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☆ Indian Americans Become a Political Force, Just as Usha Vance’s Profile Rises
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-20 | by ( Amy Qin | Jonathan Wolfe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

That cemented a remarkable reality: at the current moment, a woman of Indian descent will either serve another term in the White House or be the second lady. It was the latest milestone for an Indian American community that has emerged as a political powerhouse over the past decade. Kamala Harris in 2021 became the first person of Indian descent, as well as the first woman and Black person, to be vice president. The 2024 presidential cycle is the first one to have featured two Indian American candidates in Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy. And there are now five Indian American members of Congress and nearly 40 Indian Americans in state legislatures — the highest number of any Asian origin group in the country, according to AAPI Data, an organization that collects data about Asian Americans.

Persons: JD Vance, Donald J, Usha Vance, Kamala Harris, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy Organizations: Republican, Indian, —

Emergency call systems in at least three states were hit by the widespread CrowdStrike technology outage, although most major U.S. cities avoided problems overnight. In Oregon, some 911 centers, hospitals, airports, and public safety and emergency management agencies had major effects, said Erin Zysett, a spokeswoman for the Oregon Department of Emergency Management. teams are working very fast to apply the fixes that CrowdStrike has provided, and those impacts are being mitigated quickly,” she said, adding that statewide alert systems and public safety incident tracking systems were mostly unaffected. Emergency dispatchers in Portland, Ore., were forced to work without the help of crucial computer systems for several hours and had to work “manually,” Mila Mimica, a city spokeswoman, said in a statement. As of 6 a.m., however, the computer systems were back to working normally.

Persons: Erin Zysett, ”, ” Mila Mimica Organizations: Oregon Department of Emergency Management Locations: U.S, Oregon, Portland ,

☆ Intense Heat Suspected in 4 Weekend Deaths in Oregon
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Jacey Fortin | Jonathan Wolfe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The medical examiner’s office in Multnomah County, Ore., which includes Portland, said that heat was suspected in three deaths in the county between Friday and Sunday, after record temperatures scorched the region. The heat wave was expected to bring more sweltering weather to the southern parts of Arizona, Nevada and California, where daily temperatures were expected to rise to well above 110 degrees. The heat wave has already shattered records across interior California and in Las Vegas. In Death Valley, Calif., temperatures reached 127 degrees on Friday, a record for the date, and then 128 on Saturday and 129 on Sunday. A motorcyclist who was visiting Death Valley National Park died from heat exposure on Saturday, and another was treated for severe heat illness.

Organizations: Western, National Weather Service, Death Locations: Portland, Western United States, Washington, Arizona, Multnomah County, Arizona , Nevada, California, Las Vegas, Valley, Calif

☆ Northern California Wildfire Slows, Allowing Some Residents to Return Home
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-04 | by ( Jonathan Wolfe | More About Jonathan Wolfe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A destructive wildfire that engulfed buildings and forced 29,000 people to evacuate the area near Oroville in Butte County, California, is showing signs of slowing, officials said. Fire crews battled flames overnight, and on Thursday morning, the spread of the blaze, named the Thompson fire, remained relatively stable, at around 3,500 acres burned. The fierce winds that initially drove the fire weakened through the night, and officials said they planned to repopulate some areas today that were previously under evacuation orders. “Overall, things are looking pretty good,” said Kevin Colburn, a spokesman for Cal Fire. “The fire is not doing what it was doing on the first day.

Persons: Thompson, “, ”, Kevin Colburn Organizations: Fire, Cal Fire Locations: Oroville, Butte County , California

☆ Some Californians Found Dream Homes Inland. But It Sure Is Hot There.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-03 | by ( Jonathan Wolfe | Mike Kai Chen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

When Farwa Ali and her family wanted to buy a bigger home, Mountain House, Calif., seemed to check all of their boxes. The fast-growing community, just 40 miles inland from where they were living in the San Francisco Bay Area, offered good schools, a diverse population and dozens of large houses for sale within their budget. It seemed to be a perfect match — at least until their first summer, when the scorching temperatures of California’s Central Valley set in. “We never had an idea that it would be this hot,” Ms. Ali said on Tuesday as she darted through a grocery store parking lot where the temperature was well over 100 degrees.

Persons: Farwa Ali, “, Ms, Ali Organizations: Calif, San Francisco Bay Area Locations: House, San Francisco Bay

☆ At U.C.L.A., Pro-Palestinian Protesters Clash With Police
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-11 | by ( Jonathan Wolfe | Jill Cowan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators at the University of California, Los Angeles, clashed with law enforcement officers on Monday, sometimes physically, as they attempted to occupy outdoor areas and re-establish a protest encampment in the last days of the spring quarter. More than 20 of the protesters were arrested on Monday night. The demonstration began earlier Monday in the form of a funeral procession, winding its way through campus as protesters read the names of Palestinians killed during the Israel-Hamas war. It was the latest indication that protesters intended to remain vocal, ahead of commencement ceremonies later this week and a Wednesday decision from the University of California regents about who U.C.L.A.’s next chancellor will be. Violent attacks by supporters of Israel began on the night of April 30, followed about a day later by the dismantlement of a pro-Palestinian encampment, involving hundreds of arrests.

Persons: ’, Israel Organizations: University of California Locations: Los Angeles, Israel

☆ Intruder Who Bludgeoned Pelosi’s Husband Gets 30-Year Sentence
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Tim Arango | Jonathan Wolfe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The man who broke into the San Francisco home of Nancy Pelosi two years ago and bludgeoned her husband with a hammer was sentenced on Friday to 30 years in federal prison, with credit for time already served. The assailant, David DePape, was convicted in November 2023 on federal charges. He admitted on the witness stand during the trial that he had carried out the attack, as he had done before in interviews with the police and media outlets. But he said that he never intended to hurt Ms. Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi. Mr. DePape said his intrusion into the couple’s home in the affluent Pacific Heights neighborhood was part of a plot to kidnap Ms. Pelosi and interrogate her about a supposed corrupt conspiracy led by Ms. Pelosi and other prominent liberal figures.

Persons: Nancy Pelosi, Pelosi, David DePape, Pelosi’s, Paul Pelosi, Mr, DePape, Ms Organizations: San Locations: San Francisco, Pacific Heights

The no-confidence resolution was introduced by the campus chapter of the American Association of University Professors, a professional faculty organization. The group that brought the no-confidence resolution against Dr. Shafik does not “represent many faculty and students at Columbia University,” the letter stated. On Wednesday, Dr. Shafik wrote a conciliatory note to students and published it in the school newspaper in lieu of a graduation speech. Of the 899 faculty members eligible to vote, 709 completed a ballot. There are about 4,700 full-time faculty members at Columbia, of which the Faculty of Arts and Science represents about 20 percent.

Persons: Nemat, Shafik, “, ” Ben Chang, David Ahmed Ali, ”, Robert Newton, ” Dr, Newton, Liset Cruz Organizations: of Arts and Sciences, Columbia University, American Association of University, University Senate, Hamilton Hall, Columbia College, ”, Israel, Mailman, of Public Health, New School, City University of New, CUNY, New York University, Columbia, Ivy League, of Arts and Science Locations: Israel, Hamilton, Columbia, Gaza, City University of New York

☆ University of California Workers Vote to Authorize Strike in Rebuke Over Protest Crackdowns
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Jonathan Wolfe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But academic workers in the University of California system authorized their union on Wednesday to call for a strike over something else entirely: free speech. 4811, represents about 48,000 graduate students and other academic workers at 10 University of California system campuses and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The strike authorization vote, which passed with 79 percent support, comes two weeks after dozens of counterprotesters attacked a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of California, Los Angeles, for several hours without police intervention, and without arrests. The vote does not guarantee a strike but rather gives the executive board of the local union, which is part of the United Auto Workers, the ability to call a strike at any time. Eight of the 10 University of California campuses still have a month of instruction left before breaking for summer.

Persons: Lawrence, counterprotesters Organizations: University of California, U.A.W, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, United Auto Workers Locations: Los Angeles

☆ U.C.L.A. Protesters Had Metal Pipes and ‘Occupation Guide,’ Police Say
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Jonathan Wolfe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Members of the group had several metal pipes, a pair of bolt cutters, super glue, padlocks and a long chain, according to a statement from the U.C.L.A. Two local journalists were among those detained, but they were released without charges after being taken to a Los Angeles Police Department jail. Sean Beckner-Carmitchel, a freelance journalist who has been covering the U.C.L.A. protests, was one of the two journalists arrested. He said he stumbled across the students in the parking lot after they were detained and began filming.

Persons: Sean Beckner, “, ” Organizations: University of California, . Police Department, ” Police, Los Angeles Police Department Locations: Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Police Department removed a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Southern California early Sunday morning, pushing several dozen people out of the campus gates in the latest crackdown on student protesters there. The encampment had sprouted up nearly two weeks ago in Alumni Park, a central quad on U.S.C.’s campus in Los Angeles. Los Angeles police said on Sunday morning that they had made no arrests while clearing the encampment for the second time. The university cited security concerns, but the valedictorian, Asna Tabassum, said she believed she was being silenced. On Sunday, police officers in riot gear entered the campus before dawn, pushing about 25 protesters out of the campus’s metal gates.

Persons: Asna Tabassum Organizations: Los Angeles Police Department, University of Southern, Sunday Locations: University of Southern California, ’, Los Angeles

Warning: this episode contains strong language. Over the past week, students at dozens of universities held demonstrations, set up encampments and, at times, seized academic buildings. In response, administrators at many of those colleges decided to crack down and called in the local police to detain and arrest demonstrators. As of Thursday, the police had arrested 2,000 people across more than 40 campuses, a situation so startling that President Biden could no longer ignore it. Jonathan Wolfe, who has been covering the student protests for The Times, and Peter Baker, the chief White House correspondent, discuss the history-making week.

Persons: Biden, Jonathan Wolfe, Peter Baker Organizations: The Times, White House

After weeks of tumult at the University of Southern California, administrators have announced updated commencement plans, with increased security and modified festivities. The plans are in lieu of the university’s main graduation ceremony, which the school had canceled, citing security concerns. The university said it would host a “Trojan Family Graduate Celebration” on Thursday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the famed venue where its football team plays home games. More than 100 school-specific graduations and smaller receptions are set to take place on campus as planned, but with tighter access. For scheduling reasons, the university will be able to use only a portion of the stadium, so each graduate will receive up to six tickets.

Persons: ” Organizations: University of Southern, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, team Locations: University of Southern California

☆ Live Updates: Police Clear U.C.L.A. Encampment and Arrest Protesters
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Jonathan Wolfe | Mike Ives | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +12 min

But by Wednesday morning, the peace at the University of California, Los Angeles, had been shattered. Many critics were incredulous that even after officers with the Los Angeles Police Department arrived, there were no arrests or suspensions. Campus officials ordered protesters on Wednesday evening to leave the encampment or face arrest. Image A group of counterprotesters attacked a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of California, Los Angeles, on Tuesday night. seemed to wait too long to call in the Los Angeles police, whose officers did not arrive until after midnight.

Persons: fistfights, “, ”, Marie Salem, Mark Abramson, ANGELES Royce Hall Dickson, Ms, Salem, Aidan Woodruff, Mr, Woodruff, counterprotesters, Philip Cheung, Gene Block, Block, Israel counterprotesters, Karen Bass’s, Counterprotesters, Michael Nasir, Mary Osako, Katy Yaroslavsky, streetlight, Hussam Ayloush, Rob Bonta, Ayloush, Benjamin Kersten, Bella Brannon, Brannon, Jill Cowan, Shawn Hubler, Livia Albeck, Claire Fahy, John Yoon, Yan Zhuang Organizations: University of California, Student, The New York, The New York Times, Los Angeles Police Department, OF, ANGELES Royce Hall Dickson, ANGELES Royce Hall, ANGELES Royce Hall Dickson Court, ., Israel, Royce Hall, Los Angeles police, Police Department, Patrol, California, Credit, . Palestinian Solidarity, Jewish, Fairfax District, Jewish Federation Los, Los, Los Angeles Area, Islamic Relations, Jewish Voice, Peace Locations: Los Angeles, U.C.L.A, Israel, California, . Palestinian, counterprotesters, ”, Westside, Beverly Hills, Iranian, Gaza, Palestine

☆ Live Updates: Police Enter U.C.L.A. Encampment After Warnings
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Jonathan Wolfe | Mike Ives | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

A deal struck by Northwestern University officials and pro-Palestinian demonstrators brought an end to a protest encampment on campus but drew harsh criticism from Jewish leaders and students on Wednesday. The agreement, announced this week, included a promise by the university to be more transparent about its financial holdings. In turn, demonstrators removed the tent camp they built last week at Deering Meadow, a stretch of lawn on campus. The university did not commit to divesting from companies linked to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, a chief demand animating campus protests across the nation. But protest organizers at Northwestern said they saw transparency as a first step toward that goal.

Persons: ”, Elizabeth Shakman Hurd, “, Hillel, Michael Schill, Schill, ” Paz Baum, Baum, Mr Organizations: Northwestern University, Northwestern, Educators for Justice, American Jewish Committee, Cook County Circuit Court, Jewish Voice, Peace, Brown University, Columbia University, University of California Locations: Deering, Gaza, Palestine, Northwestern, Cook County, New York, Los Angeles

☆ Turkey Halts Trade With Israel as Relations Deteriorate
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Gulsin Harman | Ben Hubbard | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +11 min

Peaceful protest is. Vandalism, trespassing, breaking windows, shutting down campuses, forcing the cancellation of classes and graduations — none of this is a peaceful protest. Threatening people, intimidating people, instilling fear in people is not peaceful protest. “Vandalism, trespassing, breaking windows, shutting down campuses, forcing the cancellation of classes and graduations — none of this is a peaceful protest. Peaceful protest is.”In calming some in his party, though, Mr. Biden took heat from others on the political left.

Persons: Biden, It’s, President Biden, ” Mr, “, Nemat Shafik, ”, Tim Scott, Donald J, Mr, Trump, Crooked Joe Biden, Newscum, Gavin Newsom, Israel, George Floyd, could’ve, Matt Duss, Bernie Sanders, Jonathan Wolfe, Ernesto Londoño, Bob Chiarito, Mike Baker Organizations: Jewish, White, Republican, National Guard, “, Police, University of California, Portland State University, University of Wisconsin, Fordham, Manhattan, University of Texas, Dartmouth College, Tulane University, New York Times, Brown University, Northwestern University, Columbia University, American Association of University, Hamilton, Republicans, Trump Locations: America, Palestinian, Gaza, “, Los Angeles, Oregon, Madison, Dallas, New Hampshire, New Orleans, Rhode Island, Illinois, Israel, Washington, South Carolina, U.C.L.A, California, North Carolina, Charlotte, Wilmington, Vermont, St, Paul, Minn, Wis, Seattle

Local news footage and social media images showed scenes of chaos: Members of the clashing groups threw punches and wrestled each other to the ground. At about 3:30 a.m., officers wedged themselves between the groups, and the violence began to de-escalate. As the campus awoke early Wednesday, students and other curious onlookers leaned against the barricades at the encampment, silently taking videos or snapping photos. A police helicopter continued to hover overhead, and a large Palestinian flag at the center of the camp swayed in the wind. Detritus from a night of chaos — trash, broken pieces of wood, trampled clothing — speckled the ground.

Persons: counterprotesters, ”, Ms, Salem, “, Michael Nasir, Sergio Garcia Organizations: California, Patrol

☆ U.C.L.A. Declares Encampment Illegal, Says Protesters Should Leave
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Jonathan Wolfe | Benjamin Royer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Officials at the University of California, Los Angeles, declared a pro-Palestinian encampment illegal for the first time on Tuesday night and warned protesters that they faced consequences if they did not leave. It was an abrupt turn at a campus that had been among the most tolerant in the nation, abiding by a University of California practice of avoiding law enforcement action unless “absolutely necessary to protect the physical safety of our campus community.”After protesters established the encampment on Thursday in the shadow of Royce Hall, university officials did not intervene and said they wanted to support free speech rights while minimizing campus disruption. But patience appeared to run out after violent confrontations in recent days between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and Israel supporters that required the campus police to intervene. Administrators also took issue with instances in which protesters used metal gates and human walls to control access to campus walkways and entrances, videos of which had circulated on social media.

Persons: Royce Organizations: University of California, Royce Hall Locations: Los Angeles, Israel

Israel supporters standing on the opposite side of a walkway from the large pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of California, Los Angeles. On Sunday, the Israeli American Council, which has denounced pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses as “overtly antisemitic,” hosted a rally at U.C.L.A. On Monday night, another fight broke out between two groups of protesters after about 60 pro-Israel demonstrators attempted to enter the pro-Palestinian encampment. Image Pro-Palestinian protesters have come face to face daily with Israel supporters at the University of California, Los Angeles. Many Jewish groups say the campus protests have created a climate hostile toward Jewish students.

Persons: Israel, Royce, U.C.L.A, ”, ” Mary Osako, —, Ms, Osako, megaphones, Mark Abramson, Asher Taxon, ” Mr, Taxon, Kaia Shah Organizations: University of California, Royce Hall, University of Southern, University of Texas, Israeli American Council, “ UCLA, Israel, Los Angeles . Credit, The New York Times, U.C.L.A Locations: Los Angeles, University of Southern California, Austin, Israeli, Israel, U.C.L.A, Atlanta, Orange County, Calif, Gaza

☆ A Small Campus in the Redwoods Has the Nation’s Most Entrenched Protest
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Jonathan Wolfe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When university administrators across the nation worry about the potential fallout from campus protests, they may have Siemens Hall in mind. The building at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, includes the campus president’s office and has been occupied for a week by pro-Palestinian protesters who barricaded themselves inside and fought off an early attempt by the police to remove them. Protesters have since tagged walls and renamed it “Intifada Hall” by ripping off most of the signage on the brick exterior. The school, situated more than 275 miles north of San Francisco among the ancient coastal redwoods that drip with fog mist, is the site of the nation’s most entrenched campus protest. It has gone well beyond the encampments on student quads elsewhere; at Cal Poly Humboldt, protesters took over the power center of the campus and have rejected increasingly desperate entreaties from officials for them to vacate the premises.

Persons: Tom Jackson Jr Organizations: Siemens, California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, “, Gaza, Cal Poly Humboldt Locations: San Francisco

A wave of pro-Palestinian protests spread and intensified on Wednesday as students gathered on campuses around the country, in some cases facing off with the police, in a widening showdown over campus speech and the war in Gaza. University administrators from Texas to California moved to clear protesters and prevent encampments from taking hold on their own campuses as they have at Columbia University, deploying police in tense new confrontations that already have led to dozens of arrests. At the same time, new protests continued erupting in places like Pittsburgh and San Antonio. Students expressed solidarity with their fellow students at Columbia, and with a pro-Palestinian movement that appeared to be galvanized by the pushback on other campuses and the looming end of the academic year. Protesters on several campuses said their demands included divestment by their universities from companies connected to the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, disclosure of those and other investments and a recognition of the continuing right to protest without punishment.

Organizations: University, Columbia University, Columbia, Protesters Locations: Gaza, Texas, California, Pittsburgh, San Antonio

☆ Student Editorial Boards Rebuke College Officials for Protest Decisions
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Anna Betts | Jonathan Wolfe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

As protests over the Israel-Hamas war have erupted at U.S. universities in recent months, student journalists have been reporting daily as their campuses have been embroiled in debates over free speech, university investments and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Some student newspapers’ editorial boards have offered assessments of their campus disputes. They have opined on how administrators are responding to protesters and defended the rights of students to speak out. They have been particularly vocal about the threats of harassment and doxxing, which many editorial boards have argued were stifling free speech on campus. Here are a few of the editorials that have been written by student newspapers in the last couple of weeks as tensions have escalated at several campuses.

Locations: Israel, U.S

☆ Schumer Urged New Leadership in Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Jonathan Wolfe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, said that Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was a major obstacle to peace in the Middle East and called for elections to replace him. “Prime Minister Netanyahu has lost his way by allowing his political survival to take precedence over the best interests of Israel,” Schumer said today in a speech on the Senate floor. “He has been too willing to tolerate the civilian toll in Gaza, which is pushing support for Israel worldwide to historic lows. Israel cannot survive if it becomes a pariah.”Schumer’s speech was the sharpest critique yet of Netanyahu from a senior American elected official. Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the minority leader, called Schumer’s actions “unprecedented,” and accused Democrats of having “an anti-Israel problem.”

Persons: Chuck Schumer, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, ” Schumer, Biden, Mitch McConnell Organizations: “, Israel, Republicans, Republican Locations: New York, Israel, Gaza, American, Kentucky

☆ California’s record deluge
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Jonathan Wolfe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

California is hit by a record delugeA ferocious atmospheric river dumped rain on California, spawning landslides, flooding roads and causing power outages across the region. The relentless downpour, which began last night, stalled over the Los Angeles region, where officials warned of the potential for more flooding and mudslides. Parts of Southern California are expecting 8 to 14 inches of rain today, potentially matching Los Angeles’s average annual rainfall total — 14 inches — in a single day. More than 10 inches of rain were recorded by noon in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Bel Air. Atmospheric rivers — named for their long, narrow shape and the prodigious amount of water they carry — greatly affect California’s weather and water supplies.

Organizations: Bel Air Locations: California, Los Angeles, Southern California, Bel

☆ Israel Resumed its Gaza Offensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Jonathan Wolfe | More About Jonathan Wolfe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Israel resumed its Gaza offensiveA weeklong cease-fire in the Gaza Strip collapsed this morning, with both Israel and Hamas blaming the other for the breakdown of the fragile truce. Shortly before the cease-fire expired at 7 a.m. local time, Israel said it had intercepted a projectile fired from Gaza. Since the resumption of fighting, the Israeli military said it had launched 200 strikes. Ultimately the two sides failed to overcome disagreements, including about how to define soldiers versus civilians and how many Palestinian prisoners Israel would release for its hostages, officials from Israel and Hamas said. But Israeli officials expressed determination to carry on with their campaign to eradicate Hamas.

Persons: Israel Locations: Gaza, Israel

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