Protesters cleared from Columbia’s Hamilton Hall and Florida abortion ban in effect: Morning Rundown

New York police cleared protesters from Columbia University’s campus after days of mounting tensions. Florida’s six-week abortion ban takes effect. And the Federal Reserve will deliver an update on interest rates today.

Here’s what to know today.

Violent clashes at UCLA protests hours after dozens arrested as NYPD clears occupied Columbia hall​

There were violent clashes between the pro-Palestinian encampment and counter-protesters at UCLA overnight. The LAPD responded at the university’s request “due to multiple acts of violence.”

Hours earlier in New York City, special police units breached the occupied building at Columbia University entering Hamilton Hall through a second-story window using a massive truck and a ramp. Officers cleared the area and arrested almost 100 people.

Mayor Eric Adams and the NYPD said that outside agitators with no affiliation to the school had co-opted students’ protests against the war in Gaza and had their own agenda. The group is well-known to the NYPD, the department’s deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism said, and can be best described as anarchists who were there to create confusion and engage with police. Police blamed the outside groups for a dangerous change in tactics.

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Police presence outside of Columbia’s gates appeared to grow yesterday afternoon. Hours later, students were told to shelter in place. Just after 9 p.m., NYPD officers entered campus after the school asked them for help. Officers were seen entering Hamilton Hall with riot helmets. They also used a large vehicle with a ramp on it to enter through a second-story window. The campus was declared clear just before 11 p.m.

Follow our live blog for the latest developments.

More on the protests at college campuses: 

• Images and video shared with NBC News from inside Hamilton Hall showed overturned chairs, tables and other furniture, as well as broken windows.
• Morehouse College faculty are hoping for “direct engagement” with the White House to address their concerns before President Joe Biden delivers the school’s commencement speech in a few weeks.
• Senior Biden administration officials are increasingly concerned about where campus protests will spread next and see a potential cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas as perhaps the only development that could quell political blowback.

Florida’s six-week abortion ban takes effect

Florida’s ban on abortions after six weeks took effect just after midnight this morning. The law makes it a felony to perform or actively participate in an abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. Because gestation is counted from a woman’s last period, that leaves a woman around two weeks after a missed period to realize she is pregnant and complete the process to terminate the pregnancy. There is an exception for rape, incest and human trafficking up to 15 weeks.

Before the new ban, Florida had been a refuge for abortion access in the South after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Despite a 15-week abortion ban enacted in 2022, the vast majority of neighboring states had tighter restrictions. More than 9,300 people traveled to Florida last year for abortion care. Read the full story here.

Some abortion clinics in the state are slated to keep operating, for now, as they learn to navigate the new law. “It’s just going to be a day-by-day learning process in how we can reframe how we’re doing the work,” said Kelly Flynn, CEO of A Woman’s Choice, a clinic in Jacksonville.

In the days leading up to the new ban, staff at abortion clinics like A Woman’s Choice tried to see as many patients as possible, sometimes doubling how many patients they saw compared to an average day. Waiting rooms were crowded, and parking spaces were scarce. Many patients were confused about the state’s restrictions and timelines, clinic staff said.

Meanwhile, anti-abortion groups have been eagerly awaiting the ban.

Key interest rate likely isn’t budging 

The Federal Reserve will make its announcement about key interest rates today, and economists expect the rate to remain between 5.25% and 5.5%. Those hoping for relief might have to keep waiting. It’s possible rates will stay elevated past the November general election so that the Fed does not appear to favor one candidate or another.

Stagnant annual inflation rates are to blame for a persistently high interest rate. The Fed is still striving for a 2% inflation rate, and the U.S. is “very close, but still not there,” said Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Moody’s. By making it more expensive for businesses and consumers to borrow money, the Fed hopes to reduce demand for goods and services, thereby reducing price growth. So far, the results of doing this have been mixed. Business reporter Rob Wile explains the factors at play. 

Trump trial: Gag order violation and how the hush money deal came together

Donald Trump’s hush money trial took a different tone in some ways as the trial entered its third week. His supporters packed the courtroom, including his son Eric Trump, co-campaign manager Susie Wiles and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, among others. But perhaps the most consequential moment on Day 9 of the former president’s trial happened within the first few minutes.

Trump was fined $9,000 for violating a gag order, Judge Juan Merchan ruled, because of social media posts that involved witnesses, public comments about jurors and one post that called his former lawyer Michael Cohen and adult film star Stormy Daniels “sleaze bags.” Merchan said the offending Truth Social posts had to be taken down quickly and warned that any future violations could lead to jail time. It didn’t take long for Trump to blast Merchan’s decision, calling it “unconstitutional.” 

The most significant witness of the day was Keith Davidson, the lawyer who represented Daniels and Karen McDougal, who both said they had sexual encounters with Trump and were paid to keep quiet about their allegations during the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump has denied both women’s claims. Davidson recounted his work for the women, his encounters with “some jerk” who turned out to be Cohen and the settlements he negotiated. Here’s what else happened.

More Trump trial coverage:

• The must-have accessory at Trump’s trial? Binoculars.

False social media post shows ease of spreading misinformation

A post that originally appeared on X — falsely suggesting that hundreds of thousands of migrants may have registered in three states — was seen by at least a million people and shared on other social media platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram over the course of four weeks. Its rapid spread was fueled first by X owner Elon Musk and shortly after by former President Donald Trump and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. 

In reality, noncitizens are not using their Social Security numbers to register to vote when they aren’t supposed to. A study of the 2016 election conducted by the Brennan Center the following year found “only about 30 cases of potential noncitizen voting.” Meanwhile, election officials in the three states (Pennsylvania, Arizona and Texas) publicly debunked the claims, and multiple news organizations and a news literacy nonprofit published fact-checking articles providing accurate context. Yet the rumors continued spreading, showing how virulent misinformation is and how difficult it is to stop.

Politics in Brief 

Legal pot: The Biden administration plans to reclassify cannabis for the first time in over 50 years, marking a historic step toward easing federal restrictions on cannabis. Here’s what rescheduling means and the potential challenges that await.

New York politics: Democratic state Sen. Tim Kennedy won a special election for a House seat against Republican Gary Dickson in New York’s 26th District, The Associated Press projected, further shrinking the GOP’s narrow majority in the chamber.

Louisiana congressional map: A federal court blocked Louisiana from using a map signed into law this year that had to be redrawn. Plaintiffs challenging the new map argue that the state “engaged in racial gerrymandering” when it drew a second majority-Black district.

Chuck Todd analysis: Big tech companies seem to have achieved their ultimate business goal — maximizing engagement on their platforms — in a way that has undermined our ability to function as an open society, NBC News chief political analyst Chuck Todd writes. A new book envisions a new internet that doesn’t contribute to America’s political problems. Read the full analysis here.

Election integrity: A new survey of local election officials in the U.S. found that more than a third report experiencing “threats, harassment or abuse” and 54% are concerned about the safety of their colleagues.

Want more politics news?  Sign up for From the Politics Desk to get exclusive reporting and analysis delivered to your inbox every weekday evening. Subscribe here.

Staff Pick: Grizzly bears will return to Washington state

I love a good comeback story. This one involves bears moving via helicopter back to the Northern Cascades, where the species once lived. Blame humans and their desire for fur for the decline in the population. It’ll take a few years for the bears to actually make it back to Washington and more time after that for the population to grow. And of course, some people aren’t so sure about the plan. Still, I’m intrigued. — Elizabeth Robinson, newsletter editor

Select: Online Shopping, Simplified

Our Select team tested an array of products during the month of April, and a few really caught their attention. Here are 26 products our editors tried and loved.  

Sign up to The Selection newsletter for exclusive reviews and shopping content from NBC Select.

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