The Biden administration last week put a hold on a shipment of U.S.-made ammunition to Israel, two Israeli officials told Axios.

It is the first time since the Oct. 7 attack that the U.S. has stopped a weapons shipment intended for the Israeli military.

The incident raised serious concerns inside the Israeli government and sent officials scrambling to understand why the shipment was held, Israeli officials said.

President Biden is facing sharp criticism among Americans who oppose his support of Israel. The administration in February asked Israel to provide assurances that U.S.-made weapons were being used by Israel Defense Forces in Gaza in accordance with international law. Israel provided a signed letter of assurances in March.

The Israeli officials said the ammunition shipment to Israel was stopped last week.

The Biden administration is highly concerned Israel will invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah where more than one million displaced Palestinians have been taking shelter.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released several statements in recents days saying he intended to order an invasion of Rafah regardless of whether Israel and Hamas reach a deal for the release of hostages being held in Gaza and a ceasefire.

Netanyahu hinted at tensions with the Biden administration in a statement on Holocaust Remembrance Day issued Sunday.

“In the terrible Holocaust, there were great world leaders who stood by idly; therefore, the first lesson of the Holocaust is: If we do not defend ourselves, nobody will defend us. And if we need to stand alone, we will stand alone,” he said.

Last Wednesday U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Israel and had a “tough” conversation with Netanyahu regarding a possible Israeli operation in Rafah, two sources briefed on the meeting said.

Blinken told Netanyahu during their meeting that “a major military operation” in Rafah would lead to the U.S. publicly opposing it and would negatively impact U.S.-Israel relations.

A day later White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters that Israeli leaders understand that President Biden “is sincere” when he talks about the possibility of changes to U.S. policy regarding the Gaza war “should they move ahead with some sort of ground operation in Rafah that doesn’t take into account the refugees.”

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said at a Financial Times conference in Washington on Saturday that the Biden administration made clear to Israel that the way it will conduct an operation in Rafah will influence U.S. policy towards the Gaza war.

Egyptian and Qatari mediators are still trying to reach a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas that would lead to a pause in the fighting in Gaza.

The Biden administration is deeply involved in the efforts and CIA director Bill Burns joined talks in Cairo over the weekend.

Hamas in a statement on Friday said it was reviewing the current proposal with “positive spirit” and was “going to Cairo in the same spirit to reach an agreement.”

While Israel waits for Hamas’ response to the proposal, Netanyahu has issued several statements over the weekend saying he won’t agree to end the war as part of a hostage deal.

Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant visited Israeli military forces in Gaza on Saturday and said Israel sees “worrying signals” that Hamas isn’t going to move toward an agreement on releasing hostages.

“This means that an operation in Rafah and in other parts of Gaza will take place in the very near future,” Gallant said.

More than 100,000 young immigrants protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program will soon become eligible to receive federal health care coverage for the first time since DACA was implemented over a decade ago.

The Biden administration will announce a new federal rule Friday allowing DACA recipients to enroll in a qualified health plan through the Affordable Care Act insurance marketplace or become eligible for coverage through a basic health program.

An estimated 580,000 young adults who lack legal immigration status and have lived in the U.S. since they were children are currently working or studying without fear of deportation under DACA. An overwhelming majority of DACA recipients were born in Mexico and other Latin American countries.

Even though the program has helped them access better-paying jobs and educational opportunities since it was first implemented in 2012, DACA beneficiaries had been barred from accessing federally funded health insurance despite contributing billions in federal taxes, pouring funds into the nation’s federal health insurance system for years.

While many DACA recipients get health insurance through their jobs, more than a quarter are estimated to currently be uninsured.

By implementing a federal rule expanding the definition of “lawful presence” to include DACA recipients, they are “no longer excluded from receiving coverage from a quality health plan and financial assistance as well,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra told reporters in a press call Thursday.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that over 100,000 young immigrants who lack health insurance will now have a shot at accessing affordable health care.

“DACA recipients are currently three times more likely to be uninsured than the general U.S. population, and individuals without health insurance are less likely to receive preventative or routine health screenings. They delay necessary medical care, and they incur higher costs and debts when they do finally see care,” Becerra said, adding the new expansion “will improve their health and will strengthen the health and well-being of our nation.”

The new federal rule does not make DACA recipients eligible for the Medicaid program, according to senior administration officials, but gives them coverage through the Affordable Care Act and its marketplaces and financial assistance programs.

The announced rule is expected to go into effect Nov. 1, which coincides with the Affordable Care Act’s open enrollment period for 2025 health insurance plans, allowing newly eligible DACA recipients to have access to federal health care as early as December, according to HHS.

Friday’s announcement comes about a year after President Joe Biden first announced his administration’s plan to expand health care coverage to DACA recipients. The administration’s original plan aimed to implement the federal rule by November 2023.

Senior administration officials declined to comment this week on why the implementation of the rule was delayed.

However, White House domestic policy adviser Neera Tanden stressed that “the president will continue to fight” for DACA recipients, adding that “only Congress can provide them permanent status and a pathway to citizenship.”

While the program has been around for a decade, it faced legal challenges during the Trump administration and from Republican-led states. DACA has been closed to new registrants since July 2021 as lawsuits challenging the program continue making their way through the courts.

Former President Donald Trump surrounded himself with potential running mates and other allies on Saturday during the Republican National Committee (RNC) spring retreat at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.

Among those who joined Trump on stage in the Grand Ballroom for a lunch event were Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Tim Scott (R-SC), entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, all former 2024 presidential rivals now considered to be in the running for vice president, according to a post to X from his campaign.

House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), and Reps. Byron Donalds (R-FL) and Wesley Hunt (R-TX), who have all been mentioned as part of the Veepstakes this election cycle, also attended.

Other Republicans who were present included House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Reps. Jim Banks (R-IN), who is running for Senate; Michael Waltz (R-FL); Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dave McCormick; and Ohio Senate candidate Bernie Moreno.

During the event, Trump recognized the RNC’s fundraising efforts and “enthusiasm” for his “Make America Great Again” movement, per his campaign. He spoke for around 90 minutes about the presidential race, election integrity, the economy, the border, and protests taking place on university campuses. He also touted Johnson’s work as a speaker and advocated for party unity.

On a picture-perfect Palm Beach Saturday, in the Grand Ballroom of the Mar-a-Lago Club, more than 400 seated guests enjoyed a gourmet lunch while hearing Mr. Vivek Ramaswamy, Congressman Byron Donalds, and Congressman Wesley Hunt deliver remarks as part of the pre-program. 
 
At… pic.twitter.com/WXOBIaYIM0

— Team Trump (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@TeamTrump) May 4, 2024

Trump recently suggested that he may select a running mate in the next couple of months before the Republican National Convention, which is scheduled to take place in Milwaukee in mid-July. “We’ll be making that decision I think closer to Wisconsin time,” Trump told FOX6 News Milwaukee last week. He added, “It’s very early right now.”

In the 2016 and 2020 elections, Trump ran with former Vice President Mike Pence, a former governor of Indiana. Pence led his own presidential campaign in the 2024 election cycle but dropped out in late October before the start of the GOP primary contests.

Trump recently met with one of his other former 2024 Republican primary rivals, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Both indicated they had a productive conversation and made plans to defeat President Joe Biden in the November election.

Only months after taking the job, Republican National Committee chief counsel Charlie Spies has resigned from the role.

“Working full time at the RNC wasn’t the right fit with my law firm-client commitments, but I will remain focused on getting President Trump and Republicans at all levels elected in November,” Spies said in a statement to the Washington Examiner.

RNC spokeswoman Danielle Alvarez also cited “potential time commitment conflicts” as a reason for Spies’s departure in a statement to NBC News published earlier on Sunday.

“Charlie approached RNC Chief of Staff, Chris LaCivita, about potential time commitment conflicts and it was agreed that, while we appreciate and value Charlie’s expertise and professionalism, he cannot do this role full time and still maintain the obligations to his law firm that he has spent years successfully building,” Alvarez told the outlet in a statement.

However, according to the NBC News report, which cites an anonymous source, alleges Spies was “pushed out” of the job.

Spies was hired earlier this year while RNC leadership changed over to former President Donald Trump’s preferred picks of chairman Michael Whatley and co-chair Lara Trump.

He was part of a bevy of new hires made as the RNC was staffed for more Trump-aligned actions, including readying potential legal challenges in swing states. Reports suggested that Spies was skeptical of Trump’s claims that the 2020 election was stolen.

Democratic National Committee spokesman Alex Floyd bashed the move as an example of how Trump is allegedly purging the RNC of those who dissent from him.

“Donald Trump’s MAGA takeover of the RNC has already led to mass staff firings and an election denier litmus test for new hires — and now the committee’s top lawyer is the latest GOP official purged for disagreeing with Trump’s dangerous conspiracy theories about the 2020 election,” Floyd said in a statement.

“Trump continues to push the Big Lie along with the rest of his extreme MAGA agenda while trying to bend the Republican Party to his will.”

“His own staff don’t believe his unhinged conspiracy theories, and neither do the American people, who are ready to reject Trump and his attacks on our democracy once again this November,” he added.

Former President Trump attended the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix on Sunday, spotted at Hard Rock Stadium.

Photos from the event showed the GOP presidential candidate walking around the paddock, visiting the McLaren team garage and waving at passersby.

🚨 Trump arrives at the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix

pic.twitter.com/QNZolJwpMA

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) May 5, 2024

Trump backer Steve Witkoff reportedly planned a fundraiser from one of the event’s suites, but the plans were shut down by race organizer and Miami Dolphins CEO Tom Garfinkel.

“Political campaigning has its place, and it is not at our race. We welcome you and your guests to attend our event and enjoy your suite.”

“However, we respectfully request it be done in compliance with our very clear license agreement,” race organizers wrote Witkoff in a letter, first reported by radio host Andy Slater.

Trump was in Florida over the weekend for the Republican National Committee’s spring meeting, largely seen as an audition for potential 2024 running mates.

The guest list included many of those who are rumored to be on the list of finalists, including South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R), North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R), Ohio Sen. JD Vance (R), House GOP conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) and Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.).

A Wyoming man has made it his life’s mission to help rescue girls in Colombia who have fallen victim to sex trafficking.

Tyler Schwab was first introduced to sex trafficking while on a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Dominican Republic.

He started to notice a lot of young girls with older men but didn’t think much of it until he took a human trafficking seminar at Utah State University.

‘It was an injustice I couldn’t ignore,’ Schwab told Cowboy State Daily.

In 2014 he started the non-profit Libertas International, which has gone on to save more than 3,000 girls from tourist pedophiles in Colombia.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Libertas International (@libertasinternational)

‘Colombia is a very beautiful country for tourists, but over the span of time, we’ve had an influx of sex tourism, especially after the pandemic,’ Schwab said.

‘There were kids, especially young girls reporting that they had been abused by American tourists.’

Maj. Johan Aldana from the Colombian National Police, told Cowboy State Daily that sex tourism has been on the rise in cities like Medellin, Cali, Cartagena and the county’s capital, Bogotá.

In 2023, there were 1,259 possible sexual exploitation cases of minors in Bogotá, Colombia, 60 percent higher than the previous year, the Associated Press reported.

Around 1.4million tourists visited the country last year as crime and violence has dropped down following the leadership of the notorious Pablo Escobar.

Many of those tourists were Americans, and though Escobar has been dead for more than three decades, the prostitution culture that he normalized has lingered in the country.

In January, a 19-month-old girl was rescued by Schwab and his team after former NYPD officer, Agmad Beharry, 46, sexually exploited her.

The little girl is the youngest survivor that the non-profit has saved.

‘We are committed to supporting this survivor as she grows, learns to speak, etc,’ Libertas International said in a Facebook post.

Beharry was also charged, along with his accomplice, Gisainet Cristina Chirinos Viloria, with sexually exploiting photographs of a nine-year-old girl, the US Attorney’s Office said.

Following his arrest, Beharry, who was assigned to the NYPD’s terrorism unit, was suspended without pay and was charged in the US attorney’s office in Manhattan with one count of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of possession of child pornography.

On April 3, Federico Gutiérrez, the Mayor of Medellín, implemented a temporary prostitution ban after an American man was found with two Colombian teens, ages 12 and 13.

The President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, has also been involved in trying to decrease prostitution in the country.

One girl, who goes by the name Milagros, was recently caught up in a sex trafficking string, and through the help of Schwab and his non-profit, she was able to get the help she needed.

A police officer gave her Schwab’s information on a written note after she and three other women were violently abused by an American man.

With his support, Milagros testified at her abuser’s trial in US Federal court in May 2023.

She is now in school studying to be a social worker and runs a small business from home. She dreams of working for the non-profit one day.

Michael Roberts, 41, a Texas teacher who worked at an all-girls school, was then charged with illicit sexual abuse of minors and was sentenced to seven years in US federal prison.

Last year, Operation Archangel was launched, as Liberates International, Colombian law enforcement and the US Department of Homeland Security worked together to bring down more American sex tourists.

Since the operation started, more than a dozen men have been arrested and there are 30 open cases still pending.

Just last week, a pharmacist from Miami was arrested at an airport as he tried to board a flight to Bogotá to have sex with minors, aged 10 and 12.

In exchange for $300,000 in Colombian pesos, around $77 American dollars, the man abused children and promised them iPhones if they ‘didn’t cry.’

Another predator, MMA fighter Jaymes Schulte, was also caught and indicted in November on suspicion of sex trafficking and distributing illegal videos that involved victims as young as 13.

To make matters worse, a lot of the girls are being exploited by family members in exchange for money, Aldana said.

‘From a professional standpoint, I’ve worked organized crime and drugs, but sexual exploitation is such a different animal because they’re real people,’ he said.

‘They’re girls that have had these horrific lives and they’re blameless victims who are being exploited.’

He and Schwab both agreed that a lot of the offenders are white-collar professionals with no criminal records.

‘They come out here with their money and their white skin and believe that they can find the most vulnerable girls in the country and use them as sexual object,’ Aldana said.

Schwab referred to the tourists as ‘hidden monsters.’

‘Many of these people are professional law enforcement, teachers, taxi drivers, pharmacists, ex-military, bankers, etc. They have no criminal background here in the U.S., but when they travel, they turn into the worst kind of monsters who inflict true horror on vulnerable kids around the world,’ Schwab said.

Despite the alarming amount of sex trafficking, both Schwab and Aldana are confident that their work will continue to make a difference.

‘We will find you. It’s only a matter of time, and now, we have strategic partners in place,’ Aldana said.

In addition to them, Libertas International has a large team of people who help rescue helpless girls, including a ‘Survivor Board.’

Schwab said that once a girl is rescued, they receive ongoing help and care from Libertas International.

He was recently awarded the prestigious ‘Shield of DIPRO,’ the highest honor an American can receive, by the Colombian government for his tremendous work.

More than three quarters of rapes on the streets of Paris last year were committed by foreign nationals, according to shocking data from French authorities.

97 rapes were recorded in public spaces in France’s capital in 2023 – fewer than a third of which have been solved, local outlet Europe 1 reported.

Of the 97, 36 were arrested, 28 of whom were of foreign nationality – a staggering 77 per cent of those accused – while 30 cases were solved by the authorities.

Stats from Paris police headquarters said the crimes were largely committed at night, in tourist hotspots, and near “points de deal” – places where drug deals happened.

More shocking figures revealed that 20 rapists had already been known to the police, while four others had been on authorities’ radar for other sex offences.

Europe 1 said the crimes had been “mainly” committed by men, most of whom were addicted to drugs, homeless, or unemployed.

The number of crimes had risen by two per cent since 2022 – a near-constant rate of increase since 2018.

Reacting to the figures, Grégory Joron, the general secretary of police union Unite SGP Police-Force Ouvriere, said: “It’s still a rape every three days on Parisian soil and in public spaces.

“This poses a real question since it has been stable since almost 2018 and overall, we can clearly see that it is a phenomenon that we cannot extinguish.”

Joron drew attention to crime worries ahead of this year’s Olympic Games in the city; he said: “These are supposed to be places with a zero per cent crime rate, since we are expecting to welcome millions of tourists for the Olympic Games.

“But, for now, these are still places where, unfortunately, there are still a huge number of problems.

“After a certain hour, at night, there is unfortunately still a risk that a woman will be walking alone on her way home from an evening out or even from work.”

Authorities are attempting a large-scale crack-down ahead of the Olympics – last month, police introduced their “Place Nette XXL” operation, which, though mainly drug-focused, has much wider security implications.

The French Interior Minister, Gérald Darmanin had said at the time that “the fight against drugs is not only a fight for security; it is a fight for society”.

Alongside drugs, France has made moves to curb terrorist efforts over the last few months; in the wake of the Crocus City Hall attack in Moscow, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced an increase of his country’s terror threat level to “attack emergency”.

With such concerns in mind, the Olympics’ opening ceremony, slated to take place on the city’s River Seine, has already scaled back for security reasons.

A senior French interior ministry official said French President Emmanuel Macron had demanded halving the number of spectators from 600,000 following crowd control and security concerns, according to Politico.

The official said the “main threat” to the Games was “Islamist terrorism” – but conceded French intelligence had not yet identified specific plots, and groups like Isis and Al-Qaeda did not have the financial capacity to carry out attacks in France.

Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro’s vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans.

It was the last show of The Celebration Tour, her first retrospective, which kicked off in October in London.

The “Queen of Pop” began the show with her 1998 hit “Nothing Really Matters.” Huge cheers rose from the buzzing, tightly packed crowd, pressed up against the barriers. Others held house parties in brightly lighted apartments and hotels overlooking the beachfront. Helicopters and drones flew overhead, and motorboats and sailboats anchored off the beach filled the bay.

“Here we are in the most beautiful place in the world,” Madonna, 65, told the crowd. Pointing out the ocean view, the mountains and the Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking the city, she added: “This place is magic.”

Madonna performed her classic hits, including “Like A Virgin” and “Hung Up.” For the introduction to “Like A Prayer,” her head was completely covered in a black cape, a rosary gripped in her hands.

The star paid an emotional tribute to “all the bright lights” lost to AIDS as she sang “Live to Tell,” with black and white photos of people who died from the illness flashing behind her.

Later, she was joined on stage by Brazilian artists Anitta and Pabllo Vittar.

Rio spent the last few days readying itself for the performance.

An estimated 1.6 million people attended the show, G1 reported, citing Rio City Hall’s tourism agency. That is more than 10 times Madonna’s record attendance of 130,000 at Paris’ Parc des Sceaux in 1987. Madonna’s official website hyped the show as the biggest ever in her four-decade career.

In recent days, the buzz was palpable. Fans milled outside the stately, beachfront Copacabana Palace hotel, where Madonna is staying, hoping to catch a glimpse of the pop star. During the sound check on the stage set up in front of the hotel, they danced on the sand.

By midday Saturday, fans crowded in front of the hotel. A white-bearded man carried a sign saying, “Welcome Madonna you are the best I love you.”

Flags with “Madonna” printed against a background of Copacabana’s iconic black and white waved sidewalk pattern hung from balconies. The area was packed with street vendors and concert attendees kitted out in themed T-shirts, sweating under a baking sun.

“Since Madonna arrived here, I’ve been coming every day with this outfit to welcome my idol, my diva, my pop queen,” said Rosemary de Oliveira Bohrer, 69, who sported a gold-colored cone bra and a black cap.

“It’s going to be an unforgettable show here in Copacabana,” said Oliveira Bohrer, a retired civil servant who lives in the area.

Eighteen sound towers were spread along the beach to ensure that all attendees can hear the hits. Her two-hour show started at 10:37 p.m. local time, nearly 50 minutes behind schedule.

City Hall produced a report in April estimating that the concert would vinject 293 million reals ($57 million) into the local economy. Hotel capacity was expected to reach 98% in Copacabana, according to Rio’s hotel association. Fans hailing from across Brazil and even Argentina and France sought out Airbnbs for the weekend, the platform said in a statement. Rio’s international airport had forecast an extra 170 flights during May 1-6, from 27 destinations, City Hall said in a statement.

“It’s a unique opportunity to see Madonna, who knows if she’ll ever come back,” said Alessandro Augusto, 53, who flew in from Brazil’s Ceara state — approximately 2,500 kilometers (1,555 miles) from Rio.

“Welcome Queen!” read Heineken ads plastered around the city, the lettering above an image of an upturned bottle cap resembling a crown.

Heineken wasn’t the only company seeking to profit from the excitement. Bars and restaurants prepared “Like a Virgin” cocktails. A shop in the downtown neighborhood famed for selling Carnival attire completely reinvented itself, stocking its shelves with Madonna-themed costumes, fans, fanny packs and even underwear.

Organization of the mega-event was similar to New Year’s Eve, when millions of people gather on Copacabana for its fireworks display, local authorities said. That annual event often produces widespread thefts and muggings, and there was some concern such problems might occur at Madonna’s show.

Rio state’s security plan included the presence of 3,200 military personnel and 1,500 civilian police officers on stand by. In the lead-up to the concert, Brazil’s navy inspected vessels that wished to position themselves offshore to follow the show.

A number of huge concerts have taken place on Copacabana beach before, including a 1994 New Year’s Eve show by Rod Stewart that drew more than 4 million fans and was the biggest free rock concert in history, according to Guinness World Records. Many of those spectators also came to see Rio’s fireworks show, though, so a more fitting comparison might be to the Rolling Stones in 2006, which saw 1.2 million people crowd onto the sand, according to Rio’s military police, the newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo reported at the time.

Ana Beatriz Soares, a fan who was at Copacabana on Saturday, said Madonna has made her mark across the decades.

“Madonna had to run so that today’s pop artists could walk. That’s why she’s important, because she serves as an inspiration for today’s pop divas,” Soares said.

“And that’s 40 years ago. Not 40 days, 40 months. It’s 40 years,” she said.

A crash happened Saturday evening outside the White House, leaving one person dead, according to police.

The Metropolitan Police Department responded at about 10:45 p.m. Saturday night to reports that a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed collided with an outer perimeter gate on the White House complex.

Security protocols were implemented, but the driver was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a statement released by the Secret Service.

“Security protocols were implemented as officers cleared the vehicle and attempted to render aid to the driver who was discovered deceased,” according to the Secret Service.

There is no threat to the White House.

The fatal crash portion of this will be turned over to the Washington Metropolitan Police Department Crash Investigation Unit and the Secret Service investigation continues.

Twenty-five people were arrested Saturday for trespassing at the University of Virginia after police clashed with pro-Palestinian protesters who refused to remove tents from campus, and demonstrators at the University of Michigan chanted anti-war messages and waved flags during commencement ceremonies.

In Virginia, student demonstrators began their protest on a lawn outside the school chapel Tuesday. On Saturday, video from WVAW-TV showed police wearing heavy gear and holding shields lined up on the campus in Charlottesville. Protesters chanted “Free Palestine,” and university police said on the social platform X that an “unlawful assembly” had been declared in the area.

As police moved in, students were pushed to the ground, pulled by their arms and sprayed with a chemical irritant, Laura Goldblatt, an assistant professor of English and global studies who has been helping student demonstrators, told The Washington Post.

“Our concern since this began has been the safety of our students. Students are not safe right now,” Goldblatt said.

The university administration said in a statement that the demonstrators were told the tents and canopies they erected were prohibited under school policy and were asked to remove them. Virginia State Police were asked to help with enforcement, the university said.

It was the latest clash in several tense and sometimes violent weeks at colleges and universities around the country that have seen dozens of protests and hundreds of arrests at demonstrations over the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

Tent encampments of protesters calling on universities to stop doing business with Israel or companies they say support the war in Gaza have spread across campuses nationwide in a student movement unlike any other this century. Some schools have reached agreements with protesters to end the demonstrations and reduce the possibility of disrupting final exams and commencements.

The Associated Press has recorded at least 61 incidents since April 18 in which arrests were made at protests, with more than 2,400 people being arrested on 47 campuses. The figures are based on AP reporting and statements from universities and law enforcement agencies.

Many encampments have been dismantled.

Michigan was among the schools bracing for protests during commencement this weekend, including Indiana University, Ohio State University and Northeastern University in Boston. Many more are slated in the coming weeks.

State police prevented the demonstrators from reaching the stage and university spokesperson Colleen Mastony said public safety personnel escorted the protesters to the rear of the stadium, where they remained through the conclusion of the event.

“Peaceful protests like this have taken place at U-M commencement ceremonies for decades,” she added.

The university has allowed protesters to set up an encampment on campus, but police assisted in breaking up a large gathering at a graduation-related event Friday night, and one person was arrested.

At Indiana, protesters were urging supporters to wear their kaffiyehs and walk out during remarks by President Pamela Whitten on Saturday evening. The Bloomington campus designated a protest zone outside Memorial Stadium, the arena for the ceremony.

At Princeton, in New Jersey, 18 students launched a hunger strike in an effort to push the university to divest from companies tied to Israel.

In Ann Arbor, the protest happened at the beginning of the event at Michigan Stadium. About 75 people, many wearing traditional Arabic kaffiyehs along with their graduation caps, marched up the main aisle toward the graduation stage.

They chanted “Regents, regents, you can’t hide! You are funding genocide!” while holding signs, including one that read: “No universities left in Gaza.”

Overhead, planes flew banners with competing messages. “Divest from Israel now! Free Palestine!” and “We stand with Israel. Jewish lives matter.”

Officials said no one was arrested, and the protest didn’t seriously interrupt the nearly two-hour event, which was attended by tens of thousands of people, some of them waving Israeli flags.

One of them, senior David Chmielewski said in an email that the strike started Friday morning with participants consuming water only, and it will continue until administrators meet with students about demands including amnesty from criminal and disciplinary charges for protesters.

Other demonstrators are participating in “solidarity fasts” lasting 24 hours, Chmielewski said.

Princeton students set up a protest encampment and some held a sit-in at an administrative building this week, leading to about 15 arrests.

Students at other colleges, including Brown and Yale, launched similar hunger strikes earlier this year before the more recent wave of encampments.

Meanwhile in Medford, Massachusetts, students at Tufts University peacefully took down their encampment without police intervention Friday night.

School officials said they were pleased with the development, which wasn’t the result of any agreement. Protest organizers said in a statement that they were “deeply angered and disappointed” that negotiations with the university had failed.

The protests stem from the conflict that started Oct. 7 when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking roughly 250 hostages.

Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel launched an offensive in Gaza that has killed more than 34,500 Palestinians, around two-thirds of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory. Israeli strikes have devastated the enclave and displaced most of its inhabitants.

The shooter killed by police at a Wisconsin middle school was a 14-year student obsessed with the Columbine school massacre who wanted his classmates to experience ‘true fear’.

Damian Haglund died in a flurry of gunfire at Mount Horeb Middle School on Wednesday morning leaving behind a chilling manifesto naming some of the schoolchildren he wanted dead.

Haglund ran a series of anonymized social media accounts, and ominously posted ‘My last morning’, in his final tweet just two hours before his attack.

Weeks earlier he revealed how his obsession with school massacres had ‘screwed up’ his life.

‘Not just Columbine, Sandy Hook, Ecole Polytech, Kerch, All the School Movies. No one gets ‘Columbiners’, very few even know what it is.

‘There’s porn addiction helplines, there’s helplines for suicidal people, drunks, pedos, rapists, BUT NO ONE CAN HELP ME ON EARTH.’

Witnesses reported seeing him shooting into a cafeteria after trying to break a window with the butt of a ‘long gun’ during eighth-grade lunchtime at about 11.15am before he was tackled by a school resource officer from Mount Horeb Police Department.

‘People my age are really the real enemy,’ he wrote. ‘They pose the most hate to me, if you don’t play the game, if you don’t feed the machine, you’re an outcast.’

The entire school district was placed in hard lockdown with some students not released to the parents until early evening as police tried to establish whether the shooter was operating alone.

Jeanne Keller heard about five gunshots ring out from her shop The Quilting Jeanne, yards away on the same block.

‘It was maybe like pow-pow-pow-pow. I thought it was fireworks. I went outside and saw all the children running, I probably saw 200 children.’

Max Kelly, 12, was among a class of students practicing in-line skating in the school gym when the gunfire rang out.

He said their teacher told them to flee and they dashed, still in their skates, into the street.

Photos showed a ditch full of skates hastily discarded by the students before they ran to nearby convenience stores and a gas station where they hid in bathrooms.

The class was still shoeless when they were reunited with their terrified parents outside the school.

‘I don’t think anywhere is safe anymore,’ said Max’s mom, Alison Kelly,32.

In his blog Haglund singled out one schoolmate he hated, and fantasized about seeing her hit by a truck.

‘Like how her Skull’d fricking pop from the pressure when the wheels crush the cranium, the scream.

‘And some kids are just so stupid, I hope they experience true fear in their lives somehow.’

He detailed ‘Diversity, Feminists’ among his ‘hates’, and wrote of how he feared women.

‘I don’t mean to be all wolf-like, but I have a way different side than people at school see me as,’ he added.

He spoke of visiting Weston High School in Cazenovia north of Madison where principal John Klang was fatally gunned down in a 2006 school shooting.

‘When I went there the energy was powerful,’ he claimed.

‘I went outside and touched the walls of the school, but I didn’t want to get arrested or something.’

He wrote that ‘Ever since a kid I’ve wanted to be famous’, and pictures on his family’s Facebook pages show a smiling Haglund seemingly enjoying family trips to Canada and to see last month’s eclipse.

But his posts spoke too of his own suicidal thoughts.

‘You need to understand the huge wall I have been backed into. What therapist can help me? I face worse criminal punishments than those that are suicidal,’ he wrote.

‘I hate my existence because I fear everything, I AM TIRED OF THIS.

‘My family thinks I actually have a plan after High School, no, I don’t, and if my parents ever look back, they might just see they knew NOTHING about me, and I don’t blame them.’

Days before his death he updated his blog, warning that ‘Looks like time is kind of running out for me, no going back for whatever I do.

‘I’m sure my town being ‘Mt Horeb’ will bring a lot of interesting connections.’

In a tweet he night before his death he wrote: ‘I want to continue to indulge in media, night core, videogames, but when you continue living, these simple things become so mundane. I’m going to miss you.’

The investigation is being led by the Wisconsin Department of Justice and at a press conference on Wednesday night Attorney General Josh Kaul said he did not believe there was an ongoing threat.

In a statement on Sunday his office revealed that the ‘long gun’ Haglund was carrying had been a Ruger .1777 caliber pellet rifle.

‘Officers directed the subject to drop the weapon, but the subject did not comply,’ he added.

‘The subject pointed the weapon at the officers, after which law enforcement discharged their firearms, striking the subject. Lifesaving measures were deployed but the subject died at the scene.’

‘No law enforcement officers or witnesses were physically injured during the incident.’

He confirmed on Thursday that more than one officer had fired on Haglund amid reports that as many as 12 shots were fired.

Mount Horeb chief of police Doug Vierck pleaded with the public not to spread ‘rumors’ about the case, insisting the authorities are ‘working as quickly as we can to move forward so we can come to a closure’.

‘Before sharing information ask yourself, ‘Is it true?’ ‘Can I absolutely know that it’s true?’ he demanded.

‘If either answer is no, please do not share the information. For the sake of everyone involved, please do not spread rumors.’

‘The show of support from businesses, other agencies, and the community at large has been beyond humbling.’

But his department were directing calls for information to the DoJ who were not responding to inquiries on Thursday.

High waters flooded neighborhoods around Houston on Saturday following heavy rains that have already resulted in crews rescuing more than 400 people from homes, rooftops and roads engulfed in murky water. Others prepared to evacuate their property.

A wide region was swamped from Houston to rural East Texas, where game wardens rode airboats through waist-high waters rescuing both people and pets who did not evacuate in time. One crew brought a family and three dogs aboard as rising waters surrounded their cars and home.

A flood watch was in effect through Sunday afternoon, as forecasters predicted additional rainfall Saturday night and the likelihood of major flooding.

“It’s going to keep rising this way,” said Miguel Flores Jr., of the northeast Houston neighborhood of Kingwood. “We don’t know how much more. We’re just preparing for the worst.”

Husband and wife Aron Brown, 45, and Jamie Brown, 41, were two of the many residents who drove or walked to watch the rising waters near a flooded intersection close to the San Jacinto River. Nearby restaurants and a gas station were beginning to flood.

Water could be seen flowing into parts of the couple’s subdivision, but Aron Brown said he wasn’t worried because their home is at a higher elevation than others in the neighborhood.

Brown, who had driven from his home in a golf cart, said the flooding wasn’t as bad as Hurricane Harvey in 2017. He pointed to nearby power lines and said that flooding during Harvey had reached the top of the lines.

Residents in Low-Lying Areas Asked to Evacuate

Friday’s fierce storms forced numerous high-water rescues, including some from the rooftops of flooded homes. Officials redoubled urgent instructions for residents in low-lying areas to evacuate, warning the worst was still to come.

“A lull in heavy rain is expected through (Saturday) evening,” according to the National Weather Service. “The next round of heavy rainfall is expected late (Saturday) into Sunday.”

Up to 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) of additional rain was expected, with up to 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) possible in isolated areas.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said more rain was expected Sunday, and if it’s a lot, it could be problematic. Hidalgo is the top elected official in the nation’s third-largest county.

Ongoing Rain Has Left Parts of Texas Drenched, Residents Trapped

Most weekends Flores’ father, Miguel Flores Sr., is mowing his huge backyard on a 2.5-acre (1-hectare) lot behind his home in Kingwood. But on Saturday, he and his family were loading several vehicles with clothes, small appliances and other items.

Water from the San Jacinto River had already swallowed his backyard and was continuing to rise — what was about 1 foot (30 centimeters) high in the yard Friday measured about 4 feet (1.2 meters) the following day.

“It’s sad, but what can I do,” Flores said. He added that he has flood insurance.

For weeks, drenching rains in Texas and parts of Louisiana have filled reservoirs and saturated the ground. Floodwaters partially submerged cars and roads this week across parts of southeastern Texas, north of Houston, reaching the roofs of some homes.

More than 21 inches (53 centimeters) fell over a five-day period through Friday in Liberty County near the city of Splendora, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) northeast of Houston, according to the National Weather Service.

Hidalgo said Saturday that 178 people and 122 pets have been rescued so far in the county. Scores of rescues took place in neighboring Montgomery County. In Polk County, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northeast of Houston, officials said they have done over 100 water rescues in the past few days.

Houston Is One of The Most Flood-Prone Metro Areas in The Us

Authorities in Houston have not reported any deaths or injuries. The city of more than 2 million people is one of the most flood-prone metro areas in the country and has long experience dealing with devastating weather.

Hurricane Harvey in 2017 dumped historic rainfall that flooded thousands of homes and resulted in more than 60,000 rescues by government rescue personnel across Harris County.

Of particular concern was an area along the San Jacinto River, which was expected to continue rising as more rain falls and officials release water from a full reservoir. Hidalgo issued a mandatory evacuation order on Thursday for people living along portions of the river.

The weather service reported that the river was at nearly 74 feet (22.6 meters) late Saturday morning after reaching nearly 78 feet (23.7 meters). The rapidly changing forecast said the river was expected to fall to near flood stage of 58 feet (17.6 meters) by Thursday.

Most of Houston’s city limits were not heavily impacted by the weather. Officials said the area received about four months’ worth of rain in about a week’s time.

The greater Houston area covers about 10,000 square miles (25,900 square kilometers) — a footprint slightly bigger than New Jersey. It is crisscrossed by about 1,700 miles (2,700 kilometers) of channels, creeks and bayous that drain into the Gulf of Mexico, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of downtown.

The system of bayous and reservoirs was built to drain heavy rains, but the engineering initially designed nearly 100 years ago has struggled to keep up with the city’s growth and bigger storms.

The Democratic Party is bracing for massive protests during the Democratic National Committee convention in Chicago in August, reminiscent of the chaos of the 1968 convention.

Fears of a repeat of the infamous convention, which saw hundreds arrested, have been thrown around as the Israel-Hamas war continues and as massive campus protests that have paralyzed several universities have further illustrated what may be in store for the Chicago DNC convention in August.

“This last week has taken the demonstrations to a different level,” former President Barack Obama’s chief of staff William Daley told the Washington Post. “It portends that you have the potential for big demonstrations. Whether they get violent — that’s more imaginable today than it was a year ago.”

Despite his concerns, he was hostile to mere suggestions that August could see a repeat of 1968.

“To analogize what’s going on in the country today with 1968 is ridiculous,” Daley, who attended the convention, said. “Only people who weren’t alive in ’68 have that idiotic perception.”

The DNC is staking its hopes on warding off chaos through an elaborate security arrangement coordinated with the Secret Service.

“Peaceful protest is fundamental to American democracy, and has been a fixture of political conventions for decades,” DNC spokesman Matt Hill told the outlet in a statement. “While Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans stoke political violence, we support the ongoing security coordination at all levels of government to keep our convention safe.”

“When the country looks to Chicago this August, the unity and excitement of Democrats will stand in stark contrast to the chaos and extremism stewing in the GOP,” he added.

Despite the attempt to deflect the image of chaos onto Trump and the Republicans, strategists are increasingly concerned that protests at the convention could render the argument moot. The White Hosue has struggled to find an approach to the War in Gaza that would satisfy its traditional pro-Israeli cadres while also placating the younger liberals, who have been vehemently critical of President Joe Biden’s response. The scenes of chaos wrought by the latter have proven to be a major thorn on Biden’s side and threaten to tank his image as a figure of stability in contrast to Trump’s chaos.

“Everywhere Joe Biden goes, chaos follows and he is berated by angry Americans who are fed up with his terrible policies,” Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. “Chicago will be no different, as people in the city, particularly Blacks and Hispanics, are suffering from Biden’s illegal immigrant invasion and soft-on-crime policies, and they have a right to make their voices heard.”

Pro-Palestinian protesters have already made known their intention to disrupt August’s conference.

Last month, over 450 far-left activists attended the “March on DNC 2024” meeting, at which 75 different organizations planned how to disrupt the DNC convention scheduled for August. At the event, speakers outlined how to best carry out illegal actions, burned an American flag, and conspired over how to recreate the events of 1968, in which 10,000 demonstrators clashed with police while protesting the Vietnam War, resulting in 668 arrests and hundreds of injuries.

“Have you heard that the Democratic National Convention is coming to Chicago?” Joe Iosbaker, a leader of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, asked the crowd. “Are we going to let ’em come here without a protest? This is Chicago, g**d*** it — we’ve got to give them a 1968 kind of welcome.”

California is taking of heat for celebrating the completion of an high-speed rail bridge that has cost taxpayers $11 billion and took nine years to build — and clearly goes nowhere.

Critics — including Tesla founder Elon Musk and Dogecoin creator Billy Markus — are ripping the California High Speed Rail Authority after it boasted about last year’s completion of a “Fresno River Viaduct,” a mere sliver of the state’s long-delayed, bullet-train project attempting to link San Francisco to Los Angeles

“This is the most remarkable human achievement ever,” joked Markus, the creator of the jokey cryptocurrency, on X Friday.

“1600 feet of high speed rail after 9 years and 11 billion dollars it takes about 5 minutes to walk 1600 feet so a high speed rail for that is a really big deal,” added Markus, who also goes by “Shibetoshi Nakamoto.”

“California is so competent.”

Musk also chimed in, posting a sad, crying emoji to express his sentiments about the boondoggle of a project that is reportedly in danger of being scrapped.

That’s despite $11 billion in taxpayer dollars that have already being sunk into the Los Angeles-to-San Francisco high speed rail project.

That figure includes both the bridge and other work on the first phase of the high-speed route — which runs from Bakersfield north of Los Angeles to Merced, which is about 80 miles from the Bay Area.

Critics were responding to an earlier post by the rail authority, touting that the Fresno River Viaduct in Madera County is one of the “first completed high-speed rail structures.”

“At nearly 1,600 feet long, high-speed trains will travel over the riverbed and will run parallel with the BNSF Railroad,” the authority said on X.

Although reported estimates to complete the rail line will cost taxpayers about $100 billion, Markus fired back, quipping: “wow so impressive, can’t wait until year 2400 for this to finish for 700 quadrillion dollars.”

Venture Capitalist Patrick Blumenthal insinuated the authority should pump the brakes on praising itself, posting a breakdown of the lack of progress the rail-line project has made.

“0.3 miles completed. After 15 years. After $11.2 BILLION. $36.96 billion per mile,” he wrote on X.

The relatives of a brilliant lawyer who walked out on his family and career amid a mental health spiral during Covid have spoken of their devastation after he ended up living on the streets of LA.

Two years ago Rob Dart, 44, was an award-winning attorney and doting father living in a $2 million South Pasadena home.

He had overcome a previous mental health crisis a decade earlier, following the end of his marriage which saw him plagued by voices in his head.

Back then, Dart still had the wherewithal to turn to his family for support and he managed to recuperate at home in his childhood bedroom before moving out and reinventing himself as a high flying lawyer.

But in 2022, his life began to unravel once again with the advent of the pandemic, which saw him spending hours working from home.

Dart quit therapy and his medications and soon lost touch with his family, as well as his job.

He missed rent, his car was impounded and soon after his phone got cut off.

‘I got on a plane,’ his mom Sherry Dart told the Wall Street Journal. ‘I thought I was going to find a dead body.’

When she finally caught up with her son, he was almost unrecognizable – and furious.

Dart allowed his mom to greet her grandson for a short while, before whisking him away. He then proceeded to ignore his mother’s repeated phone calls over the next few days.

It was a similar story for Dart’s sister Jennifer when she tried to visit him in July, weeks after he had been evicted.

Jennifer scoured the local area before she found her once clean cut brother with matted hair and in total disarray at a Starbucks.

‘The only thing I could recognize were his eyes,’ she said, describing a similarly hostile reaction.

Dart was one of the millions of Americans whose mental health issues were exacerbated by the pandemic through interruptions to treatment, routine or for other reasons.

In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by a massive 25 percent, according to a scientific brief released by the World Health Organization (WHO)

Dart’s family had hoped that California’s more robust laws on detaining those with serious psychotic disorders would provide the safety net he so desperately needed.

In 2022, the CARE Court laws introduced powers for judges to commit mentally ill people into facilities if family members petition the courts.

In most states, loved ones can do little to access treatment on behalf of patients without their consent.

However, Dart’s moments of lucidity and his legal background meant he was often able to argue his way out of being committed.

One of these occasions occurred after he was persuaded to be hospitalized in December 2022 after neighbors called his mom to report that he had become hysterical.

A panicked Sherry immediately called police who sent over mental health specialists who were able to coax him into treatment.

Sherry flew to California the next day and was devastated by what she found inside her son’s apartment.

Upon opening the door she was hit with a rancid smell and the sight of crazed etchings in notebooks describing how Dart had hear the voice of Satan.

His paranoid rantings included that he was, John Lennon, ‘St. Nicholas Cage’, ‘the invisible Obama’ and that people were trying to steal from him.

Dart checked himself out of the hospital and turned up in an erratic state on his ex-wife’s porch on December 28.

His condition alarmed her and she refused to allow him access to his son, prompting Dart to file motions in court accusing her of breaking the custody arrangement.

The judge was persuaded by his articulate arguments and agreed to a hearing. However, when the full extent of his breakdown became known, the courts granted her a protective order.

Over the next months Dart’s family desperately tried to reach him, invariably with little success.

Things took a turn for the even more frightening in September 2023 when he was shot in the leg on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Dart had been attempting to ‘meditate’ on the stretch when he was struck by an errant bullet.

He initially refused hospital treatment, but was later tricked into attending by a friend.

Once there, a psychiatrist attempted to have him committed. However, Rob used his legal training and flashes of clarity to successfully argue his way out again.

The next few weeks were marked by trips to and from hospitals in the area, but never for long.

His family continued to try and support him, funding Airbnbs, hotel rooms and the odd meal on DoorDash. Sherry has spent her life savings on trying to keep her son safe.

On December 27, Dart posted on Facebook looking for a place to stay.

‘Hey guys, I’m looking for a place to crash in Los Angeles. That’s because I’m homeless. If anyone has some space in their apartment or anything, please DM me. Thanks,’ he said.

By this point Dart had become one of the 46,000 homeless people on the streets of LA.

The next time his family heard from him was three months later, when he delivered a request they leave him alone.

For his part, Dart maintains he is not sick and that quitting his medications has improved his life.

‘I did want to leave the hospital, and I did not want to take the medications,’ Dart told the Wall Street Journal.

‘It made me more afraid, less assertive, less confident. Who wants to feel like that? You realize you’re kind of the same person,’ Dart said. ‘You just know more about yourself.’

But for his family, it already feels too late as they are simply left with the memory of who he was.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin confirmed on Friday that American troops are sharing space on Airbase 101, a facility in the capital of Niger, with Russian military forces, but dismissed the Russians’ presence as “not a significant issue here.”

Reuters reported late on Friday that the government of Niger – a military junta known as the “National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland” that took power in a televised coup in July – had allowed Russian forces onto the airbase.

“A senior U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Russian forces were not mingling with U.S. troops but were using a separate hangar at Airbase 101, which is next to Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey, Niger’s capital,” Reuters relayed.

The anonymous official described the situation as “not great.”

Asked about the report of Russian troops at Airbase 101, Austin confirmed that the Russian soldiers were in the facility.

“The Russians are in a separate compound and don’t have access to US forces or access to our equipment,” Austin claimed during a press conference in Hawaii. “And this is something that, you know, again, I’m always focused on the safety and the protection of our troops, something that we’ll continue to watch.”

“But right now, I don’t see, I don’t see a significant issue here in terms of our force protection,” Austin added.

The Russian military presence in Niger is reportedly a direct result of the coup, which placed former presidential guard leader Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani in power. The “National Council” claimed in its initial message assuming power that it would not break any international agreements made by the government of ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, but it rapidly moved to distance Niger from its Western allies. It has taken its most aggressive moves against France, its former colonial ruler, which completed the removal of its troops in December.

The relationship with the administration of leftist American President Joe Biden has been tremendously fraught, as well, characterized by American delegations repeatedly traveling to meet coup leaders in Niger and coming to no significant agreements on the status of the United States presence in the country.

Following the latest visit by American officials to Niger, in March, coup spokesman Col. Amadou Abdramane announced that Tchiani was forcing America to end its military presence in the country on the grounds that the Biden regime had been “condescending” to the junta.

“The U.S. presence on the territory of the Republic of Niger is illegal and violates all the constitutional and democratic rules which would require the sovereign people,” Abdramane said, adding that the coup condemned “with force the patronizing attitude accompanied by the threat of retaliation on the part of the American delegation.”

Abdramane noted in the national address making the announcement that Niger was pursuing closer ties with Russia to buy military equipment, presumably to replace the protection from U.S. forces. Subsequent reports suggested that the Nigerien coup regime leaders were particularly outraged by American officials discouraging them from pursuing closer ties to Russia, Iran, and other enemies of the United States. Echoing those early reports, Reuters cited an anonymous American official in its report on Thursday who said that the Americans told the coup regime that Washington would not agree to sharing military facilities with the Russians, and the Nigerians “did not take that well.”

The status of America’s troops in Niger remains unclear. Following the call for America to “immediately” withdraw its troops from Niger in March, the Pentagon claimed that it was maintaining “ongoing discussions” with the coup regime. The troops, at press time, are believed to remain in Niger. In April, the Biden administration announced that it would indeed withdraw from Niger, but the specifics of that process remain unknown at press time.

The United States is believed to have an estimated 1,000 service members stationed in the country, present there as a result of agreements with Bazoum to combat joint terrorist threats, particularly against increasingly belligerent jihadist groups in the greater Sahel region. Some reports indicate that most Americans are now stationed not in Airbase 101, but in Airbase 201 in Agadez, a facility that Reuters noted cost $100 million in American taxpayers’ dollars to build.

A Congressional report obtained by Breitbart News in April suggested that American troops in Niger are languishing in unacceptable conditions, facing shortages of basic medicine and other goods and denied information on when, or if, they will be relieved of their duties. The report, from the office of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), described conditions at Airbase 101, where the Russians are now believed to be stationed.

The situation, the report detailed, is “preventing the delivery of mail, necessary medical supplies, blood to replenish the blood bank (which requires constant turnover due to expiration windows), equipment and repair supplies; and other routine materiel from the United States.”

“Personnel rotations for service members have been halted, leaving our troops stranded without any indication of relief or return home, as replacements [aren’t] authorized to enter Niger,” the report continued.

The report also revealed that Nigerien coup authorities were offering Russians and other “near-peer adversaries” “unfettered access to the country.”

The Financial Times reported on April 23 that Russia sent 100 troops into Niger that month, following a call between Tchiani and Russian strongman Vladimir Putin. Some reports have described the Russian troops as “military instructors.”

The leader of the recent protests Columbia University has been revealed as the 40-year-old son of millionaire ad execs who lives in a four story Brooklyn townhouse.

James Carlson, who also goes by Cody Carlson and Cody Tarlow, was arrested by the NYPD and charged with burglary and illegal entry after he stormed Columbia’s Hamilton Hall and re-named it ‘Hind’ Hall.

The accused, who is described as ‘a long-time figure in the anarchist world’ by officials, was also arrested for allegedly attacking a police officer during the violent G8 protests in San Francisco in 2005.

James is the son of Richard Tarlow and Sandy Carlson Tarlow, millionaire advertising duo who started Carlson & Partners together and were known for their cosmetic and fashion clients including Revlon, Victoria’s Secret, Ralph Lauren and Neutrogena.

The millionaire father was also a supporter of of John Jay College and the John Jay Justice Awards that recognize people and organizations who demonstrate a commitment to justice.

Richard died at the age of 81 in May 2022 while Sandy died in 2003 at the age of 53.

According to the NY Daily News, James graduated Magna Cum Laude from Brooklyn Law School and later became an animal rights lawyer who clerked at the US District Court in 2013.

He also had a short stint as an undercover investigator on factory farms and slaughterhouses recording animal abuse, according to the publication.

James is believed to be married to model Kim Heyrman and has two children while living in a $3.4 million Brooklyn brownstone townhouse in New York.

The main house is a two-story property with four spacious bedrooms, four wood burning fireplaces with two on the parlor floor, according to Zillow.

The carriage house, on the other hand, has 18-foot-high ceilings with a loft area, skylights, electric heat for a kitchen and bath.

While in front of the main house, there is a expansive lawn and porch and between the main and carriage house is majestic garden area with a decked porch and mature trees, one with a wooden swing.

James is suspected of burning an Israeli flag during a demonstration two days ago and is believed to be ‘previously involved in recent bridge and tunnel blocking’, according to NBC News.

Earlier this week, footage emerged of protestors smashed windows, upended furniture and caused damage throughout Hamilton Hall during the occupation before police stormed the campus and arrested more than 100 protestors Tuesday night.

Around 40 protestors were arrested on the first floor of the building after police swooped just after 9pm ending the pro-Palestine encampment that stretched on for nearly two weeks and included students taking over the hall.

Pictures and video taken of the aftermath show the hall’s trashed interior strewn with activists’ belongings.

Columbia’s President, Minouche Shafik, called in the NYPD in to ‘restore order and safety’ to the campus amid the escalating protests, which also included a massive encampment on the school’s lawns.

The raid saw demonstrators arrested across the campus and at nearby City College New York, where similar protests unfolded.

Police stormed Hamilton Hall through an upstairs window after students used furniture to barricade the entrance.

Pictures show how chairs and desks have been turned upside down to become makeshift barriers. The cost of damage to the building is likely to total thousands of dollars.

The occupation followed weeks of unrest at Columbia, which began with the establishment of the encampment on April 17.

Protestors set up tents after Shafik was grilled before Congress about anti-Semitism on campus.

They repeatedly ignored calls to disband, with the demonstrations ramping up early Tuesday with the violent takeover of Hamilton Hall.

After two weeks of chaos, which saw classes moved online and facilities shuttered, Shafik finally called in the police who managed to clear out the campus in just two hours.

University administrators have now asked the police to maintain a presence until May 17, two days after graduation.

Special counsel Jack Smith’s team on May 3 acknowledged they misled U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon regarding the handling of evidence in one of the criminal cases against former President Donald Trump.

Prosecutors in a court filing said that in some of the boxes FBI agents seized from President Trump’s Florida resort, the order of papers has been changed from shortly after the seizure.

Prosecutors compared scans of the boxes done in 2022 under orders from Judge Cannon to the present state of the boxes and noticed that the order is not the same.

“There are some boxes where the order of items within that box is not the same as in the associated scans,” Mr. Smith’s team said.
In a footnote, prosecutors acknowledged that the update contrasts with what they told the judge less than one month ago, during a hearing in the case.

When Judge Cannon during the hearing asked whether the boxes were “in their original, intact form as seized,” a prosecutor on the team said, “they are, with one exception; and that is that the classified documents have been removed and placeholders have been put in the documents.”

Prosecutors were unable to confirm why the order of papers was changed but offered a theory.

“The boxes contain items smaller than standard paper such as index cards, books, and stationary, which shift easily when the boxes are carried, especially because many of the boxes are not full,” they said.

The disclosure was made in a filing responding to a request from Walt Nauta, one of President Trump’s co-defendants, for an extension of a deadline to file papers under the Classified Information Procedure Act (CIPA).

Section five of CIPA requires defendants to serve notice when they intend to disclose classified information.

“Regardless of the explanation … where precisely within a box a classified document was stored at Mar-a-Lago does not bear in any way on Nauta’s ability to file a CIPA section 5 notice,” prosecutors said, with regards to the order of papers having changed in some of the boxes from President Trump’s residence.

In the filing, prosecutors said that the boxes were taken to the FBI’s Washington Field Office following their seizure in Florida in August 2022. The FBI then created an index to link the documents with classification markings to codes, such as “bb,” and also labeled classified cover sheets in the boxes with codes.

“The FBI also generally replaced the handwritten sheets with classified cover sheets annotated with the index code, but regardless, any handwritten sheets that currently remain in the boxes do not represent additional classified documents—they were just not removed when the classified cover sheets with the index code were added,” prosecutors said. “In many but not all instances, the FBI was able to determine which document with classification markings corresponded to a particular placeholder sheet.”

Tim Fitton, president of the Judicial Watch nonprofit, said on the social media platform X that the admission by prosecutors was a reason “to throw out this sham prosecution.”

The case was brought against President Trump and others over their alleged violation of federal law in handling documents marked classified. Defendants have pleaded not guilty.

Neither Mr. Nauta nor other defendants in the case have responded yet to the new filing.

Mr. Nauta’s request for an extension is one of many documents that are under seal, or unavailable for perusal.

In another recent filing, President Trump’s team said that the case should be dismissed because prosecutors are motivated by “improper political animus,” pointing in part to how White House lawyers worked with the National Archives and Records Administration on its referral to the Department of Justice and how President Joe Biden has said that he was “making sure” President Trump “does not become the next president again.”

Prosecutors opposed the dismissal request but their opposition was filed under seal.

Trump’s response

In Truth Social post, Trump accused Smith of “blatant evidence tampering” and called for the case to be thrown out.

“It has always been clear that the ‘Documents Case’ is nothing but an Election Interference Scam concocted by Crooked Joe Biden, Deranged Jack Smith, and their Hacks and Thugs,” Trump wrote.

“Now, Deranged Jack has admitted in a filing in front of Judge Cannon to what I have been saying happened since the Illegal RAID on my home, Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida—That he and his team committed blatant Evidence Tampering by mishandling the very Boxes they used as a pretext to bring this Fake Case. These deeply Illegal actions by the Politicized ‘Persecutors’ mandate that this whole Witch Hunt be DROPPED IMMEDIATELY. END THE ‘BOXES HOAXES.’ MAGA2024!”

Salacious celebrity scandal peppered with foundation-building evidence defined the second week of testimony in former President Trump’s New York criminal trial.

Witnesses this week began digging into the minutiae of the Manhattan district attorney’s case, from bank records and non-disclosure agreements to text messages suggesting efforts to keep quiet negative stories about Trump to help his 2016 campaign.

But key witnesses’ credibility has also been sharply drawn into question, setting the stage for defense attorneys to take aim at critical future testimony.

Here are five takeaways from the second week of testimony in the hush money trial.

Celebrity scandals make a cameo

Keith Davidson, a lawyer for two women paid to keep their alleged affairs with Trump secret, gave a behind-the-scenes account of efforts to execute the agreements with the National Enquirer and ex-Trump fixer Michael Cohen.

But Davidson’s testimony during cross-examination by Trump’s attorneys also dredged up a graveyard of celebrity scandals he also appeared to be linked to.

The likes of Lindsay Lohan, Charlie Sheen, Hulk Hogan and Tila Tequila were name-dropped as clients or casualties of Davidson’s work, which defense attorneys used to suggest the lawyer has a habit of extorting famous figures.

At one point, Trump’s attorneys attempted to paint Davidson as an extortionist for stories involving everything from sex tapes to rehab stints.

Davidson’s testimony to start exposed his relationship with National Enquirer editor Dylan Howard as he worked to keep affairs alleged by porn actress Stormy Daniels and ex-Playboy model Karen McDougal, who Davidson represented, from going public as Trump mounted his first presidential campaign.

But by the time election night 2016 came around, Davidson expressed remorse in a text message to Howard as Trump stunned the nation by inching toward becoming president-elect.

“What have we done?” Davidson wrote.

Hope Hicks: 2016 damage control

Hicks testified for hours about how she was central to mitigating damage caused by a series of scandals just before Election Day.

The first “crisis” came when a Washington Post reporter reached out to the campaign about the “Access Hollywood” tape, a 2005 recording of Trump bragging about grabbing women inappropriately and seemingly without their consent.

“I was concerned,” Hicks said of her initial reaction to learning of the tape – and the news organizations intent to publish it along with a story. “I was very concerned.”

When confronted with the Post’s comment request, Trump told Hicks that it “didn’t sound like something he would say,” she testified. But he later told her he believed the remarks were “pretty standard stuff for two guys chatting.” The first time Trump saw the tape he was upset, she said, describing her own reaction as “just a little stunned.”

Hicks also testified that, just four days before Election Day 2016, Cohen blew off a Wall Street Journal story that revealed McDougal’s hush money deal. Cohen, she said, didn’t believe the story would get much traction.

“Just a little irony there,” she noted on the witness stand, discussing the story in detail nearly eight years later.

Cohen credibility war underway

Cohen was already in the hot seat this week – before he takes the stand himself – as witnesses took turns taking shots at the former president’s ex-fixer, making clear the challenges of the controversial character’s impending testimony.

Davidson testified that he and others in his orbit at the time took measures to actively avoid Cohen because they disliked him so much. Texts between a top editor at the National Enquirer and Daniels’s manager revealed descriptions of Cohen as “some jerk” and “that asshole.”

In his testimony, Davidson described Cohen as a “highly excitable, sort of a pants-on-fire kind of guy.”

“He had a lot of things going on,” the lawyer said.

Even Cohen’s old banker, Gary Farro, revealed that the onetime fixer became his client because he maintained a reputation as someone who can handle clients “who may be a little challenging.”

Having coordinated the payments to a Trump Tower doorman and McDougal – in addition to paying off Daniels himself – Cohen’s testimony is expected to provide prosecutors with a key link to Trump. Cohen has said that his actions were done at the behest of his then-boss.

But testimony this week gave defense attorneys significant fodder to undercut the credibility of the soon-to-be star witness, whose own testimony is expected to mark the climax of the trial.

Trump’s courtroom entourage grows

Early in the trial, some observers noted that the former president’s family was not in court with him.

But Trump’s entourage grew this week to include a wider set of aides and family.

The former president’s son, Eric Trump, attended on Tuesday, sitting in the courtroom gallery alongside Trump campaign adviser Susie Wiles.

They were joined by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) and Club For Growth President David McIntosh.

Trump himself has turned his body to face a witness testify at times, while at other moments, the former president faced straight ahead to read texts, emails and other exhibits displayed on the monitor in front of him.

Throughout the week, Trump often whispered to his lawyers — sometimes appearing frustrated — or looked through written press clippings provided to him by an aide. The former president has also closed his eyes for multiple minutes on multiple occasions, though he has denied sleeping in court.

“Contrary to the FAKE NEWS MEDIA, I don’t fall asleep during the Crooked D.A.’s Witch Hunt, especially not today. I simply close my beautiful blue eyes, sometimes, listen intensely, and take it ALL in!!!” Trump posted on Truth Social on Thursday.

Trial schedule comes into view

The trial schedule is constantly being tweaked, and the latest changes make one thing clear: Many partial weeks lay ahead.

The trial as of now will meet next week on its normal schedule of all weekdays except Wednesday, when the judge attends to his other active cases.

But after that, the schedule is regularly interrupted.

Judge Juan Merchan agreed to skip trial on Friday, May 17 so Trump can attend his son Barron’s high school graduation.

The following Friday, the court will not meet because a juror has plans to leave town that day for Memorial Day weekend. And, the court won’t meet on the holiday itself that Monday.

The week after that? Another skipped day. If the jury hasn’t started deliberating yet, the judge signaled he’ll skip trial on June 3 so one of Trump’s lawyers can attend a graduation.

Russia has issued arrest warrants for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as well as several high-ranking former officials including former President Petro Poroshenko.

The wanted list published by Moscow’s Interior Ministry was updated on Tuesday to include President Zelensky. The arrest warrant states that the Ukrainian leader is wanted over a violation of the Russian Criminal code, however, the exact alleged offence has not been published.

Russian state-run media RT suggested that the arrest warrant may be in response to unconventional tactics used by Ukraine, noting that Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said last month in the wake of a suspected Ukrainian attack on the Crimean bridge that threats made by Zelensky to destroy Russian infrastructure demonstrated the “terrorist” nature of Kyiv.

The wanted list was also updated to include former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, who came to power following the Western-backed 2014 Euromaidan protests described by Moscow as a coup against Viktor Yanukovych, who was forced out of office by the violent movement after seeking closer economic ties with Russia and rejecting overtures for further EU integration. As with Zelensky, the charges levied against Poroshenko have not been made public by the Kremlin.

The announcements come after multiple other former Ukrainian officials face arrest warrants issued on Friday, including former Finance Minister Aleksandr Shlapak and former central bank chief Stepan Kubiv.

The head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, Aleksandr Litvinenko, also had an arrest warrant taken out against him.

The move by Moscow will likely further dampen expectations for a planned peace summit set to be held in Switzerland in the middle of June. Nevertheless, neither side appears willing to budge in the conflict, with Russia flatly rejecting Ukraine’s demands to cede back the territory it occupies before negotiations even begin.

Ukraine has also argued that freezing the lines of the conflict under a ceasefire agreement would only allow Russia to regroup and prepare for another incursion into the country at a later date.

Regardless of the tough stance from Kyiv, Russia appears set to make further territorial gains, as Moscow’s forces advance after fending off Ukraine’s much-touted Spring counteroffensive last year.

In April, recently-installed Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi admitted that the “situation on the Eastern Front has significantly worsened” following the Russian presidential election and the thawing of the ground as winter subsided.

Despite the increasingly gloomy prospects for Ukraine, Western powers, appear intent on doubling down on their support for Zelensky, led by the Biden administration, which with the help of Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, secured a further $60 billion in aid for Ukraine last month.