BBC News Briefing

25 April, 2024

Stuart Duggan

Hello. Protests over the war in Gaza have intensified on university campuses across the US, in states including California, Texas and New York. We've been speaking to students on both sides. Also in the US, the Supreme Court has been debating a key question about presidential power. Gary O'Donoghue explains why its importance extends beyond Donald Trump. On the lighter side, we've got some great pictures of giant sand sculptures and why some tourists in Namibia got into trouble in the desert.

GET UP TO SPEED

Disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein's has had his 2020 rape conviction overturned by a New York appeal court, on the basis he did not receive a fair trial.

Haiti's Prime Minister Ariel Henry has formally resigned, with a new council being sworn in to lead the country gripped by deadly gang violence.

The autobiography of Australian actress Rebel Wilson has been released in the UK, with one contentious section - believed to relate to Borat star Sacha Baron Cohen - blacked out.

AT THE SCENE

Columbia University, New York

Gaza protests: Views from campus

Pro-Israel banners in front of the encampment of pro-Palestine students at Columbia University, in New York.

Opposing protest encampments have been set up at universities across the US, including Columbia. Credit: EPA.

Hundreds more protesters have been arrested at university campuses across the US, as demonstrations against the war in Gaza intensify. There have been reports of antisemitic incidents at the protests, which many of the organisers have acknowledged but say are the work of outside agitators not affiliated with the protests.

Bernd Debusmann Jr, BBC News

Guy Sela, an Israeli student at Columbia - and a veteran of the Israel Defense Forces - is one of several Jewish students who told me they are concerned about a threatening campus environment. "I've been called names like murderer, butcher and rapist, just because I was born in Israel," he said. Another Jewish student - who asked to remain anonymous, citing safety reasons - said his experiences with antisemitism on campus recently have been "emotionally exhausting" and have led to constant feelings of fear. "I feel scared wearing my yarmulke," he said. "In the past week, there's definitely been a change. It's 100% as bad as everyone is saying."

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Many of the protesters have rejected accusations of antisemitism, saying opposition to the Israeli government’s handling of the war in Gaza does not mean they are targeting Jews. Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine said they "firmly reject any form of hate or bigotry" and criticised "inflammatory individuals who do not represent us". Soph Askanase, a 21-year-old student at Columbia's sister college Barnard, said "being uncomfortable is different than being unsafe".

More on the protests

'If you can hear this... we love you': The parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli-American hostage in Gaza, have urged him to "stay strong" and "survive", after Hamas released a proof-of-life video.

'You need to leave! Or you will be arrested': Protesters and police have clashed at the University of Texas at Austin and at the University of Southern California. Watch the video.

QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Supreme Court debates Trump immunity

Police officers watch as a demonstrator prays outside the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, April 25, 2024

A Trump supporter prays outside the Supreme Court as it weighs arguments of presidential immunity. Credit: Getty Images.

Can a former US president be held criminally responsible for acts they carry out while in office? This big question is now being considered by the Supreme Court after a hearing lasting nearly three hours. The justices noted they are tasked with "writing a rule for the ages", one that affects Donald Trump in the short term, but will have implications for any US president.

Gary O'Donoghue, BBC Washington Correspondent

Why is this so important?

The Supreme Court has never heard a case like this, mainly because no former president in the history of the republic has been charged with crimes allegedly committed in office. The consequences of this case will reverberate for years to come.

What’s at stake for Mr Trump?

If the former president persuades the nine justices he has total immunity, then the criminal cases Mr Trump is facing will unquestionably fall away. Granting total immunity may be unlikely, but the delays are making it increasingly likely that several of these trials may not happen before the election.

So, what does it all mean for his White House campaign?

Ironically, the case considered his least serious - the hush-money trial currently under way in New York - now takes on a much more significant aspect; since it, and any appeals, are likely to conclude before November. If Mr Trump were to be convicted, he would go to the electorate as a felon - something the polls tell us is not very appealing to swing voters in key states.

Get the latest

Meanwhile, in New York: Donald Trump's hush-money criminal trial has continued, with tabloid magazine publisher David Pecker's testimony.

Keep track: We'd forgive you for losing track of the complicated legal picture surrounding Mr Trump. Our simple guide will help.

THE BIG PICTURE

NFL draft 2024: All you need to know

File image of Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams smiling while wearing 'Draft Me' sunglasses during the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center in March.

With a number of highly rated quarterbacks available, Caleb Williams is favourite to be the first pick. Credit: Getty Images

One of the biggest events in the American football season is about to get under way, with NFL teams selecting their pick of the best college players in the annual draft. BBC Sport’s Ben Collins has all the details, from how the selection process works to the most in-demand players.

Show me the money

Brady and Purdy: Inside two of the NFL's biggest draft steals.

A sandcastle representing a vampire next to its sculptor on the beach.

FOR YOUR DOWNTIME

'SandFest' returns

Proof that the phrase "everything is bigger in Texas" even applies to sandcastles.

Take a look

And finally... in Namibia

The Big Daddy dune in the Namib desert is one of Namibia's top tourist destinations. The country's authorities have banned three people from its national parks, however, after they took multiple pictures naked on the top of the dune. "We appeal to that section of tourists to summon the conscience so that they do the right things," a government spokesperson said.

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– Andy

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