This is w b Z, Boston's news radio, redefining local news. He's forty one degrees in Boston at eleven o'clock. Good Friday morning. I'm Madison Rodgers, and here's what's happening in the Middle East. Hamas agrees to release the final living American hostage held in Gaza. ABC's and S Delaquaterra has more Hammas.
Saying it has agreed to release it Don Alexander, an American Israeli soldier who has been held in Gaza for seventeen months, along with the remains of four other hostages. It's still unclear when the release will take place or what Hamas is asking for in return. Israel and Hamas have been negotiating phase two of the Gaza ceasefire that began in January. And has Delaquateria ABC News at the Foreign Desk.
We're following some breaking news right now. The Federal Department of Education just opened racial discrimination investigations into dozens of universities across the country, including MIT and Yale. Many of the colleges are facing scrutiny over their partnerships with the PhD Project, a nonprofit that helps students from underrepresented groups
get their degrees. This comes weeks after the Education Department announced colleges could lose federal funding if they use race as a deciding factor while making decisions about admissions and scholarships. WBC News Radio has reached out to MIT Yale and the PhD Project for comment. We will continue to bring you the very latest right here and streaming on the
new iHeartRadio app in New York. Columbia has expelled and suspended some students who took part in who took over a building on campus during pro Palestinian protests last year. ABC's Lindy Tuckman has more.
This comes after the federal government sent a letter to the school demanding it make massive changes, including discipline, like this, before they can be considered to receive that four hundred million dollars in funding that was revoked by the Trump administration over what it called the colleges in action against an antisemitism.
The college also temporarily revoked the diplomas of some recent grads. Meantime, Columbia grad student Mahmood Khalil remains in detention in Louisiana. The Trump administration wants to deport him for his leading role in those protests last spring. In central mass police are investigating a crash between a car and a train. This happened in Clinton around six am. Police say it happened on the railroad tracks that cross Stirling Street at
Depot Square. Two people were taken to the hospital. It is not clear right now how severe their injuries are. In the four d a WBZ ACI weather forecast, we do have some rain on the way, but hopefully it should spare the weekend. The rest of this afternoon will have times of sun and clouds in a high around forty eight in Boston into the mid fifties, while Inland tonight we dip into the upper thirties as more clouds move in. Saturday,
we have clouds breaking for some afternoon sun. It's breezy and milder, fifty five to fifty nine for the high. We're up in the sixties, maybe even sixty seven degrees. On Sunday, it will be mostly cloudy and windy. Things take a turn Sunday nights and Monday. We're looking at periods of rain that can get heavy and potentially bring
some flooding. There's a chance of a thunderstorm around as well, Monday will be around sixty degrees for the high and looking ahead, some sunshine returns for Tuesday and we'll top out around fifty. Right now, it's forty five and sunny in Quinsy. It's mostly sunny in Lawrence, where it's forty one. Here in Boston, we'll call it partly sunny forty one degrees At eleven oh five. Time is running out in
Washington to avert a partial government shutdown. The deadline is at midnights and the decision is in the hands of the Senate. ABC's Ali Picicorin looks at what a shutdown could bring.
If the government does shut down, the federal government is the one that gets to decide which employees get furloughed. Now, we've seen the Trump administration be pretty comfortable laying off large swaths of federal employees, and so Democrats are very concerned that if the Trump administration got to have a say over who they deemed no essential, it could be really, really damaging to a very very large number of Americans.
As of right now, it's looking more likely than not that a shutdown will be averted. As Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urges Democrats to pass that Republican bill. However, there is an argument among Democrats. Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley among those saying they can't support it.
We know, as we look in history around the world that an authoritarian individual needs to be fought sooner than later. So it's a big mistake if we come down on the side of providing votes for this Republican plan.
And both Massachusetts Senators At Markey and Liz Warren are indicating that they'll be voting no. Health officials in Westboro are warning residents to beware of bird flu after several dead swans turned up near Mill Pond this week. The virus continues to ravage bird populations nationwide, and it is presumed to have killed the six swans. So far, there have been no confirmed human cases of avian flu in massave Schusetts, but Westboro Animal controls as residents should it
still take precautions to protect themselves. Keep yourself away from any dead or sick birds, and keep your pets away from them too. The search continues in an animal animal abuse case out of Quinsy. I believe Eazis Chris Fama has more on that.
Nothing new to report in Quinsy, where authority's continuing investigation into alleged cases of animal abuse. The pro launched after Canada geese were found dead in the city's Germantown neighborhood. In some cases, residents report the dead bird's legs were tied together. Quincy PDEs as, a department detective and the animal control officer will work the case together. No word whether or not any suspects have been identified. Canada geese
federally protected species. Chris fam A WBZ Boston's News Radio.
You're now in the loop for news updates throughout the day. Listen to WBZ News Radio on the iHeartRadio app. I'm Madison Rogers, WBZ Boston's News Radio.