Columbia student detained while attending naturalization ceremony, lawyer says

Immigration authorities detained another Columbia University student in “direct retaliation” for his participation in protests against the Israel-Gaza war, his lawyer said Monday.

Mohsen Mahdawi, who was born and raised in a refugee camp in the West Bank and is a U.S. permanent resident, was taken into custody by the Department of Homeland Security during his naturalization interview in Vermont on Monday, the lawyer, Luna Droubi, said in a filing.

Mahdawi was detained amid a widening and unprecedented crackdown on foreign students. Video posted by a Vermont lawmaker showed three officers, two of whom were masked, escorting Mahdawi in handcuffs to an SUV.

Andrew Delaney, another one of his attorneys, said Mahdawi is being held in Vermont. A petition challenging his detention says it appears he was taken into custody for deportation.

A federal judge temporarily blocked his removal Monday.

In a joint statement, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., called Mahdawi's detention "immoral, inhumane and illegal."

"Earlier today, Mohsen Mahdawi of White River Junction, Vermont, walked into an immigration office for what was supposed to be the final step in his citizenship process," they said. "Instead, he was arrested and removed in handcuffs by plainclothes, armed, individuals with their faces covered. These individuals refused to provide any information as to where he was being taken or what would happen to him."

"Mr. Mahdawi, a legal resident of the United States, must be afforded due process under the law and immediately released from detention," they added.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Department of Homeland Security referred NBC News to the State Department, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Citing federal privacy law, a Columbia spokesperson declined to comment.

Mahdawi was detained days after an immigration judge in Louisiana ruled that Columbia student and green card holder Mahmoud Khalil can be deported — even though a federal judge in New Jersey has barred his deportation while he challenges his detention in that state.

Federal officials have accused Khalil, who led students protests at Columbia, of supporting terrorists and harassing people based on their faith. The White House and federal officials have cited a rarely used provision in immigration law that allows them to "remove aliens who pose serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.”

Plainclothes agents detained a student at Tufts University, Rumeysa Öztürk, after she wrote an opinion piece in her school newspaper criticizing the school's response to the war in Gaza, according to her lawyers.

Federal officials said last month that hundreds of student visas have been revoked amid the unprecedented crackdown. An NBC News analysis has found that the students, many of whom are Middle Eastern, are from at least 29 states.

According to a temporary restraining order Droubi filed for Monday, Mahdawi moved to the United States in 2014. The filing describes him as an outspoken critic of Israel's military campaign who helped organized protests at Columbia University until March 2024, when he stepped back.

Mahdawi recently attended Columbia and planned to return to the school in the fall for a master's degree, according to filing.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/mohsen-mahdawi-columbia-detained-naturalization-rcna201214

Cointelegraph

@Cointelegraph

NEW: Secretary Bessent was asked who he thinks should replace Jerome Powell as Chairman of the Federal Reserve in 2026.

Bessent: “We think about it all the time.”

https://x.com/Cointelegraph/status/1911925066641605014

White House to ask Congress to cut $9B in funds, including for NPR, PBS, USAID

The White House is preparing a rescission package that will seek to have Congress claw back more than $9 billion in approved funding through cuts to public broadcasting, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and agencies President Trump has sought to eliminate.

A White House official confirmed to The Hill that the package will be sent to Congress when lawmakers return from Easter recess on April 28. The package requests to eliminate $9.3 billion in spending, the official said.

That includes money for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which oversees PBS and NPR, money for USAID and agencies like the U.S. Institute of Peace, which Trump aimed to dismantle via an executive order signed in February.

The New York Post, which first reported on the planned request, noted the request covered roughly $1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and more than $8 billion for USAID and other State Department efforts.

The request cites various aspects of funding used by those organizations that do not align with the Trump administration’s priorities. It cites a PBS program from 2022 titled “Our League” about a transgender woman who comes out to members of their bowling league in Ohio.

The request also notes that NPR CEO Katherine Maher described Trump as a “fascist” in old social media posts. Maher has apologized for those remarks.

Representatives for NPR and PBS did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The rescission package also cites numerous examples of funding from the State Department and USAID to be cut that are not in line with Trump’s agenda. Among those are $500,000 for electric buses in Rwanda, $750,000 for reducing xenophobia in Venezuela, and $3 million for a children’s developmental television program in Iraq.

Simple majorities in both the House and Senate would need to vote to approve the rescission package in order to eliminate the congressionally approved funding. Republicans control both chambers, though their margin in the House is especially narrow.

Trump and his allies have for months targeted funding for public broadcast stations like NPR, which some Republicans have criticized as too liberal with news coverage. Leaders of both NPR and PBS appeared at a House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee hearing in March to defend their practices.

The president has also aggressively pushed to dismantle USAID, claiming it is run by “radical lunatics.” The agency sends aid to communities impacted by conflicts, helps with disease prevention efforts and assists developing countries. Advocates argue it is critical for the U.S. in establishing influence around the world, while critics assert it is a poor use of government funds.

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5248448-white-house-rescission-package/amp/

Make Indiana Healthy Again: Gov. Braun hosting RFK Jr., Dr. Oz to announce new health initiative

The media event will take place at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Indiana State Library.

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Gov. Mike Braun is hosting U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz at a Tuesday event to announce a new health initiative.

Braun will announce his "Make Indiana Healthy Again" initiative alongside Kennedy and Oz in a press event at the Indiana State Library on April 15. The event is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.

The governor's office said the event will be livestreamed on his YouTube page.

Additional details on the initiative have not yet been revealed.

https://www.wthr.com/article/news/local/indiana-governor-mike-braun-make-indiana-healthy-again-initiative-robert-f-kennedy-jr-dr-mehmet-oz-indianapolis/531-ef58d9b8-10b5-4a5f-9b9c-eb93986fa9b3

USDA cancels $3 billion ‘smart climate’ program for farmers

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is cancelling the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Project. The $3 billion initiative funded agriculture research and programs across the nation.

Over $1.2 billion went toward 36 programs that involve Missouri. Many of these programs offered incentive payments to farmers who adopt an environmentally sustainable or “climate-smart” practice.

Grants were awarded to farmer-led groups and nonprofits, universities and some agriculture industry big names like Cargill and Edge Dairy.

In an announcement Monday afternoon, the USDA said the program funded projects with “sky-high administration fees” and little money going to farmers.

“The concerns of farmers took a backseat during the Biden Administration,” said USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins.

Some partnerships will be renewed and folded into a new program called the Advancing Markets for Producers initiative. It will prioritize projects that give at least 65% of federal funds to producers and that have enrolled and paid at least one producer before the end of last year.

The MU Center for Regenerative Agriculture receives funding from the program to assist farmers in implementing cover crops, develop pastures and grazing systems, reduce fertilizer use and more. Director Rob Myers told KBIA in an email that the $25 million Conservation Crop and Livestock project, having met the Trump Administration's criteria, will continue to be funded.

Many of the Climate Smart Commodities program projects focus in part on soil health practices that aim to make farmers more resilient to climate risks.

The federal program provided Lincoln University $5 million to study hemp and develop markets and climate-smart practices for the recently legalized crop. Researchers found hemp is good at carbon sequestration, or holding carbon in the soil and keeping it out of the atmosphere. The project’s partners couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

Other Missouri recipients and partners include the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry and Missouri Organic Association, which weren’t immediately available for comment.

The news release from the USDA states program participants will be contacted “to provide information about their future participation.”

https://www.kbia.org/kbia-news/2025-04-14/usda-cancels-climate-smart-partnership-program

San Diego rocked by enormous earthquake Monday morning

Initial reports put the earthquake's magnitude at a whopping 6.7. It has since been reported by the US Geological as 5.2 and 6.

The earthquake struck around 10 a.m. PT and was felt across Southern California, including across Los Angeles, reported Fox 11.

An emergency alert was sent out warning residents, 'Earthquake Detected! Drop, Cover, Hold On. Protect Yourself.'

Video obtained by ABC 10 showed the quake rattled homes and light fixtures. Other clips on social media showed computers and TVs rocked by the jolt.

Footage from NBC 7 showed a woman jump off the couch, grab her baby and run to safety when the tremble struck. Another video showed a terrified cat watch its house shake during the quake.

The quake's epicenter was recorded 2.49 miles south of Julian, according to KCAL.

At least seven aftershocks, including one 3.9 magnitude shake, were reported. It is unknown if there are reports of injuries or damage.

The San Diego County Sheriff's Department said it received no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The California Department of Transportation shared images of rocks that fell on State Route 76 just east of E Grade Road and warned drivers to watch out for obstacles on the road.

One man told the local news station he was inside Mountain Spirits Liquor in Julian when the quake hit and bottles started flying off the shelves.

'I just hear like consecutive three to four different bursts and pops of different bottles,' he said.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has been briefed on the earthquake, his office said in a statement on social media.

'The state is coordinating with local authorities to assess any damage and if emergency response is needed.'

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria addressed the strong earthquake on X.

'San Diego experienced a strong earthquake centered near Julian. There’s no known visible or major damage to the city so far and I’m in communication with local, state, and federal officials,' he said.

San Diego State University reported no damage or injuries, according to NBC San Diego.

The school sent an alert at 10:42 a.m. PT stating the campus will remain open and events and assessments will remain ongoing.

Schoolchildren were escorted outside of buildings as a precaution when the ground started moving, said Capt. Thomas Shoots of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection for San Diego County.

'There was a lot of shaking and rattling around,' he said. 'But thankfully everything seems to be back to normal.'

Riley Ozuna, owner of the Julian Cafe & Bakery, said some cups fell onto the ground at her business. 'But everything is OK,' she said.

Metrolink OC closed the tracks between Oceanside and San Clemente and canceled OC Line 608 for precautionary track inspections due the earthquake.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14610147/San-Diego-rocked-monster-earthquake.html

Mark Zuckerberg in first day of antitrust trial

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg took the witness stand Monday to defend his company against accusations by the Federal Trade Commission that it bought competing social media companies to dominate the market with a monopoly.

It was the first of what is expected to be two days of testimony for Zuckerberg, who will seek to explain two of his company’s most important acquisitions, Instagram and WhatsApp.

And although Zuckerberg is no stranger to defending his company, the stakes in this case may be higher than ever before. If the FTC wins, Meta could be forced to break itself apart and spin off WhatsApp and Instagram, which would upend the company’s core digital advertising business and reshape the broader social media ecosystem.

Meta relies on the 3.3 billion daily users it claims across its platforms as one of the core selling points of its ad business, which last year alone raked in more than $160 billion in revenue.

But the government argued repeatedly in opening statements that Meta’s large user base reflected not simple success, but a lack of choice, saying that “consumers do not have reasonable alternatives” to Meta’s platforms. Lawyers for Meta argued that its platforms have plenty of competition in the social media space and that regulators approved the purchases years ago when they were made.

The FTC, however, argued that the acquisitions were intended to prevent Meta from having to compete with nascent, would-be challengers by buying them instead. One email dating to 2011 from Zuckerberg to Facebook executives detailed the company’s reasoning for buying Instagram, relating to the company’s stalled efforts to develop an app called Facebook Camera.

“in the time it has taken us to get our act together on this, Instagram has become a large and viable competitor to us on mobile photos, which will increasingly be the future of photos,” Zuckerberg wrote at the time. The company ended up acquiring Instagram in April 2012.

The FTC questioned Zuckerberg about the transformation of Facebook from a platform designed to facilitate connections between friends and family to one focused more on showing users interesting third-party content, including the launch of features like the news feed and groups.

“It’s the case that over time, the ‘interest’ part of that has gotten built out more than the ‘friend’ part,” Zuckerberg said. “(Users are) connected to a lot more groups and other kinds of things. The ‘friend’ part has gone down quite a bit, but it’s still something we care about.”

A large portion of Zuckerberg’s testimony, however, focused on the messaging features built into many of Meta’s platforms, from Facebook to Instagram to WhatsApp, which could be key to how the FTC defines the “market” Meta dominates with its platforms.

Zuckerberg said that messaging is “symbiotic” to Facebook’s larger offerings, as it allows users to share content they find with friends, after the FTC attorney asked if Zuckerberg considered messaging to be a “complement” to the platform’s core services.

Separately, Zuckerberg conceded that in one 2022 email exchange with Chief Product Officer Chris Cox and Facebook President Tom Alison, he was, as FTC attorney Daniel Matheson put it, “discussing strategies that Meta might employ to ensure there’s a vision for Facebook in light of concern for cultural relevance,” — a reference to Facebook’s declining popularity compared to Instagram and third-party platforms like TikTok.

“That’s generally a good summary,” Zuckerberg said.

https://lite.cnn.com/2025/04/14/media/zuckerberg-meta-monopoly-trial/index.html

Student Rejected by Top Universities Despite Near Perfect Scores and $30 Million App

After the Supreme Court declared an end to the use of race criteria in college admissions, many administrators pledged to find a way around the decision. Schools are using essay prompts to flag race while rejecting the use of standardized testing to boost diversity in admissions. In the meantime, these schools are rejecting students with stellar credentials. The latest is Zach Yadegari, whose rejection by top schools offers an insight into the skewed criteria still in use for admissions.

Some schools, like the University of California system, previously abandoned standardized testing to boost minority admissions and make challenges more difficult. A few schools have since reversed the decision to restore academic standards. However, schools appear to be using race criteria in more subtle ways, like prompting applicants to discuss how they overcame such discrimination or bias in their essays.

An example of the curious standards is evident in the rejection of Yadegari by 15 of the 18 colleges.

Yadegari had stellar grades, with a score of 34 out of 36 on the ACT and a 4.0 GPA. More importantly, He built an app, Cal AI, which drew over five million downloads and $2 million in monthly revenue, according to TechCrunch. He went on to sell the app for $30 million.

That would seem a tad more impressive than the usual summer internship with Greenpeace or a donation drive found in applications.

However, he was rejected by Stanford, MIT, Harvard, Yale, WashU, Columbia UPenn, Princeton, Duke, USC, UVA, NYU, Vanderbilt, Brown, and Cornell.

Notably, Harvard has fought the hardest to preserve racial criteria for admissions. It recently had to start a remedial high school-level math course for its students.

As discussed on sites like College Fix, he is not unique. Take Stanley Zhong, a 19-year-old with a 4.42 GPA and nearly perfect SAT score. He was also rejected from 16 of the 18 colleges. He and his father are now suing the University of California system for discrimination against Asian-American applicants.

The Trump Administration could assist these students by forcing schools to make greater disclosures. Harvard and other universities have spent millions in litigation resisting such disclosures.

These administrators have shown that they will not yield on the use of race. In California, voters repeatedly voted against using race, and a task force supported using standardized testing in admissions. Yet, University of California President Janet Napolitano still eliminated the use of standardized tests, and, as shown by Zhong, top students are still inexplicably rejected.

If these cases reflect the current criteria, the public and donors must do more to return our universities and colleges to a greater emphasis on scholastic credentials. This culture will not change without a substantial change in the administrators and staff at these schools.

https://jonathanturley.org/2025/04/12/weak-essay-student-rejected-by-top-universities-despite-near-perfect-scores-and-the-creation-of-30-million-app/

JOSH DUNLAP

@JDunlap1974

Employees from Starbucks all across the US “stopped working for a few minutes”, to protest illegal immigrants being deported.

https://x.com/JDunlap1974/status/1910954092760875345

The Vigilant Fox 🦊

@VigilantFox

It started with a visit to the White House.

El Salvador’s President, Nayib Bukele, wasn’t there for handshakes and headlines—he came with a message.

Looking President Trump dead in the eye, he issued this challenge:

“You have 350 million people to liberate.”

This wasn’t tough talk. It was backed by results.

“We turned the murder capital of the world—that’s what the journalists called it—into the safest country in the western hemisphere,” Bukele said.

Critics have attacked his mass arrests, but Bukele flipped the script:

“Sometimes they say we imprisoned thousands. I like to say we liberated millions.”

Trump couldn’t help but smile:

“That’s very good! Who gave him that line? Do you think I can use that?”

Bukele didn’t stop there. He got to the core of the crisis:

“To liberate 350 million people, you have to imprison some. That’s the way it works, right? You can’t just free the criminals and think crime’s going to go down magically. You have to imprison them—so you can liberate 350 million Americans asking for the end of crime and the end of terrorism.”

No spin. No fluff. Just facts.

And America is finally ready to listen.

https://x.com/VigilantFox/status/1911854160120513014

Albuquerque Man Charged in Connection with Arson Attacks on Tesla Dealership and Republican Party of New Mexico Office

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/albuquerque-man-charged-connection-arson-attacks-tesla-dealership-and-republican-party-new

Attorney General Pamela Bondi

@AGPamBondi

BREAKING: We have made an arrest in connection to the February firebombing of a New Mexico Tesla dealership and the March attack on the New Mexico Republican Party Headquarters.

We will be prosecuting to the fullest extent of the law. We are seeking up to 40 years in prison—no negotiating.

Outstanding work by @FBI, @ATF, and @USAO_NM!

More details to come.

https://x.com/AGPamBondi/status/1911843420160892934

Hungary passes constitutional amendment to ban LGBTQ+ public events

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary’s parliament on Monday passed an amendment to the constitution that allows the government to ban public events by LGBTQ+ communities, a decision that legal scholars and critics call another step toward authoritarianism by the populist government.

The amendment, which required a two-thirds vote, passed along party lines with 140 votes for and 21 against. It was proposed by the ruling Fidesz-KDNP coalition led by populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

Ahead of the vote — the final step for the amendment — opposition politicians and other protesters attempted to blockade the entrance to a parliament parking garage. Police physically removed demonstrators, who had used zip ties to bind themselves together.

The amendment declares that children’s rights to moral, physical and spiritual development supersede any right other than the right to life, including that to peacefully assemble. Hungary’s contentious “child protection” legislation prohibits the “depiction or promotion” of homosexuality to minors aged under 18.

The amendment codifies a law fast-tracked through parliament in March that bans public events held by LGBTQ+ communities, including the popular Pride event in Budapest that draws thousands annually.

That law also allows authorities to use facial recognition tools to identify people who attend prohibited events — such as Budapest Pride — and can come with fines of up to 200,000 Hungarian forints ($546).

Dávid Bedő, a lawmaker with the opposition Momentum party who participated in the attempted blockade, said before the vote that Orbán and Fidesz for the past 15 years “have been dismantling democracy and the rule of law, and in the past two or three months, we see that this process has been sped up.”

He said as elections approach in 2026 and Orbán’s party lags in the polls behind a popular new challenger from the opposition, “they will do everything in their power to stay in power.”

Opposition lawmakers used air horns to disrupt the vote, which continued after a few moments.

Hungary’s government has campaigned against LGBTQ+ communities in recent years, and argues its “child protection” policies, which forbid the availability to minors of any material that mentions homosexuality, are needed to protect children from what it calls “woke ideology” and “gender madness.”

Critics say the measures do little to protect children and are being used to distract from more serious problems facing the country and mobilize Orbán’s right-wing base ahead of elections.

“This whole endeavor which we see launched by the government, it has nothing to do with children’s rights,” said Dánel Döbrentey, a lawyer with the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, calling it “pure propaganda.”

Constitution recognizes two sexes

The new amendment also states that the constitution recognizes two sexes, male and female, an expansion of an earlier amendment that prohibits same-sex adoption by stating that a mother is a woman and a father is a man.

The declaration provides a constitutional basis for denying the gender identities of transgender people, as well as ignoring the existence of intersex individuals who are born with sexual characteristics that do not align with binary conceptions of male and female.

In a statement on Monday, government spokesperson Zoltán Kovács wrote that the change is “not an attack on individual self-expression, but a clarification that legal norms are based on biological reality.”

Döbrentey, the lawyer, said it was “a clear message” for transgender and intersex people: “It is definitely and purely and strictly about humiliating people and excluding them, not just from the national community, but even from the community of human beings.”

The amendment is the 15th to Hungary’s constitution since Orbán’s party unilaterally authored and approved it in 2011.

Facial recognition to identify demonstrators

Ádám Remport, a lawyer with the HCLU, said that while Hungary has used facial recognition tools since 2015 to assist police in criminal investigations and finding missing persons, the recent law banning Pride allows the technology to be used in a much broader and problematic manner. That includes for monitoring and deterring political protests.

“One of the most fundamental problems is its invasiveness, just the sheer scale of the intrusion that happens when you apply mass surveillance to a crowd,” Remport said.

“More salient in this case is the effect on the freedom of assembly, specifically the chilling effect that arises when people are scared to go out and show their political or ideological beliefs for fear of being persecuted,” he added.

Suspension of citizenship

The amendment passed Monday also allows for Hungarians who hold dual citizenship in a non-European Economic Area country to have their citizenship suspended for up to 10 years if they are deemed to pose a threat to public order, public security or national security.

Hungary has taken steps in recent months to protect its national sovereignty from what it claims are foreign efforts to influence its politics or even topple Orbán’s government.

The self-described “illiberal” leader has accelerated his longstanding efforts to crack down on critics such as media outlets and groups devoted to civil rights and anti-corruption, which he says have undermined Hungary’s sovereignty by receiving financial assistance from international donors.

In a speech laden with conspiracy theories in March, Orbán compared people who work for such groups to insects, and pledged to “eliminate the entire shadow army” of foreign-funded “politicians, judges, journalists, pseudo-NGOs and political activists.”

https://apnews.com/article/hungary-pride-ban-amendment-orban-gay-rights-lgbtq-155ec12cbbde7cc6be0f96adb323de77

Pennsylvania suspect torched Governor Shapiro's home, planned to beat him with a hammer

Cody A. Balmer has been accused of a slew of crimes, including terrorism, prosecutors said Monday.

The man charged in the arson attack at the historic Pennsylvania Governor's Residence said he had hatred toward Gov. Josh Shapiro and would have attacked him had they come face-to-face, authorities said Monday.

Cody A. Balmer, 38, is unemployed, has a few nonviolent criminal convictions, was charged with assault in 2023 and, on social media, has displayed simmering antigovernment statements and memes.

He has been charged with attempted criminal homicide, aggravated arson, burglary, terrorism and other counts in connection with the attack early Sunday, the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday.

In court Monday for preliminary arraignment, county Judge Dale Klein asked Balmer, of Penbrook, Pennsylvania, whether he took any medication for mental illness. Balmer, who said he was not mentally ill, told the judge that he did not, adding that it “led me to different types of behavior" in the past.

Balmer also told Klein that he lived with his parents, that he was unemployed and that his last job was as a welder at a truck body manufacturer.

Balmer said he's single, but when Klein asked whether he has children, he responded, "A lot of them."

He said he had previously been arrested and "missed a few" court dates. Klein read the charges, heard the defense's request for bail and ultimately ruled there would be no bail — Balmer is to stay locked up, with the next court date, most likely a formal arraignment, not yet scheduled.

In denying bail, Klein said Balmer could be a danger to the community and himself.

Authorities alleged that he climbed the fence of the Governor's Residence in Harrisburg, used a hammer to break a window and threw Molotov cocktails inside to start the destructive blaze early Sunday.

The arson attack lasted for several minutes. Shapiro and first lady Lori Shapiro, as well as other guests and staff members, were inside the residence when the fire erupted around 2 a.m. No one was injured, and Shapiro's family was safely evacuated. However, prosecutors said the residence sustained "substantial damage."

The 29,000-square-foot mansion on the Susquehanna River was completed in 1968 and has been the address for eight governors, according to the state. It was designed by architect George Ewing.

Balmer turned himself in to the Pennsylvania State Police on Sunday and admitted to "harboring hatred toward Governor Shapiro," authorities alleged.

Asked during a police interview what he would have done had Shapiro found him inside the residence, "he advised he would have beaten him with his hammer," the probable cause affidavit says.

Balmer was caught on security cameras both inside and outside the residence, officials said. He was seen wearing a black tools jacket and black boots and carrying a bag.

Security video showed the intruder climbing over an exterior fence, approaching the piano room windows on the south side of the home and breaking an exterior window with a hammer, the criminal affidavit said. He then threw a Molotov cocktail inside. Shortly afterward, flames were seen in the interior of the home, the probable cause affidavit says.

The intruder then moved to an adjacent window, broke the glass and entered the home through the window, the affidavit says. Inside, he deployed a second incendiary device in the dining room, which spurred another fire.

The affidavit says Balmer then moved toward the dining room exit. Video showed him wearing two gloves of different colors — one orange and one yellow. The intruder was seen kicking the dining room door open and exiting the residence. He left the property in the same direction he entered, climbing back over the perimeter fence, running through a parking lot and fleeing the residence in a southeast direction, the affidavit says.

Investigators found two broken glass beer bottles containing gasoline in the dining room.

Shapiro, who is Jewish, had shared Passover well-wishes online Saturday evening just hours before the attack.

He condemned the attack, saying: "This kind of violence is not OK. … I don’t give a damn if it’s coming from one particular side or the other, directed at one particular party or another, or one particular person or another. It is not OK, and it has to stop."

State police in Harrisburg were contacted by a woman who said she was an ex of Balmer, authorities said. She said Balmer confessed to the act and "wanted her to call police to turn him in," the affidavit says.

A short time later, Balmer approached a state police trooper at the department headquarters, authorities said. He said he was "responsible" for the fire and "wished to turn himself in," they said. He was transported to the state police office in Harrisburg, where he was interviewed and confessed his ill feelings toward Shapiro, the affidavit says.

He told investigators that he removed gasoline from a lawn mower and poured it into beer bottles he found at his home, then walked for an hour to the Governor’s Residence with the intention of throwing the homemade Molotov cocktails into the home, authorities said.

Balmer lives in Penbrook, a borough adjacent to Harrisburg, in a home about 3.5 miles from the Governor's Residence.

Balmer also told investigators he was aware his actions would result in "negative consequences" and knew it was possible that Shapiro and others were home and could have been harmed, according to the affidavit.

Balmer also worked as a mechanic. Kindermans Auto Repair, a shop in Harrisburg, wrote Sunday on Facebook that he is a former employee who hasn't worked there in more than two years.

It said Sunday on Facebook, "While we are saddened to learn of these current charges, we fully support our men and women in law enforcement."

Balmer’s social media presence suggests he held staunch anti-government views. He often posted memes urging people to "become ungovernable" and reposted an artwork of a Molotov cocktail in 2022 with the slogan "Be the light you want to see in the world."

He posted negative content about President Joe Biden and seemed to reject Biden’s 2020 presidential win. He shared posts on Facebook criticizing Biden during his term, including a picture with the text "Joe Biden owes me 2 grand" and a post that said, "Biden supporters shouldn’t exist."

He also shared a meme in 2020 that argued that both Democrats and Republicans "would rather argue with other than work to solve the problems we are facing." It's not clear what his political affiliation is.

A Penbrook resident, who wanted to be identified only as Tim, said he has seen Balmer in the neighborhood since Balmer and his parents moved nearby a few months ago.

"I never, never talked to the guy," he said. "Never said hi to him. Seemed like a bit of a creep, so I just never took the initiative. I guess he just put off those vibes."

Balmer has faced criminal charges before.

He pleaded guilty to forgery and theft in 2015 and again to forgery in 2016 in Pennsylvania, court records show. In 2015, Harrisburg police officers alleged he altered a paycheck to someone else to make it appear to have been made out to him for an increased amount, more than $2,700, according to the affidavit filed as part of the criminal complaint in the case.

He was also charged with assault in 2023 in a case that is still open.

President Donald Trump briefly spoke about the attack from the White House on Monday, where he said the suspect was "probably just a wack job."

"The attacker was not a fan of Trump. I understand, just from what I read and from what I’ve been told, the attacker basically wasn’t a fan of anybody," Trump said. "Certainly a thing like that cannot be allowed to happen."

Biden said Monday on X: "Jill and I are disgusted by the attack on the Shapiro family and their home during the first night of Passover. We are relieved that they are safe and grateful to the first responders. There is no place for this type of evil in America, and as I told the Governor yesterday, we must stand united against hatred and violence."

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/know-arson-suspect-fire-pa-gov-josh-shapiros-residence-rcna201096

Nvidia to mass produce AI supercomputers in Texas as part of $500 billion U.S. push

-Nvidia announced a push to produce NVIDIA AI supercomputers entirely in the U.S. for the first time.

-Its Blackwell AI chips have started production in Phoenix at Taiwan Semiconductor plants.

-The news comes after President Donald Trump imposed high reciprocal tariffs on a long list of countries.

Nvidia

, the chipmaker that powers much of today’s artificial intelligence boom, on Monday announced a push to produce NVIDIA AI supercomputers entirely in the U.S. for the first time.

The company said it plans to produce up to $500 billion of AI infrastructure in the U.S. via its manufacturing partnerships over the next four years.

“Adding American manufacturing helps us better meet the incredible and growing demand for AI chips and supercomputers, strengthens our supply chain and boosts our resiliency,” CEO Jensen Huang said.

The news comes after President Donald Trump, in a push to take on trade deficits and pressure companies to on-shore more manufacturing to the U.S., imposed high “reciprocal” tariffs on a long list of countries. Trump placed a 32% tariff on products from Taiwan, where Nvidia largely manufactures its graphics processing units, or GPUs, and 145% tariffs on products from China, a move that threatened to take a toll on tech giants like Apple, which makes iPhones and most of its other products in China.

But things changed quickly: On Friday evening, Trump exempted chips, as well as smartphones, computers, and other tech devices and components, from the tariffs. On Sunday, he reportedly said he would announce tariffs on imported semiconductors within the week.

Nvidia wrote in a blog post that it has commissioned more than 1 million square feet of manufacturing space. Its Blackwell AI chips have started production in Phoenix at Taiwan Semiconductor

plants. In Arizona, Nvidia will also partner with Amkor and Siliconware Precision Industries, which provide chip packaging and testing services.

The company designs its GPUs, but outsources its chip production to contract manufacturers like TSMC.

Nvidia is also building manufacturing plants for its supercomputers in Texas, partnering with Foxconn in Houston and with Wistron in Dallas, the company wrote. It expects to reach mass production at both facilities within 12 to 15 months.

To help design and operate the manufacturing plants, Nvidia will use its own technology to create “digital twins” of the factories and build robots for specialized automation.

The White House put out a blog post on Monday calling Nvidia’s announcement the “Trump effect in action.” When asked if there was a relationship between the announcement and Trump’s tariffs, Nvidia declined to comment.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/14/nvidia-to-mass-produce-ai-supercomputers-in-texas.html

Intel to sell majority stake in Altera for $4.46 billion to fund revival effort

Intel has agreed to sell a 51% stake in its Altera programmable chip business to buyout firm Silver Lake for $4.46 billion, in the first major move under new CEO Lip-Bu Tan to revive the struggling American chipmaker.

The deal, announced on Monday, values Altera at $8.75 billion, a sharp decline from the $17 billion Intel paid in 2015.

The sale will provide Intel a cash boost as the chipmaker aggressively cuts costs to bolster its balance sheet, while it invests in a capital-intensive undertaking to become a contract manufacturer.

Shares of Intel were up 3.9% in premarket trading.

Since last year, Intel has taken steps to spin Altera out as a separate unit and said it planned to sell a portion of its stake.

“Today’s announcement reflects our commitment to sharpening our focus, lowering our expense structure and strengthening our balance sheet,” CEO Tan, who took the helm after former top boss Pat Gelsinger’s ouster, said.

Altera makes programmable chips that can be used for various purposes from telecom equipment to military.

Reuters had first reported in November that Silver Lake was among potential suitors competing for a minority stake in Altera.

The deal is expected to close in the second half of 2025, after which Intel expects to deconsolidate Altera’s financial results from Intel’s financial statements, the company said.

In 2024, Altera generated revenue of $1.54 billion and posted an operating loss of $615 million.

Raghib Hussain, who was an executive at custom AI chipmaker Marvell Technology MRVL.O, will succeed Sandra Rivera as Altera CEO from May 5, Intel said.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/14/intel-to-sell-51percent-stake-in-altera-to-silver-lake.html

What dosage of Aspirin does Trump use?

Polling shows growing number of Republicans identify with the MAGA movement

As President Donald Trump nears the 100-day mark of his second term, recent polling from NBC News shows how he has consolidated the Republican Party not just around himself, but also around his broader “Make America Great Again” movement.

Thirty-six percent of registered voters identified themselves as MAGA supporters in the March NBC News poll. It’s a significant increase from past NBC News polling — up from 23% of respondents in a merged sample of all of NBC News’ polling across 2023 and 27% of respondents in a merged sample of NBC News’ 2024 polling.

The overall share is powered by the 71% of Republicans who now call themselves MAGA supporters.

NBC News’ polling already showed signs of a shift afoot between the beginning of the 2024 presidential primaries and the final weeks before Election Day, as the GOP consolidated around Trump. In January 2024, days after Trump won nominating contests in Iowa and New Hampshire, just 20% of registered voters said they aligned with the MAGA movement. But in NBC News’ combined polling in October and early November, that number had ticked up to 29%.

A shift among Republicans moving more into Trump’s camp is primarily driving this movement, with a 16-point increase in GOPers identifying with the MAGA movement between the two polls right before the 2024 election (55%) and March (71%). There’s also been a similar shift among college-educated men, from 21% in 2024 to 37% in March — also a 16-point increase.

It’s the kind of pro-Trump consolidation that led to him matching his best-ever approval rating (47%) in NBC News' March poll, though a majority of registered voters, 51%, still disapproved of his job performance.

“All of that shift is coming from Republicans,” said Bill McInturff, a Republican pollster with Public Opinion Strategies who conducted the survey along with Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt of Hart Research Associates.

“Look at this transformed party, where in 14 months we’ve gone from 40% of Republicans from saying they identify as MAGA to 71%,” McInturff continued.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/polling-shows-growing-number-republicans-identify-maga-movement-rcna201071