(NEW YORK) — Former President Donald Trump is on trial in New York City, where he is facing felony charges related to a 2016 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. It marks the first time in history that a former U.S. president has been tried on criminal charges.
Trump last April pleaded not guilty to a 34-count indictment charging him with falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment his then-attorney Michael Cohen made to Daniels in order to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election.
Here’s how the news is developing:
Apr 30, 7:35 AM Michael Cohen’s banker to return to the stand
After a week of testimony from longtime National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, former President Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial is scheduled to resume this morning with the direct examination of Gary Farro, the one-time banker for former Trump attorney Michael Cohen.
Farro, a former managing director at First Republic Bank, began his testimony on Friday by outlining some of the documents used to allegedly create the shell companies formed by Cohen that are related to two hush-money payments at the center of the case.
Prosecutors have called Farro to authenticate records they hope will prove that Trump falsified business records to hide the reimbursement of Cohen’s hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
“Read the documents, the emails, the text messages, the bank statements, the handwritten notes, all of it,” prosecutor Matthew Colangelo asked jurors last week. “It inescapably leads to only one conclusion: Donald Trump is guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.”
Flowers in memory of fallen law enforcement officers accumulate at the base of a flag pole outside the Federal Courthouse on April 30, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
(CHARLOTTE, N.C.) — A procession of police cruisers with their lights flashing followed an ambulance through Charlotte, North Carolina, late on Monday, as the emergency vehicle carried the body of one of the four law enforcement officials killed earlier in the day.
Officer Joshua Eyer’s body was being transported from the hospital to the Medical Examiner’s Office, the department said on social media.
“Our prayers are with Officer Eyer’s family and the families of the three other officers who lost their lives in the line of duty today,” the department said.
Eyer, of the Charlotte-Mecklenberg Police, and the three other law enforcement officials were shot and killed as they attempted to serve two warrants in Charlotte on Monday, city officials said.
A man, later identified by authorities as Terry Clark Hughes, Jr, 39, allegedly began firing at about 1:30 p.m. Monday, striking multiple officers, police said. The U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force had been serving active felony warrants for possession of a firearm by a felon and felony flee to elude.
Eight officers were hit with gunfire and transported to local hospitals.
Mayor Vi Lyles asked for everyone in Charlotte to join her in “uplifting the grieving families.”
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Joshua Michael Eyer, who was a loved member of our city family who dedicated his life to serving our community,” she said.
As the procession of police cruisers drove past the hospital’s emergency room late on Monday, crowds of hospital staffers in scrubs stood outside watching.
“Praying and sending light & support to the families trying to make sense of this disaster,” Dr. Raynard Washington, the county’s health director, said on social media. “We should all be tired of our guns in the wrong hands problem. Here’s to hope.”
Former U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and Todd Blanche, attorney for Trump, right, leave Manhattan criminal court in New York, U.S., on Friday, April 26, 2024. (Curtis Means/Daily Mail/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial in New York centers on dozens of business records, testimony from witnesses who prosecutors acknowledge might have “baggage,” and a maze of emails and text messages that prosecutors hope to weave into a sturdy case against the former president.
But during their opening statements last week, prosecutors simplified their case down to just seven words for the jury.
“It was election fraud — pure and simple,” prosecutor Matthew Colangelo said.
Over the first four days of testimony in the trial, prosecutors have begun to lay the groundwork of their case as they try to show Trump attempted to illegally influence the 2016 election and falsified business records to hide the true purpose of payments to his then-lawyer Michael Cohen in 2017.
“This case is about a criminal conspiracy and a cover-up, an illegal conspiracy to undermine the integrity of a presidential election, and then the steps that Donald Trump took to conceal that illegal election fraud,” Colangelo said.
Defense lawyers told the jury that the prosecutors got their story wrong, recasting the allegations as Trump trying to protect his family against false allegations as he was trying to win an election.
“President Trump fought back, like he always does, and like he’s entitled to do, to protect his family, his reputation and his brand, and that is not a crime,” defense lawyer Todd Blanche said.
Jurors have so far heard from three witnesses — the former publisher of the National Enquirer, Trump’s longtime executive assistant, and Michael Cohen’s banker — and testimony in the case is scheduled to resume on Tuesday.
Trump takes a hardline defense
Trump attorney Todd Blanche laid out a hardline defense in his opening statement, arguing that Trump never committed any crimes and characterizing Stormy Daniels’ allegations of an affair with Trump as a “false claim of a sexual encounter.”
“The story that you just heard, you will learn, is not true,” Blanche told jurors. “None of this is a crime.”
Blanche appeared to admit that Trump and the National Enquirer worked together to avoid bad press ahead of the 2016 election, but he argued the agreement was fully legal and routine for politicians.
“There is nothing wrong with trying to influence an election. It’s called democracy,” Blanche said. The prosecution, he said, “put something sinister on this idea, as if it was a crime. You’ll learn it’s not.”
When addressing the allegations that Trump falsified business records in 2017, Blanche argued that Trump was too busy “running the country” to be concerned with invoices requested by Cohen and processed by Trump Organization accountants.
Notably absent from Blanche’s opening was any suggestion that the criminal case amounted to election inference ahead of the 2024 election. In filings over the last year, defense lawyers had rigorously argued that the case was politically motivated by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, but Judge Juan Merchan precluded defense attorneys from making that argument to the jury.
Blanche also described Trump as a family man in his opening statement, not only to humanize Trump but to suggest his motivation to kill negative stories was to “protect his family.”
“He’s not just our former President. He’s not just Donald Trump that you’ve seen on TV and read about and seen photos of,” Blanche said. “He’s also a man. He’s a husband. He’s a father. And he’s a person, just like you and just like me.”
The campaign’s ‘eyes and ears’
In deciding on their first witness — a choice that often sets the tone for the trial — prosecutors turned to former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker.
Prosecutors alleged that Pecker engaged in a conspiracy with Trump and Cohen to influence the 2016 election — including flagging negative stories about Trump’s alleged interactions with women, running negative stories about Trump’s rivals, and pushing positive stories about Trump himself — that began with a meeting at Trump Tower in August 2015.
“They asked me what can I do and what my magazines could do to help the campaign,” Pecker testified about the meeting where he said he agreed to be the “eyes and ears” of Trump’s presidential campaign.
“If I hear anything negative about yourself or if I hear anything about women selling stories … I would notify Michael Cohen and then he would be able to have them killed in another magazine or have them not be published or somebody would have to purchase them,” Pecker said about his agreement with Trump and Cohen.
Pecker testified that his company, American Media Inc., paid a former Trump Tower doorman $30,000 for a false story that Trump had an illegitimate child, and former Playboy model Karen McDougal $150,000 for the exclusive rights to her story of a months-long affair with Trump, which he has denied.
According to Pecker, the motivation to catch the stories was mainly to honor his agreement with Trump.
“We didn’t want the story to embarrass Mr. Trump or embarrass or hurt the campaign,” Pecker said when asked about the McDougal story.
Defense lawyers attempted to characterize the National Enquirer’s actions on Trump’s behalf as business decisions that are routine for politicians and celebrities. Pecker also testified that some of the stories he ran for Trump — including articles attacking his opponents — were “mutually beneficial” because they helped the National Enquirer sell more copies.
While Pecker said that AMI coordinated hundreds of thousands of nondisclosure agreements, he testified that the Trump arrangement was unique.
“How many of those other NDAs had … you, the CEO of AMI, coordinated with a presidential candidate for the benefit of the campaign?” prosecutor Joshua Steinglass asked.
“It’s the only one,” Pecker said.
Pecker also offered his take on Trump’s business approach that appeared to contradict the hand-offs approach that defense attorneys suggested in their opening statement, in which they argued that Trump was not intimately involved in paying the fraudulent invoices at the center of the case.
“I would describe him as almost as a micromanager from what I saw,” Pecker said.
Contact entries in the computer system
Trump’s longtime executive assistant Rhona Graff took the stand on Friday as the second prosecution witness. She testified pursuant to a subpoena and said her lawyers were paid by the Trump Organization.
Graff — who served as Trump’s gatekeeper as he ascended from real estate mogul to reality television star to president — testified that she created contact entries for both McDougal and Daniels in the Trump Organization’s computer system for Trump. McDougal’s contact entities included multiple addresses, a phone number, and email. Daniel’s contact was listed as “Stormy” and had one cell phone number.
Graff also testified that she had a “vague recollection” of seeing Daniels in Trump Tower on the same floor as the former president’s office. She suggested that Trump was considering casting Daniels on the Celebrity Apprentice at the time.
In her book, Daniels recounted a meeting in Trump Tower in 2007 when Trump was flirting with the idea of casting her in his television series.
“He met us, so excited to show us all the memorabilia in his office, which seemed cluttered,” Daniels wrote in her book.
During cross-examination, Graff served functionally as a character witness for the former president, describing Trump as a kind boss who respected her intelligence.
“Sometimes, if it was a long day in the office … he poked his head in and would say, ‘Go home to your family,” Graff said. “It was very thoughtful of him.”
Graff, who for decades sat just feet from Trump’s office, testified that becoming a television star changed the public perception of Trump.
“I think it elevated him to a whole other platform, from being primarily known as a businessman to being an entertainer — almost at that point — rock star status,” Graff said.
Cohen’s shell company
Friday’s testimony concluded with a banker who was involved in the formation of the shell company that Cohen allegedly used to pay Daniels $130,000 just days ahead of the 2016 election.
Former First Republic managing director Gary Farro said that he first began working with Cohen in 2015 after one of his colleagues left the bank.
“I can only tell you what I was told — that I was selected because of my knowledge and my ability to handle, um, individuals that may be a little challenging,” Farro said about taking over Cohen’s accounts. “Frankly, I didn’t find him that difficult.”
Farro testified that on Oct. 26, 2016, he received an urgent call from Cohen, who wanted to create an account for a new real estate consulting company “to collect fees for investment consulting work he does for real estate deals.”
According to prosecutors, the day after the account was formed, Cohen wired Daniel’s lawyer $130,000 from the account in exchange for her silence about her alleged affair with Trump.
(NEW YORK) — Protests have broken out at colleges and universities across the country in connection with the war in Gaza.
Many pro-Palestinian protesters are calling for their colleges to divest of funds from Israeli military operations, while some Jewish students on the campuses have called the protests antisemitic and said they are scared for their safety.
The student protests — some of which have turned into around-the-clock encampments — have erupted throughout the nation following arrests and student removals at Columbia University in New York City. Students at schools including Yale University, New York University, Harvard University, University of Texas at Austin, University of Southern California and more have launched protests.
Here’s how the news is developing:
Apr 30, 4:06 AM Columbia protesters occupy campus hall
Pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University occupied a hall on campus early Tuesday, hours after school officials ordered the dispersal of a protest encampment.
Videos viewed by ABC News appeared to show protesters creating a barricade with metal chairs outside Hamilton Hall after midnight.
Several were seen in the videos unrolling protest posters from one of the building’s balconies.
It was unclear how many demonstrators had occupied the hall, which is on Amsterdam Avenue. The Columbia Spectator, a campus newspaper, reported the people who were inside were working to block the building’s exits with tables, chairs and zip-ties.
Apr 29, 11:35 PM University of Texas at Austin says it took action to ‘preserve a safe, conducive learning environment’ for students
After police and protesters clashed on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin following a dispersal order, leading to some arrests on Monday, the school issued a statement, saying it “took swift action to preserve a safe, conducive learning environment for our 53,000 students as they prepare for final exams.”
“UT Austin requested backup assistance from the Texas Department of Public Safety to protect the safety of the campus community and enforce our Institutional Rules, such as the rule that prohibits encampments on campus. Because of the encampments and other violations of the University’s Institutional Rules related to protests, protestors were told repeatedly to disperse. When they refused to disperse, some arrests were made for trespassing. Others were arrested for disorderly conduct,” the university’s statement read.
UTA said protests since the start of the Israel-Hamas war have happened “largely without incident.”
“The University strongly supports the free speech and assembly rights of our community and we want students and others on campus to know that protests on campus are fully permissible, provided that they do not violate Institutional Rules or threaten the safety of our campus community,” the statement concluded.
Apr 29, 10:51 PM ‘Multiple arrests’ at Virginia Commonwealth University: Officials
“Multiple arrests” were made at Virginia Commonwealth University Monday night, following tense conflict between police and pro-Palestinian protesters on the Richmond campus, officials said.
Addressing the arrests, the university said in a statement that final exams start this week and the school “must provide students the opportunity to safely and successfully complete the semester.”
“The gathering violated several university policies. VCU respectfully and repeatedly provided opportunities for those individuals involved — many of whom were not students — to collect their belongings and leave,” the university’s statement continued. “Those who did not leave were subject to arrest for trespassing. While supporting an environment that fosters protected speech and expressive activity, VCU must maintain an atmosphere free of disruption to the university’s mission.”
Apr 29, 5:27 PM Columbia begins suspending students who refuse to leave encampment
A representative from Columbia University said the school has begun suspending students who have defied the 2 p.m. deadline to leave the encampment.
Ben Chang, the vice president of the office of public affairs, did not say how many people would be suspended but said those students would not be able to attend classes or graduate.
The school’s campus is still closed to anyone who doesn’t have a student ID.
-ABC News’ Darren Reynolds
Apr 29, 4:23 PM Protesters clash with police at UT-Austin
Police and protesters clashed on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin on Monday afternoon after authorities issued a dispersal order.
The UT Austin Police Department asked protesters to leave the South Mall area at about 1 p.m. local time.
Protesters could be heard chanting, “There is no riot here, why are you in riot gear?” Soon after, police moved in to clear the area by force.
The university said in a statement, “After protesters ignored repeated directives from both the administration and law enforcement officers to comply with Institutional Rules and remove tents assembled on the University’s South Lawn, then physically engaged with and verbally assaulted Dean of Students staff who attempted to confiscate them, UT and partner law enforcement agencies dismantled an encampment and arrested several protesters.”
It continued, “Baseball size rocks were found strategically placed within the encampment. The majority of protesters are believed to be unaffiliated with the university.”
More than 50 people were arrested at a pro-Palestinian protest on the campus last week, however, charges were later dropped.
Apr 29, 3:31 PM Protesters clash with police at UT-Austin
Police and protesters clashed on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin on Monday afternoon after authorities issued a dispersal order.
The UT Austin Police Department asked protesters to leave the South Mall area at about 1 p.m. local time.
Protesters could be heard chanting, “There is no riot here, why are you in riot gear?” Soon after, police moved in to clear the area by force.
More than 50 people were arrested at a pro-Palestinian protest on the campus last week, however, charges were later dropped.
Apr 29, 3:05 PM Columbia protesters defy 2 p.m. deadline to disperse
Protesters camped out at Columbia University are defying the school’s order to pack up and leave by 2 p.m.
Sueda Polat, a representative from the protesters’ negotiating team, told reporters that the university did not engage in good-faith negotiations and failed to meet their demands to divest from Israel.
“It is against the will of the students to disperse,” she said. “We do not abide by university pressures. We act on the will of the students.”
Police were outside of the campus as the deadline approached but they did not immediately enter after it passed.
“Students are aware of the risk of law enforcement. … They know how to come together in that risk,” Polat said.
Apr 29, 1:57 PM Cal Poly Humboldt campus leaders offer escorts to concerned students
Cal Poly Humboldt said it will close off campus to non-school members through May 10 as protesters have occupied two buildings.
Campus leaders also said it will now offer escorts off campus to anyone who feels their safety is threatened.
The school urged the protesters who have been occupying Siemens Hall and Nelson Hall East since last week to leave immediately.
“Leaving voluntarily will be considered as a possible mitigating factor in University conduct processes and may reduce the severity of sanctions imposed. This does not, however, eliminate responsibility for any potential conduct or criminal charges.”
-ABC News’ Bonnie McLean
Apr 29, 12:24 PM UGA arrests protesters after ‘crossing a line,’ blocking sidewalks
The University of Georgia-Athens said protesters who set up an encampment on campus “crossed a line” Monday morning and several were arrested.
Approximately “25 protesters began erecting tents and a barricade, blocking sidewalks and building entrances and using amplified sound,” school spokesman Greg Trevor said in a statement.
The protesters met with university police and student affairs members to discuss the violation and were given multiple warnings to remove the barriers, but they refused, according to Trevor.
“At 8:30 a.m., UGA Police were left with no choice but to arrest those who refused to comply,” he said.
The school did not specify how many people were arrested.
“While we must provide ample opportunity for protected expressive activities, we also have the right and duty to regulate the time, place and manner in which they occur,” Trevor said.
-ABC News’ Ahmad Hemingway
Apr 29, 11:11 AM Columbia tells protesters to leave encampment by 2 p.m.
Columbia University has distributed a letter to members of the encampment on campus telling them to gather their belongings and leave the area by 2 p.m., saying if they identify themselves and sign a form “to abide by all University policies through June 30, 2025, or the date of the conferral of your degree, whichever is earlier, you will be eligible to complete the semester in good standing.”
The school said it has “already identified many students in the encampment” and “if you do not identify yourself upon leaving and sign the form now, you will not be eligible to sign and complete the semester in good standing.” The school warned it could take action up to suspension or expulsion if they do not leave the encampment.
The school reiterated that negotiations with protesters had broken down and said the protests are a “disruption” to those taking final exams and preparing for graduation.
“As you are probably aware, the dialogue between the University and student leaders of the encampment is, regrettably, at an impasse,” the letter states. “The current unauthorized encampment and disruption on Columbia University’s campus is creating an unwelcoming environment for members of our community. External actors have also contributed to this environment, especially around our gates, causing safety concerns – including for our neighbors.”
Apr 29, 9:09 AM Columbia cannot come to agreement with protesters, president says
Protesters at Columbia University, who sparked many of the protests across the nation earlier this month, are now being asked to voluntarily disperse after the school’s president said it was not able to come to an agreement through negotiations.
Since Wednesday, “a small group of academic leaders has been in constructive dialogue with student organizers to find a path that would result in the dismantling of the encampment and adherence to University policies going forward. Regretfully, we were not able to come to an agreement,” Columbia President Minouche Shafik said in a statement Monday morning.
One of the top demands of the protesters, for Columbia to divest from Israel, was flatly denied by the university, according to the statement.
The school asked protesters, who number in the hundreds, to voluntarily disperse, but offered no explanation for what would happen if they did not. The school said it did not “want to deprive thousands of students and their families and friends of a graduation celebration.” The school’s graduation ceremony is set to be held May 15.
“We urge those in the encampment to voluntarily disperse,” Shafik wrote. “We are consulting with a broader group in our community to explore alternative internal options to end this crisis as soon as possible. We will continue to update the community with new developments.”
Apr 29, 8:54 AM Dozens of arrests made at Virginia Tech
Police cleared out an encampment at Virginia Tech late Sunday after protesters had set up tents on the lawn of the campus’ Graduate Life Center.
“Those who gathered were advised by university officials to remove their possessions and to disperse voluntarily; those who failed to comply were then approached by Virginia Tech Police and were again asked to leave and advised that anyone who failed to comply would be charged with trespassing, in accordance with Virginia law,” the school said in a statement.
The university added, “At approximately 10:15 p.m., police approached protesters to ask them to disperse within five minutes. Those who remained were subject to arrest.”
Dozens of protesters were taken into custody, according to Lynchburg, Virginia, ABC affiliate WSET.
Apr 28, 8:52 PM UCLA increases security measures after physical altercations during protest
UCLA announced it is instituting additional security measures amid protests on campus over the Israel-Hamas war in a statement on Sunday.
“UCLA has a long history of peaceful protest and we are heartbroken to report that today, some physical altercations broke out among demonstrators on Royce Quad,” Mary Osako, vice chancellor of UCLA Strategic Communications said.
“We have since instituted additional security measures and increased the numbers of our safety team members on site,” Osako said.
“As an institution of higher education, we stand firmly for the idea that even when we disagree, we must still engage respectfully and recognize one another’s humanity,” Osako continued.
Addressing the physical altercations during the protests, Osako said, “We are dismayed that certain individuals instead chose to jeopardize the physical safety of the community.”
Last week, the University of California rejected calls to divest from companies that do business with Israel.
Apr 28, 10:07 AM White House: ‘We don’t want to see anybody hurt in the process’
The White House said Sunday that President Joe Biden respects the right of demonstrators to make their voices heard — peacefully — and “we don’t want to see anybody hurt in the process.”
“The president knows that there are very strong feelings about the war in Gaza. He understands that, he respects that, and as he has said many times, we certainly respect the right of peaceful protest. People should have the ability to air their views and to share their perspectives publicly, but it has to be peaceful,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby told ABC News’ This Week anchor George Stephanopoulos on Sunday.
Kirby did warn that some language heard during the demonstrations crossed a line with the administration.
“We absolutely condemn the antisemitism language that we’ve heard of late, and we certainly condemn all the hate speech and the threats of violence out there. These protests, we understand they’re important, but they do need to be peaceful,” he said.
“We’ll leave it to local authorities to determine how these protests are managed,” Kirby told Stephanopoulos, “but we want them to be peaceful protests and obviously we don’t want to see anybody hurt in the process of peacefully protesting.”
Apr 28, 12:07 AM USC temporarily closes main campus due to ‘disruption,’ LAPD issues alert
The University of Southern California closed its main campus Saturday evening “due to a disturbance,” the university said on X.
Los Angeles Police Department issued a citywide tactical alert due to a protest on USC’s campus, urging people to avoid the area.
A tactical alert allows LAPD to keep officers on past their shifts and to move officers between divisions if they need extra staffing in one area of the city.
(SANTA COUNTY, Ariz.) — State prosecutors said Monday they will not seek to retry 75-year-old George Alan Kelly, the Arizona rancher accused of fatally shooting an unarmed migrant on his property near the U.S.-Mexico border.
“Because of the unique circumstances and challenges surrounding this case, the Santa County Attorney’s office has decided not to seek a retrial,” said Deputy County Attorney Kimberly Hunley at a status hearing.
As prosecutors made their announcement, Kelly could be seen hanging his head and appeared to be overcome with emotion.
Another hearing will be set to consider the defense’s request to dismiss the case with prejudice.
Last Monday, a judge declared a mistrial in the case after jurors were unable to reach consensus about whether to charge Kelly with second-degree murder and aggravated assault. He had pleaded not guilty.
Kelly was accused of shooting his AK-47 from a far distance at a group of migrants who were headed back across the border into Mexico. Prosecutors said Gabriel Cuen-Buitimea, 48, a migrant who lived just across the border in Nogales, Mexico, and was looking for work, was fatally struck. Law enforcement officials were never able to recover the bullet, and Kelly’s lawyers tried to make the point that another person may have shot him. No other weapon was discovered in the area.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
(WASHINGTON) — Ralph Puckett Jr., Colonel, United States Army, Retired. A name of honor and now for history.
Medal of Honor recipient Puckett’s cremated remains lay in honor Monday afternoon at the center of the Capitol rotunda — one of the nation’s highest honors. Puckett died April 8 at the age of 97 in Columbus, Georgia.
To lie in state or honor at the U.S. Capitol is a privilege reserved for the country’s most-distinguished citizens and leaders, including United States presidents and some of the country’s most-decorated veterans of war. Only seven citizens — Rosa Parks and Billy Graham and four U.S. Capitol police officers — have ever lay in honor.
Puckett drew enemy fire and exposed himself multiple times to danger to allow his fellow Army Rangers to find and destroy enemy positions during a multi-wave attack, which earned him the Medal of Honor.
“The courage and self-sacrifice that earned that honor will be this great man’s eternal legacy,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said during Monday’s ceremony.
President Joe Biden awarded Puckett the Medal of Honor on May 21, 2021, upgrading one of his Distinguished Service Crosses, for Puckett showing “extraordinary heroism and selflessness” in the Korean War more than 70 years ago, explaining that the award finally gave Puckett’s “act of valor the full recognition they have always deserved.”
Moon Jae-in, president of the Republic of Korea, joined the celebration in the East Room — becoming the first foreign leader to attend a Medal of Honor ceremony.
“Colonel Puckett is a true hero of the Korean War. With extraordinary valor and leadership, he completed missions until the very end, defending Hill 205 and fighting many more battles requiring equal valiance,” Moon said. “Without the sacrifice of veterans, including Colonel Puckett and the Eighth Army Ranger Company, freedom and democracy we enjoy today couldn’t have blossomed in Korea.”
Speaker Mike Johnson expressed hope that the next generation of service members and warfighters “learn” from Puckett’s example and “aspire the same great virtues of valor and honor and courage.”
“These heroes were forged by fire. They were built through great adversity. They were ordinary men. Most of them had to do extraordinary things because they were driven by a profound sense of duty and self-sacrifice and faith that their cause was just,” Johnson said. “That our values in our country were worth defending, and that God would honor the inestimable value of their personal commitments. The soldiers of the Korean War did the right thing, even at great cost to themselves, and theirs is an example we should all admire and aspire to.”
According to a military citation read at the ceremony, Puckett was awarded the Medal of Honor “for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty” serving as the commander 8th U.S. Army Ranger Company during November 25-26,1950, in Korea.
As Puckett’s unit commenced a daylight offensive, the Korean enemy directed mortar, machine gun and small-arms fire against the advancing U.S. force, the citation read. Puckett mounted a tank, “exposing himself to the deadly enemy fire” before leaping from the tank, shouting “words of encouragement” to his men before leading the Rangers in the attack.
As enemy fire “threatened the success of the attack by pinning down” one U.S. platoon, Puckett “intentionally ran across an open area three times to draw enemy fire, thereby allowing the Rangers to locate and destroy the enemy positions and to seize Hill 205,” the citation noted.
A counterattack lasted hours, and though Puckett was wounded by grenade fragments early in the fight, he refused evacuation and continually directed artillery support that decimated attacking enemy formations.
During a sixth attack, two enemy mortar rounds landed in his foxhole, inflicting “grievous wounds” and limiting his mobility. Puckett issued a command to leave him behind and evacuate the area. But two Rangers refused the order and retrieved him from the foxhole — moving him out from under enemy fire to the bottom of the hill, where Puckett then “called for devastating artillery fire on the top of the enemy-controlled hill.”
“First Lieutenant Puckett’s extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army,” the citation concluded.
Puckett later returned to service and deployed to combat in Vietnam, where he was again honored for his gallantry. Among his other awards are five Purple Hearts, two Silver Stars, three Legion of Merit awards, two Bronze Star medals and a second Distinguished Service Cross for his actions in Vietnam.
The flags at the U.S. Capitol flew at half-staff on Monday in tribute to Puckett.
(NEW YORK) — Protests have broken out at colleges and universities across the country in connection with the war in Gaza.
Many pro-Palestinian protesters are calling for their colleges to divest of funds from Israeli military operations, while some Jewish students on the campuses have called the protests antisemitic and said they are scared for their safety.
The student protests — some of which have turned into around-the-clock encampments — have erupted throughout the nation following arrests and student removals at Columbia University in New York City. Students at schools including Yale University, New York University, Harvard University, University of Texas at Austin, University of Southern California and more have launched protests.
Here’s how the news is developing:
Apr 29, 3:31 PM Protesters clash with police at UT-Austin
Police and protesters clashed on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin on Monday afternoon after authorities issued a dispersal order.
The UT Austin Police Department asked protesters to leave the South Mall area at about 1 p.m. local time.
Protesters could be heard chanting, “There is no riot here, why are you in riot gear?” Soon after, police moved in to clear the area by force.
More than 50 people were arrested at a pro-Palestinian protest on the campus last week, however, charges were later dropped.
Apr 29, 3:05 PM Columbia protesters defy 2 p.m. deadline to disperse
Protesters camped out at Columbia University are defying the school’s order to pack up and leave by 2 p.m.
Sueda Polat, a representative from the protesters’ negotiating team, told reporters that the university did not engage in good-faith negotiations and failed to meet their demands to divest from Israel.
“It is against the will of the students to disperse,” she said. “We do not abide by university pressures. We act on the will of the students.”
Police were outside of the campus as the deadline approached but they did not immediately enter after it passed.
“Students are aware of the risk of law enforcement. … They know how to come together in that risk,” Polat said.
Apr 29, 1:57 PM Cal Poly Humboldt campus leaders offer escorts to concerned students
Cal Poly Humboldt said it will close off campus to non-school members through May 10 as protesters have occupied two buildings.
Campus leaders also said it will now offer escorts off campus to anyone who feels their safety is threatened.
The school urged the protesters who have been occupying Siemens Hall and Nelson Hall East since last week to leave immediately.
“Leaving voluntarily will be considered as a possible mitigating factor in University conduct processes and may reduce the severity of sanctions imposed. This does not, however, eliminate responsibility for any potential conduct or criminal charges.”
-ABC News’ Bonnie McLean
Apr 29, 12:24 PM UGA arrests protesters after ‘crossing a line,’ blocking sidewalks
The University of Georgia-Athens said protesters who set up an encampment on campus “crossed a line” Monday morning and several were arrested.
Approximately “25 protesters began erecting tents and a barricade, blocking sidewalks and building entrances and using amplified sound,” school spokesman Greg Trevor said in a statement.
The protesters met with university police and student affairs members to discuss the violation and were given multiple warnings to remove the barriers, but they refused, according to Trevor.
“At 8:30 a.m., UGA Police were left with no choice but to arrest those who refused to comply,” he said.
The school did not specify how many people were arrested.
“While we must provide ample opportunity for protected expressive activities, we also have the right and duty to regulate the time, place and manner in which they occur,” Trevor said.
-ABC News’ Ahmad Hemingway
Apr 29, 11:11 AM Columbia tells protesters to leave encampment by 2 p.m.
Columbia University has distributed a letter to members of the encampment on campus telling them to gather their belongings and leave the area by 2 p.m., saying if they identify themselves and sign a form “to abide by all University policies through June 30, 2025, or the date of the conferral of your degree, whichever is earlier, you will be eligible to complete the semester in good standing.”
The school said it has “already identified many students in the encampment” and “if you do not identify yourself upon leaving and sign the form now, you will not be eligible to sign and complete the semester in good standing.” The school warned it could take action up to suspension or expulsion if they do not leave the encampment.
The school reiterated that negotiations with protesters had broken down and said the protests are a “disruption” to those taking final exams and preparing for graduation.
“As you are probably aware, the dialogue between the University and student leaders of the encampment is, regrettably, at an impasse,” the letter states. “The current unauthorized encampment and disruption on Columbia University’s campus is creating an unwelcoming environment for members of our community. External actors have also contributed to this environment, especially around our gates, causing safety concerns – including for our neighbors.”
Apr 29, 9:09 AM Columbia cannot come to agreement with protesters, president says
Protesters at Columbia University, who sparked many of the protests across the nation earlier this month, are now being asked to voluntarily disperse after the school’s president said it was not able to come to an agreement through negotiations.
Since Wednesday, “a small group of academic leaders has been in constructive dialogue with student organizers to find a path that would result in the dismantling of the encampment and adherence to University policies going forward. Regretfully, we were not able to come to an agreement,” Columbia President Minouche Shafik said in a statement Monday morning.
One of the top demands of the protesters, for Columbia to divest from Israel, was flatly denied by the university, according to the statement.
The school asked protesters, who number in the hundreds, to voluntarily disperse, but offered no explanation for what would happen if they did not. The school said it did not “want to deprive thousands of students and their families and friends of a graduation celebration.” The school’s graduation ceremony is set to be held May 15.
“We urge those in the encampment to voluntarily disperse,” Shafik wrote. “We are consulting with a broader group in our community to explore alternative internal options to end this crisis as soon as possible. We will continue to update the community with new developments.”
Apr 29, 8:54 AM Dozens of arrests made at Virginia Tech
Police cleared out an encampment at Virginia Tech late Sunday after protesters had set up tents on the lawn of the campus’ Graduate Life Center.
“Those who gathered were advised by university officials to remove their possessions and to disperse voluntarily; those who failed to comply were then approached by Virginia Tech Police and were again asked to leave and advised that anyone who failed to comply would be charged with trespassing, in accordance with Virginia law,” the school said in a statement.
The university added, “At approximately 10:15 p.m., police approached protesters to ask them to disperse within five minutes. Those who remained were subject to arrest.”
Dozens of protesters were taken into custody, according to Lynchburg, Virginia, ABC affiliate WSET.
Apr 28, 8:52 PM UCLA increases security measures after physical altercations during protest
UCLA announced it is instituting additional security measures amid protests on campus over the Israel-Hamas war in a statement on Sunday.
“UCLA has a long history of peaceful protest and we are heartbroken to report that today, some physical altercations broke out among demonstrators on Royce Quad,” Mary Osako, vice chancellor of UCLA Strategic Communications said.
“We have since instituted additional security measures and increased the numbers of our safety team members on site,” Osako said.
“As an institution of higher education, we stand firmly for the idea that even when we disagree, we must still engage respectfully and recognize one another’s humanity,” Osako continued.
Addressing the physical altercations during the protests, Osako said, “We are dismayed that certain individuals instead chose to jeopardize the physical safety of the community.”
Last week, the University of California rejected calls to divest from companies that do business with Israel.
Apr 28, 10:07 AM White House: ‘We don’t want to see anybody hurt in the process’
The White House said Sunday that President Joe Biden respects the right of demonstrators to make their voices heard — peacefully — and “we don’t want to see anybody hurt in the process.”
“The president knows that there are very strong feelings about the war in Gaza. He understands that, he respects that, and as he has said many times, we certainly respect the right of peaceful protest. People should have the ability to air their views and to share their perspectives publicly, but it has to be peaceful,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby told ABC News’ This Week anchor George Stephanopoulos on Sunday.
Kirby did warn that some language heard during the demonstrations crossed a line with the administration.
“We absolutely condemn the antisemitism language that we’ve heard of late, and we certainly condemn all the hate speech and the threats of violence out there. These protests, we understand they’re important, but they do need to be peaceful,” he said.
“We’ll leave it to local authorities to determine how these protests are managed,” Kirby told Stephanopoulos, “but we want them to be peaceful protests and obviously we don’t want to see anybody hurt in the process of peacefully protesting.”
Apr 28, 12:07 AM USC temporarily closes main campus due to ‘disruption,’ LAPD issues alert
The University of Southern California closed its main campus Saturday evening “due to a disturbance,” the university said on X.
Los Angeles Police Department issued a citywide tactical alert due to a protest on USC’s campus, urging people to avoid the area.
A tactical alert allows LAPD to keep officers on past their shifts and to move officers between divisions if they need extra staffing in one area of the city.
(NEW YORK) — After former President Donald Trump spent the day in a courtroom in downtown Manhattan last Tuesday, one of the star witnesses in the criminal hush money case against him went live on social media to talk about the trial as thousands listened.
“Trump 2024?” said Michael Cohen, Trump’s former attorney and “fixer” who is now a central figure in the criminal case. “More like Trump 20-24 years.”
As he awaits his turn to take the witness stand, Cohen has discussed Trump, the ongoing trial, and the testimony already underway during nightly livestreams on TikTok which appear to be earning him financial benefit through viewers’ donations, according to hours of his streams viewed by ABC News.
And while the undertaking doesn’t appear to run afoul of any court order, experts say it hurts the already-blemished credibility of an essential witness in the case.
“I’d be furious,” said ABC News contributor and former Georgia prosecutor Chris Timmons. “As a prosecutor, the last thing you want your witness to do is to be talking about the case in a forum other than the courtroom.”
Jeremy Saland, a defense attorney who formerly worked in the Manhattan district attorney’s office that is now bringing the case, told ABC News that Cohen’s actions are only likely to benefit Trump’s defense.
“I have no doubt that Team Trump is scrutinizing and listening and watching whatever they can, and they are rightfully going to weaponize it in a court of law to tear down his credibility,” Saland said.
“If I’m the prosecution, I’m on the phone right now saying, ‘Stop what you are doing — right now,'” Saland added. “I can’t make you, but you need to stop for your own sake because it’s going to get worse for you in that courtroom. And you are compromising the case.”
Asked about the livestreams, Cohen on Monday told ABC News, “I am not the defendant in this criminal matter and am not the subject of Judge Merchan’s gag order. Donald is.”
“Nevertheless,” he said, “I elected, out of respect to the court and the prosecutors, to cease commenting on Trump and this matter; which I have done.”
‘See you in a month’
Trump is on trial after pleaded not guilty to a 34-count indictment charging him with falsifying business records to hide the reimbursement of a hush money payment that Cohen made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in order to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election.
In a statement to ABC News on Monday, Cohen said he would cease commenting on Trump and “this matter.”
“I am not the defendant in this criminal matter and am not the subject of Judge Merchan’s gag order. Donald is,” Cohen told ABC News. “Nevertheless, I elected, out of respect to the court and the prosecutors, to cease commenting on Trump and this matter; which I have done.”
The statement echoed what Cohen — who has been criticizing Trump for years — publicly announced last Wednesday on social media, when he said that he would “cease posting anything” about the former president on X until after he takes the stand in the ongoing trial.
“See you in a month (or more),” Cohen wrote on X, formally known as Twitter.
It was a move that prosecutors were pleased with, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.
But just a few hours later, Cohen fired up his TikTok account, went live with thousands of viewers, and briefly talked about Trump and the trial with Rosie O’Donnell.
“I’m washing my hands of him until I end up seeing him face to face, and I am a witness on the stand to provide truthful testimony,” Cohen said at one point after O’Donnell said she hoped “we will as a nation stand up to [Trump] and the indictments will follow through and he will be held accountable for all of the horrors that he has done.”
The district attorney’s office declined to comment.
While his livestream on Thursday night was considerably less focused on Trump or the trial, Cohen has frequently hosted hours-long TikTok livestreams where he discusses the trial and the former president, and engages with thousands of viewers who ask him questions and sometimes make monetary donations.
Early on, the prosecutors bringing the case against Trump acknowledged that their witnesses have, as they put it, “some baggage,” and they attempted during jury selection to weed out those who may have a problem with that.
“Will you keep an open mind?” Steinglass asked the prospective jurors, warning them they would hear from individuals who may previously have lied or been convicted of a crime. Many said they would.
Donald Trump’s attorneys have sought to eviscerate Cohen’s credibility as a central aspect of their defense, describing him to the jury as a criminal who is “obsessed” with “getting” Trump — and is financially motivated by Trump’s downfall. Trump attorney Todd Blanche specifically told the jury about Cohen’s out-of-court statements, saying that on the eve of Trump’s trial Cohen said he had a “mental excitement” about it.
“His entire financial livelihood depends on President Trump’s destruction,” Blanche said in his opening statement. “You cannot make a serious decision about President Trump by relying on the words of Michael Cohen.”
‘I’ll just tell the truth’
Cohen’s streams often seem like a fever dream — with Trump’s one-time fixer fluctuating between personal attacks on his former boss and making heart shapes with his hands after a user sends him a gift.
This week he also detailed how he saw the trial playing out in light of testimony from former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, who testified that, in the runup to the 2016 election, he caught and killed negative stories about Trump as part of an agreement between him, Trump and Cohen.
“From everything that I heard from people today, well, David Pecker is basically is corroborating what I have been saying for six years,” said Cohen, who said that he’s been following the coverage by watching CNN and MSNBC. “And if I give my testimony and it corroborates his, well there you go, the circle starts closing. Then you got Hope Hicks, you got Keith Davidson, you have Stormy, you have Karen McDougal … all the way across the board, right? And that’s what will happen.”
At one point on Tuesday night, in the middle of Cohen discussing his upcoming possible testimony, a TikTok user gifted Cohen a “Knight Helmet,” which cost 199 TikTok coins. The gift placed a cartoon helmet on Cohen’s head, prompting him to stop briefly mid-sentence before continuing,
“Ultimately what will happen is it will be my day … I’ll go there with my helmet, my spear, and I’ll sit my ass in that witness stand and I’ll just tell the truth,” Cohen said.
A core feature of TikTok’s platform allows users like Cohen to monetize their livestreams by allowing viewers to donate “gifts” as they watch. After the stream ends, the gifts donated by viewers can be turned into “diamonds” to “obtain a reward payment from us, such as money or virtual items,” according to the platform’s website.
Information about revenue is only available to the TikTok account holder, so it’s unclear how much money Cohen is making on his streams. A representative for TikTok told ABC News that “the amount a creator can earn by going LIVE can vary greatly, and viewers have a range of virtual gifts to choose from.”
According to the social media company’s website, “The more often you go LIVE and engage with your audience, the more opportunities to collect diamonds and make money. By collecting diamonds, you may be able to obtain a reward payment in money or in virtual items from TikTok.”
Cohen did not specify how much he has made on the streams when asked by ABC News.
Timmons, the former prosecutor, said the financial benefit of Cohen’s social media presence is particularly problematic.
“It’s one thing to be providing out-of-court statements — that’s bad,” Timmons said. “Getting paid for them can be disastrous.”
“Anytime there’s money involved with a witness it’s a bad thing, because the jury is going to think this person is saying these things in court because they have a financial motive, not a motive of the truth,” said Timmons.
On Tuesday night’s stream, Cohen also discussed the pending gag-order ruling against the former president, just hours after the judge held a hearing on the issue.
“With the gag order — the other day Donald once again, he comes out, comes out of the courtroom and goes right into that little cage, which is where he belongs, in a f—— cage like an animal,” said Cohen.
On Tuesday morning, lawyers for the Manhattan district attorney argued for the judge overseeing the hush money case to hold the former president in contempt for repeatedly violating the limited gag order in the case, based in part on attacks he’s made against Cohen.
Prosecutors highlighted seven instances this month in which Trump made a social media post mentioning likely witnesses Cohen or Daniels; two instances when his campaign website reposted information about Cohen; and one instance where Trump suggested that “undercover liberal activists” are trying to infiltrate the case’s jury.
‘There will be no boredom’
It’s unclear what prompted Cohen to publicly announce on Wednesday that he would no longer talk about Trump on social media, but Trump’s former fixer appeared to notice that his viewership dropped as a result.
On Tuesday night, as Cohen railed against Trump and discussed the latest developments in the trial, his viewership hovered between 2,000 and 3,000. But on Wednesday, after he said he would no longer discuss the trial, his livestream count dropped below 800.
“Wow, it’s a low one — I wonder why?” Cohen said Wednesday night. “Is Wednesday, like, a big TV night or something?”
By the weekend, he was back to discussing the trial, going live on TikTok again on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night.
On Friday’s stream, Cohen reiterated what he called his “pledge to myself” not to discuss Trump or the ongoing trial — but moments later, he slammed Trump for bringing Boris Epshteyn, one of Trump’s advisers, to the trial. Epshteyn is not officially involved in the hush money case.
“For example, [Trump] brought Boris Epshteyn,” Cohen said. “Why? Who the f— knows. Boris has never tried a case in his life. So, now all the sudden what is he, a legal adviser? Yeah that’s definitely what you want.”
Cohen then praised Trump’s trial attorneys Susan Necheles and Todd Blanche for having “excellent reparations” as lawyers before questioning why Blanche decide to take on the case.
He then sparred with a viewer who commented that the “jury looked bored” during the trial, before hyping up his own potential upcoming testimony.
“Why would you say that the jury is bored? Were you there?” Cohen said. “One thing I can assure you, when I hit that stand, there will be no boredom. That I can promise you.”
“So, don’t worry so much about this jury. They are going to do the right thing based off the evidence, based off the judge gives the jury instructions, plain and simple,” Cohen said, before adding after a brief pause, “No different than any other case.”
(CHARLOTTE, N.C.) — “Numerous” law enforcement officers were struck by gunfire in an incident in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Monday afternoon, police said.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department described the incident as an “active situation” and said a SWAT team was on scene.
The number of people shot and the nature of their injuries was not immediately known.
Police are asking members of the public to stay away from the area.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — Protests have broken out at colleges and universities across the country in connection with the war in Gaza.
Many pro-Palestinian protesters are calling for their colleges to divest of funds from Israeli military operations, while some Jewish students on the campuses have called the protests antisemitic and said they are scared for their safety.
The student protests — some of which have turned into around-the-clock encampments — have erupted throughout the nation following arrests and student removals at Columbia University in New York City. Students at schools including Yale University, New York University, Harvard University, University of Texas at Austin, University of Southern California and more have launched protests.
Here’s how the news is developing:
Apr 29, 12:24 PM UGA arrests protesters after ‘crossing a line,’ blocking sidewalks
The University of Georgia-Athens said protesters who set up an encampment on campus “crossed a line” Monday morning and several were arrested.
Approximately “25 protesters began erecting tents and a barricade, blocking sidewalks and building entrances and using amplified sound,” school spokesman Greg Trevor said in a statement.
The protesters met with university police and student affairs members to discuss the violation and were given multiple warnings to remove the barriers, but they refused, according to Trevor.
“At 8:30 a.m., UGA Police were left with no choice but to arrest those who refused to comply,” he said.
The school did not specify how many people were arrested.
“While we must provide ample opportunity for protected expressive activities, we also have the right and duty to regulate the time, place and manner in which they occur,” Trevor said.
-ABC News’ Ahmad Hemingway
Apr 29, 11:11 AM Columbia tells protesters to leave encampment by 2 p.m.
Columbia University has distributed a letter to members of the encampment on campus telling them to gather their belongings and leave the area by 2 p.m., saying if they identify themselves and sign a form “to abide by all University policies through June 30, 2025, or the date of the conferral of your degree, whichever is earlier, you will be eligible to complete the semester in good standing.”
The school said it has “already identified many students in the encampment” and “if you do not identify yourself upon leaving and sign the form now, you will not be eligible to sign and complete the semester in good standing.” The school warned it could take action up to suspension or expulsion if they do not leave the encampment.
The school reiterated that negotiations with protesters had broken down and said the protests are a “disruption” to those taking final exams and preparing for graduation.
“As you are probably aware, the dialogue between the University and student leaders of the encampment is, regrettably, at an impasse,” the letter states. “The current unauthorized encampment and disruption on Columbia University’s campus is creating an unwelcoming environment for members of our community. External actors have also contributed to this environment, especially around our gates, causing safety concerns – including for our neighbors.”
Apr 29, 9:09 AM Columbia cannot come to agreement with protesters, president says
Protesters at Columbia University, who sparked many of the protests across the nation earlier this month, are now being asked to voluntarily disperse after the school’s president said it was not able to come to an agreement through negotiations.
Since Wednesday, “a small group of academic leaders has been in constructive dialogue with student organizers to find a path that would result in the dismantling of the encampment and adherence to University policies going forward. Regretfully, we were not able to come to an agreement,” Columbia President Minouche Shafik said in a statement Monday morning.
One of the top demands of the protesters, for Columbia to divest from Israel, was flatly denied by the university, according to the statement.
The school asked protesters, who number in the hundreds, to voluntarily disperse, but offered no explanation for what would happen if they did not. The school said it did not “want to deprive thousands of students and their families and friends of a graduation celebration.” The school’s graduation ceremony is set to be held May 15.
“We urge those in the encampment to voluntarily disperse,” Shafik wrote. “We are consulting with a broader group in our community to explore alternative internal options to end this crisis as soon as possible. We will continue to update the community with new developments.”
Apr 29, 8:54 AM Dozens of arrests made at Virginia Tech
Police cleared out an encampment at Virginia Tech late Sunday after protesters had set up tents on the lawn of the campus’ Graduate Life Center.
“Those who gathered were advised by university officials to remove their possessions and to disperse voluntarily; those who failed to comply were then approached by Virginia Tech Police and were again asked to leave and advised that anyone who failed to comply would be charged with trespassing, in accordance with Virginia law,” the school said in a statement.
The university added, “At approximately 10:15 p.m., police approached protesters to ask them to disperse within five minutes. Those who remained were subject to arrest.”
Dozens of protesters were taken into custody, according to Lynchburg, Virginia, ABC affiliate WSET.
Apr 28, 8:52 PM UCLA increases security measures after physical altercations during protest
UCLA announced it is instituting additional security measures amid protests on campus over the Israel-Hamas war in a statement on Sunday.
“UCLA has a long history of peaceful protest and we are heartbroken to report that today, some physical altercations broke out among demonstrators on Royce Quad,” Mary Osako, vice chancellor of UCLA Strategic Communications said.
“We have since instituted additional security measures and increased the numbers of our safety team members on site,” Osako said.
“As an institution of higher education, we stand firmly for the idea that even when we disagree, we must still engage respectfully and recognize one another’s humanity,” Osako continued.
Addressing the physical altercations during the protests, Osako said, “We are dismayed that certain individuals instead chose to jeopardize the physical safety of the community.”
Last week, the University of California rejected calls to divest from companies that do business with Israel.
Apr 28, 10:07 AM White House: ‘We don’t want to see anybody hurt in the process’
The White House said Sunday that President Joe Biden respects the right of demonstrators to make their voices heard — peacefully — and “we don’t want to see anybody hurt in the process.”
“The president knows that there are very strong feelings about the war in Gaza. He understands that, he respects that, and as he has said many times, we certainly respect the right of peaceful protest. People should have the ability to air their views and to share their perspectives publicly, but it has to be peaceful,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby told ABC News’ This Week anchor George Stephanopoulos on Sunday.
Kirby did warn that some language heard during the demonstrations crossed a line with the administration.
“We absolutely condemn the antisemitism language that we’ve heard of late, and we certainly condemn all the hate speech and the threats of violence out there. These protests, we understand they’re important, but they do need to be peaceful,” he said.
“We’ll leave it to local authorities to determine how these protests are managed,” Kirby told Stephanopoulos, “but we want them to be peaceful protests and obviously we don’t want to see anybody hurt in the process of peacefully protesting.”
Apr 28, 12:07 AM USC temporarily closes main campus due to ‘disruption,’ LAPD issues alert
The University of Southern California closed its main campus Saturday evening “due to a disturbance,” the university said on X.
Los Angeles Police Department issued a citywide tactical alert due to a protest on USC’s campus, urging people to avoid the area.
A tactical alert allows LAPD to keep officers on past their shifts and to move officers between divisions if they need extra staffing in one area of the city.
