
Judge to rule on Mahmoud Khalil detention case Friday
Judge Jamee Comans on Tuesday ordered President Trump's administration to turn over any evidence supporting Khalil's continued detention by Wednesday. Comans said if the evidence doesn't support Khalil's deportation, she would 'terminate the case on Friday.'
Khalil, 30, was detained March 8 at his Manhattan apartment, part of a series of arrests of foreign-born students involved in pro-Palestine protests. Khalil, like the other students, was in the U.S. legally.
'We will not forget those who have orchestrated this injustice, the government officials and university administrators who have targeted you without cause, without any shred of evidence to justify their actions,' Khalil's wife, Noor Abdalla, wrote in an open letter.
The feds scooped up Khalil and the other students on a rarely used provision that gives the secretary of state power to deport noncitizen residents who pose 'potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.'
Government attorneys have claimed pro-Palestine rallies meet those criteria. However, none of the students have yet to be deported, as they're subject to high-profile court fights.
Khalil is potentially facing two court cases: one in Louisiana where he's detained at an immigration jail, and one in New Jersey where his lawyers petitioned for his release.
'We believe that it is the highest honor of our lives to struggle for the cause of Palestinian liberation,' Khalil wrote in an opinion piece published Friday in the Columbia Spectator. 'History will redeem us, while those who were content to wait on the sidelines will be forever remembered for their silence.'
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UPI
a minute ago
- UPI
UCLA gets $1B settlement proposal from DOJ to restore federal funding
1 of 4 | Earlier this week, UCLA announced it had lost millions in federal research funding after the Trump administration accused the university of failing to protect Jewish students during on-campus pro-Palestinian protests. File Photo by Phil McCarten/UPI | License Photo Aug. 9 (UPI) -- The U.S. Justice Department is asking for $1 billion from the University of California, Los Angeles in exchange for re-starting federal funding to the public land-grant research institution, school officials confirmed. "The University of California just received a document from the Department of Justice and is reviewing it," University of California President James Milliken said in a statement this week. "As a public university, we are stewards of taxpayer resources and a payment of this scale would completely devastate our country's greatest public university system as well as inflict great harm on our students and all Californians." Earlier this week, UCLA announced it had lost millions in federal research funding after the Justice Department accused it of failing to protect Jewish students during on-campus pro-Palestinian protests. The school at the time did not specify a dollar amount, but that figure is now believed to be around $500 million. "The UC Board of Regents and the UC Office of the President are providing counsel as we actively evaluate our best course of action. I will continue to be in constant communication with you on key decisions and update you on any developments," UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk said following Milliken's statement. The deal offered by President Donald Trump's administration to the 106-year-old academic institution would involve the school making a $1 billion payment. It would also pay an additional $172 million which would go to a larger fund to compensate victims of civil rights violations, the New York Times reported, citing a draft of the proposal. Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., said the state would push back against the proposed settlement. "We'll sue," Newsom told reporters at a news conference Friday when asked about the news. Newsom had been discussing California's involvement with Texas lawmakers who are trying to block a Republican redistricting plan in the Lone Star state. "[Trump] is trying to silence academic freedom," Newsom said, "attacking one of the most important public institutions in the United States of America." Columbia University last month agreed to pay $221 million in fines to settle similar accusations against the private New York City university. At the time, Trump said he also expected to reach a settlement with Harvard University.


Newsweek
a minute ago
- Newsweek
200 Arrested by Police in London Amid Pro-Palestinian Protests
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. British police arrested more than 200 people in central London on Saturday as supporters of the recently banned pro-Palestinian group Palestine Action deliberately violated the law to challenge the government's prohibition, according to the Associated Press. The mass arrests occurred during a demonstration at Parliament Square organized by Defend Our Juries, where protesters openly displayed "Lift The Ban" signs supporting the organization despite knowing it could lead to criminal charges. The Metropolitan Police Service (Met Police) confirmed the arrests while disputing organizers' claims that enforcement was incomplete. Newsweek reached out to the Met Police via email on Saturday for comment. Why It Matters The ban on Palestine Action, enacted in July following vandalism at a Royal Air Force (RAF) base, marks one of the most restrictive measures against Palestinian solidarity groups in recent British history. The arrests occur as Prime Minister Keir Starmer navigates complex Middle East policy, having angered Israel with plans to recognize a Palestinian state in September while simultaneously facing criticism from Palestinian supporters who believe the government isn't doing enough to end the war in Gaza. Police officers remove protestors during the pro Palestine "Lift The Ban" protest at Parliament Square on August 9, 2025 in London, United Kingdom. Police officers remove protestors during the pro Palestine "Lift The Ban" protest at Parliament Square on August 9, 2025 in London, United To Know Parliament passed legislation in early July designating Palestine Action as a banned organization and criminalizing public support for the group. The ban followed an incident on June 20 when activists broke into RAF Brize Norton base in Oxfordshire, spraying red paint into the engines of two tanker planes and causing additional damage with crowbars as a protest against British military support for Israel. Saturday's "Lift The Ban" demonstration saw more than 500 protesters gathering at Parliament Square, with many holding signs reading "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action." The deliberate flouting of the ban was part of a coordinated strategy to challenge what supporters view as an illegitimate restriction on free speech. Police had anticipated the confrontational nature of the protest, noting Friday that organizers intended to strain law enforcement resources through mass arrests. The arrests occurred against a backdrop of multiple demonstrations across London, including a separate pro-Palestinian march that ended at 10 Downing Street and planned Sunday protests demanding the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza. The weekend's events have required substantial police resources, with authorities also preparing for protests at hotels housing asylum-seekers. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan told the AP the scale of the weekend's events would "put pressure" on the police department. "This is going to be a particularly busy few days in London with many simultaneous protests and events that will require a significant policing presence," Adelekan said prior to the protests. Palestine Action has previously targeted Israeli defense contractors and other sites in the UK that the group claims have connections to the Israeli military. Supporters are currently mounting a legal challenge to the ban, arguing that the government has overreached by classifying the organization as terrorist. Demonstrators attend pro Palestine "Lift The Ban" protest at Parliament Square on August 9, 2025 in London, United Kingdom. Demonstrators attend pro Palestine "Lift The Ban" protest at Parliament Square on August 9, 2025 in London, United People Are Saying Defend Our Juries said in a statement: "The police have only been able to arrest a fraction of those supposedly committing 'terrorism' offenses, and most of those have been given street bail and allowed to go home. This is a major embarrassment to [the government], further undermining the credibility of this widely ridiculed law, brought in to punish those exposing the government's own crimes." The Metropolitan Police Service responded to the group in a statement: "We are confident that anyone who came to Parliament Square today to hold a placard expressing support for Palestine Action was either arrested or is in the process of being arrested." Defend Our Juries spoke on the ban's implications in a statement: "Once the meaning of 'terrorism' is separated from campaigns of violence against a civilian population and extended to include those causing economic damage or embarrassment to the rich, the powerful and the criminal, then the right to freedom of expression has no meaning and democracy is dead." Demonstrators attend pro Palestine "Lift The Ban" protest at Parliament Square on August 9, 2025 in London, United Kingdom. Demonstrators attend pro Palestine "Lift The Ban" protest at Parliament Square on August 9, 2025 in London, United Happens Next The arrested protesters face potential criminal charges under the new legislation, though many have already been released on street bail according to organizers. The legal challenge to Palestine Action's ban continues through the courts, with supporters arguing the designation as a terrorist organization is unjustified and violates fundamental rights to free expression. Reporting from the Associated Press contributed to this article.


Time Magazine
a minute ago
- Time Magazine
Hundreds Arrested At Protest in Defiance of Anti-Terror Law
Police in London arrested at least 365 protesters on Saturday who defied an anti-terror law by holding placards expressing support for a recently banned pro-Palestinian group. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the British Parliament to hold signs reading "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action," in what they said was a protest for freedom of expression. By doing so, the protesters violated a law passed by the British Parliament in early July that classified Palestine Action as a terror organization and made it illegal for anyone to publicly show support for it. The legislation was passed in response to an incident in which activists from the group broke into a Royal Air Force base and vandalized two tanker aircraft in protest against the United Kingdom's support for Israel, and against Israel's ongoing war in Gaza. "Within this crowd a significant number of people are displaying placards expressing support for Palestine Action, which is a proscribed group," the Metropolitan Police Service said on X. "Officers have moved in and are making arrests." Police later said they had arrested 365 people for 'supporting a proscribed organization.' Membership of, or support for, Palestine Action is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison under the Terrorism Act 2000. Saturday's demonstration was organized by a group called Defend Our Juries, which called for people to attend the protest with signs expressing support for Palestine Action in a demonstration of civil disobedience. "Once the meaning of 'terrorism' is separated from campaigns of violence against a civilian population, and extended to include those causing economic damage or embarrassment to the rich, the powerful and the criminal, then the right to freedom of expression has no meaning and democracy is dead," the group said on its website. Rights group Amnesty International described the arrests as 'deeply concerning.' It has previously criticized the law as 'excessively broad and vaguely worded and a threat to freedom of expression.' What is Palestine Action? Palestine Action was established in 2020 and claims to take 'aim at the infrastructure that sustains the Israeli occupation,' according to co-founder Huda Ammori. The group has frequently targeted Elbit Systems, an Israel-based defense contractor that earlier this year signed a contract with the Israeli government worth $275 million. Palestine Action staged break-ins at Elbit sites across the U.K. last year in the city of Bristol, and at a factory in the county of Kent, where around £1 million ($1.33 million) worth of property was reportedly destroyed. The group was proscribed as a terrorist group under the 2000 Terrorism Act by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper on July 5, after members of the group broke into a Royal Air Force base in Oxfordshire on June 20, spray painting two Voyager jets and damaging them with crowbars. The British Government said that the group 'has orchestrated a nationwide campaign of direct criminal action against businesses and institutions' and that it 'prepares for, promotes, and encourages terrorism.' 'Proscription will enable law enforcement to effectively disrupt Palestine Action,' the government order read, meaning that support for the group is now deemed a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Palestine Action was proscribed alongside two groups described as 'white-supremacist' movements, the Maniacs Murder Cult and the Russian Imperial Movement. The Israel-Hamas war was triggered after Hamas launched a terror attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing over 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages. Over 61,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. In the absence of independent monitoring on the ground, the ministry is the primary source for casualty data relied upon by humanitarian groups, journalists, and international bodies. Its figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants and cannot be independently verified by TIME. The humanitarian toll in Gaza continues to rise, after a U.N.-backed food security body warned last week that the 'worst case famine scenario' is unfolding. 'Mounting evidence shows that widespread starvation, malnutrition, and disease are driving a rise in hunger-related deaths,' the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) reported on July 29. At least 197 people have now died from mass hunger, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. — Additional reporting by Callum Sutherland