New York News
Nearly 100 protesters were arrested after storming Trump Tower in New York City to demand the release of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist detained by ICE. The group, led by Jewish Voice for Peace, entered the Midtown Manhattan building around noon, with about 150 participants chanting “Free Mahmoud” and displaying banners like “Fight Nazis, not students.”
The NYPD arrested 98 demonstrators for trespassing and obstructing governmental administration after they refused to leave. No injuries or property damage occurred, and the building was cleared within two hours. Khalil, a Columbia University graduate student and legal U.S. resident, faces deportation proceedings initiated by the Trump administration.
A Delta jet carrying 80 passengers and crew from Jacksonville, Florida, clipped its left wing on the runway while landing at LaGuardia Airport in New York City. The incident occurred around 10:10 p.m. during a go-around prompted by an unstable approach, as reported by the Federal Aviation Administration. The aircraft, a CRJ-900 operated by Endeavor Air, produced sparks but safely executed the maneuver and landed on its second attempt. No injuries were reported among the 76 passengers, two pilots, and two flight attendants. The plane remained at LaGuardia for inspection, and the FAA launched an investigation into the event, which did not disrupt airport operations. Delta apologized to customers for the experience.
Federal authorities have initiated a criminal investigation into New York City’s migrant hotels, targeting the Roosevelt Hotel and Hotel Chandler with subpoenas. The Southern District of New York is requesting staff provide names of “aliens” residing at these locations, along with details on funding and management of the migrant shelter program. The Roosevelt Hotel has served as a key intake center for migrants, while the Hotel Chandler functions as a homeless shelter, not currently housing migrants. The investigation’s full scope is not yet clear. The Department of Justice declined to comment, and City Hall stated it cannot remark on federal probes, leaving the situation unresolved.
Columbia University expelled or suspended several students who occupied Hamilton Hall during pro-Palestinian protests last spring, the school announced in a campus-wide email. The university’s judicial board also temporarily revoked diplomas of some graduates involved. Sanctions were determined after evaluating the severity of the students’ actions during the takeover, which occurred amid broader campus unrest. The exact number of affected students wasn’t specified, but dozens faced disciplinary measures. Columbia stated the decisions followed a thorough review process, reflecting its response to the protests’ impact on campus safety and operations. The announcement marks a significant step in addressing last year’s demonstrations.
Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian from the West Bank, was arrested by Homeland Security agents on Thursday as the second Columbia University student linked to anti-Israel protests. Her student visa, terminated in January 2022 for lack of attendance, had been canceled twice before. She was previously arrested in April 2024 for participating in campus demonstrations. The Department of Homeland Security stated she overstayed her expired F-1 visa, leading to her detention by ICE in Newark. This follows the arrest of another Columbia protester, Mahmoud Khalil, as part of a broader federal crackdown on visa violations tied to protest activities.
Columbia University faces an EEOC investigation after janitors Lester Wilson and Mario Torres reported harassment for cleaning anti-Semitic graffiti, including swastikas, from Hamilton Hall starting in November 2023. The situation escalated in April 2024 when protesters stormed the building, trapping the janitors, assaulting them, and calling them “Jew-lovers.” The complaint alleges Columbia ignored their reports and failed to curb hate speech, creating a hostile work environment. The university also faces Department of Education probes and Trump administration scrutiny, which has cut $400 million in federal funding, citing Columbia’s inaction on antisemitism and staff protection amid ongoing campus protests.
Former Governor Andrew Cuomo and Queens Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani are outpacing other candidates in fundraising for the 2025 NYC mayoral race. Cuomo raised $1.5 million from over 2,800 donors in just 13 days since entering the race. Mamdani collected $845,000 over two months, amassing more than 16,000 donors total. Their campaigns reported these figures ahead of the latest Campaign Finance Board deadline. Cuomo’s haul could grow to $4.2 million with public matching funds, while Mamdani’s small-donor base highlights his grassroots support. Other candidates, like Brad Lander and Scott Stringer, trail behind in this period’s totals. The primary is set for June 24.
US NEWS
A severe storm system swept through the Midwest and Southeast, killing at least 32 people across states like Missouri, Kansas, Mississippi, and the Carolinas. The storms unleashed violent tornadoes, dust storms, and damaging winds, demolishing hundreds of buildings and toppling tractor-trailers. In Kansas, eight died in a highway pileup due to a dust storm, while Mississippi reported six fatalities from tornadoes. Missouri saw widespread destruction, with significant damage to homes and infrastructure. The system left thousands without power and caused extensive property damage, reducing some areas to rubble as it moved eastward. Recovery efforts are underway amid ongoing assessments of the devastation.
A federal judge ordered the White House to turn around deportation flights carrying alleged Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador, invoking the Alien Enemies Act. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg issued a verbal directive during a hearing to halt the flights and return any planes in the air, followed by a written temporary restraining order blocking further deportations. The Trump administration proceeded with the flights, with two departing Texas before the written order and a third after. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated the administration did not defy the order, as the planes were over international waters when the ruling was formalized, arguing federal courts lack jurisdiction over such actions once outside U.S. territory.
Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner, an Orthodox Jew, is seeking to terminate O Cinema’s lease and cut its funding after the theater screened “No Other Land,” an Oscar-winning documentary about Israeli military actions in the West Bank. Meiner called the film a “one-sided propaganda attack on the Jewish people,” inconsistent with the values of Miami Beach, home to one of the U.S.’s largest Jewish populations. The nonprofit theater, located in the city-owned Historic City Hall, showed the film despite Meiner’s request to cancel it, prompting his resolution to end its lease and withdraw $40,000 in grants. The city commission will vote on this next Wednesday, amid criticism from civil rights groups labeling it censorship.
The FBI has released approximately 80,000 pages of previously classified records related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, following an executive order from President Donald Trump on January 23. These documents include 2,400 newly discovered files identified in February, prompted by Trump’s directive to declassify all remaining JFK assassination records. The National Archives is hosting the files online, with the release also covering records on the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., as ordered. The FBI transferred these digitized records after a new search triggered by Trump’s push for transparency, though the contents’ specifics remain under review by researchers. This marks a significant step in fulfilling a decades-long public demand for openness about the 1963 Dallas event.
Texas authorities arrested Maria Margarita Rojas, a 48-year-old Houston-area midwife, and her associate Jose Ley, for allegedly performing illegal abortions. Rojas faces charges of illegal abortion, a second-degree felony, and practicing medicine without a license, a third-degree felony, marking the first criminal case under Texas’s abortion ban enacted in 2022. The arrests followed an investigation by Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office, which alleges Rojas operated three unlicensed clinics, employing individuals posing as medical professionals. Ley faces the same charges. Paxton’s office has sought a restraining order to close the clinics, with potential penalties of $100,000 per violation under the Texas Human Life Protection Act.
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for February fell to 2.8% year-over-year, below the expected 2.9%, while Core CPI, excluding food and energy, dropped to 3.1%, under the anticipated 3.2%. This reflects a monthly increase of 0.2% for both measures, down from January’s 0.5% rise. The decline in annual inflation rates is the first since July 2024, driven by a 4% drop in airline fares and a 1% decrease in gasoline prices, though shelter costs rose 0.3%. Food prices increased 0.2%, with egg prices up 10.4% for the month but still 58.8% higher annually. The energy index rose 0.2%, despite gasoline’s decline, due to gains in electricity and natural gas.
GasBuddy reports that the average U.S. gas price has fallen to $3.03 per gallon, the lowest March level since 2021. This marks a decline of 0.6 cents from the previous week and 8.9 cents from a month ago, based on data from over 12 million price reports across 150,000 stations. Prices are 36.7 cents lower than last March. The drop aligns with increased domestic oil production holding at 13.5 million barrels daily and OPEC+ restoring output after nearly two years of cuts. Uncertainty over tariffs and a lack of the typical seasonal rise have also kept prices down, though a modest increase may occur later.
Wholesale egg prices in the U.S. have fallen sharply in March, dropping from a peak of $8.17 per dozen in early March to $4.90 by mid-month, according to the USDA. This decline follows a period with no major avian flu outbreaks, allowing egg supply to recover slightly after losing over 166 million hens since 2022. Retail prices, however, lag behind, with the national average still at $4.95 per dozen, down from January’s high of $5.90. The Trump administration’s $1 billion plan, including biosecurity and imports from Turkey, aims to stabilize the market within three to six months. Consumer demand has also eased, aiding the price drop, though holidays like Easter may cause a temporary uptick.
Israel NEWS
Israel resumed airstrikes across Gaza, targeting Hamas infrastructure and leadership, ending a ceasefire that had been in place since January. The Israeli military struck dozens of sites, killing multiple Hamas leaders, including Essam Addalees, head of the Hamas-run government, Ahmed Al-Hetta, deputy justice minister, and Mahmoud Abu Watfa, security services chief. The operation followed stalled ceasefire talks, with Israel accusing Hamas of refusing to release hostages. The IDF aimed to degrade Hamas’s capabilities, hitting terrorist cells, weapons stockpiles, and command centers across the territory.
The IDF confirmed it conducted an airstrike on a Hezbollah “strategic weapons” manufacturing and storage facility in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley. The operation targeted a site used to produce and store advanced weaponry, located deep in eastern Lebanon near the Syrian border. The military stated the facility’s activities violated the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon. Lebanese media reported the strike hit the village of Yanta, a known Hezbollah stronghold. The IDF emphasized its ongoing efforts to neutralize threats to Israel’s security stemming from Hezbollah’s operations in the region. No casualty figures were immediately released following the strike.
The IDF demolished the home of Palestinian terrorist Ali Khalil in Qalqilya overnight, targeting the residence of the man who killed 67-year-old Israeli Amnon Muchtar in June 2023. Khalil, a Hamas member from the Nur Shams refugee camp, was killed alongside Jamal Abu Haniyeh and seven other terrorists in IDF drone strikes in Tulkarem in August. The demolition aligns with Israel’s policy of targeting homes of attackers as a deterrent. Troops from the 97th Infantry Division carried out the operation, razing the structure in the West Bank city. No clashes or injuries were reported during the overnight mission.
El Al reported a record net profit of $545 million in 2024, up 4.7 times from 2023, driven by a 37% revenue increase to $3.4 billion. The airline raised ticket prices by 14% and expanded its market share to 47.5% at Ben Gurion Airport. U.S. routes hit a record 97.5% market share in Q4, reflecting strong demand. Passenger numbers grew to 6 million annually, supported by new routes and larger aircraft like the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Operating costs rose 20% to $2.5 billion due to fuel and labor, but profitability soared, bolstered by Israel’s tourism recovery and El Al’s dominance in key markets.
The Knesset passed a bill in its preliminary reading to create a center honoring Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson and the Chabad movement’s legacy. The facility will feature a research institute, archive, and museum to showcase Schneerson’s global impact on Jewish education and outreach. Funding will come from the state, donations, and other sources, ensuring the preservation of his teachings for future generations. The center aims to document Chabad’s worldwide network, which includes over 5,600 institutions. The bill, backed by 62 MKs with no opposition, requires two more readings to become law, reflecting broad support for commemorating the Rebbe’s influence.
WORLD NEWS
The Trump administration launched large-scale military strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, focusing on the group’s attacks on Red Sea shipping. U.S. air and naval forces hit dozens of sites, including radars, air defenses, and missile and drone systems across five provinces. The operation, the most significant U.S. military action in the Middle East since Trump’s return to office, killed at least 31 people and injured 101, according to the Houthi-run health ministry. Trump warned Iran, the Houthis’ main backer, to end support or face consequences, aiming to restore navigational freedom. The strikes followed Houthi threats to resume attacks on Israeli vessels after a Gaza ceasefire paused their campaign.
Russian forces have reclaimed significant territory from Ukraine in the Kursk region ahead of a scheduled phone call between President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Moscow’s troops recaptured 1,217 square kilometers, including the village of Pogrebki, driving Ukrainian units toward the border. This follows Ukraine’s August 2024 incursion into Kursk, which Putin claims is now fully under Russian control. The offensive aligns with Trump’s upcoming discussion with Putin, focused on a U.S.-proposed 30-day ceasefire and potential territorial concessions. Ukraine has withdrawn from most of its Kursk holdings, retaining only a small sliver of land, as Russia intensifies its push before the talks.
The European Union will impose counter tariffs on 26 billion euros ($28.33 billion) worth of U.S. goods starting next month, retaliating against U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum. The European Commission announced the measures, which target industrial and agricultural products like steel, aluminum, textiles, home appliances, poultry, beef, and eggs. The EU plans to reinstate suspended tariffs from 2018 and 2020 on April 1, fully implementing them by April 13, alongside new duties on 18 billion euros in U.S. exports. This response matches the $28 billion economic impact of the U.S. tariffs. The Commission remains open to negotiations, with Ursula von der Leyen calling higher tariffs detrimental to both economies.
Canada has imposed new tariffs on $21 billion worth of U.S. goods in response to President Trump’s 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. The Canadian measures target steel, aluminum, computers, sports equipment, and cast iron products, effective immediately, with additional tariffs planned on electric vehicles, beef, pork, and dairy if the trade dispute escalates. This follows an earlier round of 25% tariffs on $30 billion in U.S. goods like orange juice and appliances. Prime Minister Mark Carney, recently elected Liberal Party leader, vowed to maintain these duties until the U.S. shows respect for fair trade. The escalation intensifies the trade war, raising costs for consumers on both sides of the border.
