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Trump executive order to deport Hamas sympathizers on campuses prompts student newspaper to delete names

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Trump executive order to deport Hamas sympathizers on campuses prompts student newspaper to delete names

President Donald Trump’s Jan. 30 executive order to cancel the student visas of Hamas sympathizers on college campuses is being met with resistance.

The editorial board at the Exponent, an independent Purdue University student newspaper, said it “refuses to be party to such a blatant violation of the First Amendment rights of potentially hundreds of Purdue students.”

“That’s why, to protect the identities of pro-Palestinian students, we are removing the names, images and likenesses of every such student from our website published since Oct. 7, 2023,” the editorial board wrote on Monday. “Further, in future coverage, no such information or images will be published online or in print by the Exponent — no exceptions — until this autocratic attack on free speech is overturned.”

Executive Order 13899 aims to combat the “unprecedented wave of vile anti-Semitic discrimination, vandalism, and violence against our citizens, especially in our schools and on our campuses” since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas first attacked Israel, sparking the beginning of a 15-month war that has left tens of thousands of people dead.

TRUMP-NETANYAHU MEETING: RADICAL PROTESTS WAVE APPARENT HAMAS FLAG OUTSIDE WHITE HOUSE

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The editorial board at the Exponent, Purdue University’s student newspaper, said it “refuses to be party to such a blatant violation of the First Amendment rights of potentially hundreds of Purdue students.” (Michael Hickey)

“To all the resident aliens who joined in the pro-jihadist protests, we put you on notice: come 2025, we will find you, and we will deport you,” the president said in a Jan. 30 fact sheet on the executive order. “I will also quickly cancel the student visas of all Hamas sympathizers on college campuses, which have been infested with radicalism like never before.”

“I will also quickly cancel the student visas of all Hamas sympathizers on college campuses.”

— President Donald Trump

Hamas is a designated terrorist organization that the Department of National Intelligence (DNI) describes as “the largest and most capable militant group in the Palestinian territories and one of the territories’ two major political parties.”

‘LEVEL IT’: TRUMP SAYS US WILL ‘TAKE OVER’ GAZA STRIP, REBUILD IT TO STABILIZE MIDDLE EAST

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President Donald Trump, right, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu answer questions during a joint press conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. (Reuters/Leah Millis)

“HAMAS is committed to armed resistance against Israel and to the creation of a Palestinian state, and the group has engaged in several rounds of violent conflict with Israel,” according to DNI. “The most recent began on 7 October 2023, when HAMAS launched a massive surprise attack against Israel, killing nearly 1,200 people.”

The Exponent’s editorial board said it expects “no distinction” to be made between “‘pro-jihadist’ and pro-Palestinian” when it comes to revoking student visas.

“Anti-war can only now mean ‘pro-Hamas,’” the student board wrote.

ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER LAUDS TRUMP’S LEADERSHIP WHEN ASKED IF BIDEN SHOULD TAKE CREDIT FOR CEASEFIRE

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An anti-Israel agitator is seen on Stanford University’s campus in Stanford, California, on April 26, 2024. (Fox News Digital)

“Such twisting of language to be used as a weapon is contrary to the First Amendment, which gives the Exponent its right to exist just as much as it gives the right to students to protest as they see fit. It is the opinion of the Exponent that standing back while our website is potentially used to identify the state’s enemies would be directly against those principles,” the board continued.

The board added that pro-Palestine protests at Purdue will continue into 2025, but the students they interview at protests “will no longer have their identities published.” 

An anti-Israel demonstrator holds a flag on the rooftop of Hamilton Hall at Columbia University in New York on April 30, 2024. (Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The Exponent, and its editorial board, is an independent, unaffiliated entity from Purdue University that does not receive funding from Purdue University.

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Hamas and Israel’s recent ceasefire deal, which paused the deadly war, has led Hamas to release 10 Israeli hostages and five Thai nationals abducted on Oct. 7, 2023, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and increased humanitarian aid into Gaza. Six Americans remain in Gaza.

More than 46,000 Palestinians died in the war, half of whom are believed to be women and children, though that number could be higher, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. More than 90% of the roughly two million Palestinians living in Gaza were displaced during the war.

Fox News Digital’s Efrat Lachter and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Kansas

Kansas City man sentenced for cocaine trafficking, possession of illegal firearm

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Kansas City man sentenced for cocaine trafficking, possession of illegal firearm


KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A Kansas City man was sentenced in federal court for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy and possession of an illegal firearm.

According to the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri, 22-year-old Antoine R. Gillum was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison without parole.

His sentencing stems from a June 2024 incident in a metro gas station. KCPD investigators contacted Gillum inside and found that he had discarded a 9 mm pistol in an aisle between the merchandise. He also discarded a pill bottle containing multiple illegal substances: cocaine base, oxycodone/acetaminophen and oxycodone.

Officers searched the vehicle Gillum had arrived in and found approximately 32 grams of cocaine base.

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On May 6, 2025, Gillum pleaded guilty to one count each of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Jennings. It’s a part of ‘Operation Take Back America,’ a nationwide Department of Justice initiative to eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations.

No further information has been released.



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Michigan

2 Smoothie King employees fired for refusing to serve customer in Trump hoodie

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2 Smoothie King employees fired for refusing to serve customer in Trump hoodie


Two employees who refused to serve a man and his wife because he was wearing a hoodie with President Trump’s name on it were fired after a video of the heated encounter went viral.

Erika Lindemyer and her husband, Jake, were forced out of a Smoothie King franchise location in Ann Arbor, Michigan, following a fiery clash with two young female workers on Sunday.

Jake and Erika Lindemyer were denied service at a Smoothie King location in Michigan on Sunday. Leftism/X

The employees claimed they didn’t “feel comfortable” serving the couple because of Jake’s pro-Trump hoodie, as captured by Erika in a viral video.

Jake and Erika fired back at the pair and insisted that they were being “discriminated” against based on their “political views.”

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Both of the employees told them to leave. Leftism/X

“We were just wanting a smoothie and you literally looked at us and I asked you if everything was OK and you said ‘We don’t feel comfortable serving you’ because of my husband’s hoodie. That is discrimination,” Erika spat.

“Okay, well, have a great day,” the first employee said.

“That is illegal,” Erika tried to insist again.

“I said Trump discriminates [against] us,” another employee chimed in.

“Okay, well that has nothing to do with us getting a smoothie!” Erika guffawed.

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Erika and Jake claimed they were being discriminated against. Leftism/X

“OK, well that’s who you support though, that’s who you love,” the first employee chided.

“What’s embarrassing is that we’re American citizens and I wanted to get a smoothie,” Erika huffed.

The second employee noted that they “have a right to refuse service” and directed the couple to the exit.

“You asked a question and [the other employee] gave you an answer. Have a great day. Have a great day. The door’s right there,” the second worker said.

The employees said they were “uncomfortable” serving the couple because Jake was wearing a piece of
Trump merchandise. Leftism/X

Erika threatened to call the police while storming out, but it’s unclear if she did.

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In a separate video shared Monday, one of the workers joked that she might’ve “accidentally started a race war” and called on the public to help remove Erika’s video.

“I am a minor and she recorded me without my permission. The people in the comments are all white and they’re all being hella racist, guys, please help me get this video taken down,” she implored.

Smoothie King confirmed that the girls involved in the viral confrontation “are no longer with the business” as of Monday.

The girl posted her own video joking she might’ve “accidentally started a race war.” Leftism/X

“As a brand, Smoothie King is committed to ensuring our stores are a place free of discrimination of any kind, where every guest and team member is treated with care and respect,” the company wrote on X.

The owner of the Ann Arbor franchise location will also enforce “mandatory retraining for all employees that outlines our guest experience standards.”

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In early December, a woman who worked at a Target in California was berated by a customer for wearing a Charlie Kirk “Freedom” T-shirt.

When the employee insisted she was allowed to wear the red shirt, the irate customer accused her of supporting “a racist.”

The medical center where the agitated customer worked was bombarded with upwards of 6,000 “profanity-laced” phone calls after online sleuths doxxed her personal information.





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Minnesota

Minnesota sues to block Trump administration’s withholding of Medicaid funds

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Minnesota sues to block Trump administration’s withholding of Medicaid funds


Minnesota on Monday sued President Donald Trump’s administration in an attempt to stop it from withholding $243 million in Medicaid spending, warning it may have to cut health care for low-income families if the funding is held back.

The lawsuit asked a U.S. court in Minneapolis to issue a temporary restraining order to block the withholding for Medicaid, which is the health care safety net for low-income Americans.

The move came after Vice President JD Vance said last week the administration would “temporarily halt” some Medicaid funding to Minnesota over fraud concerns, as part of what he described as an aggressive crackdown on misuse of public funds.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said his office has a strong track record of fighting Medicaid fraud and has won more than 300 convictions and $80 million in judgments and restitutions during his time in office.

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“Trump’s attempts to look like he’s fighting fraud only punish the people and families who most need the high-quality, affordable healthcare that all Minnesotans deserve,” Ellison said in a statement. “As long as I am attorney general, I will do everything in my power to defend our tax dollars, both from fraudsters and from the Trump administration’s cruelty.”

The lawsuit names the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as well as Dr. Mehmet Oz, in his official capacity as CMS administrator, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in his official capacity as HHS secretary.

The Department of Health and Human Services, which includes CMS, didn’t immediately return messages seeking comment late Monday.

The threatened cuts amount to roughly 7% of Minnesota’s quarterly Medicaid funding, Ellison’s office said in a news release. Minnesota could be required to significantly cut health care services for low-income families or other government services if the cuts take effect, it said.

Medicaid, which is known as Medical Assistance in Minnesota, provides health insurance to 1.2 million Minnesotans who would otherwise be unable to afford it. A family of four may qualify for Medical Assistance with an income at or under $42,759, the attorney general’s office said.

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The lawsuit said the administration violated due process procedures because it was taking hundreds of millions of dollars without proving Minnesota’s noncompliance with Medicaid regulations through discovery and an evidentiary hearing.

It alleged the administration failed to provide Minnesota with details about its decision, in violation of federal law. It cited legal precedents, including one that said Congress may impose conditions on states’ acceptance of federal funds, but “’the conditions must be set out unambiguously.’”

Minnesota’s complaint further charged the administration violated the Constitution because the withholding imposed retroactive conditions on Minnesota’s Medicaid funding.

It said withholding the funds was arbitrary, capricious and part of a pattern of political punishment of Minnesota.

The administration said it would hold off on paying $259.5 million to Minnesota for Medicaid spending in the fourth quarter of 2025. Minnesota’s lawsuit challenges the withholding of $243 million of this money.

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