100 days in, Trump’s moves to overhaul election law get pushback from courts, Democrats

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s push to prioritize what he calls “election integrity” is grounded in his continued unfounded contention that he was cheated out of reelection in 2020.

Speaking at a National Republican Congressional Committee dinner on April 8, about five months after winning the 2024 presidential election, it was clear the issue was still on his mind.

“It’s been a brilliant period of years. And we go back to 2016. It was brilliant. Then they stole it from us by illegally rigging the election,” Trump said. “And we did great in that election, but we had to write it off.”

Since returning to office, Trump has taken multiple executive actions related to elections and campaign spending, with Democrats challenging his moves in court. Meanwhile, House Republicans have passed legislation to address one of his priorities: noncitizen voting.

—CQ-Roll Call

New York lawmakers reach deal on ‘bell-to-bell’ school cellphone ban

NEW YORK — New York lawmakers have reached a deal to ban cellphones from “bell to bell” in all public schools statewide, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced.

Starting this September, all school districts will have to implement policies that disconnect students from their devices from “bell to bell,” meaning kids won’t even have access during lunch or free periods. The plan comes with a $13.5 million state investment to help schools collect and store the phones.

“I’m proud that this budget establishes our landmark distraction-free schools policy,” Hochul announced Monday night at the State Capitol. “We protected our kids before from cigarettes, alcohol and drunk driving, and now, we’re protecting them from addictive technology designed to hijack their attention.”

The plan put forward by the governor was originally met with some resistance by state lawmakers, who had reservations about a statewide mandate and sought to limit the restrictions only to classroom time. But by late last month, both chambers had warmed up to the idea of a bell-to-bell policy, the Daily News previously reported.

—New York Daily News

Harvard students must complete anger management for assaulting Jewish student during pro-Palestinian protest

BOSTON — A pair of Harvard students must complete anger management and perform community service for assaulting a Jewish student during a pro-Palestinian protest, a Boston judge has ruled.

Harvard graduate students Elom Tettey-Tamaklo and Ibrahim Bharmal have been ordered to perform 80 hours of community service and complete an anger management program for the October 2023 assault of a student during a protest on the Harvard Business School campus.

The 28-year-old grad students were also ordered to attend an eight-hour class on conflict resolution. Back on Oct. 18, 2023 — in the aftermath of the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel — Tettey-Tamaklo and Bharmal surrounded Jewish student Yoav Segev as he walked through a pro-Palestinian protest on the business school campus.

They covered his head with keffiyehs and shouted “exit” at Segev, the son of Israeli diplomats. They and others surrounded Segev, jostled and assaulted him, chanted “shame, shame, shame” and blocked Segev’s path.

—Boston Herald

The five seconds that plunged Spain into darkness

Spain’s grid operator offered the most detailed account yet of the events that led to a blackout that spilled over to Portugal, describing a series of disruptions over just a few seconds that plunged the country into darkness for hours.

The information still leaves major questions about the root of the faults unanswered, but it shows how stress on the network — which has since been restored — makes it vulnerable and will need investment to become more resilient.

“These are not definitive conclusions, we don’t have the complete information,” Eduardo Prieto, director of services and operations at Spanish grid operator REE, said Tuesday before describing the events that preceded the blackout.

Adding to the confusion was conflicting views over a possible cyberattack. While the grid operator ruled out a hack, public officials were more cautious. A judge in Spain’s national court opened an investigation, and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez pleaded for patience.

—Bloomberg News