Trump's Campus Crackdown: ICE Arrests Palestinian Protest Leader
Plus: Measles in more than a dozen states & Canada’s next Prime Minister
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Good afternoon,
Need another reason to get your news from the Mo Newsletter instead of social media? Elon Musk says a “massive cyberattack” is to blame for an X outage today — updating the situation on X of all places. (We’re safe over on IG, though 😉.)
The problems reportedly began around 6 a.m. ET and continued throughout the morning. Around 1:30 p.m., Musk wrote on X that the company was still experiencing outages and attributed them to a coordinated attack.
The outages appeared to be global, but not universal.
Who done it? Musk isn’t 100% sure, but thinks it's a cyberattack. He has attributed some technical glitches to cyberattacks before.
Eric Noonan, CEO of cybersecurity provider CyberSheath, told CNN it is too early to tell if an attack was the source of the issues, and we should caution from jumping to conclusions too early.
Whenever there is a power-outage, website crash, or my phone just dies, it feels like a good excuse to unplug. Hope y’all got outside for a bit today 🙂
Lauren
Producer
🚨 ONE IMPORTANT THING
ICE Arrests Columbia University Palestinian Protest Leader, Leading To Legal Debate
Screenshot from video
Federal immigration officials arrested an activist who previously led anti-Israel protests at Columbia University. Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia graduate student originally from Syria, is a green card holder with permanent residency in the U.S. He was arrested on Saturday night at his university-owned apartment near campus.
The federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents say they were acting on a State Department order to revoke Khalil’s green card, led by President Trump’s directives to crack down on antisemitism on college campuses.
BEHIND THE ARREST
The Department of Homeland Security accused Khalil, who is of Palestinian descent, of leading activities “aligned to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization,” but did not detail any charges or crimes associated with the arrest.
Authorities originally told Khalil they were revoking his student visa, but learned he was a green card holder and said they’d be revoking that status as well. Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted on X that the administration “will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported.”
WHO IS KHALIL?
Khalil has been one of the leading voices and negotiators for Columbia’s anti-Israel protest groups, some of which took over university buildings and disrupted classes last year. Groups associated with him have defended Hamas’s October 7 attacks and distributed materials praising the terror group.
Khalil was suspended, and then reinstated, from Columbia last spring. Last week, he helped lead negotiations at Barnard College after students were expelled for disrupting a course on Israel.
A LOOK AT THE LAW
U.S. law prohibits a foreigner who “endorses or espouses terrorist activity” from obtaining a visa. But Khalil’s lawyer argues that authorities cannot legally revoke a green card (permanent resident card) without a charge or court hearing. A lawsuit is expected.
Khalil’s arrest has reignited the debate over the First Amendment and public protest:
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) put out a statement saying, “Ripping a student from their home, challenging their immigration status, and detaining them solely based on political viewpoint will chill student speech and advocacy across campuses nationwide.”
Meanwhile, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said, “We firmly believe there should be swift and severe consequences for those who provide material support to foreign terrorist organizations…or conceal their identities in order to harass and intimidate Jewish individuals and institutions with impunity,” while also acknowledging the need for due process to revoke a green card.
Khalil is reportedly being held in a detention center in Louisiana. His wife – who is eight months pregnant and a U.S. citizen – was originally told he was in a facility in New Jersey. But when she went to visit him, they said he was no longer there.
The Trump administration has made Columbia its first target of the president’s executive order to “root out anti-Semitic harassment in schools and on college campuses.” On Friday, Trump announced $400 million in canceled federal grants and contracts to the university.
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🚨 ONE THING WE’RE TRACKING
Measles Outbreak Spreads, More Than 200+ Cases In Over A Dozen States
The growing measles outbreak in Texas and New Mexico claimed the life of an unvaccinated adult last week, marking the second fatality from the outbreak.
As of Friday, more than 220 cases of the highly contagious disease have been reported, including 198 in Texas and 30 in New Mexico.
The CDC reported that 17% of confirmed cases have resulted in hospitalizations.
Beyond Texas and New Mexico, cases have been reported in Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Washington. These cases are related to exposure during international travel, rather than the Texas/New Mexico outbreak.
MORE TO COME?
The CDC warns that cases are expected to spread as the travel season approaches. The agency says the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccination is the “most important tool for preventing measles.”
It also recommends people visiting outbreak areas consult their doctor beforehand and watch for signs of measles for three weeks after traveling.
Up to 90% of people who are around a positive case, and are not immune, will become infected.
While the CDC says the risk of a widespread measles outbreak in the U.S. remains low, there are steps to reduce personal risk. People can check their immunity through a blood test from their doctor and get the MMR vaccine if they are not protected.
RFK JR. RESPONDS
Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – a vaccine skeptic who now calls the outbreak "serious" after previously describing it as "not unusual” – touted unconventional remedies like vitamin A for measles on Fox News recently, leading some health experts to warn that it may not be effective. In March, he urged Americans to also consider getting the MMR vaccine.
🚨 ONE THING HAPPENING UP NORTH
Mark Carney Wins Vote To Be Canada’s Next Prime Minister — For Now
Canada has a new prime minister. On Sunday, former banker Mark Carney won 86% of the vote to be elected Liberal Party leader after Justin Trudeau stepped down amid growing pressure from his own party.
On his way out, Trudeau is leaving behind a deeply unpopular Liberal Party that is trailing in the polls to the Conservative Party.
However, President Donald Trump’s recent tariff actions and remarks about Canada (calling it the “51st state") has shifted the political momentum in favor of Liberals recently. The national elections — set to take place by Oct. 20 — are now looking like a closer race.
The soon-to-be prime minister will need to prove he can stand up to Trump, while also convincing Canadian voters he can lead the country forward through issues like inflation, trade, and immigration.
⏳ SPEED READ
🚨NATION
📌 Supreme Court takes up challenge to Colorado conversion therapy ban (NBC)
📌 Los Angeles DA Nathan Hochman asks to withdraw predecessor's motion to free Menendez brothers (FOX)
📌 DC begins removing ‘Black Lives Matter’ plaza from street near White House (AP)
📌 Rubio says Trump administration canceling 83% of programs at USAID and intends to move remaining ones to State Department (CNN)
📌 Dominican authorities think missing college student may have drowned. Her family isn't so sure (PEOPLE)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
📌 Ontario slaps 25% tax increase on electricity exports to US in response to Trump’s trade war (AP)
📌 U.S. says Ukraine partial ceasefire plan 'has promise' ahead of talks in Saudi Arabia (BBC)
📌 Tanker and cargo vessel in fiery collision off English coast, triggering explosions and fuel leak (NBC)
📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH
📌 Dow tumbles 800 points, Nasdaq falls 3.9% as market sell-off intensifies on recession fears (CNBC)
📌 Washington Post to overhaul newsroom structure (AXIOS)
📌 What to know about March's full "Blood Worm Moon," a total lunar eclipse (CBS)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
📌 Amazon to begin streaming Trump's 'The Apprentice' (NBC)
📌 Ariana Grande sets ‘Eternal Sunshine’ deluxe release date for this month (VARIETY)
ICYMI FROM THE 📲
In case you missed it… Season 8 of Netflix’s “Love is Blind” wrapped up on Sunday with an explosive reunion episode. Viewers saw “Minnesota Nice” take some dark turns.
While there were plenty of memorable TV moments — like a contestant leaving her would-be groom at the altar over politics — one of our favorite memes so far has been about Dave’s, uh… enthusiastic devotion to his sister. The internet is having a field day, and honestly, so are we.
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