What's Happening
International
Another Confrontation in the Oval
What's going on: President Donald Trump dimmed the lights in the Oval Office Wednesday, but not the tension. While hosting South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Trump queued up video clips that alleged white farmers in South Africa face violent attacks. He then used the footage to falsely claim that a “white genocide” is taking place, even though official data shows white South Africans aren’t killed at higher rates than other racial groups. (Billionaire Elon Musk, who was born in South Africa and has pushed similar claims, sat in on the meeting.) Ramaphosa, who hoped to reset US-South African relations, denied Trump’s claims and denounced the language in the videos (at one point he seemed to try to cut the tension by joking, “I am sorry I don’t have a plane to give you.”)
What it means: Analysts say Trump’s revival of a long-debunked conspiracy highlights a selective refugee policy — one that welcomes white South Africans while shutting out refugees from elsewhere. The moment fits a broader pattern. On the campaign trail, Trump echoed the racist “great replacement” theory, which claims there’s a plot to flood the US with nonwhite immigrants to undermine white voters. His meeting with Ramaphosa also follows a similarly charged talk with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Critics say Trump’s Oval Office theatrics show how he’s turning diplomacy into performance.
Related: The Pentagon Officially Accepted That $400 Million Megajet From Qatar (NBC)
US News
Authorities Investigate Deadly Shooting of Israeli Embassy Staff Members
What's going on: Two Israeli Embassy staffers were shot and killed Wednesday evening outside an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC. Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said the 30-year-old suspect shouted “free Palestine” while in custody. Officials are investigating the shooting as a possible antisemitic act of terrorism, according to The Wall Street Journal. Police said there was no ongoing threat to the community. In a social media post, President Donald Trump condemned the shooting, saying, “Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA.”
Tell me more: Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter said the man and woman who were killed were set to be engaged next week in Jerusalem. Meanwhile, Attorney General Pam Bondi said federal agencies will work with local authorities on the investigation. The shooting comes amid heightened tensions in the US, as the ongoing Israel-Hamas war has sparked protests outside embassies and on college campuses. It also comes amid a rise in antisemitism in the US, with the number of reported incidents reaching a record high last year.
Related: Netanyahu Says He’ll Fight Until All of Gaza Is Under Israeli Control (BBC)
US News
Even More Abortion Protections Just Got Tossed
What's going on: Most US employers will no longer have to provide abortion-related accommodations to workers. Yesterday, a federal judge in Louisiana struck down a rule requiring employers with 15+ workers to provide things like time off for abortions. The judge said the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) went too far when it included abortion as a pregnancy-related condition in the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act — a law Congress passed in late 2022 with broad bipartisan support. The judge ruled in favor of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Catholic groups, which argued that abortion wasn’t listed in the law and that Congress wouldn’t have left something so divisive open to interpretation.
What it means: The ruling only blocks the abortion-related part of the law. The rest of the act — which covers things like breaks, light duty, or time off for pregnancy-related needs — still stands. While Louisiana’s attorney general cheered the decision as “a win for life,” abortion rights groups called it another attack on reproductive freedom, especially for workers in states with bans. The impact extends beyond just this case — similar lawsuits challenging the abortion provision are underway. Meanwhile, the decision could be a preview of how the Trump administration plans to reshape workplace civil rights. President Donald Trump has already removed two Democratic commissioners from the EEOC and plans to install a Republican majority, which could rewrite more regulations.
Related: Days Before Floyd Anniversary, DOJ Scraps Federal Oversight of Police in Minneapolis, Louisville (Axios)
Game Time
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