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Wednesday, May 1, 2024

5/1 WAKE-UP CALL: Riot Police Storm Barricaded Columbia Building



NYPD cops stormed onto Columbia University’s campus on Tuesday night to oust a pro-terror mob that illegally took over an academic building – and to clear out an anti-Israel encampment after the school finally gave them the green light. Hundreds of officers swooped inside the gates of the Morningside Heights school shortly after 9 p.m. and set their sights on historic Hamilton Hall, the building that was taken over by rogue rioters in a drastic escalation of the protests that have plagued the campus for weeks.

But when dozens of Emergency Service Unit officers got to the building, they were blocked from entering the front doors which had been barricaded by the unruly mob. Several protesters appeared unbothered as they stood in the doorway with only a glass pane between them and the officers — as their comrades on the streets shouted “Pigs!” The NYPD then brought in its Mobile Adjustable Ramp System vehicle and scores of riot-gear clad cops carrying zip-tie handcuffs entered Hamilton Hall through the second-floor window in a dramatic scene.

According to officials, cops used four distraction devices — described by Assistant Commissioner Carlos Nieves as a “very loud bang to distract people” — to infiltrate the academic building. Within about an hour, the academic building was cleared out and dozens of the occupiers were arrested, according to police sources.  The protesters — many of whom covered their faces with surgical masks or keffiyehs — were walked out of Hamilton Hall and loaded onto three NYPD buses.

➤JUDGE FINES TRUMP $9K:  A judge fined Donald Trump $9,000 and threatened to throw him in jail for repeatedly violating a gag order. Justice Juan Merchan had prohibited the former president from making statements about likely witnesses in his hush-money trial, as well as prosecutors, court staff or their families. 

In his decision, the New York judge said that prosecutors met the burden of proof for a violation in nine of the 10 recent posts on Trump’s social-media site and campaign website they had flagged. The former president was fined $1,000 for each violation, the maximum amount under state law. Trump has attacked the gag order as an unfair muzzling of his political speech. As the trial resumed, lawyer Keith Davidson testified about how he helped his client, porn star Stormy Daniels, broker a deal with former Trump fixer Michael Cohen shortly before the 2016 election to stay silent about what she said was an affair with Trump. The former president has denied the affair and pleaded not guilty. The trial is set to resume Thursday.

🐶NOEM BACKLASH CONTINUES:  South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem faced swift backlash after she revealed in a new book that she killed her 14-month-old dog Cricket. And not just from her Democratic critics. A pair of top figures in former President Donald Trump's orbit – Steve Bannon and Donald Trump Jr. – questioned Noem’s judgement Monday on Donald Trump Jr.’s show “Triggered.” Bannon called Noem “a little too based,” using a slang term popular on the right to describe someone who, among other qualities, speaks and acts without fear of being politically correct, and Trump Jr. said shooting the dog “was not ideal.” Trump Jr. brought up the vice presidential selection process at the end of his show. 

Noem has long been considered a potential running mate for Donald Trump. The former president's son said he wants to speed up the time frame to select someone so the person can defend Trump in the media while he's in court on charges stemming from hush money payments. Bannon chimed in, saying there are plenty of good vice presidential candidates for Trump to pick from, before adding that he would like to see a female running mate.

➤CHARLOTTE SHOOTER NAMED:  Investigation continues after 4 officers killed serving warrant. Four law enforcement officers were killed and four were injured Monday when gunfire erupted at a house in Charlotte, North Carolina, where authorities had arrived to serve a warrant. 

Around 1:30 p.m. Monday, officers with the U.S. Marshals Task Force arrived at a home in a suburb of Charlotte to serve several active warrants against 39-year-old Terry Clark Hughes Jr., who was wanted for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and two counts of fleeing to elude, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.

Armed with a "high-powered rifle," Hughes fired upon the approaching task force officers, striking several of them, police said. Officers called for backup and, as additional law enforcement responded to the scene, "the gunfire continued, striking additional officers," the department said. Authorities eventually shot Hughes, who was pronounced dead on the front lawn. At least 12 Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers fired their weapons during the incident, all of whom are on paid administrative leave, the department said in a statement Tuesday.


➤AMAZON REPORTS RECORD 1Q SALES:  Amazon reported record first-quarter sales as the AI boom powered growth in its cloud-computing unit. Revenue rose 13% to reach $143.3 billion and profit surged to $10.4 billion. Both figures exceeded Wall Street expectations. CEO Andy Jassy said Amazon Web Services’ AI capabilities are reaccelerating that business’s growth rate, and that it’s now at $100 billion in annual revenue. Results from Starbucks and McDonald’s were far less rosy. The coffee giant reported a sharp slowdown in visits and declines in sales and profit in the latest quarter as its CEO pledged a turnaround. The burger chain reported lower-than-expected quarterly sales growth; executives said that economic pressure is building on consumers, resulting in declining restaurant visits across the industry.

➤FED MAY KEEP RATES HIGHER: Officials will hold their benchmark federal-funds rate steady at its highest level in more than two decades, around 5.3%, at their two-day policy meeting that begins today. Firmer-than-anticipated inflation in the first three months of the year has likely postponed rate cuts for the foreseeable future. All eyes will be on Chair Jerome Powell’s press conference tomorrow for hints to the Fed’s plans. U.S. stocks ended their worst month of the year on another low note ahead of the Fed meeting. Elsewhere, the eurozone economy grew at an annualized rate of 1.3% in the first quarter, but its recovery has been uneven: The poorer south has bounced back thanks to buoyant tourism revenue while the north’s manufacturing sector has suffered. And China hinted at the actions it might take to rekindle flagging growth while announcing plans to convene a long-deferred economic policy meeting in July.

➤BIDEN ADMINSTRATION FAVORS RECLASSIFYING POT: The Biden administration is considering reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug. Justice Department officials plan to submit a proposal for White House review that would move pot out of the government’s most restrictive drug classification, people familiar with the matter said. Marijuana has been designated as a Schedule I drug since 1970, alongside LSD and heroin. A proposal might not be made public for weeks, and it couldn’t immediately be determined how much the Biden administration would seek to relax restrictions. The rule would need to work its way through the government’s regulatory-approval process, which could take months. The potentially historic move could make it much easier to buy and sell pot and make the multibillion-dollar industry more profitable.

⚾UNBEELEVABLE: Beekeeper Matt Hilton throws out the first pitch prior to the Arizona Diamondbacks' game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chase Field. Hilton had earlier removed a swarm of bees that had delayed the start of the game.

⚾MIKE TROUT SIDELINED..AGAIN:  The Los Angeles Angels outfielder has a torn meniscus in his left knee and will undergo surgery, general manager Perry Minasian announced Tuesday. Minasian didn't announce a timetable for Trout's recovery, but it is not believed to be a season-ending injury and the team expects to have Trout back at some point this season. "It's just frustrating," an emotional Trout told reporters after the announcement.

It's the latest devastating blow for the three-time MVP. In 2021, a torn calf muscle limited Trout to just 36 games. The following year he was able to play 119 games but a back injury led to a stint on the injured list. Last season, Trout suffered a hand injury after fouling a pitch off of it that limited him to just 82 games.

⚾MLB SCORES: 

  • Phillies First Team To 20-Wins
    Phillies 7 Angels 5
  • Brewers 8 Rays 2
  • Orioles 4 Yankees 2
  • D-Backs 3 Dodgers 2
  • Athletics 5 Pirates 2
  • Mariners 3 Braves 2
  • Padres 6 Reds 4
  • Astros 10 Guardians 9
  • Rangers 7 Nationals 1
  • Twins 6 White Sox 5
  • Red Sox 4 Giants 0
  • Mets 4 Cubs 2
  • Royals 4 Blue Jays 1
  • Marlines 7 Rockies 6
  • Tigers 11 Cardinals 6
  • Cardinals 2 Tigers 1
🏀NBA SCORES:
  • Bucks 115 Pacers 92
  • Cavaliers 104 Magic 103
  • 76ers 112 Knicks 116
🏒NHL SCORES:
  • Predators 2 Canucks 1
  • Avalanche 6 Jets 3
  • Hurricanes 6 Islanders 3
  • Maple Leafs 2 Bruins 1


➤WEDNESDAY WEATHER:





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