It’s Thursday. It appears that we have exited spring in Washington and skipped directly to the “Hell’s Front Porch” stage of the summer. Congrats! 🥵 Here’s a preview of today’s edition: -
President Biden just addressed the escalating protests happening on college campuses. His message: Protests should be peaceful, and violent protests are “not protected.”
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Everyone is glued to the drama that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has started with forcing an ouster vote against Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). This vote has put some rank-and-file Republicans in an awkward spot.
- Former President Trump confirmed that he did, in fact, ask his Secret Service driver to take him to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips, commentary, feedback and cookie recipes to cmartel@digital-release.thehill.com. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here. |
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Biden’s message to college protesters:
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President Biden just addressed the escalating protests on college campuses across the U.S., related to the war between Israel and Hamas.
Biden’s message: “There’s the right to protest, but not the right to cause chaos,” Biden said in remarks from the Roosevelt Room. “There is no space for hate speech.”
From Biden: “In moments like this, there are always those who rush in to score political points. But this isn’t a moment for politics. It’s a moment for clarity. So let me be clear … violent protest is not protected. Peaceful protest is.”
On the damage: “Destroying property is not a peaceful protest, it’s against the law. Vandalism, trespassing, breaking windows, shutting down campuses, forcing the cancellation of classes and graduation. None of this is a peaceful protest, threatening people, intimidating people.” Keep in mind about Biden’s remarks: Late this morning, the White House unexpectedly added these remarks to Biden’s schedule.
💻 Watch Biden’s remarks
What’s happening at UCLA?: “Police officers in riot gear moved in before dawn Thursday and cleared out a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of California, Los Angeles, detaining dozens of demonstrators, as authorities across the United States step up efforts to dismantle the protests that have gripped campuses nationwide.” (The New York Times)
📹 Wow, watch this coverage on the scene at UCLA: NBC News’s Liz Kreutz covered the flash bangs, tear gas and pepper spray as police in riot gear cleared the protests. 📸 Photos and videos of the protests, via The New York Times |
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➤ ONE PERSPECTIVE FROM A COLUMBIA STUDENT: |
Columbia University senior Irie Sentner wrote a piece for Politico, “Inside the chaos at Columbia.”
Excerpt: “I missed the senior cruise on April 25 — I stayed to cover a major pro-Israel protest with sightings of Proud Boys outside the gates. Yesterday’s formal senior dinner? That was canceled, and deans sent a shelter-in-place order instead. It’s led to a grim sense of humor, particularly among those of us chronicling the turmoil. Last night, as I stood outside occupied Hamilton Hall next to a team of Spectator reporters, we all got the same push notification — a reminder to go to an annual end-of-year formal, a celebration of graduating seniors with an open bar and tearful goodbyes. We laughed, then turned our attention back to our reporting.”
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The chaotic scenes of protests on some college campuses have split Senate Democrats, reports The Hill’s Alexander Bolton.
On one hand, there are vulnerable Dems: “Senate Democrats in tough races are calling on college and university presidents to crack down on campus protests that have spun out of control, as images of protesters smashing windows and unfurling Palestinian flags are becoming a political problem for President Biden and his allies.” From Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), who faces a tough reelection race this fall: “It’s 100 percent unacceptable for Jewish students or any students to be harmed on campus. You’re seeing this at campus after campus that now there’s physical violence.” From Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), another vulnerable incumbent: “We all speak strongly that the antisemitism and hate and violence are not acceptable.”
On the other hand, there are progressives who back the protests: “Leading progressives are defending students’ rights to protest and pushing back against calls for the federal government to intervene on campuses across the country.”
Some polling on young voters: “A New York Times/Siena College poll of 1,059 registered voters nationwide from April 7-11 found that 45 percent of voters under 30 sympathize more with Palestinians than Israelis in the conflict. Only 15 percent of the same group said they felt more sympathy for Israel.” 📊The full poll
Read Bolton’s full reporting: ‘Democrats split over campus protest crackdown’
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➤ MORE READS ON THE PROTESTS: |
‘America’s Colleges Are Reaping What They Sowed’: “Universities spent years saying that activism is not just welcome but encouraged on their campuses. Students took them at their word.” The Atlantic ‘After weeks of college protests, police responses ramp up’: The Washington Post ‘Where are the US college campus protests and what is happening?’: The Guardian ‘I attended Columbia University — I don’t recognize it today’: Op-ed in The Hill |
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I’m more glued to this than I was the ‘Dance Moms’ reunion: |
Now that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has decided to force a vote to boot Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) over his decision to compromise with Democrats, The Hill’s Mike Lillis and Mychael Schnell report that she has put some rank-and-file Republicans in a tough spot: vote to oust the Speaker who was endorsed by former President Trump OR vote with Democrats to protect him.
A key factor: No matter how these rank-and-file Republicans vote, Johnson will likely keep the gavel. That’s because Democratic leaders have said they will vote to help Johnson. That means *many more* Republicans would have to vote to oust him.
Another key factor: Many Republicans agree with Greene’s criticism of Johnson over cutting bipartisan deals.
💡 Let’s not forget the awkward timing: Remember how embarrassing last October’s drama was when former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was booted? Republicans couldn’t agree on a replacement and it dominated headlines for weeks. Imagine having that happen again just a few months before the November elections. |
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➤ 💃 THIS IS ENTIRELY UNRELATED, BUT I’M EXCITED, SO … :
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Remember the popular 2010s reality show “Dance Moms” that followed young competitive dancers? Well, the stars are older now and sat down for a reunion to discuss their experiences on the show. It aired last night on Lifetime and can be streamed today. (NBC’s “Today”) |
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So, Trump *did* want to go to the Capitol on Jan. 6 … : |
Former President Trump confirmed at a campaign event on Wednesday that he did, in fact, ask his Secret Service driver to take him to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, when a pro-Trump mob stormed the building.
Trump told supporters in Waukesha: “I sat in the back, and you know what I did say, I said ‘I’d like to go down there because I see a lot of people walking down.’ They said, ‘Sir, it’s better if you don’t.’ I said, ‘Well, I’d like to … whatever you guys think.’ That was the whole one of the conversation. These people are crazy.” Trump continued: “Remember the person that said I attacked a Secret Service agent in the front of the car? It’s not my deal. I’m a lover, not a fighter. Remember that? And these are tough guys. You know these Secret Service guys, I hate to admit it, they’re slightly younger than me. Just slightly.”
What Trump is referring to: Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson testified that she heard from others that Trump “lunged” for the steering wheel on Jan. 6, in an apparent effort to head to the Capitol. The driver disputed Hutchinson’s testimony. More on the back-story |
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🍬 Celebrate: Today is National Truffle Day! 🥔 Congratulations, potatoes!: Semafor’s Joseph Zeballos-Roig posted “big vegetable news: USDA to Keep the Potato Classified as Vegetable, Not a Grain.” |
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The House and Senate are in. President Biden is in North Carolina today and Vice President Harris is in Washington. (all times Eastern) |
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