Hundreds of faculty and graduate student workers rallied on a sunny Wednesday afternoon outside Columbia University’s only open entrance, protesting the university’s decision hours earlier to send police on campus and arrest more than 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrators. Protesters held signs, including “no cops on campus,” as police entered and exited the campus gates just feet away. Others held signs calling for university President Minouche Shafik to resign. Faculty members said access was heavily restricted, as campus was closed for a second day in the period before finals, open only to students living on campus and essential workers.
The NYPD announced almost 300 arrests had taken place Tuesday at Columbia and City College − hours before Los Angeles police in riot gear swept onto UCLA's campus to break up a violent melee between dueling protesters as opposition to Israel's war in Gaza continued to roll through universities across the nation.
➤PROFESSIONAL AGITATOR HELPS COLUMBIA STUDENTS: Professional protest consultant helps Columbia students . . . A video shows"We’re trying to document them being a- -holes," Lisa Fithian said to the camera person. "You’re right. They are being a - -holes." Fithian is a professional "protest consultant" who has been arrested over 80 times, Laura Ingraham of "The Ingraham Angle" said on her show Tuesday night. Fithian has reportedly participated in protests on climate change, Occupy Wall Street, and now, the Free Palestine movement.
➤BIDEN REMAINS QUIET: While pro-Palestinian protests have exploded at colleges across the nation, President Joe Biden has stayed largely silent about campus unrest that complicates his reelection campaign. Biden has not addressed the protests in a speech. Nor has he given any public remarks on the college protests at Columbia University and elsewhere in more than a week, with the White House instead issuing statements and addressing questions on the protests through spokespeople. The approach underscores the no-win situation Biden faces. Biden has remained a steadfast defender of Israel's war against Hamas, putting him at odds with many young progressive voters in his race against former President Donald Trump.
➤ARMED STUDENT NEUTRALIZED: Police shot and killed an armed student outside a Wisconsin middle school Wednesday, sending students fleeing for their lives — including some who escaped on in-line skates. Authorities responded to an “active shooter” situation reported outside Mount Horeb Middle School and “neutralized” a student with a gun, school officials said. No one else was harmed, State Attorney General Josh Kaul said at a press conference Wednesday evening.
Authorities described the student as a juvenile male but did not provide further identification. It’s not clear how many officers fired their weapons or whether the suspect had shot at them. Hours later, school officials were still working to get students who had been locked down since before noon back with their families. Terrified parents said that their children hid in closets, scared to take out their phones to call or text. One middle schooler said his class fled the school gym on in-line skates.
Brittany Rodriguez, a mother of four, told WMTV her son called her in a panic and said he heard multiple gunshots. “To get a call when you’re at work from your babies crying, saying there’s a shooting going on and we’re scared, and you’re 30 minutes away from them,” Rodriguez said.
➤HIGH INTEREST RATES WON'T GO AWAY ANYTIME SOON: The Fed said that inflation progress has stalled, so it’s extending its wait-and-see posture that could last well into the year. The central bank’s decision to leave the benchmark federal-funds rate in a range between 5.25% and 5.5% was widely anticipated. Chair Jerome Powell said that rate cuts could begin if the labor market weakened unexpectedly. The S&P 500 extended its recent slide after the announcement. Investors expect the Fed to maintain the same stance at its meeting next month.
➤DRAMA QUEEN MTG AFTER JOHNSON: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said she would call a vote next week to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson. The Georgia Republican and her allies have accused the GOP leader of betraying his conservative values by relying on Democrats to help pass important bills. Many Republicans object to her actions, which began a month ago with a motion to vacate. Greene acknowledged that she is unlikely to succeed in removing Johnson from the post, which requires a majority vote in the House, but said the move would force lawmakers to go on the record. Johnson has said that he doesn’t plan to resign and is doing the best he can given the party’s historically small majority. Democrats are poised to side with Johnson, unlike last year, when they voted alongside eight GOP rebels to oust then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.).
