The Full Belmonte, 12/6/2023
Israel sweeps into major city in south Gaza
“Israeli troops entered Khan Younis, the Gaza Strip's second-largest city, on Tuesday in what the Israeli military described as some of the most intense fighting of the war.
The fighting further limits the area where Palestinians can seek safety and has largely halted the distribution of vital aid.
•The U.N. said the fighting has made it impossible to distribute essentials like food, water and medicine to most people in southern Gaza. Meanwhile, the United States, Qatar and Egypt say they are working on a longer truce even though Israel called its negotiators home over the weekend.
•Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reiterated his belief the Israeli military would have to maintain security control of the Gaza Strip for an indefinite time, long after the war ends. His statement seemed to defy U.S. opposition of Israeli ‘reoccupation’ of the territory.
•Reports that women and young girls have been subjected to horrific sexual abuse by Hamas militants have surfaced. President Joe Biden said survivors and witnesses have shared horrific accounts of ‘unimaginable cruelty’ over the past few weeks.” [USA Today]
Troops on the ground in the Gaza Strip on December 6, 2023.
-, Israeli Army/AFP via Getty Image
Donald Trump speaks during a rally, Dec. 2, 2023, in Ankeny, Iowa. (AP Photo/Matthew Putney)
Trump declines to rule out abusing power to seek retribution if he returns to the White House
“Former President Donald Trump declined to rule out abusing power if he returns to the White House after Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity asked him Tuesday to respond to growing Democratic criticism of his rhetoric. The GOP presidential front-runner has talked about targeting his rivals and vowed to seek retribution if he wins a second term for what he argues are politically motivated prosecutions against him. Read more.
Why this matters:
Trump’s campaign rhetoric and sweeping plans for a second term alarmed Democrats. It has become a chief election argument for Biden as he prepares for a potential rematch. At a series of fundraisers Tuesday, Biden warned that Trump and his allies are out to destroy democratic institutions.
Trump has been dominating his rivals both nationally and in Iowa, which will kick off the election with its caucuses on Jan. 15. As these rivals gather this evening at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa for the fourth GOP debate, he once again will not be participating. The GOP front-runner will instead spend the evening at a Florida fundraiser.” [AP News]
Classified Senate Briefing Devolves Into Shouting Match: CNN
“A classified Senate briefing on Ukraine quickly devolved into a messy fight which saw members shouting over one another on the issue of border security and even leaving the room, according to multiple reports. The fiery meeting was supposed to help the Senate move forward with its national security package, but instead ‘it was immediately hijacked by Leader [Mitch] McConnell (R-KY),’ according to Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (R-NY). ‘The first question, instead of asking our panelists, he called on [Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma] to give a five-minute talk about the negotiations on the border,’ Schumer said. ‘Then when I brought up the fact that they could do an amendment and have the ability to get something done on the border, they got stuck … they didn’t like it.’ A spokesperson for Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton confirmed that Cotton was shouting at the meeting—at Schumer. Sen. Lindsey Graham(R-SC) added there was ‘a lot of tension in the room. It started out bad. But got better.’” [Daily Beast]
Read it at CNN
Pro-Trump electors in Wisconsin settle lawsuit, admitting Biden won in 2020 and agreeing not to repeat their actions in 2024
“The 10 Republicans who signed official-looking paperwork falsely purporting that Donald Trump won Wisconsin in 2020 have settled a lawsuit filed by two of the state’s rightful electors and agreed to withdraw their inaccurate filings, acknowledge Joe Biden won the presidency and not serve as presidential electors in 2024 or in any election where Trump is on the ballot. Wednesday’s civil settlement marks the first time pro-Trump electors have agreed to revoke their false filings and not repeat their actions in the next presidential election.”
Read the story at Washington Post
Pence Added to Witness List in Trump’s Georgia Case: CNN
“Prosecutors in the Georgia election interference case against Donald Trump have listed former Vice President Mike Pence as a witness who could be called to testify, according to CNN. Pence was reportedly one of more than 150 people included on the most recent list of witnesses compiled by Fulton County prosecutors, though documents remain under seal and the lists have not been made public. Pence, who recently ended his bid to beat his old boss to the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, is one of the few former close allies of Trump who has consistently denied claims of voter fraud in Georgia during the 2020 election. In August, Pence signaled a readiness to testify as a witness if necessary when asked about Trump’s federal election case. ‘I have no plans to testify, but, look, we’ll always comply with the law,’ he told CNN at the time.” [Daily Beast]
Russia soldiers charged in U.S. with war crimes. Indictment is the first charges ever under U.S. law
READ FULL STORY→ USA Today
3 Presidents on the Hot Seat
In a four-hour hearing, the presidents of Harvard, Penn and MIT steadily defended themselves, their institutions and free expression. Lawmakers remained skeptical.
From left, University of Pennsylvania president Liz Magill, Massachusetts Institute of Technology president Sally Kornbluth and Harvard president Claudine Gay condemned antisemitism during a House hearing Tuesday and acknowledged that more work is needed to make Jewish students feel included on their campuses.
Photo illustration by David Ho/Inside Higher Ed | Photos by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
“House Republicans lambasted the leaders of three elite universities for more than four hours Tuesday in a contentious hearing that was focused on campus antisemitism but frequently veered into broader conservative critiques of higher education.
‘I do not refer to colleges and universities as ‘higher education,’ because it’s my opinion that higher-order skills are not being taught or learned, and I think today’s hearing indicates that,’ said North Carolina representative Virginia Foxx, the top Republican on the House Education and Workforce Committee, which hosted the hearing.
‘I have always defended higher education, but today I am embarrassed,’ said Louisiana representative Julia Letlow, also a Republican.
Harvard president Claudine Gay, University of Pennsylvania president Liz Magill and Massachusetts Institute of Technology president Sally Kornbluth testified Tuesday and defended their actions over the past two months as tensions flared on their campuses following the start of the Israel-Hamas war. The hearing was the committee’s second in the last month focusing on campus antisemitism, and likely not the last. House Republicans have used the recent protests and campus tensions to perpetuate their attacks on higher education.
The presidents stood by their policies and commitments to free expression, their efforts to support Jewish students and their institutions’ diversity, equity and inclusion programs, which Republicans on the committee have blamed for the rise in antisemitism. Gay, Kornbluth and Magill all condemned antisemitism and said they need to do more to make students and faculty aware of its ‘insidiousness.’
‘We must get this right,’ Magill said. ‘The stakes are too high. Penn would not be what it is without its strong Jewish community, past, present and future. I am proud of this tradition and deeply troubled when members of our Jewish community share that their sense of belonging has been shaken. Under my leadership, we will never, ever shrink from our moral responsibility to combat antisemitism and educate all to recognize and reject hate.’
Since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel and the start of the war and subsequent campus protests, college administrators have sought to find a balance between promoting free expression and keeping students safe. In the process, they have struggled to please anyone. The challenge of striking that balance was on display at Tuesday’s hearing.
Many students at Harvard, Penn and other colleges have rallied to support Palestinians—demonstrations that outside organizations, lawmakers and alumni have criticized as supporting terrorism. Meanwhile, Jewish students have reported feeling unsafe on campuses in light of the protests, and campuses nationwide have seen an increase in antisemitism. Muslim students also have reported a rise in Islamophobia since the start of the war. Although the hearing didn’t focus on those incidents, the presidents and some Democrats on the committee did acknowledge that many Muslim and Arab students are hurting.
Throughout the morning and afternoon, Republicans appeared frustrated when the presidents didn’t give clear-cut answers to yes-or-no questions, speaking over the witnesses and cutting them off. Most of their queries were directed at Gay and Magill. They hammered the institutions’ leaders on what they perceive as a lack of ideological diversity among faculty members and pressed the presidents on whether faculty members have been disciplined or students expelled for their actions in the past two months.
Gay said discipline processes were underway and wouldn’t say more, citing student privacy.
‘Harvard ranks the lowest when it comes to protecting Jewish students,’ said New York representative Elise Stefanik, a Republican and Harvard graduate. ‘This is why I’ve called for your resignation and your testimony today. Not being able to answer with more clarity speaks volumes.’
‘Antisemitism Is the Result’
Foxx set the tone for the antagonistic hearing in her opening remarks, calling antisemitism and hate the ‘poisoned fruits’ of the institutions’ cultures.
‘After the events of the past two months, it is clear that rabid antisemitism and the university are two ideas that cannot be cleaved from one another,’ said Foxx, who played a video of recent campus protests.
Foxx later asked the three presidents to explain the rise of antisemitism on their campuses, suggesting that hiring practices and curriculum choices were fostering a hatred of Jewish people.
‘To be a successful teacher and educator at Harvard requires the ability to draw out all of the viewpoints and voices in your classroom, irrespective of one’s political views,’ Gay said. ‘And we devote significant resources to training our faculty in that pedagogical skill and prioritizing that in our recruiting and hiring.’
New York representative Brandon Williams, a Republican and a Penn alum, echoed Foxx in a line of questioning near the end of the hearing, asking the presidents about their budgets, staffing and endowments. He questioned a claim from earlier in the hearing that education is the solution to antisemitism.
‘If education is the solution, you don’t seem to be accomplishing that solution, even though you’ve had a 387-year run to stamp out antisemitism,’ he said. ‘I’m looking backward. I’m saying, ‘How did you arrive here if education is your mission and antisemitism is the result?’ he said.
Williams suggested that the current climate has its roots in a century-old cap, long since reversed, on the number of Jewish students enrolled in the Ivy League.
The presidents acknowledged that they have work to do to improve the campus climate for Jewish students. Williams said the universities’ federal funding should be discontinued if they can’t do better.
‘I think you have a need for leadership or need of federal intervention to cut off the resources that allow this mission that’s failed to continue,’ he said.
Multiple representatives pushed for specifics about how the universities were planning to confront antisemitism and discipline students and faculty who make antisemitic remarks or bully Jewish students. Gay reiterated that she couldn’t comment on specific situations because of ongoing investigations and that Harvard has policies to address harassment against Jewish students.
‘I love the lip service. I do. I’m looking for an action item,’ said Michigan representative Lisa McClain, a Republican. ‘It is clear that Jewish students on your campuses are afraid to be themselves because you have refused to take action.’
Other Republicans said the institutions weren’t teaching enough Jewish history classes. Some Democrats on the committee also said there should be general curriculum requirements to educate students about the Holocaust and the history of the Jewish people.
‘There are so many opportunities for students to learn more about the relevant history,’ Gay said. ‘But I think one of the things that has become apparent over the last couple of months is that we have to find ways of making that education more broadly available to our campus community to all of our students, our faculty and staff, and we have work to do on that for sure.’
Free Speech or Hate Speech?
Academic freedom and free expression are bedrock principles in higher education, Gay, Magill and Kornbluth said repeatedly as Republicans on the committee called for action against antisemitic speech.
‘What we seek is not simply free expression, but the reasoned dialogue that leads to truth and discovery and that does the work of moving us all forward,’ Gay said. ‘We don’t always get it right, and our students don’t always get it right.’
Kornbluth said that problematic speech should be countered with more speech and education. ‘I strongly believe that there is a difference between what we can say to each other, what we have a right to say and what we should say as members of one community,’ she said. ‘Yet, as president of MIT, in addition to my duties to keep this campus safe and maintain the functioning of this national asset, I must at the same time ensure that we protect speech and viewpoint diversity for everyone.’
Pennsylvania representative Susan Wild, a Democrat, said she wished the hearing was a ‘robust intellectual discussion’ about the limits of free speech. ‘I feel for all of you,’ she told the presidents. ‘It is a balancing act that you have to perform.’
Wild asked at what point speech incites violence and crosses the line, pointing to the video played at the start of the hearing that showed students calling to ‘globalize the intifada.’
‘That video, as a human being, was very hard to watch,’ Magill responded. ‘The chanting—calling for intifada, global revolution—was very disturbing. I can imagine many people’s reaction to that would be one of fear. I believe at a minimum it is hateful speech that has been and should be condemned. Whether it rises to incitement of violence under the policies at Penn … is a much more difficult question. It is a very narrow category.’
Magill repeatedly defended her decision to allow a Palestinian literature festival to move forward on campus in late September. The event featured several speakers who have been accused of making antisemitic remarks, and has been blamed for a rise in incidents against Jewish students at Penn even before the war broke out.
‘Our approach is not to censor based on content but to worry about the safety and security and time, place and manner in which it would occur,’ she said. ‘Canceling that conference would have been inconsistent with academic freedom and free expression.’
Magill added that the university’s approach to free speech is guided by the U.S. Constitution. She disputed an assertion by Indiana representative Jim Banks that Penn regulates other speech it doesn’t like.
Banks, a Republican, questioned why professors who have made remarks supporting Hamas were still employed at Penn while the university was also starting a process to discipline Amy Wax, a polarizing law professor who has made incendiary and racist remarks. And like other Republicans on the committee, he accused the institutions of having a selective commitment to free speech.
‘You’re speaking out of both sides of your mouth,’ Banks said. ‘You’re defending it. You allow these professors to teach at your college. You create a safe haven for this type of antisemitic behavior. You said something earlier about antisemitism being symbolic of the larger society—your university is a hotbed of it.’
From start to finish, the hearing laid bare the minefield college administrators are facing right now when it comes to free expression.
Stefanik, allotted several rounds of questions, repeatedly sought to pin down the presidents on when exactly speech violates their institutions’ code of conduct. In a combative round of questioning near the end of the hearing, she asked each president whether calling for the genocide of Jews amounts to bullying and harassment.
All three said that decision depended on the context of the remarks in question and whether the speech turned into student conduct—a common refrain throughout the hearing.
‘It’s a context-dependent decision?’ Stefanik said. ‘That’s your testimony today? Calling for the genocide of Jews is dependent upon the context? That is not bullying or harassment? This is the easiest question to answer yes, Ms. Magill.’
Then Stefanik turned to Gay, who agreed with her colleague that whether speech violated the code of conduct depends on context and whether it is targeted at an individual.
Stefanik closed her final round of questions by accusing Gay of ‘dehumanizing’ the Jewish people. ‘It doesn’t depend on context, and this is why you should resign,’ she said. ‘These are unacceptable answers across the board.’” [Inside Higher Ed]
AP African American Studies Course Makes BLM Optional
“Black Lives Matter will be an optional topic in the revised AP African American Studies course after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis threw a hissy fit about it. The College Board released the final version of the Advanced Placement class on Wednesday, and the Miami Herald reports that it also excludes lessons on the Black queer experience and makes discussion of reparations optional. However, some authors that Florida objected to remain in the curriculum, leaving it unclear whether the state would bar it.” [Daily Beast]
Read it at Miami Herald
News Alert: Kevin McCarthy to leave Congress at the end of this year
“Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is resigning from Congress and will leave at the end of this year, he announced in a Wall Street Journal op-ed on Wednesday — a highly anticipated decision that comes two months after his unprecedented ouster from the speakership.
McCarthy, who has been in office for 17 years and spent much of it at the leadership table, touted his accomplishments in the op-ed and made clear he has no regrets about his tenure. McCarthy, who battled through 15 grueling rounds to win the speaker’s gavel in January, was removed just nine months later after infuriating his right flank for putting a stopgap spending bill on the floor with the support of Democrats.” [CNN]
Is Washington broken?
“Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., on Tuesday became the latest in a string of lawmakers to announce they will not run for reelection in 2024. Almost a dozen House GOP members alone announced in October and November their plans to retire from office at the end of their terms. McHenry said he's ‘confident’ in the House’s future, but some congressional leaders who are on their way out do not share McHenry’s vote of confidence, citing division and extreme politics as reasons for their departures.” Read more at USA Today
Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., speaks to members of the media as he leaves the U.S. Capitol on Nov.14, 2023 in Washington, D.C.
Kevin Dietsch, Getty Images
Texas mother asks court to allow emergency abortion
“Kate Cox is 20 weeks pregnant and her baby has Edwards' syndrome, a lethal genetic condition that causes severe developmental delay. Doctors advised the Dallas woman to get an abortion because there was ‘virtually no chance’ her baby would survive, and continuing the pregnancy poses grave risks to her health and fertility, according to the court filing. But the state's restrictive anti-abortion laws stand in the way. Cox, her husband Justin and her OB-GYN are asking the court to temporarily block Texas' overlapping abortion bans and to authorize the termination of Cox's pregnancy.” Read more at USA Today
News Alert: Suspect in custody after 6 killed and 3 injured in a series of homicides and shootings in Texas
“A suspect is in custody after a string of homicides and shootings across two Texas communities Tuesday left six people dead and three people injured, including two police officers, authorities said during news conferences in Austin and Bexar County.”
Read More at CNN
Suspect who shot at police from Virginia home that exploded is dead
“Details have emerged about numerous grievances a man expressed against neighbors and others via social media and in lawsuits prior to his killing in a Virginia home explosion. James Yoo, 56, fired a ‘flare-type gun’ from inside the duplex he owned more than 30 times early Monday evening in Arlington. Police were trying to enter the home with a search warrant when the suspect fired multiple gunshots. And then just before 8:30 p.m., the house exploded. The blast — which was felt for miles — tore apart the house, shooting flames and debris into the air. Questions about the incident continue to swirl on Wednesday and have left many in the area unsettled.” Read more at USA Today
Flames are seen at a distance where a home exploded, Monday night, Dec. 4, 2023, in Arlington, Virginia.
Emily Saxon, AP
Generation after generation, Israeli prison marks a rite of passage for Palestinian boys
“The release of Palestinian prisoners under the Israel-Hamas cease-fire agreement last week has touched nearly everyone in the occupied West Bank, where an estimated 750,000 Palestinians have been arrested since 1967. In negotiations with Israel to free hostages in captivity in Gaza, Hamas has pushed for the release of high-profile prisoners. But experts say most Palestinians passing through Israel’s prison doors are teenage boys and young men. Read more.
Why this matters:
The conviction rate for security offenses in the West Bank is more than 99%. Defense lawyers often encourage young clients to plead guilty to avoid lengthy trials and detentions. Some are never formally charged or tried, held under ‘administrative detention,’ which allows Israeli authorities to arrest Palestinians based on secret evidence and renew detention indefinitely.
Every year, the Israeli military court sentences hundreds of minors to prison, mostly for throwing stones, according to Military Court Watch. Most are 16 or 17. Palestinian activists and human rights watchdogs say Israel’s mass detentions seek to sow fear among the youngest, breaking communities that continue to defy Israeli military rule, now in its 57th year.” [AP News]
The West has sanctioned Russia’s rich. But is that really punishing Putin and helping Ukraine?
“Western governments have sanctioned scores of billionaires to isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin, choke off financial support for his war and turn them against him. But few tycoons have spoken out publicly and only a handful have unequivocally denounced the war, partly because they know it carries risk. With growing concerns about the future of Western funding for Ukraine, former diplomats and experts are asking what can be done to make the sanctions more effective and help Kyiv financially. Read more.
Why this matters:
In the 21 months since the sanctions, few of the sanctioned have criticized Putin. Of an estimated $58 billion in frozen private assets confiscated in response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea, just $5.4 million has gone to Kyiv.
Assets of sanctioned individuals generally can only be liquidated if they are related to criminal activity. This can take years to prove, and most tycoons who have been sanctioned have not been accused of criminal wrongdoing.
Experts say a different approach is needed that could include offering tycoons a more clearly defined route off sanctions lists in exchange for cash and condemning Putin. It’s a controversial idea among Western governments, not least because they don’t want to suggest tycoons can buy their way off lists. Sanctions relief also doesn’t have the backing of Ukraine.” [AP News]
Actors strike
“Members of SAG-AFTRA, the Hollywood actors union, ratified a new contractwith the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents major studios and streamers, the union said on Tuesday. The contract caps a monthslong saga, which included a nearly four-month strike that had paralyzed the industry and raised existential questions over the future of the entertainment business. Hollywood actors and producers reached the tentative deal on November 8 after tumultuous negotiations throughout the year. SAG-AFTRA members voted to ratify the contract this week with about 78% in favor. The union said about 38% of members turned out to vote.” [USA Today]
New NCAA subdivision would pay athletes via trust fund
“NCAA president Charlie Baker sent a letter to Division I members proposing the creation of a new competitive subdivision whose schools would be required to provide significantly greater compensation for their athletes than current association rules allow. Under Baker’s plan, “within the framework” of Title IX, the federal gender-equity law, schools in this new group would have to “invest at least $30,000 per year into an enhanced educational trust fund for at least half of the institution’s eligible student-athletes.” For now, the particulars of how and when athletes would be able to access these payments would be left up to the schools.” Read more at USA Today
Norman Lear dies at 101. The writer and producer transformed TV sitcoms in the 1970s with hits such as ‘All in the Family.’
“Under the guise of humor, Lear managed to destroy some of television’s most entrenched taboos. His hit comedies, including “Maude” and “The Jeffersons,” changed TV by touching on racial prejudice, divorce and social mobility.”
Read more at Washington Post