Trump indictment puts U.S. in 'murky' territory

In the Trump-dominated politics of our times, the word “unprecedented” has been overused – but necessary. Never before has a U.S. president been twice impeached. Never before has a former president been criminally indicted. And, as of late yesterday, never before has a former president been charged with crimes against the very essence of U.S. democracy – the peaceful transfer of power.

I sometimes joke that my past six years as a journalist covering politics can be summed up in the image of me standing in front of the TV, watching the news, and asking, "Have we ever seen anything like this?" That yesterday’s indictment was historic does not mean it was unexpected, and the politics editors at The Conversation were ready to respond with a list of stories we rolled out last night and many more we will publish in the coming days.

Today’s stories include a primer on the charges, by Gabriel J. Chin, a criminal law expert at the University of California, Davis. Chin walks through the individual charges, showing that “while Trump is facing multiple other charges, this indictment contains the most serious charges he has faced thus far.”

In her story, legal scholar Stefanie Lindquist from Arizona State University asks, “Can the former president boycott his trials?” Attending his trials would compromise Trump’s “ability to campaign vigorously for the Republican nomination and the presidency,” she writes in her exploration of whether it’s possible for Trump to legally skip his many days in court.

And finally, historian Maurizio Valsania, an expert on the early American founders, provides perspective on how those leaders thought about giving up power. Bottom line: They knew when it was time to go. “They dreaded the idea that public opinion would censor them as self-serving and cunning operators,” he concludes.

Also today:

• Why old homes feel hotter than the thermostat suggests
• Where the "x" in "solve for x" came from
• Charities are engaging much less in advocacy

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