{"id":134904,"date":"2025-04-24T11:53:04","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T11:53:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/dojs-new-take-on-civil-rights-and-students-meet-in-secret-to-stage-a-protest-at-columbia-morning-rundown-nbc-news\/"},"modified":"2025-04-24T11:53:04","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T11:53:04","slug":"dojs-new-take-on-civil-rights-and-students-meet-in-secret-to-stage-a-protest-at-columbia-morning-rundown-nbc-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/dojs-new-take-on-civil-rights-and-students-meet-in-secret-to-stage-a-protest-at-columbia-morning-rundown-nbc-news\/","title":{"rendered":"DOJ's new take on civil rights and students meet in secret to stage a protest at Columbia: Morning Rundown – NBC News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Morning Rundown: Trump upends DOJ\u2019s Civil Rights Division, NFL Draft what to know, and Ukraine\u2019s cities pummeled as talks go on<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Profile
Sections
Local
tv
Featured
More From NBC
Follow NBC News
news Alerts
There are no new alerts at this time
In today\u2019s newsletter:\u00a0President Donald Trump takes the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division in an unfamiliar, concerning direction, according to current and former employees. Students at Columbia University plan to stage encampment protests this week. And the NFL draft kicks off tonight with the Tennessee Titans in the hot seat.<\/em>
Here\u2019s what to know today.<\/em>
President Donald Trump has been quietly overhauling the Justice Department\u2019s Civil Rights Division<\/strong><\/a> in a way that former employees say is at odds with how previous administrations \u2013 Republican and Democrat \u2013 have enforced civil rights law.
As part of his remake, Trump picked Harmeet Dhillon, a conservative culture warrior who represented him in challenging the results of the 2020 election and backed his baseless claims of voter fraud, to lead the office. Ten current and former employees of the office, as well as other sources familiar with the Justice Department\u2019s operations, who spoke to NBC News, claim Dhillon has forced out a majority of career managers, caused others to resign and led a 180-degree shift in the direction of the department from its original mission: enforcing laws that prohibit discrimination in hiring, housing and voting rights.
This is Morning Rundown, a weekday newsletter to start your day. Sign up <\/em><\/strong>here<\/em><\/strong><\/a> to get it in your inbox.<\/em><\/strong>
Dhillon has issued a series of memos, obtained by NBC News, directing the group to pursue new priorities: \u201cKeeping Men out of Women’s Sports\u201d and \u201cEnding Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling,” objectives that mirror Trump\u2019s executive orders.
The changes have led to a \u201ccomplete bloodbath,\u201d one senior Justice Department lawyer in the division said. More than a dozen senior lawyers in the division have been reassigned.
Dhillon described the changes as a normal shift in priorities with a new administration. “The Civil Rights Division looks forward to continuing to aggressively protecting the civil rights of Americans,” she said in a statement.
But the current and former employees say the extent of the repurposing of the Civil Rights Division stands out. \u201cIf regular Americans think that this administration is going to protect their rights, they\u2019re just wrong,” a recently departed division lawyer said.
Read the full story here.<\/strong><\/a>
Protesters are making plans to build tent city encampments at Columbia University<\/strong><\/a> this week in protest of the war in Gaza. According to three people familiar with the planning and a recording of a meeting shared with NBC News, organizers expect to erect two separate encampments on the main campus and the site of the university\u2019s business school.
Over 100 people attended a coordination meeting Tuesday night where students used code names and wore masks to conceal their identities.
“Any action that we do will bring police, will bring repression and we thought about that deeply and we’re aware of that,” a speaker at the meeting said to applause.
Organizers distributed several guidelines, obtained by NBC News, to student protestors, covering the legal risks of protesting and best practices for encountering law enforcement. One person at the planning meeting called this year\u2019s planned demonstration \u201cmuch more organized and careful.\u201d
Dozens of students at Columbia were arrested last year after a monthslong campaign of protests over the Israeli military\u2019s response to the Oct. 7 2023 attacks, prompting protests at colleges across the United States and around the world. Demonstrators also urged the school to divest from companies linked to the Israeli government.
The Trump administration suspended several federal grants to Columbia and Princeton<\/strong><\/a>, part of what it says is a broader effort to \u201croot out\u201d antisemitism on college campuses.\u00a0
The president has continued to target other institutions of higher education by giving them a list of policies to adhere to, or face threats to their federal funding. Many universities<\/strong><\/a>, including Harvard, have opposed complying with<\/strong><\/a> Trump to push back against what it calls federal overreach. Columbia University eventually agreed to a list of demands set by the Trump administration to restore the grants.
Read the full story here.<\/strong><\/a>
Russia launched one of the most devastating bombardments<\/strong><\/a> on Ukraine\u2019s major cities since the war began overnight, killing at least nine people. It came hours after President Donald Trump said he believed he had struck deals with both sides to end the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced he was cutting short a trip to South Africa to return home immediately and deal with the \u201cdestruction\u201d in his country.
\u201cRussia continues to kill people and avoid tough pressure and accountability for this,\u201d he said Thursday. \u201cUnfortunately, there is a lot of destruction. Rescue operations are ongoing, the rubble of buildings is being cleared.\u201d
The attacks follow the latest conflicting and often contradictory statements in the U.S.-brokered peace talks.
On Wednesday, Trump said in the Oval Office that \u201cI think we have a deal with both\u201d sides \u2014 before suggesting that an agreement with Ukraine was still pending.
\u201cI thought it might be easier to deal with Zelenskyy,\u201d he said. \u201cSo far, it\u2019s been harder.\u201d
Special envoy Steve Witkoff is set to travel to Moscow this week to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the talks, the White House said Tuesday. Plane spotters using the website FlightRadar24 said they had tracked a plane matching one previously used by Witkoff flying from Paris to Moscow overnight.
Read the full story here.<\/strong><\/a>
The\u00a0NFL draft kicks off in Lambeau Field, Wisconsin<\/strong><\/a>, with the Tennessee Titans on the clock. Tennessee general manager Mike Borgonzi said the team \u201chas come to a consensus\u201d for the No. 1 pick. Still, many questions remain: Will the Cleveland Browns take a quarterback prospect or build up their defensive roster? Will\u00a0Shedeur Sanders<\/strong><\/a>, son of NFL legend Deion Sanders, pave his own way in the spotlight and get picked up in the first round?\u00a0
These questions and more will be answered tonight. <\/strong>Read the full story here.<\/strong><\/a>
More NFL draft news:<\/strong>
America\u2019s farmers are battling more than just the elements this planting season. They say manufacturers are\u00a0making repairs for agricultural equipment costly<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and difficult to access, and it\u2019s affecting their livelihoods.
While their tractors are idle, they\u2019re headed to the courtroom at full throttle. Hundreds of farmers are embroiled in class action lawsuits against John Deere, accusing the agricultural giant of limiting access to critical repair software. Now the Federal Trade Commission is accusing Deere of illegally monopolizing repair services. We spoke with farmers, independent mechanics, and activists fighting for the \u201cright-to-repair,\u201d who told us why this isn\u2019t just an issue for farmers. It affects all of us as consumers.
\u2014\u00a0Natalie Kainz,<\/strong>\u00a0production assistant\u00a0
In Duluth, Georgia, teens are learning how to check vitals, take EKGs and care for patients as part of their public school education. The $38 million McClure Health Science School prepares students for healthcare careers through hands-on learning and partnerships with local hospitals. \u201cWhen you take a child or a student, and they are getting a chance to put their hands on it and do it \u2014 whether they succeed or fail at using it \u2014 they\u2019re gaining so much more knowledge than what they would ever get from a piece of paper,\u201d McClure teacher James Boulware said. Students typically graduate with certifications that they can use to immediately start working or expand on in college.\u00a0<\/strong>See<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>how the school is giving teens a head start in their medical careers.
NBCU Academy<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0is a free, award-winning education program for developing new skills and advancing careers in journalism, media and tech.<\/em>
\u200aTalking Shop is an NBC Select series where we talk to interesting people about their most interesting buys. We recently spoke with\u00a0Blueland founder Sarah Paiji Yoo<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0about her favorite cropped shirts, air purifiers, reusable straws and much more. Plus, we tested dozens of\u00a0workout headphones<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0to find the best options on the market.
\u200aSign up to The Selection<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0newsletter for hands-on product reviews, expert shopping tips and a look at the best deals and sales each week.<\/em>
\u200aThanks for reading today\u2019s Morning Rundown. Today\u2019s newsletter was curated for you by Kaylah Jackson. If you\u2019re a fan, please send a link to your family and friends. They can sign up <\/em>here<\/em><\/a>.<\/em>
Kaylah Jackson is a platforms editor for NBC News, based in Los Angeles.
© 2025 NBCUniversal Media, LLC<\/p>\n

source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Morning Rundown: Trump upends DOJ\u2019s Civil Rights Division, NFL Draft what to know, and Ukraine\u2019s cities pummeled as talks go on ProfileSectionsLocaltvFeaturedMore From NBCFollow NBC News news AlertsThere are no new alerts at this timeIn today\u2019s newsletter:\u00a0President Donald Trump takes the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division in an unfamiliar, concerning direction, according to current […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":134905,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-134904","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-us","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134904","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=134904"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134904\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/134905"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=134904"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=134904"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=134904"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}