly and explicitly attempted to subvert the peaceful transfer of power to his successor. For all his transgressions, at least Richard Nixon resigned.

The felony conviction of Donald Trump in a Manhattan courtroom Thursday was a momentous event, even if the charges — falsifying business records — are less weighty than others the former president is facing. The prospect of a convicted felon being elected president ought to give pause to voters who haven’t been persuaded to reject him despite his manifest unfitness.

The former Western allies will shortly begin commemorating the 80th anniversary of their greatest World War II achievement, the June 6 landings in Normandy, forever famed as D-Day.

I once heard Jimmy Carter say that in a war there are no human rights. With the fighting in Ukraine and in Gaza front and center, that observation seems more profound than ever. Human rights as an issue may be on life support.

Israel stands accused of genocide as it fights to destroy Hamas in response to its savage terrorist attack last October. Is the world’s only Jewish state being held to a different standard? Many Israelis believe this to be true, and they are, undeniably, right. It doesn’t, however, make all criticism of the war in Gaza either unfair or antisemitic.

Of course Nikki Haley now says she’ll vote for Donald Trump. The blink of an eye ago she called him “unstable and unhinged,” an individual who’s “just toxic” and “lacks moral clarity.”

More Americans now consume marijuana on a daily basis than drink alcohol every day, according to a recent study.

Nikki Haley was once perceived by many Republicans as their hope for redeeming a party that had been taken over by a morally corrupt, lying and craven narcissist. Donald Trump, she declared, exhibited “everything I taught my children not to do in kindergarten.”