Your Morning: Pro-Palestine protests intensify nationwide

What to know: Pro-Palestine protests are intensifying on college campuses across the country. Texas troopers with riot gear detained students, throwing some to the ground, during pro-Palestinian protests on the University of Texas at Austin’s campus Wednesday. Police made at least 34 arrests after being deployed to the campus. The protests at the University of Texas are among many demonstrations on U.S. college campuses being conducted against the Israeli military offensive in Gaza. Many are also calling on university officials to stop investing in countries they say support “apartheid” in Israel. Protests at the University of Southern California grew contentious Wednesday as police cleared an encampment in Alumni Park. Protesters from California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt this week used furniture, tents, chains and zip ties to block a building’s entrance, prompting officials to close the school through Wednesday. An encampment at Brown University in Rhode Island was made by about 90 students Wednesday morning, NewsNation affiliate WRPI reported. NewsNation affiliate WCMH reported that two Ohio State University students were arrested at a pro-Palestine protest Tuesday. The encampments at other colleges were created following mass arrests at Columbia University last week. Columbia has shifted most classes to hybrid schedules for the rest of the semester and upped security amid the demonstrations. The demonstrations have sparked debate, with some saying recent arrests or suspensions of student protesters are a violation of their First Amendment rights, and some students expressing concerns that some criticism of Israel has veered into antisemitism. The latest >

What’s going on: Former President Donald Trump will return to a New York City courtroom Thursday for his hush money trial. The proceedings will happen at the same time the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments in Washington over whether Trump should be immune from prosecution for actions he took during his time as president. The latest >

In New York: At the hush money trial, jurors are expected to hear more witness testimony from a veteran tabloid publisher, and Trump will face a decision over whether he violated a gag order imposed by the judge on the case. Trump asked to skip his criminal trial Thursday, so he could sit in on the Supreme Court’s special session. That request was denied. What to know about the hush money trial >

In Washington: Trump’s lawyers argue that former presidents are entitled to absolute immunity for their official acts. So far, lower courts have rejected those arguments. The Supreme Court will weigh whether Trump should be immune from prosecution for actions he took while he was president. The arguments are related to charges in federal court in Washington, where Trump has been accused of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election. A closer look >

UFO encounter claim: The Las Vegas teenager who claimed something crashed in his backyard last year, prompting a 911 call about “nonhuman” beings, spoke out for the first time. Angel Kenmore, 17, said in an exclusive interview with NewsNation national correspondent Alex Caprariello that he saw a “giant creature” that he believes may have been a “demon” but “only God knows.” Police body camera footage shows a flash across the sky the night of the family’s sighting, NewsNation affiliate KLAS reports. Despite receiving numerous threats, Kenmore and the rest of his family have stood by their original report from April 30, 2023. Watch the exclusive interview >

Listen: In the “Reality Check with Ross Coulthart” podcast, NewsNation special correspondent Ross Coulthart takes a fact-based approach to tackle everything from unidentified anomalous phenomena to other mysteries often missing from the headlines. Take a look >

Guns in schools: Tennessee House Republicans passed a bill Tuesday that would allow some teachers and staff to carry concealed handguns on public school grounds. Under the measure, parents and other teachers would not know who is armed. It’s now headed to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk for consideration. The latest >

Zoom in: The legislation would be Tennessee’s largest expansion of gun access since the March 27, 2023, shooting that killed six people at The Covenant School. If it’s signed into law, Tennessee will join about half of the nation’s states in allowing teachers or other employees with concealed carry permits to carry guns on school property in some way, according to the gun control advocacy group Giffords Law Center. Details >

For or against? Those opposed to the bill say it could put schools and their workers at risk. “Teachers are not equipped to handle live fire,” said J.C. Bowman, executive director of Professional Educators of Tennessee. “Most of these (gunmen) are using AR-15s or other weapons … it just is going to be unsafe.” Supporters of the legislation, like Tennessee state Sen. Paul Bailey, argue it’s vital for rural areas with limited law enforcement and longer response times. “Not all schools and school systems could afford a school resource officer,” Bailey said. Full report >

What’s happening: A fifth arrest has been made in connection to the killings of Kansas mothers Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39. Investigators said “based on the evidence and information gathered from the case,” Paul Grice, 31, was arrested and booked into the Texas County Jail. He, along with Tifany Adams, 54; her boyfriend Tad Cullum, 43; Cora Twombly, 44; and her husband Cole Twombly, 50, have each been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping and one count of conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree. According to the probable cause affidavit for Grice’s arrest warrant, Grice admitted he was part of the planning, killing and burying of Butler and Kelley. What we know about the case >

Service: Butler will be remembered with a celebration of life service at the beginning of May. Butler was a fiancée and mother of two children. On March 30, she went with Kelley to visit her children in Oklahoma. The women disappeared that day, and their bodies were found April 14. A memorial service will be held for Kelley on Sunday. Details >