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Student sues UT Austin after arrest during pro-Palestinian protest

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Student sues UT Austin after arrest during pro-Palestinian protest


A UT Austin student is suing the university and two of its leaders, claiming they violated his First Amendment rights when he was arrested while protesting Israel’s war in Gaza.

Ammer Qaddumi, now a senior at UT, also claims that the university, President Jay Hartzell and Provost Sharon Wood wrongfully retaliated against him by threatening him with suspension. An attorney filed the lawsuit in federal court on Tuesday, which was first reported by KXAN.

“These were kids who were walking down the sidewalk chanting, ‘Hey, hey, ho, ho, the occupation’s got to go,” Brian McGiverin, Qaddumi’s lawyer, said. “There’s nothing dangerous or scary or frankly remarkable about it as far as First Amendment activity goes.” McGiverin says he believes this is the first lawsuit filed by a student over the university’s response to the protests.

Qaddumi is asking for the university to pay for damages and to stop any further disciplinary action against him.

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KUT reached out to a UT Austin spokesperson for comment. “[T]he University’s response to the lawsuit and claims will be set out in our court filings,” university spokesperson Mike Rosen wrote in an email. “Until then, no further comment.”

The lawsuit is the latest in the fallout from two pro-Palestinian protests held on UT Austin’s campus in April. University officials called on state law enforcement to intervene and police arrested more than 130 participants — many of them for criminal trespass. County officials later dropped most of these charges.

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In a lawsuit filed in federal court on Tuesday, Qaddumi’s lawyer alleges the university and two of its leaders violated the student’s First Amendment rights.

Since then, students arrested at the protests have faced discipline, including probation and suspension. Faculty have criticized the university’s response to the protests, including in a recent report where a university committee alleged administrators, not protesters, violated institutional rules.

Qaddumi and his lawyer say the university first violated his rights when they told organizers they could not hold the planned demonstration. His lawsuit alleges the university stifled students’ speech before they had a chance to express themselves.

Despite the university’s directive, dozens of protesters gathered the next day on the South Mall. As police arrived and began to encircle the group, they asked for a mediator and Qaddumi volunteered, according to the lawsuit.

Both the university and Qaddumi’s lawyer say the student told demonstrators to follow the order to disperse. University officials say he then rejoined protesters. Police arrested him just before 1 p.m. His lawyer says by restraining Qaddumi, the university and its officials violated his right to free speech.

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Several months after the protests, UT sent notice to Qaddumi and other students that they faced discipline for allegedly violating university rules.

According to documents filed as evidence in his lawsuit, the university has threatened to suspend Qaddumi for three semesters, during which he would not be able to enroll in classes or enter campus without written approval.

He is protesting this decision and has a hearing Friday, according to his lawyer.

The university has defended its response to the April protests by citing several rules officials say protesters broke, including failing to disperse when told by police and administrators to do so. The university has also said protesters brought a variety of weapons to campus, but county prosecutors refuted that claim. In May, one man from San Marcos was charged with illegally carrying a gun during the protests.

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Austin, TX venue Emo’s on the move again, AEG to take over the building

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Austin, TX venue Emo’s on the move again, AEG to take over the building


Emo’s in Austin is on the move again. 

After more than a decade at 2015 E. Riverside Drive (following the original Red River-era venue closing in 2011), Emo’s current Riverside space will be taken over by AEG Presents when the lease ends later this year. The Los Angeles, CA-based company will assume operations in January 2027 and plans to reopen the building under a new name in early 2027 following upgrades, renovations and a full rebrand.

AEG are also opening a new 4,000-cap venue nearby next spring as part of the River Park mixed-use development in southeast Austin.

C3 Presents, who reopened Emo’s at the Riverside location, say this isn’t the end of Emo’s — they’re working on a new home and plan to move the venue back to downtown Austin, with more updates to come.

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AEG Presents Vice President Robin Phillips shared the following:

There’s like no weirdness or any bad blood or anything. It just, you know, new lease and they’ll [Emo’s] go do something great. They have been important to the Austin music scene, so I have a lot of respect for them.

But I don’t think the Austin music scene or legacy is limited to one name. I know people will remember the original Emo’s and this Emo’s as, you know, both great venues… And I don’t think Austin’s music scene is just a name, it’s the artists, in my opinion.

 

A C3 spokesperson added:

Emo’s has a long history in Austin and we’ve been working behind the scenes for some time on a new home for this venue. After we wrap up at this venue in December, we will focus our efforts on our new location.

 

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Emo’s gave the following statement to Austin local news KXAN:

We’re grateful for all of the fans and artists who’ve shaped Emo’s to what it is today: a community of like-minded people who love live music. We have a vision for our future and will be moving into a new building downtown that celebrates our punk rock roots with the new amenities that fans are looking for from a venue. We’ll continue to share updates on the next chapter for Emo’s on social media.





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Highly pathogenic virus found in herd of Texas dairy cows

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Highly pathogenic virus found in herd of Texas dairy cows


State and federal agriculture officials said highly pathogenic avian flu has been found in a herd of dairy cows in Texas.

What we know:

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Officials said the H5N1 virus was confirmed with laboratory tests in late May after cows at an unspecified farm became sick and milk production dropped. The dairy has since been quarantined and an investigation is underway.

This is the first case of avian flu in a Texas dairy herd this year, officials said.

What they’re saying:

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“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is confident that pasteurization is effective at inactivating H5N1, and that the commercial, pasteurized milk supply is safe,” officials at the Texas Animal Health Commission said in a statement.

A dairy cow is seen at a farm on June 1, 2026.

A dairy cow is seen at a farm on June 1, 2026. (Tim Evans/Bloomberg / Getty Images)

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Dig deeper:

H5N1 has a high rate of severe disease and death in animals that become infected.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the risk to the general public from avian flu is low. Some sporadic human infections have been reported around the world since 1997. There have been no known cases of person-to-person spreading of avian flu.

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The Source: Information in this story came from the Texas Animal Health Commission, the USDA, the FDA and the CDC.

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New Texas law tightens rules for autonomous vehicle companies, including Waymo

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New Texas law tightens rules for autonomous vehicle companies, including Waymo


Self-driving cars have become a common sight on Austin streets, but a new Texas law is adding tougher requirements for the companies behind the wheelless vehicles.

Senate Bill 2807 imposes stricter rules on autonomous vehicle companies operating in the state, including state authorization, emergency response plans for law enforcement, and a public portal where residents can verify operators and file safety complaints.

The changes come as Austin continues to track incidents involving autonomous vehicles. The city’s autonomous vehicle dashboard shows 75 incidents in 2026, including a collision, eight near misses, and seven incidents of ignoring police direction.

Attorney Drew Gibbs, a partner at Slingshot Law, said one crash involved a Waymo vehicle.

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“There was a T-bone collision. A pretty serious T-bone collision where a Waymo just crashed into the side of my client’s vehicle,” Gibbs said.

ALSO| Waymo files voluntary software recall over flooded-lane risks on high-speed roads

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One of the incidents of ignoring police direction happened during the mass shooting on West Sixth Street back in March, when three people died, and 15 others were injured.

Austin Police Association President Michael Bullock said autonomous vehicles can struggle in unusual situations.

“It didn’t impede on anything in the moment, but it’s not necessarily uncommon where these vehicles don’t quite know how to deal with these one-off scenarios,” Bullock said.

The new law requires autonomous vehicle companies to be authorized by the state, to provide an emergency response plan for law enforcement, and to participate in a public-facing portal that allows the public to verify operators and submit safety complaints.

Kara Kockelman, a professor of transportation and engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, welcomed the added oversight.

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“I’m glad that the state is taking this a bit more seriously now,” she said. “It’s important not to just let others slip in without kind of meeting those basic minimums.”

Bullock said the emergency planning requirement may not make a major difference in fast-moving situations. Asked how impactful it is to have a fully laid out emergency response plan, Bullock said, “These plans are great, but it takes time to work through all of those versus the immediacy of having someone behind the wheel.”

The four autonomous vehicle companies operating in Austin — Waymo, Zoox, AV-Ride, and Tesla — are all state-authorized.

The Texas DMV said an autonomous vehicle company can lose its authorization to operate in Texas if the agency deems the vehicles are operating in a way that endangers public safety.

Waymo was contacted for comment, but had not responded.

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