Police clear pro-Palestinian protesters from Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall after occupation
NEW YORK (AP) — Police have cleared 30 to 40 people from inside Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall after pro-Palestinian protesters occupied the administration building in New York earlier in the day. The scene unfolded shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday as police, wearing helmets and carrying zip ties and riot shields, massed at the Ivy League university’s entrance. Officers breached Hamilton Hall, an administration building on campus, to clear out the structure. The demonstrators had occupied Hamilton Hall more than 12 hours earlier, spreading their reach from an encampment elsewhere on the grounds that’s been there for nearly two weeks. Columbia’s protests earlier this month kicked off demonstrations that now span from California to Massachusetts.
Netanyahu vows to invade Rafah 'with or without a deal' as cease-fire talks with Hamas continue
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to launch an incursion into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are sheltering from the almost 7-month-long war. Netanyahu’s comments came hours before U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in Israel to advance the truce talks that appear to be one of the most serious rounds of negotiations between Israel and Hamas since the war began. The deal is meant to free hostages, bring some relief to the population and avert an Israeli offensive into Rafah and the potential harm to civilians there.
Takeaways from the start of week 2 of testimony in Trump's hush money trial
NEW YORK (AP) — Prosecutors in Donald Trump's hush money trial are working on filling in the details of how they say the Republican pulled off a scheme to bury damaging stories to protect his 2016 campaign. It's the second week of testimony in the historic case. Prosecutors are setting the stage for their star witness: Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen, who arranged hush money payments on Trump’s behalf. Also on Tuesday, the judge fined Trump $9,000 for repeated violations of a gag order in the case. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty. He has cast the prosecution as an effort to hurt his 2024 bid.
Biden's historic marijuana shift is his latest election-year move for young voters
PHOENIX (AP) — President Joe Biden has made a number of election-year moves intended to appeal to younger voters. The latest is a proposal by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, which is now under review at the White House Office of Management and Budget. The plan comes just weeks after Biden canceled student loans for another 206,000 borrowers. His focus on such issues comes as he fights to hold together the coalition that sent him to the White House in 2020. At age 81, Biden is battling a perception among voters that he’s too old as well as discontent with his handling of Israel's war against Hamas.
Haiti's transitional council names a new prime minister in the hopes of quelling stifling violence
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s newly installed transitional council has chosen a little known former sports minister as the Caribbean country’s prime minister, as it tries to establish a stable new government amid stifling violence. Fritz Bélizaire was chosen in a surprise move to replace current interim Prime Minister Michel Patrick Boisvert. Bélizaire gained the support of four of the seven voting members on the nine-member panel but with other panel members saying they were unfamiliar with him. The council also planned to choose a Cabinet as it seeks to quell gang violence that is choking the capital, Port-au-Prince, and beyond. Heavy gunfire was reported in several of the capital’s neighborhoods during the council’s meeting.
1 person dead, homes destroyed after tornado rips through northeastern Kansas
WESTMORELAND, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say one person died when a tornado ripped through the small northeastern Kansas city of Westmoreland and destroyed houses, RVs and outbuildings. Pottawatomie County officials say a tornado struck the city Tuesday evening, destroying 22 homes, three RVs and five outbuildings. First responders were conducting grid searches in Westmoreland to survey damage and search for people who may have been injured. The name of the person who died was being withheld pending family notification. Three people also were injured but none of them critically. Westmoreland is about 45 miles northwest of Topeka.
Trump says states should decide on prosecuting women for abortions, has no comment on abortion pill
CHICAGO (AP) — Former President Donald Trump says it should be left up to the states whether they want to prosecute women for getting abortions or whether to monitor their pregnancies. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee declined to comment on access to the abortion pill mifepristone, which has been embroiled in an intense legal battle. The comments, published Tuesday in Time magazine, are consistent with Trump's recent attempts to seek a more cautious stance on the issue, which has become a vulnerability for Republicans and has driven turnout for Democrats.
4 officers killed in North Carolina were at disadvantage as shots rained from above, police say
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Police in North Carolina say they're still sorting out how four officers were killed and four others wounded Monday in Charlotte. But they know the officers were at a disadvantage when immediately faced with gunfire from an upstairs position inside a home. A task force made up of state, federal and local officers were trying to arrest a man for a gun crime. That man, Terry Clark Hughes Jr., also died. Mayor Vi Lyles says Charlotte won't be the last place that police are killed, but that Charlotte will be a place that “will heal with dignity and respect.”
Binance founder Changpeng Zhao sentenced to 4 months for allowing money laundering
SEATTLE (AP) — Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao has been sentenced to four months in prison for allowing rampant money laundering on the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. A judge on Tuesday credited Zhao for taking responsibility for his wrongdoing. But he said he was troubled by the Binance founder's decision to ignore U.S. banking requirements that would have slowed the company’s explosive growth. The sentence was far less than the three years prosecutors had sought. But defense attorneys had asked that Zhao spend no time in prison. Zhao pleaded guilty in November to one count of failing to maintain an anti-money-laundering program.
Sword-wielding man attacks passersby in London, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring 4 others
LONDON (AP) — A 14-year-old boy has been killed and four others have been injured by a man wielding a sword who attacked members of the public and police officers in a northeast London suburb. Police said that a 36-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder. Chief Supt. Stuart Bell said the violence wasn't being treated as terror-related or a “targeted attack.” Two police officers were hospitalized for stab wounds. Two other people were also injured. The Metropolitan Police said they were called early Tuesday to reports of a vehicle being driven into a house and people being stabbed close to the Hainault subway station.
