AP-Newswatch

As some universities negotiate with pro-Palestinian protesters, others quickly call the police

NEW YORK (AP) — Students protesting the Israel-Hamas war are digging in at Columbia University for a 10th day, part of a number of demonstrations roiling campuses from California to Massachusetts. Hundreds have been arrested across the nation, sometimes amid scuffles with police. In New York, Columbia is negotiating with student protesters who have rebuffed police and doubled down. Other schools have been quick to call law enforcement to douse demonstrations before they can take hold. Columbia officials have said they will seek other options if the negotiations with protesters fail.

The Latest | Egypt sends a cease-fire delegation to Israel and Hezbollah fires at an Israeli convoy

Officials say Egypt is sending a high-level delegation to Israel in the hope of reaching a cease-fire agreement with Hamas in Gaza. Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group said its fighters fired anti-tank missiles and artillery shells at an Israeli military convoy in a disputed area along the border, killing an Israeli civilian. Hezbollah said that its fighters ambushed the convoy shortly late Thursday, destroying two vehicles. The Israeli military said the ambush wounded an Israeli civilian doing infrastructure work, and that he later died of his wounds. Low-intensity fighting along the Israel-Lebanon border has repeatedly threatened to boil over as Israel has targeted senior Hezbollah militants in recent months.

Dozens of deaths reveal risks of injecting sedatives into people restrained by police

An investigation led by The Associated Press has found that the practice of giving sedatives to people detained by police has spread quietly across the nation over the last 15 years, built on questionable science and backed by police-aligned experts. The injections are given by medical personnel during police encounters. The investigation shows how a strategy intended to reduce violence and save lives has resulted in some avoidable deaths. While sedatives were mentioned as a cause or contributing factor in a dozen official death rulings, authorities often didn’t even investigate whether injections were appropriate in the 94 deaths identified by the AP over a decade. About half of the 94 who died were Black.

‘The movement will persist’: Advocates stress Weinstein reversal doesn’t derail #MeToo reckoning

NEW YORK (AP) — Harvey Weinstein’s accusers and their advocates were shocked and angered by an appellate court’s decision to overturn the ex-movie mogul’s 2020 rape conviction. But #MeToo advocates also sought to send a clear message that the movement has not been derailed. Tarana Burke, who coined the phrase “Me too” in 2006, and Anita Hill, who testified against Clarence Thomas in 1991, both urged a long view, saying no single legal ruling can reverse the tremendous cultural progress made in the last six years. The appeals court overturned the conviction in a 4-3 vote, finding the trial judge unfairly allowed testimony based on allegations that were not part of the case.

Antony Blinken meets with China’s President Xi as US, China spar over bilateral and global issues

BEIJING (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and senior Chinese officials in Beijing. He warned of the dangers of misunderstandings and miscalculations as the United States and China butted heads over a number of contentious bilateral, regional and global issues. Blinken said the U.S. and China are seeking to deepen cooperation where interests align, but the U.S. is “clear-eyed” about their competing visions for the future. He said he raised concerns with Xi about China’s support for Russia and its invasion of Ukraine, as well as other issues including Taiwan and the South China Sea. Talks between the two sides have increased in recent months, even as differences have grown.

Fed’s preferred inflation gauge shows price pressures stayed elevated last month

WASHINGTON (AP) — A measure of inflation closely tracked by the Federal Reserve remained uncomfortably high in March, likely reinforcing the Fed’s reluctance to cut interest rates anytime soon and underscoring a burden for President Joe Biden’s re-election bid. Prices rose 0.3% from February to March, the same as in the previous month. It was the third straight month that the index has run at a pace faster than is consistent with the Fed’s 2% inflation target. Measured from a year earlier, prices were up 2.7% in March, up from 2.5% in February. After peaking in 2022, the Fed’s favored inflation index cooled for most of 2023. Yet so far this year, the index has remained stuck above the Fed’s target rate.

These are the countries where TikTok is already banned

LONDON (AP) — TikTok is banned in a handful of countries and not allowed on government-issued devices in a number of others. That’s due to official worries that the popular video-sharing app poses privacy and cybersecurity concerns. Now it’s in the crosshairs in the U.S., where new law threatens a ban unless its China-based parent ByteDance sells off TikTok. Places that have implemented total bans on TikTok include Afghanistan, India, Nepal and Somalia. Australia, Canada and many European countries like Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands have banned the app from work phones. In the U.S., TikTok is banned from official devices issued by the government agencies, many states, Congress and the military.

Jerry Seinfeld’s commitment to the bit

NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly three decades after Jerry Seinfeld was, in one episode of “Seinfeld,” cajoled into bootlegging the movie “Death Blow,” he has finally made his first film. Seinfeld directed, co-wrote and stars in “Unfrosted,” a star-studded comedy about the invention of the Pop-Tart premiering May 3 on Netflix. For Seinfeld, who has resolutely stuck to stand-up since “Seinfeld” ended in 1998, it’s a rare post-sitcom project. In an interview, Seinfeld says he remains committed to stand-up. Now nearly 70, he plans to keep performing “to the very end.”