Pro-Palestine protesters face crackdowns

Laura L. Davis, USA TODAY
·3 min read

Police cracked down on pro-Palestine protests on college campuses. Arizona moved to repeal its 1864 ban on abortions. And what's all the twitter about bird flu?

👋 Wednesday’s greetings! Laura Davis here. It’s time for the news.

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Pro-Palestine protests continue amid police crackdowns

Hundreds of faculty and graduate student workers rallied Wednesday afternoon outside Columbia University’s only open entrance, protesting the university’s decision hours earlier to send police on campus and arrest more than 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrators.

What's been going on? The NYPD announced almost 300 arrests had taken place Tuesday at Columbia and City College − hours before Los Angeles police in riot gear swept onto UCLA's campus to break up a violent melee between dueling protesters as opposition to Israel's war in Gaza continued to roll through universities across the nation. 👉 Here's the latest.

California Highway Patrol officers patrol at a pro-Palestinian encampment at the UCLA campus on Wednesday, the morning after it was attacked by counterprotestors, leaving some demonstrators wounded.
California Highway Patrol officers patrol at a pro-Palestinian encampment at the UCLA campus on Wednesday, the morning after it was attacked by counterprotestors, leaving some demonstrators wounded.

Arizona Senate repeals near-total 1864 abortion ban

Arizona lawmakers took a significant step Wednesday toward blocking a Civil War-era abortion ban after the state's Senate voted to repeal the measure. The vote fell largely on party lines, with two Republican state senators breaking from the chamber's GOP majority to back the repeal. Along with banning abortions in all situations except life-threatening medical emergencies, the law imposes prison terms for doctors and others who aid in an abortion. The repeal will next head to the desk of Gov. Katie Hobbs, who has promised to sign it. 👉 Everything we know.

Demonstrators hold signs protesting the 1864 near-total abortion ban in Scottsdale, Arizona, on April 14.
Demonstrators hold signs protesting the 1864 near-total abortion ban in Scottsdale, Arizona, on April 14.

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Don't freak out about bird flu – yet

Even as several federal agencies held a Wednesday news conference to explain steps being taken to contain bird flu in the U.S., public health officials this week said even more vigilance is needed. Now is the time to get ahead of bird flu – so we don't end up with another nightmare scenario, experts say.

What is bird flu? Bird flu is the nonscientific name for avian influenza, a type of virus that commonly infects waterfowl, turkeys and other birds. If it stays in birds, the main danger is to poultry. Flocks of chickens have had to be killed and eggs destroyed. The larger concern is that it might evolve to become easily transmitted person-to-person. 🥚 Four reasons not to freak out.

Deadly flooding devastates Kenya

At least 50 people have died and mass search and rescue operations were underway in Kenya Wednesday following severe flooding in the East African county, the Red Cross reported. In all, more than 100,000 people have been affected by the deluge in the country's capital city of Nairobi, which destroyed homes, swept away bridges and left dozens injured, officials said. Crews were also searching for people trapped by floodwaters in more than 14 tourist camps after the Talek River broke its banks. 👉 A look at the destruction.

A break from the news

Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Say hi: laura@usatoday.com. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pro-Palestine campus protests, Arizona abortion laws, bird flu: Wednesday's news