Geoff Bennett:
Mahdawi co-founded the Palestinian Student Union at Columbia with Mahmoud Khalil, another Palestinian permanent resident of the U.S. Khalil was detained by immigration authorities in March and remains in custody.
Communities cleaned up today across parts of the Ohio Valley and Northeast after a massive line of thunderstorms turned deadly. Tuesday’s storms, known as a derecho, stretched hundreds of miles and were responsible for at least three deaths in Pennsylvania. Hurricane-force wind gusts tore off roofs, toppled trees into houses and brought downed power lines throughout the region.
More than 500,000 people were without power today, mostly in Pennsylvania. And in the South Central U.S., officials are warning of flash flooding across southern Oklahoma and northern Texas amid record rainfall.
In the Middle East, Israel is appealing for international assistance as it battles wildfires raging near Jerusalem. Extreme heat and high winds are fanning the flames, which have prompted the evacuation of several communities. At least 12 people have been hospitalized. Authorities shut down a main highway today after drivers there abandoned their cars when smoke engulfed the road.
The fires came as many marks the country’s Memorial Day for fallen soldiers. Some Independence Day celebrations set for tomorrow have been called off.
On Wall Street today, stocks shook off losses early on as investors digested the latest economic data. The Dow Jones industrial average ended the day 140 points higher. The Nasdaq slipped about 15 points, but that’s well off its lows. The S&P 500 managed a slight gain.
Still to come on the “News Hour”: Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin on reshaping her party’s message to voters; taking stock of President Trump’s economic policies 100 days in; and a look back at the Vietnam War half-a-century after the fall of Saigon.
