Today’s read: 2 min 44 sec

Good morning. It’s a new day, and hundreds of more students have been arrested — this time at UCLA. Police broke through barricades, dismantled tents, and detained countless students with zip ties. It followed an escalation on campus; after weeks of violence and discrimination against pro-Israel students, keffiyeh students faced pushback from counter-protesters.

First time here? I’m Ari, and this is Upward News. Every day, we scour 100s of sources to bring you need-to-know news and insights you won’t see in the MSM. Sign up here.

WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

🚔 Most of Columbia’s arrested protesters were not students. Columbia University released a statement asserting that most of the people who broke into and occupied Hamilton Hall were not students but rather outside agitators. Following the chaotic situation on Tuesday night, over 300 arrests were made.

✍️ President Biden canceled billions of dollars of student debt. With the stroke of a pen, the president eliminated $6.1 billion of student debt for over 300,000 individuals who attended the Art Institutes. According to the White House, “This institution falsified data, knowingly misled students, and cheated borrowers into taking on mountains of debt.”

🦠 Lawmakers are calling to investigate a Wuhan lab-linked non-profit. The COVID subcommittee recommended a criminal probe into the president of the EcoHealth Alliance, which for years directed U.S. taxpayer funds to a coronavirus research laboratory in Wuhan, China. EcoHealth Alliance allegedly withheld information that contributed to starting the COVID-19 pandemic.

🔫 Republican A.G.s are suing Biden over new gun laws. Attorneys General Ken Paxton of Texas and Kris Kobach of Kansas launched two lawsuits against recent expansions of firearm background checks, claiming they infringe on Second Amendment rights. The new rule requires background checks to cover guns purchased at gun shows, informal markets, and online.

WASHINGTON

Jared Kushner’s business deals draw attention

What’s happening: Former White House aide and former President Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is attracting attention for his foreign business dealings, which have spread from the Balkans to Saudi Arabia.

Why it matters: There is no evidence that Kushner’s dealings are illegitimate. However, Democrats are accusing Kushner of influence-pedaling and are likely attempting to use his business ventures against President Trump to convince the American people of their supposed corruption.

Serbian deal: Kushner and former Trump diplomat Richard Grenell are planning to build a luxury hotel and museum on the site of the former Yugoslav Ministry of Defense. While Democrats have lambasted the move as influence peddling and called for investigations, there are strong arguments for Americans' involvement in revamping the site.

• Building a relationship: The destroyed Ministry of Defense building has sat since 1999 as a symbol to Serbians of Western aggression. By revamping the site, that reminder would be removed, and ties between the two countries could grow.

Arabian deals: While in the White House, Kushner played a prominent role in the Middle East, leading negotiations on the successful Abraham Accords and developing a relationship with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

• Cash injection: After leaving office, Salman’s sovereign wealth fund invested $2 billion into a new private equity firm opened by Kushner.

• Election politics: Kushner’s presence abroad provides Democrats with a useful angle for the coming election. As Biden’s influence peddling will likely make a comeback in the national conversation as Hunter Biden heads to trial this summer, Democrats may compare his business deals abroad with Kushner’s in an attempt to moot Republican charges of corruption.

—A.C.

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WHAT WE’RE HEARING

• House Republicans are summoning NPR’s new CEO, Katherine Maher, to answer questions about the organization’s left-wing bias.

• Bipartisan senators introduced a bill prohibiting children under 13 from accessing social media.

• Donald Trump said that he would get the imprisoned Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich released from Russia.

Biden’s Move to Protect the Deep State

What’s happening: President Biden’s administration issued a new rule that makes it extremely difficult for future presidents to fire lifelong civil service bureaucrats without cause…

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OUR QUESTION TO YOU

POLL RESULTS FROM YESTERDAY

Should marijuana be legalized at the federal level?

🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 👍 Yes (179)

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 👎 No (505)

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🤔 Other (21)

IN THE LOOP

• The House passed a bill to rework the definition of “antisemitism” used by the Department of Education when enforcing anti-discrimination laws.

• Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) is moving forward with her Motion to Vacate the Speaker’s chair despite Democrats vowing to block it.

• Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX) introduced a bill to guarantee lifelong Secret Service protection for ex-presidents in a rebuke to a prior Democratic bill.

• Florida’s six-week abortion ban went into effect yesterday.

• The most clicked link in our last newsletter was our premium article: “Biden’s Move to Protect the Deep State.”

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