Police faced resistance as they moved to clear encampments at UCLA, where pro-Palestinian protesters had set up tents and structures. The protesters reported being attacked by counter-protesters, leading to a tense standoff with law enforcement. Similar protests and arrests were also reported at New York City college campuses, with activists facing charges such as assault on police officers and criminal trespassing. The Antisemitism Awareness Act, aimed at addressing antisemitism amidst pro-Palestinian protests, passed in the House and is heading to the Senate.
In Donald Trump’s hush money trial, prosecutors are urging the judge to find him in criminal contempt for violating a gag order. Trump’s trial also features testimony from attorney Keith Davidson, who represented women in alleged affairs with Trump, regarding payments made for their silence. Meanwhile, a Wisconsin student was fatally shot by police outside a middle school in response to a report of a person with a gun. The student was confirmed to be a suspect, and no one else was injured in the incident.
President Biden called out U.S. ally Japan, along with China and Russia, for their economic troubles, pointing to xenophobia as a contributing factor. Biden’s comments were seen as diplomatically insensitive towards Japan, a close ally of the U.S. Despite facing labor shortages and economic challenges, Biden’s assertion about the impact of xenophobia on Japan’s economy raised eyebrows. Additionally, Arizona’s strict Civil War-era abortion ban is set to be repealed by Gov. Katie Hobbs after passing in the Senate, following a controversial state Supreme Court ruling upholding the ban.
Fast food chains like Starbucks, KFC, and Pizza Hut are experiencing declining same-store sales as a long-predicted consumer pullback hits the industry. Despite rising costs for dining out, some chains are still seeing success, indicating that customers are willing to spend on their favorite fast food options. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell reassured the public that there are no signs of stagflation in the economy, despite persistent inflation and slowing economic growth. In politics, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene plans to force a vote to oust Speaker Mike Johnson, while President Trump’s recent meetings with foreign leaders have sparked criticism within Biden’s administration.
In a partnership with The Marshall Project, NBC News investigated abuse and grooming in the Boy Scouts’ police Explorer program, highlighting nearly 200 allegations of law enforcement personnel behaving inappropriately with teenage Explorers. The investigation found numerous cases of sexual abuse and misconduct, mostly involving teenage girls. In other news, a California superintendent was terminated for threatening students, a 75,000-year-old Neanderthal woman’s face was reconstructed, and a North Carolina girl discovered a hive of bees behind her wall. Harvey Weinstein is set for a retrial, and the NAACP is calling for a federal investigation into the death of Frank Tyson.
