Yesterday, Gay announced she’s resigning as Harvard’s president. For weeks, there have been calls for Gay, Harvard’s first Black president, to resign following her congressional testimony on antisemitism on college campuses and amid 40 different plagiarism allegations. Gay's accused of copying parts of her dissertation and sections of two other published works. The university’s board seemed to back Gay, who stood by her academic work. Now, Gay says she’s stepping down after being “subjected to personal attacks and threats fueled by racial animus.”
What’s next?
Gay’s resignation is putting a spotlight on the clashes playing out across US campuses, from freedom of speech to campus safety, antisemitism, Islamophobia, and academic integrity. Meanwhile, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who questioned Gay at the congressional hearing, called this “just the beginning of what will be the greatest scandal of any college.” In a statement, the university’s board praised Gay for showing “remarkable resilience.” Harvard has an interim president and is searching for its next leader. As for Gay, she'll remain as a faculty member at Harvard.
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Gay is the second Ivy league president to step down after the congressional hearing. Some see this as accountability. Others see it as a witch hunt. For now, Gay’s resignation represents tensions in some of the fiercest debates happening in society — this time at one of the world’s most prestigious universities.
Lebanon. Yesterday, Hamas said an explosion in a Beirut suburb killed its deputy leader Saleh Arouri and two other militant leaders. Hamas reportedly said Arouri was “one of the architects” of the deadly October 7 attack on Israel. Israel hasn’t claimed responsibility. Still, a member of the governing party congratulated the Israeli military over Arouri's death, and two anonymous US officials reportedly confirmed the attack. Lebanon’s prime minister accused Israel of drawing the country into the Israel-Hamas war. It comes as Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group that has exchanged rockets and gunfire with Israel, threatened that Arouri's death “will not go without a response or punishment.”
Whose lawyers may be working overtime…
Sen. Bob Menendez’s (D-NJ). Yesterday, federal prosecutors accused him of accepting bribes from the Qatari government. It comes after Menendez pleaded not guilty last year to conspiring to act as a foreign agent for Egypt. In the new indictment, Menendez is accused of using his position to broker a multimillion dollar deal between a New Jersey developer and the Qatari government in 2021 and 2022. The senator also allegedly took steps to help the Qatari government by making public statements in support of the country. Menendez allegedly received gold, Formula 1 tickets, and cash from Qatar in exchange. His lawyers said the new allegations "stink of desperation." Menendez is scheduled to go on trial in May.
What’s got authorities on alert…
Cyber kidnapping. A missing foreign exchange student found alive in the Utah mountains over the weekend is believed to be the latest victim of cyber kidnapping. Utah police said the parents of 17-year-old Kai Zhuang were tricked into paying an $80,000 ransom after receiving a photo that allegedly showed Zhuang had been kidnapped. The incident is part of a criminal trend targeting exchange students. Cyber kidnappers order their victims to make it look like they’re being held captive to frighten their parents in exchange for money. The scammers typically monitor their victims via Skype or FaceTime. The FBI has documented a number of growing cases in recent years, and the FTC has reported $2.6 billion lost in 2022 to imposter scams.
What’s raising hope…
A groundbreaking heart procedure. Yesterday, researchers said the world’s first partial heart transplant was a success. In 2022, 17-day-old Owen Monroe received heart valves from donor tissue. Now, doctors say Monroe’s heart valves are growing with him — with his heart reportedly going from the size of a strawberry to the size of an apricot. Doctors say this method could cut down on the number of surgeries patients need, since many outgrow their donor heart. At least 12 other children have reportedly received partial heart transplants.
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