The Slatest for Dec. 14: Will Trump’s First 2024 Criminal Trial Be Delayed?

Up until last week, it seemed like we’d be seeing Trump’s first 2024 criminal trial—the federal election interference case prosecuted by special counsel Jack Smith—start on March 4. Now two legal challenges have cast uncertainty on whether the trial will be pushed back, much to the delight of Trump’s legal team, which wants the trial to be delayed until after the presidential election.

The Supreme Court has gotten involved, agreeing to hear one case and considering on an expedited basis whether to take another. So will Trump’s team get its wish and see the trial significantly delayed? Three legal experts writing for Slate—Norman L. Eisen, Joshua Kolb, and E. Danya Perry—don’t think so. They explain why they expect the trial is still on track.

Plus, in case you missed it: Robert Katzberg argues that Trump’s gag order being upheld presents the Supreme Court with a huge opportunity.

As part of Time, Online, a Future Tense series on how technology is changing prisons, we asked incarcerated people in Texas, New York, and Ohio to keep a diary of all the ways they used technology in a day—and how much it cost.

Plus: Formerly incarcerated journalist Ryan M. Moser takes a close look at the prison black market dedicated to jailbreaking tablets, and the bigger problem it sheds light on.

The Republicans who are freaked out about abortion bans have a new policy they’re getting behind. The CEO of Independent Women’s Voice summed up this shift in a particularly … interesting way? Molly Olmstead explains why two GOP stalwarts are suddenly promoting birth control as a public good.

There’s a reason disputes like those involving the college presidents who got grilled on antisemitism on campus are becoming more and more common. Jill Filipovic explains why this keeps happening.

We’re about to find out just how dangerous Elon Musk’s giant electric truck really is. But even if it is as deadly as some observers predict, David Zipper explains, regulators won’t be able to do anything about it for quite a while.

Have you found gifts for everyone on your list yet? No? We’re here to help with this delightful guide to the Slate store.

Plus: We bought random products on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Learn from our mistakes!

And don’t miss our guide to the best gifts under $25.

… much like the sound of Kunlyna Tauch and his fellow incarcerated Cal State students working on their loaner laptops in their day room. He describes the new world having access to a laptop has opened up.

Thanks so much for reading! We’ll see you back here tomorrow.