5 things to know for April 24: Foreign aid, Abortion, Campus protests, Armed teachers, Unhealthy air

By CNN Newsource

Published April 24, 2024 4:54 AM

By Alexandra Banner, CNN

(CNN) — Parts of Greece, including its capital Athens, are being blanketed by an orange-colored haze as dust from the Sahara Desert drifts north. Some European broadcasters are also reporting “freak” weather in Finland, where cities are being inundated by unusual amounts of snow.

Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.

1. Foreign aid

President Joe Biden is poised to sign legislation today granting billions in aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. His expected signature comes after the Senate passed the $95 billion foreign aid package Tuesday following months of delays. The bipartisan legislation includes sanctions on Iran, the seizure of frozen Russian sovereign assets and a measure that could lead to a nationwide ban of TikTok. Its passage is a significant victory for Biden, congressional Democrats and Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell, who has long pushed to send aid to Ukraine even as the right wing of his party increasingly soured on support for Kyiv.

2. Abortion

The Supreme Court will hear arguments in a high-stakes abortion rights case today where it will consider whether hospitals have an obligation under federal law to provide emergency abortions to women who are in medical emergencies. In recent months, several stories have detailed the accounts of pregnant women in distress who were denied emergency care in states with outright abortion bans or restrictive laws. On Tuesday, President Biden visited his rival’s home turf in Florida, one week before a restrictive abortion ban in that state goes into effect. His campaign is seeking to galvanize voters by seizing on abortion, arguing that former President Donald Trump’s vision for America is a threat to personal freedoms and health care.

3. Campus protests

Columbia University said it has extended negotiations with student activists over the dismantling of the pro-Palestinian encampment that has thrown its campus into days of turmoil. More than 80 tents at the school were still standing ahead of a deadline to clear the area late Tuesday night as hundreds of people buzzed in and around the encampment. House Speaker Mike Johnson plans to visit Jewish students at Columbia today and hold a news conference “regarding the troubling rise of virulent antisemitism on America’s college campuses,” according to his office. This comes as officials nationwide are grappling with a response to encampments at other universities in what has become a coast-to-coast disruption.

4. Armed teachers

State legislators in Tennessee passed a bill Tuesday allowing K-12 teachers and school staff to be armed. Educators who seek to bring a handgun on school grounds will be subject to certain conditions, according to a summary of the bill. They will be required to get an enhanced carry permit, complete a background check and undergo dozens of hours of training, among other requirements. The bill now heads to the desk of Republican Gov. Bill Lee for his signature. The contentious debate on arming teachers comes as gun violence remains the leading cause of death for kids in America. This year alone, 436 children under 18 have been killed in gun violence, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

5. Unhealthy air

Nearly 40% of people in the US live with unhealthy air pollution, according to a new report from the American Lung Association. That amounts to 131 million people living with levels of polluted air that can significantly affect their health — up from 119 million in last year’s data. Extreme heat, drought and wildfires are among the factors that have contributed to the increase, especially in the Western part of the country. Several cities in the region, including Los Angeles, Phoenix and Denver also received “F” grades for ozone smog, according to the report. Ozone pollution is formed from emissions from cars, power plants and refineries.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

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Prince Louis photo released to mark sixth birthday
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What it’s like to be a ‘glass child’
“Glass children” are the siblings of a person with special needs. Here’s how that experience can affect their adult years.

TODAY’S NUMBER

$139 million
That’s how much the Justice Department will pay more than 100 victims of disgraced former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar after reaching a settlement Tuesday over the FBI’s initial failures in investigating the sexual assault case.

TODAY’S QUOTE

“We have seen nothing that would change our assessment that the commercial milk supply is safe.”

— The FDA, saying Tuesday that it had detected viral particles of H5N1 bird flu viruses in milk purchased at US grocery stores. However, the agency still believes pasteurized milk is safe to drink because it is unlikely that the particles could infect people.

TODAY’S WEATHER

Check your local forecast here>>>

AND FINALLY …

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