Thursday morning news: May 2, 2024

Campus chaos » Some college campuses have stepped up security after anti-Israel, Pro-Palestinian demonstrations escalated in recent days.

Republican Senator Rick Scott:

RICK SCOTT:  We send our kids off to school. We expect them to be safe, expect them to learn something, build relationships. We don't expect them to be worried about whether they're gonna get beat up.

The University of California, Los Angeles canceled classes Wednesday after groups of protesters clashed the night before, shoving, kicking and beating each other with sticks.

That came just hours after police in New York City arrested almost 300 protesters and forcibly removed dozens of students who barricaded themselves inside a campus building at Columbia University. Some of those students displayed pro-Hamas banners and signs and chanted anti-Semitic slogans.

Sen. Joni Ernst:

ERNST:  What these students are celebrating today and trying to incite violence against Jews on American soil, that's not okay. The universities need to put an end to this now.

Pressure on Biden to address the campus unrest » Republicans are also ramping up pressure on President Biden to speak out publicly and decisively on the matter.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters:

PIERRE:  Hate speech should not be allowed. We should condemn that. That's what this administration has always been consistent about and clear about. And we're going to continue to do that.

But GOP lawmakers say broad generalized statements from the press secretary aren’t enough. Many are asking, where’s President Biden?

White House reporters say the president’s aides have kept a buffer zone between him and the press whenever he’s left the White House in recent days.

His Republican rival Donald Trump said Wednesday …

TRUMP:  To every college president, I say remove the encampments immediately, vanquish the radicals, and take back our campuses for all of the normal students who want a safe place from which to learn.

He also called out President Biden for what he said has been weak leadership on the matter.

Blinken Israel » Secretary of State Tony Blinken met with Israeli leaders in Tel Aviv on Wednesday where he once again called on Hamas to accept Israel’s latest cease-fire offer.

BLINKEN:  Hamas has to decide, uh, whether it will take this deal, um, and actually advance, uh, the, uh, situation for the people that it purports to care about, uh, in Gaza.

Under the terms of the proposed 40-day cease-fire, Hamas would release 33 hostages. Israel would allow free movement in northern Gaza and possibly even withdraw its troops from some parts of the territory.

But the terror group wants Israel to entirely end its Gaza offensive in exchange for releasing the hostages. But Israel's only offering a pause.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the war will end when Hamas is destroyed. Not before then.

MTG Vacate » GOP Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene says she’s moving forward with an effort to remove the Republican speaker of the House.

GREENE: Next week, I am going to be calling this motion to vacate — absolutely calling it.

She said the party needs a leader who won’t give into Democrats.

GREENE: Mike Johnson is not capable of that job. He has proven it over and over again.

She said she’ll file a motion to vacate the speakership next week.

Greene was angered by Speaker Mike Johnson’s support for government funding and foreign aid bills that did not insist on major reforms. And now she says, she plans to force her colleagues to choose a side.

GREENE: I think every member of Congress needs to take that vote and let the chips fall where they may.

But most Republicans oppose the motion to vacate. So in order to remove the speaker, Greene would need the cooperation of Democrats. But House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries says she’s not going to get it.

He said the House needs to stop a small group of Republicans from causing chaos and gridlock in the chamber.

JEFFRIES: And so it’s going to take a bipartisan coalition and partnership to accomplish that objective.

He said Democrats will vote to keep the current speaker in place since his party does not have the votes needed to elect a Democratic speaker.

Arizona abortion » Arizona lawmakers have overturned a law protecting all children from abortion except to save the life of the mother.

Two Republicans joined every Democrat in the state Senate passing the repeal on a vote of 16-to-14.

Republican state Senator J.D. Mesnard played a recording of a baby’s heartbeat as he announced his vote opposing the move.

MESNARD: Because I believe that if I vote yes [ultrasound of beating heart] these heart beatings will be fewer, I vote no.”

Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs says she’ll sign the repeal this afternoon.

At that point, Arizona will only protect children from abortion starting at 15 weeks.

UMC approves gay leaders » Members of the United Methodist Church have voted to approve a massive change to church doctrine, upending long-held values within the denomination. WORLD’s Mark Mellinger reports.

MARK MELLINGER: Delegates at the church's general conference said self-identified homosexuals should be able to serve as ministers and leaders in the church. The vote repealed a longstanding rule based on biblical teachings.

The conference has also overturned a ban on gay people serving in ministries … and removed a rule keeping churches from donating to pro-LGBT causes.

More than 7,000 churches have left the United Methodist Church in recent years over other unbiblical changes to church rules.

For WORLD, I’m Mark Mellinger.

I’m Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: Worldwide threats to religious freedom. Plus, What social media does to Gen-Z.

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