The Evening: Colleges grapple with antisemitism concerns

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View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story December 11, 2023 By Matthew Cullen Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Monday. The future of Harvard's president An Israeli warning to Hezbollah Plus, we want to hear from you Claudine Gay, the president of Harvard. Will Oliver/EPA, via Shutterstock Elite universities face turmoil over antisemitism concerns At Harvard, students, faculty, alumni and donors debated today over the future of the school's leadership. Claudine Gay, the university's president, was facing calls to resign after widely criticized comments she made last week about antisemitism on campus. As Harvard's governing body met today, hundreds of faculty came to Gay's defense in several open letters. One, from Black faculty members, called the attacks on the school's president "specious and politically motivated." Another letter that was gaining traction, from students and alumni, called for her firing, saying "she does not represent our collective values." The uproar mirrors the situation at another Ivy League school, the University of Pennsylvania, where its president, Elizabeth Magill, resigned on Saturday after losing the support of the school's board of trustees. My colleagues wrote about the path to her downfall, which began as far back as August. At Yale, university officials condemned what they called the desecration of a public Hanukkah menorah after a protester hung a Palestinian flag from it. Now in question: Academic freedom is highly valued by many at American universities, but critics say it is sometimes invoked to dodge repercussions. Israeli artillery shelling on the outskirts of Yaroun in south Lebanon, yesterday. Hassan Ammar/Associated Press Israel says attacks from Lebanon demand a response Top Israeli officials warned that further Hezbollah attacks on northern Israel carried out from Lebanon could prompt a powerful response. "Heightened aggression and increased attacks by Iranian-backed Hezbollah on Israel demand of Israel to remove such a threat," Benny Gantz, a member of the war cabinet and former defense minister, told the U.S. secretary of state, Antony Blinken, in a phone call, according to a statement by Gantz's office. Those comments echoed remarks made Sunday by the chief of staff of Israel's military, who said that the attacks risked pushing his forces to make a "very clear change" in the confrontation. Follow our live updates. In Gaza, Israel said that it was engaged in intense battles in three areas where it believes Hamas still has "strongholds." Jack Smith, the special counsel. Doug Mills/The New York Times Trump's immunity argument heads to the Supreme Court Jack Smith, the special counsel prosecuting Donald Trump on charges of plotting to overturn the 2020 election, asked the Supreme Court today to rule on the former president's argument that he is immune from prosecution. Trump had appealed the trial judge's ruling rejecting his claim that he had "absolute immunity" from the charges because he was in office at the time. The request was unusual in two ways: Smith asked the justices to rule before an appeals court acted, and he urged them to move with exceptional speed. The trial is currently scheduled to begin on March 4 in Washington. Texas bans most abortions from conception. Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman, via Associated Press Woman at the center of abortion dispute is leaving Texas Kate Cox, whose medical exception to have an abortion in Texas was put on hold after an appeal by the state's attorney general, decided to leave the state to have the procedure. Cox, whose fetus had received a fatal diagnosis, was believed to be the first person to seek a court-ordered exception since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year. It is not clear how her decision to leave will affect the case. More top news Ukraine: American and Ukrainian military leaders are searching for a new strategy, as President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Washington for meetings. U.S.: A wrongfully convicted Minneapolis man was freed after spending 19 years in prison on a murder charge. Supreme Court: The justices said they would not hear a First Amendment challenge to a Washington State law banning conversion therapy. Climate: The draft of a U.N. climate agreement fell short of calling for a phaseout of fossil fuels. Countries most at risk from global warming called it a "death warrant." Health: Pediatricians are hesitating to prescribe powerful weight loss drugs like Wegovy, citing their newness and uncertainties about them. Safety: Around 2009, American roads started to become deadlier for pedestrians, particularly at night. Fatalities have risen ever since. Economics: Profit margins have recovered to levels that would have set records before the pandemic. Corporations are experimenting with prices to keep them high. Law enforcement: After rising overdoses and an exodus of business from central Portland, Oregon officials are proposing to roll back part of the state's drug decriminalization law. Europe: Poland's newly elected Parliament chose Donald Tusk as prime minister, torpedoing a long-shot effort by right-wing forces to retain power. Science: In the "discovery of a lifetime," an artist and fossil hunter found the six-foot-long skull of the largest carnivorous reptile that ever lived. TIME TO UNWIND Top, Cillian Murphy in "Oppenheimer." Bottom, Margot Robbie in "Barbie." Universal Pictures ("Oppenheimer"); Warner Bros. ("Barbie") 'Barbie' led the Golden Globe nominations The Golden Globes are considered neither a true marker of artistic excellence nor an accurate predictor of Oscar success. Yet they capture the attention of millions of viewers, making them a crucial marketing opportunity. This year's nominations, announced this morning, highlighted the film "Barbie," which led the way with nine nods, followed by eight for "Oppenheimer." In television, "Succession" had the most with nine. There were also a few notable snubs and surprises: "The Color Purple" was left out of the best musical category, while voters found a way to invite Taylor Swift to the ceremony. Marry Me Chicken was one of the most-read recipes of the year. David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. The most popular recipes of 2023 We know — the year isn't over yet. There are still many holiday parties and family dinners on the calender. In an effort to better prepare you for those events, we thought that we would share with you all the recipes that Times readers obsessed over most in 2023. Check out the list. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU Hannah Beier for The New York Times How do you unwind? In this newsletter, we try to bring you stories, recipes and things to do to help you wind down in the evening. As we head into the busy holiday season, we're looking for advice: Do you have a unique way of unwinding during the holidays? If you'd like to share your tips, you can do that by filling out this form. We may publish your response in an upcoming newsletter. A family in Union Vale, N.Y., holds a world record for having the most lights on a residential property.  Dinner table topics Drawing crowds: A family in a small New York town put up a record 720,420 holiday lights, delighting visitors and bothering some neighbors. Taboo but true: Money often causes problems in relationships, but people don't like to talk about it. Here are a few who do. Sleep drugs: Experts say that it's best not to rely on pills to fall asleep. But if you do need a sleeping aid, how much is too much? We have a guide with what you need to know. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT WHAT TO DO TONIGHT Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Victoria Granof. Cook: On chilly days, you can't go wrong with rigatoni alla zozzona. Drink: Our wine critic listed his most memorable bottles of the year. Watch: "A Christmas Story" and 14 other Christmas classics are available to stream right now. Listen: Adrianne Lenker's "Ruined" is one of the 10 new songs our critics are listening to. Shop: Here are some tips for the seemingly impossible task of finding great jeans. Scrub: Cleaning jewelry doesn't have to be challenging. Compete: Take this week's Flashback history quiz. Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all our games here. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT ONE LAST THING A virtual reality mask with the NASA worm logo.  A renewed appreciation for 'the worm' In the 1970s, NASA went looking for a branding upgrade. The space agency had been to the moon and back, but its logo felt amateurish. That's how "the worm" was born — a clean logo with N-A-S-A spelled out in bold, sinewy, orange-red letter forms. The agency moved back to its original logo — "the meatball," which features a blue circle, stars, an elliptical orbit trail and a red swoosh — in the 1990s after a stretch of low morale. But the iconic worm never quite went away. And now, as NASA embarks on a push to go back to the moon, it is celebrating the futuristic design once again. It's now featured prominently on NASA's most advanced rockets. Have a nostalgic evening. Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Matthew We welcome your feedback. Write to us at evening@nytimes.com. Continue reading the main story Writer: Matthew Cullen Editorial Director: Adam Pasick Editors: Carole Landry, Whet Moser, Justin Porter, Jonathan Wolfe Photo Editor: Brent Lewis Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for The Evening from The New York Times. To stop receiving The Evening, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. 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