Donald Trump backed down from delivering his own closing argument in his civil fraud trial after refusing to abide by a judge’s restrictions — including that he not give “a campaign speech” — in the latest clash between Trump’s political aims and American legal norms.

Trump, who considers himself his own best spokesperson, had planned to address the court during closing arguments Thursday. But one of his lawyers called limits imposed by the judge, Arthur Engoron, unacceptable.

The judge said in a recent email exchange with Trump’s lawyers that while he was predisposed to allow Trump to speak, the former president would be limited to discussing the facts of the case and the relevant law, and barred from attacking the judge, the judge’s staff members or New York’s attorney general, whose suit against Trump led to the trial.

As he mounts another run for the White House while facing the civil trial and four criminal indictments, Trump has sought to transform his legal liabilities into political assets, casting his accusers as enemies of democracy and their cases as a coordinated witch hunt.

Sensing that Trump wanted to bring his campaign to the courtroom, Engoron — whom the former president has repeatedly attacked — warned that he would promptly shut Trump down if he attempted to do so again.

A lawyer for Trump, Christopher Kise, declined to agree, saying the conditions were “fraught with ambiguities” and that barring Trump from attacking the Democratic attorney general, Letitia James, was “simply untenable.”

Trump, who had planned to testify in his own defense last month but canceled the day before, is still expected to attend the closing arguments Thursday.

James has argued that Trump fraudulently inflated his net worth to receive favorable treatment from banks and insurers, and is asking that the former president be fined $370 million and permanently barred from doing business in New York. Trump’s lawyers have argued that the evidence failed to connect the former president to the annual financial statements in which his net worth was listed, and that the banks profited from their relationship with him.

Trump is leading the race to become the Republican nominee for president.

House GOP targets Secretary Mayorkas

House Republicans on Wednesday kicked off formal impeachment hearings against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, accusing him of willfully failing to enforce immigration laws even as leading constitutional experts said there was no basis to do so.

The GOP drive to impeach Mayorkas is the latest escalation in the party’s effort to attack the Biden administration on immigration, a politically potent issue that has long animated the hard-right Republican base and has become a liability for President Joe Biden in recent months as migration has surged across the U.S.-Mexico border.

But Republicans have struggled to make the case that their policy complaints are enough to support charges of high crimes and misdemeanors.

On Wednesday, GOP lawmakers accused Mayorkas of fomenting, or at least exacerbating, a surge in migration and drug trafficking across the southern border by failing to execute the full power of the laws that might mitigate the situation.

Democrats maintained that Republicans were unfairly targeting Mayorkas for simply carrying out Biden’s policies in an attempt to satisfy GOP hard-liners who are clamoring for a border crackdown and have threatened a government shutdown.

Sen. Menendez seeks dismissal of charges

Sen. Bob Menendez on Wednesday sought dismissal of charges, including bribery, as his lawyers told a judge that New York federal prosecutors are making claims that are “outrageously false” and “distort reality.”

The New Jersey Democrat and his wife pleaded not guilty after they were charged last fall with accepting bribes of gold bars, cash and a luxury car in return for help from the senator that would benefit three New Jersey businessmen, who were also arrested and pleaded not guilty.

The indictment has since been updated with charges alleging that Menendez used his political influence to secretly advance Egypt’s interests and that he acted favorably to Qatar’s government to aid a businessman.

“The Senator stands behind all of his official actions and decisions, and will be proud to defend them at trial,” the lawyers wrote.

A trial is scheduled for May 5. Menendez is free on $100,000 bail.

WHO sees new COVID spike after holidays

The head of the U.N. health agency said Wednesday holiday gatherings and the spread of the most prominent variant globally led to increased transmission of COVID-19 last month.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said nearly 10,000 deaths were reported in December, while hospital admissions during the month jumped 42% in nearly 50 countries — mostly in Europe and the Americas — that shared such trend information.

Tedros said the JN.1 variant was now the most prominent in the world. It is an omicron variant, so current vaccines should still provide some protection.

Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead at WHO for COVID-19, cited an increase in respiratory diseases across the globe due to the coronavirus but also flu, rhinovirus and pneumonia.

U.N. condemns Houthi Red Sea attacks

The U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution Wednesday condemning and demanding an immediatehalt to attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on merchant and commercial vessels in the Red Sea area.

The resolution, sponsored by the United States and Japan, says at least two dozen Houthi attacks are impeding global commerce “and undermine navigational rights and freedoms as well as regional peace and security.”

The vote was 11-0 with four abstentions – Russia, China, Algeria and Mozambique. Immediately before the vote, the council rejected three proposed Russian amendments.

Deadly avalanche hits California ski area

An avalanche roared through a section of expert trails at a California ski resort near Lake Tahoe on Wednesday, killing one person and injuring another, as a major storm with snow and gusty winds moved into the region, authorities said.

The avalanche prompted Palisades Tahoe to close 30 minutes after it opened, and search crews combed the area to see if anyone was injured or trapped.

Sgt. David Smith, a spokesperson for the Placer County sheriff, said hours later that one person, a male, died and another person sustained non-life-threatening injuries. He said nobody else was missing.

The avalanche occurred around 9:30 a.m. on steep slopes under the KT-22 lift, which serves “black diamond” runs for skilled skiers and snowboarders.

Boebert’s ex-husband arrested in new twist

Jayson Boebert, Colorado U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert’s ex-husband, shoved his thumb into one of their son’s mouths during an altercation early Tuesday morning just days after the pair had their own public incident at a western Colorado restaurant, Garfield County sheriff’s deputies said in an affidavit filed Tuesday.

Jayson Boebert repeatedly yelled and cursed at police officers before they escorted him out of the Miner’s Claim restaurant in Silt after what he called a “domestic violence abuse” incident with the congresswoman over the weekend, according to a second arrest affidavit also filed Tuesday.

Silt police determined the domestic abuse claim against Lauren Boebert unfounded after Jayson Boebert recanted and due to a lack of evidence supporting the claim, according to a Wednesday news release.

He was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of misdemeanor assault, criminal mischief, prohibited use of a firearm, obstructing a peace officer, trespassing and disorderly conduct in connection to both incidents, according to court records.

— From news services