Supplies are rushed to North Carolina communities left isolated after Helene

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration is opening new investigations into allegations of antisemitism at five US universities including Columbia and the University of California, Berkeley, the Education Department announced Monday.
It’s part of President Donald Trump’s promise to take a tougher stance against campus antisemitism and deal out harsher penalties than former President Joe Biden’s administration, which settled a flurry of cases with universities in its final weeks. The new investigations were opened the same day the Justice Department announced a new task force to root out antisemitism on college campuses.
In an order signed last week, Trump called for aggressive action to fight anti-Jewish bias on campuses, including the deportation of foreign students who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests.
Along with Columbia and Berkeley, the department is now investigating the University of Minnesota, Northwestern University and Portland State University. The cases were opened using the department’s power to launch its own civil rights reviews, unlike the majority of its investigations, which stem from complaints.
A statement from the Education Department criticized colleges for tolerating antisemitism after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and a wave of pro-Palestinian protests that followed. It also criticized the Biden administration for negotiating “toothless” resolutions that failed to hold schools accountable.
“Today, the Department is putting universities, colleges, and K-12 schools on notice: this administration will not tolerate continued institutional indifference to the wellbeing of Jewish students on American campuses,” said Craig Trainor, the agency’s acting assistant secretary for civil rights.
The department didn’t provide details about the inquiries or how it decided which schools are being targeted. Presidents of Columbia and Northwestern were among those called to testify on Capitol Hill last year as Republicans sought accountability for allegations of antisemitism amid protests against Israel’s airstrikes in Gaza. The searing hearings contributed to the resignation of multiple university presidents, including Columbia’s Minouche Shafik.
An October report from House Republicans accused Columbia of failing to punish pro-Palestinian students who took over a campus building, and it called Northwestern’s negotiations with student protesters a “stunning capitulation.”
Since the outcry over the campus protests, universities say they have taken several steps to address antisemitism.
At Northwestern, that includes updates to the Student Code of Conduct and disciplinary procedures and investing in public safety, spokesman Jon Yates said in an email. “Free expression and academic freedom are among our core values, but we have made clear that these values provide no excuse for behavior that threatens the well-being of others,” Yates said.
Columbia has strengthened and clarified its discipline process, a statement said, and its interim president, Katrina Armstrong, has strengthened the Public Safety Office and established an Office of Institutional Equity to address discrimination and harassment. “Columbia strongly condemns antisemitism and all forms of discrimination, and we are resolute that calling for, promoting, or glorifying violence or terror has no place at our University,” the university’s statement said.
The new investigation, Portland State spokeswoman Katy Swordfisk pointed out, “is not in itself evidence of any violation,” since the Department of Education apparently initiated it without receiving a complaint from someone at the university. Portland State plans to cooperate with the department. “The university continues to support and engage with efforts to combat antisemitism and mitigate the impact of hate and bias,” Swordfisk said in an email.
House Republicans applauded the new investigations. Rep. Tim Walberg, chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, said he was “glad that we finally have an administration who is taking action to protect Jewish students.”
Trump’s order also calls for a full review of antisemitism complaints filed with the Education Department since Oct. 7, 2023, including pending and resolved cases from the Biden administration. It encourages the Justice Department to take action to enforce civil rights laws.
Last week’s order drew backlash from civil rights groups who said it violated First Amendment rights that protect political speech.
The new task force announced Monday includes the Justice and Education departments along with Health and Human Services.
“The Department takes seriously our responsibility to eradicate this hatred wherever it is found,” said Leo Terrell, assistant attorney general for civil rights. “The Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is the first step in giving life to President Trump’s renewed commitment to ending anti-Semitism in our schools.”

BRUSSELS, Belgium: The threat of a transatlantic trade war loomed large Monday over a gathering of European leaders aimed at boosting the continent’s defenses in the face of an aggressive Russia.
The EU’s 27 leaders, Britain’s prime minister and the head of NATO were in Brussels to brainstorm ways to ramp up European defense spending — a key demand that President Donald Trump has made to America’s allies.
But it was Trump’s repeated threat to target Europe “soon” — after having ordered tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China — that set the meeting’s tone.
“If we are attacked in terms of trade, Europe — as a true power — will have to stand up for itself and therefore react,” French President Emmanuel Macron warned.
The tough talk — which came before Trump temporarily backed down after talks with Canada and Mexico — mirrored the message from the European Commission, which said the EU would “respond firmly” to any US tariffs.
Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk, whose country currently holds the EU presidency, labelled trade wars “totally unnecessary and stupid.”
“There are no winners in trade wars,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.
Trade aside, Trump has rattled US allies with a series of direct threats — not least his insistence that he wants to acquire strategically important Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory.
Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, reiterated in Brussels that the Arctic island was “not for sale.”

The trade threats from the White House add an unwelcome new layer to the already complex challenge of bolstering European defenses — faced with a menacing Russia and the spectre of Washington pulling back.
Trump has made clear Europe can no longer take US protection for granted, insisting that NATO countries more than double their defense spending target to five percent of their total economic output — a goal out of reach for many.
He has also vowed to bring a quick end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, leaving Europeans fearful he could sideline them and force Kyiv into a bad deal.
NATO chief Mark Rutte insisted the trade tensions would not weaken the alliance’s collective deterrence.
“There are always issues between allies — it is never always tranquil and happy going,” he said.
European nations have ramped up their military budgets since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the all-out invasion of Ukraine almost three years ago.
But EU officials concede they are still not arming themselves fast enough as warnings grow that Moscow could attack one of their own in the coming years.

There is widespread consensus across Europe on the need to spend more on defense, with Brussels estimating the needs at 500 billion euros ($510 billion) over a decade.
But the question remains how to do it.
Key dividing lines revolve around the way to fund investments, whether EU cash should be spent only on EU arms, and NATO’s role.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen after the talks suggested relaxing EU budget rules for defense and getting the bloc’s lending arm to work more with weapons producers.
On the crunch issue of calls for possible joint borrowing, there appeared no clear movement.
But von der Leyen indicated the EU could potentially look to use it to fund common projects in crucial areas such as air defense.
The leaders’ discussion is now set to feed into proposals being drawn up by Brussels next month on the future of EU defense — before another round of talks on the issue in June.

As doubts swirl over the transatlantic relationship, many were keen to step up ties with an old friend: Britain.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer was back in the fold — at least for one dinner — as the first UK leader to attend a European Council gathering since the country withdrew from the EU five years ago.
Starmer said he wanted to work with EU leaders to “crush Putin’s war machine” by further targeting Russia’s economy.
The British leader, who has sought to reset relations after the rancour of Brexit, said he wanted to strike a “ambitious” security partnership with the EU.
That could bring Britain, with its potent military and large defense industry, a little closer — with security cooperation to top the agenda at an EU-UK summit planned for May.
But the bitter legacy of Brexit remains.
Numerous EU diplomats said there cannot be progress until a dispute over fishing rights is resolved and London drops its opposition to a youth mobility scheme proposed by Brussels.