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1 Pro-Palestinian Protests Spread To More College Campuses
Protests have broken out at colleges and universities across the country in connection with the war in Gaza, with pro-Palestinian protesters calling for their schools to divest from Israeli military operations, making many Jewish students feel unsafe. The protests have also led to arrests and student removals at Columbia University, sparking similar demonstrations at schools like Yale, NYU, Harvard, and USC. At USC, campus police issued a dispersal order and surrounded the protest site, leading the university to restrict campus access only to those with USC identification. House Speaker Mike Johnson visited Columbia and called for the university president to resign if she can’t restore order adding, "If this is not contained quickly, and if these threats and intimidation are not stopped, there is an appropriate time for the National Guard," he said. Meanwhile, Columbia administrators deny rumors of National Guard deployment, saying they are committed to ensuring safety and ending the encampment through dialogue with students. The university will have to consider "alternative options" to end the protest in time for graduation, as protesters have already agreed to dismantle some tents.
2 Eleven "Fake Electors" Charged With State Crimes In Arizona
A state grand jury in Arizona has indicted several of aides to former president Donald Trump after an investigation into alleged efforts to overturn Joe Biden's win in the state. Some of those names include Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, and Boris Epshteyn, as well as "fake electors" who backed Trump in the 2020 presidential election. The indictment describes Trump as "Unindicted Coconspirator 1" and includes charges of conspiracy, fraud, and forgery. Among those charged are former Arizona GOP chair Kelli Ward and several other Republican activists and officials who signed a certificate claiming to be Arizona's electors for the Electoral College, despite Biden's victory in the state. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, led the investigation and said she won’t allow American democracy to be undermined. Prosecutors have already charged "alternate electors" in other states where similar schemes were alleged.
3 Arizona House Votes To Repeal 1864 Abortion Ban
The Arizona House of Representatives voted 32-28 to repeal the state's controversial 1864 ban on nearly all abortions, which was recently revived by a court ruling, with three Republicans joining Democrats in the vote. The bill now heads to the state Senate, where two Republican senators have already indicated they will support the repeal effort, signaling it should pass and go to Governor Katie Hobbs' desk to be signed into law. The repeal would take effect 90 days after the end of the legislative session, before June 30th, undoing the Civil War-era ban that has roiled the state's politics, with leading conservatives like former Governor Doug Ducey and Senate candidate Kari Lake saying the total ban is out of line with where the people of the state are. Many Republican lawmakers sharply objected to the push to undo the 1864 ban, with one accusing the body of moving forward due to political pressures, while Democrats believe the issue could boost voter enthusiasm and turnout for their candidates in the November election.