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SNG Daily: NYPD Raids Columbia University; Antony Blinken In Israel, To Push Netanyahu On Aid For Gaza

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Canada’s Opposition Leader Calls Trudeau A ‘Wacko’, Is Evicted From Parliament
Canada’s main opposition leader Pierre Poilievre was evicted from the Canadian Parliament for refusing to withdraw his comment. This happened when he called Justin Trudeau a ‘wacko’, the Speaker asked him to withdraw his comments 4 times. Poilievre instead said he would replace ‘wacko’ with ‘extremist’, then ‘radical’. The leader of the Opposition from the Conservative Party was criticising what he called Trudeau’s refusal to crack down on drug overdose. The Speaker wasn’t impressed and instead asked him to leave the House, a decision that saw most lawmakers from the opposition leave too.
Georgia: Tear gas, Water Cannons Used In Crackdown On ‘Foreign Agents Bill’ Protesters
Security forces used tear gas, stun grenades and water cannons to disperse protesters agitating outside the Parliament in Georgia. This marks a major escalation in the government’s crackdown after the debate on the ‘foreign agents bill’ that the opposition views as authoritarian and inspired by Russia. Leader of Georgia’s largest opposition party, the United National Movement, Levan Khabeishvili posted this photo of himself on social media. The bill is not yet law, but it proposes that organisations that get more than 20% of funding from abroad should register as ‘foreign agents’. Many of Georgia’s critics, who have labelled it ‘Russian Law’, have said the bill is similar to what Moscow put in place to silence dissent. Parliament is currently controlled by the ruling Georgian Dream party. The protests have continued from April 17, where anti-government agitators have shut down central streets in Tbilisi every night to protest against the bill.
NYPD Raids Columbia University, arrests dozens of protesting students

New York Police raided Columbia University and arrested dozens of pro-Palestinian students who have been protesting against Israel’s war in Gaza. Some of these students had also taken control of an academic building. The Ivy League school has also sought police’s help to dismantle an encampment for two weeks. A police spokesperson said the campus was cleared within three hours. Many of the detained students boarded NYPD buses with their hands bound behind their back by zip-ties. Support for students and concern for how the administration is willing to arrest and bring police onto campuses, which is supposed to be a safe space for students. Columbia University President Minouche Shafik released a letter soon after the NYPD raid started requesting police to stay on campus till May 17, that’s two days after the scheduled graduation ceremony.

Judge Fines Trump $9000; Former President Calls Gag Order ‘Unconstitutional’

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Donald Trump was slapped with a $9000 fine for contempt of court in the hush money trial he’s facing in New York. The judge has also warned him that if he continued to shoot off his mouth, he may even face a jail term. The judge imposed the gag order on Trump to stop him from criticising witnesses and others in the trial. Trump has been fined $1000 for each of the 9 violations identified by the prosecution, which range from calling his former lawyer a ‘serial liar’ to calling the trial ‘rigged’ on his social media platform. The judge has asked him to remove all the posts from his social media platform called Truth Social that violate the gag order. Trump has called the gag order unconstitutional.

Antony Blinken In Israel, To Push Netanyahu On Aid For Gaza 

After his visits to Riyadh and Amman this week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Israel. This is the top US diplomat’s 7th visit to the Middle East after the October 7 attacks and is expected to focus on more aid for Gaza as well as working out a hostage negotiation deal. While Netanyahu has been determined to go ahead with his all-out ground assault in Gaza, President Biden in last month’s phone call had reminded him that Washington’s policy could shift if Israel fails to take steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers.