Campus Crackdown: NYPD Clears Columbia Protesters
DEA plans to reclassify marijuana; C-Sections in America soar
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Good morning,
Remember hearing monsters in your room when you were a kid? Turns out, one child was actually hearing the sound of 50,000 bees in her bedroom wall.
The 3-year-old had just seen the Pixar film ‘Monsters Inc.,’ so mom chalked it up to that.
🐝 But when bees began swarming near the attic chimney, mom called pest control. A thermal camera showed a colony of bees behind the wall.
🍯 A local beekeeper extracted the bees and 100 pounds of honeycomb – which likely took eight months to create in the wall of the 100-year-old house. The bees are being relocated to a honeycomb sanctuary.
Have an amazing first day of May!
Mosheh, Jill, & Lauren
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⚖️ COLUMBIA CRACKDOWN: NYPD CALLED IN TO CLEAR DOZENS OF PROTESTERS
Nearly 20 hours after protesters seized and began occupying a Columbia University academic building, administrators called in the NYPD to clear out dozens of pro-Palestinian/anti-Israel demonstrators.
The occupation that began early Tuesday morning of Hamilton Hall, an iconic academic building, ended as hundreds of police officers broke a second-floor window and arrested about 100 protesters in the facility, and those who had been living in tents on the university lawn.
“LEFT WITH NO CHOICE”
Columbia University issued a statement minutes after cops entered the campus, saying it “regretted” having to rely on police to clear the mess.
“The takeover of Hamilton Hall and the continued encampments raise serious safety concerns for the individuals involved and the entire community,” a Columbia statement said. “After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized and blockaded, we were left with no choice. Columbia public safety personnel were forced out of the building, and a member of our facilities team was threatened. We will not risk the safety of our community or the potential for further escalation.”
The University added that the group that broke into and occupied the building were led by people not affiliated with Columbia.
Students yelled “shame” as officers gathered around the the building, and chants of “NYPD, KKK, IOF, they’re all the same” began.
The Columbia University chapter of the American Association of University Professors criticized university leadership for bringing in the NYPD. “Armed police entering our campus places students and everyone else on campus at risk,” the statement said.
Campus officials have now asked the NYPD to secure campus until May 17, two days after planned graduation ceremonies. The last time police cleared tents on April 18, protesters returned within a day. The University is trying to prevent a repeat of that.
The arrests come as protests continue on dozens of campuses across America. At a fellow Ivy League school Tuesday, university leaders actually struck a deal with protesters.
Brown University demonstrators agreed to dismantle their encampment after college leaders said they would discuss, and later hold a vote on whether to divest funds from companies connected to the Israeli military campaign in Gaza.
💨 US MOVES TO RECLASSIFY MARIJUANA AS LOWER-RISK DRUG
Marijuana laws across the US. Via: CBS News
The Drug Enforcement Administration is attempting to loosen restrictions on marijuana in an historic shift in federal drug policy. It’s a move the Biden campaign first campaigned on in 2019.
If approved, marijuana would be reclassified from a Schedule I drug (like heroin and LSD) to Schedule III (like anabolic steroids and ketamine).
HOW WE GOT HERE
For over 50 years, marijuana has been considered a Schedule I drug, meaning the DEA says it has no accepted medical use.
But, last year, the Department of Health and Human Services recommended that the DEA move marijuana to a Schedule III drug like less addictive substances.
What’s next?: The White House Office of Management and Budget must review the proposal, then a public comment period would follow and a review by an administrative judge. It would likely be months before the change would go into effect.
WHO THE CHANGE IMPACTS
A classification change would mean fewer restrictions on production and research — it’s challenging to have authorized clinical studies on Schedule I substances.
Not legal: The measure does NOT legalize nor decriminalize the sale or possession of marijuana federally. But, it could change sentencing guidelines, drug testing for work, and access to public housing.
STATES AT PLAY
The feds are following the lead of most states on the drug. Medical marijuana is legal in 38 states, while recreational use is allowed 24. The industry is worth an estimated $30 billion and easing federal regulations could lead to a boom in medical marijuana and reduce the tax burden by 70%, an industry group says.
Still regulated: The roughly 15,000 dispensaries in the US would have to register with the DEA — like pharmacies, which critics say the DEA is ill-equipped to handle.
🩺 C-SECTION RATES RISE TO 1 IN 3 US BIRTHS
The rate of cesarean births in the US rose to 32.4% of births in 2023, up from 32.1% in 2022, according to CDC data. That is more than double the World Health Organization’s “ideal” national rate of 10-15%.
Rates dropped in the decade between 2009 and 2019, but has now risen for four years.
LEADING THE TREND
An increase in C-sections doesn't necessarily mean the rate of unnecessary procedures has risen, as Axios reports. However, here’s what could be leading to the trends:
Patients are sicker overall, with increases in cases of gestational diabetes and hypertensive disorders in pregnancy.
Repeat C-sections account for many of the procedures.
Hospital politics and $: Doctors are also more inclined to perform C-sections to prevent medical malpractice lawsuits. Reimbursements for C-sections are generally higher than for vaginal births.
BEYOND THE HEADLINES
Cesarean section can prevent maternal and perinatal mortality, but the WHO says there is no evidence that the procedure is beneficial to mothers who do not require one. And anything above that 10-15% “ideal” rate is generally no longer associated with reduced mortality, but some experts say that needs to be reviewed.
Bottom line: While a C-section can take mothers longer to recover compared to a vaginal delivery, a study shows that both delivery methods produce healthy toddlers.
⏳ SPEED READ
🚨NATION
📌 Trump fined for violating court gag order (NPR)
📌 Florida's 6-week abortion ban takes effect today — here's how the law will affect access to the procedure in the Southeast (YAHOO NEWS)
📌 Fox News pulls down Hunter Biden series after he threatens lawsuit (NPR)
📌 House Democratic leaders say they would help save Speaker Mike Johnson's job (NBC NEWS)
📌 Supreme Court declines to block enforcement of age-verification requirements for porn sites (CNN)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
📌 Secret document says Iran security forces molested and killed teen protester (BBC)
📌 Mexico is taking Ecuador to the top U.N. court over storming of the Mexican Embassy (NPR)
📌 Taiwan on high alert as China begins military exercises (REUTERS)
📌 Netanyahu vows to launch an offensive in Rafah; UN court won’t block German military aid to Israel amid war in Gaza (AP)
📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH
📌 Walmart launches store-label food brand as it seeks to appeal to younger shoppers (AP)
📌 US reforms green law to speed clean energy, infrastructure permits (REUTERS)
📌 Get screened for breast cancer starting at age 40, new recommendations say (USA TODAY)
📌 Utah cat found in Amazon warehouse a week after being accidentally shipped in a box (NBC NEWS)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
📌 Barbra Streisand asked Melissa McCarthy whether she used Ozempic, sparking a backlash from fans (BUSINESS INSIDER)
📌 Kendrick Lamar responds to Drake disses with new song “Euphoria” (PITCHFORK)
📌 Anne Hathaway hits 'milestone' of being 5 years sober: What else has she said about her drinking? (NBC NEWS)
📌 Tony snubs & surprises: No noms for big names Steve Carell & Michael Imperioli; little love for Brit hit ‘Patriots’ & hearty welcome for ‘Outsiders’ (DEADLINE)
🗓 ON THIS DAY: MAY 1
1926: Ford Motor Company adopted a five-day, 40-hour week for workers in its automotive factories, making it one of the first companies to do so.
1997: AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) was released.
2004: Rachel Dratch made her first appearance as ‘Debbie Downer’ on NBC’s ‘Saturday Night Live’.
2011: President Obama announces that US special forces successfully found and killed Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
MUSIC RELEASES: 1956: Johnny Cash’s ‘I Walk the Line;’ 1972: Eagles’s ‘Take It Easy;’ 1973: Deep Purple’s ‘Smoke on the Water;’ 1984: Tina Turner’s ‘What’s Love Got to Do with It;’ 1985: Heart’s ‘What About Love;’ 2001: Destiny’s Child’s album ‘Survivor’