In today’s newsletter: Biden and Netanyahu speak after Palestinian officials say they are expecting an offensive in Rafah. Residents assess damage after tornadoes devastate parts of Oklahoma. And Taylor Swift breaks another music record.
Here’s what to know today.
Biden speaks with Netanyahu as tensions over the Israel-Hamas war mount in the U.S.
President Joe Biden spoke over the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday amid the backdrop of a possibly imminent Israeli invasion of Rafah.
Netanyahu shows no signs of backing away from a ground offensive in Gaza’s overcrowded southern city, a potential move that the U.S. publicly opposes, after Palestinian officials said they were expecting the potential attack within days.
Biden “reiterated his clear position” on any Rafah offensive, according to the White House.
The two leaders discussed areas of commonality, with Biden “reaffirm[ing] his ironclad commitment to Israel’s security” after Iran’s missile and drone retaliatory attack on the country earlier this month, the White House readout said. The leaders also spoke about renewed hopes for a hostage release and cease-fire deal, along with humanitarian aid for Gaza.
Read more:
- World Central Kitchen announced that it will resume operations in Gaza today, almost one month after seven of its aid workers were killed in Israeli airstrikes in the enclave.
- A senior Qatari official has urged Israel and Hamas to show “more commitment and more seriousness” in cease-fire negotiations in interviews with Israeli media.
- A video of Israeli hostages Keith Siegel and Omri Miran was released by Hamas’ military wing. NBC News has not been able to independently verify when or where it was filmed.
Pro-Palestinian protests spread as colleges crack down on encampments
Pro-Palestinian protests continue to grow at universities in the U.S. and Canada after months of war in Gaza. Students taking part say they want divestment from companies that could be profiting from the war and transparency regarding where institutions are investing their money.
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Many universities have said they support freedom of speech and will allow protests on campus, but that encampments violate school policy. Dozens of people were arrested at colleges that cracked down on encampments, including Northeastern University, where about 100 people were detained over the weekend.
Columbia University’s pro-Palestinian encampment has stretched into its second weekend after talks between protesting students and the administration remained at a stalemate. Video from this past week showed officers in protective gear moving in on Emerson’s campus, where an encampment was set up. A total of 118 protesters were arrested as a result.
Read the full story here.
Read more:
- Columbia University said that it has banned a student protest leader from campus after a video resurfaced that showed the student saying Zionists “don’t deserve to live.”
- Biden’s administration is accused of taking a lax approach toward enforcement of civil rights laws, exposing Jewish students to continued harassment.
Outnumbered and outgunned, Ukraine retreats in the east amid wait for U.S. aid
Ukraine’s outnumbered troops have been forced to retreat from three villages on the eastern front lines, the country’s top commander said yesterday, as Russian forces push to break through its beleaguered defenses while Kyiv waits for newly-committed U.S. military aid to arrive.
It was a rare admission from Ukraine’s new commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, that his troops were not only struggling, but also that Russia was gaining the upper hand.
In a lengthy post on his Telegram channel yesterday, he said the situation on the front lines had “worsened.”
“Trying to seize the strategic initiative and break through the front line, the enemy has concentrated main efforts in several directions, creating a significant advantage in forces and means,” Syrskyi said. “It’s actively attacking along the entire frontline, in some areas — it has tactical successes.”
5 people dead, including a baby, after tornadoes hammer the Midwest
At least five people are dead, including an infant, after a tornado outbreak touched down in Oklahoma, with reports of 35 tornadoes over the weekend.
Footage on social media in the early hours of yesterday showed heavy damage across the town of Sulphur, including toppled trees and scattered bricks and wooden beams. In the downtown area, buildings had structural damage, including blown-out windows and missing walls. Some were reduced to rubble.
Thousands were without power and more than 30 million people across multiple states were in the path of severe weather. Gov. Kevin Stitt said the damage was “unbelievable” and signed an executive order declaring an emergency.
Taylor Swift makes historic debut ‘Tortured Poets Department’ at No. 1 on Billboard
Taylor Swift said her “mind is blown” after her newest album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” hit record streaming numbers on top of selling nearly 2 million physical records.
The album hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 200 chart after it was released last week. Her album marked a banner week for vinyl sales, with 859,000 vinyl units sold. That’s the largest single-week vinyl sale for an album in the modern era, according to Billboard. Swift thanked fans on X, saying that not only was her mind blown, but also that she was “fired up” to continue her worldwide tour in a few weeks. Billboard reported that the combined totals for all 31 tracks of her latest album hit 891.37 million official streams, the biggest streaming debut for an album in history.
‘The Jinx Part Two’ revisits the Robert Durst saga of murder and mystery
The case of Robert Durst, a real-estate scion accused of eluding justice for decades in the deaths of three people, exploded nine years ago during the finale of an HBO documentary series about his life, in which he muttered: “Killed them all, of course.”
He was arrested on the eve of the finale of the 2015 HBO docuseries “The Jinx,” put on trial and convicted in the death of a confidant, and indicted separately in the death and disappearance of his first wife. Durst died serving a life sentence in 2022, but director Andrew Jarecki has continued to tell the story for a second season, “The Jinx Part Two,” which premiered April 21 on HBO.
The new season covers the events up to Durst’s arrest, his trial and his eventual conviction. Here’s a recap of what led to the second series.
Politics in Brief
NBC News poll: Supporters of Biden and former President Donald Trump are divided on, among other things, how they get their news, according to an NBC News poll.
Election 2024: Trump met privately over breakfast with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to discuss ways to fundraise for Trump’s campaign, according to six sources.
Republican National Committee: The Arizona GOP has picked state Sen. Jake Hoffman, a “fake elector” indicted and accused of working to overturn Biden’s 2020 election win in Arizona, to serve as a national committeeman for the RNC.
Abortion rights: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has shied away from saying if he supports a federal ban on abortions after 15 weeks, with exceptions, but told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he doesn’t think any proposed abortion legislation would “get 60 votes in the Senate”.
White House Correspondents’ Dinner: Watch Colin Jost headline the 2024 White House Correspondent’s Dinner, where he joked about Trump, the upcoming election and his wife, Scarlett Johansson.
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Staff Pick: The rise of ‘Tenniscore’
“Tenniscore” — or tennis-inspired outfits — has steadily increased in popularity for years, thanks to growing interest in pickleball and the dominance of athleisure. And now, the new movie “Challengers” is taking the trend to new heights. Actor Zendaya’s red carpet looks, curated by her longtime stylist Law Roach, have gone viral online, inspiring fashion enthusiasts and moviegoers to put an updated spin on a style characterized by pleated skirts, cable knit sweaters. You could say this trend is serving.
— Daysia Tolentino, culture and trends reporter
In Case You Missed It
- A wide receiver for the NFL’s Houston Texans, Tank Dell, was injured in a shooting in Florida.
- Grizzly bears are set to be reintroduced to Washington state’s North Cascades mountain range, and advocates say the effort will help make the overall ecosystem healthier.
- The teenage child of former Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield has been found safely after having run away from home.
- U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin probably didn’t directly order the killing of Alexei Navalny.
- Gabby Douglas returned to competitive gymnastics and qualified for the U.S. Championships.
Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
Skin care products with vitamin C can deliver protection directly to your skin cells. NBC Select spoke with three dermatologists about its benefits and compiled a list of the best serums to shop.
Sign up to The Selection newsletter for exclusive reviews and shopping content from NBC Select.
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