Columbia University agreed to a $21 million fund to compensate Jewish employees who said they faced harassment at work due to protests related to Israel’s war in Gaza. Some Jewish faculty filed claims saying they were harassed because of their support for Palestinian rights, not because they were Jewish, and they criticized the university’s handling of the situation.
Key Facts
Columbia University settled with the Trump administration to create a $21 million fund for Jewish employees claiming a hostile work environment.
The fund relates to events following protests against Israel’s war in Gaza after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
Jewish faculty members filed complaints saying they faced harassment due to their pro-Palestinian views, not just for being Jewish.
Complaints include being followed, spat on, screamed at, doxed (personal information shared publicly), and receiving death threats.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) described this as the largest public settlement in nearly 20 years.
The settlement also involved a $200 million fine and other measures to resolve the dispute between Columbia and the federal government.
Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prevents workplace discrimination based on religion and other factors, is cited in this case.
Some faculty said the university’s focus on protecting Jewish employees’ safety suppressed pro-Palestinian speech and created a difficult environment for dissent.
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Campaigners in England are opposing government plans to cut funding for specialist assistive technology used by tens of thousands of disabled university students. They say the cuts could make studying harder for disabled students, increase dropout rates, and harm mental health, while the government believes free, widely available tools can replace some specialist software.
Key Facts
Nearly 10,000 people signed a petition against cutting funding for specialist assistive software in England’s Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA).
Over 88,000 students used the DSA in 2023-24, with the government spending £203 million on it.
The Department for Education wants to stop funding specialist software except in rare cases, saying free tools now offer similar help.
Disability groups say free, general tools don’t match the personalized support of specialist software.
Specialist software includes tools for text-to-speech, speech-to-text, mind mapping, note-taking, and managing tasks.
Disabled students report that specialist tech is crucial for their learning and cannot be properly replaced by free apps.
Some students say replacing specialist tools with generic AI tools would create extra stress and academic difficulties.
The government consultation on this change ends on June 18.
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Republican Representatives Young Kim and Ken Calvert, both from California, are likely to compete against each other in the November election for California’s 40th Congressional District. Calvert leads the race with 36.2% of the vote, while Kim has 21.7% in a contest with five candidates.
Key Facts
Both Young Kim and Ken Calvert are Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives from California.
They are competing for the same seat in California’s 40th Congressional District.
The election is scheduled for November.
Calvert currently has 36.2% of the vote.
Kim currently has 21.7% of the vote.
There are five candidates total in this race.
This is an example of a "member-on-member" contest, where two current officeholders run against each other.
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Zach Lahn won the Republican primary for governor in Iowa by beating Representative Randy Feenstra. This result is the first big primary loss linked to President Donald Trump in the 2026 election cycle.
Key Facts
Zach Lahn won the Iowa Republican primary for governor.
Lahn defeated Rep. Randy Feenstra in this race.
This race is part of the 2026 midterm elections.
The result marks President Donald Trump's first major primary loss in 2026.
The win could impact Trump’s influence in the Republican Party.
The Iowa governor’s race is an important statewide election.
Primaries decide which party candidates run in the general election.
This loss may affect future Republican primary contests in 2026.
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Hilda Solis, a Democrat and Los Angeles County Supervisor, and Pedro Casas, a Republican psychologist, won their primaries and will compete in the November election for California’s 38th Congressional District seat. The race is expected to favor the Democratic candidate.
Key Facts
The election is for California’s 38th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Hilda Solis is a Democrat and currently serves as a Los Angeles County Supervisor.
Pedro Casas is a Republican and works as a psychologist.
Both advanced from a primary election held on Tuesday.
Solis received 44.4 percent of the vote in the primary.
The district is seen as leaning strongly Democratic by election experts.
The general election will take place in November.
The winner will become a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
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Congress needs to approve a bill soon to improve roads, bridges, and other transportation systems across the country. This bill will help states, businesses, and workers by creating steady support for building and fixing infrastructure in the future.
Key Facts
Congress is being urged to pass a surface transportation bill quickly.
The bill aims to provide long-term support for states and businesses.
It focuses on modernizing America's infrastructure like roads and bridges.
Improving infrastructure will help workers and future generations.
The goal is to create certainty and stable funding for transportation projects.
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Spencer Pratt and Nithya Raman are competing to see who will run against Mayor Karen Bass in the Los Angeles mayoral election. They are waiting for the final vote count to know the result.
Key Facts
The race is for the mayor of Los Angeles.
Karen Bass is the current mayor and a candidate in the election.
Spencer Pratt and Nithya Raman are both running to challenge her.
The final decision depends on the vote count.
The winner will face Karen Bass in the November general election.
CBS News is reporting on the situation.
The announcement is pending as votes are still being counted.
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DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin will speak to the House Homeland Security Committee about President Trump's budget request for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for the year 2027. The White House wants $63 billion for DHS in 2027, which is $2.2 billion less than the amount approved for 2026.
Key Facts
Markwayne Mullin is the current Secretary of Homeland Security.
He will testify before the House Homeland Security Committee.
The discussion is about President Trump’s fiscal year 2027 budget for DHS.
The White House is requesting $63 billion for DHS in 2027.
This request is $2.2 billion less than DHS’s approved budget for 2026.
The budget request is part of ongoing debates about government funding by the GOP.
The hearing is happening on a Wednesday morning.
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President Donald Trump is taking the lead role in the Great American State Fair celebrating America’s 250th anniversary after most scheduled musical performers quit, worried the event was too linked to him. The president enjoys being the center of attention at events and plans to continue this approach during the upcoming World Cup and other celebrations.
Key Facts
Most musical performers pulled out of the 250th anniversary concert series because they felt it was too closely tied to President Trump.
President Trump announced he would be the main attraction at the Great American State Fair.
The fair starts June 25 and will open with a Trump rally instead of concerts.
There will be a UFC fight on the White House lawn on June 14 as part of the anniversary events.
Trump is known for enjoying hosting events and being the center of attention.
The anniversary celebrations are taking place in Washington, D.C., including preparations on the National Mall.
Experts say Trump’s personality strongly influences how events connected to him are managed.
Previous presidents have hosted events differently, with less focus on themselves.
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Senator Marco Rubio appeared before a House committee to answer questions about President Donald Trump’s budget plan for the State Department for 2027 and the ongoing conflict with Iran. He also had hearings with Senate panels where some Democrats expressed strong disagreement with his views.
Key Facts
Senator Marco Rubio testified before the House Foreign Relations Committee.
The main topics were President Trump’s fiscal year 2027 budget request for the State Department and the conflict with Iran.
Rubio had additional hearings with Senate committees on the same day.
Some Democrats strongly disagreed with Rubio’s positions during these hearings.
The discussions are part of the budget review and oversight related to U.S. foreign policy.
The State Department budget covers America’s international relations and diplomatic activities.
Iran remains a key issue in U.S. foreign affairs and budget discussions.
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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will speak to the Senate Finance Committee about President Trump's budget plan for the Treasury Department in 2027. The White House is asking for $11.5 billion for Treasury domestic programs, which is 12% less than the 2026 budget. This discussion comes amid worries about affordability.
Key Facts
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is testifying before the Senate Finance Committee.
The topic is President Trump’s proposed 2027 budget for the Treasury Department.
The requested budget for domestic programs is $11.5 billion.
This amount is 12% lower than the Treasury's budget in 2026.
The hearing occurs at a time when people are concerned about how affordable everything is.
The Senate Finance Committee oversees financial and budget issues related to the government.
The testimony is happening on a Wednesday morning.
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The White House Correspondents' Association has postponed its annual dinner to July 24 after a gunman disrupted the original event on April 25. President Trump and other officials will attend the rescheduled dinner, which will have stronger security measures.
Key Facts
The original White House Correspondents' Dinner was held on April 25 but was stopped when an armed man tried to enter.
President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Cabinet officials were evacuated for safety.
The gunman, Cole Allen, traveled from California to Washington, D.C., and was arrested at the event site.
Allen faces charges including attempted assassination of the president and assault on a federal officer.
No serious injuries occurred; a Secret Service officer was protected by his bulletproof vest.
The rescheduled dinner will be held on July 24 at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, D.C.
The White House Correspondents' Association promises better safety and new entry procedures for the event.
President Trump accepted the invitation to speak at the dinner and called it an important sign against violence.
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The White House Correspondents' Association moved its annual dinner to July 24 after the original event was interrupted by a shooting six weeks earlier. The dinner brings together journalists and government officials.
Key Facts
The original White House Correspondents' Dinner was disrupted by a shooting.
The event was postponed because of this incident.
The new date for the dinner is July 24.
The dinner is organized by the White House Correspondents' Association.
It is a yearly event that gathers reporters and government officials.
The shooting happened about six weeks before the rescheduled dinner.
CBS News reported on the rescheduling and disruption of the event.
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Health workers say the Trump administration's cuts to health funding may have contributed to the Ebola outbreak in central Africa. Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied these claims.
Key Facts
The Ebola outbreak happened in central Africa.
Health workers blame the Trump administration for cutting health funding to the region.
These funding cuts are said to have made the outbreak more likely.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejected the accusations against the Trump administration.
The issue involves U.S. government decisions on international health aid.
CBS News reported on the controversy and provided coverage through their app and website.
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Lawmakers from both parties criticized acting Attorney General Todd Blanche about a $1.8 billion fund meant to prevent the misuse of government resources, which President Trump’s administration supported but later reconsidered after strong bipartisan opposition.
Key Facts
The Justice Department has a $1.8 billion fund called the "anti-weaponization" fund.
This fund aims to stop the misuse or "weaponization" of government power.
President Donald Trump’s administration initially supported this fund.
Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers strongly opposed the fund.
Due to this bipartisan opposition, the Trump administration stepped back from the fund.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was questioned by lawmakers about this issue.
CBS News reported on the event through reporter Aaron Navarro.
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Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin faced tough questions from Senate Democrats during a hearing about his plans for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Democrats criticized his idea to remove officers from certain airports and questioned the department’s spending and immigration policies.
Key Facts
Secretary Mullin was questioned by Senate Democrats about his DHS plans.
Democrats called his threat to pull officers from some airports in "sanctuary cities" unsafe.
They also raised concerns about DHS spending billions of dollars.
Mullin had earlier promised stability for DHS after previous controversies.
Senators are doubtful about Mullin’s approach to immigration enforcement.
Mullin is set to testify before the House Homeland Security Committee later.
Washington Senator Patty Murray said she will watch Mullin’s actions closely.
The hearing focused on DHS policies and commitment to following laws.
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Jackie Siegel, known from the “Queen of Versailles” documentary, is going to Washington, D.C., to support Naloxone Awareness Day. Naloxone is a medicine that can quickly stop opioid overdoses, which are a serious health problem in the U.S.
Key Facts
Jackie Siegel is recognized from the “Queen of Versailles” film.
She is visiting Capitol Hill to highlight Naloxone Awareness Day.
Naloxone, also called Narcan, can reverse opioid overdoses.
Ten years ago, few people knew about Narcan.
The event aims to bring more attention to the opioid overdose crisis.
Naloxone is an important tool in saving lives from drug overdoses.
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Republican Justin Murphy won the New Jersey GOP Senate primary with about 33% of the vote and will face Democratic Senator Cory Booker in November. Booker, who did not have a primary opponent, is heavily favored to win again according to prediction markets, reflecting New Jersey’s strong Democratic lean in federal elections.
Key Facts
Justin Murphy won the Republican primary with 33.3% of the vote in a four-way race.
Murphy’s closest rivals, Richard Tabor and Alex Zdan, received 29.2% and 26.9%, showing a close contest.
Senator Cory Booker did not face any primary opposition.
New Jersey has not elected a Republican senator in many years and usually supports Democrats in federal elections.
Prediction markets give Booker about a 90-95% chance of winning the November election.
Murphy campaigned on promises like tax cuts and economic growth.
Booker emphasized responding to the issues he associates with the current federal government under President Trump.
The general election between Murphy and Booker is seen as a tough race for Republicans in a state with a strong Democratic advantage.
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U.S. Coast Guard investigators have arrived in the Bahamas to look for evidence related to a missing American woman named Lynette Hooker. The investigation now considers the possibility that she was murdered.
Key Facts
Lynette Hooker is an American who has gone missing.
The U.S. Coast Guard is leading the investigation.
Investigators have traveled to the Bahamas to search for clues.
The case is now being treated as a possible murder.
The investigation is ongoing and official details are still limited.
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A survey by Public Health Wales found that over 25% of young adults aged 16 to 29 in Wales eat takeaway food at least twice a week. This group was identified as the unhealthiest, often choosing convenient but high-calorie meals, which increases the risk of obesity.
Key Facts
More than a quarter of 16 to 29-year-olds in Wales eat two or more takeaways weekly.
This age group showed the unhealthiest diet patterns linked to weight gain.
Takeaway food is easy to order via phone apps that offer discounts, making it very convenient.
Older age groups eat fewer takeaways: 18% for ages 30-49, 8% for 50-69, 2% for 70+.
Some young adults say takeaway food is expensive but still choose it due to convenience.
Eating large portions and buying ready meals or takeaway lunches are common habits.
Experts say educating young people about healthy choices and portion sizes is crucial.
Poor food environments may encourage unhealthy eating and raise obesity risk.
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