Anniversary of Oklahoma City bombing
(CNN) — Saturday was the 30th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. The attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building claimed the lives of at least 168 people, including 19 children, and was the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in US history. Among the victims was former Secret Service agent Alan Whicher, who once worked on Bill Clinton’s detail. During a remembrance ceremony over the weekend, the former president shared a touching story about the agent and called for Americans to unite.
More U.S. Defense Department fallout
Last month, a national security scandal involving Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other top officials rocked the Trump administration. Those officials were caught discussing a US military attack on Houthis in Yemen in a group chat on Signal, a conversation that inadvertently included a journalist. Despite sharing highly confidential — and likely classified — information on a commercially available app with a member of the media, none of those involved were punished for their actions. That chat is still under investigation. Now, it seems that wasn’t the only time such material was posted on the app. Hegseth reportedly created a second Signal group chat during his confirmation hearing and continued using it after he was confirmed. And he allegedly shared the same sensitive details about the airstrikes in the second group chat, which contained at least 12 people, including his wife Jennifer, a former Fox News producer; his brother Phil; and lawyer Tim Parlatore, three people familiar with the chat told CNN.
Israeli first responders’ attack
The Israeli military now says “professional failures” led to the deadly March 23 attack on first responders in southern Gaza. An ambulance crew in Rafah disappeared that day, prompting the dispatch of a convoy of emergency vehicles. The fate of those emergency workers would also remain a mystery for over a week until rescue teams were allowed into the area and discovered a mass grave containing the bodies of the 15 first responders and their crushed emergency vehicles. The Israel Defense Forces originally claimed the convoy was moving suspiciously, without headlights or flashing lights, toward Israeli troops and that members of the emergency teams were militants. But a video found on one of the bodies showed the convoy’s lights were on, their vehicles were clearly marked, and the rescuers were wearing reflective emergency responder uniforms when the Israeli troops opened fire. The latest Israeli probe identified several failures during the incident, as well as breaches of orders and a failure to fully report what happened.
Abrego Garcia moved to detention center
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador and detained in the country’s notorious CECOT prison, has been moved to another detention center. Sen. Chris Van Hollen met with Abrego Garcia last week and said he was traumatized by his incarceration. “He said he was not afraid of the other prisoners in his immediate cell but that he was traumatized by being at CECOT and fearful of many of the prisoners in other cell blocks who called out to him and taunted him in various ways,” the Maryland Democrat told reporters after landing back in the US. Although the Supreme Court said the Trump administration must “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s return, so far it has refused to do so.
Harvard battle with Trump
Harvard University’s battle with the Trump administration may have escalated over a letter it should never have received. According to a report in The New York Times, the letter outlined a slew of demands, which, if not followed, would result in a loss of federal funding. When Harvard responded by refusing to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion policies, audit the viewpoints of students, faculty and staff and alter rules for on-campus protests, the Trump administration froze $2.2 billion in federal grants. The Department of Homeland Security canceled two federal grants worth $2.7 million and threatened to strip Harvard of its ability to enroll international students. The IRS is also making plans to rescind the university’s tax-exempt status. However, two people familiar with the matter say the letter was “unauthorized” and shouldn’t have been sent. “Even assuming the Administration now wishes to take back its litany of breathtakingly intrusive demands, it appears to have doubled down on those demands through its deeds in recent days. Actions speak louder than words,” a Harvard spokesperson said in a statement.
The-CNN-Wire
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