☕ The arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, explained

Good morning!

A quick bit of tech news for you this morning: there are new reports Apple is bringing live translation to AirPods. They won’t be the first to do this - Google’s Pixel Buds have been translating conversations since 2017 - but it’s nonetheless a big move for the highest-selling headphones in the world. According to media reports, it’ll be part of an iOS update to be released later this year. The company is yet to confirm or deny.

I’ve got 30 seconds

Some headlines from this morning:

• An American Airlines plane has caught fire on the tarmac at Denver International Airport, forcing passengers to evacuate. The plane, which had taken off from Dallas with 172 passengers and six crew on board, was headed for Colorado Springs before making an emergency stop in Denver when crew reported “engine vibrations”. 12 passengers were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. Ground crews extinguished the blaze, and an investigation into the incident has begun.

• Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has officially announced he will not contest the open Senate seat in Michigan, with many members of Buttigieg’s Democratic Party suggesting the move is early preparation for a 2028 presidential run. In a statement posted on social media, Buttigieg said: “I care deeply about who Michigan will elect as Governor and send to the U.S. Senate next year, but I have decided against competing in either race”.

• Donatella Versace has stepped down as Versace’s Chief Creative Officer, leaving the top position at the luxury Italian brand open for the first time in 30 years. The news comes as the brand struggles to keep up with newer designer fashion labels and reports surface that historic rival, Prada, has offered to buy Versace for $1.6bn. Stepping into the role, last left vacant when Ms Versace’s brother was gunned down in 1997, is Dario Vitale. Vitale occupied a similar role at Versace’s subsidiary fashion brand, Miu Miu.

• President Trump has threatened to impose a 200% tariff on European alcohol, escalating the US-EU trade war, which started with the administration’s global 25% metals tariff. The President announced this latest escalation on Truth Social, in response to Europe's plan to tax all US whiskey at 50%, calling the tax “nasty” and demanding its removal. Wine is Europe’s biggest export to the US, and the tariff would affect $4.89bn worth of wine. Overnight, EU and US officials announced negotiations to avoid further tariffs as the trade war continues to influence a downward spiral in global markets.

I’ve got 1 minute

A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to reinstate thousands of fired employees across six key agencies after they were originally sacked as part of the administration’s effort to reduce the expenditure of the federal workforce.

The ruling does not apply to all sacked workers, but only those who were in a probationary period. However, Judge William Alsup signaled his written ruling, to be handed down at a later date, may broaden the scope of those covered to include other employees.

The ruling is a significant setback to President Trump’s efforts to reduce the federal workforce and cut spending.

Who are the fired employees?

In February, the Office of Personnel Management told agencies to terminate all probationary employees citing “poor performance” as the reason for dismissal. Probationary employees are usually in their first year of employment and under a contractual ‘trial period’ which suspends legal protections against termination.

There were up to 200,000 probationary federal employees at the time of the direction.

The employees being offered their jobs back are in the Treasury, Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy or Interior Departments.

Why could they be offered their jobs back?

A coalition of labor unions challenged the legality of the firings, arguing the OPM didn’t have the legal authority to order the terminations. Judge Alsup agreed, ruling the firings were directly on the instruction from the OPM. was convinced that the firings resulted from department heads following the OPM direction. Alsup stressed that only the government agencies themselves have broad authority to hire and fire employees.

Alsup was critical of the OPM direction, calling it a “gimmick” that “[tried] to avoid statutory requirements.”

Will it stick?

Whilst unions celebrated the ruling, Judge Alsup warned that there are still legal ways to carry out mass firings, saying, “if it’s done right, there can be a reduction in force within an agency, that has to be true.”

The OPM’s imposed a deadline for all federal agencies to submit their plans for reductions in the size of the workforce, which expired yesterday.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has immediately filed for an injunction and appeal of the decision. White House Press Secretary Karoline Levitt said “singular district court judges cannot abuse the power of the entire judiciary to thwart the President’s agenda."

I’ve got 2 minutes

Over 100 people staged a sit-in at Trump Tower in Manhattan to protest the arrest and potential deportation of activist Mahmoud Khalil. The Department of Homeland Security accuses Khalil of "leading activities aligned to Hamas", who are designated as a terrorist organization by the US.

Khalil gained national attention as spokesperson for a pro-Palestine group behind protests at Columbia University last year.

President Trump called the arrest the first step in his crackdown on students involved in the nationwide protests last year, accusing them of “pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity.”

Khalil is a permanent resident and therefore generally protected from deportation. The lawsuit challenging the deportation will revolve around immigration law and free speech.

What were these protests?

On October 7, 2023, Hamas, a Palestinian terrorist group, killed 1,200 Israelis and took hundreds hostage in a coordinated attack. Israel responded with a military offensive in Gaza, killing an estimated 50,000 Palestinians. Ceasefire talks are ongoing.

In April, Columbia students demanded the university cut financial ties with Israel, and Israeli institutions, over its actions in Gaza. When their demands were ignored, students set up encampments on campus, disrupting campus life. The protest sparked similar actions nationwide, leading to over 2,000 arrests as police cleared the demonstration sites.

The protests triggered national debate. Supporters defended free speech and the right to protest, while critics, including now-President Trump, labelled them as Hamas-backed and antisemitic. Concerns were raised when Jewish students reported antisemitism and feeling unsafe on campuses when protests were held.

What did Khalil do?

Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian raised in Syria, graduated from Columbia University in December and is expecting a child with his American-born wife next month.

His role in the Columbia protests is disputed. Critics of Khalil say he led the student group Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), which organized the protests. Khalil insists he was only a spokesperson and mediator, telling the BBC he avoided direct action fearing it would impact his visa status.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Levitt described Khalil as someone who “‘...harassed Jewish American students and … distributed pro-Hamas propaganda fliers with the logo of Hamas.”

What happened?

Mahmoud Khalil was arrested Monday outside his apartment complex by plainclothes immigration officials, flown to Louisiana, and detained. A federal judge has temporarily halted his deportation while reviewing the case.

The Trump administration is believed to have invoked a rarely used law allowing deportation of permanent residents whose presence in the country poses “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences.”

What is next?

Mr Khalil will remain in immigration detention until the judge determines the legality of his deportation. is legal or not. Protests have been occurring since Monday, with yesterday’s protest in Trump tower resulting in several arrests.

The case will be watched closely, with Khalil’s lawyers mounting a defense centered on the constitutional right to free speech.