Protest at Route 17 Tesla dealership
Hundreds of people were at the Tesla dealership on Route 17 in Paramus N.J., on Saturday to display both support and disapproval of Elon Musk and the Trump administration.
The day was originally scheduled to be a protest against Musk and Tesla beginning at noon, but the protestors were met by President Donald Trump and Musk supporters, creating a heated divide among attendees.
While the display was filled with signs, chants and heated exchanges between the two sides, the protest remained relatively peaceful with no arrests or fights erupting. Billy Prempeh, a conservative who unsuccessfully ran for congress in New Jersey’s ninth district last fall, was present to display support for Trump and Musk.
The protest at Route 17’s dealership was just one of many across the country on Saturday as opponents of Musk expressed their discontent with the newly established Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, and the budgets being slashed by it. Musk has said publicly that he plans for DOGE to cut over $1 trillion from the United States’ budget by next month.
Two Minnesota students detained by ICE
A student at Minnesota State University Mankato was detained on Monday for reasons that university President Edward Inch said are “unclear.” In a letter sent to students on Monday afternoon, Inch said that his school did not receive any information on the detention and that he “reached out to our elected officials from both the state and federal level to share my concern and ask for their help in curbing this activity within our campus community of learners.”
Monday’s arrest comes less than a week after a University of Minnesota graduate student was detained by ICE on Thursday. In a letter to the student body, university President Rebecca Cunningham called the situation “deeply concerning,” and noted that “campus departments of public safety, including UMPD, do not enforce federal immigration laws, and our officers do not inquire about an individual’s immigration status.”
On Monday afternoon, it was reported that last week’s detention was due to a drunk driving arrest, rather than involvement in student protests. As for the student detained at Mankato, the reason is still unclear. The Associated Press reported Friday that at least nine people with ties to American Universities have been detained by the Trump administration, with a majority showing support for pro-Palestinian causes.
Planned Parenthood faces funding pause
Planned Parenthood became the latest organization to face funding cuts from the Trump administration on Monday, seeing tens of millions of dollars be “temporarily withheld.” The announcement came in a letter sent to nine Planned Parenthood state affiliates that receive federal funding through Title X, which was established in 1970 to provide family planning and preventative health services.
The notice that was sent to clinics pointed to “possible violations” of Trump’s executive orders, including prohibitions on the promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion and “taxpayer subsidization of open borders.”
The letter cited the mission statements of Planned Parenthood clinics, as well as documents that stress a “commitment to Black communities.” Another point of emphasis from the message was regarding their willingness to serve undocumented immigrants, saying that the company “overtly encourages illegal aliens to receive care.”
Myanmar earthquake death toll exceeds 2,000
Friday’s 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar has continued to take its toll on the country as rescue teams still search for over 270 missing people. At a press conference on Monday, officials said the death toll from the natural disaster had reached at least 2,056 people and led to over 3,900 injuries.
A report from the World Health Organization stated that three hospitals had been destroyed, while 22 other hospitals sustained damage, making recovery efforts even more difficult. Among the most affected parts of the country were the cities and states of Bago, Magway, Mandalay, Nay Pyi Taw, Shan South and East Sagaing.
Mandalay currently has the highest number of deaths with at least 1,790. The U.S. Geological Survey estimated that the death toll could eventually reach over 10,000.
wjackso2@ramapo.edu
Featured photo by Nitin Shukla
