Police have arrested more than 2,000 people during pro-Palestinian protests at college campuses across the United States in recent weeks. That's according to a tally by The Associated Press. Demonstrations and arrests have occurred in almost every corner of the nation. But in the last 24 hours, they’ve drawn the most attention at the University of California, Los Angeles, where chaotic scenes played out early Thursday as officers in riot gear surged against a crowd of demonstrators. The California Highway Patrol has said at least 200 people were arrested in the crackdown at UCLA.

NEW YORK (AP) — Ordered by police to leave the scene of a UCLA campus protest after violence broke out, Catherine Hamilton and three colleagues from the Daily Bruin suddenly found themselves surrounded by demonstrators who beat, kicked and sprayed them with a noxious chemical.

For the past 52 years, the United Methodist Church had officially declared “the practice of homosexuality ... incompatible with Christian teaching.” But that has ended now that church delegates removed that phrase from their official social teachings at their legislative General Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina. The action comes a day after delegates removed a ban on LGBTQ clergy. The delegates have replaced the denomination's non-binding Social Principles with a new document. It defines marriage as a covenant between “two people of faith,” without limiting it to a man and a woman. The progressive shift follows the departure of a quarter of U.S. congregations in the United Methodist Church amid disputes over LGBTQ issues.

A Maryland transportation official says the state plans to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge in just over four years at an estimated cost between $1.7 billion and $1.9 billion. Transportation department spokesman David Broughton said Thursday the state plans to build a new span by fall of 2028. As salvage efforts continue, authorities also announced late Wednesday they had recovered the body of a fifth person who died in the March 26 collapse. Meanwhile, the broker for the bridge’s insurance policy confirmed Thursday that a $350 million payout will be made to the state of Maryland.