CBS News
Protests over Israel-Hamas war continue at college campuses across the U.S. as graduation dates approach
Student protests over the Israel-Hamas war have popped up at many college campuses following the arrest of demonstrators this month at Columbia University.
The students are calling for universities to separate themselves from companies that are advancing Israel’s military efforts in Gaza — and in some cases from Israel itself. The number of arrests nationwide has approached 1,000 since New York police arrested demonstrators at Columbia on April 18.
Protests on many campuses have been orchestrated by coalitions of student groups. The groups largely act independently, though students say they’re inspired by peers at other universities. Some universities say outsiders have joined student protesters and caused trouble.
The protests have even spread to Europe, with French police removing dozens of students from the Sorbonne university after pro-Palestinian protesters occupied the main courtyard.
A look at protests on campuses:
Columbia University
Pro-Palestinian student protesters set up a tent encampment at the Ivy League university in New York earlier this month. Police first tried to clear the encampment April 18, when they arrested more than 100 protesters. But the move inspired students across the country and motivated Columbia protesters to regroup.
Columbia told protesters Monday that if they left the encampment by an afternoon deadline and signed a form committing to abide by university policies through June 2025 or an earlier graduation, they can finish the semester in good standing. If not, the letter said, they will be suspended, pending further investigation.
Columbia activists defied the deadline with chants, clapping and drumming from the encampment of more than 300 people. No officials appeared to enter the encampment, with at least 120 tents staying up as the deadline passed.
“This is not a matter of simply violating university rules. This is a movement, an anti-war movement. We have sparked similar Gaza solidarity encampments across the nation and even across the globe,” Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil said, according to CBS New York.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Commencement is set for May 15. The demonstrations led Columbia to hold remote classes and set a series of deadlines for protesters to leave the encampment.
Columbia’s president, Minouche Shafik, faced a significant, but largely symbolic, rebuke from faculty Friday but retains the support of trustees, who have the power to hire or fire the president.
The protest is the latest in a Columbia tradition that dates back more than five decades — one that also helped provide inspiration for the anti-apartheid protest of the 1980s, the Iraq war protests, and more.
University of Texas at Austin
Protesters descended again at the University of Texas at Austin on Monday. Six people quickly were arrested and police and state troopers were taking others into custody one by one.
Dozens of police officers and state troopers, many of them in riot gear, arrived at the university shortly after more than 100 protesters packed in a tight group on a lawn in front of the campus’ main tower. As arrests were being made, police also removed tables that protesters had set out.
The university said in a statement the demonstrators had “ignored repeated directives” to take the tents down.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott reposted video of the troopers arriving to the 50,000-student campus on social media platform X. “No encampments will be allowed. Instead, arrests are being made,” Abbott posted.
Hundreds of police — including some on horseback and holding batons — pushed into protesters at the university last week, at one point sending some tumbling into the street. Officers made 34 arrests at the behest of the university and Abbott, according to the state Department of Public Safety.
SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images
Northeastern
Police in riot gear cleared an encampment at Boston’s Northeastern University on Saturday. State police said about 100 protesters were arrested and would be charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct.
Northeastern said in a statement that the demonstration was “infiltrated by professional organizers” with no affiliation to the university and that antisemitic slurs, including “kill the Jews,” had been used. The Huskies for a Free Palestine student group said that counter-protesters were to blame for the slurs and that no student protesters “repeated the disgusting hate speech.”
In a statement Monday, Northeastern chancellor Ken Henderson and provost David Madigan said of the 98 people arrested Saturday, 29 were Northeastern students and six were staff.
“The escalation of tensions on Friday night made it necessary to restore civility and ensure that our campus is a place where all students – including the more than 8,000 who are celebrating their commencements this week – can share in full and free access to space and facilities,” the statement said.
Tufts
Tufts is demanding students dismantle their pro-Palestinian encampment so that the school can move forward with its commencement ceremony, CBS Boston reported.
“We have even delayed some preparations for commencement as much as possible to allow the protest to resolve peacefully,” the school said, according to CBS Boston. “But now the encampment must end, ideally peacefully and voluntarily, so we can prepare the campus for commencement.”
Massachusetts Institue of Technology
Addressing the encampment at her school, MIT President Sally Kornbluth said in a statement the school is “open to further discussion about the means of ending the encampment,” but said that “this particular form of expression needs to end soon,” CBS Boston reported.
Northwestern
Northwestern University announced Monday it had reached an agreement with students who had set up an encampment in Deering Meadow on the Evanston campus late last week, CBS Chicago reported. Those students, like their counterparts across the U.S., are demanding the school divest from companies that support Israel.
Under the agreement, the protests will be allowed to continue through the end of spring classes on June 1, but only an aid tent will be allowed to remain up. Only students, faculty and staff will be allowed in the encampment area, CBS Chicago reported.
On the issue of divestment, the university said it will provide “a conduit to engagement with the Investment Committee of the Board of Trustees” by “reestablishing an Advisory Committee on Investment Responsibility” in the fall, CBS Chicago reported.
Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
University of Mary Washington
A dozen people, including nine students, were arrested Saturday after a protest at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia, according to a statement from the university’s president.
Attendees were told Friday that they could stay if they followed university policies and additional safety guidelines were communicated to organizers, according to the statement. The encampment was prohibited and tents were not permitted. Tents were taken down Friday night, and the protest continued into Saturday, when they were put back up.
On Saturday evening, attendees were told to leave, according to the president’s statement. After some time, 12 people remaining in Jefferson Square were arrested for trespassing.
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California said Saturday it had temporarily closed its University Park Campus to nonresidents, without providing details of the closure or possible enforcement measures. Joel Curran, senior vice president of communications, said in a statement that USC property was vandalized by members of a group “that has continued to illegally camp on our campus,” as well as disrupting operations and harassing students and others.
Students declined attempts by university President Carol Folt to meet, and the administration hopes for “a more reasonable response Sunday before we are forced to take further action,” Curran said.
The university canceled its main stage graduation ceremony, set for May 10. It already canceled a commencement speech by the school’s pro-Palestinian valedictorian, citing safety concerns. The Los Angeles Police Department said more than 90 people were arrested Wednesday during a protest at the university.
University of California, Los Angeles
After several days of peaceful demonstrations,
protesters shouted and shoved each other during dueling demonstrations Sunday at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Police set up barricades before hundreds of people on both sides joined a growing crowd at UCLA’s Dickson Court, near where pro-Palestinian students have been staying round-the-clock in tents. Counter-protesters who organized a “Stand in Support of Jewish Students” rally said their goal was to “stand up against hatred and antisemitism.”
Protests at UCLA continued on Monday, with about 100 students and faculty participating in a walkout at noon local time, CBS Los Angeles reported. Some of the signs held by demonstrators read “Faculty for Justice for Palestine,” “UCLA Faculty and Staff, We Stand With Our Students” and “Walk out for Gaza,” the station reported.
David Crane/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images
George Washington University
About 50 students at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., set up a tent encampment on the school’s University Yard on Thursday. A group of students and professors staged their own protest walkout and marched to campus to join them. The protesters are demanding that the university divest from Israel and lift a suspension against a prominent pro-Palestinian student group.
Early Monday, protesters at an encampment near the university breached and dismantled the barriers used to secure University Yard, the university said in a statement.
The university’s last day of classes before final exams was set for Monday, and commencement is scheduled for May 19. Because of the noise generated by the protests, the university said it would move law school finals to another building from the one where they had originally been scheduled.
Virginia Tech
A protest at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg resulted in an unknown number of arrests, a university spokesperson said Monday.
Protesters began occupying the lawn of the graduate life center Friday, the university said in a statement. The gathering violated university policy, the university said, but was a “safe and peaceful environment” over much of the weekend.
After protesters took further steps to occupy the lawn and outdoor spaces next to a nearby student center Sunday, the university said the situation “had the increasing potential to become unsafe” and advised those gathered to disperse. Those who failed to comply were warned they would be charged with trespassing, the university said.
California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt
University officials extended the closure of the campus until May 10 — the end of the semester — saying instruction would continue to be remote, after protesters at the university in Northern California used furniture, tents, chains and zip ties to block entrances to an academic and administrative building April 22. Commencement is scheduled for May 11.
In a statement Sunday night, the university urged people occupying the buildings and camping near them to “leave the campus peacefully now” and said it “continues to talk to anyone willing to have productive and respectful dialogue.”
Case Western Reserve University
More than 20 people were detained and released shortly after an encampment sprang up Monday at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.
The protesters had set up tents on the public green and erected a small sign that read, “Welcome to the People’s University for Palestine” as they called on the school’s administration to divest from Israel.
Police soon moved in and dismantled the tents. Those detained at the protest were released a short time later, and it wasn’t clear if they would face any charges or disciplinary action.
Yale
Protesters at Yale set up a new encampment with dozens of tents Sunday afternoon, nearly a week after police arrested nearly 50 and cleared a similar camp nearby. They were notified by a Yale official that they could face discipline, including suspension, and possible arrest, protesters and school officials said. No deadline to leave was set.
Yale said in a statement Monday that it supports peaceful protests and freedom of speech but does not tolerate policy violations. School officials said the protest is near residential colleges where students are studying for final exams, and permission must be granted for groups to hold events and put up structures on campus.
Joe Buglewicz/Bloomberg via Getty Images
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Dozens of people idled at an encampment protest at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Monday. Students and other community members sat on blankets chatting while another small group sat around a woman dancing with a keffiyeh, a traditional Arab headscarf. The tents were set up Sunday after a march urging the university to divest from Israel.
University of Washington
Students at the University of Washington in Seattle set up an encampment Monday morning in front of Miller Hall. About six tents were visible on the grassy area despite a sign that said “no camping allowed” in large letters. The few dozen protesters pinned banners to their tents in support of Gaza under a light drizzle. They are demanding the university cut ties with Boeing, which was founded in Seattle and makes products used by the Israel Defense Forces, and cut ties with study abroad programs that operate in Israel. There was no sign of police activity.
University of Georgia
Police arrested protesters on Monday who tried to set up an encampment at the University of Georgia in Athens.
A spokesperson wouldn’t say how many people were arrested on the final day of classes before spring exams at the university northeast of Atlanta. Athens-Clarke County jail records showed 12 people had been booked into the jail by mid-afternoon by University of Georgia police on criminal trespassing charges. State troopers aided university police.
The Red and Black student newspaper reported 16 people were detained at the site.
University President Jere Morehead said in a statement that students were given the chance to make a reservation for a designated protest area and that university police “were left with no choice but to arrest those who refused to comply.” He said any students, faculty or employees who were arrested could face university discipline in addition to criminal penalties.
Emory University
After 28 people were apprehended last week at the private Emory University in Atlanta, university President Gregory Fenves on Monday apologized for officials initially claiming that the protesters were from outside the university. Officials determined 22 were Emory students or employees. Fenves said he was ordering a review of when the university should turn to outside police agencies after photos and videos showed people being tackled to the ground and shocked with electric stun guns.
The number of people killed and/or wounded in shootings over the Fourth of July week in the U.S. dipped this year, making it the fourth year in a row gun violence around July 4 has dropped, according to a tally by the Gun Violence Archive.
From July 1 to July 7, 340 people were killed and 756 were wounded for a total of 1,096 shooting victims across the U.S., according to the Gun Violence Archive. In 2023, the week of July 4 in the U.S. saw 451 people shot and killed and another 1,130 wounded. These numbers exclude those who died by suicide.
The archive also recorded 20 mass shootings —which it defines as a shooting in which four or more people are shot and/or killed, not including the shooter— over Fourth of July week this year. That was down from 28 a year ago.
Chicago, which saw a spike in gun violence this year, had the most shootings and deaths over the 2024 holiday, with more than 100 shot and 19 killed since Wednesday, according to the Chicago Police Department. That was a 91% increase in shooting victims compared with last year.
In 2022, the Illinois suburb of Highland Park was the site of a devastating mass shooting in which seven people were killed and dozens more were wounded when a gunman opened fire on the city’s Fourth of July parade. That parade returned this year for the first time since the shooting.
Gun violence in Chicago made Illinois have the most individual shooting incidents of any state over the holiday week this year. California also saw a fairly high number of shooting incidents this year, which is unsurprising given that it is the nation’s most populous state.
The number of shooting victims over the Fourth of July week has been dropping every year since 2020, but they still remain above 2019 levels. That year, there were 1,177 total victims, with 318 deaths and another 859 people wounded. The numbers then spiked in 2020, when 536 people were killed and 1,172 were wounded, for a total of 1,708 gunshot victims.
The Gun Violence Archive also recorded 34 mass shootings in 2020, the highest number over the last six years and a leap up from 18 in 2019.
The U.S. has also seen a slight dip in gun violence overall in the first half of 2024 compared with last year. From Jan. 1 through June 30 of last year, 9,683 people were killed and 18,630 people were wounded in shootings. Over that same period this year, 8,539 were killed with another 16,192 were wounded.
— Erin Cauchi and Anna Schechter contributed reporting.
CBS News
The best Apple AirPods deals ahead of Prime Day 2024 offer great audio at record low prices
Apple
When it comes to headphones, Apple AirPods are massively popular. These crowd-pleasing earbuds pair easily with Apple devices (like your iPhone) and sound great, too. If you’re ready to see what all the fuss is about, you can save some serious cash on each model of the customer-loved earbuds right now, thanks to some must-see early Amazon Prime Day deals.
The second-generation AirPods Pro are Apple’s premium earbuds, with excellent noise cancellation, spatial audio, and waterproofing that makes them ideal candidates for wearing at the gym. There are also the more affordable AirPods that are great for casual listening. For Apple users wanting high-end over-ear headphones, AirPods Max are great for immersive sound.
Not sure which type of AirPods will work best for you? Be sure to check out our in-depth AirPods buyer’s guide for all the info you need to make a purchasing decision before these pre-Prime Day deals go away.
Apple AirPods Pro 2nd Generation: $169 ($80 off)
Apple
With up to 30 hours of battery life via their charging case, the sleek Apple AirPods Pro 2nd Generation wireless earbuds deliver exceptional listening time.
These upgraded earbuds surpass the original AirPods Pro in every way. An improved wireless chip and enhanced active noise cancellation give you an immersive listening experience, and their attractive curves make them even more pleasing to the eye.
For anyone who appreciates lengthy battery life and the very best sound quality, these are a fantastic choice. With all the upgrades over the previous model, the AirPods Pro 2nd Generation represent Apple’s most advanced earbuds yet.
This version of the AirPods now comes with a USB Type-C charging case that also supports wireless charging. Another feature we love: the touch controls built into the stems.
Regularly $249, you can score Apple AirPods Pro 2 for $169 at the Walmart Deals sale or at Amazon as an early Prime Day deal.
Apple AirPods (2nd Generation): $69 ($60 off)
Apple
Though not the newest model, the second-generation Apple AirPods are still a popular choice when it comes to earbuds. Keep in mind, these are not the Pro model, but they’re still worth grabbing.
For Apple users, these are the most seamless earbuds around. They connect effortlessly whenever you need them. While they work with any Bluetooth device that generates audio, they function at their best when they’re paired with an Apple device, such as an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, iMac or MacBook.
With a wireless charging case providing more than 24 hours of battery life, one-tap setup for Apple devices, and a low-latency wireless connection for immersive entertainment, it’s easy to see why these earbuds are a hit and continue to sell out.
If you want an affordable option with broad appeal, this version of the AirPods make an excellent everyday wireless earbud option.
Right now, you can grab a pair of AirPods (2nd Generation) for just $69, one of the lowest prices we’ve seen.
Apple AirPods (3rd generation): $129 ($74 off)
Apple
If you don’t need the fanciest AirPods, but still want something new, check out the third generation of the original AirPods. These are perfect for staying current and for everyday use — without breaking the bank.
These AirPods come packed with features like spatial audio, dynamic head tracking and longer battery life. You can get about 30 hours with the included MagSafe charging case. They’re not as advanced at the AirPods Pro 2nd Generation, but they generate really impressive audio.
These AirPods still receive regular Apple updates, so you’ll still get most of the new goodies the other newer models get.
Apple AirPods Max (Pink): $450 ($99 off)
Amazon
If you want to indulge in a luxurious pair of premium quality headphones and you’re already an Apple user, look no further than the AirPods Max. These headphones look just as good as they sound. And in our coverage of the 11 best spatial audio headphones and earbuds for 2024, these were a top pick.
With lavish cushioned ear cups, booming audio, spatial audio with dynamic head tracking, and absolutely fantastic active noise cancellation, the AirPods Max make a bold statement. Everyone will know what you’re wearing — and they’ll probably be jealous, because these things absolutely bump.
Plus, transparency mode lets you tune into your surroundings when needed. And at 15 hours of playtime, these headphones keep your music flowing all day. Beyond performance, the AirPods Max make a fashion statement with a range of stylish color options.
These are the perfect option for anyone looking for a pair of excellent over-the-ear headphones who also wants something stylish.
Currently, only the Pink AirPods Max colorway is on sale at Amazon for $450, so keep an eye out for the other models if you’re hoping to get another kind.
Target tells its customers to expect more while paying less — but soon, its shoppers won’t be able to purchase anything at all with a once-popular form of payment.
The retail giant said in a statement that it will stop accepting personal checks as payment starting July 15. The change, which was earlier reported by Minneapolis TV station KARE, will take place after Target’s Red Circle week, a sales event that ends on July 13.
The change comes amid waning use of personal checks, a form of payment that 9 in 10 consumers used at least once a year as recently as 2009, according to research from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. But today, only about half of Americans write checks at least once a year, with many shifting to digital payments such as Venmo, Zelle or PayPal, GoBankingRates found.
Target pointed to the shift in consumer preferences as its reason to stop accepting personal checks as payment.
“Due to extremely low volumes, we’ll no longer accept personal checks starting July 15,” a Target spokesperson said in an email. “We have taken several measures to notify guests in advance to aid an easy and efficient checkout experience.”
Target will continue to accept cash; digital wallets; buy now, pay later services; and credit and debit cards as well as SNAP/EBT cards, it said.
A few other retailers don’t accept personal checks, including Aldi’s and Whole Foods, with the latter saying it doesn’t allow checks in order to speed up the checkout process.
Even though fewer Americans are writing checks today, they remain popular with older consumers, GoBankingRates found in its survey. About 1 in 5 people over 66 write several checks each month, while about half of people under 55 don’t write a single check the entire year.
