Columbia announces new policies, including a mask ban and increased police authority, in an effort to regain $400 million in federal funding.

Happening in the World: Israel’s military struck the surgical building of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on Sunday night, killing one person, injuring others, and causing a large fire, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The hospital had already been overwhelmed since Israel resumed the war in Gaza last week with a surprise wave of airstrikes. Israel’s military confirmed the strike on the hospital, saying it hit a Hamas militant operating there. Israel blames civilian deaths on Hamas because it operates in densely populated areas. (AP) 

Happening in the US: Cornell student activist Momodou Taal, who helped lead pro-Palestinian protests last year and sued the Trump administration this month over actions aimed at student protesters, was asked by The Department of Justice to surrender to immigration authorities on Friday, according to a new court filing. Momodou Taal is a PhD student with a US visa and a dual citizen of the UK and Gambia. “It is not yet clear what grounds for removal the government alleges exist here,” Taal’s attorney, Eric Lee, said in his court filing on Friday. (NBC) 

Happening in NYC: Columbia bowed to many of President Donald Trump’s demands on Friday in a bid to restore $400 million in federal funding. Interim President Katrina Armstrong announced a campus mask ban with exceptions for religious and medical reasons, the training of 36 campus police officers with arrest authority, and a senior vice provost’s appointment to review the Middle East studies department. Columbia wrote on its website that it would develop new coursework for Middle East studies and embark on a “larger mapping” of offerings to ensure they adhere to standards of “excellence and fairness.” (Gothamist)

Happening in Our Community: “Civic Space Under Autocracy: Tactics for Repression and Resistance,” an event featuring Mandeep Tiwana, Interim Co-Secretary General, CIVICUS, will discuss trends of authoritarian government behavior and the activists who fight against it on Wednesday, March 26, from 12:10 to 1:10 pm at William and June Warren Hall, room 417. Register here.

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to clarify new University policies.

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