Donald Trump’s civil rape case goes to trial in Manhattan Former columnist E. Jean Carroll sued the former president for allegedly raping her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s. Trump has said she made it all up for publicity reasons. Read more on NPR

Mattel unveils a Barbie with Down syndrome The company has been moving to diversify its doll collection. It has so far made other Barbie and Ken dolls with wheelchairs, vitiligo, hearing aids, and prosthetic limbs. Read more on NPR

A tobacco giant will pay $629 million for violating U.S. sanctions against North Korea British American Tobacco, one of the largest tobacco companies in the world, agreed to settle allegations that it did illegal business with Pyongyang in violation of U.S. sanctions. Read more on NPR

What lessons have we learned from the COVID pandemic? The nonpartisan Covid Crisis Group has released its investigative report, titled “Lessons from the Covid War: An Investigative Report.” This is what it found. Read more on NPR

Book bans are getting everyone’s attention — including Biden’s. Here’s why Everyone from the President of the United States to community organizers are paying attention to this obstinate trend. Read more on NPR

Texas agriculture department’s new dress code is based on ‘biological gender’ Under a new dress code issued by Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, department employees are expected to comply “in a manner consistent with their biological gender.” Read more on NPR

Prince William got a ‘very large sum’ in a Murdoch settlement in 2020 Prince William received a large payout in 2020 from Rupert Murdoch’s British newspaper arm in an alleged phone hacking case, according to court documents made public Tuesday. Read more on NPR