Of violent clashes with protesters breaking barricades and Fire Crackers going off. Where do things go from here . Plus, Columbia University asking police to stay on campus for weeks after a chaotic night where officers went into a building where protesters were barricaded. The school now going remote for the rest of the semester. And donald trump taking advantage of a day off from court. The former president plans miz his First Campaign rally since his criminal trial began. Were live in battleground, wisconsin. And a new decision from the Federal Reserve on Interest Rates. What it means for your bottom line and the never ending battle against inflation. Our nbc News Reporters are following all of the latest developments. We begin with nbcs Steve Patterson who is at ucla where police are standing by. Steve, whats the latest there . Chris, the latest is happening behind me right now. Its the most action we have seen all day. Im going to step off and show it to you. Take a look. You can see some of the protesters are reestablishing the gates that were torn down. They have been zip tying them over the last few minutes, putting back boards that were covering this encampment. Creating a barrier between the rest of the campus, and what has been this established encampment for probably about a week or so now. This was absolute chaos. You may see some of the materials on the ground. They were essentially used as weapons last night. Boards. Sticks, pipes, were hearing that Fire Crackers were thrown into that academy. Were hearing that metal pipes may be used, irritants like pepper spray may be deployed in the crowd. This all happened at 11 00 last night, as a flood of counter protesters came into the zone and wreaked havoc as protesters fought back. And the students that i spoke to say that happened for hours before there was a police response. Here are some of the students and firsthand accounts of what happened. Listen to this. It really got violent. Ill say that for a fact. I never seen this tension at all, but, yeah, no, it did really get ugly. The police just waited there. They didnt do nothing. When the guys found out the police werent going to do nothing, they came back and started doing more stuff, start all over again. Its kind of just escalated. Theres been pepper spray thrown multiple times. Bats, cones, things are flying. Im shocked. Im saddened. Reporter i mentioned a delayed response. This comes from a student i spoke to that you just saw on screen. This comes from protesters who were just kind of shouting it at us today, when police arrived, it was hours after the fight had already started and had been established for hours. And then when police were actually on scene, it took some time for them to intervene. That has been what weve heard kind of off and on all day long. Were also now hearing from the office of the governor who has just spoken out on this, just releasing a statement saying, quote, the limited and delayed campus Law Enforcement response at Ucla Last Night was unacceptable and it demands answers. As soon as it became clear that State Assistance was needed to support a local response, our office immediately deployed chp personnel to campus. Here now is the governor commenting on this after several students have. It is the biggest point of convention that we have heard so far on the ground after this response. Meanwhile, its been serene since then. It is peaceful. Theres a Large Police Presence here. I see sheriffs deputies. Lapd, they have been here all day long. Meanwhile, campus is shut down for most of the day, all classes canceled due to this explosion of violence that we saw last night. Chris. Steve patterson, thank you. Lets go to Columbia University now, where the school just made a major announcement that will affect nearly every student at the school. Let me go to nbcs rehema ellis who is on scene there. Whats the latest . Chris, i can tell you, its anger and disappointment. Some are very angry that the university called nypd on to this campus to disburse protesters. In fact, several Faculty Members came out and talked about how ashamed they were of what happened on this campus last night. And so they were angry. But there were also some other students here who have said they are disappointed it didnt happen sooner. They are looking for a more peaceful protest that they think didnt happen. Listen to two students we talked to of two different sides of their reaction to what happened on this campus. Take a listen. I am ashamed of the way that the administration has handled this protest. Its important to stand up for students and important to stand up and say that we should not have cops on our campus, its a threat to everybodys safety. I think the administration has done a pretty good job to try to mitigate this issue, to hopefully progress towards a nice commencement ceremony. Reporter we should tell you that it is peaceful on the campus. While the tents have come down and there are no protesters inside on the campus grounds. We should also tell you, 119 people were arrested, from the time at 9 00 they went on to the campus in full force, they had the situation contained in two hours. The mayor of new york said there were no major injuries or violence. However, we talked to a student who was arrested for trespassing who says she suffered two broken fingers and was knocked to the ground, and she felt she was sorely mistreated by the police. She thought it was unnecessary. Two sides of how people are looking at this. At the moment, there is peace on the campus grounds. Police are also going to stay here, chris, they say, through may 15th, which is Graduation Day because they have been invited to stay. And they will stay here even two days after that until may 17th for any other kind of commencement activities that may go on. So anger and disappointment here on this campus, but at the same time, theres also peace on the campus grounds. Chris . Rehema ellis, thank you. Lets go to wisconsin now where donald trump is set to take the stage for his first rally since the start of his new york criminal trial. Nbcs Shaquille Brewster is live in wisconsin for us. Shaq, what are you hearing from voters there . Reporter hi there, chris. For folks inside the room, theres a lot of excitement, especially the fact thank you very much donald trump not in trial, not in a courtroom, and instead, back on the campaign trail. Based on prepared remarks we just got from the former president , we can expect to hear him talk about the economy, talk about inflation and the impact its having on people. You can expect to hear him dismiss the job numbers, low unemployment, and essentially say thats fake, this is an economy hurting people. Based on his social media, dont be surprised if you hear about the trial as he is on that stage behind me. Ill tell you its a topic that has come up with supporters outside of this venue, of people in this battleground state, in this crucial county in this Battle Ground state. I want you to listen to some of the conversations i have been having with people, starting with the whom who says she has been shifted away from donald trump because of the courtroom battles. You think you sided with donald trump . Yes, i believe so. Reporter why are you changing it . Why do you think you might change it this time around . Because of his trial going on. I guess i dont want somebody who has been through a trial for criminal offenses to be my president of the United States. I am unmoved, the trial seems to be more of a kangaroo court, and i dont take it seriously, and i think very few people do. Its not too glaring to me that it would stop me from voting for him or anything like that. Reporter meanwhile, the Biden Campaign is using trumps visit to essentially Counter Program and highlight a message of abortion. We saw that in terms of a Press Conference earlier today. We see that in billboards that they have launched in this state tied to Donald Trumps visit. Its a preview of those battle lines that we can expect to see in these Battleground States for months to come with one candidate having to go back and forth between the legal battles and the campaign trail. Another candidate trying to focus on issues that folks in this state have said matter to them a lot. Back to you. Shaquille brewster, thank you. And we have Breaking News now, the fed has just released its latest Interest Rate decision. I want to bring in nbcs brian cheung. I tried to do a quick read on cnbc. Im not sure i understand 100 exactly what happened with this statement, so fill us in. I mean, the broad takeway is that the Federal Reserve did not do anything with Interest Rates. They held them steady, currently between 5 1 4 and 5 1 2 . You can see on the chart ahead of you. The big story is the Federal Reserve has been trying to raise Interest Rates, to get inflation down. Your credit card rates, mortgage rates, have been elevated since the beginning of 2023. What the Federal Reserve is trying to see is have they actually succeeded in getting inflation down. The yearly rate of inflation measured by the Consumer Price index has gone up from 3. 1 to 3. 5 as of the last reading. For the Federal Reserve, were going to hold the Interest Rates, high, were not going to cut. Market pricing suggests that the first Interest Rate cut might not come until september, chris. Brian cheung, thank you so much. In 60 seconds, what the nypd is saying about outside agitators who affected the protests at Columbia University. Weve got that coming up next. G. With nurtec odt, i found relief. The only migraine medication that helps treat and prevent, all in one. To those with migraine, i see you. For the acute treatment of migraine with or without aura and the preventive treatment of Episodic Migraine in adults. Dont take if allergic to nurtec odt. Allergic reactions can occur, even days after using. Most common side effects were nausea, indigestion, and stomach pain. Its time we all shine. Talk to a Healthcare Provider about nurtec odt from pfizer. My frequent heartburn had me taking antacid after antacid all day long but with prilosec otc just one pill a day blocks heartburn for a full 24 hours. For one and done heartburn relief, prilosec otc. One pill a day, 24 hours, zero heartburn. The future is not just going to happen. You have to make it. And if you want a successful business, all it takes is an idea, and now becomes the future where you grew a dream into a reality. The all new godaddy airo. Put your Business Online in minutes with the power of ai. Officers with riot shields moved in to clear the crowds of protesters at the University Of Wisconsin Madison just this morning after broadcasting a recorded final warning for them to disburse. 34 people were arrested. 4 officers were injured. At the university of arizona, an encampment of pro Palestinian Protesters was removed after some heated moments that included officers in gas masks using chemical irritants. Confrontations also unfolded at the university of North Carolina chapel hill where Officials Say protesters broke through barriers, replaced an American Flag in the center of campus with the palestinian one, and threw Water Bottles at officers. Dozens of students were detained throughout the day. Nbcs sam brock is on campus at unc chapel hill. Also with us, eugene robinson, and nbcs tom winter who has been following the protests at columbia. Sam, get us up to speed, whats the situation looking like where you are . Reporter what a contrast from 24 hours ago. Uncs campus and the quad im standing is a portrait in peacefulnessment looking around peacefulness, looking around at students in caps. Its much more than what you described in terms of throwing Water Bottles, but physical confrontations between pro palestinian demonstrators and Law Enforcement here that involved tussles, students being physically thrown to the ground. One video appears to show an officer tugging one woman by her hair. A whole assembly of things going on here. As far as today, whats happening today, police have tightened up some of their presence. We have seen a lot more in the last couple of hours. Again, theres no signs of a protest imminent. Unc Students For Justice In Palestine say they are in standing in solidarity with those in gaza who are suffering and calling for divestment of any vehicle that supports israel. The university has said, thats fine, you have freedom of speech. You have freedom of assembly. What were saying is you cant encamp yourselves in the middle of the quad and stay there for days. There was a fiveday long encampment. The first wave started yesterday morning when police came in at 6 00 a. M. And broke that up. As you mentioned, youre looking at the video of barriers being pulled back and forth, it was over this, the flag, the American Flag that came down not just once but twice, by the way, then reinstated, pulled back up. Its at half mass today, and that is notable because of the four Law Enforcement officers slain earlier this week in what was a tragic event, one of the deadliest we have seen in the Law Enforcement community in years. Thats still a presence very much in this part of North Carolina. As these protests are going on. I want to get to the numbers from yesterday. University police disclosed this, they detained 36 people in total, 30 were cited on the spot for trespassing and released. Ten unc students, 20 who were not, and those transported to a local magistrates office, three were unc students, three were not. They were charged with trespassing. Thats a snapshot. There were hundreds of people out here yesterday. Hard to say exactly what that dynamic was. Its clear at least among that group, 2 3 of it was not even students. Back to you. Thank you so much for that. Tom, let me move over to what happened last night, a much larger situation, far more arrests at columbia. Theres a theme emerging at a number of places is officials are saying, police are saying that many of the people are not students. Theyre calling them outside agitators, other phrases for them. What do we really know . I spoke to Deputy CommissionerRebecca Winer from the nypd, and the concern she had and one of the reasons why they held that Press Conference last night and put out a video, they were concerned about the change at Hamilton Hall. And specifically, the presence of several individuals that they say, the nypd says have been on their radar for a number of years who show up at these things and dont have any particular ideology. Its pro israel today, Pro Palestine tomorrow. Something else next week. Its not about the ideology. Its not about the message. Its not about taking a stand. Its about trying to engage with Law Enforcement in a potentially violent way. In order to get the viral moment that it will cascade across the internet. They highlighted one woman who has made it a career according to her web site basically telling people how to engage in these, perhaps, more confrontational protests, and thats something the nypd could be looking at here as far as one of those outsiders who could help kind of foster the environment they were starting to see that really concerned them in Hamilton Hall yesterday. There has been some criticism about something that the Deputy Commissioner of the nypd showed on morning joe this morning, which is this lock and this chain that was found on campus. Some people say, well, thats a bike lock that you can buy at columbia. What do you mean thats coming from an outsider. The fact that it was used and Heavy Chain Set that was used, according to the nypd, those type of techniques, taking out cameras, setting up barricades, turning over the furniture and zip tying it together, and creating a class of confrontation, thats the type of techniques they say they saw that concerned them, and thats what theyre point to go from outsiders, not where a specific lock or chain came from, but just the overall message of this was something that went beyond people protesting for a cause in their eyes. Is it their suggestion that if not for these outsiders, what we saw would not have happened . I think so. I think if you look at the progression of efferents here, the nypd said if columbia wants us to come in, they have to invite us in. Unless theres a risk to a life or a complaint of a crime, we cant go there anywhere because of the history with the new Yor