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The first-ever indictment of a former U.S. president is giving social studies and civics teachers a chance to teach American history as it happens.

The opportunity is complicated, however, by the inherently divisive nature of Donald Trump.

Some educators are avoiding the subject altogether; others let their students watch Trump’s arraignment live on Tuesday.

Anton Schulzki, a high school social studies teacher in Colorado Springs, Colo., said it “turned out my class met at the same time” as Trump’s Manhattan court appearance.

“I actually had a separate plan for today, so we were able to kind of do a little bit of both. My students had some work to do and as they were doing the work, we were kind of watching what was going on. We had some informal discussions because they had some questions about, you know, how does the process work,” said Schulzki, who is also a former president of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS). 

Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts in New York after prosecutors said he falsified business records related to his 2016 hush money payments to adult film performer Stormy Daniels.

The unprecedented nature of his arrest guaranteed that it made headlines — and conversations — across the country.

“I think it’s a mixture of bringing it up as a teacher and also the students bringing it up because, in here, we still do current events with kids,” said Frederick Mainhart, a high school social studies teacher in rural Pennsylvania. 

“My philosophy has always been if they want to talk about something they can bring it up as long as they follow the rules of the debate,” Mainhart added. “And I mean, it is something that they need to know: how their government system and who their political leaders might be, what they are doing and what exactly is going on with them.”

Current NCSS President Shannon Pugh said decisions could vary widely on whether and how to make lesson plans out of the Trump case, which is full of sordid details.

“Teachers should know their students and know their communities and be able to anticipate what directions most topics go and to make sure that there are structures in place that can really help shape productive conversations for students,” Pugh said.

But even with established rules in place for discussing current events — many social studies classes do it at the start of the day — it can be difficult to get students to engage in such a contentious topic.

“I have a number of students who are very hesitant to talk about controversial issues […]  I’ve really seen a lot of hesitancy and wanting to share personal opinions on controversial issues, including the former president,” said Wesley Hedgepeth, president-elect for NCSS and an AP U.S. government teacher in Virginia. 

A CNN poll found most Americans agree with Trump’s indictment, but also believe there was some political motivation behind the investigation. 

There are some classes where students, no matter the boundaries, might not do well with discussions of such controversial subjects.

“I have a lot of kids that, you know, are politically savvy. And then I have other kids that are kind of what I would call impulsive when it comes to that. Because if you talk about anything, they want to share their one-sided opinion, and they may not be willing to accept the other side,” Mainhart said.

Beyond Trump himself, however, the case offers an opportunity to discuss the ins and outs of legal procedure — and what it means to have a former president indicted while running for office again. 

Daniels, in the weeks ahead of the 2016 election, received hush money payments from Michael Cohen, Trump’s former fixer, over an affair she said she had with the New York real estate mogul a decade earlier.

It could make for dicey classroom discussions.

“It really depends on the dynamic of the class. You have some students able to handle, talk about sensitive information like that, and then you have other students who are still kind of immature,” Mainhart said. 

While some teachers are willing and eager to navigate the Trump indictment conversation, others may be more hesitant due to the political climate in their district or state. Schools have increasingly become a partisan battleground in recent years, and educators may choose to simply skirt the subject. White House reignites GOP criticism with Afghanistan review Michael Cohen says he wasn’t vindicated by Trump charges: ‘Very sad day for America’

“There’s definitely places where teachers would probably try their very best to avoid any conversation about it and might even … deflect from students’ questions because they might fear for their job,” said Hedgepeth, president-elect for NCSC. 

Schulzki says that’s unfortunate, lamenting that students could miss out on meaningful lessons when their teachers fear reprisal.

“I feel disappointed that there are thousands of colleagues across this country that will not have the opportunity to have these conversations inside their classrooms,” he said. 

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Kemi Badenoch does not rule out local coalitions with Reform after next week’s council elections

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Kemi Badenoch does not rule out local coalitions with Reform after next week's council elections

Kemi Badenoch has not ruled out forming coalitions at a local level with Reform after the council elections next week.

Speaking to Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, the Conservative leader did however categorically rule out a pact with Nigel Farage’s party on a national level.

“I am not going into any coalition with Nigel Farage… read my lips,” she said.

However, she did not deny that deals could be struck with Reform at a local level, arguing that some councils might be under no overall control and in that case, “you have to do what is right for your local area”.

“You look at the moment, we are in coalition with Liberal Democrats, with independents,” she said. “We’ve been in coalition with Labour before at local government level.

“They [councillors] have to look at who the people are that they’re going into coalition with and see how they can deliver for local people.”

She added: “What I don’t want to hear is talks of stitch-ups or people planning things before the results are out. They have to do what is right for their communities.”

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A total of 23 councils are up for grabs when voters go to the polls on Thursday 1 May – mostly in places that were once deemed Tory shires, until last year’s general election.

It includes 14 county councils, all but two of which have been Conservative-controlled, as well as eight unitary authorities, all but one of which are Tory.

Ms Badenoch has set expectations low for the Tories, suggesting they could lose all the councils they are contesting.

The last time this set of councils were up for election was in 2021, when the Conservative Party was led by Boris Johnson who was riding high from the COVID vaccine bounce.

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Landeskog scores 1st NHL goal in nearly 3 years

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Landeskog scores 1st NHL goal in nearly 3 years

Perhaps the only detail more emphatic than the goals in the Colorado Avalanche‘s 4-0 win over the Dallas Stars Saturday night, was the impact provided by their captain, Gabriel Landeskog.

Landeskog, who returned in Game 3 of this Western Conference first-round series after missing nearly three seasons while recovering from a knee injury, scored his first goal since June 20, 2022, in a multi-point performance that saw the Avalanche tie the series at 2-2 in Game 4 at Ball Arena. Game 5 is Monday in Dallas.

“It means a lot,” Landeskog told reporters after the win. “Obviously, I’ve envisioned scoring again for a long time. There obviously days when I didn’t know if I was ever going to score again. It obviously feels good. It’s a tight playoff series in a big game here at home. To get to do it here at home in front of our fans obviously means a means a lot. Super exciting. Hopefully more to come.”

A short-handed goal from Logan O’Connor midway through the first period followed by a late power-play goal from Nathan MacKinnon staked the Avalanche to a 2-0 lead entering the second period.

That set the stage for Landeskog, who was in the slot when Brock Nelson fed a pass that the 32-year-old winger launched for a one-timer that beat Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger for a 3-0 lead.

Landeskog, who was playing on the second line, was instantly mobbed by his teammates on the nice such as Samuel Girard, Valeri Nichushkin, Devon Toews and Nelson, who joined the Avalanche at the NHL trade deadline.

As Landeskog returned to the bench, he was congratulated by the entire team which also included a hug from a smiling MacKinnon, who along with Landeskog, have been with the franchise for more than a decade.

“I was just proud of him again,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar told reporters after the game. “I was proud of him regardless of if he scores or not because I know what he’s gone through, and I know how difficult that was. I think that takes it to another level. You know he wants to come back and contribute like he did in the past and he’s off to a great start.”

Landeskog’s goal was the latest milestone in what’s been a lengthy recovery from a chronically injured right knee. He missed what amounted to 1,032 days since his last NHL game.

In that time, the Avalanche have remained in a championship window but have dramatically altered their roster. The Avs have nine players from that championship team who have remained with the franchise and have since reshuffled a roster that led to them re-acquiring defenseman Erik Johnson, one of Landeskog’s closest friends, in their bid for the fourth title in franchise history.

Even with all the changes, there were still questions about when they could see Landeskog return to the lineup. And if Landeskog did return, what he could look like?

His first professional game in three years came April 11 with the Avalanche’s AHL affiliate where he logged 15 minutes. Landeskog would then score a goal and get an assist in his second and final game.

And much like his AHL stint, all it took was two games for Landeskog to score and have another two-point performance.

While Landeskog’s goal became the most celebrated moment of the evening, what he did to help create the Avalanche’s fourth goal was an example of why he’s so crucial to their title aspirations.

Landeskog played a pass to Nelson who then found a Girard for a shot from the point that gave the Avs a 4-0 lead in the fourth. In the time Landeskog passed the puck, he anchored himself at the net front to gain position on 6-foot-7 Stars defensemen Lian Bichsel to screen goaltender Casey DeSmith, who replaced Oettinger for the third period.

Jockeying with Bichsel, who is six inches taller and 16 pounds heavier, allowed Landeskog to test both his strength and that right knee to gain leverage.

The result? Girard’s shot found space in traffic with Landeskog making it hard for DeSmith to see the puck.

“He’s a big boy,” Landeskog said with a smile. “He’s a big strong guy, a physical player and hard to play against. I was trying to get in front of their goal, and he was trying to get me out of there. It was a good battle.”

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Several killed after vehicle drives into crowd at street festival, police in Vancouver say

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Several killed after vehicle drives into crowd at street festival, police in Vancouver say

A number of people have been killed and multiple others injured after a driver drove into a crowd at a street festival in Vancouver, police have said.

The driver has been taken into custody after the incident shortly after 8pm local time on Saturday, police added.

People were in the area near 41st Avenue and Fraser Street for the Lapu Lapu Day Block Party, named after a national hero of the Philippines.

Vancouver’s mayor Ken Sim said in a post on X: “I am shocked and deeply saddened by the horrific incident at today’s Lapu Lapu Day event.”

He added: “Our thoughts are with all those affected and with Vancouver’s Filipino community during this incredibly difficult time.”

Video posted on social media showed victims and debris strewn across a long stretch of road, with at least seven people lying immobile on the ground.

A black SUV with a crumpled front section could be seen in photos from the scene.

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