Plus: JFK files & Columbia protest leader's case moves to NJ

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up!

Good afternoon,

Comedian Tina Fey shared a hot take: celebs shouldn’t have side hustles. (Think George Clooney’s tequila, Cameron Diaz’s wine, or Selena Gomez’s makeup.) She made the remark on her friend Amy Poehler’s new podcast.

Poehler pushed back, saying Fey should take a page from Gen Z, which embraces the side hustle, and let people do their thing.

Fey added that she “kind of hates money” — and honestly, I kind of love her for that. I’m definitely intrigued by celebrity-founded or endorsed products — yes, I’ve bought from Clooney’s, Diaz’s, and Gomez’s “side hustles” — because I like to think they have access to the best of the best to pass along to me (I know, that’s what they want us to believe).

But I also can’t help but think: share the wealth, people. Actor Paul Newman did just that when he founded Newman’s Own in 1982, donating 100% of its profits to charity. I always buy their salsa.

Lauren
Producer

🚰 An Easy Way To Stay Hydrated

Keeping up with your hydration can be hard. Luckily, LMNT is here to made it easier.

What it is: LMNT is a tasty electrolyte drink mix that replaces vital electrolytes without sugar, artificial colors, and other dodgy ingredients.
Who it’s for: LMNT is perfect for athletes, folks who are fasting, or those following keto, low-carb, whole-food, or paleo diets.

Members of the Mo News community can get a free 8-count LMNT Sample Pack with any purchase if you order through DrinkLMNT.com/MoNews.

🚨 ONE THING GETTING FIREY… LITERALLY

Tesla Cars Set Ablaze, Dealerships Vandalized In Protest Of Musk

Several Tesla vehicles were set on fire Tuesday at a Tesla Collision Center in Las Vegas in an apparent protest against CEO Elon Musk. The word "RESIST" was spray-painted on the building's front doors.

The attack follows similar acts of vandalism and violence at several Tesla dealerships nationwide, since Musk began heading the Trump administration’s cost cutting efforts through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Attorney General Pam Bondi called the recent attack on a Tesla dealership "nothing short of domestic terrorism," echoing President Trump.

TESLA BOYCOTTS
Some Tesla owners — including Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and singer Sheryl Crow — sold their cars in protest of Musk’s political moves.

However, Kelly posted on Wednesday in response to recent violence at Tesla sites: “Peacefully protesting is a First Amendment right, but vandalism is not. Those trashing Tesla dealerships and vehicles should be prosecuted.”

Bondi said the DOJ is doing just that, noting that several alleged perpetrators have been charged, with some facing up to five years in prison.

THE BOTTOM LINE
Tesla was once a favorite brand among progressives, who helped popularize the environmentally-conscious electric vehicles. It was given a $465 million federal loan during the Obama administration.

Now, some progressive Tesla owners are flagging their frustration with the company and Musk by putting bumper stickers on their cars with messages like, "I bought this before we knew Elon was crazy" or "I just wanted an electric car. Sorry, guys."

The brand has also taken a financial hit. Since Trump took office in January, the company's stock has dropped around 40%. Multiple board members and executives have offloaded more than $100 million in shares since early February. Even Trump’s attempt to help doesn’t seem to be pushing sales much.

🚨 ONE UPDATE

Columbia Univ. Protest Leader’s Case Moves To NJ As School Expected To Meet Trump’s Demands

Columbia University protest leader Mahmoud Khalil’s case will be moved to New Jersey, U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman in New York ruled Wednesday, while rejecting the Trump administration's request to dismiss the case altogether. That means Khalil will remain in the U.S. for now.

Rewind: Khalil, a green card holder married to a U.S. citizen, was arrested earlier this month for allegedly leading activities “tied to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization,” during pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protests on Columbia’s campus last year. No direct evidence of such ties has been released, but it has been reported that the group Khalil was involved in distributing materials celebrating Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Khalil’s legal team argues that his free speech rights are being violated.
- After being arrested in NYC, Khalil was briefly held in New Jersey and then swiftly moved to Louisiana. Khalil’s wife, Noor Abdallah, cannot visit him in Louisiana because she is eight months pregnant.
- Khalil’s legal team is arguing that the Trump administration sought to transfer the case to New Jersey or Louisiana, states with more conservative judges who could be amenable to his deportation. The judge said it’s because that’s where Khalil was held when his lawyers first challenged the arrest.

KHALIL SPEAKS OUT
In detention, Khalil dictated a letter titled “Letter from a Palestinian Political Prisoner in Louisiana” in which he calls himself a “political prisoner” who is seeing how “[j]ustice escapes the contours of this nation’s immigration facilities.”

In Khalil’s letter, he places blame on Columbia, saying they “enabled my targeting” and “surrendered to federal pressure.” Last week, he and seven current Columbia students asked a judge to block the school from giving a House committee their disciplinary records.

OVER TO COLUMBIA
It comes as Columbia University is reportedly considering meeting many of President Trump’s demands to combat alleged antisemitism on campus, in an effort to restore $400 million in federal grants and funding.

Those demands include removing faculty control of the Middle East, South Asian, and African Studies department; banning masks (which protesters have used to stay anonymous and shield themselves from doxing campaigns); and expanding the authority of campus police.

Power of the purse: The Trump administration has used its financial power to try to persuade actions on a number of issues. Earlier today, it announced pausing $175 million in federal funding to the University of Pennsylvania over its transgender athlete policies, which made headlines in 2022.

Penn, which says it follows NCAA and Ivy League policies, said it has not received official notice of the funding freeze.

🚨 ONE THING MAKING HEADLINES

Thousands Of JFK Assassination Files Released, But Don't Get Your Hopes Up

Tens of thousands of pages related to President John F. Kennedy's 1963 assassination were released Tuesday evening, with many documents still heavily redacted despite President Trump’s earlier claims of “no redactions.”

Other files are illegible or poorly preserved, and experts haven’t found significant revelations from this new batch.

Although millions of JFK assassination documents (99% of all documents) have been made public in recent years, historians contend that there are around 4,700 unreleased documents – some withheld at the request of the CIA and FBI. But this release is likely one of the last concerning JFK.

Level-setting: Every government agency that has investigated JFK’s death has concluded that he was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald.

⏳ SPEED READ

🚨NATION

📌 Legal showdown as Justice Department resists judge’s demand for more details on deportation flights (AP)

📌 Cross-country storm unleashes blizzard as its winds fan wildfires across the central U.S. (CNN)

📌 Fired workers are reinstated at NOAA, creating confusion on the heels of severe storms (NBC)

📌 Trump fires Democratic FTC commissioners, sparking legal challenges (FOX)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

📌 Trump: Ceasefire talks ‘on track’ after ‘very good’ Zelensky call (THE HILL) Russia and Ukraine swap hundreds of prisoners in one of the war's largest exchanges (ABC)

📌 Israeli forces resume ground operations in Gaza, IDF says (ABC)

📌 Police in Turkey arrest Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, key rival of President Erdogan (CBS)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

📌 Ben & Jerry’s alleges parent company Unilever removed its CEO over social activism (AP)

📌 Measles outbreak could last a year, health official in Texas says (CNN)

📌 Heat can age you as much as smoking, a new study finds (NPR)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

📌 Ryan Reynolds says Justin Baldoni can't sue over 'hurt feelings' in $400 million lawsuit (USA TODAY)

📌 Players accuse tennis governing bodies of running ‘cartel’ in lawsuit (GUARDIAN)

📌 Hollywood director arrested on charges of swindling Netflix out of $11M for a show that never aired (AP)

📌 March Madness bracket 2025: AI picks every men's NCAA Tournament game winner (USA TODAY)

ICYMI FROM THE 📲

In case you missed it… and you need a laugh 🤣