Where the lead with jake tapper starts right now this is cnn breaking news welcome to the leading. Im jake tapper and we are following a breaking news coast to coast, large propalestinian protest underway right now across Us College Campuses and universities after weeks of tension over the israelhamas war or at the University Of Texas at austin reports today of quote, tense interactions and physical struggles. Texas state troopers and riot gear, some on horseback started breaking up a group group of propalestinian protests. Bruce, were going to begin today with cnns nick watt reporting live from a protest at the university of Southern California in los angeles. Nick, describe what youve been seeing. Have there been has there been any violence have there been any arrests yes. To both of those right now, jake, we are in a bit of a lull. There are dozens of lapd squad cars parked just offcampus waiting. Now, earlier this morning, this was pretty peaceful until College Security tried to move in to clear this grassy area of tents it very quickly got ugly. There was cursing, there was pushing the were shoving. It was an ugly scene. One older Security Officer i saw being pushed backwards by a group of younger protesters. He was trying to keep them at arms length, then an arrest was made that arrested protester was taken to a police car, and that car does then surrounded. So it could not leave the area the crowd were chanting. Let him go, let him go. And you know what, eventually they did. We spoke with seasoned lapd detective who when he arrived, he realized that jews wasnt worth the squeeze, that it was not worth keeping that protester in custody today for a relatively minor offense because of the absolute chaos, it was greatly so that protester was released. And now we have a loud but peaceful protest marching around this area of ghraieb. Now, the lapd here is here because they have been asked by usc to come in im clear this area of tents. Frankly, protesters have already cleared much of it already, so it is unclear if the lapd will actually have to come on as you are seeing right now, it is a peaceful protests. Now if some of the tshirt, some of the banners suggest a slightly superficial understanding if the history and the reality, but these are some serially held beliefs, and these people here say they are here in solidarity with what has been happening at columbia and elsewhere in the country. They say they will not stop, they will not rest. So all right. Lets see how it plays out right now. Allow that, hopefully lasts. All right. Nick wide at the usc campus in la. You House Speaker mike johnson is in New York City right now, live in Columbia University. Etthe heart of this university. And that is, thate are in by our creator with Certn Unalienable Rights they should not be infried. Thfounders and e great leaders who had come through this instution in believed in Democry SoheyLieved Imorali and virtue, and the dignity of evy human person. They lieved in the Free Exchange of ideas and they detested bob rule. We are standing here right now on the steps of the lowe library in this very building right behind us. Columbia university once awarded Winston Churchill an Honorary Degree and it was churchill who said, it is manifestly right . That jews should have a National Home where they may be reunited we believe in that principle and today, im here to proclaim to all those who nash their teeth and demand to wipe the state of israel off the map an attack our innocent jewish students this simple truth, neither israel nor these jewish students on this campus will ever stand alone today hamas issued an Endorsement Statement of the protesters on this campus. They call them the future leaders of america. It is detestable all of this has to be said because the cherished traditions of this university are being overtaken right now by radical and extreme ideologies they place a target on the Backs Of Jewish students in the United States. And here on this campus a growing number of students have chanted in support of terrorist. They have chased down jewish students they have mocked them in the revivim, the have shouted racial epithets. They have screamed at those who bear The Star Of David enjoy your free speech theyve told jewish students who wear the star david to leave the country and shamefully some professors and faculty of join the mobs things have gotten so Out Of Control that the schools canceled inperson classes and now theyve come up with the hybrid model where they will discriminate against jewish students. They, theyre not allowed to come to class anymore for fear of their lives in detestable as colombia has allowed these lawless agitators and radicals to take over, the virus of antisemitism has spread across other campuses by some counts, as many as 200 universities have a similar form of protest right now at yale, a jewish student was stabbed in the eye with a palestinian flag and 45 students were rested at nyu pro hamas protesters were shouting from the river to the sea antiisrael campus are popping up and universities all across this count the madness has to stop the madness has to stop we just left a meeting with students jewish students who told us that the heinous acts of bigotry that they have experienced simply because of their faith, their bravery is inspiring. Much more inspiring, and some of the activities were seeing here they should never have to confront such hate on an American College campus instead of such a revered Institution Antisemitism has been growing in america, and its clear why powerful people have refused to condemn it. And some have even peddled it themselves from University Professors to Public Officials people in positions of authority have denied the horrific facts of september 11, 2001. The attacks on the United States that happened right here in New York City and theyve attempted to excuse or to ignore the barbaric attack of hamas in israel on october 7, 2023, where israeli women and children were savagely raped and murdered an infants, were cooked and ovens crowds of radical activists and chanted Death To America on our own streets in this country. And sub Public Officials have refused to condemn them. Others have openly defended these acts on campus and the harassing and the intimidation and the threatening of innocent jewish students simply because of who they are they call that peaceful protests. And some of even gone as far as calling for the state of israel will be eliminated these are words we expect from ayatollahs in iran not american lawmakers and not american students. An unsurprisingly, it has given way to threats and violence. In generation of students who feel safe in their own classrooms who dont feel safe in their own classrooms or where they live, or where they worshiped. Let me say this very simply no american of any color or creed should ever have to live under those kinds of threats. That is not who we are in this country sadly columbias administrators have chosen to let the fear and the tim edition of the mob rule to overtake american principles like free speech and the free, Free Exchange of ideas, and the free exercise of religion they have coopted First Amendment arguments to protect genocide and to elevate the voices of antisemitism. They have proven themselves to be incapable of achieving their basic responsibility, which is keeping students safe we just cant allow this kind of Hatred Anatomy Antisemitism to flourish on our campuses. And it must be stopped in its tracks those who are perpetrating this violence should be arrested and im here today. I am here today joining my colleagues and calling on president should to resign. If she can not immediately bring order to this chaos as speaker of the house, im committing today that the congress will not be silent as jewish students are expected to run for their lives and stay home from their classes, hiding and fear in the House Of Representatives, weve already acted to address antisemitism on campuses. We have passed a number of statutes to address this matter, and we call upon the us senate to act upon our legislation. I have a couple of my colleagues here that id like to share a few words. Ill turn it over first to the chair of the house education and Workforce Commission virginia foxx, congresswoman, virginia foxx, North Carolina okay. Youve been listening to a House Speaker mike johnson the republican speaker of the house from louisiana, speaking at the Lowe Library AtColumbia University. He was about to introduce other republican members of congress that came with him up to colombia where theres been a tremendous amount of strife. There have been peaceful protests, there have been antisemitic protests. There have been individually visuals threatening the israeli operation in gaza and all the innocent People Killed there. There have been a number of jewish students who have felt intimidated and threatened by protesters on the campus. I want to go to cnn Shimon Prokupecz at Columbia University right now. Shimon, im not sure if you are able to hear the students that were heckling speaker johnson or not. If you could tell us what they were saying. How are students and faculty reacting to all of everything thats going on today . So i have to tell you, jake, i just is my third day here. The campus is buzzing. I have not seen this many people on campus since ive been here. I was here first came here on sunday, but these are the steps where the speaker was speaking a times you were when you were hearing some of the heck its actually because they couldnt hear what he was saying. The onetime that you did hear them is when he called for the resignation . Of the president of the College Depends Who asd here on Campusbout H TheyeelAbout Thspeaker being here. Certainly th people wve been protesting in the encampment theyre theyre not so happy about his presence. So i wanted to take just quicklyhow you since wereere onhe campus here, where the encampment is, its not very far off from where the speaker is speaking. Its just across here that is the encampment that is where the tense are. That is where the students who have been protesting have been sleeping thank and has been part of so much of the controversy here at the college because they want the tense gone. The college does. They said that theyre violating regulations all right Shimon Prokupecz. Thank you so much. Appreciate it as we were coming to air, i sat down with the governor of pennsylvania, josh shapiro to talk to him about the results of the primary last night in pennsylvania, and also about this news about the antiisrael protests escalating at universities throughout the country governor spirit, thanks so much for doing this. Could be with the president of Columbia University is getting a lot of criticism your fellow democrat from pennsylvania, john fetterman, the senator, has called on her to do her job or resign whats your take . Well, i think we need to restore some order on campuses at columbia and across this country. Certainly students and others have a right to peacefully we protest in adherence with University Policy and the laws of the city and the state. Its there in. I think whats important is that we can allow peaceful protest about a disagreement on policy happening in the middle east to be an excuse for antisemitism or islamophobia on these campuses, we cant allow it to be an excuse that puts certain students at risk to be able to go to classes safely or to be able to warship safely and universities have a responsibility to ensure the safety and wellbeing of their students, and to make sure that the rules of the university are being followed. What i see from afar at some university shes including columbia is a situation that is completely Out Of Control and its incumbent upon the University Leadership to get it under control quickly for the benefit of the students and the people in the region how is it out control . I mean there are lines, everybody its so subjeive. Everybody has their own view. Somebody holds up a sign. I saw one at University Texas earlier today. Thats said Somethinabout Palestine and including the west bank d gaza as ifhat is all palestine does that cross a line . Israeli might say yre saying that isra shouldnt exist anymore there are chance from the river to the sea th some people say just an exprsion about freom. And some people say nothats callinout, lets lling for the elimination of the jewh people and the jewish state where do you draw the line when to be Out Of Control, you take there may be some subjectivity to the speech. I think its clear when youre engaging in antisemitic rhetoric, islamophobia rhetoric, there should be no place trap, but even before you get to whats on the sign or what is coming out in the speech. The active gathering in the way that some of these students have at some of these universities violates University Policy and may violate the rules of that particular city or that particular state that cant be allowed In The Name Of free speech. And i think several of these universities the leaders across the country just simply losing control of the situation. They have a responsibility to keep students safe. Students shouldnt be blocked from going to campus just because theyre jewish are learning in a classroom as opposed to being forced online because theyre jewish, it is simply unacceptable and you know what we have to query whether or not we would tolerate this if this were people dressed up in kkk outfits or kkk regalia, making comments about people who are African American in our communities, certainly not condoning that jake by any stretch. But i think we have to be careful about setting any kind of Double Standard here on our campuses. Weve got to call it up for what it is. And these University Leaders have to make sure there is order on their campuses. So its the progressives that are making the arguments here. This isnt the kkk, the far right. Its progressives. When i posted a picture on x or twitter of a swastika that somebody had drawn on a sign at the synagogue where i was bar mitzvah and winwood, Pennsylvania Outside Philly there were progressives saying on social media well then the Israeli Government shouldnt act like nazis thats where this is coming from. This specific, theres certainly tons of antisemitism on the right, dont get me wrong, and ive heard from them as well. But thats where this antisemitism is coming. The people who are saying hamas, we love you or set telaviv on fire, or call praising october 7, which they call the alaqsa flood. These are these are streets full of progressives and look jake, there are people with strongly held views righteous views, whether you and i agree with them or not is really irrelevant here who really fundamentally disagree with israeli policy. They dont like the direction that things are going in the middle east, and they should have a runny of his israelis would feel that way. But im not even talking about disagreeing with netanyahu. Im talking about whether or not people support terrorists killing civilians where i think that it breaks down and leaves a conversation about policy is when you engage in an antisemitism. I also think that its incumbent upon those who are for out protesting, who are out expressing these views to actually know some history, to actually know how we landed ourselves in this situation in the middle east, to have thoughtful, constructive views on how to see a way forward. Im someone who i see, no nuance when it comes to a conversation about antisemitism, we should all be against it see a lot of nuance in the middle east. I think we should have a twostate solution. I think Benjamin Netanyahu has only been a horrible leader for israel over many, many years predating october 7, he is someone whos leading israel down a dangerous and destructive path. He opposes the very thing im for a twostate solution. Ive got real disagreements with the way the Israeli Government functions when it comes to protecting the rights and freedoms of their people. But there should be no nuance, there should be no daylight between anyone on the left or the right, democrats or republicans, when it comes to standing up and combating antisemitism in our comm