Nicole Kidman, who 'makes movies better,' gets AFI Life Achievement Award

Biden and Netanyahu speak as pressure grows on Israel over Rafah invasion and cease-fire talks

Protests are roiling college campuses nationwide as administrators with graduation ceremonies next month face demands that schools cut financial ties to Israel against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war. About 275 people were arrested on Saturday at campuses including Indiana University at Bloomington, Arizona State University and Washington University in St. Louis. Those have pushed the number of arrests nationwide to nearly 900 since New York police removed a pro-Palestinian protest encampment at Columbia University and arrested more than 100 demonstrators on April 18. Since then, students have dug in at dozens of pro-Palestinian encampments around the country, prompting a range of responses from administrators.

Three people are dead in Oklahoma after tornadoes swept through the state, leveling buildings and knocking out power for tens of thousands of residents. Hughes County Emergency Medical Services says one of the deceased was a child and that four other people were injured. Dozens of reported tornadoes have wreaked havoc in the nation’s midsection since Friday. There are flood watches and warnings in effect Sunday for Oklahoma and five other states. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency in 12 counties.

Hundreds of students around the country are being arrested, suspended, put on probation and, in rare cases, expelled from their colleges for participating in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Many are still waiting to hear the full consequences. Their plight has become a central part of the protests this month, with students and a growing number of faculty demanding amnesty for the protesters. At issue is whether universities and law enforcement will clear the students of charges, or whether the suspensions and legal records will follow them into their adult lives.

Nicole Kidman won the AFI Life Achievement Award with a film career that Meryl Streep said is all about love. Streep, who presented the award to her co-star from “The Hours” and “Big Little Lies,” says Kidman's excellence comes not from her willingness to bare her soul, but because she loves acting so much. The 56-year-old, Oscar-winning Australian received the award Saturday night at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Others who praised Kidman during a show that will air in June on TNT included Reese Witherspoon, Morgan Freeman, Zac Efron, Naomi Watts and Kidman's husband, Keith Urban.

U.S. police departments have reported a year-over-year increase in sworn officers for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic and the police killing of George Floyd. A survey released by the Police Executive Research Forum shows more officers were hired in 2023 than in any of the previous four years. It also notes there were fewer retirements and resignations of officers among the 214 law enforcement agencies that responded. Forum Executive Director Chuck Wexler says departments appear to be turning the corner on hiring but aren't out of the woods yet. Departments saw an exodus of officers after the pandemic and Floyd's 2020 death at the hands of Minneapolis police officers.